A/N - SooooOOOOooooooo...
*Clears Throat*
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. .
. . .
*Adjusts shirt collar*
Sorry...
1 Year since the last chapter. Yep. I literally said that I was gonna stick it out to the end, then went on a randomly unannounced hiatus.
I get it. I suck.
BUT FEAR NOT!
FOR I AM HERE!
Hopefully...
ANYWAYS, yall waited long enough, so if you're interested in what happened, I'll leave the rest of the notes at the bottom of the chapter, as well as an update on The Omega Enigma.
SO NOW; ENJOY CHAPTER 25!
When Izuku woke up, he was extremely disorientated. He sat up from his place on the ground and held his head, still reeling from the strength of Miruko's kick.
"Jesus, she hits like a damn truck..." He muttered to himself, before he got a good look around. He was sitting on the spiral staircase inside of the lighthouse, he realized. He stood up carefully, but something outside stole his gaze. He peered out the window to see what was wrong, and was even more confused.
There was nothing. No sea, fields, the forest and planets were gone. When he looked down, even the base of the lighthouse itself was gone. He peered down the staircase to double check, and sure enough, at the very bottom was the same white void.
"It's not black, which means it's different from the void when I'm about to wake up..." He thought to himself. He looked up the stairs and recognized the door for Banjo's Bar. "I guess he's the one I need to talk to." He concluded, and made his way inside.
This was not the bar he remembered.
It was more upkept, he even saw faint figures of people moving around the bar. Making his way from the counter, he almost didn't recognize Banjo himself sitting at the counter, poking his glass of liquor. It wasn't until he took the seat next to him that the old hero glanced over, before returning his gaze to the drink.
"'Bout time you showed up, kid." Banjo smirked, but Izuku could tell the mood wasn't the same as before, during the fight. "Was beginnin to think you wasn't gonna wanna see this."
Izuku shifted in his seat to look around the now populated bar, and focused his gaze. The once ghostly figures hardened into more real people when he did. There was a group of bikers at the pool tables, and another at the darts. Drinks were flying around from the waitresses, and the bartender looked like he was having the time of his life.
"Banjo... Is this one of your memories? How is this even..." Izuku wandered off, before he noticed another figure in the bar, off to their right, at the back exit. One that was as real as him or the old pro, and even Banjo looked over to him. The figure nodded once, and left quickly through the door. The only noticeable feature Izuku could see was a large scar over his left eye.
"That, was another user." Banjo answered, knowing that Izuku would ask. "He's helpin me out with all this, it's a side use of his ability. You ain't ready for the whole quirk yet, but we've unlocked this part for ya to understand our pasts better." He said as he gestured to the room.
Izuku looked around, before turning back to him. "I won't push about him then, seeing as this time is meant for me to learn about you." He started, which earned a nod from the old pro. "And seeing as this bar is the usual place we meet, I expect it's the most important place to you in your life, right?" He continued, which earned a gruff chuckle as he down his drink.
"Spot on like always, kid." He said, as he turned himself around in his seat, and gestured to the entrance, where a figure entered the bar, much to a couple of the occupants' joy. Izuku was confused, as he recognized the man as the very same one sitting next to him, Daigoro Banjo. While this man was clearly younger, and he didn't have his regular costume on, it was easy to recognize him with the bald head and those yellow goggles. Izuku glanced to ask what was happening, but seeing the look on the pros face, he opted to simply watch.
Past Banjo walked over to the pool table and started talking with the other Memorants, whether about recent sports or some new hero debut, something that caught all their eyes was a sound from outside. The Memorants all acted as if nothing was wrong, but Izuku opted to look at the entrance before the door opened, and...
Izuku's jaw dropped.
A woman, easily the same height and build as Banjo, had just walked in. And she was gorgeous. Clad in black jeans, a dark red long sleeve top with a leather vest over that. She had a gold bandanna around her neck, and a pair of white hexagonal goggles sitting on her short, golden hair. The most entrancing part was her face, absolutely stunning, and she had golden eyes with hexagonal irises.
Izuku glanced over at Past Banjo, and saw that he too was staring at the woman.
"This is the first time I met her." Banjo said sadly, watching the Memorants interact. His being goofy, while she was brash, but still laughing at his jokes.
Izuku followed his gaze to the now sitting Memorants at a bar table, Banjo telling an emotive story, while she laughed and added her own emotive action scenes.
They were talking about their hero missions, Izuku realized.
"What's her name?" Izuku asked quietly, not to ruin the obvious mood.
Banjo sighed with a soft smile.
"Haru. Haru Takara." They watched as the memory continued as the pair got up, before they exited the bar together, and when they did, the remaining Memorants all faded away. The scene shifted, while still in the bar, but the only two Memorants inside were Banjo and Haru, slow dancing in the middle, holding each other.
"She was my treasure." He started, eyes always on the two. "We talked that night, and found we had a lot in common, 'cept she was a pro, while I wasn't. She was Topaz, the Bejeweled Hero. Able to seal her foes in a case of indestructible topaz!" He explained with glory to the story, standing up with a fist raised, but lowered it after. "I was still a sidekick at the time, had yet to even make a splash. Only 20 at the time, too." He continued, before the Memorants disappeared again.
"She helped you become a pro, didn't she?" Izuku asked, which earned a mighty chuckle from Banjo.
"Helped? She was the sole reason I became one!" He said, before Izuku felt his mood shift from pride to shame. "And I was the sole reason she stopped." He said, sitting back down on the bar stool. Before Izuku could ask, he continued.
"We felt a connection that first night, and 2 years later, we married. It was the greatest time of my life. I was starting to get back on my feet, she was slowly rising into the top 150... But then one day, we got a call." He said, turning back towards the counter. "A villain was going rogue in downtown Osaka, a whole city over. We were off duty that day, but the call was desperate, they needed any hero they could. I told Haru we were only 10 minutes out, being right close to the city borders..." He continued, and Izuku noticed Banjo's eyes were watering.
Izuku placed his hand on Banjo's shoulder, letting him know he understood what was about to happen.
"We showed up to see five whole blocks just... gone. Heroes from all over were laying unmoving and I was so scared... This villain was unlike anything I'd ever fought before. We showed up alongside a number of other heroes but..." He shook his head. "We were all injured. Haru ordered me to grab as many heroes as I could carry with Black Whip and flee..." He said, pausing to steady his breath. Izuku knew where that meant.
"...It was the last time I saw her. After we fled, the villain mysteriously vanished, leaving only the destruction. Not even the Heroes lost that day were found. We searched for days, but nothing came up. I ended up taking over her agency, and used the resources I could to find out whatever I needed about that villain. I found a link, and a name."
"It was All For One, wasn't it?" Izuku asked, which earned a small nod from the old pro.
"Yeah, it was him. 'Makin a small appearance to remind the world he still lurked, drivin it from the shadows..' Or some shit. The link I found was to an old man living in seclusion. Turns out, it was the Fourth User. I explained what happened, and seeing my drive to take him on, he entrusted me with One For All. It was a year later that he had passed away, at the old age of forty." He finished.
Izuku cocked his head at that. "Old age of forty?"
Banjo nodded. "Yep. Didn't get it either, but I figured it had something to do with his quirk."
Izuku thought about that, before shaking his head. Now was the time with Banjo, not Fourth.
Banjo stood up from the seat and motioned for Izuku to do the same, before he placed his hands on the shoulders of the Ninth.
"It was time you learned about my power, and my reason for accepting One For All. Don't misunderstand the story, kid. I took on the mantle for love, it's what Haru would've done if the roles were switched." He started, which earned a curious glance from Izuku. "You thought it was for revenge for All For One killing my wife, right?"
The curious look turned sheepish. 'caught red handed, hehe..'
"It's why I told you you gotta control your heart. I was so struck with grief of losing my love, and the purpose to take down a villain, that they were mixed to create something powerful. Love is a great feeling, but so is loss. You must learn to love, and accept loss. Then, the powers of all of us will be easier to control, some more so than others." He said, and slowly Izuku could see the bar fading around them.
"Listen close, kid. While you've only met me an Nana, the others are waitin patiently for you to meet them. Most of 'em are rootin for you, and soon, we'll all be able to speak with you. Right now, however, you must focus on something else."
Izuku looked down, and saw the wisps of Black Whip swirling around his heart. Before he could ask, he noticed his mouth was now gone, and looked up to Banjo.
"Shit, always outta time when I gotta move the plot forward, huh?" He muttered, before his signature grin broke out. "Eh, no matter. Doc has already figured it out too, and will 'splain it to ya when ya wake." He said, and took a step back from Izuku. The bar was fully gone now, and Banjo was fading as well.
"The next time you come here, it'll be another's turn to introduce themselves. Ya be on your best behavior now, Izuku!" He said and raised his hand to wave farewell, before vanishing into the void.
All around him, the world went black.
"-how he's still alive.." A female said, sounding almost... Scared.
"We won't know for certain until he wakes up. His quirk is truly remarkable, and if what I think happened out there is what happened, it's entirely possible." A man said.
"Well time to find out." A third voice said, gesturing to the waking up boy. All eyes were on Izuku now looking up from in the bed, and taking in the scene was quite nerve-wracking.
He was in the stadium's medical wing, surrounded by people. First, was Recovery Girl and Nezu to his right, the former overlooking some of the medical equipment he was hooked up to. At the foot of his bed was Toshinori, Shota, and Kikai, all looking at him with concerned faces. What easily scared him, however, was seeing both Midnight and Miruko to his left, the latter looking sheepish. He'd later find out it was because of the firm talks she had with everyone in the room.
Honestly, with those present, he wasn't sure who was the most pissed at her using a Luna move on him.
All were pretty scary choices.
"Izuku. How are you feeling?" Shota asked, moving around to the left side. Izuku went to sit up, before almost falling off the bed. Shota caught him and steadied him, and a quick look down showed that his prosthetic arm was detached, and laying on the table to his left.
"Woah easy there kiddo, tha' kick ya got at the end did a number to tha' NeuroLink, so ta be safe I ran some diagnostics while you were asleep. You're good ta put it back on now, though." Kikai explained, which he nodded at. Shota grabbed it and carefully clicked it into place, and with a quick flex of his joints, he nodded again at how smooth it still felt.
"Thanks Kikai. I'm glad to see it survived the fight. Stellar job as always." Izuku said, which earned appreciative nods from everyone, minus Miruko, who still watched sheepishly from her seat next to the door. "How long was I out? Is the festival still going on?"
An explosion made the room shake a little, which earned a chuckle from Toshi. "Yeah, the one on one fights started a bit ago. They're into the second round right now, about halfway."
"Izuku, there's something we need to ask you about." Shota intervened, getting his son's attention.
"Is this about what happened at the end of the match?" He asked, which made the others in the room glance at each other. All but one.
"Yeah, what the hell happened out there? My Luna..." Miruko started, but faltered from the mass glares she was receiving, making her shift uncomfortably in her seat. "... My.. attack, should've ended the fight, but then you got back up. Not only, but you had different lightning, you spoke differently, and even your eyes were different colors."
Izuku looked away from her to Toshi. "I take it there's a reason she's here?" He asked, which earned a couple chuckles from the others. Miruko, on the other hand, looked annoyed, but didn't comment.
"It was actually her idea." Nezu intervened, hopping onto the bed near his feet.
"What do you mean? I didn't know about this until she walked onto the stage." Izuku asked, which earned a chuckle from the principal.
"Well, what's a surprise if one already knows it? I asked around if any hero would like to do this, and after she watched the footage of the USJ, she was game, on one condition."
"And that was...?"
"No matter how the fight ended, I'd be takin ya for the hero internships." Miruko answered. To say Izuku was surprised was an understatement. The funniest part about this, however, was he wasn't the only one.
"Wait, what?" Toshi said, even Midnight was surprised. "No offense Miruko, but in your time as a hero, you've never once taken a student in for an internship or a work study." He said, which earned a grin from Nezu.
"That was, unfortunately for her, my doing. When Miruko graduated U.A., she said she would become the best hero on her own. And, over the last 7 years, she has proven successful."
"Damn right I have." She said, but his quick look over to her made her look away from her old teacher.
"Correct, however you forgot our deal." He said, getting the attention of the room back on him. "I told her I wouldn't press the 'solo act' if she could make it into the Top 5 within 5 years. Seeing as she is still the Number 6, that deal now works in my favor. I waited all last year to see if she would decide to take a student in, no matter the year, but she didn't. Now, I am holding her to that deal." Nezu explained. Miruko looked annoyed at the principal, but when Izuku looked towards her, and she saw him, he noticed something else behind her eyes.
"So, basically, I'll be interning with one of the top heroes in Japan, because of a bet you made with her years ago?" Izuku deduced.
"Yes."
Well that made him feel loads better.
"I don't accept." Izuku said, which made all eyes turn to him. Before anyone could ask why, he raised his hand so they would let him explain.
"I did this whole stunt because I understood I have become powerful compared to my classmates. However, don't forget I've dreamed of this stuff my whole life. Going to U.A., competing against my peers in the festival, getting chosen by a hero for the work studies. I wanted to do all this because I worked for it, not because I was given it. I appreciate the help, I more than truly do, that you all have done for me, but this is something I wanted to earn."
The others in the room were silent for his explanation. However, it was Miruko who stood up and walked over to him.
"Miruko, what are-"
*THWICK*
Miruko had just flicked his forehead.
"Hey!" "Oi!" "Rumi, what-!"
"Dumbass." She said, silencing the others. "You wanted to earn an internship, but that's what you did. I agreed to Nezu's terms, but he never once said anything about you. I came to the festival to fight you to see where you were in terms of power and practice. I still have a fight tomorrow with a second year, and a fight on Friday with a third year." She said, which made Izuku's mouth fall open.
"But you said no matter how the fight went, meaning you wanted to take me even before fighting those others?" Izuku asked, rubbing the spot she had flicked him.
"Yeah, because at the beginning of the year is when Nezu cashed in the deal. I was looking over multiple reports and videos of all the students. You weren't the only one. After the USJ incident, and how you fought, I wanted you." She explained. "You hold a lot of potential, and have such a unique power that I can tell you haven't reached the end of. I wanted to snag ya before anyone else had the chance."
Izuku took a moment to consider her words carefully, before looking over at Nezu. "The recording she saw of the USJ, was it-"
"No. She saw what every other person saw. Nothing more, nothing less. While I used our deal to manipulate her into choosing a student, I did nothing to manipulate her decision to choose you."
"What do you mean, recording? There was more to the USJ video?" Miruko asked.
Izuku looked around the room at the others, before looking back at Miruko.
"Then if the Nezu truly didn't make you choose me-"
"He didn't, kid. He may be my old teach, but I make my own choices."
"-Then I accept." Izuku finished. Miruko looked him in the eye, and the emotion he saw earlier reignited.
Excitement.
"One one condition." He continued, looking directly at Toshinori. One look was all he needed to explain what it was, and while Shota caught on later, Toshi just shrugged.
"It's not my secret to share anymore, kiddo. As you've shown today, it's more than obvious that you've made it your own. Plus, she'll need to know so she can properly train you." He explained, taking Miruko's old seat as his own.
"What secret? And also, who is that guy? Never seen him before." Miruko intervened. Toshi looked smug that she hadn't recognized him, but a glance at Izuku made him realize he would need to dissolve the mystery for them to explain properly. He sighed, and buffed into All Might.
"What da shit?! All Might, whada hell were you doin as a skeleton earlier?" Miruko said, almost falling over.
The rest of the room merely chuckled while she looked at them, and she realized they all already knew of this.
"He's here because of me." Izuku said, getting her attention. "His quirk is called One For All, the ability to stockpile power, and pass it onto a successor." He said, getting out of the bed, and standing in front of her. He summoned the ethereal power, and let it course through his veins. The lightning he gave off was back to green, but All Might smirked and boosted his own power, letting his own golden lightning show itself.
"That successor is me."
( . . . )
It took them an hour until Miruko had been told everything. The history of One For All and All For One, the passing of the torch, and even the unlocking of the past users' quirks. In the end, she just chalked everything up to 'quirks are bullshit' and accepted it. They spent a little more time talking about future plans, until Present Mic made his entry.
"Hey y'all! Izuku, good to see you're alright. Hey, we're starting the 3rd round soon. Shota, Kayama, we need you guys to host and ref, Cementoss is getting tired of refereeing and repairing the stage at the same time." He said, which elicited groans from both of them.
"Duty calls, staff. Miruko, I suggest you take your leave as well. There are some other matters I wish to discuss with Izuku, and don't worry, we'll make sure all the paperwork is finalized for the internships." Nezu said, and earned nods from all those mentioned. After they left the room, Izuku looked around to find that only Kikai, Toshi, Nezu, and Recovery Girl remained.
"What else has happened?" Izuku asked, but he could tell the mood had dropped into a more serious one.
"There's truly no easy way to say this, but..." Recovery Girl started, before she set a folder in his lap. "... Have a look at these."
Izuku opened the folder to see that it was one for himself, with medical scans and x-rays. However, due to his minimal knowledge of her field, he didn't really understand what he was looking at.
Until he looked at the x-ray next to the recent one, one he had before the USJ.
"That's not... How... I can't not have..." He sputtered, making Toshi place a hand on his shoulder. Izuku looked up at him, tears showing in his eyes.
"How do I not have a heart?" He whispered.
"Goddammit Banjo! You had one job!" A voice said in his mind. Izuku's eyes went wide.
"I don't know, kid. Recovery Girl's been over your scans when you were out, but... She's just as confused as we are. Clearly, you're still alive. So maybe you can function without one?" Toshi tried to reason.
'Oh Toshi, ever optimistic. But no, Banjo just sucks. I told you Recovery Girl didn't know!' The voice said again.
"Nana? Is that you?" Izuku said, making the others in the room pause.
'... what..?' The voice said again. Clearly, this wasn't supposed to happen.
"Did you just say, Nana? Izuku, are you talking with Nana right now?" Toshi asked quietly, his hand on Izuku's shoulder shaking slightly.
'Oh my god... But you're not here in the fields! How are we...?' Nana started, but then stopped, seemingly thinking about something. 'Oh... Of course. The power we unlocked for you to use to see Banjo's memories, and for Banjo to take over for you. They stabilized a link with us.' Nana said.
Izuku was about to start rambling, until he grasped his head and bent forward in bed. He could hear the fighting in his head, Nana and Banjo were going back to arguing about random useless stuff. It felt like All Might was using his brain as a punching bag.
"Both of you, stop! Please! I can only handle one of you right now!" Izuku said, and thankfully, got them to listen. While the voices started apologizing, the others in the room were too stunned to speak.
"Izuku, how are you doing that? You told us you had to be unconscious or asleep to see or speak with the past users?" Recovery Girl spoke up first. While Nezu was still stunned, it wasn't as bad as Toshi. He was still frozen standing next to Izuku.
"Just wait a moment, yeah?" Izuku said to himself, closing his eyes. He opened them after, and looked towards the others. "Before, during the fight, Banjo and I managed to switch places. However, after the fight, Banjo wanted to show me some of his memories. In order to do so, another user unlocked a part of his quirk for me to use. Because of that power, it allows us to talk in real time. Now, whenever I close my eyes and focus on entering One For All, I see a room in the lighthouse, but I haven't been there yet. There are 9 chairs in a ring, Nana and Banjo in two of them. I was in the third, and a ghostly form of Toshi was in another." He looked up at the real Toshi. "You couldn't speak, or do much, but I knew it was because you're still alive." He meant that in the kindest way possible, and Toshi understood. He hadn't unlocked that power, so couldn't see his old master. The only way he would, would be when he passed away, and became one with the quirk.
"So Nana is indeed speaking with you right now." Toshi said, before retreating his hand from Izuku, and looking down. "Oh, I wish I had been able to unlock that power, to speak with you again." He said to himself.
'Oh Toshi... Even after all these years, you still think of me..' Nana said in his mind. The sadness went both ways, as she too wanted nothing more in that moment to speak with her successor.
"Actually, I can fix that." Izuku said, an idea forming. He closed his eyes, and to the others in the room watched as One For All coursed through his veins once again. At first, the power was its regular green hue, before it slowly morphed into a more yellow color. It continued to change, until the lightning was a pinkish hue. When it did, the lightning faded, and Izuku opened his eyes. No longer were they the green orbs everyone was used to seeing.
Now, they were a stormy gray.
They blinked a couple of times, before looking down at themselves. They moved their hands around, before using their right to inspect the mechanicalness of the left. Eventually, those eyes made their way to look up at Toshi. The moment they did, tears started to form.
"Oh, Toshi..." Izuku's voice said, reaching up to hold the man's face. "Have you not been eating right?" He said, starting to inspect the older man's body. The frail arms, the skinny waist, it felt like...
Like a mother, seeing her child after they had been gone for a long time.
"...Nana?" Toshi asked. "Is that.."
Before he could continue talking, Nana went to hug the man. Though Toshi stood around 6'2" in his shrunken form, Izuku was still smaller, standing around 5'11".
"It's me. This is a little weird, I'm not used to being... alive, even in the 'one for all is bullshit' sense.. But it's so nice to see you again." Nana said, which was all the conformation Toshi needed to hear. He immediately enclosed his arms around his old master, and cried.
( . . . )
"AND THAT ENDS THE QUARTER-FINALS! WE'LL TAKE A 30 MINUTE REST FOR OUR STUDENTS TO REST UP FOR THEIR NEXT FIGHT, SO IN THE MEANTIME, GRAB SOME SNACKS OR BEVERAGES, BECAUSE THESE FIGHTS WILL MAKE YOU CHEER YOUR THROATS DRY!"
Toshi had managed to calm down, and after getting a call from Midnight, had returned to the announcers box to begin preparing for the award ceremony. Izuku had returned to the bed, however, as this new ability to switch consciousnesses with the past users made him extremely tired.
As he sat and reminisced about allowing Nana to converse with Toshi, he began to wonder just how deep One For All went. How much of the past users within the quirk was there? How was it that their consciousness was retained? How could-
* k*
"That's quite enough of that now, sonny." Recovery girl stated, returning her cane to the floor. "Seriously, I thought your mumbling would've been made internal now."
Izuku rubbed his shoulder where the cane had hit him, chuckling lightly. "Sorry, recovery Girl, but it only really happens whenever something amazing happens that I just... have to figure out." He stopped rubbing his arm, but his face dropped to the file left sitting on the bed, and picked it back up to read again, as if the words in the report would change.
"Recov-"
"Shuzenji, kid." Recovery Girl stated, turning back from her computer in the corner. "You calling me that all the time makes me feel like we're just meeting for the first time. After all this time together, I think you've earned the right to use my name, but only in these situations." She chuckled, before noticing he hadn't even looked up. Usually when a hero, retired or not, revealed something like that, the boy would launch into Hero Analysis mode. Now, he did no such thing, but nodded.
"Then, Shuzenji, how is this file even possible?" Izuku asked, and Kikai moved to look over his shoulder. "How can I not have a heart?" The image he was looking at was an x-ray of his chest, but the most disturbing part was that beneath his ribcage, where a heart should be, there was nothing. A void of space, pure black nothing.
The silence was more than enough to answer the question for them all.
She had no idea.
"But I do, kid. That would be Banjo and the others keeping you going." Nana suddenly spoke in his mind, shaking Izuku away from trying to decipher the file.
"Nana? What do you mean, Banjo and the others are doing this?" He asked aloud, making the others stare at him.
"I mean literally, they are keeping you going. While Banjo took over for you to fight Miruko, the others used their abilities, and their ability to use Banjo's Black Whip, to manage your heart. With our quirks, we're essentially creating an artificial heart to pump your blood." Nana explained, in which Izuku relayed this new information to the others. While the answer seemed to justify the file, there was a nagging feeling that Izuku had that there was more at stake.
It just so happened that Shuzenji had the same feeling, and asked, "I'm sensing there's a 'but' coming, Nana. Izuku can heal from most injuries, and from what we recollected from the USJ, when his heart was ripped out, that Nomu creature crushed it. Why hasn't the boy simply regrown his heart, like he's done in the past to... Other parts..?"
Izuku contemplated this question, and when he closed his eyes to focus on actually seeing Nana, he saw her expression was one of confusion, he knew she didn't know for sure. He kept going over what he knew about how his regeneration quirk functioned, but it was simply impossible to need the others to 'quirkify' an artificial heart if his…"
"Unless it was never crushed, and instead actually taken. They had a warp guy, he could've swapped it out while it was in the Nomu's fist." Izuku said, watching Nana's expression change as the gears started working out the possibilities of what really happened.
"But why would they take your heart? What could they possibly be..-"
"The Nomu." Kikai interrupted her question, and the others' thoughts. He looked around to the others, seeing their silence as a prompt to continue. "Remember what that villain said when All Might showed up, rambling about their 'creation'? How was it born to fight All Might?"
Shuzenji shook her head, "No, not born. He said 'made'. There's a difference. Born means to have been created naturally. Made means-"
"Artificial." Izuku finished, watching the others' expressions change. "The Nomu are created by the league of villains. From what others said when I was out, the leader said the creature's quirks were chosen specifically to counter All Might's power." He continued, possibilities running through his head, until one thing his heart would provide brought a pale expression upon his face.
"They're gonna use my heart as material to use my regeneration quirk. They don't know about One For All, they can't have. Even so, the power can only be passed along with consent from me. They are after my regeneration power to create an unstoppable Nomu."
( . . . )
It wasn't until after Present Mic announced the finale was starting that Izuku would return to the viewing stands. After the revelation of what the League might be planning, Shuzenji let him know she would call them for a meeting later on, after the festival was done. He was reluctant, wanting to let the others know immediately, but when she raised her cane and told him to enjoy the festival with his class, he caved.
Kikai offered to walk him back up, but he told him to head to his daughter and congratulate her. Kikai was also reluctant, but Izuku promised he'd be ok. With a hearty pat on the back, saying of course he'd say that after having just fought a powerhouse of a pro, he left to track down Mei.
Izuku enjoyed the quiet walk back to the stands, and as he rounded a corner towards the stairs, he almost literally ran into another pers..
oooh god daaammit.
"Ah, just the student I was searching for." A tall, burning man announced towards the younger, and only a head shorter student. Izuku looked up at the Number 2 Pro Hero, Endeavour. Perhaps in another time, the young analyst would be over the moon to meet such a successful hero, but after living with Heros most of his life, and hearing stories and rumors from them about the man, he absolutely couldn't care less about the man in front of him.
"You were?" Izuku said with a feigned surprised expression, hating he had to tilt his head to look at his face.
He doesn't deserve to have anyone look up to him.
The hero nodded, crossing his arms with a gruff expression. "You fought well against Miruko, for a student, and the praise you have received from other heroes attending proves you might just live up to expectations as a hero." He stated, and somehow made Izuku internally cringe at how condescending he sounded. "You would do well to fix my son." He continued, which made Izuku actually drop his jaw.
"Fix fuckin what?" He asked, realizing his slip, but not backing down, seeing as the hero didn't even seem fazed at the cursing, as if he was more than used to it.
"You heard correctly, boy. Fix. My youngest, Shoto, has a perfectly balanced power, yet refuses to yield his stubbornness, favoring only half of it." He explained, his expression only showing the slightest amount of concern. "You have proven to this institution that you are powerful, perhaps more powerful than my boy. So what you should do is make Shoto realize the futility of his ideals, and make him use his full power."
Izuku stared slack jawed at the man, as if he had grown a second head. Then, without warning and to Endeavor's surprise, he actually laughed.
"What seems to be-"
"Oh man, you really fucked up with him, huh?" Izuku said, the humor still evident on his face, making the man scowl.
"You dare assu-"
"I don't assume, I calculate. Analyze. From what I've seen of Todoroki, he shows little emotion, stays away from others, keeps to himself, and focuses only on being better. Now hearing this, it's obvious his suffering came from you." He stated, making the heroes scowl deepen. The flames along his body glowed brighter, the heat rising in the hallway.
"Such accusations would not bode well towards me, boy. Even if you are a student, or possibly one of the best in this school, you should watch your tone with a possible future coworker. Enemies made out of heroes in school will make your career short." He warned, in which Izuku smiled at again.
"Seems I hit the nail, huh?" Izuku said, crossing his arms. "Let's see if I can work this out, yeah? Hero student that is a recluse, both emotionally and socially, who trains hard to be the best, but only favors half of his power, ice. You said it was a 'perfectly balanced' power, which means the other half is fire. Fire, which he obviously inherited from you." He deduced, not caring the flames were making him sweat, or his skin feeling as if the sun was standing in front of him.
In fact, he took steps closer as he said this, getting an arm's length from the man. If he was surprised at his boldness, the hero didn't show it.
"So if he refuses to use his fire, it's because you did something to forever scar..." Izuku slowed, remembering a distinct feature of the bicolored boy. Even Endeavor seemed to realize where Izuku's mind was going, and his anger flared, along with his fire.
"Your words reflect your intellect, boy, but your deductive direction shows your lack thereof as well." He said, making Izuku actually take a small step back from the hero. "If there's one thing you should know about, it's that I have never harmed my children." He leaned a little down, face to face with Izuku, "And for you to be led to such an assumption has offended me like no one ever has."
The burning man stood up and began to turn, before Izuku spoke again.
"If you didn't, why does he hate you so much? What did you do to him that-"
If looks could kill, Izuku would be erased to ashes from how Endeavor glared at him. Though looking into his eyes, he could see there was more to the hatred he was literally getting burned into his skin.
Pain.
So much pain, and even grief.
"If you're so good at analysis, boy, deduct this." He spat, beginning to walk past him. "Explain to me why Shoto favors his ice, when who he inherited it from was the one who gave him that scar."
If the revelation earlier was the same as getting hit by a train, Izuku felt like a whole damn building just fell down on him.
He turned to ask another question, but when he did, the hero was gone.
( . . . )
Izuku just made it to the tunnel to the arena in time to meet with one of the competitors, just before they were to fight. It was the finale of the fight, and the ones who had climbed past the others were none other than the other 2 powerhouses of 1-A.
Bakugo and Todoroki.
And the one who he needed to speak to before this fight, with the new information he had been told swimming around his brain, if he didn't talk to the student now, he might never have a chance again to reach him.
Thankfully, he was able to catch up to who he needed to speak to, just as they were about to walk out.
"Yo Kats wait up a sec!" Izuku shouted, making the blonde stop just short of the exit, before the crowd could see them.
"Deku? The fuck you doin here? I swear to God if you're here to rub in getting to fight Miruko I'll send your ass to the moon." He said, a faux scowl on his face. Once, Izuku would be scared about that threat, but now, he laughed it off.
"Yeah right, but you know I got a whip so I'd just take you up with me." He jabbed back as he came to a stop in front of him. They stared at each other, before the blonde's facade broke and he chuckled as well, offering a hand.
"You know I'm gonna work ten times harder to kick your ass, right? Getting to fight the Miruko? You have no idea how pissed I am that you got to do that."
Izuku took his hand and dabbed him up, ending it with a fist bump. "Yeah, turns out she saw what happened at the USJ and wanted to take on the guy that fought Nomu, so... But we'll talk about that later, I need you to do me a favor." Izuku said, his expression turning serious as he explained what he wanted Bakugo to do. As he went over the plan he came up with on the way here, he knew there was a large chance his old friend wouldn't go for it.
But with recently becoming on better terms, he had to give it a chance and ask.
The deadpan scowl Bakugo wore definitely brought down his chances of success.
"Bakugo, I need you to do this. I know he didn't ask for our help, but heroes meddle without permission all the time. I wish I could do it, but it has to be you." Izuku said, and Bakugo simply sighed, crossing his arms.
"You know I could win quickly right? Why would I do your plan when it raises my chances of losing?" He said, in which Izuku looked out the tunnel.
"Because you want to be better than what you were. If I asked this of you weeks ago, you'd have blown me up. You want to change, to be a better hero. Being better means giving up chances to beat someone, and rather save them. Whether from a villain, or themselves. You don't win the fight if the villain kills a civilian, right?" He explained, in which Bakugo looked out to the field as well.
"Plus.." Izuku smirked, and looked back at Katsuki, "Would it really be a win if you beat him when he's holding back?"
That definitely made him grin, looking back at the greenette.
"Hell no. I came here for a fight, and announced I wanted everyone to give their all. So if he ain't gonna live up to U.A. 's motto, what would that make me if I didn't help him get there?"
Izuku's smile was all he needed to express his thanks. With a pat on the back, he lightly pushed the blonde towards the exit.
"Then go bring the heat, Kats. Both yours and his."
"It's time ladies and gentlemen of all quirks and ages! The ultimate finale of our first year's One on One battles, with our undefeated fighters meeting for one last showdown! Who will take the crown this year, hmm? Will it be the Commander of Frost, or the King of Ka-Booms? PLEASE WELCOME, KATSUKI BAKUGO AND SHOTO TODOROKI!"
The crowd was deafening, but the smirk Bakugo gave Izuku before heading out was all he needed to know he had managed to convince his explosive friend to try his plan.
To the rest of the stadium, as they watched the contenders make it to the arena, they waited in anticipation for the starting buzzer.
For the competitors, they arrived at the middle ring, standing mere feet apart, with both Midnight and Cementoss standing in the middle, both refereeing this match.
"Now then, you know the rules, boys. We know you're both good, but only one can be the best! give it your all, but within reason. We're here to see a match, not a slaughter." She explained, earning a nod from both. "Now then, to your ends, and await my whip."
They walked back to their ends of the arena, and turned to watch for the mark.
It was just now that Izuku had made it to his class, and was welcomed with everyone exclaiming how crazy his match with Miruko was. It took more louder words to convince everyone he'd talk about it later, and when he got to the railing for a better view, he saw Midnight had raised her whip to begin.
He looked around for Momo, but when he made eye contact with a punk purplette, she made her way next to him.
"She isn't with you?" She said in a low voice, for only him to hear. He shook, and she explained shortly how she was one of the first to fight after his spar. She had to go up against the purple haired boy from Gen Ed, and Izuku swore under his breath. It was the same he meant to warn anyone who fought him about, but as he was out of the fight, he couldn't. Knowing his power, and Momo's occasional loss of certainty in herself, meant a bad scenario.
"We can look for her after, I need your help." He said, and when he explained what was going to happen, she seemed skeptical at Bakugo's agreeing to help with the plan.
"Kyouka if I wanted silent judgment I'd have asked a rock, now please?" She raised her eyebrow with her deadpan look, obviously unfazed by being equalized to a stone, and sighed as she plugged one of her jacks into a port in Izuku's arm to relay what she would hear after snaking her jack down onto the arena floor, pointing at the stage. With this, they'd both be able to hear what the competitors would talk about.
"COMPETITORS READY?" Midnight's voice rang out, even without a microphone, she could definitely raise her voice. The boys nodded, and with a crack of her whip, the battle begun.
A/N - So... Over a full year since I last updated this story. And for that, I apologize to everyone who has been reading this. As an avid reader of works across WattPad, Ao3, and FFN, I understand the disappointment when a story I enjoy reading goes silent for a long time. I wanted to maintain a good schedule to work on this story, but life had other plans for me.
For those who might not know, I am currently employed in the Military. I won't say much because of privacy, but I will give a broad reasoning of what I can say. Now, when I last updated this, it was 3 days before I left on an operation until mid November, where I couldn't work on this story. When I got back, a new curveball happened. I got promoted to a rank that makes me a superior, and with that came a whole new load of responsibilities. One of them is being a leader on our operations, which is exactly what happened earlier this year, all spring long. I had to lead a new operation, from January till May, where I also had no time to work.
With so much happening, and being away from home so long, I took leave in June (which is paid time off) to see my family and friends from back home. When I did, one of them asked me about the story, and I only then realized I hadn't touched, nor even thought about this story for almost 10 months. I began to work on the story as much more as I could, but I had a vacation planned in August, which took another week, and next thing I knew a full year had passed. I had around 4000 words written, but I felt that you all deserved something worth the wait. So, I pushed to almost double, about 7700 words. I wanted to go for more, but I would've had to end in a weird spot. I've set up new sub plots, and soon the main plot will move into the next phase. With the sports festival wrapping up, it'll be time for the 3 most important arcs of this story;
The Hero Agency Internships, i-Island, and the U.A. Summer Camp.
These arcs are going to be tying directly into each other to create one large arc, that I like to call:
The Scales Unbalance
And as an apology gift, here's a sneak peak of what's to come =
"-You can't take them all on at once! You know that if you walk out those doors, you-."
"I AM THE MOST AWARE!" He cut off the intercom, startling those around him.
The voice had brought a short flashback of all their memories together, all the ones he could never forget. The good, the bad, and most certainly the ugly. As he looked out into the city below from the bay doors, he wished he could apologize in person.
"You know me better than anyone. Both of you," He added, as he glanced over to to his closest friend. One of the few he'd been able to become close enough with to share his secret with.
"This is what I've been training for, cultivating this power for." He continued, the light turning green as they entered the drop zone. He took one more glance towards his compatriots, with a Cheshire grin that did not belong in the warzone below.
"Take care of yourselves, yeah? If I don't see you again, please, know that I went out as what I swore to become." He said, as he turned and jumped out of the plane, doing his damnest to not give into their pleas, to not go, to let the Pros below take care of it, but he couldn't.
Not with the most evil being in history wreaking havoc on his city below.
As he was diving towards the catastrophe below, the answer to who he was was said only for himself, the divine, and those with him in spirit to hear..."
"As a Hero..."
That's all for now, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter, and once again, thank ya'll for reading, and even more so for sticking with my dumbass all this time. I PROMISE to you all right here, right now..
I will post the next chapter within the next month. I made a promise earlier to finish this story, and I don't plan to go back on that. However long this story takes to finish, it will get the honor of getting the [ complete ] tag on it. I will make that day come.
Stay Mighty Readers.
-HyperMight
-:- 26. A Little Bit of Both -:-
