Shouto Todoroki turned to his online conspiracy theory blog whenever he was stressed out. And since he'd started attending U.A., he'd been under an exceptional amount of stress. His father had redoubled efforts to force him to use his fire. His classmates seemed determined to befriend him quite against his will. The Sports Festival approached, requiring him to train longer and later into the night. And a group of villains had nearly murdered his teacher at U.S.J.
Online, Shouto didn't have to be the cool ice prince or Endeavor's son or a candidate for future number one hero. He could be silly, creative, having fun with the absurdities of the world. It had never mattered if his conspiracy theories were real. Taking them too seriously would have ruined the game. He merely strove to be interesting.
Whistling to himself (a jaunty tune which would have shocked all of 1-A), Shouto logged into his account HatesFireLovesSoba. He wrote:
Recently pro hero Theme Song has been curiously absent from patrols around the hours of three in the afternoon to six every day. I have also compiled evidence of Theme Song receiving a large number of packages from Amazon Japan. See the attached pictures. In addition, look at the happy smile on his face captured by yours truly at a high-class soba restaurant. There is only one possible explanation: Theme Song has a secret lovechild! The hero must have recently discovered a child born out of a one night stand who he's been slipping off to visit during work hours. The boxes must be gifts for the child. You heard it here first!
Shouto smiled to himself as a couple likes popped up for his latest posts from his few, loyal followers. Even other conspiracy theorists mostly considered him too unique to pay attention to him, but he had a handful of fans. BlueFlame was his most passionate follower and liked everything he posted.
But his smile did not last too long. The likes were coming too fast now. This meant someone popular had reblogged him. And there was only one popular person who followed Shouto online: the menace to his sanity, NumberOneAllMightFan.
Gritting his teeth, Shouto checked what that horrible monster had posted this time.
NumberOneAllMightFan: What a great analysis! You immediately identified the unusual pattern in Theme Song's behavior. Of course it's just like you to slip in a lovechild. It's your trademark. But I'm afraid there's a more pedantic explanation. I analyzed crime in the area and found an increase in pickpocketing and purse snatchings during the times that Theme Song takes his impromptu vacations. Your restaurant picture shows Theme Song meeting with a notorious pickpocket. This is all very strong evidence that Theme Song has been taking bribes, which he's been spending on his shopping sprees. What absolutely disgraceful behavior for a hero. I've forwarded this evidence to the press and the HPSC. Well-done, HatesFireLovesSoba. Together we've cracked another case. I give the vast majority of the credit to you and your clever sleuthing. You've done a good deed for all the people hurt by the thefts.
Shouto threw back his head and screamed in frustration.
Why did NumberOneAllMightFan have to be like this? If they wanted to investigate hero corruption, fine, but did they have to use Shouto's blog to do it? Shouto's conspiracy theories were his safe space. He liked to imagine up a dream world where heroes were good, loving parents to their secret lovechildren. Of course he already knew about the cold hard reality of prolific hero corruption. He lived it. He didn't need it rubbed in his face when he was trying to enjoy a good conspiracy. Yet every time, NumberOneAllMightFan came to his blog to be a killjoy.
Ugh, Shouto hated all those sarcastic fake nice comments about his analysis. He just knew that jerk was sitting behind a computer screen smirking at another victory. Ooo "of course it's just like you to slip in a lovechild," how patronizing! As if Shouto wouldn't see through the mockery.
Shouto could just block NumberOneAllMightFan, but he would never admit defeat like that. Not until he finally came up with a conspiracy that his enemy couldn't disprove. Shouto had never needed his conspiracy theories to be right, but just once, he wanted to prove NumberOneAllMightFan wrong. It was a rivalry far deeper than he'd ever felt with any of his fellow hero students. This was more like mortal enmity! If it took Shouto his entire life, he would force NumberOneAllMightFan to say those precious words: You're right.
When Izuku Midoriya was anxious, he turned to his online blog. It had started out as an All Might fan blog (he'd paid a fortune of his father's money to get the name NumberOneAllMightFan) but at some point he'd expanded into an investigator of hero corruption and become a conspiracy debunker. Over the last seven or so years, he'd built a following of over ten thousand using his expertise in hero facts and his obscene amount of free time as a kid without friends.
Until U.A., Izuku had never had any friends in real life. But he had a best friend online: conspiracy theorist HatesFireLovesSoba. The blog had been one of the very first Izuku had found and followed. HatesFireLovesSoba always posted such colorful and interesting theories, with detailed research. And somehow, he always twisted the evidence into secret lovechildren like a creative and determined pretzel-maker. But that was okay, because Izuku's job was to straighten out the clues into the truth. He was the one who took his friend's frankly batty theories and made the final push to find the real story. They made a great team. Working together, they'd uncovered numerous cases of hero corruption and solved crimes.
In Izuku's darkest days, when the bullying at Aldera Middle School had been the worst, his online blog had been his refuge. Here were people who were interested in his opinion and thought he had worth. Once, during a particularly awful day, when the suicide-baiting had been frequent, Izuku had seriously wondered if it might be better if he just…did what they said and hoped for a quirk in another life. But then HatesFireLovesSoba had posted a particularly interesting theory about how Sir Nighteye had left Might Agency to look after his secret lovechild, Mirio Togata. And Izuku had realized that one person was waiting for his reply to their theory. One person needed him. They were a team. It had been reason enough for Izuku to keep going. In a very real sense, HatesFireLovesSoba had saved Izuku.
HatesFireLovesSoba didn't communicate with anyone online. Whoever they were, they were shy and guarded their privacy. But Izuku knew his friend appreciated his analysis because whenever Izuku replied, it always spurred HatesFireLovesSoba to post a frenzy of theories afterward. They were wonderful together, inspiring each other to greater heights. Sometimes Izuku wondered what HatesFireLovesSoba would be like in person. It was an idle daydream, not something he ever expected to happen, but it would be fun if someday they could drink bubble tea together like real-life friends.
Shouto hadn't left his computer in the last twenty-eight hours. Fuyumi had come by to bring him meals, which he hadn't eaten because then he would need to go to the bathroom, and he refused to stop. Not until he'd crafted the conspiracy theory to bring NumberOneAllMightFan to his knees. Finally, he'd been pressed too far, and he would have his revenge. This would be the ultimate conspiracy to end all conspiracies. Shouto was going after the biggest target: the HPSC.
The Hero Public Safety Commission locked down their information tightly. But Shouto had obtained access by stealing his father's login and password. This had gotten him surface level information. Through years of selling his father's personal effects to some fanboy named CagedBird who apparently spied for the HPSC, Shouto had gradually obtained greater access to HPSC secrets.
This theory would be Shouto's magna carta.
With shaking hands, Shouto compiled his database of evidence. He was too tired write a long post, so he typed only a paragraph: Referring to the attached files, you will see irrefutable proof that former hero turned villain Lady Nagant murdered the previous HPSC president. The crime was covered up and she was sent to Tartarus on false charges. There is only one possible explanation: Lady Nagant is the secret lovechild of the former HPSC President, and she killed him for being a deadbeat dad. I think we can all agree this was completely justified. No jury made of me and other people with terrible fathers would convict her. Lady Nagant, I salute you.
After hitting post, Shouto toppled backward and passed out. His last memory was Fuyumi rushing into the room and holding a cup of water to his lips.
Izuku gasped out loud as he read HatesFireLovesSoba's latest post. He'd known his friend must be planning something big after not posting for an entire day. But this? This was insane. HatesFireLovesSoba had posted detailed evidence that the HPSC had turned Lady Nagant into an assassin and pressured her into increasingly corrupt jobs until she'd finally snapped and killed her former boss. Then they'd silenced her and jailed her. This news would shock the nation. HatesFireLovesSoba was an absolute madlad.
The lovechild part didn't really make any sense, except that it was HatesFireLovesSoba's trademark. Izuku ignored that bit as he focused on going through the files and writing up a detailed report of the HPSC's corruption. With shaking hands, Izuku prepared to hit send.
Then he hesitated. The HPSC had proven willing to kill people to keep their secrets. He wondered just how secure his online identity was. If it was only his own life at stake, Izuku wouldn't hesitate, but his mother lived with him.
Fortunately, Izuku knew someone who could help. Someone with fame and power to rival even the current HPSC president. A hero who could be trusted absolutely.
When Izuku went to school the next day, Shouto Todoroki was out sick. He joined the rest of the class in signing a Get Well Soon card. After class, Izuku headed to All Might's office. He confessed everything about his online blog and his online friend.
All Might read the files and Izuku's analysis in complete silence. Then he said something proving how seriously he took the situation: "We need to bring this to Principal Nezu."
Izuku gazed up. "You…believe me?"
"Of course I believe you, young Midoriya." All Might sighed. "I knew about corruption in the HPSC, just not that it ran so deep. You've done very well to bring this to me. I'll ensure this information doesn't get buried. Come with me. After we meet with Nezu, I'll take you to my publicity team so we can make certain your online presence can't be traced back to you. We'll protect your friend as well." All Might smiled very slightly, relaxing the tense expression off his face. "Your name is NumberOneAllMightFan?"
Izuku flushed and twiddled his thumbs. "I've always admired you."
"I'm deeply flattered." All Might smiled, a real smile, not his professional hero smile. And Izuku felt happiness erase his embarrassment.
Shouto woke up in a hospital bed with an IV in his arm and greeted a changed world. The HPSC president had been placed under arrest. The Prime Minster had ordered an investigation and an overhaul of the entire HPSC. Hawks had come forward to tell a deeply disturbing story about his childhood. Lady Nagant was getting a retrial. There was talk of new laws to change the entire hero system.
Somehow NumberOneAllMightFan had not only ruined the most important part of Shouto's theory, he'd even gotten All Might to reblog him. It was bad enough for his rival to keep drawing attention to him outside the conspiracy theory world, did they have to involve the number one hero? Shouto's follower count had been climbing rapidly, and it made him uncomfortable. He preferred to interact only with fellow conspiracy theorists. Endeavor of all people had publicly praised NumberOneAllMightFan and HatesFireLovesSoba for breaking open a massive conspiracy, to Shouto's fury.
But on the other hand, it felt good to be able to do something about hero corruption. Shouto had very mixed feelings. He felt glad that his theory had helped Lady Nagant and so many other people. But why was everyone ignoring his evidence of Lady Nagant being the former HPSC president's daughter? That part had explained so much about her motives!
HatesFireLovesSoba hadn't posted in several days, and Izuku was starting to get worried. All Might's investigation had interestingly revealed HatesFireLovesSoba's computer already had security equal to that of the number one hero. It had made Izuku even more curious about his friend's real life identity. With such protection, it seemed unlikely the HPSC had tracked the conspiracy theorist down and taken revenge, especially with the president in prison awaiting trial. However, could something else have happened?
Meanwhile, Shouto Todoroki had been sick for several days. His sister had come by school to pick up his homework. She said it wasn't too serious, Shouto had just gotten obsessive and stopped eating or drinking again. That sounded pretty serious to Izuku, though!
Between worry for his classmate and worry for his online bestie, Izuku felt a sharp relief when HatesFireLovesSoba posted a new theory.
There was no mention of the last theory or the massive ripple effects across society. HatesFireLovesSoba had always been terse like that. They never addressed their theories after Izuku reblogged and enhanced them, always simply moving on to a new one. This time HatesFireLovesSoba had posted a detailed analysis of the sightings of the Hero Killer Stain. He used this to conclude: Clearly Stain is currently stalking Ingenium. Either Stain has a crush on Tensei Iida or they are already dating. There may even be a secret lovechild. I will be investigating more to reach a conclusion.
Izuku nearly screamed. HatesFireLovesSoba had uncovered Stain's movements and predicted his next target. And his conclusion had been…that Stain and Ingenium were dating?! Frequently Izuku wondered what on earth went on in that strange, beautiful mind of HatesFireLovesSoba's.
This information was too important to reblog. They couldn't let Stain catch on before they created a trap. Fortunately Izuku had already told All Might about his blog and his online friend. He immediately called his mentor and explained the situation.
Shouto was in a pretty good mood after NumberOneAllMightFan hadn't said anything to debunk his latest theory. Liking the post without a reply was practically a surrender. It wasn't as good as getting acknowledgement for a lovechild theory, but still.
Funnily, Shouto himself didn't think that had been his most inspired theory. It had partly been the dehydration talking. Now that he'd been released from the hospital, he could see that Ingenium was probably actually dating Manual. But if NumberOneAllMightFan had acknowledged his victory, then he wouldn't argue with the result.
Yet only a day later, All Might's official account reblogged crediting him for successfully leading to the capture of Stain. When Stain had targeted Ingenium, the Engine Hero had worked with All Might to lead him into a trap. Then NumberOneAllMightFan posted debunking the romance aspect while praising Shouto's detective work.
Shouto was so frustrated that he hit his laptop, accidentally shutting it down. He was unable to salvage his unsaved Ingenium/Manual theory. Leaning back in his chair and clutching his hair, he screamed, "NumberOneAllMightFan, I'll have my revenge!"
The internet had gone into a frenzy about NumberOneAllMightFan and HatesFireLovesSoba's theories. Izuku broke out into a cold sweat when he hit a million followers. More people from abroad were following him, too. Being reblogged by All Might brought him new heights of popularity. Izuku felt strange about being more popular for his conspiracy theory debunking blog than as a prospective hero. All Might told him he should get used to the fame. It was nice All Might had confidence in his future hero career.
HatesFireLovesSoba had also gained huge numbers of followers. It bothered Izuku a lot to see some trolls mocking his friend. But many more enjoyed HatesFireLovesSoba's cheerful and kooky conspiracies, taking them in the spirit of good humor that they were obviously meant. The media had been speculating if NumberOneAllMightFan and HatesFireLovesSoba were famous heroes with secret accounts—or villains. Izuku felt very offended at being accused of villainy. Yes, he'd exposed the HPSC's corruption, but that had been a good deed, and anyone who saw it differently needed an attitude adjustment. All heroes should seek a less corrupt society.
Shouto had noticed he had more followers, but he didn't even bother to read most reactions to his posts. He was only focused on one person—his nemesis, NumberOneAllMightFan. Although the debunking of his last two theories had been a blow, Shouto remained determined to win.
Clearly that smug fiend NumberOneAllMightFan had connections in high places with heroes. Therefore, Shouto's next theory would focus on the criminal underworld, an area where his nemesis had much less influence.
In the name of his mission, Shouto had been forced to do the unthinkable—socialize with his father. Endeavor had been delighted when Shouto had volunteered to train with him. Sure, Shouto had to use his fire side, but at this point Shouto's trauma over half his face being burned as child was significantly less than his trauma over NumberOneAllMightFan debunking all his theories. This was a sacrifice Shouto was willing to make. All that mattered was that Shouto successfully stole his father's phone.
Endeavor's phone had a treasure trove of cases—both ones he'd taken and ones he'd turned down. Apparently Endeavor had declined to be part of an investigation involving the Shie Hassaikai on the grounds that Sir Nighteye was more qualified, and also turned down an old request from the currently jailed HPSC president to find a girl with a very rare rewind quirk and bring her to the HPSC.
In the Shie Hassaikai boss' granddaughter, Shouto found the perfect theory. A father who'd vanished on account of his daughter's cursed touch? Nonsense! Dads were the worst! Clearly Eri's father had faked his death and fled the country rather than divorce a mafia princess. Eri's father must be…that notorious American playboy, Captain Celebrity!
Humming a jaunty tune, Shouto posted his theory. He barely finished in time before Fuyumi stormed his room to drag him down to dinner. Since his hospitalization, she'd taken to busting down his door if he didn't attend meals, so he left with only one last backward look at his computer. (Stupid older siblings, a bunch of spoilsports!)
Izuku started out investigating HatesFireLovesSoba's latest post with a smile on his face at the absurdity. The smile dropped off as he researched the true story of Eri's tragic past. How had this little girl vanished into the yakuza without anyone noticing? What had happened to her?
Though Izuku had to admit the notion of Eri's father faking his own death had a certain disturbing realism.
In order to defend the innocent Captain Celebrity's reputation, Izuku typed up a quick rebuttal. Then he turned to investigating Eri's fate.
Shouto blew a gasket when he returned to his computer to find his newest theory debunked already. This was why he didn't have time for meals no matter what his sister insisted! Fine, the dates didn't line up right for Captain Celebrity to be Eri's father. But what about her being Tomura Shigaraki's younger sister? They both had the same red eyes and white hair. Shouto got to work gathering evidence for his new theory. Only at four in the morning did he finally post, then collapse into slumber in his chair.
Izuku woke up to a deluge of text messages from All Might. Apparently Sir Nighteye wanted to meet with him? Oh that would be cool…wait, it was about Sir Nighteye's ongoing yakuza investigation? Tomura Shigaraki and the League of Villains had kidnapped a girl named Eri?!
After the meeting, it became obvious that this had been less a kidnapping and more a rescue. The League had not kept Eri, they had dropped her off at a hospital after a DNA test had come back negative. Sir Nighteye desperately wanted to know the real identity of HatesFireLovesSoba, but Izuku couldn't tell him. Sir Nighteye kept insisting HatesFireLovesSoba might have League of Villains ties. However Izuku was certain that HatesFireLovesSoba wasn't a villain. Based on his dictation and a few hints he'd dropped over the years, Izuku was pretty sure his online bestie was a fellow teenager.
At least the Shie Hassaikai group was collapsing without Eri and their quirk-erasing bullets. Sir Nighteye didn't seem to have a legitimate complaint, he just didn't like not knowing what was going on.
Shouto was pissed.
It was one thing for NumberOneAllMightFan to debunk his conspiracy theories. They were fated rivals. It was all part of their epic years-long duel. But how dare that crusty stained-sweatshirt and hands-wearing social reject of a NEET Tomura Shigaraki debunk one of his theories?! Just because the theory had been about Tomura didn't make it any of his business. This was Shouto's and NumberOneAllMightFan's personal battle. Intruders were not welcome.
Some things were way more important than training for the Sports Festival. Shouto called in sick at school, faking a cough. He used the same pretend cold to get Fuyumi and his father to leave him alone. Normally Shouto was stoic about hiding his injuries, so they believed him. Once alone, Shouto cracked his knuckles and got to work researching Tomura Shigaraki's background.
Tomura would pay for his insolence when Shouto assigned him the absolute worst secret father in existence.
Izuku walked into All Might's office to see his teacher blowing his nose into a tissue. There were tear tracks on All Might's face. Izuku quickly stepped out of the office.
The sound of his footsteps gave him away. All Might called, "You can come in, young Midoriya."
Izuku saw HatesFireLovesSoba's blog pulled up. "Another theory? But what's wrong? Did this one slander you?" Even his dear friend HatesFireLovesSoba had better not dare harass All Might.
All Might shook his head. "No, no, it's not like that. I'm more grateful to the mysterious blogger than ever. They've uncovered something shocking about Tomura Shigaraki's background. It turns out Tomura is the grandson of my mentor, Nana Shimura."
This meant nothing to Izuku. But All Might explained about the history of One for All holders and All for One, Nana's death, and her hidden family.
HatesFireLovesSoba had posted a detailed analysis revealing Tomura Shigaraki's connections to the Shimura family, provided evidence that Tomura's decay quirk did not seem to be his natural ability as he'd been diagnosed quirkless, and finally suggested that Tomura might have been given a quirk by the mysterious boogeyman of the underworld who had the power to give and take quirks. According to HatesFireLovesSoba, the villain must have arranged for Tomura's family to die and then kidnapped him because—he was Tomura's secret father!
All Might said, "The secret lovechild part, of course, is just…"
"HatesFireLovesSoba being himself," Izuku finished.
"But the rest seems accurate." All Might took a deep breath. "I've failed to protect Nana's family. Her grandson is being used as a weapon against me. Even worse, I'm afraid All for One might still be alive. True, Tomura's family died long before my final battle with All for One. But Tomura resurfacing with a hatred of me suggests that someone has been brainwashing him for years—which means All for One lives." All Might shuddered. "I'm sorry, young Midoriya. If I'd had any hint that All for One might still be alive, I wouldn't have given you my quirk without even warning you first. Now you might be at risk from a megalomaniac obsessed with stealing One for All."
Some cheap villain was after Izuku's quirk? This wouldn't stand! Izuku said, "I can investigate, see if there's any trace of All for One still being around. I'm very good at research, as you know from my blog."
"That would be most appreciated." All Might finally gave him a small smile. "I'll be putting all my own resources on the task as well. In the meantime, I'm arranging protection for your home and I'll be walking you to and from school every day. In my less famous form, of course, in case All for One hasn't identified you yet."
Izuku wouldn't say no to an offer straight from his childhood dreams.
After a night's sleep, Shouto could truthfully tell his very worried sister that he felt great. His revenge had been a wild success! He didn't even care about NumberOneAllMightFan pointing out the holes in the lovechild part as usual. Clearly Tomura Shigaraki had taken the bait, because the news reported Tomura had publicly quit as a villain, cut ties with the League of Villains, and fled the country with Kurogiri. This was a completely understandable reaction to learning the Symbol of Fear was his father.
It had taken great effort for Shouto to find a dad for Tomura worse than Endeavor. But the legendary boogeyman of the underworld who probably didn't exist had been perfect.
Strangely NumberOneAllMightFan had thanked Shouto for showing Tomura the truth. Shouto wasn't sure why his rival cared. Maybe it was more of that fake politeness NumberOneAllMightFan had going.
Also, NumberOneAllMightFan had posted a throwaway sentence about how much better his new school was. Shouto frowned, tapping his chin. This was interesting for two reasons. Firstly, NumberOneAllMightFan must be around his own age. (How embarrassing, to lose to a peer!) Secondly, the tone of the message made it sound a lot like NumberOneAllMightFan had a difficult time at his last school. Shouto might be reading too much into it—but that had never stopped him before. NumberOneAllMightFan wasn't the type to complain unless it was very, very serious. And Shouto could detect the scent of another socially awkward person. It made him wonder.
Over the next day, Shouto used one of his handmade computer programs to analyze NumberOneAllMightFan's blog for clues about his former school. Based on a few location identifiers and a blurry picture of a school cafeteria lunch, Shouto settled on Aldera Middle School.
Researching Aldera Middle School was like flipping over a rock and watching all the insects crawl out. The school was a treasure trove of nightmares. Countless bullying cases suppressed. Teachers who encouraged students to discriminate based on quirks. Fake school records for the favorites. Strong students heavily pushed into heroism. A horrifically high suicide rate. And most interestingly of all, a couple students who'd just disappeared.
Had NumberOneAllMightFan been bullied? Unacceptable! No one dared pick on Shouto's rival except Shouto!
Aldera Middle School was going to get a particularly nasty exposé.
Re-Destro snorted coffee out his nose when he saw the news headlines about the investigation into Aldera Middle School, aka one of the Metahuman Liberation Army's recruiting grounds.
HatesFireLovesSoba had been a thorn in the Metahuman Liberation Army's side for years. His theories had exposed their money laundering businesses, targeted their corrupt heroes and politicians, and accidentally ruined dozens of their plans. Then there had been Re-Destro's aborted attempt to go into politics, ruined when the conspiracy theorist decided to cover the race and threatened to expose all his secrets. Yet HatesFireLovesSoba would be nothing without his accomplice NumberOneAllMightFan, who kept pulling the truth out of his theories and drawing the attention of the authorities.
Aldera had been a pipeline for turning children into MLA members. This investigation could lead to the arrest of many high-up MLA members who were former graduates. Especially now All Might himself had gotten involved.
Re-Destro threw his coffee mug to the ground with a dramatic smash. He summoned his inner council, ordering them to find the true identities of HatesFireLovesSoba and NumberOneAllMightFan.
In the office of the Prime Minister of Japan, a similar meeting was taking place. Although less murderous on the subject, the people who ran Japan wanted to know the real identities of HatesFireLovesSoba and NumberOneAllMightFan. These were two people with the power to upend the nation. That kind of power made politicians nervous. It wouldn't be the first time the duo exposed political corruption. People like that needed an eye kept on them.
The new governing bodies over heroes since the HPSC had been dismantled were very curious if HatesFireLovesSoba and NumberOneAllMightFan were heroes, villains, or vigilantes.
Countless powers abroad were also investigating the identities of these two major political players, including the CIA, M16, MSS, and FSB. As soon as All for One had become a subject of the blogs, this had turned into a matter of international importance.
Endeavor was conducting his own investigation into these powerful figures who might be able to advance his hero career with their sources of information.
In a bedroom located above his father, Shouto leaned back in his chair and smirked. Ha, Aldera Middle School had been closed down! That would teach them to mess with his rival.
Ah, but the news about Aldera Middle School's ties to old philosophies about quirk supremacy were interesting. Shouto was reminded a lot of his history lessons about the Metahuman Liberation Army. They were conventionally believed gone, but no true conspiracy theorist accepted conventional wisdom. If the MLA had any connection to bullying NumberOneAllMightFan, then Shouto would grind them down to atoms.
Based on TV shows, Shouto assumed it was normal to feel this level of possessiveness over his mortal enemy.
Izuku had initially been stunned at how fast Aldera Middle School fell. It had been followed by vindication, a bit of relief, and a lot of gratitude toward HatesFireLovesSoba. Had his online buddy done all of this just because Izuku had dropped a few hints about Aldera sucking? Izuku couldn't be sure. The conspiracy theorist hadn't outright said anything. It could be a coincidence. But Izuku had a strong feeling this had happened because of his last post. Izuku himself would have done the same to protect a friend.
It made him feel warm inside, to have true friends. Izuku had Ochaco and Tenya at school, and HatesFireLovesSoba online, his very first friend.
Now that Izuku saw how deep Aldera's corruption went, he wished he'd spoken up sooner. He'd convinced himself that he shouldn't make a big deal out of it, that he would be seen as less tough and worthy of being a hero student if he told anyone. But no longer. Izuku had gone to All Might to share his own experiences, and All Might had gone to Nezu. Both of them were on a warpath, determined to make sure those connected with Aldera saw jailtime. Izuku felt gratified to finally have adults in his life who cared about what happened to him.
Oh, look, HatesFireLovesSoba had posted a new theory.
Izuku's jaw dropped. HatesFireLovesSoba had revealed Rikiya Yotsubashi, the President and CEO of the Detnerat Company, was actually a villain named Re-Destro, commander of the Metahuman Liberation Army. Furthermore, Re-Destro was Destro's secret lovechild. (Descendant, actually, with a couple generations in-between. But HatesFireLovesSoba had naturally used the secret lovechild phrasing.)
And…this theory looked legitimate?
Izuku carefully read through the documentation and evidence. It all checked out. Rikiya Yotsubashi was definitely a villain—and definitely a direct descendant of Destro. Turning on the television, Izuku watched as the heroes arrested Re-Destro. They'd caught him off-guard and been able to subdue him in a group. This time Izuku hadn't been needed to share the information with the authorities, since HatesFireLovesSoba had become famous in his own right.
Izuku typed, Congratulations, HatesFireLovesSoba. Your theory is 100% correct in every detail. You're a hero for taking down the Metahuman Liberation Army before they could hurt more people. Then he reblogged.
Shouto stared at his computer screen for a solid five minutes before he could believe the words written there.
One hundred percent correct?
NumberOneAllMightFan had conceded defeat?
Shouto had finally won?
Secret lovechildren WERE real!
Shouto rocked back and forth, laughing with glee. First he texted a string of excited emojis to Natsuo. Then he skipped downstairs and hugged Fuyumi, nearly lifting her off her feet. In the hallway, Shouto ran into his father. In a rare mood of absolute peace and harmony with the world, Shouto hugged Endeavor too.
Endeavour went stiff. "Shouto? Did something good happen? Did you come up with an amazing new strategy to win the Sports Festival?"
Shouto rolled his eyes. "Oh my god, Dad, you don't understand anything at all." Who cared about something as insignificant as the Sports Festival when Shouto's lifelong ambition had just been fulfilled? This was the happiest day of his life!
Endeavor placed a hand on his son's forehead. "You don't feel feverish."
"Oh, whatever, I don't have any room for anger toward you in my heart any longer." Shouto skipped off, sparks of fire and icicles dancing down his hair to reflect his happiness. Behind him, Endeavor frantically googled child psychology books.
Izuku could tell that HatesFireLovesSoba was over the moon with happiness about stopping the MLA and helping so many people, because they'd been reblogging Izuku's own post every single hour for the entire day. Well, HatesFireLovesSoba deserved to enjoy the victory. Stopping the MLA had been an amazing accomplishment. All Might had even been distracted from worry about All for One to aid in the arrest and celebrate with his fellow heroes.
Although Izuku had poured hours into researching All for One, he'd yet to find a single bit more information than his mentor had already told him. Most sources knew far less. Izuku had confidence in his research abilities, but All for One was like a sealed bank vault. If Izuku didn't trust All Might, he wouldn't have even been sure that All for One existed. As it stood, Izuku didn't have a drop more information to offer his mentor about if All for One still lived or not.
To distract himself from his frustration, Izuku decided to try a conspiracy theory of his own. Surely this would be a welcome gift to his online bestie, a congratulations present for his success.
HatesFireLovesSoba liked heroes, long-lost relatives, and family drama, so Izuku hunted through the internet looking for a perfect target. Izuku was only interested in true theories. But surely there had to be a villain who actually was related to a hero. It happened all the time in comic books.
Izuku found a lot of evidence that a thief named Mr. Compress was related to Oji Harima, the Peerless Thief, but that didn't seem like a very exciting connection. HatesFireLovesSoba wouldn't be surprised at a thief being related to a thief. Besides, Mr. Compress had never crossed the threshold to serious villainy and only targeted corrupt businessmen so Izuku didn't feel like drawing mass attention to him.
In Dabi, a lone rogue villain mostly lurking out of sight, Izuku hit the jackpot. Izuku fancied himself an expert on quirks and he was 99% certain that Dabi had the same flames as Endeavor, but stronger to the point where they burned his own skin. In addition, Dabi had made a handful of statements in public suggesting a grudge against Endeavor.
Izuku dug deeper, looking for evidence of Endeavor having an illegitimate child—and found a legitimate one instead. A software program designed to show what children looked like when they grew up uncovered that underneath the scars, Dabi looked just like Touya Todoroki.
This should not be possible. Touya was dead. Suddenly, Izuku remembered the police camera records he'd been using to track All for One. Yes, there had been a sighting of a very tall man around the mountain where Touya had died. All for One had a history of kidnapping and brainwashing the children of heroes.
This had gotten much bigger than a gift to Izuku's online bestie. The Todoroki family needed to know about this. With trembling hands, Izuku compiled his evidence. He wrote, In honor of my good friend HatesFireLovesSoba, I have a theory…
NumberOneAllMightFan had taken his revenge, and it was far more evil that Shouto would have ever thought his rival capable of. Not only had he come up with a secret lovechild theory (stealing Shouto's signature move), but one about Shouto's own family? NumberOneAllMightFan couldn't have possibly known Shouto's real identity. But to have done it coincidentally just went to show the natural gift the conspiracy theory debunker had for tormenting Shouto. That line about a gift for a good friend had been clearly dripping with sarcasm.
In all Shouto's years as a conspiracy theorist, he had never once touched on Touya Todoroki, despite his biggest fan BlueFlame asking him to do the Todoroki family several times. Touya's death was too personal and damaging for his family. This was not a wound that Shouto would ever poke at for fun.
And what a stupid theory! Even Shouto wouldn't imagine something as far-fetched as a child returning from the dead, a creepy orphanage full of brainwashed children, and that dramatic nutjob Dabi actually having a long-term plan.
Shouto assumed he would need to comfort his siblings when they learned about the idiotic rumors flying around about his family. To his shock, Natsuo and Fuyumi actually took this seriously. They tried to convince Shouto, but he remained completely unmoved. There was no way Dabi could possibly be Touya Todoroki. (There was no way NumberOneAllMightFan could have come up with a theory about Shouto's own family that Shouto had missed.) Shouto vowed on his father's future grave that no matter the proof, he would never ever believe it!
On the plus side, Endeavor was now far too busy chasing after Dabi to keep nagging Shouto about seeing a psychologist.
The Dabi connection had been useful. Izuku had tracked down the location of All for One's orphanage. But the creepy building of kidnapped children had been abandoned long ago. Izuku still couldn't rule out that All for One might have already died at All Might's hands.
But increasingly, Izuku suspected All for One lived. He'd poured through massive numbers of crime files All Might had shared with him, and there were ripples throughout the underworld, hints of an order to the chaos.
This was important. It was a mission All Might had given Izuku. But Izuku couldn't quite put together the final clues. He couldn't find any proof of his suspicions.
HatesFireLovesSoba could have done it. The conspiracy theorist had a true genius for sifting through massive amounts of information and retrieving nuggets of gold. They always figured out the hidden connections in seemingly random events.
Izuku gnawed on his lip. He'd be breaking a lot of rules by sharing this confidential information with his online friend. But at this point, Izuku felt very confident that HatesFireLovesSoba wasn't a villain. They'd been friends for years. And Izuku was desperate.
Making up his mind, Izuku sent HatesFireLovesSoba a message asking for help.
Shouto glared at his screen suspiciously. His mortal enemy had come to him, begging for help? Hmm. Was this a trap? But the siren lure of access to massive amounts of confidential data called to a conspiracy theorist. Shouto itched just thinking about a chance to theorize concerning the mysterious underworld master. This was his big chance to prove his pet theory: this legendary All for One character was actually an eldritch abomination.
Shouto typed, Why are you asking me? You don't believe any of my theories.
NumberOneAllMightFan replied, Because you're the most brilliant conspiracy theorist I know. And because we're friends! \ (••) /
Shouto's entire world upended. They were friends? NumberOneAllMightFan actually meant his praise? The person whose abilities he secretly admired had acknowledged him! The ice around Shouto's heart melted. He had made his very first friend.
Hands shaking, Shouto replied, I will honor your trust and find out the truth about All for One. Thank you, my friend.
Izuku knew that HatesFireLovesSoba worked fast. Even so, he hadn't expected an email just a day later.
As he read, Izuku's mouth dried out. Everything was here. All for One's true name and civilian identity from the dawn of the age of the quirks. His accomplice Dr. Garaki, working as a doctor under a fake name at Jaku General Hospital. The locations of All for One's hideouts, along with predictions about his security system painstakingly pieced together from records of his purchases. Detailed blueprints of the ventilation system had been helpfully annotated with instructions about how to gas All for One in his sleep. This was the perfect guide to arresting All for One.
HatesFireLovesSoba finished: I was very disappointed that All for One does not appear to be an eldritch being with tentacles, but rather just some old guy with a longevity quirk. At least then he would have an excuse for the edgelord behavior. What a letdown. However, I think we can all agree about the real question:
Is All for One's secret lovechild All Might or Sir Nighteye?
Izuku rocked back and forth in his desk chair, laughing. "HatesFireLovesSoba, never change, you brilliant mad genius!"
On the day of the Sports Festival, Izuku was in top form. He was riding high off All Might's gratitude and news of All for One's successful arrest. It seemed like his school life would be smooth sailing from here.
Izuku had no idea what to think when Shouto Todoroki dragged him off as if he was planning a hit on his rival before their upcoming match.
Only for Shouto to very seriously ask: "Are you All Might's secret lovechild?"
Exactly one person had such a deep obsession with lovechildren. Izuku gaped. "HatesFireLovesSoba?"
Shouto took a step backward. "H-how do you know?"
Izuku beamed, delighted to have finally met his friend in-person. They were even classmates! They could totally fulfil his secret dream of having bubble tea together. "It's me, NumberOneAllMightFan."
Shouto's scream rocked the stadium.
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: After the Shock Wears Off
Shouto: I never would have guessed that my online frenemy is All Might's lovechild.
Izuku: Uh, I'm not…
Shouto: You realize you will never convince me of that.
Izuku: Yes, I do.
#
Omake: History Repeats
Teenage Enji: Are you Gran Torino and Nana Shimura's lovechild?
Teenage Toshinori: Uh…no. Are you the son of the Todoroki who accused Nana Shimura of being En's lovechild?
Teenage Enji: That you know about my father's theory only confirms my suspicions.
#
Omake: In Middle School
Izuku: HatesFireLovesSoba is my friend.
Shouto: Excuse me? We've never met in-person or even talked one on one. All we do is disagree online every day.
Izuku: Which means you've treated me better than every single person at Aldera, bestie.
#
Omake: Rivalry Chain
Shouto: My mortal enemy is the guy who keeps debunking my theories.
Izuku: My mortal enemy is DemonKing666 who is trying to push me out of the number one All Might fan slot.
All for One: I'd really like to know how my hobby of keeping tabs on All Might got me mistaken as a fanboy. All I did was spread around a few secrets I knew about All Might to annoy him, and now NumberOneAllMightFan won't leave me alone.
#
Omake: Eternal Optimism
Izuku: It's wonderful how my friend cares so much about stopping the MLA, he keeps reblogging our post about them.
Shouto: What do you mean I can only reblog 250 times a day? I need to gloat about my victory over NumberOneAllMightFan more frequently!
#
Omake: Speed-running Canon
Shouto: Using my fire is worth it to get confidential information out of my dad.
Canon Izuku: Hey, why are you so easy? I had to break my bones!
#
Omake: Differences in Nurture
Izuku: I'm having a friendly competition with my online friend.
Shouto: My family taught me that there's no such thing as friendly competition. You become number one, or you ruin everyone's life including your own over it.
#
Omake: Tomura's Defection
Tomura: I never seriously thought Eri was my sister, but I felt sorry for another child with a dangerous quirk treated like a monster.
All for One: You should have kept her, or at least kept her quirk!
Tomura: Surely you wouldn't steal a quirk from a child.
All for One: Uh.
Tomura: Or give a deadly quirk to a child.
All for One: Let's change the subject.
Tomura: Yes, let's. I'm leaving.
All for One: Because you found out the truth about your past?
Tomura: Yeah, HatesFireLovesSoba told me that you're my father. And I hate dads.
#
Omake: The Dad for One Ending
Shouto: I've discovered that All for One's current civilian alias is Hisashi Midoriya.
Izuku: Oh, you and your lovechild theories!
Shouto: I'm serious.
Izuku: You always are.
Shouto: And All Might is the other father of Izuku Midoriya.
Izuku: I'll accept that one. You can be half right.
Author's Note: Thank you to MelancholysSunshine for this neat prompt, and my sister for brainstorming with me.
FYI, my fics have been taking a while to show up on this website. The link often doesn't work when my subscribers first get the email, but the fics seem to appear under my profile in a day or so. I believe this is a site-wide issue.
Also, I'm hosting a fanfic writing/art contest called Three Weeks of Trioholders. Check out the details on my tumblr:
tumblr.
com/
aimportantdragoncollector/730535703013900288/event-announcement