UA University – Alliance Dormitories – Night -
There was a sombre silence in the room as the only occupants, Momo and Rumi on one side and Mirio on the other, just looked at each other after their latest long talk together.
"Are you aware of what you are asking me?" Momo said, sighing and rubbing her eyes tiredly.
"I am quite aware, yes. But what moves me is not just Nejire's pain, but yours too." Mirio answered, shrugging helplessly.
"I am more surprised you are actually doing this." Rumi admitted, one eyebrow raised high.
"A smart man should be able to recognize when he is faced with a losing battle. Had I used this mess to get a chance at winning Nejire back, it would have meant me using a moment of weakness of hers to get what I wanted, instead of what she needs." Mirio answered.
"You could just learn from this and be a better partner for her yourself." Momo said, eyes narrowed.
"Unfortunately things are… Far more complex than you believe." Mirio answered, grimacing.
"You mean the fact that One for All is a Quirk that can be transferred?" Momo asked, arms crossed and rolling her eyes at the young man's look of Horror.
"Or the fact that All Might is so desperate to have you learn to use it fully because All for One, the guy that has been hunting down that Quirk's past users in his spare time between his Super-Villain plans, is not dead but instead very much alive and kickin'?" Rumi added, making Mirio wobble enough to force him to lean on a table nearby.
"H-How?" He asked with a faint voice.
"Izuku's sponsor told him, and he told us. We have been told this quite a while ago, and we told nobody, as you may have imagined since not a single trouble arose for you or Mister Toshinori about it." Momo answered with an uncaring shrug.
"So you and Rumi-"
"And Ochako." Momo said.
"She too?!" Mirio shrieked.
"Oh! And Nejire too knows." Rumi added with a savage smile.
"...Fuck…" Mirio swore with a whimper.
"Yeah, big guy, you fucked-up. You just had to trust her enough to tell her why you were putting her on stand-by, and she would have probably understood. She wouldn't have liked it all the same, but you can bet your flat ass that learning that from somebody else hurt a lot." Rumi answered, scoffing.
"It's a big secret,"
"No, it isn't." Momo cut him off.
"Uh?!"
"It's a transferable Quirk, yes it's unheard of, but it also has a built-in reason as to why it has to be kept secret. 'Nobody has to know because otherwise a Villain will take hostages just to force me to hand it over'. As Heroes we will be asked to keep secrets of similar magnitude one day...You are ahead of us in classes, you were told this countless times, I bet." Momo explained.
"...Well...One of the Tests our Heroics Teacher gave us was surviving 'Torture' and not give up information…" Mirio muttered.
"Exactly. And also… Come on! You were about to fuck her and yet ran away just because Toshinori called you! Was training that day really that important?" Rumi asked.
"YOU KNOW THAT TOO!?" He asked, shrieking.
"Nejire told me. I never asked, mind you, but apparently one day you annoyed her so much that when we met she pretty much told me about how you left her hanging like that, yes." She answered.
"Maybe I got a bit carried away."
"Uh-hu, a bit." Momo answered, extremely sarcastic.
"But I am serious here, now. Please at least consider it." Mirio, a bit more awkward than when he arrived, repeated.
"Still doesn't tell us why you are not taking this as an opportunity to win her back." Rumi asked, crossing her arms and rapping on the floor with her feet.
"I guess you don't know every detail then...That's a relief, actually." Mirio answered, sighing and leaning a bit back against the table behind him.
And that movement gave the chance to both young women to see the very thin and faint scars running along and completely covering both Mirio's arms in a random criss-cross pattern, like lines drawn by a very fine pencil.
"Training hard, I see." Rumi said, jerking her chin a bit towards the scars.
"Uh? Yes. Unfortunately I can't tell you everything, but I can tell you this: Controlling this thing is harder than I expected, and it also throws my control over Permeation, my original Quirk, down the drain, so I get hurt easily...Training One for All takes a lot out of me, mentally, physically and even just in a matter of free time. And while this may not get in the way of friendship...Romance is different. I am forced to admit that any relationship I have may require my Partner to be really, REALLY understanding… And I understood that I can't ask Nejire that much… So…" Mirio explained, unease.
"This is not an easy matter that can be fixed in a night." Momo answered.
"I only ask you to consider it. It can work." Mirio said.
"You really do want her to be happy, hn?" Rumi asked, groaning.
"A lot. I do believe she is a good woman, and that she was just misguided, doing things the wrong way, but not out of malice." He answered.
"… My classmates are returning. You better go." Momo answered only after a long silence, and just by throwing him that answer while looking outside towards the incoming group of 1-A students.
"I get it. Just… Think about it. Please." Mirio asked, leaving the main room of the Dormitories while shaking his head.
"… So?" Rumi asked once he left for good.
"This situation is a mess." Momo admitted.
"Hey, at least both she and myself are serious about this. I could have just told you to fuck off when you told me you were giving me a chance, and yet here I am! Have you any idea how much Pride I had to swallow to accept that instead of keeping being your Rival?" Rumi answered, hands at her hips.
"I thought that in the name of Love, with a capital L, Rumi Usagiyama could do that." Momo answered.
"And Rumi Usagiyama did. All in the name of my Happiness, Your Happiness, and Izuku's." She answered, huffing.
"… I think I understand where you are getting at… Unfortunately." The other replied, sighing.
"A step at a time. Let's talk with Ochako first, that bitch can be way too slippery when she wants to be." Rumi answered.
Click!
"We are baaaack!" Kirishima said with a wide smile, proudly showing the bags of groceries and junk food they had brought back with them.
"Sorry for our lateness." Tenya added, sighing.
"…" Ochako instead, safely hidden at the very back of the group, looked at both Momo and Rumi warily.
"Hoy! Uraraka! Can we talk?" And it was at that question from Rumi that the gravity Hero rapidly turned around and started running away.
"COME BACK HERE!" Momo yelled, annoyed beyond belief, while giving chase.
"YOU CAN'T OUTRUN ME, BITCH! Enbu: Vajra Moon Sprint!" Soon followed by Rumi whose own initial momentum cracked the floor as she burst forward at ludicrous speed.
"There we go… Round three…" Mina muttered in dismay.
At the opposite side of the city – Hospital – Mental Health ward -
A lone woman was sitting with a plain, expressionless face while looking outside the window through the thick metal bars that had been added to it to stop the guests of that ward to try and follow the voices in their heads telling them they could fly away.
"She is finally recovering?" One of the nurses asked with a sad expression.
"So it seems, whatever happened that had her Quirk stop working and even, apparently, erased her ability to cook remains a mystery, but at least she stopped screaming she was sorry to whatever Voice she could hear." The Doctor answered.
"So...It was a nervous breakdown?" The nurse asked.
"Pretty much. An extremely rough one, one of the worst cases I saw in my forty years in the field, but I believe we can finally move to a more common hospital room, everything points towards her slowly coming out of it. Besides her refusing to talk, that is, but traumas do that." The old man answered, sighing.
The woman heard them, but paid them no mind. She knew why they thought she was crazy, or at least suffering from a damn wild case of Breakdown, but Monoi knew the truth, and how The System made sure she could not say anything about it, as a way to make her punishment worse.
Being strapped to a bed as a sane person, compared to one of the more rowdy guests of that brightly painted hellhole of relaxing music and overly-smiling staff gave her time to think, and reconsider many of her life choices; especially since even while it was possible, nobody actually came to pay her a visit, not even her parents, and considering what she had said about the Quirkless population, with her own father being part of that 20% of people not having Powers, she objectively could not blame them.
So there she was, alone with herself and even too much time to think after having seemingly run out of tears to beg for mercy to the Thing that robbed her of everything, weeks of her lying on a bed just looking at ceiling in perfect silence until her new streak of calm and silence gained her the privilege of sitting on a chair by the window to watch the outside world she once thought was her oyster.
The future for her was also kind of bleak, since she had focused on cooking only, lost that set of skills left her with basically nothing, she had not even a Quirk anymore to fall onto, if having a now-limp lifeless pair of extra arms dangling from her hips she could no longer move or control could be considered good enough to become a Hero, or at least a Vigilante, those two limbs were now literally dead.
She had seen how much people without Powers were relegated as background characters, and her grandfather used to tell her stories of deep racism against Quirkless people that had scarred her father deeply in his teenage years, with only the woman that would one day becoming his wife tethering him to life enough to not take the 'Easy way out', things were obviously way better than back in those times, but that anonymity, that life of bare essentials and invisibility scared Monoi far too much after all the limelight she had basked in before her fall from grace.
But more than anything else, she wanted to return to cooking, to watch Ingredients transform under her hands, to see cute or gorgeous dishes blossom after her hard work and her own imagination give birth to new tastes.
She missed the bubbling pots, the fragrant spices, the bright colours and the light and dream-like foams and velvet-soft reductions and sauces adorning every plate like small paintings...In a moment of realisation, Monoi recognized she missed Cooking far more than her Quirk; she could live without those extra arms, but she wanted her skills back, she wanted to dream again about her small, fancy restaurant she wished of opening when she had just started studying in Inoshiki Academy as a bright-eyed teen girl!
"...Is it true?" That voice! THE VOICE OF THE SAME ENTITY THAT TOOK HER SKILLS AWAY!
"YES! YES I AM SURE!" It was a miracle Monoi was once again alone after the doctor and nurse left, otherwise that desperate scream in a hoarse voice would have gained a return to be strapped to the bed.
"Is this what you want?" The System asked, and everything around Monoi shifted into a perfect replica of the Restaurant Teen Monoi had been planning inside her head every night before going to sleep, down to the exact same colourful plants hanging from the walls.
"Aaah! It's beautiful…" Maybe she was insane, because she could now smell the scent of the plants and touch the cloth on the tables as if they were right in front of her, as if they were real!
"The System is open to return you your cooking skills and Quirk so to let you have a chance to turn the dream into Reality, even if it will be extremely hard after your recent actions and outburst. In exchange for a bit of work."
"What's your price!? I will do it! No matter what! I will do it and then work hard to rebuild my life! I learned my lesson, I swear!"
"When the time comes, The System will contact you with the details. You will understand when it's time when your Quirk and your skills will return. Until then, self-improve enough to leave that place and rebuild your Life without the same Greed that brought you here. This is your last chance, should you fall back into your old Self, you will once again lose everything, this time forever." The System answered, and as the Entity's voice came, it left, taking with it the illusion and returning everything to the sterile look of a hospital room.
"Yes! Of course! I will change! Promise!" Monoi promised, grasping that faint ray of hope with both hands and swearing to change for real from the bottom of her heart with absolute conviction.
Not that The System actually cared, that woman was just a good way to help its Host to Ascend to the rank of God of Cooking, but the Entity was not truly merciless, it could throw a bone to others as well every once in a while, if they actually deserved that second chance and worked hard for it.
Meanwhile – America – Rei's Penthouse – Morning -
Contrary to the chaos reigning in UA, or inside Monoi's heart, the morning of Izuku and Rei was fairly quiet and relaxed as the young Chef had just finished giving the last touches to the breakfast he was preparing for them both.
"Uhmmm! Croissants!" Rei moaned in bliss once the oven was opened and the entire apartment got bombarded with the fragrant scent of freshly-baked goods.
"I also have some strawberry, orange and blueberry jam and freshly-made butter to put on the toast if you want, along with a more traditional Japanese breakfast." Izuku answered, smiling pleased, once finished preparing the wide spread on the table.
"You made this much food though." Rei admitted.
"You know why, Rei-san." He answered.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
"… Exactly… Here she is. Like clockwork." Rei answered, huffing in childish annoyance as Cathleen Bate, Pro Hero Star and Stripes, and her personal Assistant barged-in once Whitey opened the door for them.
"Moooorning!" Cathleen said with a wide smile and a singing tone.
"Sorry for the intrusion." Her Assistant muttered with a shy smile.
"Yes, yes. Just get seated." Rei answered, harrumphing.
Those two had stayed for dinner after the small challenge they had given Izuku, and even had the gall to tell her they would have very likely returned for breakfast too, even shamelessly using Cathleen taking Izuku to her office to help him plan his attack on Matoi as an excuse.
"Come on! I said I would have helped my new Little Bro in his small Mission, I just asked for some breakfast as a payment!" Cathleen answered, taking a seat next to Rei and gladly accepting the big mug of coffee Izuku handed her.
"Uhmmmm!" And somehow downing the entire thing in just a few gulps even if scalding-hot.
"100% Venezuelan." Izuku informed her, smirking, and plating everything for the four of them.
"Delicious." The Pro Hero answered, already attacking her plate like a starving animal.
"So? What's your big plan, uh?" Rei asked, eating with way more elegant manners than the two women sitting at her sides.
"Pwety 'asy if ya t'ink!"
"Can you PLEASE swallow before talking?!" Rei asked, horrified.
"Yeah, yeah. I said: "It's pretty easy if you think about it." Cathleen said.
"Uh-hu."
"Matoi is bombarding the city in Ads about his restaurant opening tomorrow, as a way to celebrate both Inauguration and his Daughter's debut as a Pro Hero and her birthday. Right?"
"Yes? Go on." Izuku prompted, leaning forward.
"Moron had been sending me hundreds of letters for the last two years, to my office, every damn day, hoping I will take his bratty daughter under my wing. To teach her the ropes, ya know?"
"I guess it makes sense, you are the Number 1 both in America and the World Rankings, if he is really that interested in his image, having his daughter work under you will be a huge hit." Izuku said.
"Ya did your homework! Yeah, I was surprised too when they gave me first place in the WR too. But that crap is not important. What's important is that we can use this obsession of his." Cathleen answered, smiling deviously.
"Use that? Pray tell, how?" Rei asked.
"By making a show about it! Can you imagine the giant Fuck You blow to his Pride if 'Star and Stripe' tweets how she is interested in stealing a young promising Chef from Japan to add to her Agency as her own personal one? Heck, some of the American Top 10 Heroes owe me a favour, so playing a bit of War for who gets Izuku, somebody Matoi HATES, will definitely piss him off so much HE will challenge him...And there will be where I come in." Cathleen explained, smirking.
"Uh-hu?"
"A simple bet: if Matoi challenges Mister Izuku and wins, Cathleen will take his daughter as an Intern, and Izuku closes his Restaurant, but if Izuku wins: that girl won't get Internship with a single Top 5 Hero and Matoi himself will stop bothering Izuku." Cathleen's Assistant answered.
"And what about the blackmail material Samui has on him?" Izuku asked.
"Ah, well, that's his problem, not yours." Cathleen answered.
"Uh?!"
"Izuku, honestly, if Matoi did something illegal, or downright criminal, he has to face the Law about it. He is using YOU to pay for Samui's silence about it, you have no obligation to worry about Matoi's life and reputation, he should have thought about it BEFORE doing whatever he did. Crimes must be punished, especially if they are big and evil ones. You defend yourself, Matoi is an adult, and as one he will need to face the consequences of his actions, if those come knocking at his door." She explained, giving his hand a comforting squeeze.
"I… I see." Izuku answered, sighing and looking saddened by the thing.
"You can't shoulder the Sins of whoever you meet, nor as a Chef, or as a Hero. You wanted to be one, yes? And I believe that you had all the marks of one, even without a Quirk… Except that Martyr Mentality of yours that still pops-up from time to time, as you said. Being there for whoever needs it is a noble thing, but it must be done with consideration." Cathleen said with a gentle smile.
"Thank you, Cathl-"
"Cath. Call me Cath when I am not in Costume, 'kay? We are buddies." She answered, offering him her closed fist.
"Okay, Cath." Izuku answered, finally smiling again, and giving her the requested fist-bump.
"Good Lil bro. Now get ready, while you pretty yourself up, I'll make a couple calls for our little Teasing Operation." The Pro Hero declared.
"Are you sure this won't be a problem?" Rei asked.
"Maaah! It's only a couple pictures and a tweet or two to rile-up a bully, my colleagues can do me such a tiny favour for once! Especially if I promise them some damn good BBQ. Most of them would KILL for a nice steak done as God commands." Cathleen answered, chuckling.
"Oh! I'll give them my best BBQ then!" Izuku promised.
"Nice!"
"I get it… I get it… The Big Occasion BBQ set… I'll have it prepared in the Agency's Cafeteria, Boss." The woman's Assistant said with a sigh of dismay.
"She likes to whine and grumble, but she loves her job." Star and Stripe said, smirking.
"Except on these occasions…" The other woman answered under her breath, sighing.
Star and Stripe Hero Agency – Atrium – Later that day -
The long drive towards the place, with the car silently followed by Whitey, gave Izuku the chance of asking several questions to Cathleen about the American Hero system and herself, since while his dream of Heroism had been abandoned, his own passion for Heroes in general and their Lifestyle and Quirks didn't diminish. Luckily the giant buff woman seemed to take everything in stride and find his fanboyism fun enough to second it and answer his MANY questions.
"Here we are, the Star and Stripe Agency, recently updated and enlarged to house the R&D Department directly inside the building instead of having it located at the opposite side of the city. As well as enlarging the gym and cafeteria since… Well… Miss Bate can be very demanding when she sees a new piece of equipment that she wants." Cathleen's Assistant explained, personally accompanying Izuku to give the Pro Hero the time needed to enter from a side door, take off her 'Civilian Persona' and wear her Hero Costume to meet him officially as Star and Stripe.
"She just wants to be at her best to help people." Izuku answered, looking everywhere in wonder while petting Shiro in his arms, Whitey was, as always, following closely behind the Chef without making a sound while carrying a giant crate with everything the young Chef will need on his back.
"You are a biassed Hero Fanboy. You have no idea how hard it is to keep up with her childish demands, she may respect and like All Might, her own inspiration to become a Hero, but for the love of God she can be so, so, so frustratingly petty and competitive! With her is either the absolute Best of nothing! In everything!" The poor woman answered, groaning, and turning even more depressed when Izuku laughed in amusement at the revelation.
Their walk brought them past the main desk, where Izuku got a 'VIP Guest' badge to wear proudly in front of his green Chef uniform, to a set of double doors towards a way bigger area, well illuminated and surrounded in couches along every wall and in the middle of the room a giant fountain with a big statue of Star and Stripe giving a blinding smile and a thumbs-up to whoever entered.
"…"
"That was a present, not even Miss Bate is THAT MUCH into herself, but it would have been bad manners not accepting it, even if a bit Tacky." The Assistant said, once noticed Izuku's questioning look.
"Tacky and badly made, Cath's eyes are not that shape." A young woman with wavy blond hair and a big pair of horns on her head answered, laughing, while nearing the two.
"Cow Lady!" Izuku said with wide eyes.
"Heyo! You must be the guy! I hope your BBQ really is that good, it may be a simple Operation, as Cath calls it, but still, there is our name on the line!" Cow Lady said, winking at him and shaking the Chef's hand.
"Of course, Miss! But it was not my idea! I would never disturb you while you work!" Izuku answered immediately.
"Relax! You are way too stiff!" The woman replied, chuckling.
"That's what she said!" Somebody yelled from one of the couches.
"Shut-up, Norman!" Cow Lady snapped, dropping the smile to shoot a glare at her old-time partner, he too present for the thing.
"Forgive him, Norman is a good Hero and Sidekick, but with the brain the size of a pea."
"That hurt, babe!"
"HUSH!"
"Huhuhuhu!"
"Oh! Glad my misery entertains you, Mister!" Cow Lady said, smirking and jokingly punching Izuku's shoulder for his chuckling.
"Norman… Must be your nickname for his Hero name Normal Man." Izuku said, still barely holding back his laughter.
"Yeah, his naming skills suck, but considering he can turn-off Quirks and Eraser Head was already taken, he went for a more on-the-nose one." Cow Lady answered.
"I still like it."
"He is biassed." The Assistant said.
"Hey!"
"I can see that. By the way, I heard what happened between your robot and Bronze Bull, and besides apologising for that idiot ruining your day as soon as you arrived in America, I must also thank you for dealing with him before he could try once again to bother me. I really appreciate it. I am Kate Barr, AKA Cow Lady. Nice to meet you." The Pro Hero said.
"Izuku Midoriya, an honour meeting you in person." he answered.
"Hn. So this is the Chef I heard about from our common friend. Bit on the short side." Another Hero said as soon as he entered and noticed the small group, he was wearing a full body suit with a red cape and two radio antennas on his head shaped like lightning bolts.
"Elecplant?!" Again, the young Chef was appalled at the Big Shots Cathleen had actually contacted.
"In the flesh, boy. I was asked a bit of a curious favour, but Star and Stripe hardly goes into things without a plan, even when she makes decisions in the spur of the moment… Sure she overdoes easily, but we all have our quirks... Eh!" Elecplant answered, and chuckled at his own joke.
"It's just a selfie and a message, Nazeeh. Don't be the usual stick in the mud!" Cow Lady, Kate, answered while rolling her eyes.
"Don't use my real name!" Elecplant hissed, a bit on the over-dramatic side.
"Oh! Okay!… So do I use Elecplant, Nazeeh, Tarsha or Nazeeh Tarsha when referring to you?" Kate asked, smirking.
"… This is your payback for what happened in Los Angeles, hn? You are still angry about it?" The Electric Pro Hero asked, grumbling and face-palming.
"Yes, and I will be for a good while. That was humiliating."
"It was an accident! I didn't mean to!"
"I know it was an accident, because had it been intentional, you wouldn't be here today, but six feet under!"
"Sheeesh, woman! It was nothing worth this anger!"
"IT WAS!"
"Can you two put this argument aside for another time, please?" The Assistant begged.
"This isn't the end of it." Cow Lady muttered.
"I know, I know." Elecplant answered, sighing.
"The guy is okay, Cathleen vouched for him, him knowing our names won't put us at risk any more than anything else we do on a daily basis."
"I'll trust her judgement." Nazeeh conceded.
"Hohoho! Always so fiery, Cow Lady!" A third voice said.
"… Oh! Captain Celebrity…" Only this time Izuku's reaction was mild, to put it nicely.
"HEY! You got starstruck when you saw those two and when you see ME you go cold? WHYYYY?!" The flying Hero said with a tone of heartbreak, dropping down to the floor to walk towards them instead of floating like when he arrived.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WITH 'THOSE TWO'?!" Both Cow Lady and Elecplant yelled in chorus, glaring at the new arrival in pure annoyance.
"I guess your Hero Persona is what you are mostly famous for in Japan." Cathleen's Assistant guessed.
"… Oh!… That." Celebrity said, dropping the dashing smile for a look of realisation.
"I. Yeah, I was pretty bad back in the days, no doubts about it. But, you know, becoming a father straightened me up, honest! Got my head in the right place and all." The Pro Hero admitted, passing a hand through his hair with a humourless, awkward chuckle.
"He also switched from being 'I wanna get in your pants' flirty into jokingly, but innocent flirty." Cow Lady supplied.
"Oh! Really?" Izuku asked.
"Really. Unfortunately the Mediahas the habit of being unable to let go of past mistakes, even when one did change. Even more so if those mistakes are easy to enlarge in the name of gossip." Electplant answered.
"Pamela is hinting at us re-marring, and not just for the sake of our kid...So I am hopeful." Celebrity answered.
"That woman is a saint." Kate declared.
"Oh, she is! Still don't know what I did right to have her in my life!"
"Sorry for misjudging you then, sir." Izuku apologised, and offered him his hand.
"Hey, cheer up! It's okay! I was that bad, kinda, so you just had an opinion based on what you knew...I just pushed it a wee bit too far." The Pro answered, shaking the offered hand.
"Flying Stallion." Elecplant answered while fake-coughing.
"Will you people drop that nickname?! Yes, I like showing-off my Manliness, but I am not a stereotypical Jock! That's just my Hero Persona, for fuck sake!"
"Sorry, Chris!"
"Christopher. You KNOW I hate when they shorten my name." Celebrity hissed between clenched teeth in answer.
"Still, thank you all for accepting this." Izuku said, bowing deeply to the three.
"Hey! Hey! It's okay. We can use the publicity too, and it helps you deal with some egomaniacs threatening your business. It's a Hero's job protecting the innocent, even just by taking some pictures to anger them." Christopher answered, surprised by the action.
"It's okay, kid. Get up and hold your back straight! You are a Super Chef apparently, so show it! Pride!" Elecplant added, making Izuku chuckle and return upright.
"Right, thank you."
"Good. So I guess the next step is waiting for the others?" Cow Lady asked.
"Others?" The young Chef asked.
"Just a couple more. Not too many. And their sidekicks of course." Cow Lady answered.
"So many! I'd better start preparing everything immediately then!" Izuku answered, eyes wide.
"You do that, while we'll be going through our usual morning patrolling," Cow Lady said.
"S-Sure!"
"The kitchens are this way, follow me. The others will wait for us in the cafeteria when it is Lunch Time." Cathleen's Assistant answered, signalling him to follow her.
"Do wow us, buddy! We were Hyped quite a bit, so you better deliver!" Captain Celebrity said, smirking.
"Of course! And… Can I have an autograph once done? From all of you?" Izuku answered, and then made his request with a more shy tone.
"… Sure!" The three answered in chorus, and that got them a wide smile that almost literally blinded them.
Kitchens -
Once checked the content of the crate, both what was actually there and what Izuku will actually summon there from his Restaurant Storage Room Island, he ignited the coals under the Grill and addressed Cathleen's Assistant.
"Who else is involved in this thing?" He asked.
"Uhmm! Besides Cow Lady, Elecplant and Captain Celebrity, Miss Bate got in contact with Super Soldato and Queen Thorns." She answered, making the young Chef falter a little.
"THE ITALO-AMERICAN WOLF HERO AND THE PAINFUL MISTRESS HERO?!" Izuku asked with a shriek and wide-eyes.
"Yep! Mister Antonio and Miss Johanna found the idea silly enough they just could not refuse. Or so they said."
"… You want me to cook for half the Top 10 Heroes of America… You only lack the Hero in fourth place…" The young Chef muttered, looking a bit pale.
"Oh, her! Right, I almost forgot! Mother Nature is unsure if she can come, actually. She has to be present for the opening of a new maternity wing she financed, but just in case, please cook something for her too, in case she does manage to join us." The woman answered, smirking a bit in revenge once seen Izuku looking ready to faint.
"The Stone Embrace Hero too… Oh, God… It's the Gala of Mistral City all over again…" He muttered to himself, honestly not thankful of the memories of that unpleasant event from his life as Zaus popped-up in his head.
"You are too stressed. They may be Big Shots in the Hero Business, but they are not THAT demanding, relax! They are here to have fun, you just need to not screw-up badly, just give your all, that's all they ask." The woman offered with a kind smile.
"Okay. Okay. I can do this…" Izuku said aloud, lightly slapping himself and immediately starting to organise the Ingredients.
Later that day- Lunch Hour - Cafeteria – With Cathleen -
Under the pleased look of the Number One Hero of America, the Pros she had contacted once again returned to her Agency and took place at their tables with their Side-Kicks and Assistants sitting with them, the latter people already organising the various posts on the Heroes social media pages, and just waiting for the signal to flood their followers in pictures.
"You know? For once Social Media is actually useful." A very tall and buff Wolfman wearing a modernised version of a middle-age soldier uniform said, chuckling.
"Unfortunately, they have become part of the Hero Business, we can't do anything about this. People are not happy about us just saving people lives, they also want to watch us do it." A woman with a dress seemingly made of intertwined thick thorn branches answered, annoyed.
"It's okay, I just hope we will be able to enjoy the food a bit before the next 'Evil Overlord Wannabe' Villain tries something." Cow Lady answered, sighing.
"It's been a while since I ate a proper lunch, yeah." Elecplant.
"I just had to lift an entire section of a highway Bomb-Lord destroyed long enough to let people escape, without even enough time to change myself before lunch! I got it worse than you!" Captain Celebrity, with his Hero Costume still faintly smoking, answered.
"Listen, just because I only faced an Environmentalist Villain and her 'Turn people into trees' gas before coming here, doesn't mean I was having fun! I almost turned into a pine! Cut me some slack!" The Electric Hero answered.
"Guys, please." Cow Lady begged.
"Our job is not as easy as others believe, hn?" Cathleen said, laughing, and getting-up to check how the cooking was going.
"Not all of us can tie the Laws of Reality like a pretzel just by willing it, Cath!"
"Yeah, yeah." The Buff woman answered, before disappearing inside the kitchens.
And the double doors swinging open gave the chance to the scent of the dishes to briefly slip inside.
"Oh-Oooh! I like this smell! Bene! BENISSIMO!" Super Soldato said with a wagging tail.
"Are you sure you can eat from a plate? Wouldn't you prefer a bowl?" Celebrity asked, smirking.
"Har-Har-Har, so funny, Christopher… Stronzo." The Wolfman answered, rolling his eyes and grumbling.
"He is just jealous you got more female fans than him, you big and cuddly Big Bad Wolfie!" Queen Thorns said, laughing, and scratching him under his chin.
"Umph! He is still rude." he answered while his leg jerked a bit while she scratched him.
In the Kitchen -
The ample room was big enough to let the two dozen members of the staff usually working in Cathleen's personal Cafeteria to work freely with more than enough space to move and work with as much freedom they could, especially since the Number One Hero of America had a habit to invite her colleagues and their own Sidekicks for dinner and lunch quite often, meaning that they all had to be always ready to prepare food not only for the BIG number of people working in the Agency everyday, but also any Guest Cathleen felt the need to invite over for a bite.
And yet that day, that room was completely empty, only with a solitary young Chef in his teens and wearing a pristine green Chef uniform working tirelessly at a giant grill while at the same time, somehow, manning the entire place by himself, matching and surpassing the quantity of work that same staff now waiting outside could do on their best day.
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
Every Ingredient used came from Izuku's Storage Room Island, all of them from the simplest spice and the oil to everything else, were the best flavours his Level as God of Cooking Candidate gave him access to, accompanied by the Ingredients he had collected in his various sorties and was now free to use as he pleased.
Hissss!
The meat on the grill cooked at a steady pace, carefully turned around and handled to assure the best taste the Ingredients could offer while at the same time being treated with the utmost respect, both following the teachings of Food Honor and Izuku's own belief as a Chef, and the kitchen went soon filled in both delicious aromas and the almost-melodious sound of the grease slowly dripping over the red-hot rocks of the grill.
"Everything is coming along nicely, the other dishes?" Izuku mumbled to himself while moving fast between each grill, stove and oven he was using to prepare every component of his dishes.
"Kyun?" Shiro, perched on a cabinet nearby, looked curious towards the outside.
"Yes, they are being rowdy, nothing I haven't seen before. I just need to remember what I used to do whenever some big shot dignitary came to my old Restaurant Zaus, it's just the same thing...Only with more spandex and silly names." Izuku answered.
"Snort!"
"Laughing about that is not nice, Shiro-kun. Your home world had plenty of silly things happening too." He answered, chuckling at the Ancestral Taotie look of betrayal at the accusation.
"You were not that silly. But everybody else was!"
"...This Esteemed Taotie can accept that, Partner." Shiro answered after some consideration.
"Thank you… I wonder how Zephyr is doing, he is still pretty new to this world." Izuku wondered.
Back in Japan -
CLAAAAAAANG!
"MEEEEEEOW!" Zephyr the Pheline yowled in fury while using one of the indestructible pans created by the System to lay waste on some teens that tried using spray paint on the Retsaurant's door in revenge for Whitey stripping and throwing them out.
"I AM SORRY! I AM SORRY! OH, GOD! I WON'T DO IT ANYMORE, I SWEAR!" the Leader of the four-men gang pleaded in tears.
"MEEEEEEOW!" The almost rabid cat-like being would hear nothing of it, but brandishing a pan in each forepaw, he jumped them with a feral battle-cry.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Four voices yelled as one in fear and pain as the pans rained on them dozens of hits per minute to reshape their skulls and attitude.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Sigh! "Even the small adorable cat helper is a war-machine. Those beans shouldn't be used to enact Justice… Better intervene." Aizawa, having passed near Green Cloud Restaurant by chance during his night patrol, noticed the one-sided beating happening and watched in surprise as yet another Pet/Mascot/Assistant of Izuku demonstrated far too much destructive power compared to its appearances.
Still, he was a Hero, so it was his job to stop things from escalating, and it was clear Zephyr was about to overdo his job of defending the Restaurant, so it was, begrudgingly, Aizawa's job to take over and bring those guys… Or whatever mass of bruises was left of them, to the closest Police station for questioning.
"Okay, little Zephyr, I will take it from here, you can stop." Aizawa said, finally making his presence known, and looking impressed at how fast those poor fellas hurried to hide behind him to escape the fury of the small cat.
"Meeeow…" Ears pinned down and releasing a low whine, it was clear the Pheline wanted to whack them just a couple times more, and Eraserhead had a hard time not letting him do that out of displeasure at seeing a sad cat.
"Next time, okay? If they do that again I will let you hit them a few times more." He promised with a small voice and a tiny smile while petting the Pheline's head to enjoy the thing's purring fit.
"MEOW!" Zephyr answered, now looking way happier.
"NO!" The vandals yelled right after, clearly not as happy as him.
Back to Izuku – Star and Stripe Hero Agency -
Once happy with every dish being cooked and plated the way he liked, Izuku exited the kitchen briefly to check how the various Pro Heroes waiting for him were doing, and exhaling in relief once seen how they were just chatting among themselves and not looking annoyed by the waiting, no matter how objectively little he had actually took to cook everything.
"Relax, buddy, you'll do great," Cathleen noticed this and moved to encourage him with a friendly smile.
"I am working on my insecurity, but it still flares-up from time to time," He admitted, chuckling.
"Considering how well you cook, one would think you would be smug about it, instead of worrying." She answered.
"Eh! Depends." He admitted with a small, unease smile.
As Zaus it was easier, he was in a brand new world with a different life behind him, while as Izuku he had far too many bad memories and issues piled on his back to not doubt himself still even after what he did during his coma.
"Nonsense! Here! I prepared this just for this occasion! Give it a ring when you are ready and let's start the show!" Cathleen answered, smiling cheerfully and slapping Izuku's back to snap him out of his funk.
"You are right! I have a job to do!" He answered, taking a deep breath and straightening his back.
"Good! I will go back to my table then, the show is now all yours, rock their world, Lil Bro!" Cathleen answered, laughing all the way to her table.
"Right… Time to shine…" Izuku muttered, nodding.
DING! DING! DING!
Every talking stopped when the young Chef actually rang the small triangle Cathleen had handed to him.
"I-I am sorry to interrupt you all, but I am finally ready, so please, take your seat so the staff can start bringing out the dishes. And thank you again for seconding us in this strange thing, it means a lot to me." He said, and immediately the entire kitchen staff that had been waiting outside, so to show how nobody was helping him, moved to stand at the ready in front of the doors to the kitchen and wait for his orders.
"Bwahahaha! As promised, nobody helped him, not even me and my Quirk, all you will taste is the original flavour of what he made by himself. Just remember to do as we planned, and to be honest! We don't need empty praise, it is a test for him too, so he needs our honest opinion!" Cathleen said.
"Hey! I have integrity! I can and will give constructive criticism if there is a need!" Elecplant answered, and everybody else nodded along.
"Good food is always a blessing, and sharing with friends even more so, so while very strict in our judging, we won't forget this is a lunch between friends." Captain Celebrity added.
"We are ready, Kiddo! Show us what you got!" Super Soldato yelled from his table, and made the others too give a cheerful yowl that made Izuku chuckle.
"Good, and thank you! I decided to celebrate the art of American BBQ by preparing some of the most famous dishes of several states, trying to be as close as possible to the original recipe, except for a fewadjustments I did following my own beliefs and style. I will have them delivered immediately, sorry for the wait." Izuku added, bowing to the various Heroes and disappearing again inside the kitchen on the notes of the tasters' applause.
As soon as the Pro Heroes, their Sidekicks and Assistants took out their phones to start the preliminary flooding of updates of their pages, the plates started arriving on their tables at a fast pace, all still at perfect temperature…
"Oh my God!" and the exclamations of surprise didn't take long before starting to echo from the tables at random intervals.
"Bwahahaha! That's music to my ears! Keep'em coming, Lil Bro! You are doing great!" Cathleen, gorging herself in abandon, said with a thundering laugh.
"I am actually happy others are being so open about enjoying this food, it means we weren't the only ones losing control like that!" the woman's Assistant added, chuckling.
Indeed it was clear those American Pro Heroes were enjoying Izuku's BBQ quite a lot!
Table 1
"BOSS! I CAN'T TAKE PICTURES IF YOU KEEP EATING THEM THAT FAST!" Cow Lady's Assistant cried-out in despair.
"Dhen Snap'em Fas'er! Christ, th'se taste so fu'king good!" The woman answered with her mouth full to burst.
"So long for a dieting enthusiast!" The Pro Hero's sidekick said, smirking.
"SHUDDUP! Or I'll eat your portion too!" She answered.
"No! MINE!"
Farm-Style BBQ Ribs
Table 2
"He is Japanese! He never came to America before now! And he made perfect Kansas City-Style Ribs! How the hell does that work?!" Elecplant, at his fourth serving, asked in disbelief.
"I DON'T KNOW!" His sidekick answered, snatching a new plate.
"No! Those are mine!"
"I saw them first!"
"I am your Boss! Hand them over!" Elecplant ordered.
"NO!"
"MUTINY! BETRAYAL!"
Table 3
SHRIP! SHRIP!
"MORE! MORE!"
SHRIP! SHRIP!
"MORE BRISKET! GIMME MOOOORE!"
"For the love of God, Antonio! Slow down!" The Wolfman Hero Assistant begged with a groan.
"I CAN'T STOP!" Tail wagging like crazy, the poor wolfman threw himself at each place he was delivered.
"Want me to try and snatch him into your Hero Agency staff for real?" The woman asked, rolling her eyes.
"SI! Yes, please!"
"I'll see what I can do, Boss."
"Grazie!"
BBQ Beef Brisket in cherry barbecue sauce
Table 4
"Bring me more chicken! Hurry before Celebrity and Soldato eat it all!" Queen Thorns yelled in a hurry while eating from three plates at the same time.
"My God, calm down! Eating like this can't be healthy!" The Hero's Assistant begged, afraid at seeing the normally collected woman act like a starving monster.
"I'll start my diet tomorrow, now stop being a killjoy!"
"Yes, yes. 'I'll start my diet tomorrow', you all say this every time."
Spicy Barbecued Chicken (Texas Recipe)
"Congratulations to Host Izuku for closing another Abrupt Mission in success, as a prize both Hannya Panda and Centenary Galala Gator have been unlocked as Ingredients." The System said with a short happy jingle of victory.
"So I can use that meat?" Izuku asked.
"Yes, Host. Of course in order to use their meat you will need to fight them first, or pay a fee in experience points that will be scaled and subtracted by the total you have gained up until that point."
"Ugh! Okay, I will fight them then, even if they are not that strong I will use them as a way to keep in shape. It will help me not grow lazy but keep working hard." Izuku answered, sighing.
"Well said."
Small matters aside, in the end the young Chef was happy with the results of his latest Abrupt Mission, and watching all those people eating and enjoying what he made filled him in pride, and actually made his own portion taste even better.
Chicken wings and drumsticks, Pork chops and sirloin, Beef, Salmon and SO MUCH MORE! For those Pro Heroes it was all an endless stream of heavenly BBQ dishes, a never-ending dream of countless amazing flavours coming and coming, to the point those Pro Heroes and their entourage managed to eat non-stop for four hours without even noticing until their stomachs couldn't take it anymore and finally started begging for mercy, even if against their own will as well.
And the biblical flood of posts on the various social media rapidly circled the globe, sharing with videos, pictures and quotes every instant of those hours of bliss, for the surprise of the Heroes' followers and the apoplectic ire of Izuku's enemies and detractors.
Unknown to many, though, several Japanese Pro Heroes, Vigilantes and small-scale Villains as well were against this, mostly because they actually were regulars of Green Cloud and were completely against the idea of 'Some Yankees' stealing away THEIR young Master Chef, both out of Japanese Pride and because of more personal fear, since they didn't want to hand over the young man and his food to anybody else.
At the Same time – Restaurant 'The Symphony' -
Ding!
"That lurid brat!" Matoi roared at every new update of several Pro Heroes pages.
Ding!
"COW LADY TOO?!" The Chef yelled in maddening fury once checked other pages besides Star and Stripe to see how most of the Top 10 were not just eating Izuku's food, but giving the dishes glowing praises too!
"Is the world going down the drain now? He is doing this on purpose to get me mad! And he is doing it damn well, that little bastard!"
Ding!
Each ringing tone of the updates felt like a new stab in the man's chest, and as soon as Samui's own message arrived to demand to know WHY Izuku was still cooking instead of closing his Restaurant forever, the man's blood pressure had a spike reaching to never before seen levels.
"I think I can hear his blood boil from here…" One of Matoi's sous-chefs muttered.
"Sssh! He will take it out on us if he hears you!" The guy's pal hushed him with a look of fear.
"Every time we try something to get rid of him, he gets out unscathed and smelling of roses! Forged bad reviews don't work, direct attacks don't work, sabotage doesn't work, smear campaigns can't even start that they get intercepted and erased, and even the brat's Sponsor refused to be bought or threatened… What do we have to do to get rid of that cockroach?! WHAT?!" Matoi howled, and for a brief moment, his mind conjured the memory of the loaded revolver he kept in the desk of his office in that restaurant.
"No...That will be the last resort… Should I lose everything, I will take the boy down to Hell with me." He muttered to himself with a low, insane tone.
Ping!
"Uh?" The different sound alert caught the man's attention, it was only faintly different from the normal one, just a tiny bit more high-pitched, but he recognized that as the alert of an incoming message from one of his childhood friends, the good ones, not Samui.
"I saw the updates of some Heroes there in America. That boy struck again, only this time on the offensive instead of just waiting for us to strike first to retaliate. What are you going to do?" The text message said,
"Good question. I don't know." Matoi muttered, but before he could actually write that as an answer, a new message arrived from the same number.
"If you are open to suggestions, I have one: Why don't you challenge him?…" He read aloud, hands shaking.
"You make it sound way too easy, Ren. That boy scares me." Matoi muttered with a shudder.
Unknown to Samui, ever since the 'Cooking Battle' against Yamato and her Cooking Academy had become public domain, the rest of the small group of conspirators had kept a close eye on Izuku, and they all had agreed on the same thing: there was simply something wrong about the way that boy cooked.
And it was not just about the presentation of the dishes or the taste of the food, Matoi and the others had seen that 'mock cooking show' video Rei Yaoyorozu posted, several times even, and while somebody not in the world of cooking could miss it, the more Veteran Chefs like them could see between the lines, beyond the flare and the boy's cheery attitude and notice even the faintest details the masses missed… And Izuku kept displaying skills definitely unnatural, even when taking Quirks in consideration; to a Chef like Matoi (and the others he asked for insight to) everything about Izuku felt off. Otherworldly.
"Sometimes it looks like he follows a different set of Laws of Nature when cooking, not our own." He muttered, feeling again the faint chill crawl up his spine whenever he thought about that young man's cooking.
"If you don't at least try to Challenge the kid, he will keep teasing you with more videos and posts, and we both know who's holding you by the balls. It's your turn to try to stop him now, and you know Samui will never stop pestering you to help him, just like he is doing with all of us." Ren Watanabe, one of the Chefs colluding with Samui to ruin Izuku, wrote.
"...Then let's hear, how am I supposed to do this?" He asked, and typed, to the man.
"He obviously came to America to challenge you since he casually arrived so close to the day of your Inauguration. He clearly plans to "Attack you" during your biggest moment of triumph. Maybe you should consider the idea of returning the favour." Ren wrote in answer.
"You make it sound easy. How?"
"How else? Cheat! Give him a Theme to follow and Ingredients to use, and then you give him the worst ones! There are ways to make an Ingredient look pretty and yet taste awful, we did it plenty of times as students to prank the upper years. Do it again, but better."
"… Uh… The idea has merit… Doing my best while also adding that handicap to him just to make sure." Matoi muttered to himself, and finally saw some light at the end of the dark, dark tunnel he felt he had been cast into.
"Boss?" one of Matoi's helpers asked with a small voice.
"Get back to work, I have things to prepare." He answered, waving him off.
At the same time – With Ren Watanabe – Japan – Inoshiki Academy -
The famous Streaming Chef was looking at his phone with a thoughtful expression, waiting for the answer from his old friend.
"You think he will bite?" He asked.
"Matoi is a very prideful man, just like Samui is. They even know this and yet never saw the need to correct that blind spot of theirs. And that means that same Ego can be used quite effectively against them." Yamato answered.
"You really killed that crush, uh?" Ren asked, impressed.
"A woman scorned is not something one should trifle with. Even after marrying my beloved husband, a bit of my old childhood crush had remained, but seeing how far down below Samui could go to avenge whatever personal feeling an innocent kid wounded, finally killed it. His being so blatantly open about his using my old crush to have me accept… Well… It made me feel foolish." The old woman answered, sighing.
"I saw a couple new arrivals in your school too."
"All Quirkless, I loosened up my stand on them once a particularly-gifted one reminded me that cooking requires Skills, not Power."
"Glad to hear it. About me instead...Are you SURE that boy can help me?" Ren asked.
"That kid seems to find 'Exceeding Expectations' to be a worthy past-time to entertain himself. I am confident about his being what you need to get out of trouble with Samui, but before that, Matoi has to go." Yamato answered.
"God, I hope he can really help me." Ren answered, tiredly passing a hand on his face while sighing.
"We'll pull through, I am here to help you." Yamato offered him with a gentle smile.
"Thank you, Yama." He answered, showing her a small, weak smile.
"Think nothing of it, Ren. Come, while we wait for Matoi to give his answer we will cook something together, just like we used to do whenever one of us was too stressed before an exam." Yamato said while walking towards the door.
"Oh, yes, that brings me back! After you!" Ren answered, gladly accepting the distraction and following the old woman out of the small room and towards the Academy's kitchens.
That night - Rei Yayourozu's Penthouse – Guest Room -
Having finalised the last touches of yet another 'attack' at Matoi's expenses before Izuku's open assault at the man's Restaurant the day of the Inauguration, the young Chef simply occupied himself with some training and sightseeing around New York, along meeting other Pro Heroes that seemed even too eager to try his food as well, along dodging the rather insistent suggestions of some Scouts making small talk with him while leaving behind shameless hints about his joining the Agency of the same Pro Heroes that had took part to the BBQ party at Cathleen's.
"DADDY!" But nothing of that crap was important now, now Izuku was on a video-call with Eri and his mother on his laptop, and the tiny kid had done two things that almost killed Izuku on the spot as soon as the call started.
While still learning how to smile, and finally coming close to actually forming something resembling one, she called him Daddy for the very first time, and his mother had just finished sewing for the kid a child size version of the waitress uniform Ochako herself wore while working for him.
"I AM SO BLESSED!" The young Chef thought while feeling his insides melt at the scene.
"Do you like it? Little Eri wanted a uniform too so as not to stand-out too much in the store and I could not help it!" Inko gushed with a blinding smile.
"It's adorable, mom!" Izuku answered, tears already ready to gush out at high pressure.
"Saito-san said I can have a Chef Uniform too! Will you teach me how to cook like you?" Eri asked.
"...YES!" He squeaked-out, once again walking the thin line separating him from a deadly stroke.
"Only when you will be older." Inko added.
"Of course!"
"Aww… Okay." The kid answered, pouting.
"Don't worry, as soon as I get back I will start giving you some small lessons, ok? Easy but important!"
"Ok! Thank you!" Eri's mouth was now resembling a squiggly line, but Izuku knew that was supposed to be a happy smile, and for now, that was enough for him.
"Before we go, to let you sleep, how are things on your side?" Inko asked.
"Doing okay, the latest flood of positive posts from Cathleen's friends have riled-up Matoi enough. Rumours are that the inauguration of tomorrow will be a shockingly-big event; by the rumours, he will make it as outrageous as possible." Izuku answered.
"Uh!" His mother answered, impressed.
"Both his pride and future are on the line, mom. He needs to put me down to appease that psycho blackmailing him, and if he loses he risks both that same blackmail to become public domain AND losing face against a Chef less than half his age," Izuku answered.
"All this because a man could not take a defeat?" Inko asked, sighing.
"Both Dad and Cathleen are sure that there must be more behind this, listening to them and their Analyst friends I probably triggered some of Samui's badly-buried trauma, and now I just became the outlet of all those, probably, decades-worth of buried anger that resurfaced. It's probably more hate for what I represent than for me myself." Izuku answered, sounding unsure and sad.
"Whatever it is, I am sure you will pull through, and you can count on all of us to be right behind you every step of the way," Inko said with a gentle smile.
Message!
A recording of Eri's shy voice saying that aloud interrupted the two's talk.
"That's me!" Eri said in wonder.
"Yes, so I have you always with me!" Izuku answered, and the kid's face took an adorable red colour similar to her beloved apples.
"What is it?" Inko asked.
"...Cathleen just said that Matoi made a post where he declares his Restaurant ready for opening. She added how she was about to tell Matoi how she wanted to bet her taking the guy's daughter as an Intern in a Challenge between me and him, when he actually beat her to the punch and actually offered her the same bet himself."
"So it worked, you managed to anger him enough that he took the first step." Inko said.
"Pretty much. Tomorrow we will have our Cooking Battle during his Restaurant's inauguration and his daughter's birthday. It's time, finally."
"Nervous?"
"A bit."
"You can do it, Daddy!" Eri yelled.
"If you cheer for me, of course I will win!" He answered, holding his tears back with titanic effort once seen Eri actually hug the computer on her side as if trying to send the hug through the screen.
"I will inform your father, even after that failure of a visit from his Boss' Boss, I-Island is still awfully interested in you, and they are the only thing between you and the HPSC trying anything too drastic after their own failure. We still need them." Inko said.
"Kyun!" Shiro's eyes narrowed dangerously at the idea of a threat to his Partner actually daring to do anything.
"I am well protected, mom. Don't worry." Izuku said.
"Yes, but I don't think neither your Sponsor or your Animal Partners or even Whitey can do much. Those people have 'Connections'." Inko answered, shuddering.
It was almost comical how little she, or even Izuku himself, knew about how far The System and Izuku's Partners and Pets would gleefully go to keep him safe, all with a smile on their faces while brutally slaughtering any threat without an ounce of remorse.
"I will face everything that comes my way with caution, mom. Promise."
"I believe in you. Tomorrow no matter the hour, I will be there watching the Livestream of the Challenge and cheering for my Icchan." Inko answered, nodding and smiling again.
"Thank you, mom. Goodnight!"
"Goodnight, Icchan!"
"Goodnight, Daddy!" both Inko and Eri said at the same time before closing the call.
"It's time, finally…" Izuku muttered to himself, dropping the smile he had as soon as the call ended to release a shuddering breath.
"Believe in yourself, Host. Each challenge is a new step towards your goal." And as always his Sponsor immediately sent him words of encouragement.
"Tomorrow is the day. I can do this… Go beyond…" He muttered in answer.
DRIIIIIIIIN!
"Uh?… Miss Yamato? At this hour?" Izuku said in surprise when his phone on the nightstand started ringing and showing the name of Inoshiki Academy's rector on the screen. Even more surprising was not hearing her voice when he picked-up the call.
With Yamato and Ren – Inoshiki Academy – Few minutes earlier -
Yamato looked as Ren kept reading over and over the long message Matoi sent him just a minute ago.
"So?" She asked, tired of waiting.
"He was needlessly verbose as always, that pompous moron. The core of the matter is that he will do it, and cheat as we suggested." he answered with a sigh of relief.
"Really?"
"Hook, line and sinker. The fool took the bait." Ren said.
"Good. I will send Midoriya a message alerting him about how Matoi will try to make him dirty during the Challenge, so he will be ready to counter it." Yamato answered, nodding, and whipping-out her phone to write a message she then sent to the young Chef.
"… You actually have his number?" Ren asked, surprised.
"Even with the abysmal way we first met, by the end of it we remained on good terms, to the point he gave me his number in case I needed his help in anything. I accepted even just to humour him, but it turns out I actually need to use it. Eh!" The woman answered, chuckling.
"I see…"
"Yes?" The woman asked, perturbed by her friend's thoughtful frown.
"Do you mind if I use your phone to call him?" He asked.
"Finally considered my suggestion?" Yamato asked.
"At the state things are now, it's not like I have many options left. If he accepts even just to hear me out, that is." Ren admitted.
"You will never know unless you try." Yamato answered, and handed her phone to the man.
"…" the other just gave the phone a long, intense stare while falling silent.
"You can't run away from your problems forever, Ren." She said, smiling gently.
"It used to work well when I was a kid, and old bad habits are hard to abandon, Yama." Ren admitted.
"You were an Introvert I adopted, that's how it works between Introverts and Extroverts, we force you loners out of your shell!" She answered, chuckling.
"Yes yes, laugh it up…" He answered, sighing, and composing the number she told him.
"...Miss Yamato? Isn't it dead into the night on your end?" And soon Izuku answered.
"It's… It's me, Mister Midoriya. I am Ren Watanabe… And I think I have a solution to our common Samui Problem, if you are open to talk about it." Gulping a bit and taking strength from the thumbs-up Yamato gave him, Ren started talking as soon as he heard Izuku's voice.
"I am listening." And to his surprise, Izuku answered, even if with a tense, cold tone.
"Thank you." The older Chef answered, before throwing all himself on an explanation of both the reasons why he was supposed to help Samui, and how he believed both he and Izuku could join forces to break free from that madman's ridiculous plans for revenge.
Omake
Dimensional Ingredient Hunt:
Gourmet Tour of Paldea!
The current Mission in another world was… Strange to say the least, if you asked Izuku, luckily Momo was open minded enough for the two of them to help him adjust to it.
There were plenty of Ingredients, that was not the issue, the problem was that the Ingredients themselves were far too friendly, enough to make him feel wrong at the idea of using them, especially since he was supposed to learn and replicate a dish from every region.
Cortondo
"I kind of understand what you mean, but I assure you they will understand if you explain to them, even more so since you are not killing them, but using body parts they can regrow quite rapidly. You just need to be gentle about it." Miss Katy, who was a baker and a Gym Leader, a new meaning to the term Izuku and Nejire never heard about, told him once he explained why he was in their continent.
"Miss Katy, that actually doesn't help, but I will try." Izuku answered.
"It's okay, my boy. Here, come with me, I will show you the best sandwich and Ice-Cream Shop in Cortondo. While you learn those recipes, I will call the other Gym Leaders for help, they may ask few favours in exchange, but helping somebody with such a small matter is not a problem." Katy answered with a gentle smile.
"Thank you!" Momo answered, far too happy to have been chosen by The System to accompany Izuku in that world filled with amazing creatures she had never seen before.
Izuku though, he was on high alert the whole time, ready to bolt at the first trace of another psycho trying anything to woo him by force, even if through force and violence.
Artazon
The second Gym Leader, in a place called Artazon, was kind of helpful as well, although Izuku actually managed to win the man over only thanks to Momo having a good sense for various forms of Art and enough insight to know what to say to appease the inner Artist of that strange man Brassius.
"You have good taste, young man and both your Klawf al Ajillo and Escalivada are both beautiful to look at and delicious, perfect pairing of colours and shapes as well! Appeasing to both eyes and stomach! Full Marks!"
Escalivada
"Thank you, Mister Brassius!" Izuku answered, glad to see the man and the other guests of the restaurant they had visited enjoying the two dishes he made.
"I'll be damned, boy! You got it down to art and even improved both! Wanna work here?" The owner of the place asked.
"I am honoured you find me good enough to work here, unfortunately I can't." Izuku answered with a bow.
"Aww! That's a pity! But if you decide you want to settle-down, just ask, the offer will always be valid!"
"Thank you!"
"This Mission is going fairly well, I am hopeful." Momo said with a sigh of relief.
"Fingers crossed." Izuku answered with a look of dread.
Levincia
...There...That was where things went south as Izuku had sadly been expecting.
The Place Gym Leader was a young woman named Iono, that dabbed in Streaming as well and so wanted to challenge Izuku and Momo in a so-called Battle in exchange of the access to the local delicacies that she would have streamed so to gain more sweet numbers- ENJOYMENT for her Fans!
Big problem was that neither Izuku or Momo had any Pokemon to use since a glare from Shiro was all they needed to not be bothered in their travels to the various cities since those creatures could tell the Ancestral Taotie was NOT something they wanted to face.
"You want our prized recipes for our version of the Quesadillas and Alfajores? You'll need to face me in a small Collaboration and win! Are you ready?" Iono asked with a fanged smile.
"We don't really have-"
"What? Are you afraid your strange Alolan Vulpix will get hurt? I will be gentle, promise! I won't break him, probably." Iono answered, her smirk turning a bit sinister.
"Alo-what?" Izuku asked, confused.
"Grrrrrr!" Shiro instead growled and jumped down his shoulders to stand proudly on their side of the field.
"Seems like he is all geared to fight! Just don't cry too much if you lose! Tears and snot don't get me visuals! I mean...Don't entertain my sweet followers!" Iono said, far too happy to show-off again.
"Can I borrow Shiro? I will deal with her." Momo asked with narrowed eyes.
"Momo?" Izuku asked, confused.
"Trust me, I will teach her some manners with Shiro-kun's help." She answered.
"Okay… Just do not overdo it, please." Izuku begged.
"Sure!" She answered, and Shiro nodded along.
"Wonderful! Then let's enter the IONO ZONE!" Iono yelled, immediately turning on the cameras around the Arena and starting Streaming.
"Ladieeees and gentlemeeeeeen! Are youuuu Ready!?" The Gym Leader asked.
"Ah, yes. Some humility will help her immensely." Momo muttered, already annoyed.
"Your eyeballs are MINE! Caught in my Electroweb! Whosawhatsit? IONO! 'Ello, 'Ello, Hola! Ciao and bonjour!" She said, and her catchphrase alone hyped-up whoever was watching.
"So that's how it is, hn? Very well, I shall answer in kind." Momo, as luck would have it wearing her pretty-revealing Hero Costume, struck a pose and flicked back a fringe of her hair with a regal composure.
"Surrender your hearts to me, for I am your Queen! Who's your one and only? Me, Momo! Good day to you, my beloveds!" She answered, parodying the Gym Leader catchphrase to mock her...And instead actually gaining a lot of interest from the people watching.
"Is that supposed to be your intro? That needs some work!" Iono answered, smirking.
Oh God! New Oshi!
...That lone message though soured Iono's mood instantly.
"Let's start." Barely remembering to keep her Streamer Girl persona up, Iono sent out a strange little thing with a wide belly and two googly eyes.
"Let's start strong with my beloved Bellibolt! Will the new challenger's borrowed Alolan Vulpix triumph? LEEEEEEET'S GOOO!" Iono declared…
And as soon as her small companion tried to move a muscle, Shiro was immediately in front of it to poke it's belly with a clearly playful pat of his white fluffy paw.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A barely-visible blur, that was what passed by Iono so fast her hair turned frizzled and her hairpin went blown away, as for that Bellibolt, the poor thing landed unconscious a good several hundreds of metres away. The Pokemon's battle lasted less than a second.
"… What?" Iono muttered, looking behind herself and a deep trench her flying pokemon dug in the terrain before finally landing in a crater.
"Lucky shot! Let's see if our Challenger can keep this up!" Still, she had an image to maintain, so she fixed herself up and sent her second-
BOOOOOOOM!
Shiro didn't even wait for the red light coming out of the ball to finish condensing into her Pokemon before shooting the new arrival vertically upward high enough it's speeding body blew a hole on the clouds above them, before crashing down a full two minutes later.
And once again, the Taotie's victim survived only thanks to the innate ridiculous sturdiness of a Pokemon's body.
"Seems like the Iono Zone has just become the Momo Zone." The young woman said, smirking.
WOOOOO! NEW OSHI!
QUEEN MOMO!
MOMO SWEEP!
"HEY! HEY! HEY! What do you mean Momo Sweep!? Stop cheering for her! Why are you cheering for her?! Do you know whose Stream you are watching?! Know your place, Iono-lings!" Iono said with a frown.
"They can just recognize quality," Momo answered, flicking her hair again and renewing Chat's cries of love for her.
"Here comes her hatred for the Showbiz side of the Hero Industry. I knew she was lying when she said she was not bothered by it." Izuku muttered, face-palming.
"We are just starting! Go Luxio!" Desperate to recover the attention of her Fanbase, Iono sent out anoth-
BOOOOM!
"Arceusdammit!" Again, her Pokemon barely took a breath before Shiro sent it flying, still with a joking poke of a paw and still looking absolutely BORED about it.
"Your partners are weak! If you have to insult this Esteemed Taotie, at least show you have the strength to back your boasting!" Shiro thought in derision, and Iono could somehow tell the small thing was having a laugh at her expenses.
MOMO SWEEP!
MOMO SWEEP!
ONE PAAAAAAAAAAAW!
QUEEN MOMO!
"A good streak of luck!" The Gym Leader said, hoping the cameras were not catching the absurd quantity of sweat she was letting out.
"What did that boy feed his Vulpix?! How do you train like that?!" She also thought in panic.
"Shall we continue? I think this should be enough." Momo asked with an honest gentle tone that infuriated Iono even more, the young Hero student did not believe in bullying, but unfortunately she had underestimated the Pride of the woman she was facing.
MOMO SWEEP!
QUEEN MOMO IS SO GENEROUS!
SPARE HER, OH BELOVED QUEEN!
And the simping messages in Iono's Stream chat did not help at all.
"NOOOPE! I still have a last trump card, a good show leaves the best for last!" Iono said, now sporting a far-too-real crazed look while unclasping the last ball at her belt and summoning her best fighter: a purple ghost-like being she then further empowered through some crystal that turned its body translucent and added a big, kid of ridiculous, lightbulb on top of its hat.
"A Terastillized Mismagius! Let's see how you-"
CRACK!
"…"
"..."
"...Uh?" Iono's taunt stopped abruptly when she saw her Pokemon disappear as soon as she blinked, leaving behind the giant crystal lightbulb that took a second before falling to the ground and explode in a thousand fragments before dispersing.
THE FUCK HAPPENED?
"What Electric_Maniac69 says." Iono added reading the message on her chat.
"I fear Shiro-kun got tired and just overdid it. As usual." Izuku answered, glaring at the Taotie while returning him to his shoulders.
"Kyuuun!" And immediately, the all-powerful being threw dignity to the wind to plead his beloved Partner to show mercy and to not punish him by reducing the portion size of the Taotie's beloved ribs.
"My Izuku's Partner simply sped-up things and hit your friend faster than the others." Momo explained.
"...Wha?" Once again looking behind herself, Iono noticed the actual third hole opened by a pokemon of hers that Shiro had sent flying, so fast the wall couldn't even produce a sound from being hit, Mismagius had just then started reforming from the scattered purple mist the Ghost Type had been turned into.
"We won. So? The recipes?" Momo asked, hands at her hips.
"This...This way…" Still too shocked to comprehend what happened, Iono mechanically closed her Stream and guided them to her favourite restaurant to learn the recipes of her favourite dishes, which happened to be the best Levincia could offer.
thmb/b8kXzRoBy3fKeri26MSRMDAm8Uo=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/4x3-KH_063022_
Quesadillas
Alfajores.
Cascarrafa
"BWAHAHAHA! The best ramen I have ever eaten! You sure you never used Lechonk meat before?" The local Gym Leader, Kofu, said with a thundering laugh after tying a portion.
"Never used it, nor that or the Quaxly eggs or anything else. I just tried to make sure every Ingredient was treated properly and respectfully." Izuku answered, smiling shyly.
"Oooh! It shows! I tried challenging you into a cooking contest, and I got my ass handed to me! Never underestimate somebody just because they are young, I need to remember that!" The old man answered, still chuckling.
"Thank you for the help, Mister Kofu." Momo answered, bowing.
"Don't worry about it! Katy told me you were a damn good Chef, I just wanted to confirm it with my own eyes, and I am glad I did!" Kofu answered.
"LADIEEES AND GENTLEMEEEEEEN!" A new voice yelled in glee.
"Oh, no...It's her." Momo muttered in dismay.
"Iono?" Kofu muttered, surprised.
"It's time for the remaaaatch! Ready to re-enter the IONO ZONE?!" The woman declared with wide, and quite not completely sane, eyes.
She could not accept THAT defeat! Not when her subscription numbers were on the line! So she dusted off her old Team, the one she used before becoming a Gym leader, and after using some… Less-than-Legal Performances Enhancing substances she got from overseas called Rare Candy, she pumped her Team battle level to thrice the level of her official one and moved to hunt-down the blasted woman that dared to come in her turf!
"A Special Team for a Special Stream! Iono Zone: Master difficulty Stream! And to make it even more electrifying, it will be a 6v6 battle!" Iono declared, calling all six her over-leveled Pokemon at once!
Sigh! "I don't think this is necessary, Miss." Izuku said.
"It is instead! It's only fair! Pure sportsmanship!" Iono answered.
"Fine...Shiro-kun, please. Just be gentler this time." Izuku asked, groaning.
"Kyun!"
"1v6? That's HYYYYPE!" Iono said, smiling at the camera and ready to win back her followers since she kind of forgot to tell the watchers how much over-charged her Pokemon were this time.
"AND GOOOOOO!"
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
"…" Iono's world once again came crashing down.
Six Pokemon, six playful taps of Shiro's paw and Six pokemon heads went buried deep underground in less than a second, marking a new defeat for the Gym Leader.
"…"
"Iono?" Kofu asked, worried at the unnatural way the woman froze while looking at her downed Pokemon with blank eyes.
Medali
BOOOOM!
"NOOOOOOOOO!" Iono, once again, shrieked in childish fury as the same six pokemon of before, now themselves DEMANDING their trainer to pump them up to their eyes in "Special Medicines" so to avenge their wounded honour,they were once again trying a 6v1 only to get slapped away by Shiro with a single paw poke that shot all six of them up to the ceiling of the Medali Gym where they remained stuck like some pokemon-shaped chandeliers.
"YOU CHEATED! I KNOW YOU DID!" Iono yelled with crazed eyes.
"I did not!" Izuku answered, taken aback.
"Ignore her, she's being childish." The Local Gym Leader, Larry (Best Trainer in Pokemon History, BTW), said while guiding Izuku to the kitchen, and ignoring Iono's crying fit.
"Will she be fine?" He and Momo asked.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"She will, eventually." Larry answered before turning to Izuku. "Now come on, I understand what it feels like, dealing with demanding Sponsors and PR Offices that have no idea what they are asking us, we workers must stick together, so I will help you."
Meanwhile Izuku and Momo listened to Larry and his Chef friend teaching the young Chef one or two recipes, Iono finally snapped.
"That's it! I know what to do! Yahahahaha!" She declared with a deranged laugh.
"That woman could humiliate me the first time only thanks to her boyfriend's Vulpix! So I will steal both! He is easy on the eyes too and knows how to cook killer quesadillas! So I will get Awesome food, a Handsome Boyfriend and a helper training my Pokemon until they are invincible! What was his name again? Midoriya, right? Iono Midoriya sounds very good! YAHAHAHAHAHA!"
And once again The System wondered how that kept happening no matter how hard the Entity tried to stop it from happening again.
"I have a bad feeling." Izuku muttered, shivering.
Montenevera
"Iono, you can't be serious!" Ryme said, appalled.
"I AM SERIOUS!" Iono answered, slamming both her hands, still covered by the long sleeves of her oversized coats, at both sides of Izuku's head.
"Miss...Please let me go…"
"You defeated me again, so you have to take responsibility! Doyou have any idea how many would KILL to have me, the young and sexy Iono? You should consider yourself lucky!" The Gym Leader said.
"HANDS OFF!" Momo yelled while pushing her away.
"You can't escape!"
"Yes they can! Go, guys! I'll stop her!" Ryme answered, calling out her own Pokemon to battle Iono's and buy Izuku and Momo enough time to escape.
The same happened in Alfornada where the Gym Leader Tulip was already waiting for them with the local recipe and her Team out to intercept Iono long enough for Izuku to learn the new dishes, although Tulip could not understand why her psychic powers and the psychic powers of her Pokemons flared-up and overloaded their brains whenever they looked at Izuku, soon followed by the mental images of millions of eyes looking at them and a booming, robotic and genderless voice telling them to mind their own business.
Glaseado
"IZUKU! I ORDER YOU TO MARRY ME!" Iono demanded, having finally forgone Pokemon battles and even knocked-out her colleague Grusha with a right hook as soon as the Gym Leader tried getting in her way.
"Stay back! I JUST WANT TO BE A CHEF! LEAVE ME ALOOOONE!" Izuku answered running away, he had barely enough time to learn the very last recipe before the woman jumped him and got both her hands down into his pants before Momo and Grusha and Whitey pulled her away.
"I FELT THAT GIGANTAMAX WAILORD YOU ARE HIDING IN THERE! JUST ANOTHER REASON TO MAKE YOU MINE! MY FOLLOWERS ALREADY COINED OUR PAIRING NAME! IONIZU! WE CAN'T DISAPPOINT THEM! LET ME RIDE YOU LIKE A MAD RAPIDASH! YOU WON'T REGRET IT! WE ARE MADE FOR EACH OTHER!" Iono yelled.
"Over my dead body!" Momo yelled in answer while being dragged away by Izuku by the back of her Hero Costume.
"DON'T TEMPT ME!" Iono answered.
"WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING?! HOW?! WHY ME?!" Izuku yelled, hoping the portal towards home will open soon.
