07.08.2023
It is I, the Absolute Madman and I'm back with your weekly dose of Evil Within! But first, a comment to respond to!:
Durruti - I had to reread this comment like five times or something, but I think I got your message. I can totally see your perspective and even share it in some capacity. It's said to see you go though, especially since the narrative changes after the first like four chapters or something and switches to following Izuku like most fanfics
And now, the chapter!:
The train ride home was a pleasant one for sure. It was definitely one-upped by most of the events that happened during the internship, but it was a nice break from the chaos. Getting to talk to Shiozaki once again shortened the train ride substantially.
Normally, Iida, Kirishima and Ashido would be riding along with them, but they'd probably returned to UA yesterday as planned. Izuku would've been forced to travel alone if it wasn't for Shiozaki staying behind to keep him company on the train.
Talking was not the only thing they did however. As it turned out, all of their friends were a bit worried since neither of them returned to the dorms on time. Apparently both of them forgot to inform anyone about their stay at Edgeshot's agency being prolonged. Weirdly enough, none of their teachers tried reaching them, as if they knew what was going on. They suspected that either Monk'ai or Kamui Woods reached out to the school to inform Nezu about the state of affairs. If that wasn't the case however, then Izuku would really need to start worrying about his privacy.
Nevertheless, Shiozaki and the casual conversation they had during the ride back to UA allowed him to forget about those worries for some time. It was only when the massive perimeter fence of UA came into view that his mind decided to present the many problems he'd have to face very soon.
Izuku was surprised by the utter lack of personnel at the entrance as he expected at least one person to come and scold him for doing something very reckless during his internships, but that wasn't the case. It was almost as if every member of the faculty was busy or otherwise tired from scolding a different student who just happened to arrive earlier than Izuku himself. Very specific but at the same time oh so very true.
Shiozaki accompanied him till the very end, but they eventually had to separate to return to their respective dormitories where they'd no doubt have to face severe scrutiny from their information hungry peers. Izuku guessed that out of the two of them, he'd be the one with more explaining to do - being the one most involved in stuff. He could practically picture Ashido and Kirishima vibrating with excitement, waiting for him to come and spill the beans.
He was not disappointed as he couldn't even take three steps in the living room before being swarmed by all the people currently lounging in the common area. And since it was late in the evening, the crowd gathered downstairs was quite numerous. In fact, Izuku did a quick headcount as people came rushing at him and realized that he could count the amount of people missing on one hand. It was a bit overwhelming for a second, but it also meant that he'd only have to tell the story once. He doubted that the likes of Todoroki or Bakugo would be interested in his tale anyhow, so he can get all the explaining done in one sitting without needing to repeat himself later on.
"Bro!" Kirishima - who was leading the charge - exclaimed as he nearly charged right into Izuku. "Where have you been?! We were worried out of our minds! You didn't respond to our texts or calls!" Izuku still felt a bit bad about ignoring his friends like that, but he hoped that his explanation would be enough to appease them.
"Sorry about that everyone!" Izuku apologized right away. "Monk'ai offered to extend my internship by a day to compensate for the whole Hosu situation and I just couldn't refuse." He explained as even more people came to surround him right on the doorstep.
"You got to spend an extra day on the internship?!" Kirishima exclaimed with visible excitement. "Bro, I wish I could've done that as well! Fourth Kind rocks dude!" The red-haired teen whined.
"That's not important!" Ashido suddenly burst from the crowd and to the very front, pointing an accusatory finger at Izuku. "Hosu Incident - spill!" She ordered harshly, her theatrics merely a front that was meant to cover for her boundless curiosity.
"Can I at least change?" Izuku asked and pointed to his suitcase. He was quite tired after the journey and an entire day of training, so if he was to explain anything to anyone, he'd have prefered to at least change into something more casual.
Ashido wasn't very happy with the request, but had no real choice there. The sea of fellow students parted before him and Izuku quickly bounded upstairs, taking two steps at a time so as not to make his friends wait too long.
One quick change of clothes later, Izuku was ready to come down and - as Ashido called it - spill the beans. As he was about to find out however, a big part of his explanation was just being transmitted on the news.
When Izuku finally made it back to the common room, he immediately realized that the atmosphere had changed drastically from how it was when he left mere minutes ago. He fully expected his classmates to hound him as soon as he came into view, but to his great surprise that did not happen. Not only that, there was absolutely no commotion downstairs whatsoever. Even Kirishima was being unusually quiet.
"- his reign of terror was cut short however, when an intern of all people stumbled upon the infamous Hero Killer in the flesh and was able to apprehend the villain after a lengthy fight." The only thing Izuku could hear was the TV with some news reporter talking about the Hero Killer.
Things quickly clicked and Izuku dashed into the common room proper to see all of his classmates staring dumbly at the TV screen as if hypnotized.
"The heroic intern was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but we've been able to find out that he's already made a full recovery and was able to return to Edgeshot's agency to finish his internships. We tried reaching out to the intern himself, but we were unable to interview him due to his recent injuries." The reporter continued as the crowd of the common room stared motionlessly at the screen. "However, Edgeshot himself had a few words to say during his interview following the climax of the Hosu Incident, let's hear his opinion on the matter."
The feed then switched from the reporter to a recording of Edgeshot's interview. Izuku was vaguely aware that Edgeshot was the one to talk to all the journalists once the Hosu Incident was taken care of since he was the de facto man in charge of the emergency response.
"We've heard many rumors about the Hero Killer being allegedly involved in the events of the Hosu Incident. Is there anything you could say to either debunk or confirm this statement?" The journalist - a young blue-skinned woman - questioned.
Thankfully this was only a part of the real interview as this newsflash seemed to be focused solely on the arrest of the Hero Killer. Izuku expected something like this to be revealed to the public rather quickly, but he didn't expect the news to be aired on Saturday of all days. Although it kinda made sense to give the public some rather positive news to make the Hosu Incident as a whole less impactful in the negative way.
"Well, I'm not sure where you heard that particular rumor, but your sources are rather impeccable." Edgeshot responded, acting surprised though Izuku suspected this to be staged.
"Does that mean that the Hero Killer really was involved in the Hosu Incident?" The reporter pressured, sensing a rather tasty scoop.
"We're still investigating whether or not he's the one behind the incident, but we're bound to get to the bottom of this in no time at all since we have the man himself in custody." Edgeshot answered casually, dropping the bomb like it was nothing.
"Did I hear that right? One of the Pros actually managed to bring the Hero Killer down?!" The journalist's professional persona slipped for a few moments there as she displayed genuine excitement at this bit of information.
"The Chief of the Hosu Police will be releasing a formal statement on the matter since the Hero Killer is in their custody at this time, but I'm proud to say that we did in fact manage to bring an end to his bloody crusade." Despite the reporter's slip up, Edgeshot was able to remain calm and collected as he continued to drop bombs.
"While that's certainly surprising, it was to be expected that even someone as infamous as the Hero Killer himself would stand no chance against a Pro from the Top 10." The woman summed up, trying to regain her composure.
"Oh, I wasn't the one to make the arrest. All the honors go to one of my interns - Garran Crowe - who just so happened to be in the right place at the right time." Edgeshot stated, undoing all the hard work the reporter was putting in trying to collect herself.
"Did you just say that an intern was able to stop the infamous Hero Killer?!" And just like that, her composure was shattered once again.
"The Hero Killer was already wounded and tired after fighting another Hero, but it was ultimately Garran Crowe that defeated the villain and brought him in." Edgeshot explained, sticking to the cover story that Chief Tsuragamae came up with.
"We're running low on time, but could you perhaps tell us something about this Garran Crowe? I'm sure our viewers would love to find out more about them." The reporter pressed, clearly deviating from her original line of questioning, but jumping headfirst in what might as well be the story of the year.
"Garran is a UA student who was doing his internship with Monk'ai - one of my most trusted Pros. I didn't get many chances to interact with him personally, but I've heard nothing but praise from Monk'ai as well as the many heroes involved in the Hosu Incident. He went above and beyond his duties as an intern, fighting on the front lines of his own volition and putting his life on the line just like everyone else. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call his actions heroic, for that's exactly who he is to the many people he helped that night. He's the embodiment of chivalry and courage with a level head and tranquil mind that no doubt played a huge part in helping him bring down the Hero Killer." Izuku's ears were almost set alight from all the praise, but a big part of him couldn't help but feel proud at having his actions be recognized from a top hero like Edgeshot.
The footage from the interview was cut at this point and the reporter from before appeared on the screen.
"So much praise coming from someone as stoic and collected as Edgeshot is a clear indication that we should all keep our eyes out for Garran Crowe. We've been unable to learn any details about the man, but this only goes to show that this young man not only achieved something quite incredible but is also humble enough not to seek fame for what he's done!" The reporter stated, which was a slight exaggeration in Izuku's opinion, but it was all just a PR game anyways, so he wasn't really bothered by it. "
The news report then switches to something more mundane like weather and sports, leaving Izuku to bask in that short-lived moment of glory. It was short-lived due to the fact that everyone and their mom just noticed him standing behind the couch and was currently staring at him.
"What?" Izuku asked, bashful at being in the very center of everyone's attention.
"You arrested the Hero Killer?!" Everyone yelled at once which was both an impressive display of synchronization and a cause of an impromptu headache.
Izuku knew that people would be absolutely livid once they learn of what he's done, but in his wildest dreams he didn't expect them to be so excited or vocal about it! Well, the cat was out of the bag at this point so he might as well get around to telling the entire story right from the beginning.
It took a lot longer to explain everything - mostly due to people freaking out every other sentence about this or that - but Izuku eventually made it all the way to his confrontation with the Hero Killer. He allowed himself to omit some daemon-related topics - like the fact that he basically fought hand in hand with it - but made sure to bend the truth slightly so as not to distort what actually happened. Suffice to say, people were rather surprised and really dissatisfied with Iida's behavior.
Izuku made sure to calm the more rowdy members of the crowd though. He was confident that Iida already understood this lesson and any more nagging would be like rubbing salt into his wounds.
"Well, it would explain why Aizawa took him aside almost as soon as he came back." Ashido stated, hinting that Iida received official punishment from the faculty.
"Or why he was cagey about telling us about what went down in Hosu." Kirishima chimed in, exposing even more things that happened while Izuku was busy in Yanaka.
"Still, it's kinda crazy to imagine you going toe to toe with the Hero Killer and actually winning." Yaoyorozu said, massaging her temples from a sudden headache.
"It's not like I came out of the fight unscathed you know?" Izuku said with a slight smile, understanding Yaoyorozu's point. "If it wasn't for Iida regaining control of his body I could've bled out there right alongside the Hero Killer. He did something stupid, that's a fact, but he also saved my life no matter how you look at it." Izuku explained, hoping to alleviate the tension.
"If it wasn't for his recklessness though you wouldn't even have to fight the Hero Killer." Ashido pointed out, debunking Izuku's argument in a ruthless manner.
A couple of people agreed with Ashido's reasoning and Izuku found himself at a loss for words. She was right, he had to give it to her.
"Let me put it in a different way then." Though Izuku was beaten back, he wasn't about to back down. Iida did something stupid, but he shouldn't be prosecuted for making mistakes. "If it wasn't for Iida running off to find the Hero Killer and me following him, Native would've lost his life. Neither of us would be in danger, but someone would die and Stain would be free to commit even more crimes. We're going to be heroes one day and heroes are meant to put their lives on the line to protect others. If a few drops of blood is all it takes to ensure that no one else falls prey to that maniac, then I'm happy to pay this price any day of the week." Izuku stated, his voice unfaltering and filled to the brim with conviction.
His short speech was so impactful that it forced everyone to take a step back and reflect on his words for a few moments, causing silence to reign supreme. Even Kirishima couldn't comment on how manly Izuku was right now, for there were no words in his vocabulary that he could use to convey just how amazed he was at the moment.
Izuku was kind of freaked out by the silence, happy that he seemed to have gotten through to his peers, but surprised by their collective reaction. Thankfully a hero emerged and broke the silence that started to feel heavy for some reason.
"You've faced great darkness my friend, but you seem to shine brighter because of it." The cryptic as always Tokoyami stepped forward with a serious expression on his face. "I'm honored to be able to call you a friend of mine." The bird-headed teen added and bowed his head to show his respect.
Tokoyami's words managed to break everyone out of their funk and one by one they started congratulating Izuku on his achievement rather than trying to judge anyone for what they did. Izuku was thankfully to Tokoyami for alleviating the tense atmosphere and shifting the entire conversation to a more favorable topic.
People continued to ask more questions about this or that with Kirishima going right back to his excited self and chanting 'Manly!' every now and then. The day was coming to an end however and soon enough the gathered crowd started dispersing as people returned to their rooms for the night.
Izuku also retired to his room eventually as he was pretty drained after everything that's happened. He checked his phone before going to bed and found himself smiling when he saw a message from Shiozaki.
[I take it your friends demanded a really thorough explanation?] the text read and Izuku found his smile growing wider as he recalled the interrogation he had to suffer through.
[You have no idea. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow] he texted back before laying down.
He heard his phone vibrate with a message before he fell asleep, but he was too tired to check it so he simply opted to ignore it for now and drifted off.
Izuku wanted to meet up with Shiozaki and tell her about all the crazy things that happened in his dorms - and also to hear what Shiozaki herself had to go through. Alas things didn't really allow for any of that to happen as Izuku found himself being called to Nezu's office first thing in the morning.
Being called to the principal's office was strange in and of itself. Being called there on the weekend though? Izuku was already worrying about what could've been so important as to warrant such drastic actions.
His question was answered as soon as he entered Nezu's office and saw that he wasn't the only guest invited to the meeting. Sitting on the couch off to the side was Aizawa himself, looking somehow even more tired than ever which was an achievement. He wasn't the main attraction however as there was one more person sitting right across the desk from Nezu.
"Look who it is?!" Kravchenko exclaimed in a very pompous manner. "It's the man of the hour himself!" And then he started clapping as if actively trying to embarrass Izuku.
"Please sit down young Midoriya." Nezu ignored Kravchenko's outburst and pointed towards the empty seat next to the foreigner. "I'm sure you're wondering why I called you here." Nezu got straight to the point for which Izuku was very grateful. "You're probably already aware of the reason, but let me clarify it just so that we're on the same page. Seeing as you've accomplished something rather exceptional I would like to ask you some questions and also tell you about some things that happened during your absence."
The reasoning was sound enough. Nezu most likely was curious as to what really happened during the Hosu Incident and immediately saw through the story that was relayed to the public. Izuku more or less expected something like this to happen. What he didn't expect however was for Kravchenko to be there for the interview.
Izuku retold the story of the Hosu Incident from his perspective, starting right from the train crash and going all the way to his fight with the Hero Killer. He didn't omit any parts of the fight this time around however as he was pretty sure that Nezu would be able to pick up on his lies anyway, so there was no need to try and beat around the bush.
Nezu was really surprised when Izuku revealed that he managed to fight hand in hand with the daemon, though Kravchenko seemed even more invested in this revelation. Which kinda took Izuku by surprise. Actually, now that he thought about it, why was Kravchenko so casual about this whole daemonic powers thing? Izuku ignored it at first, but it was becoming painfully obvious that the man knew way more than he let on. It was as if he was playing bingo and merely checking out boxes at this point!
Unfortunately Izuku couldn't really confront the man. One thing he could try and do was ask Nezu to do some digging, but there was no guarantee that he'd actually agree to it.
Once Izuku was finished with his story and Nezu questioned him about everything he wanted to know, it was turn for Nezu to reveal a few things.
First and foremost, Izuku got to learn of Iida's fate directly from the source. Thankfully Iida's punishment was rather light, Izuku figured out that a near-death experience was enough of a lesson. He was forced to attend some counseling sessions with Hound Dog though and this time it was not an offer but an order.
Secondly, UA and Nezu himself were both bombarded with requests from journalists who desperately wanted to learn more about the prodigal student that was the mysterious Garran Crowe. Some of them were really obnoxious, but the majority seemed well-mannered enough to stop Nezu from unleashing his army of robots at the reporters. Nezu respectfully shut down any and all attempts that the journalists made, so Izuku didn't have to worry about being hounded in public just yet.
Once Nezu was done with his part, it was time for the man, the myth, the madman to step up and say his lines. Only he didn't say much and instead told Izuku to follow him outside.
Apparently he brought a couple of gifts with him, and even though Izuku was now even more weary of the man, he couldn't deny that he was also curious as to what the man had in store for him. Those hover-thingies for his case were really handy, though they were unfortunately damaged beyond repair in the Hosu Incident, so Izuku was eager to see what else the man had to offer. Besides hey, his intentions and general way he handled himself were a bit too mysterious for Izuku's taste, but it's not like the man himself seemed hostile.
In fact, he seemed rather eager to fuel and see Izuku's growth, which could possibly be an even worse alternative, but that's not something that Izuku had an opinion on just yet. For now he'd continue to trust the man, though he'd definitely try to keep a closer eye on him just in case.
So yeah, Midoriya is a celebrity now without actually being a celebrity. Kinda hard to be a celebrity when nobody knows what you look like! Wait... so does that mean that I can't be a celebrity?
Meh, being infamous is way better in my opinion. I've never heard about any twitter snowflakes bringing up stuff that some infamous people said ten or so years ago or anything stupid like that.
Alright, I'm off to actually invent the shit that I want to give Midoriya in the next chapter, so that he can actually have-
- A great day and I'll catch y'all in the next update! [It was smooth and you never saw it coming, just admit it]