Author's Note: A night out on the town takes a wild and wacky turn!

7: Friends (2)

Over the next few weeks of his time in training, Mei became a large part of Izuku's life. The girl was just as enthusiastic about her Support Gear as he was about becoming a Hero. The tech he had stored away in the Ultimatrix had most certainly caught her attention, both of them spending hours together trying to figure out how to build much of it.

"Most of these blueprints call for metals and software that I've never even heard of," Izuku said on one particular evening as he and Mei went over some of the plans that he had drawn out, "I'm mean look at this! This engine block could, theoretically, power an entire city with clean energy for a century!"

"I know, but I think titanium would work just as well, the only drawback would be that this thing wouldn't be as durable." Mei pointed out. "Then there's the power source." She pointed out, "Your Upgrade form can produce something similar to it, but it's inferior as far as energy sources go."

"But the ones I made for the Proto-Tools are made from recycled materials, which means that getting these things out in the market would not only bring clean, non-nuclear energy to the world, but most of the waste dumps would be empty within days." Izuku grinned at her, "Think about it, Mei, this could make your career!"

Mei smacked his shoulder and grinned at him, "Our career, you mean," she said as the boy looked at her, "You don't think I'm gonna take all of the credit for this, do you?" She asked when the boy just shook his head, "These designs were left to you by your mentor, it'd be a total dick move on my part if I just took them and made a living off of 'em."

Inko came into the room with a tray of tea and snacks, "She's right, dear, you should think of yourself, too, once in a while." She said with a bright smile on her face as she set the tray down. "But these designs you're both drawing up...do you think that they can be made with today's technology?"

Mei just scoffed, "You give these to anyone on I-Island, and they can have a prototype done within a year." She then looked as though something had hit her, "Hey, why not sell this to them?" She asked the green-haired boy, "Don't get me wrong, I'd love to work on this myself, but this is way too big for just you and me."

Izuku picked up one of the pages, "You think so?"

"Damned straight I do," Mei nodded as she grabbed a rice cracker, "Besides, you can put our names on the Proto-Tools." She put in before crunching down, "Those alone would be great for police work." She said around a mouthful.

Inko giggled at the girl's manners, "That's all well and good, Dear, but don't talk with your mouth full," she said in a light admonishment, "That reminds me, Izuku, have you finished the school work for this week?"

Izuku nearly sucked his tea up his nose, "Uh, ack, I - "

"Iz. Zu. Ku," his mother placed her hands on her hips and frowned at him, "You know that you need to finish the assignments the school gave you on time, don't you?"

"I know, I know...it's just...I already finished...all of them?" Izuku rambled out, much to Inko's surprise.

To finish out his final year of middle school, Aldera had provided him with the rest of his assignments that would have been given for what remained of his time there. That included a box filled with yellow envelopes which contained those assignments. He would have to return to the school to take the end of the year exams soon.

Inko then sighed, "I knew that you were still overworking yourself." She said, giving the boy a look, "I'll have to tell Toshi about this."

Izuku didn't miss the way she said his name, "Toshi, Mom?" He had a small smile on his face.

"Now don't you read too much into that, young man," his mother glared, "I've only just gotten the divorce finalized, and there's no reason for me to jump right into another relationship."

Mei giggled, "I hear ya, Ms. Midoriya," she said, "Who needs men?"

Izuku gave her a deadpanned look, "What? You think I'm a girl?"

Mei just grinned at him, "Hey, you're a guy, but I don't have any intentions of sleeping with ya in the near future!" That was an image that Izuku was not soon to forget when it popped into his head.

Inko all but belly laughed when her son's face erupted into a blinding red with steam coming off the top of his head. "Oh, Mei, Dear, you're a treasure!" She said before she left the two alone to finish their work.

In truth, much had happened aside from Mei joining her son's small circle of friends. The divorce lawyer that Hound Dog had recommended her to had jumped at the chance to help her, and the cost was very little. As it turned out, her husband, or former husband, as it was, had gone through and remarried without going through the divorce. His job had seen him rise through the business's ranks in success, which meant he was particularly well off financially, and he had fathered two more children by his new wife. Both of whom had his Quirk to a stronger degree.

When it was found out that he had still been married and had two wives, his second wife had not been happy about it, nor had he when he found out. It was the loudest, rudest phone call that Inko had ever received. In the end, however, the lawyer had threatened jail time for his transgressions, which had caused the man to easily cave in...along with half of the fortune he had amassed.

Inko had almost refused the money, however, thinking back on how the man barely gave them enough to scrape by at times, she made the decision to make him pay for all that he had put her son, and herself through. That meant that, after paying the lawyer, she could easily take time off of work, and not have to worry about their living expenses anymore.

[Now,] she thought with a tiny blush rising to her cheeks, [I just have to deal with this other man.] She hated to admit it, but she had grown extremely fond of Toshinori over the course of preparing Izuku for the entrance exams that were coming up in February, a scant two months away. He was a bit immature in his best moments, and his health certainly wasn't the best, given his background as a former Hero, and now an agent under one of the biggest Heroes in Japan, but that never seemed to slow the man down.

There was also the protective side she'd seen him use when around herself, and her son. She'd heard about the incident in the U.A. conference room, and was elated to find that he defended Izuku so strongly against the other Heroes. Not only that, but she remembered that he had defended her son from the admonishments of Pro Heroes when he first got his powers.

Then there was an incident with herself once, when one of the teachers made a comment about their relationship being the only reason that he had wanted the boy enrolled in U.A. in the first place. The moment the comment was made, however, the man changed. Inko had been around many Heroes before, and all of them had a sort of pressure around them. An aura of strength.

The waves of that same pressure that had come from Toshinori in that moment alone stifled any that she had felt before. Whatever he had been in the past, some of his former strength still lingered, and it was powerful enough to make even active Pros back down in front of him.

At first, considering her first marriage to Hisashi, she thought the man was pursuing her for her Quirk. But she found out through Recovery Girl that the man had been so badly injured that it was unlikely he could produce children, even with a perfectly healthy wife. According to the elderly nurse, the man was quite the lone wolf, and prefered his own company nine times out of ten. To say that he was openly attracted to her was speaking absolute volumes in the older woman's opinion.

Then there had been their first date. While not truly a date, as he had invited Izuku and Mei along to celebrate Inko's marital freedom, much to her utter embarrassment, she had had a nice time in his company, even with the children along.

Still, she was hesitant about anything regarding a serious relationship with the man.

Oh, her son absolutely loved the man, and she could see a kind of pseudo father/son bond between the two of them, but Inko's heart was nowhere near ready to be given away again anytime soon.

"Mom," Izuku poked his head of his room, "Weren't you going to see Aunt Mitsuki today?"

The woman gave a small squeak, "Oh, my goodness, I completely forgot!" She dashed over to her room, "Izuku, wait a minute," she yelped as she came back out into the hall, "What about your dinner, and - "

"Mom!" Izuku laughed with a huge smile on his face, "Don't worry so much, I can eat out tonight." He said, "I'll just drive you over to the Bakugos, and then drive Mei home."

Mei popped up next to him, "Nah, my dad's gone outta town, again, so I'd rather hang with you."

Izuku nodded to her, "Sure, we can grab a bite at the same time."

"Great," Mei ducked back in to start packing up her notes.

Inko smiled fondly, "You two...why can't you two date?" She asked as the pair came out, one carrying a bag stuffed full of crumpled paper, and the other pulling on a jacket, "You'd look so cute together!"

Mei gave the woman small bewildered look, "Sorry, I just can't get interested in boys...or girls for that matter." She shrugged, "Dad says its a just one of those phases I'm going through, and that I might take an interest someday, so that's not such a bad thing."

Izuku nodded, "It could happen," he said before looking at his mother, "But if Mei actually took an interest in me, I think I'd probably die of shock."

Inko and Mei gave the boy a look, "Why say that?" Mei asked.

Izuku just scratched the back of his head, "W-w-well, M-Mei, I...you're kind'a...really pretty...and I'm pretty plain-looking."

Inko huffed, "That is most certainly not true." She said as she grabbed her purse from her room, "You are a perfectly sweet and handsome young man."

"I may not have an interest, Izuku, but even I think you're kind'a cute myself," Mei admitted with a small shrug, "And if I'm saying that, then ya know I mean it."

Izuku gave a shaky grin, "Well, thanks, I guess?"

Inko smiled and reached out her hand to pat his cheek, "And don't you ever doubt it, my beautiful boy." She said as the boy just blushed, "Now, if you're dropping me off and taking Mei to dinner, make sure you have that Support License that Toshinori had made for you." She reminded him while the boy patted his jacket pocket, finding his wallet, "Good, wouldn't want you two getting pulled over again."

僕ぼくのヒーローアカデミア

Unlike the Midoriya household, the Bakugo household was a nice, two story home in a decent neighborhood. The Bakugos were a rather well off family, with Mitsuki Bakugo being a former model, and fashion designer, while Masaru Bakugo worked for a small, successful business. That wasn't to say that they were fabulously wealth, now.

They lived a fairly modest life, both parents having come from humble backgrounds.

Unfortunately that never seemed to be enough for the son of the household. Katsuko Bakugo, a young man that seemed to have a promising future as a Hero...was arrogant, and often cruel to others he felt were inferior to him, and even challenging those he viewed as a threat to his "rise to glory". If someone appeared to be stronger than he was, he made it his mission to put that person in their place beneath him where he believed they belonged. If that failed, then he would keep trying until he succeeded.

This boiled down to the young man being belligerent, loud, and abusive to all of those around him. Including his family. His father was a rather timid man, and would rather avoid conflict. He loved his son dearly, but the boy's fierce attitude frightened him. Which was saying something when one considered his wife.

Katsuki Bakugo was exactly like his mother in attitude.

The woman was just as fierce as her son, and was not afraid to put him in his place when he acted out against her, or anyone for that matter. The two of them were the spitting images of each other.

"BRAT!" Mitsuki shouted out, "You better behave yourself when Inko gets here, you hear me?!"

The answer came almost immediately, "FUCK OFF, HAG!"

Masaru sighed as he sat in the living room reading his paper, "I love both of you dearly, but I'm gonna need hearing aids long before I'm grey."

"Did you say something, Honey?" Mitsuki asked sweetly, having not heard him for yelling at their son.

Masaru chuckled, "Just wondering what smells so good." He said, tongue in cheek, "That reminds me, when was the last time we saw Inko?"

Mitsuki laughed, "It's sure has been a while, hasn't it?" She said in a cheerful tone, "And I hope you don't mind, Hon, but I made something low fat," she said, "Inko mentioned that she was dieting pretty hard."

Masaru looked over his shoulder, "You sure that's healthy?" He asked with a hint of concern, "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad she's trying to get healthy, but starting a hardcore diet?"

He saw Mitsuki shrug, "I know, I know, but it's not one of those starvation diets," the woman said as she started setting the table, "You know, I heard through some of our friends that she's met someone new?"

"Really?" Now Masaru was up and smiling at her, "Now that's great to hear! I was wondering when she'd give up on Hisashi."

Mitsuki snorted with dark humor, "The only good thing that ever came from that man was that precious little boy of hers," the woman said, "I'll have to grill her for details when she gets here."

"Don't grill her too hard, Sweetie," Masaru chuckled, the red-eyed woman giving him a look, "Oh, come on, you know what I mean. She's where Izuku gets his shyness, remember?"

Mitsuki giggled, "Yeah, you're right." She smiled, "God, I love that woman, but lord have mercy, that shy streak of hers!"

"I'm just glad I got you first," Masaru said as he stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, "Even if that tempter of yours scares the life outta me at times."

Mitsuki giggled, "Then you'd better not fuck up."

"I -"

"WILL YOU FUCKERS KNOCK IT OFF!" Katsuki shouted, "I CAN FUCKIN' HEAR YOU!"

Masaru wisely chose to release the woman as she rounded on the stairs, "YOU DON'T WANNA HEAR IT, THEN YOU CAN FUCKIN' LEAVE!" She snapped loudly, "YOU KNOW YOU'RE THE REASON YOU AIN'T GOT A BROTHER OR SISTER!"

Masaru rolled his eyes as the two started yet another argument. "I'll set the rest of the table."

"WHO GIVES A FUCK IF I DON'T GOT A WEAK ASS SIBLING!"

"I DO YA LITTLE PUNK! BUT I CAN'T HAVE ANOTHER KID 'CAUSE YOU'D BLOW THEM THE HELL UP!"

"I WOULDN'T BLAST NO DAMNED BRAT!"

"THE HELL YOU WOULDN'T!"

Meanwhile, outside the house, Inko was hesitating on going in as she heard the sounds of the fighting inside. [Katsuki used to be so sweet,] she sighed to herself, [Still, though, if things don't get any better, I don't think these two will ever be friends again.]

"Hey, Mom?" She heard her son call from the Mk.10 while Mei was moving to the front seat, "Everything okay?"

Inko turned and gave her son a small smile, "Katsuki's just arguing with his mother again," she told him as her son laughed nervously, "Some things never change, I suppose," she sighed, "Are you sure you've got enough money for food?"

Izuku nodded, "Yeah, I've still got a lot left over from the metal I sold from the beach," he said, "And I've got my phone, too, so you can call me when you're done here."

Inko nodded, "Alright, just be careful, Sweetie." She said, starting to turn around, before something struck her, "And Mei?" Mei looked around her son, "If you want to stay over, we have plenty of room."

Mei beamed at her, "Thanks! I'd love that!" She waved at the woman, "See ya in a little while!"

"Have fun, Mom!" Izuku said before he drove off. Inko watched them the whole time as they pulled out of sight.

"I have a fifteen-year-old with a driver's license." She said to herself, "I really need to get myself a license before I pull my hair out with worry." She sighed as she turned back toward the house muttering to herself under her breath, "Not that he isn't responsible enough, and not that he hasn't put on a little weight and some height, but he's still just barely able to see over the wheel!"

Before she got to the front doorstep, Mitsuki herself opened the door, beaming loudly, "Inko!" Her arms opened wide as she rushed out and hugged her longtime friend, "It's so good to see you! Look at you! I think you've lost weight already!"

Inko laughed as she hugged her friend back, "It's good to see you, too, Mitsuki," she said happily, nodding to Masaru over her shoulder, "It really has been too long since I visited."

"It really has!" The woman smiled widely as she ushered her inside the house, "Please come in, dinner's waiting...where's Izuku?"

Inko looked at her, "Oh, he's just driven off. He and a friend are going out for dinner."

Mitsuki gained a wide grin, "Would this friend happen to be a girl?" She wiggled her brow suggestively.

Inko just shook her head, "Oh, believe me when I say that I wish it was that sort of thing," she sighed, "Though, it is quite an entertaining story."

"You can tell me everything over dinner," her friend smiled, "And don't worry about the brat. I made sure that he'd behave himself."

僕ぼくのヒーローアカデミア

At the same time that Inko was preparing to catch up with her oldest and dearest of friends and Izuku was out spending time with his only friend at the moment, Toshinori was doing something similar...only for him, the experience was less than ideal...or pleasant.

While the gates of U.A. were closed, the faculty were all still in attendance for the meeting that was taking place between the country's No.1 Hero, and his former Sidekick.

Sir Nighteye was a tall, lean, muscular man dressed in a rather plain white suit with golden buttons, and a red necktie. While he didn't possess the strength of some Heroes, he was no less of an intimidating man as he sat at the table with his fingers laced together with his chin resting on the knuckles, directly opposite of Nezu, the little mammal smiling as always, even while All Might, in his usual shrunken form, pouted next to him.

"I'm so glad that you were able to make it to this meeting, Sir Nighteye," the principal said in a chipper tone, "And I'm so very sorry that we asked you here so suddenly. I truly hope that you weren't too busy?"

Nighteye gave the mammal a small look, annoyance written clearly on his features, "What work I miss, my staff can pick up in my place," he said, a small glance at All Might the only movement he seemed to make, "Although, considering my former mentor is here, and not quite happy to see me, I would hazard a guess that this concerns him."

"You would be correct," All Might said for himself, "And yes, I am still miffed about you looking into my future, and would suggest never doing it again." He grumbled before continuing the conversation, "But, while I was against this, I cannot deny that the situation does call for your help."

Snipe looked at the Hero/detective, "In this case, it's your young intern that we need."

Sir Nighteye's demeanor seemed to change, "You mean Mirio?" He raised his head, a small smile on his thin lips, "I'm pleased to know that he's caught your attention, finally, All Might. The boy is rather exceptional, and would - "

"Now, now," Nemuri said, waving one of her fans at the man, "This isn't about what you think it is, though many of us do agree with you on what you were assuming." She said before leaving her tool at the blond man, "However, the ultimate decision lies with All Might, wouldn't you agree?"

"I...Yes, yes, it should," he said, lowering his head, "My apologies."

Nezu shook his head, "Think nothing of it," he said kindly, "However, I should say that this does involve All Might and young Togata to a great degree." He went on as he sipped his tea, "You see, for the last several months, our dear friend has taken an interest in a very unique young man that intends to try out for U.A. this February."

"And how does this concern my apprentice?" Sir Nighteye asked, "If the boy intends to try for this school then shouldn't he simply be taking the entrance exams?"

"That's where Aizawa and I agree with you," Toshinori said while the shabby teacher nodded, "But something he brought up has Nezu thinking that the boy will need something more than simple muscle and combat training."

Aizawa nodded, "I should have kept my mouth shut."

"It's no less true, though," Cementos said with a small smile as he turned to Sir Nighteye, "You see, while the boy has incredible power, he lacks a great deal of confidence."

Present Mic hooted, "That's an understatement," he said, "Poor kid looked like he was ready to pass out as soon as he stepped through the gates!"

"Which is precisely why we'd like him to do a short internship with you," Nezu said, "Spending time around Mirio and yourself would undoubtedly be good for his psyche. Your intern is bright, cheerful, and quite capable of winning people over fairly easily."

Nighteye frowned, "This is quite a blatant show of favoritism."

"I agree," Aizawa said.

"Same here," Toshinori said with a deep sigh, "And Young Midoriya is also against it himself as he wants to earn his place here," he gestured to Aizawa, "But Eraser Head has made it pretty transparent that he intends to expel the boy on day one if that part of his attitude isn't fixed."

"I didn't say that," Aizawa argued, "I only expel hopeless students."

"Says the man that kicked his entire class out on the first day at the start of this year." Hound Dog said with a growl, "Those students were among some of the best we've seen in a while, and you sent them to your girlfriend's school!"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Aizawa growled with his eyes glowing brightly at the canid mutant.

Nemuri was giggling at their antics, "Boys, please, this is serious!" She tittered.

"You wanna talk about relations, then what about All Might and his golden boy's mother?" Aizawa snapped, ignoring Nemuri's laughter and Toshinori's sputter.

Toshinori rose angrily, "There is nothing like that going on between myself and Ms. Midoriya!"

"Pfft, bullshit." Even Hound Dog had to call him on that one. "You've taken her out at least once from what she's told me in our weekly sessions."

Toshinori did a double-take, "She...she mentioned me?"

Nighteye was enjoying his former mentor's discomfort during the conversation, "Ahem, gentlemen, and lady, as much as I'm enjoying this," he said as he gestured to the blushing All Might, "Why is this boy so important to all of you?" He asked, "What makes him so special that you're willing to go this far for him to be enrolled here?"

Now all of the teachers looked uncomfortable, then they turned to Toshinori and Nezu, the blond nodding, "He should know." Toshinori said, and then launched into how he had met Izuku, and then how the boy had come into his powers.

By the end of it, Sir Nighteye noticed a certain twinkle in his former partners eyes, "The boy's got one of the most Heroic hearts I've ever seen, especially with today's Heroes being all about the prestige and money." He went on, "This kid could be the real deal, and I feel like I should do everything I can to see that his dream of attending this school becomes a reality."

"And with a device like the Ultimatrix at his disposal, it would be best if we helped him make better use of it as a Hero," Nezu went on, "And since the device seems to have bonded with him at the cellular level, removing it could not only be painful, it could be fatal."

Toshinori glared at the rodent, "You were thinking of removing it?" His tone was low, dangerous, and, above all, protective. Not only did All Might want this boy to succeed, but it was obvious that he was emotionally attached to the boy. Nighteye was beginning to see an opportunity arise.

"If the boy really needs the confidence, then I have no problem lending you Mirio," he said, leveling his stare at his former partner, "He's been working for me quite hard since he started at my agency, so I wouldn't mind letting him have a break."

Nezu beamed at the man, "Wonderful!" He chirped, "Just tell me when he'll be given leave, and I'll set up a meeting between him and our young hopeful!"

Nighteye gave the mammal a nod, looking over to his former mentor, and saw that he had relaxed, "But I have to ask." He said in a lower tone than before, "Do you intend to give the boy One for All."

That was a mistake.

The moment that Sir Nighteye brought up the strange Quirk, Toshinori's relaxed facade disappeared, replaced by an intense pressure that had come from years of experience fighting Villains of the highest calibre. "This conversation is over." The man said, "I should have known better than to expect you not to make a sales pitch." He rose from his chair with an accusatory gesture at the man, "You want me to give the Quirk to Mirio, don't you?"

"I was simply asking - "

"You were meddling in business that should never concern you!" Toshinori stalked toward the door, "You can forget about the internship, Nezu! I'll train the boy's confidence myself!"

Aizawa frowned as the man all but smashed the door open, damaging the hinges in his anger. Even in his weakened state, the man remained stronger than many in the room. "Dammit, Nighteye," the sleep-deprived teacher sighed, "You just had to bring it up, didn't you?"

The man in question looked utterly baffled, "I thought that you all agreed that Mirio would be a fine choice?" Sir Nighteye said.

Nezu nodded, "We do, but ultimately, as Miss Midnight as stated, the choice remains with Toshinori."

"Besides," Nemuri said, "All Might's been doing research on the past wielders of his Quirk," she said grimly, "If he passes the Quirk on, then it has to be to someone that's Quirkless."

"Quirkless?" Nighteye demanded, "Why?"

Nezu sighed, "I'm sorry that you have to hear this, Mr. Sasaki," the mammal said, "But it was discovered that one of the past wielders of One for All actually died of old age."

"And why is that a bad thing?" Mirai asked. "He must have been training the Quirk in order to pass it on."

Nezu nodded in agreement, "Indeed, however that wasn't what was alarming," he looked down at his tea cup, "That particular wielder, when he passed, was only forty years old," he said, letting the gravity of his words sink in, "Forty years old, and this man died of old age when he should have been in his prime."

Mirai's eye widened. "You mean to tell me that if Mirio takes the Quirk - "

"He would likely pass away before he reached thirty years of age." Nezu said, "Because of the power that One for All hosts, it takes a toll on its wielder if they happen to have a Quirk of their own, and it will drastically shorten their life."

僕ぼくのヒーローアカデミア

Meanwhile, at the local Big Belly Burger...

"I'm telling ya, all we have to do is find the right power source, and we can totally build this ship thingy," Mei said around a mouthful of her cheeseburger, "From what the blueprints indicated, it's powered by a nuclear fusion engine, but I don't think all the junk on the beach is gonna be enough to build something like that."

Izuku nodded, "What about the crystals I made for the Proto-Tools?" He asked, "They hold a lot of energy, and they're sturdy enough to take a hard beating."

Mei swallowed down her mouthful, "Well, yeah, that could work," she said thoughtfully as Izuku sipped on a chocolate malt. "But they're a little small for that, don't you think?"

Izuku looked a little offended, "Hey, I can make one bigger than that," he told her with a grin, "Matter of fact, I think one of my forms is made of something similar to diamonds, and the crystals he makes are energy absorbent. They could actually hold a lot more."

Mei slapped the table, "Now we're gettin' somewhere!" She said excitedly, "Does one of your mutations cause any form of radiation?"

The boy sat back and thought for a moment, "I think one might be plasma-based?" Izuku said while Mei practically fangirled.

"That's perfect!" She shouted, "If we can make it so that the spent plasma is recycled into usable energy, then the power cell will never run dry!"

Izuku just grinned at her, "Man, you sure love your tech, Mei."

Mei sat back and sipped on her strawberry malt, "You better believe I do." She grinned and pointed her cup at him, "You know, when you go Pro, we ought'a team up. I've love being your company's tech gal!"

Izuku laughed, "I thought you wanted to go into business for yourself?"

"I would, but the tech your mentor left is absolutely world-changing!" Mei gushed with a beaming smile, "And if I get to work with something like that, then I'm bound to come up with something on my own, and strike out into my own company." She took another long sip until it started gurgling, "Besides, it'd be great to go into business with a friend."

Izuku felt his heart clench in his chest.

Having Mei around had done wonders for himself. Learning how to talk without stuttering, sometimes, had been one of his accomplishments. But when she reminded him that she viewed him as a friend, the boy always reverted back to his shy, friend-starved self.

"Uh, Izuku?" Mei said, "You're making a really weird face right now." She leaned away from him, "What'd ya do, suck a lemon?"

Izuku sniffled, "No," he wiped his eyes with his sleeve, "It just felt like my heart was gonna burst for a minute!"

Mei nodded slowly, "Well...whatever, I guess?" The girl said, "So, how's training to get into U.A. going?"

Izuku smiled when he got himself back under control, "Not bad, really," he said, "Mr. Yagi's not making me clean up the beach as much, but he is teaching me a few boxing moves so I know how to fight." He held up his arms in a boxer's pose, "It should really help when I'm in training at school."

"We gotta get in, first," Mei reminded him, "I'm pretty confident about my grades." She boasted, "And there's no way that I'll fail the practical if it has anything to do with mechanics, but what does U.A. do for their Hero Course practical?"

Izuku shook his head, "No idea," he sighed, "Mr. Yagi says it's confidential since the school wants the students unprepared for it."

Mei hissed, "Oof, that's gonna be rough." She sighed before looking out of the window of their booth. Then she jumped up and slammed her hands down on the table, "Hey!"

Izuku yelped, "What!?"

She pointed out the window, "There's a bunch'a punks beating down on someone out there!"

...

Hitoshi Shinso was not having the best of days. Sure, school had gone fine, as it usually did. It was when he had gone home for the day when the trouble started. One of his classmates, a large boy with a Strength Enhancement Quirk, had found out about his Quirk: a power called Brainwashing. If someone responded to him, he could place them under his control for a short time.

"All you had to do," the large teen snarled down at him, "Was get her to date me, you little shit." He reared back and kicked the prone boy in the ribs, forcing a scream from him. "Would that have been so hard for a Quirk like yours?"

Hitoshi spat out a glob of blood, "For someone that wants to be a Hero: yes!" He snapped, "I know you Zaraki! You're no good! You'd have - GAH!" A swift kick to his chin shut him up.

"You didn't need to worry about that," the teen knelt down and grasped his face between his fingers, making the boy's jaw creak under the pressure, "I wouldn't have hurt her. A little fun, but no pain." He cronies laughed behind him, "But you?" He squeezed his jaw painfully, "You just had to go and fuck it up!" He tossed his head against the wall, and rose up, "Boys, teach this shitface what happens when he doesn't do what I say."

Thr group maneuvered around him, cracking their knuckles and grinning wickedly.

GA-CHIC

The sound of a gun cocking caught their attention. All eyes turned toward the sound and there stood a girl with pink hair, and what looked like a rifle in her hands. "Now, I see one kid on the ground, and five standing over him." The girl said in a slightly manic tone, "Something tells me that the bad guys are the ones still standing."

The leader just chuckled, "Put that little toy down before ya hurt yourself, babe." He said before giving her an up and down leer, "Ya know, you're just about my type?" He took a step closer...and an orange blast surged past his ear. One of his cronies yelped as the beam struck him down.

Hitoshi could tell he was still alive from the way he was twitching, even if he was currently foaming at the mouth.

"Hm," the girl hummed, "So that's what it does to people?" She giggled and licked her lips, "I could get used to that. Anyone else wanna try something?" She cocked the rifle and aimed it at the lead thug, "Please say yes."

Kenpachi would have opened his mouth to snap at her, but a green flash from behind them distracted him. Turning around the group of thugs came face to face with a large, blue/green humanoid made entirely of crystal. He was much large in body than any of them, and the crystal of his fists glinted in the dim light of the alley as he held them up menacingly, "Do we have a problem here, boys?" The being asked in a deep, angry tone while sharp crystal spike grew out of his knuckles.

#9 - Diamondhead: This crystalized He-Man is almost completely indestructible, strong, and can fire sharp diamond-like projectiles from his body, or turn his arms into blades. He's a walking talking tank! But super high pitched noises like Ultimate Echo Echo can knock his sparkly behind out!

Now, being middle school students, the thugs took this guy for a Hero, and decided that it wasn't worth getting arrested to just hang around. Turning tail, the teens blundered off through the alley, the fallen one Mei had shot stumbling to his feet and scrambling after them.

Mei waved at them as they ran by, "Buh-bye, asshats." She grinned as she aimed a kick at the last one running passed. She then turned to the giant crystal man, "That's a new one, Izuku, pretty cool, too!" She grinned, "Is he the one that can make those crystals you were talking about?"

Izuku knelt down to check on the boy they'd been beating up, "He sure is," the crystalized teen said, "He's called Diamondhead." He said as he turned his attention back to the boy, "You alright there?"

Hitoshi was able to sit up, his head back against the brick wall of the alley, "Y-Yeah, I think -ugh- maybe not?" He groaned in pain while the girl came over to him with the rifle transforming it into some kind of...tablet? A yellow beam of light washed over him.

"This scanner's saying he's got some cracked ribs, fractures in his jaw, pretty nasty bump on his head and some internal bleeding." Mei grumbled before looking up at Diamondhead, "This is bad, Izuku, he needs a hospital and fast!"

"Or Recovery Girl," the crystal giant said before touching the symbol on his chest, blinding both of them with another flash of green. Hitoshi then saw that the person he thought had been a Hero was nothing more than a wiry boy like himself.

"You bluff pretty good for a twerp," the boy hissed painfully, "You...you guys know Recovery Girl?"

Mei shrugged, "I don't, but he does." She said as the boy pulled out his phone. "He's been trying to get us both into U.A. since the exams are coming up."

Hitoshi chuckled, "Great," he hissed, tasting blood in his mouth, "I'd love to go there, too." He said, his consciousness beginning to fade, but the girl jostled him back awake.

"Don't you go falling asleep on us," she said firmly, "Izuku, any luck?" She asked as the boy was yammering on the phone.

Izuku nodded, "Right, we'll be there as soon as we can," he said before hanging up, "Recovery Girl says to bring him straight to the school. The principal also wants to take a statement from him. Eraser Head is out on patrol right now, so he'll need descriptions of the ones responsible." He looked down at the teen, "Think you can do that?"

He laughed at the verdette, "Hell, get me back on my feet, and I'll give you their addresses." Hitoshi said while Mei and Izuku got on either side of him and hoisted him to his feet with a pained groan from the boy. "Thanks...really...thanks a lot."

Izuku just gave him a shaky smile, "Don't mention it," he said, "You should really be thanking Mei, though, she's the one that saw what was happening."

Mei just grinned, "Ah, go on, I just don't like bullies."

Hitoshi just shook his head, "Well, it goes without saying that those guys were more than just bullies," he groaned as he began to regret the head movement as it made him nauseous, "They were full-blown Villain wanna-bes."

Izuku and Mei took a few minutes to get him to his feet, both of them supporting him under his arms as they slowly made their way to the car. Carefully, the two of them loaded him into the back seat before speeding off toward U.A.

僕ぼくのヒーローアカデミア

The dinner at the Bakugo household had become a somber affair as Inko relayed all that had been happening over the passed several months. Mitsuki took it all in stride, while inside she was burning with rage at some of the things she had been told. Masaru was shaking his head, "I can't believe that Hisashi would do something like that," he frowned, scrubbing his hand down his face, "Yes, I can," he relented, "The man used to go on and on about how his boy would be greater than Endeavor one day."

Mitsuki slapped the table loudly, "I knew that bastard was no good!" She snapped, "I knew it from the time we were little! And he had the gall to get angry with you for wanting a divorce? After eleven years!"

"It was quite an argument," Inko sighed, "But when I mentioned my lawyer's name, he gave in fairly easily." She said, relieved that the man had finally given in.

Mitsuki looked at her friend, "That hardly seems like it would be enough, Honey, I mean, you were traumatized, weren't you?"

Inko giggled slightly, "Yes, but the therapy sessions with Mr. Hound Dog are doing wonders for me since I started seeing him," she said, then shivered, "Though, I think I might need your help with something concerning one of my treatments if you wouldn't mind?"

Masaru looked at her as if she'd grown a second head, "Inko, you know you can ask either one of us anything!" The man proclaimed, "You're just as important to me as you are to Mitsuki, you know?"

"He's right, Inko," Mitsuki said, "What are they asking you to do?"

Inko sighed, "Hound Dog thinks some exposure therapy would be good for me," she said, "Meaning he wants me to be by myself for a little while, though there would be someone nearby in case I started having panic attacks, or anything of the like."

Mitsuki reached over and took her hand, "Just tell me when," she said, "I'll be there whenever you need me."

"So will I," Masaru promised, then clapped his hands, "Well, that's enough of this nasty business!" He smiled widely, "How's that boy of yours? I heard his Quirk finally came in!"

Inko looked at him, "You mean Katsuki didn't tell you?"

"Tell us what?" Mitsuki asked, then looked toward the stairs, "Brat, you better get down here, right now!"

"SCREW YOU YA HAG!"

Masaru waved his wife down considering how explosive their son's personality was, "Now, now, you know how he is," he reminded her, "Inko doesn't need that right now." He added, "Now, what do you mean, Inko? Did Katsuki do something again?"

"FUCK OFF OLD MAN!" Katsuki roared.

Masaru, though, was not taking that, as he turned and shouted, "Son, either come down here so you can stop yelling and talking like a civilized person, or shut up!" He got no other response as the boy knew that if his timid father was raising his voice, then it was better to keep his mouth shut.

Inko sighed and was about to respond when her phone rang. "Oh, dear, I'm sorry," she said and reached into her purse, before she yelped when she saw the caller ID. "Oh, it's Izuku!"

"Put it on speaker," Mitsuki suggested.

Inko did so, "Izuku, dear, what's wrong?"

"Right now? Nothing," Izuku's voice said, "But we had to make an emergency trip to U.A."

Inko whimpered, "Emergency? What kind of emergency?"

"Ms. Midoriya?" Said a familiar elderly voice, "This is Recovery Girl. First of all let me assure you that your son and Miss Hatsume are perfectly fine, Dear," the woman said, "However they happened upon a fairly nasty beating taking place, and decided to step in. Afterward they called Nezu and asked if they could bring the victim here."

Mitsuki hissed, "Is the kid alright?"

"Hi, Aunt Mitsuki," Izuku greeted cheerfully, "And yeah, Shinso's doing just fine."

"He's fine now, Deary," Recovery Girl corrected the boy, "But I can honestly say that if they hadn't gotten him here as fast as they did, then the boy would have been in quite the pickle." She went on, "Whoever was beating on him had a Strength Augmentation Quirk, and managed to do a fair amount of damage. Fractures on most of his ribs, and one was even broken, an extremely bad fracture in his jaw, internal bleeding, and the poor child even had a mild concussion on top of a very nasty lump on the back of his head." The elderly nurse said with an angry tone in her voice, "He would have been in the hospital for quite a while If I hadn't been able to treat him."

The two women cooed, "Oh, the poor boy!" Inko cried.

"What about the hoodlums that did this?" Masaru had to ask, "Surely they didn't get away with it?"

"Thankfully, no," Recovery Girl said with a light chuckle, "Before I started his treatment, the young man was able to give Eraser Head, and Vlad King some very good descriptions, as well as some addresses. They won't be getting away with any of this, you mark my words on that!"

"I wanted to tell you that we might be a little late coming back to get you, Mom," Izuku took over, sounding apologetic, "Recovery Girl says she wants to keep Shinso here to keep an eye on him, but we're free to go. Still, it's a long way out, even if we left now."

Mitsuki chuckled, "Don't you worry your little freckled face, kid, I'll get her home safe."

"Thanks, Auntie." Izuku said. "Sorry, Mom, I'll see you when we get home."

Inko just shook her head, "You two just take your time and get home safely." She told the boy, her heart swelling, "And Sweetie? I'm very proud of you for what you two did for that boy." She said with pride welling up in her, "I love you, Dear."

"Love you, too, Mom."

"Me, too, Inko!" She heard Mei shout in the background.

The woman laughed as the line went dead, "Those two..." She sighed, "More's the pity that she's not interested in romance."

Mitsuki chuckled, "Still wanting grandbabies, huh?" She jerked her thumb at the stairs, "I fear for my kid's future. All he cares about is being a Hero, not getting the girl."

"THAT'S JUST A WASTE OF TIME!" Katsuki shouted down.

Masaru huffed, "Without it, you wouldn't be here." He didn't hear a response.

Mitsuki laughed and rose, "C'mon, I'll drive you home."

"Thank you, Mitsuki...do you mind staying with me until Izuku gets home?"

僕ぼくのヒーローアカデミア

Ultimatrix Playlist #1:

#1 - Fasttrack

#2 - Water Hazard

#3 - Ultimate Echo Echo

#4 - ?

#5 - ?

#6 - ?

#7 - Upgrade

#8 - Big Chill

#9 - Diamondhead

#10 - ?

Author's Note: I had to stop before this chapter got way too long! XD Anyway, Deku's circle of friends is growing slowly, and there's just one more that's going to join the group, and its (Drumroll) TOGA!

Plus, we got to see a new addition to the Ultimatrix line-up, keep in mind that this is only the first playlist, meaning that by the time that the sports festival roles around, a new one will pop up. Wanna see what happens next? Ya'll know what to do! Adios Amigos!