5: The School for the Greatest Heroes - 1: The Prowler

The night of Rappa's attack on the police escort had caused quite the stir in the media world as someone, neither Detective Tsukauchi or Toshinori knew how, had managed to get footage of the Villain facing a supposedly new Hero.

Headlines in the morning's paper read:

{Shocking Debut! Arachnid Hero Stops B-Rank Villain!}

{Last night, in the middle of an unnamed family's police escort, the wanted criminal, Kendo "The Rapper" Rappa" attacked and with the intent of kidnapping. However, it would seem that a new Hero was also present during the escort. Though the battle was brutal, the Hero, self-proclaimed as "Spider-Man", was able to ultimately defeat the murderous Villain, allowing the police to take the dangerous Villain into custody.}

Mush to Izuku's annoyance, the article mentioned nothing of Kyoka's involvement in the attack. [She saves my life, and all the media can talk about is how I put this guy away?] One, however, did use her little assault on the Villain. The media was having a blast of success with Izuku and Kyoka's debuts.

{Teenage Heartthrob Assists New Pro!}

{Late last night, during a dangerous Villain attack, a new Hero was assisted by a young girl with a Quirk that allowed her to make use of her voice in the form of a sonic attack. While the Villain had the Hero on the ropes, this brave, beautiful young woman was not one to stand on the sidelines, leaping into action and stunning the Villain with a scream that caused much damage to the surrounding area, and disorient the Villain long enough for the Hero to bring him down for good.}

Izuku had to smile and even blush as that article had a full picture of Kyoka hugging him after the battle was done, [Oh, she's not gonna like that.] Fortunately for him, the camera didn't show his face.

Of course, those were just the good reviews they had gotten. The bad ones came from the Japanese branch of the Daily Bugle. One such headline pinned Izuku straight through the chest. This article showed a full color shot of Izuku in his Spider-Suit with a shot of The Prowler right next to it, which pointed out the similarities in his Costume, and his father's.

{New Hero Takes After Infamous Vigilante!}

{Though Heroes come in all shapes, sizes and colors these days, they are still licensed Heroes. HOWEVER! It would seem that our latest Hero has chosen a VERY questionable mentor if his Costume is any indication. Yes, we are talking about the infamous thief, THE PROWLER! This menace to the Heroic Society has been at large for the past eleven years with no sign of slowing down in his one man act of vandalism, brutality, and all around mencacing society as a whole!}

Izuku put the paper down on his new desk with a sigh, "I wonder if Dad's seen any of this?" He asked himself as he looked around his spacious new bedroom. The Safe House that U.A. had put up for them was actually a two story brick building (picture a two story version of the dorms) that was more than big enough to host a family of ten. Apparently, Toshinori Yagi, a.k.a All Might, carried a lot of weight behind him, even in his civilian form.

They had also been supplied with various pieces of furniture, a fully equipped and stocked kitchen, courtesy of Lunch Rush, rooms a'plenty for sleeping, and storage. Needless to say, his mother had never felt more pampered. Of course, now that they were under U.A.'s protection, her job had been terminated for her own safety, which meant that now she only had her husband's funds to rely on.

The little family had taken rooms on the second floor, making sure that Eri's room was right between them in case the little girl got scared and wanted to crawl into bed with one of them at some point. She had slept with Izuku the night before, still frightened after the encounter with Rappa. Kyoka and her family were invited to stay as well considering the late hour that they had arrived after the chaos the Villain had caused.

Kyotoku, Kyoka's father, when he had heard what had happened, was furious with the police, demanding to know why there had been no Pro Heroes around to aid in the escort. Izuku had wondered that himself, and, as Toshinori had tiredly explained, given the abruptness of the situation, none of the local Pros were available to assist.

Kyotoku had not been the only one to think that the answer was a load of bull. Even Toshinori himself was finding it hard to believe that the police hadn't called in a few Pros to help. Naomasa had repeated, and stressed that none were available. When Toshinori translated that into none of them thought the escort was important enough, both families had been disgusted. U.A. had plenty of Pros working for them, yet none of them had been on scene to help. Izuku wanted to defend them by saying that there was too much distance between them and the school at the time, because he knew that the Pros working at U.A. were some of the better ones out there.

He sat back with a sigh, smiling as he realized that part of his dream of being a Hero was finally coming true. There were still a few months left before U.A.'s first year classes began, and he had been excused from school quite easily. The principal of his old school had easily given him a pass, and allowed him to graduate, partly due to the fact that he was as big a geneticist as most other people that scorned those that were diagnosed as Quirkless. And since the man didn't know that Izuku was no longer diagnosed as such, he let the boy go quite easily, Izuku suspecting that he viewed the boy as a stain on his records.

However, once that was all done, Toshinori had put Aldera Middle School under investigation: the suspicions being that the teaching staff were abusing their authority, as well as allowing their students to use their Quirks openly in class.

The man was ruthless, Izuku could not deny it. And it brought a smile to his face. All Might was making a massive effort in order to make amends to the boy for his actions towards the him, and they were paying off. Izuku turned from his desk, and looked at his new Hero Costume. [I can't believe he used the design I had in mind.] He thought as he took in the purple, green and black suit.

His father's suit had more purple on it, and was less streamlined, but the boy couldn't find anything he disliked about it. Then he looked down at the gadgets he had basically made from garbage he had managed to scrounge up from Dagobah Beach, and sighed, they were bulky, and while they worked, they looked awful next to his suit. [I wonder if they'll let me into the Support Course room to fix them?]

With that in mind, he grabbed up his notebook with all of his designs, and headed downstairs.

His mother was down in the kitchen with Eri sitting at the table eating a plate of apple slices when he came down. He greeted his mother with a kiss to her cheek while his kissed Eri's forehead, "Did Kyoka and her family already leave?" He asked, not seeing their house guests.

His mother shook her head, "No, they just haven't gotten up, yet." She smiled and set a plate of omurice down for him as he the boy sat down and dug in, "We're actually up quite early, Dear," she said as she pointed at the clock on the wall which read just passed six. "And Mika said that little Kyoka is not a morning person, so I figured that, what with all of the nonsense that happened last night, I'd let them sleep a little while."

Izuku nodded, understanding completely. It wasn't everyday that fledgling Heroes got into a fight with a high-ranking Villain. "Did the police find anything out from Rappa?" He asked as he ate, but his mother just shook her head. "So he's not talking?"

Inko sighed, "Dear, I know that this isn't something you'll want to hear," she said, her son looking at her curiously, "Rappa escaped while he was on his way to Tartarus this morning...only just a few hours ago."

Izuku choked, "W-ahk-what?!"

Inko nodded, "It hasn't been publicized, yet, but apparently he was broken out of confinement while enroute to the facility." She said, looking at the boy more intently, "Izuku, I know that you want to be a Hero, but last night scared me out of more than a few years of my life. Seeing you fight with that monster was worse than watching you getting bullied by Bakugo." She shook her head with tears coming to her eyes, " I don't know if I could take if that monster came after us again!"

Izuku shook his head and smiled, "Mom, I get it," he said as he reached for an empty glass and a pitcher of orange juice on the table, "I got lucky last night. If it hadn't been for Kyoka, then I don't know if I'd be here right now," he said, looking over at little Eri as he filled his glass, "But I have priorities now: Eri's safety, and becoming a Hero that can protect her."

Inko gave a sad smile, "I know that, Baby, but...hearing about it on the news and actually seeing it are two different things." She said, "And...they way you fought, yes, you did well, but you...your father would've called it sloppy."

Izuku paused with the glass half-raised to his lips, but nodded in understanding, "I know. I need to be better." He said downing the juice and finishing his meal. He then rose and took his plate to the sink to rinse it, "I'm planning on heading over to the school to check out the Support Course room. Maybe they can help me upgrade some of my tech."

Eri perked up, "Can I come, too?"

Izuku smiled at her, "You sure can, Eri," he said as she jumped down from her chair and ran right up to him, jumping into his arms. He looked over at his mother, "Will you be alright, or should I - "

"Go," she smiled at the two of them, "Some fresh air, and a walk without the threat of kidnapping would do her some good."

Izuku nodded and lifted Eri up onto his shoulders while tucking his notebook under one arm before leaving her alone. "Don't forget your Costume, Sweetie!" Inko called out. Once she heard the door close, Inko sighed and pulled out her phone, smiling a little at how many missed calls she had from "Hubby". She decided to call back.

The phone only rang once before it was picked up, "Inko?!"

"Hello, Dear," Inko said in greeting, "I take it you've seen the papers?"

There was a heavy sigh on the other end, "I did, and I have to ask: what the hell, Inko?" He asked, "Izuku has a Quirk now? When did that happen?"

Inko sighed, "It's a bit of a story," she said before explaining to her husband the events that led up to the newest headlines.

She could actually hear the man pinching his brow, "Dear god in heaven," he groaned, "Inko, I'm so sorry you had to go through all of this alone."

Inko smiled at that, "It's not like you're free to walk around these days, Hisashi," she said, "Besides, he has your tenacity."

"What he must think of me," Hisashi Midoriya sighed over the phone, "Inko...what do you think of me?"

Inko gulped and bit her lip. "There was a time when I thought that you were doing what you're doing to make him proud of you," she said with a deep sigh of her own, "And then the theft happened, and I...I don't know what to think."

"The theft wasn't my doing, Honey," her husband sighed, "I was set up to take a fall for a client's mistake, but I can't blame you for not believing me."

Inko nodded, "And...there was a long period...that I thought you were ashamed of...of Izuku being Quirkless."

The line was quiet for the longest time as she heard his breathing stop completely. And then, "Inko Midoriya, there has never been a moment in my life that I have ever been ashamed of our son." He said in the gentlest tone she had ever heard him use, "I may not have been around, but I've kept tabs on him. I know how hard he tries, and how devoted he is to his studies. I even hacked the security cameras during the practical exam at U.A. And when I saw him trying so hard that his fists bled, I couldn't remember ever feeling so proud of him in my life since the day he was born."

Inko was in full-blubber-mode, just barely keeping herself under control as her tears flowed freely. "Do you really mean that?"

"I do," he said, "The only reason I haven't been home is because of the theft charges against me. Vigilantism aside, that was a huge black mark on my career." He said, "That's what I'm ashamed of, Darling: that I got played so easily."

Inko smiled into the phone, "Dear...the charges were dropped a long time ago..."

"They wha - ?"

"Come home," Inko pleaded, "There's a man here willing to hire you on as a guard for U.A.'s campus. You can do honest, low-danger work, and you can see your son." She said, "Please, Hisashi. We need you...I need you..."

There was another long pause as her husband seemed to think it over, and let out a staticy sigh, "You tell this guy, whoever he is, that I'll take the job," Hisashi said, "I'll be there in a few hours."

Inko frowned, "Oh, we're not at the apartment anymore," she told him, "We had to leave after - "

"I know, Sweetheart." He said, "Don't worry. I'll find you."

The line went dead then and Inko felt her heart swelling up with happiness. "Maybe things aren't as bad as I think?"

スパイダーマン

"This house is really big." Eri commented from her vantage point on Izuku's shoulders as he walked along the halls of U.A.

Izuku chuckled, "Trust me, Eri, there are places that are much bigger than this one as far as houses go," he said, "But this isn't a house, it's a school."

Eri blinked, "School?"

"Uh-huh, it's where people come to learn things," he told her, "Maybe when you're ready, we can send you to school, then you can make some friends?"

Eri was, once again, confused, "Daddy, what's a friend?"

That threw him for a minute, "A friend is..." he tried to think for a moment as his mind wandered to images of Kyoka and Katsuki. When they were small, before he had gotten his Quirk, Katsuki and Izuku had been inseparable. But after the ashen blond's Quirk had manifested, that had all changed. Kyoka, however, was different. She was someone Izuku thought could be a real friend to him. "You know Kyoka?" Eri nodded her head, "She's a friend. Someone you can talk to, play with, and depend on."

"She's my friend?" Eri asked.

"That's right." Izuku nodded.

Eri was quiet for a minute, thinking most likely, but she had him worried before she blurted out, "So she's not my mommy?"

Izuku outright froze in an attempt to keep himself upright since he had the little girl on his shoulders. "N-No! No! Definitely not!" Izuku twitched a little as the thought of Kyoka taking the role of Eri's mother crossed his mind. It wasn't an unpleasant thought.

[Ease down, Izuku, you barely even know the girl!] He thought to himself as he started moving again, [I mean she did come to see me every day in the hospital with Eri, so she - No! Nope! No! Don't go there! Besides, what kind'a girl would take an interest in a Quirkless...Right, I'm not Quirkless anymore, but - ]

"Daddy, you're talking a lot again." Eri pointed out innocently.

[Dear God, just kill me now, please.] This he managed to keep to himself.

The rest of the walk to the Support Course room was a quiet one, Izuku trying to retain some dignity while Eri was just marveling at some of the classrooms they were passing. Some of them had doors so huge that Izuku thought that they must be meant for students with Gigantification Quirks.

Suddenly, Izuku's Spider-Sense went berserk: his vision had gone blurry for a moment as a vision of something happening a few feet down the hall. He saw the door slowly being thrown off of its hinges, and slamming against the opposite wall.

Izuku jumped back on instinct, Eri tumbling down over his head and into his arms as he stuck himself to the ceiling just as the two foot-thick steel doors were abruptly blasted out of their frame and into the opposing wall by a massive explosion that shook the entire hallway.

A person staggered out of the room, "Ow, ow, ow, man I didn't think the opposing forces would be that strong!" Said a girl's voice, hoarse from the smoke.

"And this is why I told you not to do anything until I had a look at the calibrations!" Said another voice that sounded more exasperated than upset, as if this was a regular thing. "Seriously, Hatsume, if you're going to make a gravity boot that can propel as well, you need to think about much force the propelling side is going to produce!"

"Yeah, but maybe rocket boots would be better?" Said the girl, Hatsume, again.

The man came out of the smoke, revealing a man armored like a bulldozer, "You haven't even started your real classes, yet, and you've already labeled a living disaster: there's no way I'm letting you anywhere near rocket fuel until third year, and that's only if you last that long." Power Loader said before turning his eyes up at the two clinging to the ceiling. "Ack, you two weren't caught in that, were you?"

Izuku shook his head before jumping down, making sure Eri was alright. Upon landing, however, she looked up at him, "Can we do that again?" Eri asked with a straight face.

The boy chuckled, [Note to self: take Eri for a swinging ride after I get the hang of it.] He thought to himself. "We're fine." Izuku said, before smiling, "It's nice to meet you Mr. Power Loader." He said, trying not to nerd-out in front of Eri. He thought that it was bad enough that he muttered in front of her without adding fuel to the fire.

"You must be that kid that ol' Toshinori was harpin' to Nezu about," the man grinned behind his mask, "Hehe, gotta say, I'm impressed that he caved in so easily." He said as the smoke cleared away, and revealed a girl with pink hair and goggles over cross-air like pupils. "I watched you during the practical. You're one tough kid."

Izuku blushed. "Daddy's really strong." Eri piped up.

Powerloader looked at the little girl and then back and Izuku, "Ain't you a little young to be a dad?" He asked, "And what about her mom?"

"I don't have a mommy." Eri said.

The pink-haired girl's eyes went wide, "Whoa~no! Don't look at me!" Hatsume waved her hands and shook her head rapidly, "I make my own babies!"

Izuku chuckled, "It's a recent thing," he said before reaching for his notes, "I was wondering if you could help me improve some of the tech I've been using?"

For a minute, Hatsume appeared to teleport, "Did you say improve!?" She yelled, reaching for the book, "Lemme see! Lemme see!"

Eri shrunk into his shoulder, "She acts like my old mommy." She said, "She yells a lot."

That got Power Loader's attention, and he managed to get the girl to back off a bit, "I'll be the judge on whether or not you work on it, Hatsume," he told her before he took the boy's notes to have a look for himself. "Hmm, these are some detailed designs." He said with a subtle tone of in impression in his voice.

"These Web Shooters are going to be a little tricky since I don't know what you'll be filling them wi - Ah, you've written the formula down as well. Good." Hatsume was now peeking over his shoulder with excitement, "Same formula for the Web Bombs, except a larger payload, and an explosive to trigger the release of the 'Web Fluid'. I might replace that with a sort of electronic trigger, if you don't mind?"

Izuku shook his head, "I don't," he said, presenting one of his original Web Shooters, "When I started making these things, all I really had to work with was garbage from Dagobah Beach."

"Then I'm doubly impressed that you made such a fine Support item from such low-grade materials," Power Loader said before flipping the page, "Hmm, Spider Tracer, Remote Mine and a Spider-Drone...these are some pretty impressive tech ideas for someone that's not even going for the Support Course: I'm actually jealous of the Hero Course right now."

"It's how I was going to fight before I got my Quirk, but since I have most of the abilities of a spider, I thought my gadgets would be a good gimmick."

Hatsume chimed in, "Spider-like powers, and spider-themed gadgets," she said, "Creepy, but I like it!"

"Creepy?" Izuku's face fell while Power Loader swatted the girl.

"Violent!" Hatsume complained, "Wha'd I do?"

Clearing his throat, the Pro Hero said, "I've already got the specs on your Costume, so I'll make the items to match, and I'll try to make the wrist mounted Web Shooters a bit less bulky so you can use them better. Also, I'd like to try to make these Web cartridges a bit stronger so they can hold more. That okay?"

Izuku handed him the case holding his Costume, "Please, feel free to make any improvements you think will be necessary." Izuku told him, then, sheepishly, "Also...could I get your autograph?" He asked, pulling out one of his many notebooks.

Ever the fanboy.

スパイダーマン

"Are we really going to let this kid enroll here?" Asked Shota Aizawa, the teacher for Class 1-A. A class that had been expelled the previous year because none of the students had not taken being Heroes seriously enough for the underground Hero's standards.

Principal Nezu sighed as the two of them watched the security feed from the Support Course room, both of them focused in on the student in question, "Yes, we are, and I want to hear nothing more on the subject as I've explained it to you several times already."

"Oh, our big, flash dolt of a Hero threatens to pull funding, and you cave in faster than the Cubs in a championship game." The man sighed, "Do we really need his money that badly?"

Nezu shook his head, "No, but this boy does show potential. I know you've see it, too, or else you wouldn't be this adamant about putting him in Class 1-B." He said, "You're afraid that this year's crop will not meet your criteria, and you will be forced to expel them again." The little white mammal said, "Our courses to become Heroes are among the most trying in all of Japan, if not the world, however you are the reason we are hailed as the most difficult school to apply for since only a few Hero classes are accepted. And this boy has you impressed."

"I'll admit that he has guts taking on mechanical D-rank villains the way he did, but having him in my class isn't what's bothering me," Aizawa said, "It's the way All Might's been acting. Just because you want him to teach here, he has you by the tail, and you're basically cow-towing to him on everything." The scruffy man growled, Nezu knowing of his dislike for flashy, glory-hunting Heroes. "Did you know that he's even talking about bringing in a Vigilante as an additional guard for the campus?"

"Yes, I've spoken with him about that as well," Nezu said, sighing as he poured himself a cup of tea, "It's true, I don't care one bit for it, but this time I think I can agree with it. The little girl with the Midoriya family have suffered greatly due to her captors, and they have even attempted to recapture her, so taking them in for protection, and hiring this man are the least of what I'm willing to put up with for their safety."

Aizawa sighed, rubbing his eyes, "About the kid. What's the old lady said about her?"

"She hasn't seen her, yet." He said, "They've only just arrived, after all, and the child is extremely timid from what I've been told, so it won't do to rush things when we won't see results."

The man sighed, "I can't argue with you on that." He said and rose up from the couch he was sitting on, "Alright, I'm going to go read through the list of students that are coming my way...speaking of students, why do you always send the recommendations to my class?"

"It's so that I can know for certain that they are worth the effort." Nezu said, "I heard that there was one student in Recommendations that turned it down after a small confrontation with the young man he gave up his spot to." He then smiled, "Also, for your information, I don't send all of them to you. There were four that accepted the invitation, and I've only given you two of them. The other two are in Vlad King's Class 1-B."

The man gave him a look, "Yes, but you've given me one of the most troublesome ones," He frowned as he looked down at one of the names on the list, "Shouto Todoroki," Aizawa said, "Kid's got a rare dual-type Quirk that mixes his father's and his mother's Quirks perfectly." He shook his head, "He's obviously a product of a Quirk Marriage, and it's left its mark on him, in more ways than one."

"There was one more, but that young man was the one that gave Mister Todoroki his spot and opted out for Shiketsu High, and I think he'll do well there." Nezu sighed, "A shame, really: that was one student that I had taken an interest in myself."

スパイダーマン

Outside the gates of the school, a taxi cab stopped, and out stepped a tall, well-built man with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, His hair was a mess of green/black curls, and he had a light dusting of faded freckles across his nose.

"Thanks," he said as he paid the driver.

The drive thanked in turn, and looked at the man, "Ya know, I think I've seen you somewhere before," the old man said, "Ain't you a Pro?"

The man just smiled and shook his head, "Nah, just a guy that does odd jobs here and there." Said Hisashi Midoriya as he turned and walked toward the school.

スパイダーマン

Author's Note: Now, knowing how much of a bad-ass the Prowler character is, who here thinks that Izuku is going to get his wall-crawling behind handed to him by his dad?

Not a lot happening here, just setting up for the big USJ show, and seeing Izuku's dad come into the picture as the Prowler. Also Izuku is trying to upgrade his tech. Next chapter we'll see a little reunion, and an in-chapter time skip, or a training montage if you'd prefer that. Let me know.

Ya know what to do by now, right?

Adios Amigos~!