AN: InfinityMask - Shonen, and Japan in general, is really bad about mental health. I'm hoping to at least acknowledge it better here, even if it still mostly going to happen offscreen.
fencer29 - you mean problem child #3. Ochako's already been classified as problem child #2
LEGOBRICK13 - I'm actually a little tired of the trope about Aldera being a front for the MLA, given if they are trying to recruit people, they are doing a horrible job at it (seeing as they have yet to get a single kid into UA, despite their proximity). So while there may be MLA sympathizers, I much prefer just letting them suck as a school. Izuku already knew that, and now Katsuki got a wake-up call for the same.
SwordOfTheGods - thanks!
Much to Izuku's delight, it didn't take long at all for his friends at Montross to accept Ochako and Himiko into their little group.
Admittedly, it probably helped that they had met before school, and most of them were already training together five days a week. It still didn't stop Izuku from being nervous the first couple of days at school as they settled into a new routine.
During lunch, Himiko came over from class 3-E and joined them as they shoved a few desks together, forming a makeshift table, and then the six of them ate lunch together. And then at the end of the day, if they were training, they would say their goodbyes to Hikari as the five of them made their way to Takoba beach.
Unlike Aldera, Montross also offered a comprehensive week of guidance about which high schools to apply for. While it didn't help the majority of them, Himiko absorbed all of the information she could, hoping for some guidance on where to apply.
"Himiko, have you figured out where you want to apply yet?" Aika asked her at lunch.
"I'm still not sure," Himiko admitted, "even after hearing all of the discussions, I think general studies may be the way to go. Mama Inko said that it was ok for me to take a few more years before I really know what I want to do."
"It's ok," Izuku reassured her.
"To be fair, four of you knew you were going to be heroes a long time ago," Hikari pointed out.
Kyoka playfully jabbed him with one of her ear jacks. "Hey, I bet if you asked, Midoriya could find plenty of ways for you to be a hero if you want to."
Izuku lit up. "Of course! Even with simply a light quirk, you could be useful in all sorts of search and rescue operations, not to mention if we tried to push your quirk to see if you could emit lights from the higher spectrums…"
Hikari cut Izuku off. "Hey now, no analyzing!" This got most of the table to laugh before Hikari continued, "I get it, you are the one pushing to do this without any quirk at all. But you have a level of ambition I just don't have. If I want to help people, I can always become a paramedic or something."
Izuku blushed. "S-sorry."
Hikari shook his head and smiled. "You're fine. Just not all of us are cut out to be heroes, you know?"
"Y-yeah." Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I'm just biased."
"Are you two going to apply to UA at least?" Ochako asked Himiko and Hikari.
"Sure, I can put it on the list. I'm not sure if I can pass the exam though," Hikari admitted.
"I would love to, but I don't know if I can," Himiko added, sounding somewhat sad as she looked down at her meal.
"I already said we can help you study," Izuku offered, "and mom offered to talk to the school if being held back is a problem."
"You'd better help Aika study too," Kyoka pointed out, a smirk on her face as she gave her petite friend a sideways glance.
"Ugh, I don't know how you guys did it!"
"I don't know how you got a 21% on the practice test!" Hikari exclaimed, "even if you were just randomly guessing, statistically you should have gotten a higher score than that."
"Don't remind me." Aika banged her head on the table dramatically. "I'm a lost cause. Seiai, here I come!"
"I wouldn't count yourself out just yet," Ochako encouraged, "we've still got ten months to work on you!"
"Yeah, we'll just have to see what happens!"
"You ready?" Midnight asked Toshinori as he approached the car, bag in hand.
"Of course!"
It was already the middle of April, and just as Ochako predicted, All Might received an official request from the Nabari police force, on behalf of several local heroes, to help deal with the A-ranked villain, Blastwave. So far, civilian casualties had been minimal, but when the local heroes attempted to apprehend him, the villain caused a massive amount of property damage and injured a half-dozen heroes in the ensuing battle.
Worried about the number of injuries among the local hero population, a request had been sent to Might Tower, and since he knew it was coming, Toshinori accepted it without hesitation. There was only one small problem - Ochako was no longer in Nabari. This meant that unless something had changed since she told her story, at least one child would get hurt, or worse since she wouldn't be there to help this time.
Not willing to accept the worst-case scenario, All Might asked Aizawa and Kayama for help. Since school was in session, Aizawa used that as an excuse to avoid going, but Kayama agreed, knowing that there were lives on the line. All Might hoped that her quirk would help subdue the villain before he caused any civilian casualties.
Stepping aside, Kayama allowed Toshinori to put his bag into the trunk before they both got into the car. A few minutes later, they pulled out of UA and were on their way to Nabari.
They settled into a comfortable silence for the first hour, watching the city slowly fade away into the countryside. That is until Yagi remembered something important.
"Tonight was my turn to visit the Midoriyas and check up on young Himiko," Toshinori solemnly announced.
"Don't worry, I already told Kan to do it instead. Since you have all but taken over those visits for us, it's only fair that he picks up the slack while All Might is on important business."
"That's good." Despite his words, Toshinori couldn't ignore the aching in his chest.
"My, Yagi, are you sad you don't get to visit the Midoriyas tonight?"
"A little," Toshinori admitted, catching Kayama off guard, "I have been enjoying those visits."
"Well, at least someone is open about their feelings." Kayama smirked. "Inko is a lovely lady."
The comment caught Toshinori off guard, and he descended into a coughing fit, using a handkerchief to prevent blood from spraying everywhere in the car.
It took him a moment before he recovered. "You're not wrong, Mrs. Midoriya is a lovely lady. Even though she is a civilian, she knows a lot about heroes - young Midoriya's influence, no doubt. And my meetings about young Himiko always run long, just because she is pleasant company. It feels nice."
Kayama smiled warmly. "I agree. She is always willing to lend a helping hand. She's even offered to let me stay for dinner after a particularly rough day of work. But I feel like your connection to her is even stronger."
After a long pause, Yagi's response was not what Kayama was expecting. "Perhaps. But for now, she is the first person with whom I can just be Toshinori Yagi."
"What do you mean?"
"Even though many people know me as Toshinori Yagi in this form, almost all of them also know I am All Might. This is true for both the staff at UA and my trusted employees at Might Tower. Mrs. Midoriya just knows me as Toshinori Yagi, an assistant at Might Tower. It may be because I have been a hero for forty years, but the freedom to just be Toshinori is something I am enjoying more than I thought I would."
Midnight smiled as she looked at All Might out of the corner of her eye. "You really are full of surprises. I imagine after you retire, you'll be able to enjoy that even more."
"I certainly hope so."
Mirai Sasaki hadn't spoken to All Might in almost five years, so to say he was surprised when the pro hero called him was a huge understatement. Even more so when All Might said that he wanted to talk to him about his successor.
It made Mirai content to hear that the old hero was finally taking his injury seriously and choosing to pass One For All on to a worthy successor. When he asked who, however, All Might went quiet and instead invited him to meet at UA to discuss this in person.
This made Mirai wary. While UA was a fine place to choose a successor, and admittedly the place he would have gone looking if All Might listened to him all those years ago… the way All Might spoke on the phone put him on edge. Even though he trusted the hero about a great number of things, the topic of choosing a successor was not one of them, if the past five years were anything to go by.
Still, it appeared the hero finally came around, and he still trusted Mirai enough to call him about his decision. The least he could do for his old mentor was to agree to his request and meet this new successor. He could always run damage control later if the hero made a foolish choice.
When he approached UA, Mirai saw a blonde skeleton of a man waiting outside the gates for him, and he stopped in shock.
He didn't know how long he was standing there, but it was enough time for Toshinori to notice him and walk over with a broad smile on his face. "Sasaki, it's been too long!"
"Ya-Yagi?! What happened to you?"
Toshinori gave him an ashamed look. "It was as you said: I kept pushing myself for the past five years, and this is the result."
Mirai sighed. "How bad is it?"
"Not here, let's talk inside. Nezu has offered us a secure room where we can talk, and my successors are waiting inside."
The slip made Mirai freeze instantly. "Successors?"
"Y-Yes?"
"Yagi…"
Toshinori held up his hands defensively. "I-I promise it will make sense, but please, at least listen to my explanation first!"
Mirai continued to glare at him but finally relented. "Fine. I've already come this far. Lead the way."
The two walked through the empty halls of UA in cold silence, until they came to the teacher's lounge. Timorously, Toshinori opened the door.
"Now I know this looks bad but give me time to explain!"
Mirai was about to ask for an explanation when he saw two students sitting in the lounge: a boy with unruly green hair and a girl with short brown hair. They weren't even students of UA. They were middle schoolers, judging by their uniforms.
"I swear if this is your idea of a joke…"
Toshinori just chuckled nervously as he grabbed Mirai's arm and pulled him into the room, slamming the door shut. One of the students went to the wall and pushed a button, and a few moments later Mirai heard the familiar sound of anti-surveillance countermeasures coming to life in the background.
So he is completely serious.
A moment later, Toshinori let him go and allowed him a moment to adjust himself.
"Sir Nighteye, I'd like you to meet my successors."
Mirai looked at the two kids, who both were observing him with visible frowns on their faces. "Successors? Toshinori, I know that you need someone to inherit the quirk. We both know that it's a necessity at this point. But. There are multiple things wrong with that statement. For starters, they aren't even out of middle school yet! How can you expect me to be ok with you giving the One For All to an individual who isn't even a hero course student yet."
"That's where you're wrong," the boy firmly disputed. "Underestimating us."
"As I said, the situation is complicated." All Might sighed. "But I am serious, these two are my successors, and in a few months, I intend to transfer One For All to the two of them."
Mirai took a deep breath, resting his chin against his clasped hands. "Can you repeat that? I swear I heard you wrong."
Both students stared at him as if they had already made their judgment on him. Fair enough. He wasn't here to make friends with some kids. He was here to prevent All Might from making a terrible mistake. While his heart was in the right place, he often rushed to judgment without considering the bigger picture, and without Mirai to balance him out, he feared that is exactly what happened.
"It is my wish that these two children share One For All, and become the foundation for what comes after I retire as the symbol of peace," Toshinori calmly replied.
"Yagi, have you lost your mind?" Mirai felt the tension rising in his voice. "First you tell me that you've decided that these two children are to be your successors. Then you tell me that they are going to share One For All? How could you even conceive of such an idea?"
"Who would you choose to be his successor?" The voice of the green-haired boy cut in again. "Someone from UA, perhaps? Mirio Togata?"
"Who?" Mirai asked.
The brown-haired girl picked up a file folder that sat on the table in front of her and hurled it at Mirai, who reflexively caught it without looking. Opening the file, he saw the smiling face of a second-year UA student.
"In both of our timelines, you were upset at All Might for his choice of successor, and so you took it upon yourself to train Mirio as All Might's true successor. You never got the chance to try manipulating Ochako into giving up One For All, but when given the chance I chose to do a work-study under you. I had hoped to bridge the gap between you and All Might. And do you want to know what you said to me? You told me you were letting me join your agency so that I could see firsthand how Mirio was more worthy to be All Might's successor than I was. And that I would see the error of my ways and give him One For All."
Mirai stared at the two kids in stunned silence before looking at Toshinori. He simply stood there, patiently waiting for Mirai to digest everything he had just heard. He then turned back to the two kids, sitting there with their arms crossed, waiting for him.
This lasted for a few minutes, Mirai looking back and forth between the students and Toshinori as he processed everything that he heard. Eventually, slowly, Mirai looked Toshinori in the eyes.
"They said 'both of their timelines' as if they already had One For All and met me in the past. Do you mean to tell me-"
"Yes," Toshinori frankly replied. "Those two children are from the future."
Mirai gaped at Izuku and Ochako with renewed eyes. As far as he could tell, they were just normal middle school kids. He turned back to Toshinori. "If you are making that claim, I hope you have evidence to back it up. There has never been any proof of a time travel quirk ever existing, and for that to change now…"
Or this was a trap, Mirai thought. He knew that even after they stopped All For One, they never fully uncovered his network completely. If someone else knew about One For All, they could have attempted an elaborate ruse to obtain it.
Toshinori sighed. "Please, sit down. This is going to take a while."
Cautiously, Mirai sat down on one of the couches and set Mirio's file down before crossing his arms and examining the hero. "I'm listening."
Toshinori looked fondly at the two kids. "A little over six months ago, young Midoriya," he said, indicating the green-haired boy, "made desperate contact with Recovery Girl, revealing that he knew about me, One For All, and All For One. All of which were confirmed true by Detective Tsukauchi."
"I am familiar with him," Mirai sharply replied, "but his quirk is not flawless. With proper suggestion and hypnosis, you could get around his quirk."
Toshinori held up his hand. "We had thought the same thing. But then upon further discussion, young Midoriya revealed much more personal information that someone like All For One would not have known. Finally, he revealed to us the fact that young Uraraka was sent back alongside him." Toshinori gestured to the brown-haired girl.
Mirai noticed the two's uneasy movements with the girl tapping her foot and the boy fidgeting with his fingers, impatiently awaiting Toshinori's decision. "I'm assuming she told you the same thing?"
"Yes. And I believe them. Like it or not, these two are from the future, and both were chosen by me to be the ninth bearer of One For All."
"How is that possible? How can you have chosen multiple people to be your successor?"
"That's because we're not from the same future," Ochako answered. "Izuku and I - somehow, we both came from different futures, and due to a miracle, we ended up back here together. It was perhaps fate, or destiny, that we were both friends in our past." The two shared an obscure smile. "And our destinies ended up entwined when we were sent back."
"Ok, suppose this is all true. That would confirm that a quirk capable of time travel does, in fact, exist in the future."
"Yes," Toshinori replied simply.
"Shouldn't we be concerned with finding the person who has that quirk?"
Toshinori smiled. "You are looking at him."
Mirai opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Izuku. "The power is contained within One For All. When All Might passed the quirk onto us, it underwent some sort of awakening, and we gained the ability to access all of the previous holder's quirks - at a much greater strength than their owners had during their lifetime."
Mirai turned to look at Toshinori in disbelief. "So, the next holder of One For All has access to six additional quirks beyond your strength. If that is true, shouldn't you be extra careful about whom you choose to inherit this power?" He couldn't help but look at the file on the table, seeing the smiling face of Togata staring at the ceiling. "That would be a further argument to choose someone who is already undergoing training. That way you would know more about their character and their ability to control their quirk."
Toshinori sent his friend a pensive frown. "I have observed these two closely over the past six months, and their behavior matches their words. They are both more than worthy to inherit my power. While it may be complicated, it is not without precedent that they can share its power, at least temporarily."
"That doesn't change the fact that they're both young and inexperienced." The thought of someone with less than perfect control of their body receiving such a powerful quirk was horrifying to Mirai, who had seen All Might in action up close for years. One wrongly timed punch and suddenly the heroes could have caused more damage than the villains they were fighting.
"They have seen more than many students at UA, unfortunately." Toshinori let out a weary sigh. "And that is what led them back to us now."
As pieces of the puzzle slipped into place, Mirai's eyes drifted back to the file on the desk. "Why the focus on him?"
Ochako rolled her eyes while Izuku spoke. "In both of our timelines, when All Might chose us as his successor, he called you to inform you of the good news - he thought you would be happy that he finally chose a successor. But you didn't approve of his choice and took matters into your own hands. So you came to UA and chose Togata to be the ninth holder of One For All."
"Clearly, I failed to convince you." Mirai turned to Toshinori. "So why bring him up as part of this discussion?"
"While your reasons were wrong, your actions were not." Toshinori picked up the file and offered it to Mirai. "You were right. Society destabilized without a symbol of peace. But what these two children have made me realize is that society shouldn't have a single symbol of peace. You should still take young Togata under your wing and teach him how to be a smiling hero. Under your guidance, he was on the path to becoming a great hero. You have done that twice already, and I see no reason why it shouldn't happen again. Even without the power granted by One For All, Japan will need heroes such as him, just as much as they will need these two."
Mirai mused over Toshinori's words, taking the file and setting it on his lap. "You knew how I would react, which is why you insisted we have this meeting in person."
"That is not the only reason, but yes," Toshinori admitted, "and according to these two, our conversation over the phone played out in much the same way both times, so this time I decided to change things."
"That's not the only reason we invited you here. We don't care what you think of us as All Might's successors," Ochako asserted, "but we still need your help."
Mirai glanced at the children again, about to say something till Izuku continued. "The Shie Hassaikai. You've been investigating them for about six months, haven't you?"
Mirai was silent for a bit till he answered, "Yes, they have been aggressively expanding their drug smuggling operation, especially the drug Trigger. But you knew that already, didn't you?"
Izuku and Ochako nodded. "Because that was when the new boss, Kai Chisaki, also known as the villain Overhaul, had taken over," Izuku carried on.
"And why does that concern you?" Mirai pointedly asked.
"Because he is researching a quirk erasing drug, and the key component of his research is a little girl - Eri. She can't be more than five right now. And he- he-"
Ochako put a comforting hand on Izuku's arm and picked up where he left off. "He uses his quirk to tear her apart and put her back together, repeatedly. By the time we rescued her, he had used his quirk on her thousands of times. He would extract blood and tissue from her to study and then would use his quirk in the most painful way possible to restore her. Because of the way she has been treated, she never learned how to use her quirk. He would much rather she be kept in the dark, that way he could keep her dependent on him - telling her that if she accidentally used it, he would simply overhaul her to stop it."
As a hero, Mirai has seen many horrors in his life, so he knew how to control his emotions. But after hearing what that yakuza clan was really up to, it took all of his effort to maintain a facade of control. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Japan does not take my retirement well. Knowing this, these two are seeking to change the future. And that includes rescuing little Eri."
"She has a powerful quirk, Rewind. It lets her revert a living organism back to a younger state. With proper training and support, she could use her quirk to heal others. She could even use her quirk to restore All Might to the condition he was in before his battle with All For One," Ochako offered helpfully.
Mirai frowned. "Do you think everything I do is through the lens of All Might? I don't need additional incentive to go after the organization; if what you are saying is true, rescuing this girl is motivation enough."
Meanwhile, Mirai's mind raced at the potential implications of her quirk. If what they were saying was true, that meant that a time-based quirk could subvert his foresight, something he had yet to achieve on his own. Simply knowing that such a quirk existed, even within One For All, raised many questions that he knew would take months for him to resolve. And Eri offered another such quirk. If she wasn't living in such horrifying conditions, he would love to spend time experimenting with her to determine the true limitations of his quirk.
On the other hand, it gave him even more reason to bring down this criminal syndicate.
"Sasaki, we know this is your investigation, but as the number one hero, you know I could go around you if I chose to," Toshinori told him softly. "Despite how poorly things ended for us five years ago, these children have given us a unique opportunity. I would like to mend that bridge, but I cannot do it alone."
Mirai looked between the three, seeing the resolve on all of their faces. At that moment, he realized he stood at a crossroad. Whether he believed it or not, Toshinori sincerely believed these two children were from the future and sought to change things for the better. This olive branch was part of that, and now it was his turn to make a choice. Did he want to rejoin Toshinori and help him, or did he want to reject him, for what would apparently be a third time, and go his own way?
Mirai knew he had the answer, but he was scared to use his quirk in such a manner. Ever since he saw Toshinori's death 5 years ago, he had refused to look more than an hour into the future.
This situation, however, seemed to warrant it.
Mirai turned towards Izuku and Ochako. "Will one of you be willing to let me use my quirk on you, to see the next several years?"
Izuku and Ochako turned to each other, silently debating amongst themselves before nodding. Izuku turned back to Mirai. "Use your quirk on me. I'll accept the consequences."
Izuku offered his hand, while Mirai reached out and touched it before he activated his quirk.
Immediately, Mirai found himself regretting his decision. The best way he could describe what he saw was that he was watching two movies superimposed on top of each other. It took all his effort to try and separate the two, picking out even the most basic of details. He watched himself recoiling from the effort, but he also saw a completely different scene of Izuku wandering through a junkyard, lifting old discarded appliances.
He could only hold his quirk for a few seconds before he was overwhelmed. Quickly, he canceled his quirk, trying to catch his breath.
"What?!"
"Sasaki, are you ok?" Toshinori asked, concerned about his old friend.
Mirai took a moment before he looked at the two children, realization filling his face. "I had my doubts, but it's all true - my quirk, the way it reacted - Midoriya is from the future."
This is the first time I've seen my quirk react this way. Mirai thought to himself. Then again, this is the first time I've interacted with a time-based quirk. While this doesn't completely confirm their story, it would be best if I was close at hand to continue observing them.
He looked at Uraraka. "If you don't mind, I would like to use my quirk on you tomorrow as well, to verify."
Ochako frowned but relented. "Fine."
Once again, Mirai faced Toshinori. "I don't know what I did to earn the ire of these two, but if they- and you- are trying to make things right… I want to help."
Toshinori stood up and transformed into his muscle form, his signature grin on his face. "Welcome back, Sir Nighteye!"
Bringing Sir Nighteye into the fold turned out to be a wise decision. After he met with All Might, Nezu invited him back to the school the next day, where he showed the hero all of the work he had already compiled based on Izuku and Ochako's testimony. Seeing the scope of the work involved helped ease some of Mirai's worries. If someone like Nezu was taking this seriously, that raised the probability that they were telling the truth.
"Wait, you mean to tell me All For One is still alive?" Mirai exclaimed as he sat in the principal's office with Nezu and Toshinori.
"Unfortunately, it appears he had survived despite the damage I caused to him."
"How?"
"He had two hundred years to prepare," Nezu replied calmly. "It is not hard to imagine he has many contingencies stored among the quirks he had stockpiled."
"Why didn't you lead with that, instead of talking about the Shie Hassaikai?" Mirai asked Toshinori pointedly.
Toshinori laughed nervously, "You see. This child, Eri. She has deep personal meaning for those two and knowing the conditions she is being forced to endure, they wish to remedy the situation as soon as possible."
"There is also a practical benefit," Nezu explained, "destroying his research on quirk-erasing bullets before it comes to fruition."
"Indeed, then young Togata would not have to suffer the loss of his quirk."
Mirai had to agree there, at least. After he returned to his agency, he had a chance to review Mirio's file, and he liked what he saw. He could understand why, if events hadn't changed, he would have taken him under his wing and trained him to become All Might's successor. The boy was perfect for the role.
However, Toshinori did present a convincing argument that Japan should no longer rely on a single Symbol of Peace, and Mirai agreed with that. Even though he knew Mirio wasn't going to be the ninth holder of One For All, he would still make an impressive Symbol of Peace, and Mirai decided that he was going to talk to the boy after this meeting. If Togata agreed, he would bring him on and begin training him.
Mirai conceded the point. "So after we handle the Shie Hassaikai, we are going to devote everything to rooting out All For One, then?"
"As well as the Meta-Liberation Army, yes. It is concerning how well they are hidden. I have already sent several heroes to Deika City to investigate, and none of them have managed to turn up any leads. Perhaps a second perspective is exactly what is needed to find the answer."
Mirai saw the thin red notebook Nezu had begun, picking it up off the table and quickly flipping through it. "I'll see what I can find, but you aren't giving me much to go on."
"That is all we ask. Now then, for the second reason, I am placing All For One at a lower priority - I have devised a plan…"
AN: Now all of the pieces are in place. It's time to invoke one last time skip next chapter and jump to mid-June.
Himiko: Izuku-kun, why does Ochako-chan always sit between us at lunch?
Izuku: *is reminded of Ochako and an alt-universe version of himself getting stabbed to death by Himiko Toga* no reason!
Himiko: *sus* ...are you sure?
Izuku: *sweat drop* Yep!
Himiko: Well, if she's worried about me making a move to get in between you two, I won't! You two are just too cute together, I don't want to hurt that! Plus, it would make things weird if mo-ma Inko adopted me! *hopeful Himi noises*