AN: Thanks for reading and leaving a review, everyone!
SirTypesALot - All of my stories are part of the same "multiverse" as it were. They all rely on the shared worldbuilding I have been slowly creating throughout all of my stories, in a large part to make my life easier since every story operates on the same rules and I cut down the number of new OCs I need! Which does mean that if the Chako-verse crew go looking, they could run into my other stories, if I ever want to give myself a headache :3
Spring break ended far too quickly for everyone's liking, and before they realized it they were back at school. Izuku and Ochako found themselves busy studying for the upcoming entrance exam to UA at the end of the year, while Melissa continued to train to become a hero.
And with no new revelations occurring while they slept, the mystery of One For All was placed aside by the more immediate concerns brought about from the first month of school.
Ochako's eyes snapped open as she heard the distant sound of crashing waves. She pushed herself upright and saw that she was in the now somewhat familiar cave that marked her entry into the vestige realm.
"Woulda been nice if I had a warning," Ochako muttered to herself as she pushed herself to her feet before she walked to the entrance of the cave and peered out. The fog appeared to have thinned out, maybe? It was hard to tell since it had been a little over a month since she was last here.
"Is anyone here?" She called out, silently hoping the vestige of Izuku was nearby ready to greet her. Sure she had met him on the clifftop the two previous times, but when they explored the island she specifically pointed out the cave to him!
Silence was her only reply.
"I had to be pulled in for a reason, right? Maybe they're waiting for me at the cliff instead."
Shaking her head to chase away dark thoughts, Ochako exited the cave and began to make her way to the clifftop retreat.
Melissa's eyes opened to the sight of the constellations within the vestige realm. With a gasp, she jumped upright.
"Uncle Toshi didn't warn me…" She said as her brows furrowed in concentration before her eyes went wide. "Something must have happened."
Not wasting any time, she wrapped herself in Overcharge, becoming a golden beacon in the night. With the light and extra speed provided by One For All, she quickly crossed the island as she raced toward the lighthouse in search of answers.
Skidding to a halt in front of the door, Melissa took a moment to compose herself before she knocked on the heavy door. A moment later she heard it open, revealing the vestige form of her uncle.
"Melissa…"
"Hey Uncle Toshi," Melissa rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "I guess you aren't the reason I'm here, are you?"
"No," The vestige shook his head. "We felt something change, which means…"
"It's likely from Izuku's copy of One For All," Nana said from behind him.
"But if I'm here that means…" Melissa gasped, her hand covering her mouth. "Ochako!"
"Oh no!" A third voice spoke up, only for Melissa to see the vestige of the older Izuku appear next to Toshinori. "I'll um… go bring her back."
"Are you sure you can carry her safely?" Nana asked.
"Ehe," Izuku rubbed the back of his head with his normal arm. "She can use her quirk in here, so it'll be easy to launch both of us back!"
"You sound like you're speaking from experience…" Melissa said suspiciously.
"Call it a hunch!" Izuku said quickly before she shoved past the vestige of his mentor and the eleventh holder. "I'll meet you on the other island as quickly as I can!"
Melissa held out a hand and opened her mouth to protest, but before she could get a word in he had wrapped himself in Full Cowling and was gone. Before she had a chance to recover she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder.
"Come on," Toshinori said. "Let's get over to Young Midoriya's part of the vestige realm and see what we can find."
Izuku's eyes slowly opened to reveal a sea of grass under him. With a groan, he turned himself over to look skyward, the multicolored hue of the vestige realm shining down on him.
"Why… didn't they tell us?" Izuku asked nobody in particular.
Pushing himself upright, Izuku summoned Full Cowling, turning him into a beacon in the darkness. Without any other guidance, he decided the best course of action was to head toward the lighthouse - the vestiges might have some idea of what was going on.
As Izuku began to walk through the jungle, he felt a feeling at the base of his skull, like he was being watched.
But that doesn't make any sense! Nobody was here! Unless….
Izuku froze. Quickly he spun around and searched all around him.
"Is anyone there?" Izuku called out. "I know…" He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I know about One For All's awakening, and how I'm the first to meet with you. If anyone's out there…" He quietly trailed off, then strained to listen for a response.
The silence was almost deafening, until–
There!
It was so faint that Izuku almost swore he imagined it. But he heard the faintest rustling of leaves. He turned in the direction of the sound, his eyes going wide as he realized where it was coming from.
The bombed-out building!
Not wasting any time, Izuku took off, crashing through the underbrush until he entered the clearing… and gasped at the sight.
The bombed-out gray walls were gone. In its place stood what looked to be a large fire pit with the same eight chairs circling around it. And further back was a simple wooden cabin. The appearance of the two things almost gave the site the appearance of a campground, although Izuku knew that looks were deceiving. Carefully approaching the fire pit, he peered in only to see a single log, currently burning with a dull purple light.
He didn't have time to ponder the meaning of the sight when he felt that feeling on his neck again. Head snapping up, he laid his eyes on the building – and its occupant. There, standing in the doorway, was a frail-looking man in tattered tan and green clothes. The pale white hair and distinctive scar were enough for Izuku to identify the man from Nighteye's portfolios. It was none other than…
"Hikage?" Izuku said hesitantly.
"I see you've finally found me," The man said as he stepped out of the building. "Or, based on what you were saying earlier, I've finally found you."
"That means my body's adapting to One For All," Izuku said softly. "I'm surprised though. Melissa, she–" His eyes drifted in the direction of the other, larger island "-unlocked Float first. I… guess I thought I'd meet Nana first as well."
Hikage looked around the area and shrugged. "Well, Fate, or Yoichi, decided I'd be the first one to meet you instead."
"Yoichi?" Izuku perked up. "He's the one who had the quirk first, right?"
"Yeah, he was."
"So you've met him, then? Does that mean the other vestiges are awake?"
"Not yet," the man shook his head. "I can feel them, and can briefly talk to each other," he gestured toward the eight chairs surrounding the fire. "But for now I'm the only one who's awake. If you want to call… whatever this is awake."
"Ehe," Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "There's… actually a lot to tell you."
"I'm not too surprised," The vestige said. "I always knew I wasn't strong enough to face All For One, so I simply entrusted my hope to the future."
"All For One?"
"You mean your predecessor didn't warn you?" Hikage's eyes went wide in surprise.
"Ehe… we knew about the forces that are trying to destroy Japan," Izuku said quickly, "we just… didn't have a name?"
"I see…" Hikagi hooked a finger around his chin as he examined Izuku. "And yet, it seems like you know quite a bit about One For All as well. Your memory is quite eclectic."
"Well you see–"
"Hikage!" The voice of Nana interrupted Izuku as he was about to speak, drawing the attention of both Izuku and the vestige skyward. There they saw the woman descending toward the camp, Melissa hanging off of her back. She quickly landed and turned her attention toward Izuku. "So your vestiges have finally started waking up, huh?"
"Shimura?" The vestige asked. "What's going on?"
"I was just about to explain," Izuku said sheepishly, "that there's another copy of One For All… and somehow they've gotten tangled up with each other?"
"It's a long story," Nana told the fourth holder of One For All. "But needless to say, this other copy of One For All has been around a lot longer… and is a long way from home."
"The situation must have been more dire than I feared," Hikage's brow furrowed at the news. "For you to go to such extreme lengths…"
"At least we've got plenty of time to talk," Nana replied, offering him a faint smile. "After all, we're trying not to let the kids in too often."
At the reminder, Izuku's eyes went wide. "Ochako!"
"She's on her way!" Melissa assured him. "The other you went looking for her as soon as I showed up."
"I'm glad," Izuku said, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders.
"There's a third copy of One For All?"
"Ehehe," Melissa laughed nervously as she turned toward the vestige. "Like Nana said… it's complicated."
"It certainly sounds this way. I thought I would be talking to Ninth alone," Hikage admitted before he nodded toward the fire pit. "Something's happening within One For All. It's gained enough power that previously unknown abilities have been unlocked."
"And now I'll be able to use your quirk," Izuku whispered.
"I see, you really are well-informed," Hikage mused. "We suspected something like that may eventually happen. Even if we are the ones on the back foot."
"Don't worry," Nana tried to assure her fellow vestige. "Even if things have taken an unexpected turn, this is a good thing." She looked at the two teens standing there. "We think."
"Well," Hikage gestured towards the chairs surrounding the fire pit. "We've got to start somewhere, right? Why don't we sit down and figure this out."
"Yes," Nana agreed. Turning around, she felt a faint smile tugging at her lips when she saw a green comet burning away the mist as it raced across the water. "That sounds like a great idea."
The next morning when Izuku woke up, he already felt Hikage's quirk settling in.
It would be hard to miss, considering it felt like a constant pressure at the base of his skull.
Slamming his eyes shut, Izuku tried to practice some breathing exercises that he had learned.
Breathe in. Count to ten. Release. Count to ten. Repeat.
By the third iteration, he had it under control.
Or so he thought.
His mom noticed his change in demeanor over breakfast, which he was able to wave away as being awake all night. Even though it was only partially true, it was enough to put her at ease for now.
Ochako on the other hand…
"Izuku, are you okay?" The gravity girl asked as he met up with her, causing him to jump.
"Eeep! Err…" Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "H-hey Ochako."
Izuku winced when he saw the gravity girl's eyes narrow behind her glasses and she placed her hands on her hips. He clearly wasn't doing a good job fooling her.
"Don't 'hey Ochako' me. What's wrong?"
"It's my quirk," Izuku admitted softly.
Ochako's eyes went wide. "What happened?! I thought this was supposed to be simple!"
Izuku winced at the loud tone of her voice. "It's…" He sighed. "Hard to explain. It's like… I've got a headache? Even if we're not in immediate danger, it feels like there's this tension in the air." He gave her a broken smile. "Sorry, I shouldn't bother you. I'll figure it out."
"Nope!" Ochako held up a finger accusingly. "You're not gonna bother me. I signed up for this… whatever this is too!"
"Thanks, Ocha, but I'm not sure there's anything you can do," He gave her an apologetic look.
Ochako's brows furrowed before her eyes lit up. "I've got an idea! Take off your backpack!" Izuku looked at her questioningly, but the expression on her face told him she would brook no argument.
With a resigned sigh, he pulled it off and held it in his hands. Stepping behind him, Izuku flinched as he felt her hands touch his back before she began to rub soothing circles into his shoulders. He felt his face ignite from the girl's proximity and closeness to him, not needing a quirk to feel the heat radiating off of her body as her hands deftly traced circles in his muscles.
"Feeling better?" Ochako asked quietly, her breath tickling his ears.
Izuku blinked, only to realize that the sensation had dulled. Whatever Ochako had done, it was enough to suppress the quirk. At least temporarily.
"Yeah!" Izuku said enthusiastically, only to let out an ignoble squeak as he felt her crash into his back, her arms trapping him as they wrapped around his chest.
"I'm glad!" Ochako replied. "My mom always does that when I'm feeling stressed! I'm not sure if it would help but–"
"It did!" Izuku nodded. Realizing she couldn't see him, he gently touched her hands, feeling her release him long enough to turn around. "I'm not sure how long it'll last, but for now it's working."
"Great!" Ochako smiled brightly as she folded her hands behind her back, reminding Izuku how radiant she was. "If you need help with your quirk just let me know, okay?"
"Mhm, I will! But um… we should probably get going if we don't want to be late."
"Eep!" Ochako squeaked out. "You're right, let's go!"
Without thinking, Ochako grabbed his hand before the pair started running toward the train station.
Ochako was happy to see that her technique worked for a few hours at least. It was halfway through their morning classes before she noticed Izuku once again becoming anxious and agitated. A quick text message between classes confirmed it. He assured her it was okay though, and managed to make it through morning classes despite the distraction.
For lunch, she tried not to think too hard about the fact that he was pressed into her side while they ate. As much as she enjoyed the sudden change, she knew it was because he was adjusting to his new quirk. Things would return to normal once he learned how to control it properly. Nor did she think about how bright his face was as she massaged his back, helping him relax and gain a few hours of reprieve before they returned to classes for the afternoon.
After school let out, the pair made their way to UA. Although normally they only train their quirks once every few weeks, their journey into the vestige realm and the arrival of Danger Since was important enough that All Might and Gran Torino agreed to meet with them on short notice.
Which led to her current situation, where she stood in the middle of a semicircle of weights, none of which were floating in the air.
"Danger Sense! Ha!" Gran Torino exclaimed as he landed another blow and caused Izuku to stumble forward.
Ochako instinctively reached out towards her friend, and this time she swore she saw something reflecting off of her fingers. With a quiet gasp, she turned her hand towards her, but she didn't see anything. She didn't have time to register her disappointment before Izuku began talking.
"I can feel the attack coming in," Izuku explained as he regained his balance and turned around. "It's just I… can't respond fast enough?" He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"Tch," Torino settled to the ground. "At least we know the quirk's working then."
"Maybe I can try sparring with him?" Melissa supplied helpfully. "I'm still not as fast as you are, after all."
"That's because of all that damned armor you're wearing," Torino grumbled. Melissa looked like she was about to protest when he shook his head. "Fine, let's see how Midoriya does against you."
Ochako glanced down at the weights to see they were all unfortunately still secure on the ground. Deciding to give up for a moment, she turned her attention to her friends. She watched as Izuku and Melissa squared up, their respective copies of One For All flaring to life as they wrapped themselves in its power.
"Here I come!" Melissa announced before she charged forward.
The older girl looked like she was attempting to throw a basic punch, only to change tactics at the last moment and pivot into an elbow strike. Izuku effortlessly dodged the blow, only to offer her a small smile.
"I dodged it!"
"Great!" Melissa smiled back only to raise her palm and fire a laser at Izuku. One of the latest upgrades she had made to her costume from I-Island, it gave her a ranged option without resorting to creating waves of air pressure like All Might did. And like Izuku presumably would.
"Eep!" Izuku let out an undignified squeak, only to drop to the floor to avoid the attack. Rather than get up he rolled away, dodging Melissa's attempt to stomp on him before he finally kicked off the floor and regained a standing position.
Ochako watched this dance go on for several minutes, Melissa relentless in her assault while Izuku managed to dodge every blow. He even managed to land a few blows in return!
"I think we've seen enough," Toshinori finally called out to the students. "Young Midoriya, your mastery over your new quirk is quite impressive.
"That was amazing!" Melissa said as she crashed into him and pulled him into a hug. "It was like you guessed my every move!"
"Y-yeah," Izuku's face started to brighten. "It's pretty easy to use. It's just… turning it off after that I need to work on." As he said that he leaned into Melissa's touch, despite the armor.
"I hope you figure it out before I get Danger Sense," Melissa joked lightly as she carded her fingers through his hair. "So I can borrow your notes."
"Ehe," Izuku pulled back far enough to look at the girl, his cheeks ablaze. "You're helping a lot." He then tilted his head in Ochako's direction. "And I'm not sure I would have made it through the school day without Ochako's help."
"Hugs and backrubs. Sounds like quite the drawback." Melissa said playfully. From her vantage point, Ochako swore her cheeks were also brighter – and not just from exertion. She didn't have time to think about it because suddenly she found herself under Melissa's bright gaze. "Maybe I'll have to ask the two of you for help when the time comes."
"It's what friends are for, right?" Ochako asked, wondering why her own cheeks were heating up at the girl's expression. It's not like Melissa hasn't looked at her like that before, after all!
"And how about you Ochako?" Izuku asked, quickly changing the conversation as he separated from the older girl. "Any luck with your quirk?"
"No," Ochako grumbled as she looked down at the weights. "I thought maybe this time would be enough but…" She flailed her hands. "Nothing!"
"I guess the bond isn't strong enough yet," Melissa said thoughtfully as she examined the weights on the ground.
"It's okay!" Izuku assured the gravity girl as he approached her. "Just think about how long it took for Melissa and I to get to where we are…"
"I know, I was there," Ochako sighed. "I know I'm being impatient but…"
"You'll get there," Izuku said, gently touching her arm with his hand.
"You're right." Ochako gave Izuku a warm smile. Determination filling her eyes, she looked down at the weights. "In the meantime, I guess I should work on my max weight limit, huh?"
"That's the spirit!"
Ochako shot Izuku a thankful glance before the two separated. As Izuku returned to spar with Melissa a second time, she slowly walked around the semicircle, touching the weights this time and removing their gravity.
Ok, I could float 22 weights before reaching my limit last time. Let's see if I can float 24 this time!
Later that evening, in the safety of her own room, Ochako once again found herself staring at the pads of her fingers. Seeing no change, she finally let out a frustrated sigh.
"Stupid quirk," She grumbled. "I've still got my connection to One For All so why…"
She couldn't help but feel her cheeks heating up as she remembered Izuku and Melissa from earlier. How she crashed into him in excitement and he began blushing.
"Is it… because I'm jealous?" Ochako asked nobody in particular.
Sure, she's made Izuku blush like that before! And when he doesn't think she's paying attention he's given her looks that make her heart race.
"But why would he ever pick me over her?" Ochako didn't even realize she was smiling as she recalled her bright smile - like the morning sun. "She's tall and smart and so so pretty and…"
Freezing mid-thought, Ochako started blinking as she felt a familiar warmth spreading along her cheeks - a warmth normally reserved for her thoughts about Izuku.
I didn't even think I liked girls like that!
And yet… she can't help but think about how the other girl made her feel, and how similar it was to her feelings towards Izuku. With an audible groan, she buried her face in her hands.
"I'm crushing on Risa too! How is this fair?!" She complained to the air. "They're perfect for each other and I'm just…" She pulled her hands away from her face to look at the pink pads on her fingers once again "...me."
Taking off her glasses and setting them aside, she dropped her head to her desk, feeling the force of the impact as her forehead connected with a dull thud. "I should be happy if they get together! They're my best friends, after all. And it's not like they don't hang out without me already… it's not like anything would change if they're dating." She told herself as she tried to convince herself this was the best option. "Neither of them are the kind of person who would do that! Besides… if you've managed to fall for two people so far, that means there'll be others, right? I'll… find someone eventually."
She let out a longing sigh, wishing that things were less complicated. Slowly raising her head, she began to rub her forehead until her eyes locked on the chipped and worn cup she used to store pens and pencils.
The same cup that was currently hovering a few inches off of her desk, with a half dozen pens, pencils, and a lone marker floating above it.
Thankful for the distraction, she shoved all of her traitorous thoughts about love aside. This was more important! Slowly bringing her hands together, she touched the pads of her fingers together.
"Release," she said with a shaky confidence.
As if their strings were cut, the objects fell back onto the desk. The cup let out a loud bang but thankfully didn't shatter, while the writing implements bounced and scattered every which way. Feeling her cheeks heating up at her lack of forethought, Ochako quickly gathered them back up and put them back in her cup, before setting it on the middle of her desk.
"Ok, so what did I do to make you float like that?"
As he finished watching the last round of UA's Sports Festival, All For One pressed a button to turn off the video.
"So it seems these kids are taking All Might's vision for the future seriously," He frowned slightly.
It was as if a fire was lit under them - all of the students, from first years to third, fought with a renewed vigor and determination he hadn't seen in decades. Not since All Might had assumed the mantle of Symbol of Peace, inspiring a whole new generation of heroes for the first time.
He would have to do something about this. The Nomu he had been deploying in small numbers have thus far proved inefficient. Sure he managed to cripple some heroes and even killed several, retrieving their bodies for his own experiments. But it wasn't enough to put terror back in the hearts of the heroes.
Not like the old days.
"Damn you All Might. You've emboldened Japan's heroes far too much."
Seeing the Sports Festival, All For One realized that if he wanted to achieve his goals, he would need to make a much bigger statement.
The villain turned to a different screen and pulled up the latest report from Garaki - an inventory of the Nomu he has been creating and their status. As he scrolled through the list and saw what creatures were ready to be deployed, he felt a plan forming.
"Yes, these will do nicely."
AN: Man this year's going by fast! It's almost time for internships again, so while I hope to have the next chapter out on time, it may be delayed, just as a head's up! ~SupportGrrl47