Izuku found himself resting in his bed, reflecting on everything that had happened. After the battle he and Katsuki were in, he sort of tuned everything else out. Except for Setsuna and Komori's fights at least. But it's not like they had a fair chance. They were lucky enough to be paired together, but their opponent turned out to be Shoto Todoroki. And to say that was a one-sided match would be an understatement.
But as he thought back on everything that happened, he also allowed his mind to drift toward his past lives. Notably, the elephant in the room. Both his lives were from different worlds. Not only from him, but from eachother. He had no idea reincarnation could cross the dimensional boundary, but apparently it could. Hell, Teyvat and Gensokyo had more in common with eachother than they did with his world. At least regarding technology levels.
And there was also the fact that despite being past versions of himself, they were definitely their own people. Remilia saw the world differently from him. As did Noelle. And yet, each of them also had something in common. A good heart. A willingness to do good. To stand up for those they loved.
Remilia might not be a hero by any means, but she would do anything for her family.
He let out a sigh and reached for the hero notebook on his nightstand, opening it up to the latest page. It'd been awhile since he'd written in the thing, what with everything being so chaotic. But he figured it was time to write down information about himself. About Noelle and Remilia.
He also got to work designing a new hero costume. One that would compliment both him and his past lives. It'd have to be one that accounted for bigger chest sizes, especially because he had no idea if any of his future past lives would have similar or bigger sizes to Noelle.
The, erm, bottom portion would have to be accounted for as well.
Then again, all hero costumes tended to be stretchy. So maybe that wasn't something he should be concerned about. No, what he needed to be concerned about was aesthetic. Maybe ditch the green and go with white and blue. Purple and black? So many choices.
He tapped his pencil to his cheek. There was also the question on how he could unlock more of his memories. Both Noelle and Remilia had come to him in dire situations. Would that always be the case? Or would some reveal themselves to him when he least expected it?
He sure hoped he'd learn the pattern soon. The last thing he wanted was for one to spring up in a moment where it wasn't welcome, like taking a math test or something. The visual was amusing, but he knew the teacher would kill him for disrupting the class.
He sighed and tossed the notebook to the side as he allowed his head to hit the pillow.
He could worry more about this tomorrow. He had to get some sleep now.
He wanted to groan the moment he strolled up to the school - opting not to fly this time - and came across a sea of reporters. He knew that heroes didn't have it easy, what with people wanting to know everything about you. And he meant everything. But would it kill them to leave the school alone?
Instead of bothering with the riff raff, he climbed up the wall and hopped over it, avoiding the hysteria entirely. He didn't mind the idea of being famous one day. It would naturally come with being a great hero, but right now, he just wanted to focus on his studies.
Upon getting to class, he said hello to Iida, Setsuna and Komori before sitting down and giving a nod to Katsuki. Their relationship hadn't entirely mended yet, with the other being determined to beat him, but it was a lot more cordial than before. At the very least, his blond friend had pulled his head from his ass and that was frankly all he could ask for.
"Alright," Aizawa's tired voice rang out. "Today you're going to pick a class rep and the vice rep. Decide . . . however you want. I'm going to sleep" the underground hero said as he flopped onto the floor and ceased movement entirely.
Izuku vaguely wondered if Aizawa was somehow related to Yukari with how much he slept before shaking his head and turning his attention toward Iida, who had stood up.
"We must do a vote for who gets the role! The only rule is that you're not allowed to vote for yourself!"
Izuku nodded. That seemed fair enough. And he already knew who his choice was going to be. The man was practically perfect for the role. He wrote Iida's name down and passed it forward.
The end result wasn't what he expected. He, of all people, was chosen as Class Rep, while Iida was chosen as the Vice-Rep.
Well, what better way to get used to leading a Hero Agency than now, huh? He gave the class his best smile. "I'll do my best!"
"I mirror Midoriya-kun's sentiments!" Iida said from beside him. "We shall strive to make Class 1-A the best class in the school!"
Izuku chuckled. Looked like he had a lot more responsibility to deal with now. So much for just focusing on his studies.
"Poor, widdle Izuku. Stuck with the job of Class Rep" Setsuna playfully mocked him as she patted him on the back as they sat in the cafeteria. "I'd hate to be stuck with that role. Way too much responsibility."
He stared down at his meal, a sigh escaping his lips. "I don't mind the role, but. I guess I'm not used to being popular. I never got the spot back in Aldera, so my brain is kind of adjusting to the fact that people like me here."
At the very least, he could use his new role to learn more about the Quirks of the kids in his class and that was something he'd never turn down.
His eyes drifted over to Kinoko - who was finally comfortable with allowing him to address her by her first name - and noticed that she was staring at her phone in awe.
"Whatcha lookin' at, Kinoko?" Setsuna asked, speaking up before he could.
She snapped out of her trance and glanced upward. "Oh, I was just. Watching a video from my favorite idol group. They're called Zwei Wing and their music is the best."
Izuku rubbed his chin. "I'm not really into idols, but I'm not opposed to them. Is their music that good?"
And in a display of emotion he rarely saw from the girl, she slammed her hands on the table and glared at him. "Good? Just good?! Oh, my poor uneducated friend. You know not what sin you've committed. Allow me to enlighten you~."
But before she could subject him to a fate equal to him geeking out about Heroes, the alarm sounded and almost immediately, everyone started panicking.
Izuku, however, didn't panic. He remembered the media from the morning and figured that they were to blame. After all, if it was really a security breach, they'd no doubt notice it. Villains weren't exactly known for being subtle.
Transforming into Remilia, she soared into the air and sent out purple bullets all around her that harmlessly detonated with flashes of light.
"There's no need to be alarmed!" she said as she spread her arms in a grandiose gesture. "There's no threat. It's just the media! Please calmly return to your seats and await further instructions!"
After making sure everyone had calmed down, she allowed herself to fall back toward the floor, where she casually landed back in her seat, her legs crossed.
"That form of yours really makes you want to show off, huh?" Setsuna asked with a cheeky grin.
Izuku waved her hand. "It makes me less averse to it at least. Now then," she gave a fanged grin to Kinoko. "What was this about an idol group?"
He'd had a bad feeling ever since he got on that bus. A sixth sense telling him that things were going to go horribly wrong. He didn't know where it was coming from, especially since neither Noelle nor Remilia had such an ability, but he knew it hadn't been lying to him the moment a dark portal opened up in the middle of the USJ facility.
It had been supposed to be a simple field trip to conduct rescue training - he still couldn't comprehend the fact that the USJ was still on U.A. property - but it seemed that wasn't to be. There were at least a hundred villains. And at least three of them looked like a serious threat. He had no idea when he started considering armed villains minor threats, but he wasn't about to start questioning it now. All he knew was that he could probably handle himself against most of them. The hand guy, the portal guy and the bird thing though? Those three might spell trouble.
"We are the League of Villains," the wispy villain said. "And we are here to see the Symbol of Peace, All Might, breathe his last."
Aizawa jumped forward, brandishing his capture tape. "Thirteen, protect the students! These are real villains."
Izuku was honestly skeptical about how a rescue hero could protect them from clearly combat oriented villains, but he wasn't going to object now.
"Izuku, what are we going to do?" Kinoko's worried voice said from beside him. He looked at her and she seemed to be close to tears. That's right. His fellow students weren't like him. They didn't have past life memories of incredible battles and dangerous villains. They hadn't gone through a life or death situation. This was the first time they were experiencing something like this. Even Setsuna looked a bit unnerved.
He watched as Aizawa battled the grunts and then noticed something was off. Where did the wispy guy go?!
"I know that some of you might be thinking of escaping, but I'm afraid I cannot allow that."
He whirled around to see the man standing by the entrance.
"I am Kurogiri, of the League of Villains. I am certain a few students dying might reflect rather unfavorably upon hero society, wouldn't you agree?"
"Out of my way, extra!" Katsuki shouted only to get his arm nearly yanked out of its socket by Setsuna.
"Don't just charge at the unknown villain, dumbass!"
"Your friend is wise," Kurogiri said. "But it matters not, for in the end, there will be no escaping for you."
Izuku glanced over at Iida. "Iida-kun, I'm going to make an opening for you. Once I do, get out of here and send word to U.A.!"
Iida froze and glanced over at him. "But, Midoriya-kun, you are certainly faster than me. Would it not be more imperative if you went?"
Izuku shook his head. "To risk sounding arrogant, I am the strongest person here currently. If I leave, who will help protect everyone?"
Iida hesitated before his expression shifted into one of resolve. "Midoriya-kun, no, Izuku. As the Reps of this class, it's our duty to protect them. So I'm trusting you with that duty!"
Izuku smiled. "And I'm trusting you with getting us help. You ready, Tenya?"
Tenya nodded and Izuku took that as a cue to transform into Noelle, utilizing her Geo Shield to get close to the villain without issue. She ignored the shocked yell of Katsuki. Shame she couldn't catch his reaction on camera like she'd wanted. She landed a bunch directly on the metal plate of the villain, because where else was she going to punch and noticed that his eyes widened in surprise.
"What's the matter? Not used to people finding your weak spot so easily?"
He chuckled. "You are certainly a unique one."
And then Izuku felt herself sinking. She glanced downward and swore. The man had been expecting her to attack. And she noticed others being absorbed by shadowy portals too.
Still, her distraction had been enough. She smirked as she noticed Tenya open the doors and slip through.
So, taking a page from Katsuki's book, she flipped the man off. "Looks like you dun goofed."
And then everything went black.
When she regained her vision, she was falling toward a pirate ship of some kind. It took her a moment to realize what the villain had done. He'd scattered them to make them easier to defeat. She had to begrudgingly give him credit for that. It was a clever tactic.
She landed atop the ship and glanced over the edge at all the villains waiting in the water. She clicked her tongue. They really were waiting to ambush everyone.
As far as she could tell, no one else had been sent to this area. That suited her just fine. She picked up a nearby fishing spear and twirled it in her hand. Noelle hadn't been a polearm user, but this would have to do.
And that's when she noticed that the villains were waiting for her. They weren't engaging.
She stared at them for a moment before a smirk slowly blossomed on her face. "Could it be that you guys weren't informed on what our Quirks could do?"
One of them, a shark looking guy, snarled at her. "Shaddap! Just get down here and fight like a man!"
"Not a man currently," she snarked.
"Don't make me come up there!"
"Oh, please do."
She prepared herself for combat when something that made her blood freeze caught her eye. It was Aizawa and he was currently being ragdolled by that bird thing. She glanced down at the villains one last time. She tossed her spear aside.
"Sorry, I can't fight with you right now."
She briefly allowed her transformation to fade before light illuminated her once more and the visage of Remilia took her place. Red eyes glowed dangerously as she hovered into the air.
"I won't let you kill him," she snarled as she flung herself forward and soared across the lake with such speeds that all the villains were sent airborne from the wake she kicked up. She pulled her right arm back and launched a ferocious right straight into the beast's chest, hoping to remove him from Aizawa's back.
To her utter horror, it didn't even budge.
"Oh?" the hand villain from earlier said. "Looks like a new challenger has appeared. Kill her too, Nomu."
The next thing she knew, the now-named Nomu's fist was buried in her stomach and she was sent hurtling backward, skipping across the concrete a few times before slamming into the wall. Blood erupted from her mouth as pain danced across her body. Her nerves felt like they were alight. Had it not been for her vampiric durability, she may have just passed out. She pulled herself out of the wall and stumbled out. But she didn't get a chance to get her bearings because Nomu was in front of her again. When the hell had it moved?!
It backhanded her on the side of the head and once again she was airborne, her vision blurring and ears ringing. She managed to right herself in mid air and responded to his onslaught by firing a burst of energy bullets at him. To her surprise, they actually managed to do some damage. Damage that was quickly reversed as he regenerated.
"Hmph," the blue haired villain said. "Looks like you figured out a way around Nomu's Shock Absorption. It doesn't matter though, with his regeneration, you'll never be able to put him down for good."
Her head whipped toward him. Shock Absorption? Regeneration? Those were two quirks!
The villain chuckled. "I see you're surprised. Yes, Nomu is the ultimate creation! He's meant to be the Anti-Symbol of Peace. The one who kills All Might!"
The worst part was that she could actually see it. She definitely felt like she'd been hit by something equal to what she'd imagined All Might's fists would feel like.
Nomu was staring at her, likely letting his Master continue monologuing.
"What's your name?" she asked the villain. "Humor me, I'm going to die right?"
The villain snorted. "Do you know how many heroes resort to that trick? But it's fine. I want people to know my name anyway. I'm Shigaraki. Tomura Shigaraki. You'd do well to remember it."
He pointed toward her. "Now, turn her into paste, Nomu. I want All Might to have plenty of dead children to greet him when he arrives!"
She braced her arms in front of her and swore her bones shattered when she got punched. She grit her teeth, forcing herself to not cry out. She couldn't fall, not here. Aizawa would die if she failed.
If physical attacks didn't work, she'd have to use Danmaku. She steadied her breathing, the pain from before starting to subside. As a vampire, she had her own form of regeneration. It wasn't as absolute as Nomu's, but it was practically saving her ass right now. Though without a steady supply of blood, it would stop working in due time.
She summoned her Gungnir. "Alright, you Doomsday knockoff. Let's dance."
She swung her weapon at him and was delighted when her theory was proved correct. Energy based attacks would work. But then he regenerated and she grimaced. Even if she could do damage, this was going nowhere. And while she was getting used to his speed, it was still hard to react in time.
If she had to gauge, he was definitely equal to a Tengu's speed. Which made sense, since All Might was incredibly fast.
She was no slouch herself, but this was something else. It didn't help that in her past life as Remilia, she often fought using the Spell Card rules and seldom got into serious fights where one wrong move would spell your demise.
What's worse was that actively using her Quirk's powers for so long was heavily draining her stamina. This was the first serious fight she'd been in since she awoke her Quirk and it was definitely showing.
And then she made a mistake. She overextended and the Nomu grabbed her by the face and slammed her into the floor, hard. She briefly felt herself pass out before her focus returned to her. Pain. That was all she felt. She knew by now that her regeneration was no longer working and the monster looked like it wasn't done with her yet. It lifted her up again and despite her attempts to break free, its grip was solid. It slammed her into the ground again. And again. And again. And again.
She was bleeding heavily from her head and various other parts of her body. Her breath was ragged as desperately fired energy blasts at the beast's head. Trying to get it to let go.
"Nomu, that's enough."
And that she was unceremoniously dropped onto the cold, hard ground.
Her arms flopped helplessly to her sides. She didn't have the energy to lift them anymore.
Shigaraki approached her and crouched down.
"I respect your tenacity, you hero wannabe. You held on for a long time. But Nomu is invincible. You were just outmatched. As a sign of that respect though, I'll kill you myself."
He extended his hand toward her.
And as she experienced what could likely be her final moments, she could only lament on the fact that her Quirk hadn't manifested anything new. Were Noelle and Remilia her only past lives? Was this the extent of her power? She chuckled bitterly. All three lives chastising themselves for being so pathetically weak.
She hated it. She hated every moment of it. And even as Aizawa stopped the man from killing her at the last moment, she didn't allow herself to rejoice.
She had failed. Aizawa had only bought them a few seconds at best.
She lifted her head up and spat a glob of blood at Shigaraki's face. She gave him a bloody grin.
"All Might won't lose to you."
She enjoyed his rage-filled look. And then immediately cried out in pain as he stepped on her chest.
"I was going to kill you quickly, but now I'm going to torment you."
And then an explosion happened and Shigaraki went flying.
"Get the hell up, Deku!" Katsuki's voice cut through the melancholic atmosphere. He stood in front of her, hands crackling. "You're not allowed to die until I surpass you!"
"K-Kacchan," she murmured, the pain doing a really good job at making her delirious. "Y-You need to run."
He glared back at her, making her flinch.
"Run? Are you trying to act all worried about me now? Well, don't be."
He turned away and huffed.
"I won't die. I still need to become Number One."
She noticed the Nomu about to move but it was suddenly encased in a wall of ice.
"I don't make a habit of fancy speeches like his, but he's right. Take a rest, Midoriya," Shoto Todoroki said as he approached the battlefield. "We'll handle it from here."
"He's right!" Setsuna said as she assembled herself next to Katsuki. "You've been out here hogging the big names. Let us have a go at them."
"You need to stop being so stubborn," Kinoko chided her as she helped her to her feet. "No matter how crazy strong your Quirk is, if you're reckless with it, you'll die."
Izuku honestly felt like crying. She didn't deserve these nerds. But they were right. She had to stop being so reckless. This Quirk didn't make her immortal. It didn't make her invincible. She was just as vulnerable as any other hero.
But at the same time, she didn't want any of them to get hurt either. She wanted to protect them.
She would protect them!
Almost by instinct, her form shifted. Her dark blue hair became blonde and much longer, done into a braided ponytail. Her red eyes became a bright blue. Her chest also grew quite a bit bigger.
In her desperation, a new past life had been unlocked. And this time, there had been no resistance, for it resonated deeply with her resolve. The desire to protect. The desire to soldier onward. The spirit of self sacrifice.
A battle standard with a white flag materialized in her right hand as she separated herself from Kinoko and stood tall. She still felt immense pain, but she did not waver.
She held her flag aloft, ignoring the burning levels of fatigue within her.
« Our Lord is with us!"
"Oh flag of mine, protect our comrades!"
"Luminosité Eternelle! »
A bright white light illuminated both herself and her surrounding comrades. It was a holy defensive spell, an ability that would protect them from all manners of harm.
She didn't have the strength to take down Nomu. But what she did have was the defensive ability to make sure everyone survived until help arrived.
And as she used her flag to steady herself, she could only smile as both villains failed to penetrate the defenses of her Noble Phantasm. And that was when the entrance exploded and All Might made himself known.
"It's fine now. Why? Because I am here!"
Whatever tension was holding her up snapped and she fell forward, only to fall right into the comforting grasp of the Number One hero.
"I'm sorry I'm late, Young Midoriya" he said, his voice far softer than it had been earlier. "Leave the rest to me."
"All Might," she murmured, barely able to keep herself awake. "The Nomu, it has Regeneration and Shock Absorption. Be careful."
She felt him nod. "I thank you for the warning. Now please, do not push yourself any further and get some rest."
She merely smiled in response to his words and within seconds, she had allowed sleep to claim her.
When he awoke, his whole world was pain. According to the doctors, he was lucky to be alive and it was only thanks to the efforts of Recovery Girl that he had pulled through. His entire body was wrapped in bandages and he was also suffering from Quirk backlash. Apparently that was what happened when you overused your quirk. First time for everything, he supposed.
Still, to learn that All Might had sent the Nomu flying. It served a wake up call. Just because he had these amazing powers didn't mean he was the strongest out there. He had a long way to go.
But hey, at least he confirmed a theory. His past lives manifested during life or death situations. At least that seemed to be the pattern. Though this time he fully synced with them from the start.
Jeanne D'Arc.
Her kindness and selfless nature made him look selfish by comparison. And to think, she was a past life of his. It was definitely a surreal feeling. Though he was beginning to wonder if all his past lives were female. Well, if that was the case, he wouldn't complain. At this point, it didn't really matter to him.
He then heard the door to his room slam open.
And immediately felt a sense of dread. One far more potent than the one he felt before USJ.
Inko Midoriya barged into the room and her gaze zeroed in on him.
"Hi" he squeaked.
And thus began the four hour lecture of how stupid he was and that he should never worry her like that again.
His roommate, Aizawa, made the mistake of laughing and then found himself a victim of the lecture too.
"You're his teacher, set a better example!"
And thus, teacher and student truly felt a sense of solidarity for the first time.