The Trickster Hero - Fox

"All Might! All Might! What are your thoughts regarding Fox's quick rise to the Number 3 spot?" A reporter shouted their question to the muscular blonde man who was observing some villains be detained by police.

"Haha! I think it's incredible what the young Fox has accomplished! I hope the rest of his career continues to be as accomplished as it started!" All Might boisterously exclaimed before leaping away.

BZZT!

"Endeavor! What are your thoughts on the Number 3 Hero? How does it feel knowing someone half your age already solved over half the amount of cases that you have in only his first year as a hero?"

"Hmph. Fox is an adequate Hero with a powerful quirk. I think he's foolishly starting too strong and will lose the momentum he's accumulated." The burly man with a flaming beard and an ever present scowl on his face grunted, before flying off.

BZZT!

"Welcome back, Japan! Once again, we're discussing the controversial words of the newly minted Number 3 Hero, Fox, stated in an interview. Here it is."

"I'm frankly sick and tired of how much people worship quirks. I have a powerful quirk, sure, but most of my battles were me just using hand-to-hand combat, and my weapons. If all of you listening could take only one thing from this interview, then take this: so long as you dedicate yourself into training, anyone, even a quirkless person, could be hero."

"Those words seemed to spark quite the divide as those with weaker quirks, and even the quirkless shared their own personal horror stories on how they were treated because of their quirks or lack there of. Fox's words have lit a spark as there has been a spike of people exercising in the park, or joining a gym, or swarming martial arts dojos." The news anchor explained.

The large television was turned off as the figure left the kitchen towards the bedroom. He spotted his still sleeping wife tucked under the blankets of their king sized bed, and walked over to give her cheek a kiss.

He walked to his closet to put on his work clothes. It was a pair of black pants and gloves, with a black form-fitting shirt underneath a bullet and tear proof vest. On top of that, he wears a large, tattered, black poncho. Strapped to his back is a gunbai, black with orange trimmings and orange tomoe, connected to a black chain that runs up his right sleeve. What brought that entire outfit together was the black and orange fox mask that had three whisker marks on each cheek, and a simple conical hat.

After one last glance at his resting wife, he walked onto the balcony, then hopped off into the woods surrounding his estate towards the city. This was the Number 3 Hero, Fox.

As he speedily ran through rooftops and the sides of buildings, many people waved and pointed at him.

A couple hours into his patrol, Fox stopped by a convenience store to grab a snack. When he stepped through, he saw a man pointing a gun at an old man behind the counter, barking at him to hurry up.

"Hello. May I ask why you are doing this?" Fox called out to the robber, his posture completely relaxed when the man whipped around, face startled and eyes desperate. 'No signs of drug use. Pupils are steady if not a bit large from adrenaline. Seems coherent.'

"What does it matter?!" The man bites out the reply. "It doesn't matter at this point anyway!" He jerked the gun back to the old man yelling at him to hurry before swinging it back towards Fox who had crept closer.

"Hm. Right now, you're in trouble. I won't lie and tell you that you aren't. But you haven't done anything you can't come back from." Fox explained calmly. He didn't want to have to hurt someone if he didn't have to, so he scanned the man for any details. 'A wedding band, so he's married.' His eyes flicked across his clothing where various hair was stuck to it. "Do you have a family? A pet?"

The man grit his teeth as he looked at Fox. "I have two daughters. My wife died a month ago. We have a calico that wanders in and out if you can consider that a pet." The gun was still trained on Fox.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Fox responded. "I, myself, have lost a good number of people, and I know how hard that is. It must be rough taking care of your daughters now on your own. How old are they?"

The man licked his lips, gun drooping slightly as he thought about his children. "It is. It's so hard. They're four and six. How do you explain to your daughters at that age why you can't eat dinner every night or why they never get to see you because you're always working?!" The man was getting agitated again and starting to twitch.

"It's hard to tell someone that young something like that. You can't expect them to understand. Their happiness is your responsibility, and you can see that slipping away from you far too quickly. But think about them right now. Like I said, right now you're in trouble, but you haven't passed the point of no return. If you want them to be happy, you can't go through with this. What would they think of what you're doing right now? What would you tell them about this? Everyone needs help sometimes, that's nothing to be ashamed of. Just hand me the gun. We can still both walk away from this. Yes? You can go back home to your daughters."

The man seemed to struggle for a moment before breaking. "Alright." he choked out. "I don't want this to be how my daughters remember me."

Fox took the gun and handed the man a card. "Everyone has lows; times where they feel like they're drowning. Call this number and seek help for yourself. You can't care for your children if you take such poor care of yourself."

The man pulled his mask off and grasped the card before he shook Fox's hand. "Thank you, sir. I'll work on myself so that I can properly care for my girls. Thank you for giving me another chance."

Fox shrugged. "You're welcome."

Fox walked to the old man behind the counter. "Are you alright sir? Any injuries?"

"No no. I'm quite alright. You did a very good thing for that man. A good majority of heroes would just attack that poor man, and be done with it. It's good to see that not all the youth is foolishly brash." The old man chuckled. "Get what you need, it's on the house."

Fox didn't argue, and grabbed some cookies and a drink. "Thank you, sir. Have a nice day."

"You as well, Fox-dono."

As Fox continued his patrol, it never ceased to amaze him just how much crime happens despite the fact that so many heroes are around. It was truly something.

Fox just finished tying up three thugs after allowing the civilian to leave. He then sensed someone approaching. "Hey, Eraser."

"Weren't you off today?" A voice said from above him. A slender and tall, pale-skinned man with messy, shoulder-length black hair, that partially hangs in front of his face and half-opened black eyes which were hidden behind some goggles which his his eyes. He was also wearing what looked like wrappings around his neck. This was Shota Aizawa also known as the Pro Hero Eraserhead.

"Yeah, but I wasn't doing anything else today." Fox shrugged.

"What about your wife?" Aizawa asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She's currently exercising. Speaking of, did you take my advice?" Fox asked as they parkoured to the top of the building.

Aizawa sighed. "Yes. Despite my extreme dislike of taking risks, I asked Emi out on a date."

"… and?" Fox prompted.

Aizawa sighed deeper. "And she said yes."

Fox clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm glad to hear it! I told you her feelings for you were genuine, not some long running joke. Maybe we'll double date every once in a while."

"Anyways." Aizawa was quick to change the subject. "The rat asked me to come get you for a meeting."

"Huh? What does Nezu need?"

"I'm retiring from teaching and need a replacement." Aizawa stated.

"Heh. Are you retiring, or were you fired?" Fox asked, amusement palpable in his tone. Aizawa grunted, while Fox chuckled. "I knew your excessive expulsions would catch up to you. I guess expelling a whole class on their first day was what took the cake."

"Whatever. I'll still be on campus for assistance for new teachers. I just won't be directly teaching classes." Aizawa explained.

"An adviser, then? Cool." Fox said with a nod.

They went their separate ways after Aizawa gave him the time for the meeting with Nezu. Fox continued his patrol until he heard explosions and shouting.

"I ain't going back! I'm gonna take this kid's body! And I'ma use his quirk to kill all of you!" Shouted the sludge villain.

It was chaos in the Tatooine district, the sludge villain had broken out of prison and ambushed a young adult from the sewer. To make matters worse, the kid had a somewhat powerful explosion quirk, and in his attempts to free himself is accidentally setting everything on fire.

The heroes who had arrived, Kamui woods, Backdraft, Death Arms, and Mt. Lady, were all unable to do anything against a villain like this.

The boy in the villain's body started seeing spots in his vision, as he was losing his grip on life.

'Someone... please... help.' He thought.

Suddenly, another teen ran past the heroes and wildly threw his book bag at the villain. The bag hit the villain's eyes, causing him to flinch from the pain. The boy clawed at the villain's liquid body, and since he was distracted, he managed to move the sludge off of the boy's mouth, giving him some much-needed air.

The sludge villain recovered and looked at the boy. "Get away!"

The sludge villain made a large tendril, big enough to crush the boy and attacked him. Time slowed down for him, and his life flashed before his eyes as the attack that would end his life came at him.

Then suddenly he felt something wrap around his waist. He was pulled backward, just in time for the villain's attack to miss him. When he stopped, he had landed in the arms of none other than Fox.

'Fox.' He thought in a daze. 'It's really him.'

"Are you ok?" Fox asked the starstruck teen. He idly turned his body to protect the boy from the force of the attack that was about to be fired.

"DETROIT! SMASH!" All Might shouted as he punched the villain. The impact created a whirlwind splattering the sludge villain all over the streets, putting him down for the count.

After a few seconds, All Might struck his signature victory pose and the crowd went wild.

After the fight had ended, Fox was swarmed by people all of them looking at him with admiration. However, in the background, Fox spotted something he didn't like.

Kamui Woods and Death Arms were talking to the young boy from earlier. He couldn't hear them over the crowd but the boy's downtrodden expression told him everything.

"Move."

Everyone in the crowd froze for a second before quickly moving aside. The authority in his voice had them scurrying to follow his order.

"Think of how your family would feel if you-" Kamui was suddenly interrupted.

"What are you two doing?" Fox asked, his voice sending a chill down the two heroes' spine.

"Oh uh, w-we were just um, scolding this child for his reckless-"

"Stand aside."

The two heroes immediately moved to the side, backs ramrod straight as if they were in the military.

Fox stood in front of the teen, who looked up at him with a mix of amazement, anxiety, and fear.

"What is your name, young man?" Fox asked, his tone changing to a gentler one.

"Uh… um... i-it's Izuku Midoriya, s-sir." The boy said, trying and failing to keep himself from trembling.

"Izuku." Fox began. "What you did was very foolish... but I thank you for it."

"W-what?" Izuku whispered.

"Fox!" Kamui said in surprise. "You can't seriously be praising him for-"

"Silence!" Fox shouted, his angry tone returned full blast as he shouted out a command. Kamui promptly shut his mouth.

Fox turned back to Izuku. "As I was saying. What you did wasn't smart. You could have gotten yourself killed. However, if you didn't do what you did, then it's certain that that young man would have died. You made a choice, to either preserve your own life or try and save someone else's. And you choose the second option. That's what makes you a hero."

The boy looked at him with stars in her eyes. "M-me a h-hero?"

Fox nodded. "You aimed for the eyes on purpose, didn't you?"

"Yes!" He said eagerly. "It seemed like his only weak spot."

"Good analytical skills." Fox complemented. "What you should have done was inform one of the heroes about this weakness, so they could exploit it. However, it's understandable that you didn't think to do this, given the urgency of the scenario. You have a good heart, and a brain to match. Don't get killed before you get the chance to use it."

"Y-yes, sir!" Izuku said he had the biggest smile on his face and tears were shining in his eyes.

"Good. That is all." Fox said, about to turn to the heroes.

"W-wait!" Izuku said, getting Fox's attention. "Um uh... c-can I get your autograph?"

There was a short pause before Fox pulled out a tri-pronged kunai, then pulled out a sharpie and signed it. He handed the signed kunai to the boy who was shocked beyond words.

"It's a standard kunai. Be careful with it, the edges are sharp." Fox warned.

"Th-thank you so much!" The boy said taking the kunai.

Fox smiled at his enthusiasm, before frowning as he remembered the heroes behind him. He walked over to the two heroes until he was standing right in front of them.

"Would you like to explain to me why you were standing around, while a child was dying?" Fox asked.

"W-well, um. You see, our quirks weren't really suited for the situation so we decided to stay back and wait for-" Fox cut Death Arms off.

"So what you're telling me is that two professional heroes, who trained for years in a hero university, and have years of experience, couldn't figure out how to handle a situation under pressure." Fox said. "Yet a high school boy managed to figure it out and did your jobs for you. And you then decided to scold him."

"Well we were kinda focused on the kid and the fire so-" Kamui tried to defend their actions but Fox was having none of it.

"You two are professionals. Trained to be able to think under pressure. You have no excuse." Fox said firmly. "And in case you forgot. You were outsmarted, by a high. School. Boy."

The two heroes, slumped, feeling really, really incompetent.

"But it's not just that." Fox said. "Incompetence is one thing, the fact that you felt comfortable sitting back and letting somebody die is another. It wasn't even like you stood back to try and figure out how to defeat the villain, you gave up in the middle of combat and were going to let him die."

The two heroes slumped ever further.

"And for what? Because you didn't want to get hurt? Or killed?" Fox asked.

"We're supposed to avoid unnecessary injuries." Kamui said.

"You think injuries gained while trying to save someone are unnecessary?" Fox asked, his voice gaining a dangerous edge.

Kamui flinched yet didn't respond.

"Backdraft was putting out fires, Mt. Lady would have only made things worse. You two have no excuse, whatsoever. What you displayed today was an act of incompetence and cowardice." Fox pointed to Izuku. "That kid risked his life to try and do what you couldn't. He displayed bravery and quick thinking when you two did not. And he's not a professional hero. He didn't receive any special training at a special school, and it's not his job to risk his life. But he did it anyway, and he succeeded. And you two have the nerve to scold him?"

The two heroes didn't say anything, just accepting the guilt and shame being thrust at them.

"You two have both dirtied the title of hero. If you have any sense, you'll thank him for making sure you two could walk away from this without an innocent's blood on your hands." Fox said.

There was a short pause as what Fox said sunk in before he walked away from the two of them. As he walked past Izuku he looked at him. "Do you want to be a hero?"

"Y-yes!" He answered eagerly. "B-but I'm quirkless."

"I don't care about your lack of quirk. Train your body hard and look into support gear so that you may join me in fighting crime in the future. I look forward to working with you, Izuku Midoriya." Fox said.

He hopped onto the nearest building and parkoured towards UA.

Naruto was in the kitchen making dinner for him and Rumi while she watched TV and talked with him from her seat on the couch.

"So you'll be teaching the next generation of heroes?" Rumi asked with some mirth in her voice.

"Yup. Aizawa got booted, and Nezu wants me to replace him." Naruto said as he placed two plates of food on the kitchen table. "I think it would be nice to teach the next generation."

"… you know you'd be working with Nemuri right?" Rumi asked with a growing grin.

Naruto paused at this as his eyes widened. "… maybe I should rethink this."

"Oh hell no! You're not backing out! Besides I want her with you." Rumi said.

"Rumi, I love you and-"

"Babe, I know that and I love you too, but let's be real, I can't handle your libido by myself. I'm damn near unconscious while you're still hard and ready. I'm not saying fuck every bitch that wants a piece, but I'll give you the okay." Rumi explained.

"I don't know." Naruto muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

"All I'm asking is that you give it genuine thought."

Naruto sighed. "All right."

"Good. Now let's eat" Rumi said with a smile.

"Oh, I made you carrot cake. It's cooling." Naruto mentioned.

Rumi paused, then grinned as she hopped onto his back, giving his cheek a kiss. "You are too sweet."

Not many people know that Rumi likes to be pampered, despite what her exterior protrayed. The two enjoyed a wonderful night of small talk and passion.

Naruto sat in an observation room with the emaciated form of All Might, and Nezu. They were waiting for the other teachers to arrive to watch the practical portion of the Entrance Exam. He was out of uniform, wearing a black suit and blue tie.

"I sense a disturbance." Naruto said suddenly as his body tensed.

"I think you're being paranoid." Toshinori chuckled.

Not two seconds after the door to the room opened, he felt an ample chest pressed against the back of his head and a pair of hands roam his torso.

"Hello whiskers~." A female voice purred out.

"Hi Nemuri." Naruto sighed.

"Nemuri-chan, please stop humping our newest teacher's leg." Nezu said cheerfully.

"Can I hump anything else then?" She asked with a crazed giggle.

"No." He stood.

"You know I love the chase, Naruto-kun." Nemuri purred out as she sashayed away.

Naruto ignored this as he greeted his fellow educators. "Hey Mic, Cementoss, Vlad, Loader, Hobo."

"Pfft!" Present Mic laughed as Aizawa glared at Naruto.

"Really?" He asked with a flat tone.

"How was your date?"

If he wasn't looking for it, he would've missed the very brief smile Aizawa gave before he smothered it. "It was… adequate."

"Meaning you had an amazing time." Mic translated with a grin as he left.

"Alright everyone take your seats we need to start the practical exam." Nezu said as he jumped into his personal chair that definitely wasn't a throne.

As Naruto took his seat, Nemuri took her own… on his lap.

"Nemuri, I'm in a committed relationship." Naruto deadpanned.

"And Rumi-chan gave me the ok to pursue you years ago; you just kept ignoring me. But guess what little fox? You're in my forest now." She said with a smirk as she trailed her finger under his chin.

"If I promise a date, can you please take your regular seat so I can observe the potential students?" Naruto asked with a sigh.

"One date and a week of bitch breaking nonstop sex." Nemuri murmured into his ear.

"You'll get that when we have a functional relationship."

"3 dates." Midnight haggled.

"Hm. Fine. Now please, the exam is starting." Naruto said as he saw on the monitors the gates to different fields opened letting in the applicants.

Nemuri pouted as she got out of Naruto's lap and took her seat next to him. Naruto saw the potential students start attacking robots, but also saw some students not do as well. One student with purple hair had been using a mind control quirk to brainwash others to help him fight off robots and because he wasn't fighting it gave him no score.

"We seem to have a good crop this year." Nezu hummed as he looked at a screen displaying a blonde boy using an explosion quirk to blast robots.

"And some I can see being a problem." Naruto said looking at a small boy with purple balls for hair harassing some female applicants.

They spent the next couple minutes discussing their observations on the applicants. After a bit, Nezu flipped up a protective screen and pressed a big red button.

All the applicants stumbled a bit as the ground shook. A massive robot made it's entrance as the applicants ran the opposite direction.

"Looks like the green haired kid is looking to save someone over getting away from the zero pointer." Cementoss said as he pointed at the monitors.

Naruto watched as the green haired kid in a burst of power jumped into the air and punched the zero pointer in the head destroying it. He immediately zeroed in on the broken bones the boy was sporting. "Hm. He seems to lack control. When was his quirk registered?"

Nezu typed into a laptop next to him. "Here we are. Izuku Midoriya. Oh? It would seem that it was registered just this morning."

"So he has no experience with it." Naruto concluded.

"Yes well, that's it for the exam. Let's go over the applicants and give out rescue points." Nezu said.

"I want that kid." Naruto declared, jerking his thumb at the green haired kid who was being healed by Recovery girl. "If anyone can teach him how to use his quirk, it's me."

"I agree, which is why he will be in your class" Nezu said with a nod.

"I'd also like to take the explosion kid." Naruto said.

"Any particular reason why?" Nezu asked.

"Kid has potential, but his over the top aggression needs to be curtailed."

"I don't mind." Vlad agreed. with a nod.

The teachers spent the rest of the day discussing each applicant and reviewing the footage of each.