I am so hype to bring you all this chapter, and I hope you all are just as excited to read it! Chekov is going nuts and continues to do so as the dominoes line up, and it'll only take one wrong move to set them in motion. When will that be, I wonder? On to the reviews!

Gamelover41592: Thank you!

Helljumper206: Who knows?

Jamieoeyes: Izuku does have a sage way back in his lineage, but that's only relevant as it gave his family line the potential for Eagle Vision. We will see if Codename Red affects the story; it might and it might not, but I'm looking forward to it either way. That said, Izuku is not related to Desmond or any of his ancestors/descendants. He might meet some, though. I will not comment on anything else, however. You are too close to some things even if off about others and I refuse to let you read my mind.

Jayfeather's Friend: Izuku does need to work on his lying. Hopefully his internship helps with that. And yes, the Instruments are still around for reasons as of yet unseen.

LEGOBRICK13: I think I'd seen that story before, but I can't say I'm a shipper of Izuku and Mirko. I think the age difference is just a bit too weird for me. Still, while messing with the offers does sound like something the Rat would do, it still seems cruel and I'm surprised no one commented on Izuku's lack of offers.

Monkey D. Conan: Maybe Izuku did accidentally trigger a flag, but I intend for any romance here to move at the speed of a rom-com, because let's admit it, something has to be funny in a story with a plot as dark as shadow war and death.

Pirohiko-Baltazar: Well, the Freemasons are really only mentioned as having made the underground entrance tunnels that Haytham and Connor Kenway used in ACIII. They are not connected to the Assassins or Templars in any way, though I suppose it's possible the Templars controlled them from the shadows. I had to look them up on the Wiki to confirm that they didn't play any bigger roll. And yes, I also know about the Instruments of the First Will, or the Cult of Juno, and how their goals play out. I have taken all of this into account. Thank you.

Ranger McAleer: Ah yes, the pro Hero Eggshot, known for his eggcelent track record and his ability to crack jokes! Messing with aside, Izuku has no subtlety in Canon, so it's not something that comes naturally to him. So yes, he really does need to learn "some fuckin subtlety" as you put it.

The Halfa Wannabe: Maybe he could have, but he missed that chance, and it will have consequences.

That's all for the reviews, so on to the chapter!

Chapter 22:

Internships Begin

(Note: unless otherwise stated, you can assume that unmentioned internships progress like in Canon)

Momo avoided Izuku for the rest of the week, a situation that brought about mixed feelings for the young Assassin Initiate. On the one hand, he didn't need to worry about saying something that would accidentally give away his loyalty or that he knew more than he wanted to let on. On the other hand, that only made the side-eyes he received from the young Templar heiress all the more worrying. Izuku knew her intelligence was on another level from his own, so he couldn't fathom what could possibly be going through her mind.

Needing a distraction and running out of time, Izuku buried himself in his internship offers. He'd narrowed down his top choices through the days until, by Friday, he only had two still in mind. Traditionally, UA students would give their top three choices incase their top pick had a sudden change of heart, but Izuku felt this would be unnecessary for him considering their shared "extracurriculars."

Despite this, he still agonized over this choice at lunch, the form's deadline coming within a few hours, as his eyes kept glancing back and forth between the two offers. His mind ran on dual tracks, each one arguing the pros of each pro and the cons of the other.

"You still haven't decided, ribbit?"

Izuku looked up to see Tsuyu standing across the table from him, Ochako and Iida on either side of her. The frog-girl took a seat without asking, their friends glancing at each other before doing the same, Iida beside Tsuyu and Ochako beside Izuku.

"Yeah," Izuku sighed, rubbing his head as if the pressure would alleviate the headache he could feel coming on. "Which Heroes have you all picked?"

"I'm going to intern with Silkie, ribbit," Tsuyu said. "I know I'll learn a lot about water rescue under his tutelage."

"I'm going with Gunhead!" Ochako cheered. "I got an offer from Thirteen and I almost accepted it on the spot, but I did a little thinking after what Aizawa-sensei said and my Quirk's just too different from Thirteen's. Gunhead's a master of hand-to-hand, though. I barely beat Tsu in the Sports Festival and I can't fall behind just because I'm starstruck."

"Was that supposed to be a pun, ribbit?"

"I…" the perpetual blush on Ochako's cheeks darkened a touch. "No, but I'll take credit anyway. Maybe I should make space puns as part of my Hero identity?"

"What about you, Iida?" Izuku asked.

"After much consideration and discussion with my father and brother, I have decided to accept an offer I received from the Buster Hero: Airjet."

"Airjet?" Izuku blinked. "He's stationed in Tatooin, near my district! I used to watch him fight all the time!"

"Indeed?" Iida questioned. "My brother spoke highly of Airjet's integrity as a Hero. His Quirk: Ventilation is similar in aspect to my Engine as well. In fact, it appears we are third cousins once removed with him on my paternal grandmother's side, though I admit another aspect that drew me to him is his reputation with shady and questionable organizations. Although I believe Stain will be captured before I receive a Hero license, Tensei was adamant I train to counter any such attacks that may befall mine own person, lest I fall to a similar situation."

"We still don't know the Hero Killer's motivation," Tsuyu commented, her lie so fluid that Izuku questioned for a moment if she remembered that the Villain was a member of their Brotherhood. "His attack on your brother complicated the investigation from what the news said, ribbit. He's the only one to survive an attack from the man, and considering a Sidekick was killed in the interaction, that only makes his survival all the more confusing, ribbit."

"Yes, the situation is very unfortunate," Iida agreed. "Had I not been able to speak to my brother throughout this week and the last, I fear the possibility I would have allowed anger and hatred to blind me." He chuckled. "I almost chose an agency simply for its placement in Hosu, but my brother talked some sense into me. If he, as a trained Hero, could not defeat the man, then I have little hope of doing so as a mere student, a first-year no less. I will need to hope he is captured by someone else or wait until I have the training and legality to do so myself. I fear such a case is simply too large for my current ability."

"That's good." Izuku breathed, trying to hide the tightening in his chest, knowing that he would be actively working to prevent justice in this case. "I'm glad you aren't going after him yourself. We're just students, after all."

"Did you hear there's been movement in the Hero Killer case?" Ochako asked. "He hasn't been seen since he attacked Iida's brother, but they say the Endeavor Agency had started spearheading the search. An anonymous source led them to a blood sample and they have a name now."

"Really?" Izuku blinked. He'd heard in the den that something had happened, but details were scarce for plausible deniability.

"Chizome Akaguro," she nodded with a shiver. "They say his Quirk in the registry is called Blood Curdle. Sounds scary to me."

"I will need to look into that," Iida commented.

"Speaking of Quirks, ribbit," Tsuyu cut in. "You have not told us where are you going to intern, Izuku."

"I… I haven't decided yet."

"You haven't?" Ochako blinked. "We've had a whole week to decide!"

"I'm stuck between two," the boy said, offering the pages to his friends. "I received offers from both Mirko and Edgeshot, and I can't decide which one I want to go to."

"Wow! Those are some big names, Izuku!"

"Both have rankings within the top 10 Heroes," Iida agreed, adjusting his glasses. "And I can see why you would have trouble deciding which to choose. Edgeshot would be very helpful for you in learning many aspects of Hero work, both in the field and behind a desk considering how efficiently he manages his agency, but Mirko would be the premiere combat Hero you could learn from as that is all she focuses on. Should you train with her, there is no telling how quickly your combat prowess would improve. That being said…" Iida paused, going over the offers. "I believe a wider pallet of education would serve you better in this instance over focused combat."

"You think he should go with Edgeshot, ribbit?" Tsuyu clarified.

"Yes, I believe that would be the most beneficial choice. While Mirko would have a solid chance of coming out victorious in a direct battle between the two despite her lower popularity ranking, I believe Midoriya would learn much more applicable knowledge from Edgeshot."

"Well," Izuku muttered. "I couldn't decide, so I'll trust your judgement, Iida. You're my friend, after all, and you probably know more than me since you grew up in a Hero family." He stood, taking the offers back. "I'll go turn in my acceptance before I start overthinking again."

"I'll take care of your tray," Tsuyu offered, Izuku giving her a quick thanks before heading off. As soon as he disappeared into the crowd, the frog-girl reached across the table and plucked Izuku's unopened pudding from his tray, opening it herself with a happy "ribbit."

"You're so mean, Tsu," Ochako laughed.

"That is no manner of conduct for a Hero student of UA!" Iida chastised, his arm chopping the air.

"It's not my fault he left it behind," Tsuyu chuckled, her tongue in the pudding. "If he wanted it, ribbit, then he should have taken it with him."

"But—!" Iida tried.

"Leave it, Iida," Ochako advised through a laugh. "Clearly Izuku didn't want it."

A short way across campus, Izuku hurried along the familiar hallways, his offers in his hands and thoughts of pudding far away. The plain door of Aizawa's office sat at the end of the hall, the faint sound of voices making their way through the mostly-closed door. Izuku slowed as he got closer, recognizing them.

"—agency with many Sidekicks," the voice of Momo Yaoyorozu was saying. "If I cannot get direct training from her, I am certain one of her Sidekicks will be able to assist me."

"If you are certain of your choice," Aizawa responded. "I shall finalize the paperwork after classes let out."

"Thank you, Sensei."

Izuku backed up as their conversation ended, positioning himself to appear to have been farther away as Momo stepped out of the office. She saw him immediately, her face flushing.

"Er, hi, Momo," he said.

"H-Hello, Midoriya. I need to… to prepare for our next class. Please excuse me." She all but fled down the hallway.

"Midoriya, enter," Aizawa ordered, the verdet quickly doing as bid by his twice-over teacher. Aizawa stared at him from the other side of the desk and inside his sleeping bag, a flick of his scarf ensuring the door was as closed as it could be without breaking any open-door rules. "Initiate, what was that?" he asked in a low voice.

Izuku twiddled his thumbs. "I, ah, may have created an awkward situation to avoid interacting with Yaoyorozu until I have more subtlety training?"

"Was that a question?" Izuku did not respond, Aizawa rubbing his face with his hands. "You are right in that you need more training and you should have mentioned it before the end of the week. Why are you here? Have you decided on your internship, then?"

"Yes, sir," the boy nodded, offering his choice. Aizawa took it, his eyes skimming over the page.

"Edgeshot," he said. "Well, Kamihara will be happy to have you as a student and I will inform him personally on the skills you should learn while in his tutelage. And, please, do not make any scenes like the ones you did during the Sports Festival. Should I see your image on the news threatening to sp—"

"Well, I should get ready for class!" Izuku interrupted with a nervous sweat, opening the door to beat a hasty retreat. Aizawa allowed a rare smirk to cross his lips for a moment before it fell back into a frown. He had plans for the internship break so nerve-wracking that they kept him from napping. Such plans involved training Shinso up to the bare minimum Hero course standards so he could compete with the other students while vetting him for the Brotherhood at Midoriya's recommendation, but such was only a part of what he wished to accomplish. Still, the other half of his plan for the break had him all but shaking in his sleeping bag.

He felt it was about time Emi, after nearly four years, learned his greatest secret.

Edgeshot's Hero agency stood tall compared to the buildings around it, its rooftop lined with spires that stuck out over the street. The building itself was thin despite the agency owning the whole block. What area was not artificial was covered in greenery, a hedge maze taller than the average person surrounding the base of the tower. Izuku clutched his costume case to his chest, his steps focused and measured.

Approaching the maze, he glanced in the singular entrance to see a divide a dozen steps within. He activated his Eagle Vision to find a glowing arrow directing him toward the left path, prompting a small grin to come to his lips. Izuku kept his not-a-Quirk active the whole way, reaching the front entrance after only a few minutes. There was no door, though the archway to the inside read "Furtim et subtiliter vincunt omnem potestatem" but Izuku could not claim to know enough Latin to translate it, only enough to recognize the language.

The entrance hall was plain compared to the outside, dark wood flooring making each of Izuku's steps nearly echo through the room. The walls were uneven marble, decorated in places with paintings of ninja in various states of stealth. The ceiling was several stories up, giving the whole area a cavernous feel that was only compounded by the lack of any visible stairs. The only door he could see had to be three stories above on a balcony just below the ceiling. From the ceiling hung four different chandeliers, all at slightly different heights with two being much lower than the others. A lone desk sat at the far end across the hall, Izuku making his way there while trying to muffle his sound. The woman manning the desk looked up from a book as he approached, eyeing him from under her scarlet hair.

Izuku recognized her in passing.

"I'm Izuku Midoriya," he said, laying one hand over his heart. "I'm here for my internship with Edgeshot."

"He's waiting for you at the top of the tower," the secretary replied, reaching behind her desk to pull out and offer him a strap. "You're going to need this."

"Ah, why?" the student asked, accepting the item. The women quirked an eyebrow at him and gestured to the walls.

"Do you want to climb with only one hand? I mean, you can if you want and it would be very impressive if you succeed, but the fall hurts after a certain height and I don't think you want to start your internship with broken bones."

"O-Oh, of course." Izuku looped the strap through the handle of his case and tied it off like a sash before studying the wall. It had an optical illusion, he noted, much of the wall having layered handholds one could not see from below. "Well, let's get started."

He gave the climb a running start, his fingers digging into the marble as friction tried to give out on him due to the slickness of the material. Izuku could feel the eyes of the secretary on him but she was engrossed in her book every time he turned to check, something he did five times before he'd completed even a quarter of the climb.

Reaching for the next handhold, Izuku felt several emotions rush through him as his hand met only smooth wall. The surprise was so sudden that he nearly fell, Izuku having to dig his shoes into the marble below as he resecured his hands. Shuffling right and left afforded him no benefits as each had their own smooth section at a diagonal division. With up, left, and right all being incorrect, that only left one answer.

Izuku jumped backward, his fingers hooking into the metal of the lowest chandelier. It swung from his momentum, Izuku steadying himself before pulling himself up. The hanging metal listed and moved under his feet, Izuku swallowing as he traced his next path with his eyes. He'd need to jump to the next chandelier, then to the other wall before repeating the process three-fourths of the way up.

No problem, right?

The climb took longer than he'd thought it would, his arms burning as he reached the balcony. Sweat dripped from his brow, leaving dark spots on his UA uniform, and his fingers twitched uncontrollably. Still, as he turned back to observe his accomplishment, he saw a small smile on the lips of the secretary amidst the splendor of the entrance hall. Looking down from the Chandeliers at the angle made them overlap a little with a few darker spots on the floor, Izuku feeling something nag at him in the way they looked. He shifted, the metal and stained wood slowly taking shape.

"Oh, that's clever, Master Kamihara."

Hidden in the overlapping designs was the mark of the Assassins Brotherhood.

Izuku let himself admire it for only a few seconds before reminding himself that his teacher for the internship was waiting for him. He turned, opening the door to find himself at the base of a stairwell. Accepting more exercise with a sigh, Izuku took the first step…

…and promptly fell through a trick stair.

Tenya Iida double checked his address sheet for the fifth time, trying to wrap his head around the fact that the Jetstream Hero Agency was little more than a brick building smaller than most apartment complexes. There were no signs indicating it had any Hero affiliation, but Iida had called his brother who had confirmed that it was, indeed, the home base of the Hero Airjet.

Walking to the door, Iida knocked.

"It's unlocked," a voice said from inside, the student opening the door. The entrance was no grander than the outside, the floor decorated with two potted plants and a single red carpet over hardwood leading to a desk. The man sitting behind said desk almost looked out of place in the sheer normalcy, him having a large build stuffed into a suit along with his head which was simply an oversized megaphone. The reached up, pressing the trigger for his megaphone head. "What can I help you with?"

"My name is Tenya Iida, sir," he said, offering the man a polite bow. "I accepted an internship offer from Airjet and this is the address I was given."

The man pressed the trigger on his neck again. "Yeah, we've been waiting for you. The air-levator's on your right."

"I'm sorry, did you mean to say elevator?"

"You'll understand when you get in."

"?" Iida accepted the comment but did not understand what he meant. Following his nonverbal directions, the student made his way to the pair of metal doors that looked like every other elevator he had seen before. The one on his left dinged, opening to reveal an elevator like any other save it was missing a ceiling so Iida could see all the way up the shaft. He stepped inside, checking the buttons along the wall. They were labeled two through five, the ground floor missing. Hesitantly, Iida pressed the five key.

The floor opened, the student staggering until he realized he was standing on a grill. A fan whirled to life below him, the sheer wind pressure blasting him upward.

The noise that came from his throat would forever be denied to have ever existed by Tenya Iida, no matter how loud it may or may not have been, nor who may or may not have heard it.

"Ah, you are here as well?" Momo questioned as a familiar student stepped out of the crowd. The ginger-haired Itsuka Kendo turned at the sound of the voice, her eyes brightening. "I did not expect anyone else."

"Yaoyorozu!" The class representative of 1-B ran over to the class representative of 1-A, giving her a hug. "I'm glad to see you here! I was so nervous on the way over, thinking I'd only be able to call anyone!"

"There is no need for such unhappy ruminations, Kendo," Momo insisted, the 1-B student releasing her hug. "To clarify, are you also interning with the Hero Uwabami?"

"Yes," Kendo nodded, the pair starting their walk down the street. "After getting taken out so quickly in the Second Round, I was really surprised to get an offer from her, but I didn't have many to work with. What brings you?"

"Recommendation," Momo answered. "I received an immense amount of offers and narrowing them was far too taxing to do so alone. I asked my parents for assistance." She chuckled. "They went a bit overboard and brought in a whole focus group to each make itemized lists of pros and cons as well as their own suggestions."

"That's crazy!" Kendo laughed. "What do you expect Uwabami to teach us? I mean, she's crazy popular, but she hasn't been as active in the Hero sphere as some others."

"My parents say that culture is upstream from everything," Momo began. "I want to make a world where my brother need not worry about anything, so I hope to learn how to leverage the popularity I gained with my victory to increase the morals of the people while decreasing crime, all through example. And you?"

"Well, now I feel kind of silly." Kendo chuckled, scratching her cheek. "I don't really have any idea going in, but Kan-sensei said there's a lot I can learn from her. I trust him, though I have heard some… rumors… that suggest he might be bias there."

"Rumors?" Momo echoed. "Of what sort?"

"Oh, celebrity gossip, mostly," Kendo waved off. "You know my classmates Setsuna and Pony, right? Well, I guess Pony's your classmate now, but you know what I mean. Setsuna likes to follow the gossip mills, and lately they're saying Kan-sensei's in a relationship with Uwabami."

"Really?" Momo questioned. She didn't know Sekijiro Kan very well, only having met him in passing during the Hero course's joint trainings over the two weeks between the end of the Sports Festival and now, but it wasn't like teaching was the only thing their teachers did. "I was unaware of such theories. Is there any proof?"

"Some shaky paparazzi photos Setsuna tried to show us of two heroes coming out of a hotel. One definitely looked like Kan-sensei and the other was blonde, but that was really all we got out of it." She shrugged. "You know how people are."

"I am increasingly more aware that I do not," Momo replied. "That is one of the reasons I chose Uwabami; she seems to greatly understand what people are like."

"Eh, I guess that's fair."

They reached the base of Uwabami Tower, a building that looked more like a fashion studio than a Hero agency. The upper quarter of the building was complete glass, its lighting subservient to the sun, while the rest below that was stone, different levels of the building being made of different material. The ground floor was solid concrete, its entrance decorated with snakes of all kinds.

As soon as Momo stepped onto the first stair, the doorway opened, Uwabami stepping out to greet them. She was a rather tall woman of 5'7" with wavy blonde hair currently falling to her slim waist. The was clad in her Hero suit, a tight-fitting maroon dress with a scaled pattern running down its length with snake-shaped bracelets that turned into claws as they ran along her knuckles and fingers. Momo had always thought her dress was aesthetic, but see it up close, she noticed that there were actual ridges like the scales of lizards. Uwabami's eyes were yellow, the yellow irises holding vertical slitted pupils, but her most defining feature were the three snakes that grew from the top of her head, one a rattlesnake, another a yellow King cobra, and the last a Japanese rat snake. They lengthened as she stepped out, slithering around her body.

"I see my darling students have arrived," she said, her voice like silken cloth. She raised a hand, the rattlesnake moving between her fingers to nuzzle its face against her cheek. She winked, but Momo's eyes were on the snake-themed bracelet she wore, the eye of the golden snake containing a red cross she was now intimately familiar with. "Come in, come in, sweethearts. We'll get you situated for your stay. Tell me, are either of you afraid of serpents?" Kendo opened her mouth. "No, I'm sure you aren't. You wouldn't have accepted my offer otherwise. Well? Don't just stand out in the street! What if some depraved pervert runs by? Hurry up!"

Glancing at each other for only a moment, the girls climbed the stairs and stepped into the Snakes Eye Agency.

Shoto felt a satisfied —if small— smile grace his lips as he looked over the modest Hero agency before him. It was certainly a far cry from the massive Endeavor Agency, this building being a quaint little wooden hut with a small but steady trail of smoke rising from a chimney, if "quaint" and "little" could be used to describe a structure three stories tall. Comparing it to the 10 stories the Endeavor Agency was, however, did make the homely cabin-esque North Pole Agency seem tiny. It's aesthetic made the building stand out from the rest of the hardy, concrete buildings in the middle of downtown Kyoto.

Shoto glanced down at the page in his hand, reaffirming his memorization of the name of the Hero whose offer he had accepted, the satisfaction of his father's disgruntlement flashing through his mind. After all, Enji Todoroki had tried to do everything he could to prevent his children from interacting with family from their mother's side.

Shoto stepped up onto the agency's porch and reached for the large, brass knocker that was shaped like a penguin with a large fish felt in its mouth by the tail. Each hit of the fish's brass head made a resounding THUNK that reverberated through Shoto's arm. The door made an audible click as it unlocked for him, prompting the dual-haired teen to open the door.

The inside of the building was just as homely as the outside portrayed, the floors boasting a wooden shine and the area to either side having plush furniture one could nap in set atop soft rugs of earthly colors. A stone fireplace to the left held a heartwarming fire that filled the room with crackling and warmth. A set of stairs took a right angle halfway up, hugging the opposite corner on their way to the second floor. A bear of a man sat behind the desk across from the door, his whole body covered in white fur and a small pair of glasses perched on his nose. Although, he was more like the abominable snowman than a bear once Shoto gave him a second look, his clothing consisting of a suit with the jacket thrown over a chair to his right. He looked up from his computer as Shoto approached.

"You're the Todoroki kid, yeah?" the man said, adjusting his glasses with fingers that seemed far too large for such a dainty task.

"That is correct," Shoto nodded, closing the door behind him. "Are you Hitsuji Himura?"

"You don't even know what the boss looks like?" the man blinked. "Nah, kid. I'm her secretary, Yuki Daruma. Boss is upstairs in her office."

"Ah, I see. I suppose I will go meet with her immediately."

"I'll let her know you're here."

Shoto left the man to his work, the son of the number two Hero making his way to and up the stairs. A number of doors graced the second-floor hallway, but only one had a frosted glass window with "Hitsuji Himura — Chilly Hero: Woolen" in decorative lettering. He made his way to the door, giving it a light knock.

"Please, come in," a voice bleated. Shoto opened the door to the office, finding a small woman relaxing in a foldable fishing chair. The fireplace's flume rose along the far wall, radiating heat from the fire downstairs. Shoto blinked as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing.

Hitsuji Himura stood at only a little over three feet, her legs dangling from her chair. She was dressed in a long, brown, woolen coat decorated with white fluff along the linings, almost like a sort of gingerbread cookie. Her face was sheep-like with a small, upturned nose, thick, white hair like the wool of a sheep, and with the ears of said animal flicking in the air. Despite her winter clothing, Hitsuji Himura did not seem bothered by the heat at all. She did not look up from where she held a toy fishing pole over a game board either, the pro Hero dropping a magnet into the game to pull out three fake fish.

"Ah… hello?"

"Yes, yes, come in," Hitsuji said, not looking up from her game. Shoto glanced around the room as he closed the door, finding a plush comforter in the corner among snowshoes, fishing hooks, and skis. He pulled it a little closer and sat down, his weight causing him to sink down into the furniture's foam, and he felt himself unconsciously relax. It was difficult to stay stiff while falling into comfortable padding, after all. He waited a full minute for her to speak.

…

. . .

"Um, Miss Himura?" Shoto questioned.

"One moment."

She continued her toy fishing, pulling up another half-dozen fish and throwing back any that happened to be colored red.

"Miss Himura?" Shoto repeated. "My internship?"

"Oh, yes, right." The woman put her game away and turned to Shoto, appraising him with her dark eyes. In a moment, the temperature of the room started to drop, Shoto beginning to see his breath. "Shoto Todoroki, youngest child of Enji and Rei Todoroki. Age: 15, birthday: January 11, height: 176 centimeters (5'9"), blood type: O. One of four recommendation students of UA's Hero course, one of two in class 1-A under Shota Aizawa, the Underground Hero Eraserhead. Quirk: Half-Cold Half-Hot, and Hero alias: Shoto. Did I get any of that wrong?"

"You have… done your research," Shoto muttered, suddenly feeling small despite his greater size.

"Yes, well, when I sent out that offer, I didn't imagine you would actually accept. So tell me, Shoto Todoroki, what do you want to learn from me?"

"You are one of the premiere Heroes with a cold-based Quirk," Shoto replied. "You currently stand in the top 40, and you're the one with the highest ranking with a cold power. I was hoping you could teach me how to better control my own ice Quirk."

"Really?" the woman asked. "From your performance in the Sports Festival, it looks like you already have a serious handle on your ice. What I'm wondering is why your Quirk is called Half-Cold Half-Hot, yet the only 'hot' I've seen about you is all the middle school girls fawning over your looks on the internet."

"That's…" Shoto frowned. "I refuse to use his power as anything more than an additive. My father wants me to surpass All Might, and I will, but I refuse to use his power to do it. I'll become the number one Hero in Japan with only my mother's Quirk. This I swear!"

Hitsuji listened to his impassioned rant without a hint of emotion, the closest thing Shoto got being a flick of one of her sheep ears. Bored eyes studied him, blinking slowly, before the woman rose one hand to rub her forehead with a sigh. The unnatural freeze in the air lifted, the temperature of the room rising at the behest of the chimney flume again.

"Well, I can't say I like your dad at all after what he did to Rei, but that little speech of yours is the stupidest revenge scheme I've ever heard. And believe me, some Villains out there have some stupid origin stories."

"Ah," Shoto blinked. "What?"

"You," Hitsuji said, pointing at Shoto, "are stupid. Your whole plot here is to do exactly what your dad wants you do, but by limiting yourself halfway. Can't you see that?"

"Ah, well…"

"Honestly, boy. A better way to stab your dad in his overinflated pride would be to only use whatever power you got from him but constantly come in second or below. Or to not become a Hero at all"

"I…" Shoto swallowed. "I hadn't thought about that."

"No, of course you didn't." Hitsuji shook her head.

"But you do know my mother?" he pressed.

"Of course I do. Her father and my father were cousins." The woman ran her fingers through her thick hair, though it was more like she was just stabbing her fingers into it and pulling them out since her hair was too curly to actually comb through. "Did you only accept my offer because we're related?"

The boy's silence was deafening.

"Listen, Shoto," the woman sighed. "I don't know anything about fire Quirks, so I can't help you with that half of everything you've got going on. But," —she raised a finger before Shoto could fully deflate— "with my Quirk: Snow Sheep, temperature and cold are two things I work with exceptionally well. You want to stab your old man in the pride, and I have no love for what he did to Rei, so here's what you can do. Become a strong Hero. Exceptional, brave, hardworking, dependable, but not one who cares about rank. You might never earn your dad's approval this way unless that pompous avalanche takes a heel-face turn on this ski slope of life, but you can save people with your skills, and they'll see you for you, not for your old man. How about that? Get off your dad's slope with all the skills you have and find your own mountain."

"I… I don't know," he admitted. "I've never had someone call me stupid before besides my father."

"Baahahaha!" Hitsuji laughed. "It's true, though. You probably have fire powers, but you don't use them? Holding back like that can get someone killed out in the field, so I'm going to find a way for you use it without giving your dear old dad the satisfaction of you following his footprints. That's what you want, right?"

"I... suppose?"

"Come on, Shoto. Let's get you set up in our guest room and then we'll head to the training area. I need to see what I'm working with, but I've already got suggestions in mind." The woman hopped off her chair, Shoto only then realizing how short she really was, but she walked with an air of authority as she waved for him to follow. For the first time in many years, an actually smile started to dance across his lips.

It might not be exactly what he wanted, but he did finally find a kindred spirit. And if she said he could subvert his father even while using his fire, then maybe she was right. He'd just have to see what this week had in store.

"Tenya Iida," a voice said, the rigid student standing in the office of his newest teacher. His fingers twitched, his jaw firmly set, as the Hero studied him casually. Airjet was dressed in most of his his Hero costume, an aerodynamic suit of armor similar to those of the Iida family, but his demeanor was everything counter to Iida's. His feet rested on his desk as he leaned back in his chair, the pro's knight-like helmet and detachable jetpack resting to the side on some old paperwork. He was handsome in a plain sort of way with cropped, brown hair and brown eyes, but a scar ran the length up his left cheek to his ear and another cut the opposite eyebrow in half. "It's nice to finally put a face to the name and the screaming. You look like your brother."

"That is how genetics tend to work!" Iida replied, fighting every instinct he had yelling at him to demand the man take his feet off the desk. This was not UA and the desk belonged to the Hero before him, so it was Airjet's to do with as he pleased, no matter how unprofessional Iida considered it. "I-It is nice to meet you, Airjet-sensei!"

"You can just call me Sora," the Hero said. "Sora Torino. And your Hero name is…" He checked a page on his desk. "Tenya? Really, you couldn't come up with anything?"

Iida wilted a little. "My brother wants me to take the moniker of Ingenium from him once he retires, but he has not officially retired yet. By that same token, I do not yet feel worthy to take on such a legacy."

"Yeah, legacies can be tough things to handle," Airjet swung his feet off the desk and stood, stretching his arms. "The one I got from my old man wasn't nearly as big as the Ingenium name, though, so I can understand your hesitancy." He leaned against his desk, his head tilting. "I talked to your brother, but I want to hear it from you. Why me?"

"My brother speaks highly of you," Iida answered quickly. "You and he have collaborated several times and he says that, though you are not the most powerful nor the most popular Hero, you are exceptional when it comes to ferreting out shadowy back deals and trafficking rings. My brother was attacked by a man who hides in the shadows. His attacker was not the kind one would see in battle on the television because he is smarter than other Villains, and we have reason to believe he is only one of many."

"You really think the Hero Killer has allies?" Airjet questioned.

"Does not everyone have allies in one way or another?"

"You know that's not what I meant by my question, Tenya." Airjet pushed himself up from his desk, standing to his full height. He crossed his arms. "I said I talked to your brother, but I didn't tell you about what. His attack, sure, and what it would mean if I took you under my wing as an intern, but Tensei also said you would have information for me that he was unwilling to divulge over the phone. Something about a message?"

"Can this not wait?"

"Do you want it to?" Airejet questioned. "Because if you don't want to say anything, your brother recommended I reject you as an intern and send you back to UA where we can have a meeting with him, your Homeroom teacher, and Principal Nezu." Iida's expression soured. "I have agreed to teach you, but I need to know what you think you're getting yourself into so I can prepare you the best that I can. Do you think I would be able to look your brother in the eye if you ran off into something I had no idea about and it killed you? Do you think I'll let a Hero student, a first-year no less, run blindly into something without telling me about it first? I'll ask again. Tenya Iida, Tensei said something about a message?"

Hesitantly, reluctantly, Iida reached for his cell, his lips set in a hard frown. "I have not told him this, but I think my brother has been compromised," he began, maneuvering through his phone. "He knows that his memories of the attack and Kido's death were altered through some Quirk belonging to an ally of the Hero Killer. According to Tensei's message, Kido wanted to recruit him into some organization that the Hero Killer and his allies are counter to. I fear that, while altering his memories, this individual managed to implant some directive to not move against them. From what Kido told Tensei before the attack, these two organizations have been fighting since long before the Dawn of Quirks, killing each other's members, and still maintain their war today. As Heroes, we cannot just leave this alone, but because of Kido, we do not know who we can trust with this information. Were it up to me, I would have waited to discuss this later in the week, but I suppose Tensei has forced my hand." Iida held out his phone, the device set on speaker.

"H-Hey, Tenya…"

Izuku pushed open the door to Shinya Kamihara's office, an act that caused a bucket of ice water to fall on him.

"Son of a bitch!" the student cursed, the water seeping into his clothing as a welt from the bucket itself grew on his head. The student was panting and rather grungy as he pulled the bucket off, his clothing wet, dirty, and torn in places from the obstacles he'd had to force his way past. The pro Hero and secret Master Assassin only quirked an eyebrow at the annoyed student's entrance into his business room. "Master Kamihara, what the Hell‽"

"I am afraid you will need to be more specific, Initiate Midoriya," the man replied, no break in his movements as he continued filling out paperwork. "While we are in this office, outside of our mutual roles as arbiters of humanity's free will, you will refer to me as Edgeshot-sensei or simply as Master. Understood?"

"Yes, Master," Izuku muttered.

"On the topic of your assent, you look to be in better shape than I expected you to be, although I expect you to have a better time than 35 minutes tomorrow. What seems to be your current concern?"

"Currently? The bucket!" Izuku threw the bucket to the side where it clattered and rolled. "I think I started getting annoyed when the lasers burned me. Then you had the booby traps, then the climbing rope, and then you just had to add a prank bucket at the very end? Sir, why?"

"Training. Why else? Didn't Aizawa warn you of this?"

"No," Izuku bit out. "Master Aizawa failed to inform me that training would begin as soon as I arrived."

"Well, you made it up here, so good work. Haya took longer with her first attempt."

"Master, please!" Izuku looked over, a pink-haired third-year blushing a deep red to his left. He vaguely recognized her from both school and around the den, but he had not talked to her nor had he recognized that she was the same person in those instances. She was only a little taller than Izuku with short-cropped hair. "Don't call me out like that!"

"I don't know if you two have been introduced," Edgeshot said. "Izuku Midoriya, Yuyu Haya. Yuyu Haya, Izuku Midoriya."

Yuyu walked over, offering her fellow student a hand. Izuku took it, embarrassed at his state of dress.

"I've heard about you around the den," she said. "Passing off Eagle Vision as a Quirk? Clever."

"Ah, thank you, Haya-senpai," Izuku muttered, the young woman's smile growing at the honorific. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your Quirk?"

"I call it Ion Arrow," Yuyu answered, drawing one hand back as if she were drawing the string of a bow. An arrow of electricity formed between two of her fingers, crackling like condensed lightning. After it formed, she twirled it between her fingers. "As you can see, it lets me form arrows out of electricity. With Master's training, though, it's become a whole lot more than just shooting one arrow like when I started at UA."

"I see you two are getting along," Edgeshot commented. "You can socialize later, however. We need to discuss your internship here, Midoriya."

"Y-Yes, Master," Izuku replied, placing one hand over his heart and giving the man a bow.

"Training will begin at 0700 every morning and will go until lunch at 1300. The afternoons and evenings will alternate for each of you, consisting of either stealth training or routine patrol. One of you will be on the ground with me and the other following along by rooftop, in the capacity of Sidekicks and students, nothing else. We will also perform nightly training, as I see fit. Be prepared for that, Midoriya. I fear that will be particularly… enlightening."

End of Chapter 22

Next chapter will start with Aizawa and Shinso, Keeper and Nekoi and their stakeout, and the Flaming Sidekickers and their work. Don't think I've forgotten about them!

There are so many moving parts during this Internship Arc, but which are you most excited for or worried about? What do you think of the internship choices, including Woolen, an OC that came out of nowhere for Shoto? What about Tenya getting Airjet involved? What do you expect each of these students to learn from their new teachers? What are other Assassins and Templars doing in the background? What troubles will these groups get into? Tell me what you think!

Read and Review!

-SwordOfTheGods