I own nothing. May contain Out of Character moments.

What occurred over the next couple of days was crazy, even by the ever raising standards Minoru is used to. The Hero Billboard Chart proved groundbreaking as many Heroes made a live appearance at the event, with the top 10 taking center stage. All eyes were on Endeavor as he took on the heavy mantle left behind by All Might. However, he was able to start on a strong note by dispelling some tension created by the Wing Hero Hawks, the current number 2. And once the event ended, Minoru and 1A felt like things were finally looking up for the Heroes.

Then the incident happened…

Only a day after the Billboard, in the city of Fukuoka, Endeavor and Hawks battled with a Nomu. But this one was vastly different than the one he saw at USJ or Hosu. It fought more carefully with its abilities, giving the top two heroes a serious run for their money. But while the Nomu did cause some heavy damage to Endeavor and parts of the city, the Flame Hero snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. It was quite the first trial for the newly crowned Number One Hero.

But Endeavor's baptism by fire didn't end there as he and Hawks were suddenly ambushed by a League of Villain member, Dabi. And considering the state the top two Heroes were in, it would've been unlikely that they could fight him off. It was lucky that another top hero, Mirko, arrived and forced him to retreat. And thus, the sudden battle had ended and all of Japan cheered for their new Number One Hero.

Yet…

Minoru couldn't shake the feeling that this was but the signal to their next battle, whenever that may be.

But for now, he should relax knowing that societal collapse has been averted.

Or at least, that was the plan until the shorter boy felt a quiet, but ominous thump. Minoru, by instinct, stood up and extended his baton, ready to fight. But as his the weight of sleep left him and his thoughts cleared, he first remembered that he was in 1A's dorm. Second, he remembered that he and Izuku went to bed rather late, spending most of the evening training. And third, that sound came from his partner's room…

Minoru didn't have to think about it. He quickly left his room and ran down the hall, baton still drawn. Aoyama, no doubt awoken by the noise as well, was already at Izuku's room, the door strangely open, though that could just be chalked up to an exhausted Izuku's forgetfulness. The faux Frenchman turned to Minoru, an expression of annoyance clearly plastered on his face.

"Ah, Monsieur Mineta, were you awakened too?" He asked.

"Yeah, but what happened? Is Izuku alright?" Minoru asked. Aoyama didn't say anything and simply gestured for the shorter boy to look for himself. Minoru peered inside and saw something bizarre. A Izuku was kneeling on his bed, giving his scarred right hand a confused looked as his heavy breathing filled the air. But that isn't what's strange about this scene…

It's the state of disarray his room was in. Izuku's desk chair was knocked over, some of All Might's posters were peeling off the wall, papers, his alarm clock, and a few figurines lay scattered on the floor. But that's nothing compared to what happened to Izuku's bed. Something tore through both the comforter and the bedding underneath, nearly tearing both in two. Honestly, it was surprising the mattress underneath wasn't in worse shape.

What on Earth happened here?

"Dude… You okay?" Minoru asked, approaching his partner. Izuku snapped out of his stupor and turned around, his confusion much more apparent in his green eyes. And if Minoru looked carefully, he could see the fading glow of One for All within them. Did Izuku's Quirk activate in his sleep?

"Minoru-kun… I just had a dream, about the egg…" Izuku said, his breathing finally calming down. While Minoru understood what that meant, they couldn't exactly talk about it now. Perhaps when Aoyama decides to finally leave them and head back to his room.

"Then that must've been some egg, Monsieur Midoriya. This is why you should have some cheese before bed, one that's gentle on your stomach. Now off to bed, and try not to get so excited again." Aoyama commented with a huff. Izuku gave an apologetic nod, skipping over the double meaning of the faux Frenchman's words that Minoru picked up on.

"Sorry for waking you, Aoyama-kun. Good night."

Aoyama nodded and went off. He did leave Izuku's door open, though that's probably because he assumed Minoru was going to leave too. That was not going to be the case. Minoru quietly walked over to the open door and closed it. He then picked up the desk chair off the ground and sat on it, ready to start this conversation.

"What was the dream about?"

"I was standing, with only a part of my head and right hand formed, next to this beautiful woman I don't know. There were more people I don't recognize standing besides us… There was one face I recognized though, even if he was all wispy-like, All Might." Izuku began, sitting down to face his partner. Minoru raised a brow, unsure of what seeing the former Number One Hero signifies. However, it only took a moment for the shorter boy to realize why All Might was there.

"You met the past users of One for All?"

"Yeah… I saw the vestiges and the memories of the first user, specifically when the Quirk was born. The First, he confronted All for One over his use of his Quirk, using it to manipulate people and create chaos. But the First was weak and had no Quirk, so he was imprisoned. I then saw All for One take the streets and built his villainous empire… He said he was willing to give anything to anyone, so long as they join him…" Izuku replied before clenching his fists. The shorter boy knew this next part had triggered his partner's heroic instinct.

Even in a dream, Izuku wanted to help the First.

"You should've seen the way his eyes looked Minoru-kun… There was nothing but arrogance and evil in them as All for One forced a Quirk onto his brother… But just as that memory ended, I heard the First speak to me. He reached out and touched my outstretched hand…" Izuku continued, looking down at his right hand.

"That's when you woke up and your room exploded…" Minoru finished for him.

"I didn't think he could acknowledge me like that… All Might would talk to me about One for All every so often, trying to help me get more mileage out of it. He mentioned seeing shadows of the past users, Vestiges he called them, a few times… But the way he described them made me thought they were just some vision… Not sentient ghosts with things to say! It's something straight out of comic!" Izuku replied, getting more confused by the minute.

Minoru, however, was not fazed by his partner's claim. Sure, it was pretty shocking that there were ghosts living rent free in Izuku's head… The shorter boy knew something weird was bound to happen with a Quirk like One for All. It's always the Quirks that have bizarre abilities or traits that end up being incredible.

Eri's Rewind being one of them.

"All I can say for now is that Quirks are weird and that there's not much we can do except speculate. Let's talk to All Might tomorrow; he might know what any of this means." Minoru suggested. While Izuku didn't seem that satisfied with such a basic, unsatisfactory explanation… He relented on the other suggestion. It was late at night, not exactly a great time to do any kind of speculating. This goes doubly so when they lack any sort of information.

"Then tomorrow at lunch, we go see All Might." Izuku said with a sigh.

"Yeah… Try to get some sleep man; we've got a long talk ahead of us." Minoru replied with a yawn, heading to the door once he was done.

"I'll try. Good night, Minoru-kun."

"Good night partner."

And with that, the shorter boy went back to his room and went back to bed. But while he eventually fell asleep, Minoru couldn't help but think about One for All and the meaning of that dream. Just what does fate have in store for Izuku? And what will this mean for all of them? Quirks may be weird…

But this whole situation has gone far past that point.

…

…

…

"The First spoke to you?" All Might asked, unsure if he heard that correctly.

The next day couldn't have come sooner as Minoru and Izuku woke up early that morning completely restless. Neither of them sleep that well, caught up by their thoughts of One for All and its associating dream. So the moment morning classes ended, the two boys ran off to meet with All Might in their usual place.

"That's right; he referred to me as the Ninth. He told me to continue making progress… To be careful, that we've past the singularity… And to remember that I'm not alone… It's honestly kind of spooky. I felt his hand touch mine. I even saw the feelings the predecessors had in their eyes as the dream ended." Izuku replied, looking at his right hand. All Might could only let out a contemplative him, a bad sign in Minoru's book. That means the former Number One doesn't have any experience with what's happening with his student.

It's a phenomenon completely unique to Izuku.

"I'm sorry that your first encounter with the Vestiges was something that shocking. But I don't think this is a bad thing. The First said they'll support you, which means that you've just got many more allies for your journey. Spiritual guides as my master would call them." All Might said, an optimistic smile appearing on his face. While Minoru was still unnerved about the occult aspects of this, he had to agree to that.

The more help his partner got, the more the better he can handle One for All's immense responsibility.

"Well I'm glad it's Izuku with the ghostly mentors and not me. I've already got my hands full with Aizawa and Shifu." Minoru said with a laugh. That gotten a smile out of his partner and All Might, aware of the cryptic teaching methods used by the two Heroes.

"Whatever the case, we'll all work through it together. One for All may be in your hands, Young Midoriya, but it's not the only source of your strength. You've got many people you can rely on in a pinch." All Might said, placing a hand on his successor's shoulder. Izuku beamed at the gesture, nodding in affirmation.

"Of course!"

"Good. Lunch is almost over, so you two best get going. There's going to be a special class this afternoon, very special." All Might said as he walked to the break room door. This was when Minoru felt his paranoia flare up, feeling a sense of interest and excitement in the retired Hero's voice. What had the teachers' planned this time?

"Uhhh… How special?" Minoru asked carefully.

"It'll be special enough for me to come and watch personally." All Might said with a smirk, leaving ahead of the two boys. Izuku and Minoru looked at each other with eyes full of caution and wonder. But with a resolute nod to one another, the pair quickly went after All Might. Naturally, they caught up to the former Number One and began pestering for answers, to which none were given.

All Might simply responded with a 'you'll see' and a charming smile that made the shorter boy even more paranoid.

And just when Minoru and Izuku were about to try again…

Aizawa walked out of a nearby classroom. And next to him was Shinso Hitoshi, someone Minoru hasn't crossed paths with in a long while. Sure he's seen the tired boy occasionally in the halls, but it was always in passing. However, now that Shinso's here, Minoru could see that he was a little more rugged than usually.

"So Aizawa did take him in …" Minoru thought.

"I see you're still play favorites, All Might." Aizawa commented as bluntly as ever.

"N-Not really… It's just that these two won't–!" All Might replied, sputtering out an excuse.

"Drop the excuses, it's getting old." Aizawa said, interrupting him. As the former Number One was reeling from the harsh come back, Minoru approached his old Sports Festival opponent.

"So, how's Aizawa as a teacher?"

"You'll see soon enough, senpai." Shinso replied with an uneasy smirk. Minoru reflexively pressed his lips together before any words come out, left hand curling into a random pitching grip. It was almost as if his paranoia was warning him by triggering his original defense against Shinso's Quirk. Combined with what All Might said, Minoru was now completely suspicious of everything.

"Mineta, Midoriya, get suited up. We've got a busy day today." Aizawa said, catching the shorter boy's attention. Minoru quickly looked away from Shinso and at his partner, finding Izuku staring back. And between the gaze of their eyes, the two understood that today was going to get a lot more interesting.

And that has been Chapter 120!

I've been getting back into the swing of things. Who knows? I might even be able to return to a bi-weekly schedule at the rate I'm drafting things. So do look forward to any updates on this front.

That's all the news I have this time. So...

Until Next Time. T1.