He Who Protects

Chapter 7

"So Nezu agreed, then?" Tanaka ignored the servitor in the corner stacking logs in an old fashioned fireplace. As rare as it was to see an actual, working fireplace, it was of little interest compared to her Lord's story.

A small smile graced the Emperor's face. "To a degree. Nezu was not the type of person to agree to something unless it somehow benefitted him or his students."

Tanaka rushed to her feet, the wooden chair clattering to the chamber floor behind her. "Preposterous! Heresy! One does not simply deny the Emperor or use him for their own gains!"

"Calm yourself, Chronicler," he replied with a chuckle.

A furious blush bloomed across her cheeks as she bent to retrieve the toppled chair. "Apologies, Lord."

The Emperor waved a hand. "You must remember that at the time, I was not the Emperor. Merely a strange boy asking for immense favours. Nezu was right to distrust me."

"You're smiling, my Lord." Tanaka retook her seat and glanced at her recording apparatus.

"Pardon?" His reply rumbled in her chest.

A small smile crossed her lips. "You've not truly smiled since we began," she whispered. "You are coming to a point in your story that brings you either great joy or excitement. Perhaps both."

"You read me well, just as I expected." The Emperor turned back toward the portrait of his friends, missing the blush dotting Tanaka's cheeks. "That day was a turning point in my life, perhaps the greatest one."

Tanaka's eyes widened. "What happened, my Lord? Did you discover more of your power? Did you fight some great evil and save humanity?"

The Emperor chuckled again. "Nothing so grand, but infinitely better. I met the very best of my friends. I found that I didn't have to be entirely alone so long as I tempered my expectations."

"This person immediately recognized your greatness." Tanaka nodded. "Finally, a person with a modicum of sense."

"No," he replied, shaking his head, grin still in place. "In fact, we fought."

◹†◸◹†◸◹†◸◹†◸

Nezu's cold, calculating eyes roved Izuku's form. He could only guess what the Principal saw.

"How long do we have before he returns?"

"Months?" Izuku shrugged. "Perhaps years. My mind cannot handle the strain of seeing futures in their entirety. I only see bits and pieces of all possibilities. The passage of time is unknowable as I currently am."

Pondering for a few moments, Nezu continued his study. Izuku, at that moment, felt like an ant beneath a magnifying glass. He could only await the principal's judgement.

"Then we are at an impasse." The small animal hybrid clapped his paws and leapt from his seat. "I do not trust you, Mr. Midoriya. I have no reason to. Yet, as you said, I cannot ignore the possibility…"

Nezu stood atop his desk, his blazing eyes staring into Izuku's. Neither spoke for several moments.

"I'll see you prove your worth to us, then," Nezu muttered. "With All Might's death we can't discard any potential cards in our hand. Should you impress me, then our services shall be at your disposal."

The implied ramifications of failure shimmered in Nezu's eyes. Izuku nodded, catching a glance of plans upon plans swimming in Nezu's mind. The principal blinked, and shook his head with a small glare.

"You won't like what you find in there, Mr. Midoriya," Nezu growled before a beaming smile stretched across his snout. "Hood up and please, follow me."

They walked through the door and passed through blurred, maze-like halls. Izuku ignored the chattering of children surrounding him, his mind a furious whirl. Clouded images passed before his mind's eye. He clenched his fists, demanding the images clear.

"I'm afraid you should leave well enough alone, Izuku Midoriya." The Emperor's baritone voice thundered in his skull.

'You're blocking my attempts at seeing what is to come.' Izuku scowled at the ceiling. 'Why?'

"Over-reliance on your visions can easily become an exploitable weakness. It was one of the many reasons for my own downfall. I advise you to only use it when necessary. Besides, you will often find immense enjoyment from life's many surprises."

Izuku sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair. Emperor's genes or not, it couldn't be tamed.

"Whatever you're doing," Nezu squeaked, "please stop. It is most uncomfortable."

His eyes fell upon Nezu and widened. The principal's fur looked as if it had passed through a warp-static storm, buzzing and standing on end.

"You're sensitive to the…" Izuku clamped his jaw shut.

Static crackles faded to nothing as Nezu resumed walking. "I am sensitive to what, Mister Midoriya?"

"It's of no concern." Izuku felt the creature's eyes burning holes into the side of his head. "Merely an observation."

The light taps of their footsteps echoed about them in the cavernous, yawning halls. Izuku kept his eyes glued forward, ignoring the principal's unwavering stare for several seconds. With a sigh, the diminutive creature turned away.

"Very well then," he muttered. "You have no reason to trust me, just as I have no reason to trust you. Rest assured that if you succeed today we will have many…illuminating discussions."

Shivers raced down Izuku's spine. The rest of their journey was spent in total silence.

"Welcome, Mister Midoriya," Nezu said, breaking Izuku from his inner thoughts, "to Training Ground Beta."

Grey and white buildings stretched beneath the afternoon sun as far as he could see. It had all the normal trappings of any other urban area in Japan. Grumbles and groans to his right caught his attention.

A group of children, around his physical age, exited a building with Pro Hero: Snipe at their fore. They were dressed in hero costumes, most nearly torn to ribbons. All of them were covered in newly forming bruises. Their muttered conversations stopped when they noticed Principal Nezu and Izuku.

"You are working 1-A hard, Snipe." Nezu's placid smile widened as he took in the students' exhausted forms. "It's wonderful to see young men and women so dedicated to their education."

"Gotta up the runts' training since Aizawa up and disappeared." Snipe lifted the brim of his cowboy hat with a finger. "Who's the new guy? Prospective teacher?"

Nezu shook his head and glanced at Izuku. "I'm afraid not. He is a… protege of sorts that I've been teaching in secret. I wished to test his capabilities to see if he is worthy of continued study."

"Why wasn't the staff-"

"DEKU?!" A blond student in a rather aggressive looking hero costume pushed his way to the front of the group of students. "The hell are you doing here? And how the hell did you get so big, nerd?"

"Kacch-," Izuku muttered before shaking his head, "Bakugo, that is none of your concern."

The explosive teen grit his teeth and stalked up to Izuku. He had to reach up to jam a finger into Izuku's sternum. "The hell it isn't," Bakugo seethed. "You don't belong here, you quirkless wannabe. The hell are you playing at? Trying to one-up me again?"

"I believe that is enough, Mr. Bakugo." Nezu's whispered words were enough to lock the teenager in place for a moment.

"This isn't over, Deku," Bakugo muttered before he stalked out of the training area.

The other students watched him leave, confusion written on their faces.

Nezu clapped his hands. "And with that out of the way, please escort the students back to their homeroom, Snipe."

The pro hero nodded and tipped his hat to the pair as he ushered the mumbling students out. Nezu glanced down at his watch and quirked a brow.

"Odd." Nezu brought the watch to his ear. "I expected her to leave as soon as the training exercise was over."

The two turned their heads as one of the buildings to their right crumbled to the ground. Izuku shifted as a robot chassis flew through where he'd been standing.

"Ah, I believe that is her." Nezu cupped his paws around his snout. "Ms. Usagiyama, while I'm sure you are having fun destroying school property, please come over here. I have someone I wish for you to meet."

A second later, a bronze-skinned woman in a white and purple leotard appeared before them, almost too fast for Izuku to track. The muscular woman had red eyes, long white hair and rabbit ears sitting atop her head.

"Mr. Midoriya, this is-"

"The Rabbit Hero: Mirko!" Izuku's hands shook as he bounced on his feet. "You're projected to be the number five hero at the next leader's board! I've been following your progress since you graduated!"

Izuku fumbled through one of the pockets in his cloak, producing a notebook in trembling hands. "Could you please sign this?"

Mirko raised a brow. "How the hell did that notebook fit in his pocket?"

"You've been so composed up until now," Nezu muttered. "It is most odd to see that someone with your personality turn out to be a hero fanboy." He shrugged. "To each their own, I suppose. However, I must ask that autographs wait until we are done here."

"Who's the nerd, Nezu?" Mirko glanced at Izuku as he placed his notebook back in his cloak, despondent.

"This is Izuku Midoriya." A gleam shone in Nezu's black eyes. "He is a prospective student for the school's newest pilot programme."

Mirko put a pinkie in one of her rabbit ears, her face flat. "Not heard of this 'pilot programme'."

"I've not made it widely known," Nezu responded. "It's for prospective students who are…special, a cut above the rest."

"So you just wanted to introduce me to another brat?" Mirko made to walk past them. "Sorry, Nezu, but I've got better things to do. Those other kids you wanted me to whip into shape weren't even good enough for a warm-up."

The principal chuckled into a paw. "Apologies, Mirko. I don't want you to simply meet him. I want you to fight him." A wicked spark shot through Nezu's eyes. "And I don't want you to hold back. I think he'll provide a suitable…warm-up."

Mirko stilled, her spine stiff. Her head whipped around, a manic smirk stretching across her cheeks. Turning, Mirko walked up to Izuku and circled him, prodding him.

"Doesn't look to be anything special," she muttered. "Just another meathead. You sure he's up for this new secret programme of yours?"

"Desperate times, Mirko." Nezu waved a paw. "That is precisely why I want you to fight him. I want to see for myself, without bias, if he is worthy or not."

A scoff tumbling from her lips, Mirko backed away and looked Izuku up and down with a scowl. "Tell me, kid, why do you want to be a hero?"

Izuku returned her scowl. "Because I know what's coming," he growled. "Everyone saw what happened to All Might. People will need strong heroes to fight what they can't, to protect them and unite them. I want…no…need to be that hero."

Nezu quirked a brow. "Bold, Mr. Midoriya, very bold. But admirable, too. Let us see if you can live up to your goals."

"What's your quirk?" Mirko shifted her gaze up to his eyes. "You're big, but that can't be it if Nezu's interested in you."

The two heroes eyed him, their unsettling gaze making him want to shift in place. Izuku steeled himself against his old habits. 'I have to be better, I have to be more, if I want to do this.'

"Energy Accumulation," Izuku responded. "It allows me to break apart the molecular bonds in the air I breathe, stockpiling that energy in my body and using it in any way I wish. It's an unconscious effort that I've been doing for years."

Mirko vibrated in anticipation. "Versatile. Explains why you're so big." She poked his biceps. "But you said it was unconscious. How long have you been actively using your quirk?"

A sigh escaped his lips and he opened his mouth to speak.

"The doctors assumed Mr. Midoriya was quirkless when he was young," Nezu interrupted. "I sought Mr. Midoriya personally when a quirkless teenager applied for the hero course nearly a year ago. It was then that we ascertained his quirk and its potential and decided to kick off this new programme. Now if you are done, Mirko, I wish to see how far he's come under my tutelage."

Pushing her knuckles against her chin, Mirko cracked her neck. Her eyes shined with malicious glee. "Sounds good to me."

"What is my goal, Principal Nezu?" Izuku turned back to see the diminutive creature scampering away toward an observation room.

"Win," he called out from over his shoulder.

Izuku sighed, turning back toward Mirko. "And the rules?"

"Let's keep it simple." Mirko crouched down, her smirk never leaving her face. "Nezu said I could go all out. So we'll fight 'til you get knocked out or give up. So come at me…WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT, KID!"

Countless centuries of combat flashed before his eyes. Izuku's limbs vibrated with anticipation, but his mind was in disarray. 'I've trained my powers, but I've not used them in a live scenario yet. What do I do?'

Mirko kicked off the ground, a plume of dust blasting up behind her. Her rabbit ears flattened against her skull as she shot toward him, her leg curling behind her.

The bones in his arms rattled as Izuku caught the kick in a cross guard. Heels carving trenches in the ground, Izuku gritted his teeth. 'Strong! Fast!'

He jumped back and shook out the numbness settling into his forearms. "You're confident about your victory."

With a smirk, Mirko shot forward once again. "Luna Fall!"

Izuku stumbled back. 'I can't think fast enough. The knowledge is there, but my application is a fraction of a second off!'

Concrete shattered beneath Mirko's foot. Dust shot into Izuku's eyes from the resulting shockwave. It filled his lungs, strangled coughs forcing their way up.

His neck tingled. He blinked against the grit and crust gumming his eyes. 'She's coming!'

Izuku dove to his right.

"LUNA RING!"

Another shockwave exploded from where he'd previously been, his body tumbling away from the impact. Izuku shot to his feet and forced down the coughs. Dust covered everything, but he could feel her. Mirko was closing in.

"I can hear you, kid."

Izuku reached out to the immaterium. It thrummed through his mind, in his very blood. He disappeared in a blinding flash.

"That's a pretty neat trick." Mirko's voice was muffled by the concrete wall of the building he found himself in. "But to answer you, I'm confident 'cause I can tell you don't have experience."

Leaping back, Izuku brought up his arms in time to block the rubble shooting toward him. Mirko stood in the hole she'd created in the wall. A confident gleam glimmered in her eyes, her hands on her hips.

"You have great instincts, kid." She crouched again. "But you won't beat me by running and blocking. And here…in this building? You lose."

She jumped up at blinding speeds. Izuku's eyes traced her movements as she bounced off of every surface, her form nothing more than a blur of brown and white.

"LUNA ARC!"

Izuku brought his arms up again. Wind buffeted him, her kick missing by a centimetre. Her body twirled and his eyes widened.

'A feint!'

A sadistic smile on her face, Mirko tucked her leg into her body. She used her momentum from the feint to launch a devastating front kick to his abdomen.

Air exploded from Izuku's lungs as he was launched through several walls and out of the building. An audible crunch resonated through the air as he slammed into the ground floor of another building.

He disappeared in another blinding flash.

"THAT TRICK'S GETTING REALLY OLD, KID!"

Izuku appeared across the training area, his hand shooting to his broken rib. 'It didn't puncture my lung…yet.'

Roared curses reached his ears. Mirko was searching for him. She couldn't hear him yet.

'She's a monster! How am I supposed to beat her? Think, Izuku!'

"You think too much, Izuku Midoriya," the Emperor whispered in his mind. "And you lack my experience as we are not yet fully integrated. You have only my knowledge and a portion of my strength. If you think of how I would fight you will always be slower than you could be. She was right, you have considerable instincts. Calm your mind and use them. Your body should move without thought."

Izuku took a deep, calming breath and closed his eyes. Ancient battle canticles, mantras lost after the Horus Heresy, flowed through his mind. An artificial calm settled over him.

Standing, Izuku relaxed in the gentle thrum permeating his body. Time slowed as he walked out onto the street. Memories of battle flowed through his mind like a tranquil stream. The pain in his ribs lessened to a dull throb.

"I'm not like you," Izuku whispered. "I will never be exactly like you. But your experience. I'll lean on it until I'm prepared to stand on my own."

Opening his eyes, Izuku saw Mirko standing before him, head tilted in curiosity.

"Who were you talking to?"

Izuku shook his head. "Someone who died a long time ago." His body shifted into a fighting stance of its own accord and a glare settled on his face.

"Doesn't matter then." Mirko crouched to the ground, her muscles tensing. "But it looks like you've changed from a few seconds ago. I LIKE IT!"

She shot forward, dust kicking up from her launch. Despite his calm, despite him using his psychic abilities to slow time, she was still fast. But this time…

His eyes caught the tensing muscles in her thigh. He saw her smirk fall ever so slightly. Izuku took in the twitch in her hand just before it planted in the ground in front of him.

"I SEE YOU, MIRKO!"

Izuku dropped to his back, her outstretched leg slicing through the air above him. Her eyes widened as he pulled his legs into his chest and shot them up.

A small shockwave burst out from the point of impact. Mirko shot through the air. Wincing, her hands grabbed onto an electrical cable she passed.

Electricity arced through the air when the cable snapped. Her momentum shifted and she swung through the air in a circle like the old Tarzan movies.

'Insulated gloves. Electricity won't work very well.'

Letting go of the cable, Mirko shot toward him feet first like a missile.

Without conscious thought, Izuku dove away. An explosion of dust and concrete shot over him as he planted his hand on the ground beneath him. Izuku tucked into a flip and landed on his feet.

Mirko's smirking face appeared in the cloud of dirt and debris. "You're reacting faster, but you're still on the defensive!"

Izuku leaned to the side, the wind from her fist ruffling his hair. His hands shot out, grabbing onto her overstretched arm. Shifting his body, Izuku threw her over his body and slammed Mirko into the ground.

Spiderweb cracks shot out from beneath her body. Her unsettling grin never left her face.

His leg lifted, and shot down with a yell. Mirko shifted her head, her arm slithering from his grasp. Concrete shattered beneath his foot as Mirko leapt off the ground with a grunt

"LUNA TIJERAS!"

Mirko's body twisted in the air. Her legs snaked around his neck from behind and clamped down like a vise. Pressure built in Izuku's head as his blood flow slowed to a crawl. His heart hammered behind his eyes.

'I only have a few seconds.'

His hands clawed at her thighs, but they wouldn't budge. Izuku crouched, slamming a punch into Mirko's side when she began to shift. Stars shimmered in his eyes as she stilled with a grunt.

But her grip on his neck wouldn't loosen. Fire seared his lungs.

Legs tensing, Izuku shot backward. Wind roared in his ears for a fraction of a second before warping metal screeched.

With a yell, Mirko's legs fell from around his shoulders. Izuku lurched forward, warm air filling his lungs. He whipped around with gasping gulps for oxygen.

Mirko's chuckles filled his ears. She stood, blood leaking from her lips. The large metal pole behind her was warped, bowing its head to the ground in a caricature of fealty.

"That was pretty good, kid." She raised a forearm to her lips, smearing her blood over her cheek. "Pretty sure you cracked my rib there. Nobody's escaped that move before."

With a grunt, Izuku shot forward with a raised fist. Blood hummed in his head. A kaleidoscope of colour bloomed to life around him. His eyes, a faint fiery white, reflected in her own.

Mirko leapt back with a gasp. His punch cratered the ground, a small plume of white flame erupting from it. Sizzling, molten rock clattered about his feet.

Ragged breaths tore from Izuku's sneering lips. He lurched, grasping at flowing, luminescent strands in the air. Invisible haze distorted everything around him. The veins in arms writhed and sweat poured down his back. Izuku grit his teeth until they cracked, his clawed hands prying.

The air hissed, buildings swayed. Rock cracked and the air ripped apart. Large chunks of earth peeled free of their bonds. Izuku yanked his arms back. His muscles tore like paper.

A slab of concrete shot toward him. Mirko's eyes widened as she was folded flat against its surface. He raised a quivering fist. Wind whipped from the extremity, flattening his hair to his head.

With a guttural yell, Izuku slammed his knuckles into Mirko's sternum. Her pained screams quiet over the resulting thundering crack. Her body slammed down, twitching amongst the mountain of rubble.

Pain lanced Izuku's head and he fell to his knees. 'I used the warp energies too much. My body isn't fully prepared.'

Shifting rubble and gurgling laughter, garbled by the blood roaring in his ears, sounded to his right. Izuku's eyes shot open and he stumbled to his feet.

Pain shot through his torso. Ribs faltered and cracked beneath her knee.

Izuku stumbled back. His hands shot to his side. Wet, rattling coughs clawed up his throat. Blood splattered over the earth.

"It's over now kid." Mirko's words choked out amid crimson bubbles. "You used too much power trying to take me down."

The Rabbit Hero stumbled toward him. Her manic, blood-stained grin shined from behind rivers of red pouring from her forehead. Mirko's right arm hung loose at her side.

Limbs numb, Izuku's legs wobbled beneath him.

'I refuse to lose on my knees! I will win on my feet!'

Izuku shuffled forward, his feet dragging over the ground. He raised his fist. Agony stabbed his every muscle. They screamed at him to stop, to rest. Grim determination filled him, buoyed him.

'I won't lose.'

Air crackled around Izuku's fingers. His fist sliced through the air.

His opponent stopped, shaking her head.

"...Luna…" Mirko crouched, her muttered words garbled save the one.

Blood thrummed in his veins.

The skin on his hands sizzled and popped.

The world in front of him blurred, darkened.

An explosion of heat haze surged from Izuku's hand.

Rubble whipped around him in a maelstrom.

Blood trickled from his ears and down his neck.

He lowered his hand, a mirthless chuckle left his lips.

In front of him laid nothing but indistinct destruction.

"Fall," Mirko whispered.

And Izuku's world faded to black.