Written by Aduubo, Buckichamp, and PKSpartan.
I OWN NOTHING. KILL LA KILL IS OWNED BY STUDIO TRIGGER AND KAZUKI NAKASHIMA. MHA IS OWNED BY TOHO ANIMATION AND KOHEI HORIKOSHI. _
-Monday morning-
Izuku woke up and made his usual trek up to Ryuko's apartment to rouse her. He started waking up an hour earlier than he usually would since she would need about half an hour to get ready. It was tough, but it did give them extra time to have breakfast with his mom.
"Ryuko? Are you up? Why am I even asking at this point?" he chuckled while knocking. Just before he reached for the key to open the door…
"Ah! Y-Yeah! Almost ready!"
Izuku raised his brow when he heard Ryuko's voice on the other side of the door. This was the first time that he didn't need to drag her out of bed.
"Sure thing!" Izuku said and turned around to lean against the railing.
It took a few minutes before he heard the door pop open. Izuku was about to give his typical morning greeting, but he stopped before he could get started.
"Good morning, Izuku!" Ryuko smiled as she closed the door behind her.
"G-Good morning, Ryuko," Izuku stuttered.
Ryuko had her usual upbeat attitude, which was nothing out of the ordinary. What did surprise him was that she was wearing the full UA High School uniform, not just the blazer with Senketsu underneath anymore. It also came with the dress shirt and blueish-green skirt. The red tie was absent, with Senketsu taking its place as a Bandana around her neck.
Izuku's face grew warm and red. He'd never seen Ryuko look so proper before. Even if her shirt wasn't tucked in, and a few buttons at the top were undone. Which then made his eyes dart towards her collar bone. It was toned and looked so strong.
Ryuko immediately noticed that he was giving her a onceover, which was expected since she was wearing something unusual. She blushed and tucked her hands into her pockets. But for some reason, she didn't speak up.
Izuku felt indecent about looking her down like this and tried to change the subject fast.
"W-Wow, you're wearing the school uniform! Well, almost all of it," he managed to get out.
"Yeah, but since I could make Senketsu an accessory, I figured why not try something new today?" Ryuko chuckled.
"I-It looks good on you, Ryuko," Izuku said earnestly, which made Ryuko blush even more. She brushed her front bangs nervously away from her eyes.
"T-Thanks, Izuku. Yours looks good, too. The tie looks a little weird though," Ryuko then reached out to Izuku. "Do you want it straightened?"
Izuku became stiff as Ryuko was getting closer, hopelessly trying to back away from her. He wasn't sure if he could handle it, but at the same time, he didn't want to be rude and refuse.
"U-Um, sure! Sorry about that. It must be embarrassing doing another person's tie…"
"Not even. Because my dad never learned how to do this. And I did. That's embarrassing," Ryuko giggled and held his tie before suddenly stopping.
Upon closer inspection, she noticed how much tighter Izuku's uniform looked on him. Not that he was being constricted by it, but that he fit very well into the collar, instead of it fitting onto him, showing how well built he had become.
Ryuko's blue orbs shook, and her cheeks were red as she stared at Izuku's toned neck. How the hell did she just notice this now when it didn't even cross her mind the previous month?
"Umm, Ryuko?" Izuku asked with a similar hue.
"AH! Actually I think I like your tie the way it is! It's cute! It definitely suits you! I-I think we should hurry and eat so that we can get to class!" Ryuko quickly backed away from Izuku before jogging down the stairs.
"O-Oh! Right!" Izuku promptly went and followed her.
..~~~HLK~~~..
The bright blue skies bathed the city as morning light hit the horizon. However, it also happened to be a school day. Most would have been bummed out that they couldn't enjoy the weather since they were either at work or school. Fortunately, Ryuko and Izuku still had the opportunity to savor it as they made their usual trek to UA.
Once they got into the classroom, it was filled with their classmates gossiping and telling stories about their internships. Izuku saw that Todoroki was accompanying Iida at his desk. Izuku nodded to Ryuko, indicating that he was going to check up on them. Ryuko agreed and decided to catch up with the girls, starting with Uraraka.
"Hey, Uraraka. Long time no see! How was your internship?"
Matoi approached the brunette who was currently facing the other direction and slinged her arm around her shoulder, only to feel an immensely hot sensation that nearly scorched her.
"YAOW!" Ryuko yelped and quickly recoiled away.
"Ryuko? What happened?" Senketsu asked.
"I-I dunno! I only just touched her! But then-"
The teen froze as she now saw a purple, flamelike aura surrounding Ochako.
"What the hell…?"
The brunette's body creaked as she turned around slowly to face her friend. Ryuko felt shivers run down her entire being upon seeing Ochako.
"Oh, hello, Ryuko. My internship was very enlightening. Thank you for asking," she spoke in such a deep husk that smoke could be seen slithering out of her mouth.
"How was your internship?"
"Uhh… Umm," Ryuko stuttered. This was one of the rare occasions that she was scared half to death by someone. Ochako's colorless eyes were doing a good job at unsettling her.
"Holy crap, Uraraka. What happened to you?" Jirou asked, peering from behind Ryuko.
"I think you found your fighting spirit, Ochako," Tsuyu commented.
"Yeah, she's been like that for a while. Hold on," Ashido murmured while rummaging through her pocket.
"Hey, Uraraka! Heads up!" Mina shouted before tossing something up.
The brunette's eyes locked on the object before grabbing it out of the air. The girls clapped in awe from that display. Uraraka then unwrapped her hand, finding a mochi donut in it.
"H-Huh? What?" she said, her brown orbs coming back into her eyes, coming back to reality after getting a whiff of the sweet aroma.
"Welcome back, Uraraka!" Mina cheered before wrapping her arm around the brunette's neck, embracing her. "So, how was your guys' internships?"
"Man, talk about change! After one week, she's like a totally different person," Kaminari said as he mostly observed what was happening.
"Different? Don't be fooled, Kaminari. All women are demons at heart. They just hide their true personality behind pretty faces," Mineta responded while timidly biting his nails.
"Sheesh, what the heck did Mt. Lady do to you? Everybody at my internship loved me. It was kind of great! Now if we were to really talk about who's changed, it's those five and a few others."
Kaminari pointed to the five individuals in question; Iida, Todoroki, Midoriya, Yaoyorozu, and Matoi.
"NO WAY! YOU GUYS SURVIVED A TERRORIST ATTACK?!" Jirou, Uraraka, Ashido, and Hagakure shouted together after getting filled in.
"Yes. I was truly frightened. It all happened so fast. I don't think I would have made it out alive if it weren't for Matoi," Yaoyorozu smiled, gesturing to the red streaked teen.
"Aw, come on, Yaomomo. You don't need to flatter me. You helped out plenty, too," Ryuko returned the sentiment.
'They made up!' Almost everyone in the classroom thought in unison.
"Wait, how come you guys didn't know about that?" Ojiro asked the girls.
"I think since Todoroki, Iida, and Midoriya actually tangoed with the Hero Killer before being saved by Endeavor, that would have made the headlines easily," Sato spoke up.
'Yep. And we know how the news likes to prioritize their stories,' Everyone considered.
"But seriously though, glad you all made it back alive," Kirishima expressed with a look of relief.
"It's crazy to think so much has happened throughout one week," Sero nodded, as he and Kirishima were being dragged from their shirts by Bakugo.
"We were worried about you too, Midoriya," Momo said somberly. "Matoi nearly fled the scene in a frenzy to come find you."
Suddenly, Ryuko froze as she felt a sharp, static shock.
"Really?" Izuku curiously tilted his head.
"Oh~?" Mina peered beside Ryuko with a sultry look in her eyes.
"W-W-W-W- SHHHH, WE DON'T NEED TO TALK ABOUT THAT, YAOMOMO!" Ryuko shouted before frantically shielding Momo with her entire form.
"Huh? Did I say something wrong?" the front banged girl asked.
..~~~HLK~~~..
Later that day, Class 1-A dressed into their costumes and met with All Might outside of Field Gamma. Just like before, everyone was amazed by Ryuko's new look. They didn't think her Kamui could be altered, but she continued to surprise them. Even All Might was impressed by it.
And speaking of costume changes…
"Whoa there, Midoriya! Lettin' the guns out for the day?" Kirishima said, surprised to see Izuku rocking a sleeveless look
"Yeah, I had to rip them off to help Todoroki. It feels kinda nice having my arms out and free. It's a shame it doesn't give much in terms of protection," Izuku responded, rolling his shoulders back.
"Oh wow, that's a bold look from our class green bean. Right, Matoi~? Uraraka~?" Ashido said, turning to the two girls who looked in opposite directions away from each other, all while their cheeks were searing red.
After that little reunion, All Might went over the rules for their next rescue training. Everyone was split into groups, with the first bunch consisting of Izuku, Tenya, Hanta, Mina, and Mashirao going first.
"Iida hasn't fully recovered yet, right? He should sit this out!" Kaminari expressed his concern.
"Man, everyone in this group has really good mobility," Kirishima said.
"As much as I'd like to root for the others, I think Midoriya is going to take this. Knowing how well he did in the Sports Festival, it's a given that he'd only improve since then," Yaoyorozu analyzed.
"Right. I bet he's gotten a lot faster," Jirou added.
"Hmm. Midoriya might be fast, but I'm thinking Sero's got this in the bag. The dude's got all sorts of vantage points with that tape of his!" Kirishima placed a fun wager.
"I'm still banking on Midoriya there. I'm actually interested to see who would win if I was in his group. Maybe All Might has a timer?" Kaminari began pondering.
"I choose Ashido! 'Cause she's got a super athletic body that's smaller than Midoriya's! So she should totally be faster than he is!" Mineta jumped into the conversation.
"So…the real competition is either to beat Midoriya, or end up in third or last place, right?" Jirou asked.
"Yep," everyone said together.
Katsuki felt a blood vessel burst as he overheard everyone talking about Deku. Even when the damn nerd scored third in the Sports Festival, he was all they ever talked about! Plus, deep down, he was worried that they might actually be right.
"Is everyone ready? BEGIN!" All Might pressed a button, sounding off the alarm to start.
The race began with Sero taking the obvious route towards the skies. It was a better strategy than having to maneuver through the maze, which Iida had the misfortune of dealing with. It didn't take long for Izuku to breeze right through the tape hero with his newfound agility and speed.
"Aw COME ON! Even in my element, ya gotta show me up?! Not fair!" Sero cried out as he tried to catch up.
People were expecting Izuku to take the lead, but they were surprised by how he did it. The way he was jumping and propelling himself off the obstacles. Katsuki knew all too well that those were his moves that the nerd was replicating.
'There he is again. Using MY moves! Damn it! All the time I've wasted at that useless internship… he's just been…'
His teeth clenched as he refrained from screaming out his frustration. Izuku on the other hand, could barely contain the smile he had during all of this.
'I can't believe it! I'm moving so fast! This is all so exhilarating!'
Izuku found himself to be having a lot of fun during this rescue training. The cool breeze of the wind, and looking over the amazing view of the field, he was having a blast! Izuku put those thoughts to rest as he shook his head, remembering that this was still training. He couldn't let what he learned go to waste.
His use of stamina with Ryuko, and his dexterity with Torino and Miruko. That was all he thought of as he saw All Might in the distance.
'Ryuko, Gran Torino, Miruko, everyone! Thank you!'
And with that, Izuku landed on the same rooftop as All Might, securing first place in the regiment. The Number One hero's mouth was agape, unable to fathom how much his protege had improved since the previous week. They both even nearly waited a minute before the others would join them.
"Holy crap! He did it!" Ryuko did a double take to make sure she was seeing this correctly.
"You're surprised? You are the one who trained with him before the Sports Festival," Jirou said.
"Hey, this is new to me too. He probably learned this on his own," Ryuko responded.
"And here I thought you two did everything together," Jirou teased.
"Shut up! I-It's not like we're both together all the time," Ryuko said with a mild blush.
"Hmm?" Jirou only responded with a smirk.
Katsuki's fists tightened as smoke was searing from them. Deku completely blew everyone away in that race!
"Wow! Looks like Midoriya's really got your moves nailed down to a peg! It must suck knowing that you basically got knocked down to third place, huh?" Mineta taunted Bakugo.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Bakugo screamed, getting up close in Mineta's face in a matter of seconds.
Minoru shrieked in fear before falling onto his bottom. Once again, he never learned how to keep his mouth shut. Bakugo soon grabbed him by his scarf and lifted him up. At first, it seemed like he was going to give the purplette a warning.
But the smoke emerging from between the blonde's fingers showed something far more nefarious.
"Hey! Lay off, Katsuki!"
The blonde violently turned to see that he was being called by Ryuko.
"I get that the shrimp there definitely deserves a lesson or two beaten into him, but don't you think that using your quirk is a little overkill? At least Jirou knows to take it back a notch with hers."
"Why don't you mind your own fucking business, Shank?" Katsuki growled.
"Keeping bullies from picking on folks that can't fight back is my business," she barked back while taking steps towards him.
'My hero!' Mineta's eyes brightened up with joy.
"Even when some of them are disgusting lil' pervs."
Mineta pressed his forearm against his head in embarrassment. She just had to ruin the moment for him.
"Now for the last time, lay the fuck off."
Ryuko quickly swiped Minoru from Katsuki's grasp before setting him down on the ground.
"Saying you have an attitude problem isn't anything new, but you've been acting really out of line. What the hell's your problem?" Ryuko scowled. She had had it with Bakugo and his attitude. After a week interning with him at Best Jeanist's agency, he was still as much of a jackass as he was before.
Izuku's group had just arrived back at the viewing deck with Group 2 heading to the obstacle course. Once the returning group got near the steps, it only took a matter of seconds to see the two hot-headed alphas going at it.
That's when things reached a tipping point. Bakugo pushed Ryuko — hard — sending her tumbling back, and her buttocks landing on the pavement.
"Oww!" She moaned a little, rubbing at her lower back.
Izuku saw it all. Even after everything they'd gone through this year, Bakugo still couldn't deal with others. This was far enough.
"Shut your damn trap, Matoi! You're just as annoyi-"
Bakugo stopped and looked over at his right arm. Midoriya was powered up to eight percent and grasping it tightly, his eyes obscured by a fallen shadow. He moved so quickly that everyone else could barely catch his movements, save for Iida and Todoroki.
"That's enough, Katsuki! Don't you fucking dare do that again," Izuku's incensed voice came through clear as day.
The second race had started, but no one was paying attention to the screen. Everyone could only stare as the two long-time rivals stood at the center of the group.
"What did you say?" Bakugo spoke in an audible whisper, partly out of rage but he also started to feel something else rising up in him — fear.
"Don't act like you didn't hear me. Don't you dare do that again, Katsuki!" Izuku raised his voice slightly, his eyes glaring at the blonde in a manner that no one had ever seen before.
"Wait, did Izuku just say Bakugo's first name?" Uraraka whispered as she helped Matoi to her feet.
"Yeah," Matoi confirmed. She'd never seen this side of Izuku before, and the same went for Katsuki. He seemed to be shaking as Izuku's full cowling coursed around the greenette, neither of the two boys having moved an inch.
"Leave the others out of this! You can come after me as much as you want, I really don't give a damn. I'm not scared of you," the green-haired boy spoke coldly, his words stinging like barbed wire.
"But don't you fucking dare take your anger out on Ryuko or anyone else! Got it?!"
Bakugo's internal alarm meter was going haywire. He was scared and he couldn't move. Everything seemed so screwed up right now! He couldn't even muster the fire needed to fight back.
All he could do was look away toward the ground, as his muscles relaxed. That gave Midoriya the go-ahead to release Bakugo's arm and walk away, not a single punch thrown.
Through all of this, Ryuko looked on and couldn't be more proud. Senketsu could feel something stirring within his friend, something he'd seen grow quite familiar in recent weeks.
"He did well to stand up to a childhood friend turned bully," he opined.
"Yeah," she mouthed her reply.
"By the way, is this feeling I'm sensing-"
Senketsu's thought ended up cut off, as All Might declared Tokoyami as the winner of the second race. He called for the third group to be prepared for their turn at the course.
"What were you going to say, Senketsu?" Ryuko asked.
"It's… nothing important. What do you say that we go out there and win this race?"
"It's like you read my mind," Ryuko smirked, as she headed off with Bakugo, Uraraka, Shoji and Jirou to take their places.
..~~~HLK~~~..
All Might sounded off the alarm and everyone bolted. Bakugo shot off into the sky, and Uraraka made herself float. Matoi's eyes widened by how quickly they started, along with the realization that she, Jirou and Shoji were the only ones who were stuck on the ground. Ryuko quickly reverted to her normal sync mode to get started.
"Damn! I forgot Katsuki could fly!" she quickly made a dash for a close object she could vault over. She then leaped a great bound over a tall formation of pipes before moving onto the next. Ryuko may not have been able to fly, but her enhanced strength was great for big jumps!
Unfortunately, she wasn't an acrobatic type of fighter. The girl landed on a much thinner pipe, slipping off of it and falling. She shrieked before colliding with a bunch of objects and landing back on the ground.
Izuku winced once he saw the whole thing unfold.
"Sheesh, that definitely hurt!" Sato said after shielding his eyes.
"I didn't think that Matoi would have this much trouble with the race," Sero said.
"Well, it does make sense. From what I've seen, she's more of a street fighter than anything," Tsuyu added.
"You're right, Asui. This exercise is definitely new for her. We didn't exactly have any opportunities to work on acrobatics during our training," Izuku said. "I hope she'll be okay."
"I told you to call me Tsu!" As-Tsuyu corrected, with Midoriya promptly apologizing.
"Oww! Damn it!" Ryuko grunted while rubbing various bruised spots on her body.
"Ryuko! Over there!" Senketsu called out, gesturing to a thicker pipe with his eyes.
"Ohh! I get it!" A smirk stretched across her lip before she stopped and took a deep breath.
"Senketsu Senjin!"
Claws unsheathed from her knuckles, which she used to stab into the pipes and climb back up.
"Hey! Cool! It's that form she used in the Sports Festival!" Eijiro cheered.
"Awesome! You're using your abilities to adapt, Ryuko! Keep it up!" Izuku joined in with him.
Mina and Hagakure watched him from the sides with smiles, full of confidence. Ojiro noticed this and was visibly confused.
This new strategy Ryuko used was certainly effective, letting her breeze past Ochako and Mezou. But, she was still far behind Katsuki.
"Damn! It's still not enough to catch up to him! Senketsu, you think you can give me a boost with those thrusters?"
"Are you sure, Ryuko? It might be risky. I don't want you getting hurt again," Senketsu warned.
"I don't got much of a choice. And I've been through worse! So I might as well see how this goes!" Ryuko said with a chuckle.
"Got it."
The ignition in her thrusters kicked in, releasing a hot crimson flame behind her. Ryuko held onto the pipe she stood on tightly before letting go and jumping. Just as expected, she was able to soar through the air with the much needed boost.
Katsuki turned his head as he could hear the roaring jets behind him. Ryuko was catching up to him, and fast! He scoffed and kicked his quirk into full gear to widen the distance between them.
"Great! We're catching up! I think we have a shot here!" Ryuko said excitedly.
"Right! We just need to keep the momentum!" Senketsu said. "You think you can land on that pipe there?"
Ryuko looked ahead, seeing that she was descending. The only way she could keep going and win this is if she can make this landing.
"I think I got this!" she braced herself.
…
"AND IT'S OVER!"
She didn't land it.
Bakugo ended up getting first place in the race, while she somehow ended up in last. Which was even more embarrassing since Jirou was barely capable of jumping any bounds.
Everyone stood front and center while Ryuko was collapsed on the floor near them.
"Thinking back, agility is not one of our strong suits," Senketsu said.
"You coulda told me that earlier…" Ryuko groaned.
"Aren't you the one in the driver seat here?"
"Oh shut up. I'd better ask Izuku if he could train me on that," Ryuko sat herself up.
Meanwhile, All Might finished up his congratulatory speech and called for the next group to get ready. He then stepped over to Matoi to give her a few words.
Katsuki noticed this and found himself watching for a moment, curious about what he had to say to her of all people. But he shrugged it off and moved along.
"You did a good job, Young Matoi. I have no doubt you'll get better in time," All Might said before flashing a thumbs up, his voice hushed.
"Come meet with me after class. It's time I told you and Young Midoriya the truth about One For All."
Ryuko and Senketsu were surprised by the sudden urgent meeting he called for. She knew it would come, but not this soon. Something must have happened.
"Yes sir."
..~~~HLK~~~..
Soon after their class session with All Might ended, the students went back to their respective locker rooms. Little did most of the guys realize what was about to happen.
"Man, I really have to work on my mobility," Kirishima lamented.
"You could also compensate by improving other skills," Tokoyami respectfully rebutted.
"I still wish I could use my Quirk to actually control my speed. I face planted into a wall again!" Kaminari groaned, a few small scratches visible on his face. "You and Sero have it pretty good. I'm jealous."
Over at his locker, Midoriya could only think back to what All Might said about One For All. He wanted both him and Ryuko to see him after school. Was it related to Hosu? He sounded intense with how he put it.
"Hey, Midoriya!"
Izuku was snapped out of his trance with Mineta motioning his hand in a waving motion to beckon Izuku over.
"You won't believe what I just found! Someone Shawshanked a hole in this wall!" Minoru exclaimed. "A previous generation has given us a gift. You know what's next door, right?"
Everyone's attention suddenly focused on the grape head, unsure what to think. But when it came to Mineta, it didn't take long to put two-and-two together. It was a hole to the girl's locker room!
"Don't even think about it! Peeping on them like that would be criminal!" Iida protested as Izuku started to look frustrated off to the side.
"Then you'll have to throw me in the slammer because you can't stop me!" Mineta tore the remnants of the flier off the wall and began to try and peer in next door.
"I can't wait to see-"
A hand quickly slammed in front of the hole, cutting off Minoru's access to the other side. Everyone's spines shivered as they turned to Midoriya, gazing at Mineta with a blank stare that would make the bravest of men cower in fear.
Over in the girls locker room, everyone could hear some sort of commotion, but no one was sure what was happening except for Jirou. She was curious how this was all going to end.
"I think I made it clear on what would happen if you did this again, did I not, Minoru Mineta?" Midoriya said in a deadpanned voice.
He moved his whole body in front of the hole, completely obstructing the view.
"Stop now or you're spending the night in the hospital."
"Uhh-"
"Show some damn respect for Ryuko, Ochako and the others! They're our classmates, not objects!"
Midoriya crouched down lower to the ground and got onto Mineta's eye level. The grape head was shaking and nearly wetting his pants.
"The next time this happens," Izuku muttered lowly, "Ryuko, Jirou and Mr. Aizawa will be the least of your worries. Are we clear?"
"Crystal," Mineta muttered blankly before keeling over backward. Izuku finished getting dressed before heading out the door.
"Holy shit! Midoriya is a badass!" Kaminari exclaimed under his breath.
"Cerdo Sucio," Izuku uttered as he left the locker room, leaving his classmates in utter shock.
Kyouka started laughing as the other girls were wondering what had made her so worked up. They had just found the hole, with Jiro's jack extended inside before finally retracting.
"Midoriya scared the living shit out of Mineta over there for trying to peep on us. I think the perv is out cold!" Jirou continued to snicker as the other girls started to laugh.
"Dang, Izuku!" Ryuko exclaimed. "We're all going to have to thank him later!"
All the girls nodded their heads in agreement.
—-
"Though, I never knew Midoriya could speak Spanish," Jirou added.
"Huh? Spanish?" Hagakure asked.
"Did you know about this, Matoi?" Yaoyorozu posed the question.
"I'm as clueless as you all are," Ryuko answered with a shrug.
While the topic was at hand, Ochako stood idly by while a red hue formed on her face.
"You good, Uraraka?" Ashido asked, kind of concerned by the sudden meekness of her friend. Ochako shook her head, not able to give an answer.
Ashido, seeing this reaction and deciphering what it could mean, began to grow a deviant grin on her face.
"Oh~, what's got you all antsy, huh? Does the thought of Midoriya speaking the language of love get your heart all mushy? Did your knees get super weak?" Ashido cooed, ever so slowly leering over her embarrassed friend.
"I mean…*whistle* that had no right to sound that good. Seriously, why did that sound so goddamn hot?!" Jirou exclaimed with a small blush on her face.
Ryuko took a minute to soak in the idea of Izuku talking in a different tongue, much less romantically.
Romantically to her.
'Wait, what?!'
As if almost unconsciously, Ryuko somehow unfolded her scissor blade as the thought sounded around her head over and over again.
'WHY THE HELL ARE YOU MAKING ME THINK WEIRD THOUGHTS, IZUKU?!' Matoi internally shrieked as she slammed her head on the blunt end of her scissor blade.
"Holy crap, Matoi! Are you doing okay~?" Ashido asked her friend, a grin plastered on her face knowing VERY WELL why she was acting this way
"I'M FINE! DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME, DAMMIT!" Matoi exclaimed, with a raging crimson blush on her face.
'Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that, Matoi. I can tell just by the look on your face…' Mina looked at the two embarrassed girls in her presence.
"...You're practically head over heels. Part of me wants to see that happen at the drop of a hat," Ashido thought, her grin slipping slightly.
'Man I don't know who to root for here! Midoriya, when are ya gonna make a move and choose?!' Ashido wondered while pouting, puffing her cheeks as she lamented on her conundrum.
..~~~HLK~~~..
-5 p.m., UA High-
"He really wanted to talk with both of us, huh?" Matoi wondered as they walked toward the lounge meeting space.
"Yeah. It sounded pretty urgent. I'm not sure what it's about other than something dealing with One For All," Izuku said.
The two soon approached the door and knocked, with All Might sitting on the sofa with a grim expression. His eyes looked down more toward the floor, his jolly demeanor nowhere to be seen.
"Geez, did… Did someone die?" Matoi whispered. Midoriya could only shrug in response.
"Take a seat you two," All Might motioned to the seats across from him with his right hand.
The two teenagers moved silently to their spots when Ryuko started to shuffle around the pocket of her blazer.
"Here's the essay you wanted. I didn't want to forget about it later," Ryuko reached out with a few pages of paper neatly folded in her hand.
Toshinori looked up with a slightly surprised expression.
"I really learned a lot about myself and hopefully this shows that."
He took the papers into his own hand and put them in his pocket. Her essay could wait for a bit. This was the most grim topic he'd had to talk about with his young successor, after all.
"Torino really put you through the ringer to improve that much in a short amount of time, Young Midoriya," All Might started. "That was quite the show you put on."
"Thank you, but that's not why you called us both here," Midoriya looked back at his mentor. All Yagi could do was sigh.
"You're right. After you ran into the Hero Killer, I heard he'd gotten a little bit of your blood."
Matoi's eyes flew open as she stood straight up, completely scared once the realization hit her.
"Don't tell me he somehow has Izuku's Quirk now, too!" Ryuko shouted, sending Izuku into a tailspin.
"What?! No! That was the first thing I wanted to discuss, in case that was a concern. But it looks like you didn't think about it," All Might let out a tired sigh.
"Anyway, One For All can be transferred by force, even if the person it's getting transferred to doesn't want the power. I believe I said that during our last talk. Since Young Midoriya had no intention at all of giving away the power, Stain wouldn't suddenly gain the power."
"Phew," Matoi finally was able to breathe and slouched down into her seat. Izuku's blood pressure also came back down to earth after that momentary jump.
"Sorry if that was a little over the top, guys," Matoi apologized. "I… I just know that Izuku hasn't had the easiest life, being Quirkless and all until a few months ago. I'd never want to see his dream get taken away, let alone have him give it away, either."
She suddenly felt a hand grip hers, as Izuku gave her a warm, soft smile with a slight blush.
"Thank you, Ryuko."
Three words made her heart start pounding like she'd run a mile. The Kamui wielder didn't look away entirely, but she was visibly blushing herself.
"D-don't mention it," she replied back. Yagi blinked twice, making sure he was seeing this right.
"Anyway, there was something else I wanted to discuss. Something that Young Midoriya needs to know."
Both students snapped back to reality as their attention turned to All Might.
"I admitted as much last time through my silence about Midoriya not knowing much about his other predecessors, including my own master, Nana Shimura. She… was like a mother figure to me," Toshinori started, casting a pall over the room.
"Truthfully, I don't know a great deal about every person who came before her, but we all knew about the first wielder; the original One For All user and the origin of the power."
"So, why bring them up now?" Izuku asked, sensing that something was about to happen.
"The origin of the power comes from a darker place in our society's history. One For All is a very old Quirk, derived from another old Quirk."
"What?" Ryuko sat up, fully attentive.
"It was something else?" Izuku wondered.
All Might confirmed as much with a nod.
"The name of that Quirk is All For One, where it allows the user to take Quirks from others. Then the user could keep the Quirks for himself or pass them off to someone else."
"You mean, they could steal powers?" Izuku responded with a worried expression.
'This isn't good,' Matoi nervously tapped her foot.
"It was around the time Quirks first started showing up, before society figured out how to deal with the newly powered among them. No one knew what was normal anymore, with laws and human rights hotly debated with a decay in society and stalled civilization's progress until things got sorted out. During that time, one person rallied many people to his cause, going by the name of his power, All For One."
'All For One?'
'All For One?'
"He stole Quirks from others and with his overwhelming power, spread his influence throughout Japan. He manipulated people to serve his purposes and committed evil acts with little resistance, quickly becoming the leader of villains with an iron fist rule over the country."
"I've seen rumors online about this, but isn't it all made up?" Izuku spoke up.
"Seems pretty far fetched," Ryuko mumbled while tugging a piece of her hair.
"It's the kind of shameful history people would rather ignore and sweep under the rug. When people garner that kind of power, they like showing it off."
"All For One made people submit to his will by altering their abilities, creating loyal foot soldiers while in some cases, burdening several poor souls with too much that their Quirks turned them into mindless living dolls who couldn't speak for themselves. Like the Nomu we encountered at the USJ."
Both of the kids gasped, not having thought about that much at all.
"You know that some Quirks would likely evolve and combine into different powers as they passed on through the generations, like Young Todoroki for example. The man that had All For One had a Quirkless younger brother…"
All Might took a breath before continuing onward with the story.
"The younger brother was small and sickly with a strong sense of justice, the polar opposite to his sibling. It pained him to see this and kept resisting. One fateful day, All For One transferred a stockpiling Quirk that would allow him to accumulate power over time."
"Don't tell me–" Izuku started.
"He had a Quirk after all," Ryuko stated.
"Yes!" All Might answered. "He had never realized this to be the case, but had a useless power that only allowed him to pass on other Quirks. From that moment, One For All was born, merging the younger brother's power with the stockpiling ability."
Both teenagers looked terrified, completely shaken by the backstory.
"So… One For All came from All For One?" Ryuko whispered.
"It's ironic that justice so often spawns from evil. Unfortunately, that is often the reality."
"If you're telling us this, and I get where One For All came from, shouldn't he be dead?" Izuku questioned, somewhat shaking.
"That's the point, Izuku," Matoi interrupted. "It sounds like All Might is saying he's not dead after all. If he could steal Quirks, he probably found a way to keep himself alive."
"Correct. With a large gap between them, the younger brother entrusted the Quirk to future generations in hopes of one day taking All For One down."
Yagi had a quick tear form in his left eye but wiped it away just as fast.
"It eventually was my turn to take him on, and I managed to defeat All For One. Or at least, that's what I thought until recently. He survived, now back in the fold as the mastermind behind The League of Villains. The entire purpose of One For All has been to defeat All For One. Because I failed to take him down for good, you may have to fight him one day… I'm sorry."
"That's why you didn't want to talk about it before," Ryuko said in a slightly hushed tone. "He killed your master who was close to you and nearly killed you. It makes sense, honestly."
"Right," Izuku agreed. "But we can-"
"And who's we?!" Matoi growled. "You and All Might? The way he was talking makes it sound like he won't be able to help."
Matoi looked up and over at the other two, her eyes watering.
"He gave you his power, Izuku! How much time does he have left to actually fight these bad guys, huh?!"
"Ryuko!" Senketsu tried to grab her attention, but she wouldn't bite. She took a stand and moved to the window where All Might now stood.
"How is Izuku supposed to deal with this megalomaniac alone when the only other person with enough power to fight is going to lose it sooner rather than later?! Do you realize how unfair this is to him? YOUR SUCCESSOR! What about your mentor? She died fighting that monster and you want my best friend to be solely responsible for taking him down?!"
Ryuko gritted her teeth, looking Toshinori straight in the eyes.
"Well?!"
Yagi looked away as Midoriya was now conflicted. He wasn't sure what to think as this information was too much to process.
Yagi turned his gaze back to Matoi, with a determination that made her gulp.
"I've seen you fight a few times now, and it sounds like you were plenty capable during your internship. Your strength with your Kamui is nearly on par with Young Midoriya's current progress. If we meet again and I can't take him out, I think you might be the only other person who could fight alongside Young Midoriya if the time comes," All Might noted.
The two froze up, not sure how to respond.
"I won't force that burden to fight the bastard on you, Young Matoi. I only ask that you keep growing here at UA and help my successor prepare to face this threat, especially if it gets to the point where I can't do anything."
No one spoke for a brief moment, soaking in everything the world's greatest hero had said.
'That's probably the best thing you could have said, No. 1,' Senketsu quietly thought.
Ryuko was at a loss for words. Sure, she felt like Izuku was being handed an impossible task – one he'd gladly accept – and had to deal with yet another stressor. But having someone else really trusting her so much?
"I'm not making up my mind on this today… But since I'm already so deep into this, I can at least help him be ready, I guess," Ryuko demurred.
All Might nodded, hearing her loud and clear.
"I figured I'd include you in this talk since you're "in the know" now. It's not an easy topic to bring up. All For One wa- is ruthless. I do understand how unfair it is to ask that of you young heroes, though again, I'm hoping to avoid that outcome if possible."
Letting the temperature in the room cool for a moment, All Might grabbed the essay out of his pocket and unfolded the papers.
"Hey! You're not reading that out loud, are you?" Matoi questioned nervously.
"No, that wouldn't be fair. I did want to read it over while I had you here."
Toshinori started reading over the fine print, a small smile growing bigger and bigger as he finished each line. Once he was done, he looked up and beamed proudly at Matoi.
"You finally found your own path. I'm proud of you, Young Matoi," All Might praised the girl.
Geez, could she stop blushing for a few minutes? Even after all the time in the supportive environment UA offered, she still wasn't fully used to this.
"Thanks," she meekly offered up, still embarrassed. "I had a few inspirations… including Izuku."
The boy chuckled a little with a grin. It was infectious, and she couldn't stop feeling warm whenever she saw it.
'I don't ever want to stop seeing him smile like that,' Ryuko smiled with lidded eyes.
'There's that feeling again,' Senketsu thought. 'Ryuko's in love with Izuku. But when is she going to realize it?'
To Be Continued
Buckichamp A/N: I wrote most of Chapter 37 and actually PRE-WROTE nearly all of this chapter. I wrote up the beginning of the first race and more specifically, the confrontation scene (with tweaks added by the others and myself) in early September, 2021.
THAT WAS READY TO GO FOR CLOSE TO A YEAR-AND-A-HALF! DON'T TELL ME THAT WE DON'T PLAN SHIT OUT WELL LOL!
Also if y'all want to know what's in the essay, that's going to be an even longer wait. It's gotta be given proper justice.
The next arc of HLK starts in Chapter 39. Oh my god I am so excited! I'm geeking out over here! Prepare for a twist!
Oh, wait. A few reviews to go over
Q: "Can we please have Ochako go back to calling Izuku "Deku"?"
-Balto Kirigaya
Buckichamp: Mmmmm… Nope. There's reasons.
Aduubo: CHARACTER PROGRESSION!
PKSpartan: BECAUSE PLOT.
Q: "I am really enjoying your story. It's just as good as that comic I read when I was a boy. Though I am really getting anxious about my appearance. When do I show up?"
-All For One
Buckichamp: Oh, All For One, you devil, you! The seeds have been sewn and it all takes good time, just like crafting a fine wine. Wouldn't you agree?
PKSpartan: …why are you so damn extra, my guy?
Buckichamp: Oh SHUT THE HELL UP PK! LMFAO!