Izuku placed his hand over his temples, trying to quell the rising headache.
It had been almost two month since what was now being called the Battle of Saronder, after the district in which the attack occurred.
Nana was yet to wake, her return as Queen Namie had split both the general population and the High Council.
Some were of the belief that this was a miracle, that their long lost monarch had been returned to them. Others were less pleased, fearing that this was a ploy by Blackthorn to seize power and sow distrust amongst them.
As it already was.
And all this had led to where Izuku was now, in a High Council meeting.
He shuffled uncomfortably in the large, wing-backed seat that was normally used by the ruling monarch or Lord Regent.
Izuku was now the Lord Regent, his position as an of-age Crown Prince granting him the role with no monarch on the throne.
For now at least.
"She is clearly some kind of Trengan Horse, we let down our guard and she'll kill us all."
Izuku looked to the speaker, Lord Endeavor. He looked incredibly similar to his real world counterpart, the only difference was that his beard was just plain facial hair instead of flames.
He was also one of the most vocal proponents of locking Nana up and running tests.
Izuku resisted the urge to sigh.
Lord Endeavor's concerns were not unfounded, but his measures went to the extreme. He would burn down the barn to light a candle.
An extremist that dealt in absolutes, refusing to even consider the possibility of changing his mind or considering other points of view.
"Queen Namie defended this country with every breath." Lord Ingen retorted, red in the face. "Do not attempt to sully her legacy for advancement of your political goals, Engir."
"This is not about politics, this is about the safety of Elvar and the entirety of Restaria." Engir stated, hand brushing his maroon beard. "Besides, is there no need to reinstate Namie as monarch, we have two viable candidates, we need new blood, not stagnation."
A cough interrupted the argument.
"Engir, I understand your concerns abouts stagnation, but we are on the precipice of a new war with Blackthorn."
Izuku looked to the speaker, Lord Neavu, a shorter man with a pointed face. A human counterpart to the quirked animal he was in the real world.
"Having an experienced leader and warrior on the Restarian throne would benefit us all in the coming days." Lord Neavu explained. "Additionally, Prince Izure and Prince Tenra will be able to learn from her in the process."
"We vote then." Ingen stated. "On whether to reinstate Namie as All Queen."
Murmurs passed around the room, the occupants turning to look at Izuku.
The green-haired teen started, sitting straighter in his chair. "Of course, all in favour."
Five hands were raised. Lord Ingen. Lord Neavu. Lady Mirka. Lord Cruss. Lord Torino.
Izuku
"And all against."
Another five hands. Lord Endeavor. Lady Ryuka. Lord Hawke. Lord Geneist. Lord Vashe.
No absentions.
Ingen gave a sound of annoyance at the tie.
Especially since Izuku was the one to break it.
Izuku looked back at all the faces staring at him. It was so bizarre, to see these alternate versions of Japan's top heroes looking to him to decide a fraught political matter.
His decision was already made, as much as he didn't trust Lord Ingen, Izuku knew what the tactically superior path was.
"I am in favour." Izuku spoke.
The effect was instantaneous, Engir practically leapt to his feet and stormed out.
Lord Neavu steepled his fingers. "Fascinating, you chose an option that diminishes your own power."
Izuku gathered his confidence. "You're right, we need a strong, experienced leader, not a child that can barely swing a sword."
Neavu chuckled. "You speak as if you are not an impressive and formidable battlemage. I saw your entrance to the throne room and your prowess in the Battle of Saronder."
Izuku shrugged awkwardly, how he hated getting compliments.
He never felt like he deserved them.
Ingen cleared his throat. "Well, that matter has been settled, Queen Namie will resume the throne once she wakes."
More muttering, but if anyone truly had serious concerns, they did not voice them.
"Excellent, that is all the matters we had to discuss today, I believe this council meeting has run its course."
At Ingen's words the council dissolved, the Lords and Ladies of provinces of Restaria going their separate ways.
Soon Izuku was the only one left, still sitting in a seat that belonged to someone else.
"I need a drink."
Izuku placed two steel tankards down on the worn tavern table, before taking a seat.
Staring down at the clear, slightly viscous liquid, before gripping it so the palm of his hand touched a rune carved into the tankard's side.
Instantly, the liquid shifted, turning deep brown, fizzing merrily. Lifting it up, Izuku took a drink, savouring the taste of the familiar drink.
"That looks nice."
Izuku looked up to see Momo take the seat opposite him. A smile split his face, his posture straightening.
"Hey." Izuku greeted, somewhat shyly.
Momo chuckled, before leaning forward, kissing him. "Hey to you too."
Izuku felt warmed by Momo's presence, reassured. Not long after the battle had concluded, Momo had vanished, right in front of him, in an instant.
He'd been out of his mind with panic for days, searching for her high and low. Fortunately, Momo did finally return, to her she'd woken up, and then returned that night.
For Momo only a day had passed, for Izuku it had been almost two weeks.
This was now only the fourth time he'd seen her since the Battle of Saronder. Nothing they tried made her stay, and without fail her body always disappeared when she woke up, reappearing not far from Izuku when she returned to Restaria.
No-one else seemed to notice when she woke up and vanished, even if they'd just been in the middle of a conversation with her.
"So what is it you are drinking?" Momo asked, leaning forward to look in Izuku's tankard. "I mean, technically you are still underage."
"Oh, no, no it's not alcohol, it's a magical brew, I got you one as well." Izuku explained hurriedly, pushing the second tankard towards his-
Girlfriend?
They hadn't really discussed those kinds of labels yet, plus Izuku was terrified that if he asked Momo she'd realise he wasn't worth her time.
"I figured you'd be returning soon, it's been over two weeks." Izuku finished. "The drink, it tastes like whatever your favourite drink is."
"Over two weeks this time?" Momo took a sip of her drink.
She lowered it to the table, blinking back tears.
Izuku started. "Momo, are you-"
"I'm fine." Momo drank again, smiling softly this time. "It's my mother's tea, just the way she made it, I've never been able to make it quite right."
The two sat in comfortable silence, one hand holding their drinks, the other intertwined with each other.
"What does yours taste like?" Momo inquired.
Izuku felt suddenly embarrassed. "Not as significant as yours, it's not really-"
Momo laughed. "I'm not going to tease you, I promise."
"Okay, it's Fyzix's All Mighty Cherry Cola Max." Izuku admitted. "They discontinued it when I was eleven, I cried for an hour after I finished the last one we had."
Momo smiled.
Izuku ducked his head. "See I told you it wasn't-"
"I'm not teasing you, Izuku." Momo squeezed his hand. "I think you're amazing."
Izuku turned bright red. "I think you're amazing too."
"So, why is it so significant to you?" Momo asked.
Izuku rubbed the back of his neck. "Er, money was always a little tight when I was younger. Fyzix is one of the cheaper brands, but it was my favourite because all the multipacks had All Might figures in, and they were actually pretty good quality as well."
"I've never actually heard of Fyzix before." Momo explained.
Izuku shrugged. "Like I said, they're on the cheaper side. The ads on TV used to say that every can was filled with All Might's power. One time I drank about twenty cans in the hopes it would give me super-strength."
"Did it?" Momo teased, an innocent look on her face.
Izuku snorted. "No, but I did vomit because of it."
"Sounds about right."
Izuku suddenly stilled. "You know, I'm not even sure that memory is real now. I had a quirk then, why would I have drunk all that?"
Momo gripped his hand tighter, reassuring him.
The first time after Momo had reappeared, Izuku had told her everything, about One For All, All Might, his father, his quirks, All For One.
Everything.
And she'd accepted everything with a caring smile.
"Maybe, maybe not." Momo spoke. "Maybe you'll never know, but right here, right now, all those memories since then, they're yours."
Izuku nodded. "Thanks. So, did anything interesting happen in class today?"
Momo tilted her head. "Kaminari accidentally shocked Uraraka and made her hair stand on end, Sero and Kirishima bullied Bakugo into joining their study group with Kaminari and Ashido."
Lifting his tankard up, Izuku drank again, the idea of Bakugo in a study group making it hard not to choke on his drink.
"Oh, and the new hero student, the one who replaced Fukai, his name is Shinobi Yoru." Momo explained. "He was caught creeping into the girl's changing room, they searched his back and found a hidden camera in it."
Izuku's face scrunched in disgust. "I take it he was expelled."
"Naturally." Momo assured. "They even had Cementoss disassemble the girl's changing rooms and swap them with a storage area. I'm just glad he's gone, first we had a nastier version of Bakugo and now a nastier version of Mineta."
"Any news about Mineta?"
Momo shook her head. "No. Sorry, I forgot you and Mineta are close."
"Yeah, after the USJ attack, well, I saw a different side to Mineta." Izuku responded. "A whole new light, I just don't think it's a coincidence we both vanished at the same time, I worry. How is Tsuyu?"
"Worried." Momo spoke. "Putting on a brave face. I never realised how close they'd gotten. You don't think they were, you know."
"Maybe." Izuku answered. "Remember the 'Min' thing?"
"Yeah, maybe."
A sudden commotion grabbed their attention.
The two turned to see a purple-haired woman, on the shorter side, restraining a rather drunk looking patron. Her arm appeared to be made of some kind of purple goo, morphing around the man's torso, pinning him against the wall.
"Are you okay?" The bartender called, an older, white haired man. "What happened?"
"This prick just slapped my ass." The woman answered, glaring at the drunk patron.
"I'll alert the bluecoats." The bartender rapped his knuckles against a tarnished brass bell hung above the bar.
It made no sound, yet within thirty seconds the tavern door opened, revealing a man and a woman, both dressed in long blue coats.
"Lieutenant Itsu, what's the problem?" The female bluecoat greeted, her orange-red hair tied up in a bun.
"That's Kendo, 1-B's class rep." Momo whispered. "That's not Tokoyami, is it?"
Izuku frowned, turning his attention to the other bluecoat, with wild, black hair, flecked with green and navy, tied back so it stuck straight out. A red scarf was around his neck, half-tucked under his coat.
The man turned to look at them with hawkish eyes. "My name is Officer Fumu, not whatever strange word you just said."
"It's okay now, miss." Itsu assured. "You can release the spell, we'll take it from here."
The barmaid nodded, her arm returning to normal, the drunk man freed from her hold.
With surprising dexterity, the drunk was on his feet, making a dash for the still open tavern door.
Itsu rolled her eyes. "Fumu, catch."
With a whispered spell, Itsu aimed it at a chair just in front of the drunk. Instantly the chair tripled in size, the drunk slamming into and going flying into the air.
As soon as he hit the floor, Fumu cast a spell of his own, shadowy restraints appearing around his legs and torso, pinning him in place.
Itsu strolled over to the drunk man, returning the chair to its normal size with a flick of her fingers.
"You are under arrest on the suspicion of sexual assault, you retain the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be taken as evidence against you." Itsu recited as she unclipped handcuffs from her belt. "You will now be taken to the nearest constabulary station where you will be interviewed with representation."
Itsu bent down, using her handcuffs to restrain his hands in front of him. With a click, the handcuffs glowed for a few seconds before returning to normal.
"You have been fitted with magic-damping restraints." Fumu spoke as he released his shadows and lifted the man to his feet. "Any attempts to cast magic will be seen as an attempt to evade arrest and you will be charged with such."
The drunk man lifted his head, glaring at the barmaid.
"Fucking bitch, all I was doing was showing my apperication." The drunk snarled. "You should be flattered, you aren't even that attractive."
Lieutenant Itsu tapped a black metal rectangle on the breast pocket of her jacket. "You are aware that we are fitted with standard issue sight and sound recording devices, aren't you?"
"Fuck you!" The drunk spat.
"Charming." Itsu sighed. "Come on, Fumu, let's get him to the station."
Fumu nodded, his eyes landing on Izuku and Momo for a few seconds before moving on.
Itsu turned her attention to the barmaid. "If you wish to press charges you will need to give a statement at the next convenient time for yourself, Miss?"
The barmaid nodded. "It's Miume, thank you, Lieutenant, Officer."
"You're welcome." Itsu gave a reassuring smile. "Come along, Fumu."
With that, they were gone, the atmosphere in the tavern ebbing back towards its prior state.
Momo watched the barmaid closely as she returned to her work.
"What's wrong?" Izuku asked.
"Is it just me, or does she remind you of someone?" Momo mused. "Purple hair, rubbery goo, Mi ume?"
Izuku's eyebrows vanished into his hairline. "Oh, it's Mineta."
"It has to be, he's the only one that neither of us have seen from 1-A apart from Tsuyu and Koda." Momo stated. "Kind of ironic, isn't it, he pervs after all the girls and in here he is one."
"Right, ironic." Izuku answered lamely.
"So, it's been over four months you've been in here, right?"
Izuku nodded.
"It's so weird, it's like Narnia time, speeding up and slowing down without reason or warning." Momo commented.
"It isn't, right now it's linear, one day in the real world is around about sixteen days in here." Izuku stated.
"But what about Nana Shimura?" Momo offered. "If you're right and she's been in here since she was killed, then that was thirty four years ago. Queen Namie was crowned thirty four years ago in this dream, or simulation, whatever it is."
"In here it's a few months more than the real world." Izuku noted. "What if the more people in here, the faster time moves in here."
Momo nodded. "Perhaps, if we assume one person doubles the passage of in here, our arrival was nine days ago, and a hundred and forty days has passed in here, that means-"
"Then under that assumption there's someone else in here, two people in fact, the ratio was one to one, now it's one to sixteen." Izuku finished. "The thought had already occurred to me."
Is it someone like me, someone else from 1-A?" Momo murmured.
"I don't think so, everyone here, the alternates, they're each different in subtle ways." Izuku spoke. "Like Aoyama, he's more confident, not just putting on a show."
"Is that it, everyone here has a character flaw fixed?" Momo queried to herself. "No, it's not that, in here, everyone has a regret that's been fixed. I got to see my mother again, I got to see you again."
"You're right." Izuku said, perking up. "In this world I grew up with magic, not quirkless. Aoyama doesn't have a power that hurts him, Kirishima can turn into a dragon and attack offensively, not just defensively."
"Uraraka's family is wealthy here, Ashido, her power's more focused, Corrosive spells, no acid she can accidentally hit a bystander with." Momo rattled off.
"Kaminari can use his power without frying his brain. Todoroki was never burnt." Izuku paused. "Kacchan, when I was a ghost, he told me regretted bullying me. Here, Katte never did, we were the best of friends."
"It's regret, everyone has a regret that's been fixed, like some kind of Wishverse." Momo concluded. "Then Mineta, that makes no sense."
Izuku shrugged noncommittally.
"Oh, oh!" Momo realised. "I guess it makes sense, it's jealousy."
"Yeah."
Momo frowned. "You had an idea that was why?"
Izuku nodded.
"I somewhat feel like I'm invading Mineta's privacy knowing this." Momo said, frowning. "But are these regrets just based on our perceptions of the real world, it can't see into other people's minds, right?"
"I'm not sure, some of those missing heroes we rescued from the Nomu, even I didn't recognise them." Izuku drank again. "And yet, they're real, you found them in the hero database."
"Maybe Nana Shimura knew them, we can ask when she wakes up." Momo offered.
The tavern door slammed open, a young man, a little older than Izuku, rushing in.
"Prince Izure! Prince Izure!" The messenger exclaimed. "All Queen Namie, she has awoken."
Whispers and murmurs burst into life in the tavern, almost as loud as the messenger had been.
Izuku drained the dregs of his drink and stood, Momo mirroring his actions.
"Thank you, we will be there shortly." Izuku replied.
"Here, her Majesty told me to give you this." The messenger held out a wax-sealed letter.
Taking it, Izuku read it quickly, before handing it to Momo.
"Thank you for the message." Izuku spoke plainly. "And I hope the good weather holds for the rest of your deliveries."
The messenger nodded frantically, before dashing out of the tavern in search of his next target, still yelling loudly about the Queen's revival.
Note to self, don't give that guy any unsealed wartime orders to carry. Or maybe just give him fake ones to trick the enemy.
In a hail of speculating and gossiping patrons, Izuku and Momo left, stepping out into the rain, heading towards the castle.
"That timing was very convenient, wasn't it." Momo noted, intertwining her arm with Izuku's.
"This whole world runs on plot convenience." Izuku replied. "I mean, if this really was a story, there'd be a scene transition right about-"
Nana blew on the broth, watching the ripples run across the surface, before moving the spoon to her mouth.
Damn, this world may be fake, but I'm sure glad the food tastes real.
Her arms ached, in fact, so did her whole body. Between the stress of being trapped in a Nomu and using a far more powerful One For All, it had really done a number on her.
"Mother? Is the broth to your liking? I can send for something more substantial if you want it."
Nana looked over to her son. "It's fine, Koto. And you don't need to wrap me in cotton wool, I'm not going to break."
"You have been missing for over thirty years, Mother." Koto replied. "You cannot blame me for being concerned for your welfare. And please, call me Ingen."
"Ingen? I see you've taken your lordly name." Nana replied, her tone somewhat teasing. "Don't worry, you always be little Koto to me."
"But there is something I need to ask." Koto spoke, ignoring his mother's gentle ribbing. "You haven't aged a day, you still look exactly the same as you did the day you vanished."
Nana nodded. "That's a fair question. That Nomu I was held in was some kind of stasis field, although I'm not sure what spells Blackthorn used to achieve the effect."
A knock echoed on the door.
Koto started to rise from his seat. "I'll get rid of-"
Her hand reached out, grasping Koto's wrist. "It's okay, I asked them to come."
Koto stared at her for a few seconds. "I see, I will leave you to talk then, but if you need-"
"No, stay." Nana spoke, her tone suddenly hardening. "Now, let's not keep them waiting, shall we?"
Koto nodded, before striding to the door and opening it, revealing Izuku and Yaoyorozu.
"Come in." Koto ushered them through the door and turned to leave. "Goodbye, Mother."
"I told you to stay, Koto." Nana spoke firmly.
But she was ignored.
Nana tried to lift herself out of the armchair, but quickly found her body failing her.
"Izuku." Nana looked at her grandson, her voice heavy. "Apprend him."
Izuku moved.
Splitting into Irai and Ikaze, the latter held his palms together, casting a focused wind bullet spell.
The compressed air struck Ingen in the back, knocking him clean off his feet. Now it was Irai's turn, his yellow eyes sparking as he slammed his palm into the small of Ingen's back as he fell.
Ingen grunted as a low powered lightning bolt coursed through his body, Irai's rough approximation of a real-world taser.
Slumping to the ground, Ingen didn't have the strength to fight back as Ikaze and Irai pulled him to his feet and marched him back into the royal suite.
Reforming into his normal self, Izuku sat Ingen down in a chair, Momo quickly tying him up with ropes transmuted from the curtains.
With Ingen restrained, Izuku and Momo turned their attention to Nana, the dark-haired woman slowly standing with the help of wooden crutches.
"Tempus. Adcelero. Corpus."
Izuku's hand lowered, the spell had been cast, the same one Tenra had used to hasten the healing of his injuries.
Nana sighed with relief, discarding the crutches. "Thanks, that's a lot better."
Momo glanced at Ingen, the older man currently in no state to do anything but moan quietly.
"Thank you for coming, there was no way I would have been able to restrain him on my own before." Nana said. "Did you copy the quirk, the proficiency, I asked you to?"
Izuku nodded. "We found Tsukauchi's alternate, I copied his truth spells."
"Excellent." Nana beamed. "I apologise for the subterfuge and secret notes and passphrases, I just needed to be careful."
"Ingen's a traitor, isn't he?" Momo queried. "Just like his counterpart in the books."
Nana nodded sadly, her eyes not leaving her son's slumped form.
"I'm sorry it had to come to this, even if you're not actually real."
Brushing her hand across Ingen's cheek, Nana sighed.
"Why, Koto?"
"Would you like me to ask him that?" Izuku questioned, feeling somewhat awkward and like they were intruding.
Nana nodded. "Do it."
Izuku cast another acceleration spell, allowing the quickened passage of time to heal Ingen's concussion.
"Why did you do that to me?" Ingen grunted as he began to regain his bearings. "Dirty, lowborn scum, traitors the lot of you, should round you up and kill you all."
Nana inhaled, horrified at the words coming out of the mouth of her son's alternate.
"Veritas. Exsolvunt. Lingua."
A pale brown tendril of magic shot from Izuku's palm, latching onto Ingen's temple.
Izuku took a steady breath. "Why are you a traitor to the Restarian crown?"
"I'm not." Ingen answered simply, his eyes unfocused, his face lax.
"That can't be right." Nana murmured. "I know what I heard, I know what Blackthorn said."
Izuku nodded. "Let me rephrase that. Why have you compromised the safety of the citizens of Restaria?"
"To keep my mother alive."
"See." Izuku stated. "I just wasn't asking the right question, he believes what he's done is for the good of the crown of Restaria."
Nana nodded in understanding. "Why?"
"After you vanished during the Battle of the Seventh Sword, I was approached by an agent of Blackthorn, with an ultimatum." Ingen droned. "He showed me a severed finger, said it was yours, and that you were alive and in stasis."
Izuku and Momo both glanced down, their eyes landing on the missing ring finger on Nana's right hand.
"So in return for keeping me alive, you did Blackthorn's bidding." Nana breathed, a little shred of hope fluttering in her chest. "You didn't do all this willingly."
"Not at first."
Izuku watched the hope in Nana die, the light in her eyes dimming.
"You enjoyed betraying your allies?" Momo queried. "You told Blackthorn where to find them and he had them killed."
"Yes, I did enjoy it, after Mother vanished, I attempted to wield her blades, but they rejected me, violently."
A shade of venom and anger leaked into Ingen's voice.
"They mocked me ceaselessly, my peers, I was a laughing stock. But they weren't laughing when they were all dead. I stood as the only one left."
"You had those who wronged you killed." Nana felt sick to her core.
"And many more that didn't." Ingen replied. "I got a taste for it, I enjoy it, seeing the light and hope fade from their eyes is delightful."
"You're a monster." Momo sneered.
"I'm not a monster, you haven't seen true evil yet." Ingen responded. "I'm nothing but the entrée."
Izuku decided to change the subject. "You had Tozanori killed, didn't you? Let him into a trap."
"I did." Ingen admitted soulessly. "The great lumbering oaf never knew what hit him. Blackthorn made the pain last for days, pulled him apart from the inside out, watching that was cathartic. Watching heroes die is always fun."
A fist slammed into Ingen's nose, breaking it in a shower of blood.
Izuku watched in surprise as Momo let her arm drop, crimson dripping from her knuckles.
"Momo."
The dark-haired girl turned her head, unshed tears glistening in her eyes.
Izuku hugged her, trying his best to reassure her, but he just felt useless. Momo had told him about her mother, the hero who died when she was just a child.
Funny, when did we stop being children?
Momo hugged Izuku tighter.
Right, the USJ attack.
Once Momo had calmed down, and her resolve to stay and watch renewed, they turned their attention back to Ingen, a mild healing spell stopping the bleeding.
"The Nomu attack, the Battle of Saronder, was that you?" Izuku questioned.
"No." Ingen answered. "It was my punishment, I was supposed to lead Tenra into Blackthorn's trap so he could take over his body for himself. Tenra was too important of an asset to lose to being Blackthorn's meat puppet."
Izuku soaked the answer in, disgusted by Ingen's total lack of empathy or morals.
"Why was it a punishment?" Nana spoke this time.
"Because you were supposed to die. That was my punishment, but you survived, and Blackthorn told me to inform him the second that you awakened."
"I figured that was why you were so eager to leave." Nana muttered. "This is enough for now, we can ask him more later."
Reaching out, Nana tapped a similar soundless bell to the one in the bar, this one far more ornate.
The door opened, revealing two crownguard, both had flushed cheeks and looked like they'd sprinted the whole way to the royal suite.
"Please, take my son to the security cell." Nana spoke, a faux steady voice covering up the shaky one below. "He is a traitor to all of Restaria. Please send for the Bluecoats, and have them search his wing of the castle for any communication or documents of interest."
"Of course, Your Majesty." One of the guards bowed deeply, before bodily forcing his shocked companion to do the same.
Untying Ingen, the guards fastened him with magic-dampening handcuffs. Within a few moments they were leading Ingen out of the room.
With Izuku's truth thread broken, Ingen returned to shouting and frothing at the mouth, enraged at the fact he no longer had authority over the guards.
Eventually, the yells faded away, leaving Nana with two nervous teens staring back at her, the door closed for privacy.
Nana returned to her armchair, gesturing to two more across from her, acting as if she hadn't just had her son arrested. "Please, take a seat."
They did as they were told, Momo the picture of manners and grace, while Izuku fidgeted, clearly wanting to ask her a question but losing confidence before he could.
"I know what you want to ask me, Izuku." Nana spoke softly. "And yes, I am your grandmother, your maternal grandmother of course."
Izuku took a shaky breath. "I knew mom was adopted, but this is really hard to get my head around."
"I understand that, so how about I explain from the beginning then?" Nana offered, receiving a nod in reply. "My name is Nana Shimura, the pro hero Zeppelin, born in 2107. My quirk is Float-"
Nana activated her quirk, gently lifting herself a few centimetres out of her chair.
Izuku frowned, no new proficiency joined the others in his quirkspace.
"Your proficiency-"
"Not a proficiency." Nana interrupted. "Just my actual quirk."
"How are you able to use your quirk in here?" Yaoyorozu queried.
"Practice." Nana answered. "For us, the real-world people in here, it's like a lens is placed over our quirks, making them seem like entirely different powers."
"But they're not." Izuku mused. "You broke the lens over yours, didn't you?"
Nana nodded. "Took me a couple of years, but yes, I did."
Yaoyorozu lowered her head, her expression pensive. "A couple of years, Izuku could be trapped in here for years?"
"Don't worry, I'll get to that, now where was I, ah, of course." Nana said, clicking her fingers and dropping back into her seat. "When I was twenty-six I had my first child, Kotaro, and four years later, came Inko."
"Why did you put her up for adoption?" Izuku asked, her face betraying that he already had a good idea why.
"All For One killed my husband, just a few weeks after Inko was born." Nana bowed her head, hiding the tears that started to form. "After that I chose to put Kotaro and Inko up for adoption, I never knew who they went to, my hero partner sorted that out, to keep them safe."
"I never knew I had an uncle." Izuku stated.
"Sorahiko must have had them placed separately." Nana noted. "There were a few times, dark moments, where I begged him to tell me where they were, but he never broke the promise he made to me."
Silence fell, broken only by the ticking of the clock.
"Was Inko happy with them?" Nana asked, her voice raw. "Are they nice?"
"They were an older couple when they adopted my mum, they died before I was born." Izuku admitted. "But, yes, from everything she's told me, she had a happy childhood."
Nana nodded. "That's good, I'm glad she did."
"She's dating All Might, I mean Toshinori, now." Izuku spoke, still unused to the idea of calling the No.1 Hero anything but his hero name. "They think I haven't noticed, but I have."
Nana smiled softly. "Funny to think my daughter is dating my protégé."
"My father-"
"Ah, Hisashi." Nana smiled again. "He was my mentor, I never spent much time with my predecessor, All For One killed him a few months after he gave me One For All."
"My father trained you?" Izuku questioned.
"That he did." Nana acknowledged. "Where better to learn about One For All than from the man who has the memories of its creation."
Nana stood, walking over to the open balcony. Leaning on the railing she took in a lungful of summer air.
"You know I'm really glad I don't have hayfever in here." Nana joked, before pausing. "You know what we're in, right?"
"Some kind of simulation, I think." Izuku offered uncertainty. "The robot lady, she made it sound like one, she called herself a ghost in the machine."
"If this is a simulation, who is operating it, and from where?" Momo postulated.
"All For One, from a location in Yokohama." Nana answered. "The woman Izuku met was probably just a glitch in the system."
Momo nodded in understanding. "So, how are we here?"
"That I'm less certain about, there's another like you here, who it is I don't know." Nana rocked forwards on the stone balcony. "This place, it's the result of a quirk All For One stole, multiple in fact."
"Fascinating, a quirk, or quirks, that allows the user to simulate an entire reality." Izuku murmured. "He must be using some kind of dream inducing quirk to bring us into the simulation."
"I'm not trapped here like you two though, why can I leave but you two can't?"
"Simple, the hold only works so long as the target is unconscious, you wake up every morning, but Izuku is in a coma right now." Nana offered. "This whole place is essentially one big dream."
"I see." Momo mused. "Why is this big dream based on the Restaria novels?"
Nana chuckled guilty. "That would be because of me, I was the first one here, this place was pulled from my memories, reality and fiction, tangled into one. That book, the one Izuku gave you, was Inko's before his, and mine before hers."
"The book belonged to you originally?" Izuku questioned excitedly.
"Yep, you can get reprints of that whole series for cheap these days, but back then, they were like gold dust." Nana reminisced. "I was a massive fantasy nerd as a teenager, still am to be honest, bought that book with the bounty I collected for my first villain arrest."
Nana wiped away a tear.
"I had a whole library of the classics, I sometimes wonder what happened to them after I-"
"Died?"
"Died?" Nana repeated incredulously. "I'm not dead yet."
"You're not dead?" Izuku breathed.
Nana smiled sadly. "No, although there are times I have thought that may be better than my current predicament. Right now, I'm in one of All For One's facilities, in what he calls a 'stasis chamber'."
Izuku frowned. "But in my quirkspace, when you spoke to me, warned me of things to come, how?"
"You're thinking that was some kind of ghostly omniscience, aren't you?" Nana chuckled. "No, All For One likes to wake me up every now and again to brag and gloat about his plans."
"How were you able to speak with me through One For All?"
"When One For All is passed on, and the embers of the previous user have died out, the bond still remains." Nana explained. "Both times we spoke you were overstraining One For All, that's what allowed me to commune with you, as it would Toshi if he'd tried to do so."
"You knew about the USJ attack before it happened, didn't you?" Momo queried.
Nana hesitated, before nodding. "I did, Izuku, when I spoke to you the day before the attack I wanted so badly to tell you, to warn you."
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I also knew All For One's backup plan." Nana sighed. "He is a cruel, petty and vindictive man. If he'd sensed even a whiff of UA being prepared, he was going to change the location of the attack."
"To where." Izuku forced himself to ask.
"Nabu Island, he would have cut off communications and slaughtered everyone, as punishment for spoiling his plans." Nana answered. "I had to make a choice, between an island of civilians, and the USJ. I never expected that Toshi wouldn't be there with you that day."
"Why not tell Izuku about Nabu Island? All Might would have believed him."
"I know he would have, but All For One isn't the type to have just one backup." Nana explained. "Nabu Island was just the one of them he bragged about to me. I think deep down he wanted Toshi to find out about USJ, the idea of killing all those innocent people, it thrills him."
"But the USJ attack failed, Shigaraki failed." Izuku stated. "Why didn't he enact a backup plan then?"
"He did." Nana spoke, looking at her grandson. "Why do you think he took you?"
"Because I have One For All?" Izuku offered. "But he couldn't have known that until after the USJ attack, capturing me couldn't be a backup plan."
Nana shook her head. "He didn't know you had One For All at first, the original backup plan was to take you, steal Quirksmith, kill you and dump your body, to hurt Toshi, and UA's reputation."
"Once he figured I was the ninth, his plan was altered?"
"It was, yes." Nana affirmed. "The basic structure stayed the same, take you, kill you, dump your body. But he added a new factor."
"My heart." Izuku mumbled, horror dawning on his face. "He transplanted my heart into a clone, he's trying to steal One For All."
Nana stared out the window. "He is. When he put your heart in that destroyed body, it created a link between your body and the clone of himself."
"So my Hyper Regeneration quirk isn't just healing my body, but the clone as well, they're being rewritten on a molecular level?" Izuku queried.
"Exactly, they're linked, it's why he tried to kill you, One For All, and the rest of your quirks, would have automatically transferred into the clone." Nana responded as she moved back to the armchair.
"Making the clone is an empty shell he could inhabit." Momo continued. "But his plan has failed, Izuku is still alive..."
"All For One would never have expected All Might to lie to the world." Izuku realised.
"I think that maneuver was all Nedzu." Nana commented. "The clone can access all your other quirks, but One For All still resides with you."
"Not just me, but Iida too." Izuku clarified. "I passed it on to him, but it's caught in limbo."
Nana nodded before pausing. "Yes, but also no."
Izuku and Momo looked at the older woman in confusion.
"When you pass One For All on, it's a bit weird. It's more like it copies itself into the new holder." Nana explained. "But it isn't a perfect process, it damages the original copy, specifically the part of it that generates the power for the stockpile."
"After the USJ attack All Might said that when he passed One For All on to me, he said that the stockpile no longer refills." Izuku murmured, the memories of All Might's words returning to him. "He said whenever he uses its power, he depletes it permanently."
"Correct, you still have the quirk, you just can't replenish your power anymore." Nana explained.
"But then how come that isn't what happened to me." Izuku queried. "Unless.."
Izuku jumped to his feet excitedly.
"When I passed One For All on to Iida, Quirksmith must have recognised the quirk in Iida as a different quirk and copied it." Izuku continued, words coming from his mouth at high speed. "It must have taken a while, but subconsciously, or reactively, I used Quirksmith to cannibalize the copy of One For All to repair the original, thus reactivating it and creating the limbo between Iida and myself-"
"We've lost him, haven't we?" Nana queried, looking at Momo.
Momo smiled. "I've got this."
Reaching up, Momo laced her hand with Izuku's and gave it a slight squeeze. "Izuku?"
"Mhn?" Izuku looked down at Momo with dopey grin. "Yeah?"
"I think there's more that Ms. Shimura would like to tell us." Momo answered, unable to stop the faint blush on her cheeks as Izuku's eyes gazed into hers.
"Right. Right!" Izuku exclaimed, instantly dropping back into his seat, Momo's hand still held in his.
Nana smiled wistfully at the couple, before speaking. "The beauty of One For All, it doesn't just stockpile power, but the very essence of its users. In short terms, when All For One activated the clone, it created a link with your own fledgling vestige inside One For All."
"A vestige, like the ones inside One For All." Izuku stated.
Nana nodded. "Exactly, everyone has a vestige, an imprint of the user, updated everytime they use it. They're not as strong as the ones in One For All, but they're there.
"Zeroth." Izuku murmured, the lost memories of the train station between worlds suddenly resurfacing. "They said they weren't a vestige like the ones in the core quirk."
"Correct, the vestiges of regular quirks, if the quirk manages to exist beyond the holder's death, are just a hollow image of the original, static and unchanging." Nana explained.
"That's what I tap into when I summon emotions from the quirks I've copied, the vestiges are copied as well." Izuku realised. "That must be how Tokusei's quirk, Quirkspace, could tell exactly what the copied quirks were called and how they worked, the knowledge pulled from the vestiges. Quirkspace isn't omniscience."
Nana shrugged. "Quirks rarely are."
"And that's why when he used his quirk on Quirksmith it was already named, because a younger me already named it." Izuku explained. "Hisashi wiped my memories but I must have remembered subconsciously. It's why Quirkspace didn't know about Slingshot's secondary ability until I used it, because I didn't know about it. That means that every quirk I create from a merger, I'm just making a name for it subconsciously. I could change the name of them if I really wanted to, because it's just based on my own perception of the quirk."
Izuku looked up to see two faces looking back at him. "Sorry about that, I just really like dissecting quirks."
"That was fascinating." Nana mused. "I was aware you were good at quirk analysis, but to see in person, it's impressive."
Silence fell, before Momo spoke. "Why are we in here, in this simulation?"
"All For One didn't like that you didn't die." Nana answered. "He decided he was going to take the clone body, and One For All, for himself. But he can't do that with you alive."
"Then why put me in here?" Izuku question. "How does that help him kill me?"
"That's simple." Nana answered. "If you die in here, you die out there, mind and body. Your quirks would pass to the clone and All For One would be able to freely inhabit it, with One For All at his fingertips."
Izuku released a deep breath, leaning back in his seat. "That would be very bad."
Momo gripped Izuku's hand, giving him a reassuring smile. "We can do this."
"We can." Izuku affirmed. "So, how do we get out of this simulation?"
"Glad you asked." Nana smirked. "Who's ready to storm a castle?"