The Quirk of Solitude by ShadowAlchemy

Author's notes:

First as always I give you my personal heartfelt gratitude for all of your time and support! Over 5,000 views and 2,000 visitors is just incredible!

Thank you to all who leave comments and reviews. I try to message each of you back in a timely manner.

I wrote a long chapter but decided to break it up into two. It had too much information that made it clunky.

I sincerely hope you all surrounded yourselves with love and family this Easter weekend. I did leave an easter egg somewhere that I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 8

Mustafu Police Station

A tall lanky man with blonde hair and almost zombie looking eyes wearing a baggy pinstripe suit was sitting in Detective Naomasa's office in an important meeting. His name is Toshinori Yagi but when he activates his quirk he is the easily recognized number one hero of Japan, All Might. In this scrawny mode, he can conserve his powerful quirk and activate it only when needed. But what he needed right now in this dreadful meeting was some coffee, liquor, or both. He gazed silently at the hard faced detective who was reading a report out loud to himself and the principal of UA who was on a teleconference monitor listening intently.

"After a successful collaboration from the Mustafu fire department and our own arson investigators, it has been concluded that the fire of the Mustafu Orphanage was started from the inside. However, it was not in the kitchen nor any of the resident's rooms but the hottest flame source was found in the parlor. The actual source of the flames has been concluded to have been from a quirk due to the lack of any pyro related tools or fuels. Preliminary database searches provided by the Hero Public Safety Commision have not been able to identify a reasonable flame quirk using suspect. They have also stated that their media blackout mandate expires today unless we can provide reasonable suspicion that the missing kids and caretakers will be in danger. Any questions or comments before I proceed to the next part?" Said Tsukauchi as he briefly lowered the report down to his desk and looked at the other meeting guests.

"None from me." replied Toshinori. After the principal theorized the other day that All for One somehow survived their vicious fight he had not been able to think of much else.

"Has any speculation been done about the claw mark on one of the kid's doors that Toshinori reported." asked principal Nezu. The viewers could see him writing some of his own notes down and behind him in his office was an organizational chart being built.

The detective quickly flipped to a page with an additional sub report of the orphanage's kids quirks.

"About the mark itself, no. But with this information the Hero Commision acquired from the Quirk Registry Department we do have a list of every kid and caretaker quirk that has ever lived there. There are none that match the description to have created said claw mark."

"So reconfirming there was no forced entry. Someone or some people managed to get inside the building, move all the residents without leaving a trace of blood, set it ablaze and escape without leaving the conventional way…How fascinating!" principal Nezu said with his signature enthusiasm. That man loved puzzles and this one was probably the hardest and most important one in recent history.

Everyone in the meeting sweatdropped at the principal's antics. They were all very grateful to have such a brilliant mind involved in this case despite his occasional eccentricities.

"Now for the final part and I must preface it's not a good one." Naomasa paused waiting for Nezu to finish jotting down his notes before continuing, "The official records of the orphanage from this site as well as from the Hosu orphanage have gone missing. The files were normally kept in a high quality filing cabinet that, per law, are highly resistant to forced entry and fire resistant. This has led to the speculation that the head caretakers were forced or willingly cooperated to remove aforementioned documentation. The HPSC has already submitted official requests to the respective bureaucracy for copies but there is something even more troubling. No one in any agency has been able to find or contact any child who left either facility. The limited addresses we did have records of ended up being abandoned or even already demolished buildings. Our own department has a pending search warrant for a hostel located on the outskirts of our city and we will be there later today for a full forensic investigation. I'm sorry, Nezu, but the powers that be do not permit any outsiders on site until they have gone over it with a fine tooth comb first."

"No worries my friend. It only gives me more time to prepare an even finer comb once the investigation is done with theirs. This also proves my theory that both orphanages were both connected." The principal said with a glint in his eyes as he sipped on his tea.

Toshinori has still not spoken up until this point when he remembered the part of the discussion of the quirk doctor incident. "Old friend, can you clarify something for us." He asked in his hoarse voice looking up to the detective. Naomasa nodded and gestured his hand for him to continue. "You've already mentioned that the quirk doctor and his facility were related to this case. Has the boy who escaped been found yet? Do you think if he was found it would expedite the investigation process?"

Naomasa nodded his head and responded, "Absolutely. The boy's safety is paramount. No doubt any insight he would be able to give would greatly assist our efforts. Thanks to Nezu's discovery back at the destroyed office, we know the boy's name and the public school that he was attending. His name is Izuku Midoriya, and we have made a formal request for an interview at the school he was attending but it seems they are a little hesitant to accept without an actual warrant. It's a little puzzling why they are not fully on board to cooperate."

"Perhaps they do not understand because of the mandated media silence. They do not know yet that he is missing or perhaps they have some unwanted secrets also to be discovered." The principal said with excitement.

Toshinori and Naomasa shivered a bit. The sound of Nezu's voice indicated he already was on the verge of an obsessive interest in this and he literally might investigate and overturn every brick in Aldera Junior High.

"Also, to answer your question Toshinori, none of my staff members have seen young Midoriya. I even asked a couple to expand their normal patrol routes to encompass every reasonable location the missing boy could've escaped to. Not a single criminal, civilian, or hero has reported seeing him." continued Nezu as his mind momentarily shifted gears. The missing Midoriya boy was another puzzle for him to tackle and he was trying to think of anywhere else a 10 year old kid would've gone.

"Naomasa, if you can send me a description to my phone I will also try to keep an eye out for this young Midoriya. I just pray All for One or one of his agents hasn't found him first." said Toshinori while pulling out his cell phone.

"Very well. Speaking of young people, have you begun to look for a potential successor, Toshinori?" asked the detective while texting him the description of Izuku from his school profile.

Toshinori sighed, "Not yet but I will begin soon. I never thought the day would come that I would need to find someone not only worthy of my power but also someone brave and capable to fight All for One or his minions. Not an easy task to put it mildly."

"Are you still considering my offer, Mr Yagi?" chirped Nezu "I believe becoming an instructor at my school would help you find a worthy candidate while you help prepare them for the future."

"I…am honestly considering it. I wasn't a good student myself so I don't feel qualified trying to be a teacher, but I do agree with your train of thought. I can maintain my muscle form for about 8 hours if I'm not fighting but only 6 if I am. I'm afraid the villains and criminals would be emboldened if I were to suddenly step back from the spotlight." answered Toshinori with a grim expression. He could feel himself getting into a more difficult position to make that kind of decision.

Detective Naomasa nodded his head to that statement. The country was blessed with peace for now but all things do pass. It was a difficult question to answer if he knew how the country would react to their number one hero eventually having to step down. The future will come regardless, but the one thing they could and needed to do was find the missing Midoriya kid and hopefully piece enough information together to foil All for One before he could do something irrevocable. The three friends continued their little meeting all the way through the morning hours.

Takoba Beach

Izuku woke up and stretched his body. It was just before dawn and he could feel Starrk was still asleep so he felt a morning walk would be nice. With the increasing daylight he walked by the crashing waves trying to keep an eye out for anything of note from the stacked garbage piles. There really wasn't anything special but it did distract him long enough for slightly bolder waves to creep up and splash his shins. COLD! He immediately reacted. Hopefully one of the two bath houses had a small laundry machine to clean and dry his very small wardrobe.

The morning walk brought Izuku to the north side of the beach where he could get a good look at the crate he received from Giran. It seemed a little bigger in daylight. Approaching it Izuku found it to be completely unmarked and sealed with wooden planks. He'll need a crowbar to open it and then there was another problem: How am I going to move this back to my bus? It definitely was too heavy to move by himself, and even if he could open it, moving every piece of its contents would take a long time. He shrugged, It's not like I'm in a hurry to go anywhere anyways.

Leaving the crate problem for later, Izuku decided to walk back to his home but using the beach area closer to the public walkway. He might as well try and look for one of the two bath houses that Giran mentioned. Sure enough he saw a weather battered small building where the public walkway ramped down into the sand. It still had power and all the faucets, showers, and toilets still worked. Luckily, there was also a small washing unit that could handle small loads of laundry. Good At least something good was found this morning. With the location confirmed, he left and walked down the beach back towards his bus and decided he might as well dumpster dive at the cafe for hopefully something sweet.

He paused at a sudden thought. What if Giran is there again? The man never clarified how or when he would come around again so it was all up to chance. He sloshed down the beach in a slightly more hurried manner. Even if he wasn't going to make another deal, it still would be a good idea to be on friendly terms. Friend? No. Izuku shook his head. He had to remember Starrk's advice not to confuse business as friendship. Izuku was potentially only one failed job away from losing his life, but Izuku would lie if he said he didn't feel a thrill at the chance to prove himself.

Sure enough, he could see the iconic lavender suit wearing cigarette smoking man sitting at one of the cafe's patio tables. He was already done with his breakfast dish and was planning to leave after he finished his cigarette. Looking up, he could see the figure of Izuku walking down the beach towards the cafe. Giran had a grin. For a minute he thought the kiddo wouldn't be coming this morning. He was glad that he completed the delivery as instructed, and as a bonus it seems he made a good impression on the bartender Kurogiri. And good impressions always led to good business.

"Hey kiddo, I'm almost heartbroken." Giran waved and gave a very obvious fake sad voice. "I thought you were going to stand me up, even after we had our first successful deal."

Izuku sweat dropped. It was true that he initially didn't factor the possibility of a morning meeting with the broker. "Um…I'm sorry for making you think that." he managed to say.

Giran chuckled and beckoned him over to sit across from him. "First things first. My contact was pleased with your successful delivery last night. It seems you do have some good self control not wasting the money I gave you and can follow a simple assignment like that. Also, Kurogiri sends his compliments. He's a bit of a stickler when it comes to manners so take his compliment with pride."

Izuku nodded while being silently very happy at the compliment. He didn't have many memories with praise so this was a rare treat for him. This was a great part of his resolve to listen to Starrk and practice diligently to meet his expectations. Giran took Izuku's nod as an indicator to continue,

"Kurogiri has specifically requested you for another delivery. This time he insists on letting him use his quirk for transportation. I need to know if you're interested before telling you any more information, especially what you would want for your services."

Giran finished speaking while getting ready to light up another cigarette. He was keeping an eye on Izuku's body language. Internally he was pleased to see that Izuku seemed to be positively contemplating his offer. Izuku still felt that Starrk was asleep but that wasn't true. Lying on the tile floor, Starrk kept his rhythm breathing and laid still pretending to be asleep but he was listening to Izuku's conversation with the broker again. He decided to let the kid try his own hand at this negotiation hoping that he wouldn't accept anything stupid.

"As long as the same conditions apply from last time, I have an unusual request to make in return." Izuku finally answered and saw Giran gesturing kindly to continue, "I need to learn how to train. I need to get stronger and I don't know how to workout."

The glint in Giran's eyes sharpened again. This was almost too easy, but he would have to clarify with some of his prospective trainers to ensure they wouldn't kill or maim this kiddo. In addition, Giran got an even stronger impression that there was some more villain potential here. Even with the kiddo's preference not to infringe on the law currently, Giran could still steer this into his favor. Accumulating power will always eventually bring conflict regardless if you are a hero or villain. He grinned wide and answered Izuku,

"That's a reasonable request and I will find you someone who would be a competent trainer for you. Now then back to business." Giran pulled out a cheap cell phone and placed it in front of Izuku. "This is a burner phone with two contacts, me and Kurogiri. If you lose this without guaranteeing its destruction there will be severe repercussions, so be smart with it. Kurogiri needs precise coordinates in order to generate his portals and he needs you to locate his package with perfect accuracy. When you locate it, you will notify him and he will do the rest to acquire it, because I am sure you definitely will not be able to move it this time. He told me it's fine for you to ask him any questions but DO NOT say names or anything specific to the job in case you lose the phone."

Izuku looked at the only two listed contacts: Black and Purple. The gears in his head quickly connected the dots. Kurogiri was made of black mist and Giran seemed to really enjoy his purple suit.

"Can you tell me where the package is located?" asked Izuku as he saw Giran was beginning to stand up and leave.

"You'll have to ask Kurogiri for the specifics, but I can tell you the general location will be somewhere in the Mustafu warehouse district. Good luck and don't disappoint me kiddo, I will have a physical trainer in mind by the next time we meet."

Giran said as he was walking away with a partial salute. Internally, Giran was slightly feeling Izuku was going to fail this time. The kiddo didn't even ask about the time limit for this mission. The real victory here was that Giran got Izuku to unknowingly bend his moral compass. He never asked so Giran didn't have to confirm whether or not he might have to avoid getting seen or caught by law enforcement or heroes this time. He slightly shrugged at his thoughts and continued walking into the welcoming alley. Giran already told him he preferred working with smart people. Dumb ones were easily replaced because the world had an endless supply of them and if Izuku was one of them…Oh well.

Izuku indeed felt a little uncomfortable accepting this request. There were too many details missing and it dawned on him that Starrk was right about needing to ask about all of the details when dealing with Giran. Now he was beginning to understand why. He'll have to consult Starrk later and accept the chastisement he definitely earned. I screwed up internally, he lamented while texting the phone number of 'Black' asking about what to expect.

Starrk sighed and rubbed his face. Later he was going to have to chastise this young idiot who forgot to ask some really common sense questions. The text message Izuku received back from Kurogiri made him a little nervous. Apparently the package was in a shipping container at the storage warehouse near the port. Its owner had been caught and arrested for falsifying shipping papers and the container and its contents in question will be seized by the authorities once the warrant clears.

"Looks like you've got quite a difficult delivery this time." Starrk said with a frown "Do you have the slightest idea what you're going to do?"

"U-um. Sneak in, locate the container, call it in and leave?" Izuku responded a little shaky in his voice.

"Kid. Get back to the shelter now. You need to learn Pesquisa as soon as possible if you're going to pull this off." Starrk ordered with an unamused tone.

Izuku immediately got up and made his way back to the bus with a guilty look on his face. He knew Starrk was disappointed in him and he had every right to be. Starrk could feel Izuku's remorse but decided he'll address that later after he tries to teach him again.

"You have a basic understanding of how to channel power into your legs to use sonido. Now you're going to send that same feeling of energy and pulse it away from you like a sonar. It will react to anything with a life force with a ping. You will see a quick black and white image in your head when it pings. Start with a small amount of energy. If you send too much you'll search a much larger area and it might overwhelm your mind. Take a seat, close your eyes, and concentrate"

Oh…He never said I had to close my eyes when we tried this the other day. Thought Izuku and took a seated position. He closed his eyes and tried to focus his energy but nothing happened. He was only met with the normal sounds of the sea waves rolling onto the beach and the smell of the sea breeze. Starrk was watching Izuku with his arms crossed. He was a little annoyed from earlier but was thinking of another way to phrase his instruction. Sometimes he forgot that he wasn't human and Izuku did not have the same version of common sense.

"Kid, keep your eyes closed and try to envision what I tell you. You are the center. Everything else has an unknown distance from the center. Try to feel and listen beyond your normal limit and locate where they are." Said Starrk after specifically changing his words.

Izuku focused on Starrk's instruction. He was the center. Somewhere out there, were other people at unknown distances. Listen and feel beyond the normal limit…

"Pesquisa." Spoke Izuku and a massive energy sonar emanated from him.

"Kid! Stop that right now! Open your eyes before it gets to the city!" yelled Starrk after he felt Izuku's massive Pesquisa. He sweat dropped. That amount would easily hit over 25% of the city and that would definitely overwhelm the young primera.

Izuku had his eyes squinted shut. He heard Starrk's urgent warning but it was like his senses were being dragged for the ride. He was beginning to see dozens of images after they were pinged and the total number was quickly increasing into the hundreds. It felt like his head was about to explode. Innumerable black and white 3d images appeared with pings and then faded into black. He saw the brief images of people living their normal lives completely unaware of Izuku's technique. The sonar pulse was getting close to the downtown section and as Izuku was beginning to yell in pain from the signature count rapidly getting close to the thousands when he felt a different sensation.

He saw his technique carry on but for some reason he no longer heard nor felt the signatures. When he opened his eyes, he was back in his desert filled mindscape again. Starrk had temporarily taken control of Izuku's body and finished taking the strain of his Pesquisa. The manifested Starrk was hovering over Izuku's blue electricity fire covered body with an annoyed expression. Izuku's technique didn't phase him one bit and he laid down on the mattress before relinquishing control again. Izuku's body was in a deep sleep and now both primera were facing each other in the desert nightscape of Izuku's subconscious.

Starrk looked at the kid with a slightly pained expression and then scratched the back of his head looking away. Izuku was looking ashamed and couldn't meet Starrk's eyes. He was about to break the silence when Starrk spoke first,

"Your body is fine but you have suffered a bit of mental strain. The healing factor applied to you is much more suited to restoring physical injuries. I will have you stay here until the pain will be at a more tolerable level. You should be well recovered before sunset." He said without looking at Izuku. He began to walk away when it was Izuku's turn to break the silence,

"Starrk…I'm sorry. I should've waited for you this morning or woken you up before getting into another deal with that Giran guy. And I'm sorry for putting too much power into my pesquisa." He said while looking at the tiles beneath him,

Starrk gave a heavy sigh and then turned to face Izuku. "Kid, I'm not mad. This is your life and story and you have the right to do as you see fit. You don't need my permission or opinions to do anything. Take this as a much needed learning experience to grow. As for the pesquisa, I should've given you a much better explanation so don't feel like you failed. That was an impressive amount of power you pulsed, it's just you are not prepared or practiced to accept that amount of information. You will grow into it and then I will be able to show you how to sift, search, and distinguish through all of that. Just take it easy right now and think of a plan for tonight."

Izuku did feel a little better from Starrk's words and looked up to see Starrk continue walking away. "Where are you going?" asked Izuku, curious to know.

"I don't know. I need to rethink some things properly. Just rest here, I will be back soon." replied Starrk not facing him and with a BZZT, he sonido'd into the desert.

Izuku felt his guilt reappear and the root tips of being abandoned began to dig into his heart. He wouldn't know what he would do if Starrk ever truly left him. It's not a thought he ever wanted to entertain. Denying himself the urge to cry, Izuku took a seat on the tiles and on a whim tried to concentrate like if he was going to do another pesquisa. To his shock, he was able to see his sleeping body on the bus seat mattress as if he was watching a movie. So this is what he meant. Izuku quickly thought and then just laid on the tiled floor while staring up at the eternal crescent moon that hung above him. How am I going to complete my task tonight? He mused and several vague thoughts and ideas started to play in his imagination.

Starrk was standing on top of a random sand dune somewhere in the moonlit desert. He was lost in thought as he was deciding how to approach Izuku's situation. He really wanted to take control and handle it for him but that wouldn't help Izuku grow at all. This is tough. Starrk's memories went back to his origins. He only ever protected Lilynette but never trained her or trained with her and she ended up getting destroyed. There was a sickening feeling in Starrk's stomach. Was he on the verge of repeating the same mistake? If yes, then how can he be the teacher Izuku needs without knowing how to be one? The kid almost accidentally put himself into a comatose state with his earlier pesquisa and there's no telling what'll happen when he is confronted by a deadly situation.

With a loud sigh Starrk reevaluated the current priorities. Right now he is completely dependent on a dangerous third party for the essentials to live, and he can either try to find another way or try to excel at his current predicament. Either way it probably would be good to teach Izuku how to fight and then let him choose. I should have started with this. With his mind made up he locked onto Izuku's presence and sonido'd his way back to him. The loud BZZT immediately got Izuku's attention.

"Have you come up with a plan?" asked Starrk with a calm expression.

"Nothing specific, no." Izuku answered, a little disheartened.

"That's fine. Get up. We are going to practice a more advanced technique while your real body rests a bit longer."

"Huh?" the puzzled Izuku responded "I thought you said I wasn't ready."

"You aren't ready, and that's the point. What if you were in a life or death situation right now? What if you run into a powerful opponent tonight or tomorrow? By practicing here with me I can coach you better and demonstrate what I'm talking about." Starrk said with a serious tone. "Plus I strongly believe doing this will help your confidence in your abilities and decision making. I felt your resolve when you practiced sonido. Show it to me again, right here and now." he waited with his arms crossed.

Izuku's guilt immediately converted into determination. "Okay. What are you going to teach me?"

"How to use your resurrección."