The problem trio get a visit from their teacher to discuss the next stage of their training. And Toshinori has a far overdue conversation with his former sidekick.
The trio looked up from the breakfast table as Aizawa entered the dorm and headed towards them. After their date the prior night, they had returned to the dorms and enjoyed a calm, relaxing day together, before falling into bed as they usually did. There was a brief moment of…odd emotions coming across from all three, but they all decided together not to focus on that. They had just begun this new relationship, and right now they felt it better to just avoid any further entanglements. At least, for now. While they hadn't gone into detail, they'd spoken about it quickly and decided anything beyond just cuddles and petting would just…be a thing that happened if it happened, and for now, they'd stick to what they knew.
Which led to this morning, a calm and relaxing breakfast, one in which Ochako was okay, where Izuku actually felt slightly hopeful, and Himiko felt free. They were just finishing up a simple meal of omurice (Izuku having made cat faces in the ketchup as a joke), when their teacher entered the dorm and strode over to the table.
"Morning Sensei," the three chorused dutifully.
He nodded at them. "Morning. I'll cut to the chase. But first…Midoriya."
Izuku blinked, tilting their head to the side. "Yes?"
"I have a question for you and I want you to answer me honestly. Whatever answer you give is fine, but I still want it to be honest."
"Erm…okay?" Izuku was, admittedly, very confused, but wanted to know where their teacher was going with this.
Aizawa took a deep breath. "Are you still adamant about not exploring the possibility of permanently copying other Quirks?"
Izuku froze. They'd…kinda ignored that ever since their blowup back in the hospital, and had pretty much resolutely ignored it since. While their mom had been correct and the biggest reason for Izuku's loss of temper was around their twisted up feelings about Ochako nearly dying…there was still some resentment about the thought of taking things from others like that. It felt wrong. But…they shared a glance with Ochako and Himiko, the two girls looking at them with blank faces but wide open feelings. They knew both Ochako and Himiko saw no issue with it, and they couldn't deny the curiosity they felt about it…or how cool it would be to have so many powers. Not to mention, how many people they could help, especially with more 'utility' powers like Recovery Girl's.
Izuku let out a breath they didn't realize they were holding, feeling the tension seep out of their shoulders. "I uh…I'm willing to see about it."
Aizawa nodded, pulling a case out and placing it on the table. "Excellent. Here's the next week's supply of blood for you three. Normally we had a mix of blood, but this time we specifically chose certain members of the staff's blood. Specifically, mine, Midnight's, Vlad's, and Recovery Girl's. Cementoss, Ectoplasm, and Thirteen have mutations that we're not sure how effectively those would copy, and Mic's is very difficult to control without support equipment. We're also not sure how useful Snipe's would be, although he is a consideration for the next wave. According to the data we were presented with, if it's only these four you drink over the next few days, you should manifest those Quirks sooner rather than later. It appears like the copy part of your power is growing in strength, and as you use it, you may be able to gain access to Quirks with one or two doses."
Izuku blinked, the shock and bewilderment at how quickly this was going shared by Himiko and Ochako as well. Aizawa saw the taken aback expressions and spoke softer. "Nezu started making plans from the start as soon as he knew you had the ability. He was very disappointed his could not be shared, as you only get a benefit from human blood," Aizawa rolled his eyes at that, "but he was quite keen on these three being duplicated. Honestly, he's being a bit too mad scientist for my comfort, so if at any point you take issue with it, say something. We'll tell him to back off."
"I thought he was your boss though?" Himiko asked, arching an eyebrow.
Aizawa snorted. "He is. But he's also smart enough to know that he doesn't understand humans very well, and self-aware enough to realize he can and does sometimes go too far. It's why he keeps us teachers around and always shares his plans with us. He relies on us to pull him back from his worst impulses."
"Makes sense," Izuku murmured. Oddly, this was one thing they weren't that bothered by. Nezu experimenting on what were the best matches for the trio was…well, if Izuku was being honest with themselves, they kinda were thinking similarly, so it'd be hypocritical to take issue with Nezu's actions while they were busy contemplating what Quirks would work best. But more than that, they kinda agreed with the choices.
Erasure was stupidly powerful in their society, and not only being able to shut off enemy Quirks but also out of control civilian ones would be nothing but a boon. Midnight's let them easily subdue nearly anyone…well, okay, it'd be more effective on people attracted to them and sure, for Izuku that'd probably be no one, but Ochako and Himiko were rather pretty (absolutely beautiful) and would easily have plenty of people fall for that. Vlad King's…okay, if Izuku was being honest, Himiko would love that Quirk. Made them wonder how easily they could share their blood with each other though, since Vlad King somehow produced and used more blood than the human body could contain. And finally, Recovery Girl's was incredible for rescue work, even mid-disaster. Or even in a fight, they could heal one another and-
"All good points Midoriya, but perhaps you should let me finish explaining before you go off on tangents," Aizawa drawled, cutting Izuku's ruminations off and clueing them into the fact they'd been muttering aloud, to the affectionate smiles of Ochako and Himiko and Aizawa's amused gaze. Aizawa rolled his eyes. "My Quirk is fairly straightforward, and you've all used it. But when it comes to Midnight's, Vlad's, and especially Recovery Girl's, you need training with it. So that is what we're doing to do over the course of the next week while the others are at internships. Until you fully have copies, we'll simply donate some spare blood for you to use it while transformed. Understood?"
"Yes sir!" all three chorused at him, the excitement Izuku was now feeling bleeding over into the girls as they started contemplating the ways to mix and match all these powers. Izuku could feel Ochako's amusement and own excitement, and Himiko's glee and affection, the way the two were as on board for this as they were. They felt happy.
And that's when it hit them…they…they were happy. For once, for the first time in as long as they could remember, the background pain was gone. They weren't a fool. It'd come back. They'd read all the documentation, they knew how depression worked, but…but for once, they felt the relief of not having to constantly shove down dark thoughts, to force down pain, to bleed internally as they smiled on the outside. For one…they were actually happy…and they liked it.
Getting a meeting with Mirai turned out to be surprisingly easy, Toshinori mused as he waited in his office. Mirai had been willing to come and 'discuss' the situation with him, and was apparently as eager as Toshinori was because he was ready as soon as Toshinori was. And that led to this. While the trio were training with Chiyo in her office (and Toshinori made sure to give them a big thumbs up and wide grin as they passed in the hallway), he would meet with his old sidekick and hopefully, hopefully, resolve this stupid flareup before any change of him meeting or speaking to the trio happened. And they'd been careful to make sure Mirai could not approach Chiyo's office while they were there…Nezu was practically stalking the man through the cameras. Although come to think of it, that wasn't very different from Nezu's normal behavior…ah, unimportant.
A knock on Toshinori's door brought him out of his musings, him giving an acknowledging call to let the other man know he could enter. With little fanfare, Mirai Sasaki, Sir Nighteye, opened the door, standing there and staring down Toshinori with a cold expression. Even with his ability to keep his composure, Toshinori still noted the flinch in Mirai's expression as he saw him in his shrunken form…but he said nothing, stepping forward and taking the seat Toshinori had set out for him.
The two men sat in silence, the lack of sound extending to the point of awkwardness. Toshinori had expected Mirai to speak up, to go off on another tangent as he was wont to do, and yet he simply sat there, waiting. Fine. Toshinori took a deep breath. "Alright. Mirai, we need to talk."
"Yes, so you said in your reply. Very well, what is there to talk about? Your mistake in successor?" Mirai shot back tersely.
Toshinori held up one finger. "Firstly, you do not know them, therefore, you can't say I was mistaken. You have zero idea of what they are like, you simply stole information that was not yours to read and made a judgment off of it." Mirai opened his mouth to try and argue, but Toshinori soldiered on, ignoring him. "Secondly, as I've said to you before, it is not your decision who inherits One For All, it is mine. As it has been for every wielder since the chain began. Thirdly, you still don't even know who inherited it so I have no idea how you think you can judge!"
"So it wasn't Uraraka? Fine. Whichever of them has it is the wrong one. Togata is perfect for the role, Toshinori! He's everything you were!" Mirai said emphatically, hands outstretched.
Toshinori sighed, rubbing his nose. "Everything I was was a mistake! A single pillar was a poor decision by any stretch of the imagination!"
"Even if I were to concede that point, is that not why you are now educating an entire generation of heroes? Togata could easily lead that charge and you could still keep whoever it is as a hero! They simply would need to use their own Quirk!" Mirai argued.
Toshinori sighed once more, remembering why he hated talking to Mirai sometimes. "Mirai, I am sure Togata is a good boy. Everything I've heard about him is good. But I've already made my choice! My choice has the heart of a hero, and I've finally given them a chance to stand in the ring. Togata is doing well on his own, it's clear he does not need the help."
Mirai narrowed his eyes. "Ah…so it is Midoriya who holds it. Of course. That makes sense. The sludge villain incident was what convinced you, wasn't it?"
Toshinori pursed his lips, annoyed. "And what of it?"
"Toshinori, don't you see? Even if I concede your point that he is worthy, and believe me I have not, he's just starting out! He's in his first year! Togata is ready to fill your shoes now, and we don't have a lot of…" Mirai trailed off, looking uncomfortable.
"A lot of time? Let's talk about that, shall we?"
"I think we did more than enough talking about it before."
Toshinori looked up at the ceiling, praying internally for patience. He took a deep breath to calm himself, reminding himself of the man he once knew back in the day. "Alright. Let's address the elephant in the room. Mirai…I know you were just worried about me back then. And I know that you were scared, and upset, and felt ignored. I know, and I treated you unfairly. I should have heard you out, even if I disagreed, I should have at least given you the courtesy of not just…ignoring you. I'm sorry. I truly am."
Toshinori never thought he'd see his old sidekick look truly and deeply gobsmacked, his eyes wide, mouth agape, staring at him like he was looking at a stranger. But Toshinori chose to soldier on. "All that said…you can't tell me you still intend on trying to save me. If your visions are absolute, nothing you do will stop my painful death. And if they aren't, then we have nothing to be concerned about."
Mirai rocked back, before shaking his head. "I-I know my visions are absolute. But I won't give up on trying to save you. If Mirio takes hold, takes on your spot as the Symbol of Peace, then crime will remain low, villains will remain in hiding, and you'll be as safe as possible! You can't trust that child, that damaged child, to do the same for you!"
"I will not have you disparage my successors," Toshinori growled, glaring at Mirai. "You did enough of that in your email."
Mirai sighed, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. "I admit, I was…in a poor mood when I sent that and I may have been overly critical. That said, I was not wrong. Those records indicate that there is no way Midoriya could be mentally or emotionally ready for such a task! And it wouldn't even be fair to them! Putting that much pressure on someone who has been hurt so badly is irresponsible!"
"Whether they are or not is immaterial. I'm not retired yet, Mirai. And not only that, I stand by the belief that we don't need nor should we even have a Symbol like I am!"
Mirai slumped in his chair, all the fire draining from him. "I cannot believe you still will not listen to reason."
"I'm not listening to reason because you are not being reasonable. You won't even admit the truth…that all of this is out of fear. You're not thinking clearly. I've…I've spent a long time thinking about what happened between us. Even to this day, I wish it could have gone differently. Surely you realize you were one of my best friends, don't you?"
"...I…I had always hoped, but with how little you trusted me, it's hard to believe I was," Mirai replied quietly, refusing to meet his gaze.
Toshinori let out a choked laugh. "How little I trusted you? I told you about One For All! I can count on one hand the number of people who I told other than you! It was literally two people! Chiyo, Sorahiko, and Nezu already knew! You were one of two I trusted with my greatest secret, and you say that isn't trust?!"
Mirai shot up in his seat, hissing at Toshinori. "And yet you didn't trust me about your fate!"
"As I said earlier…if your visions are infallible, what is the point of fleeing from it? I would die either way, but I'd die with more regrets because I failed to do my best to save as many as possible. Or, your visions aren't infallible, in which case we can change the future. Either way, I saw no reason to give up saving people."
"...why must you always choose the path that hurts you the most?" Mirai sighed, slumping back into his chair once more.
Toshinori winced at that, as that was one thing he couldn't really disagree with. "Well…that I suppose I cannot argue. That said, let me turn the question back on you. Why can't you trust me with my choice for my Quirk?"
Mirai gestured helplessly. "It's not that I don't trust you, I just don't trust you with your own best interests at heart! As you have admitted, you're not good at that!"
"But this isn't about me, it's about One For All," Toshinori pointed out. After a moment, he gestured towards his former sidekick. "I know, Mirai, that everything you've done is out of worry for me. It means a lot to me you care so much. But please…for once, just this once, believe me. Believe in me!"
Mirai sighed, his voice quiet. "I've always believed in you, Toshinori." He let silence fill the room for a moment before continuing. "...you are certain Midoriya is the right choice?"
"I have never been more certain of anything. They've exceeded every expectation I could have had for them. You saw them in action, Mirai, was it not impressive, especially for first years?"
"Well I still couldn't tell which one had One For All to begin with, so I can't say what I thought initially. I couldn't tell whose Quirk was whose. I still am confused, to be frank…Toga's Quirk is most assuredly not a 'minor cat mutation' since she can teleport, nor the brute strength she showed in the Hosu attack, and Midoriya having those strange black tendrils and telekinesis? And Uraraka, her Quirk cannot just be removing gravity. Honestly, the entire thing was baffling."
"Well, that would be the second reason I couldn't give One For All to Togata…it's not really in one person anymore?"
Mirai blinked once. Twice. A third time. With a deep, deep sigh, he clasped his hands on the desk before him, leaning forward. "...explain."
"...why didn't you tell me this from the beginning?" Mirai asked, eye twitching as he tried to absorb the tale of the fused Quirk incident.
"Because I wanted you to understand why I wouldn't have given it to Togata, rather than because it was objectively impossible," Toshinori replied.
"Very well. I…accede to your point," Mirai sighed. After a moment of staring down at the ground, he looked back up to meet Toshinori's face. "Still, I think it would be good for you to spend some time with Togata. And his two friends, Hado and Amajiki. They have a lot of potential, and could use some encouragement."
"Why not split the difference? We could introduce them to Izuku, Ochako, and Himiko! They can learn about the specialized training and offer some tips of their own, if they are as far along as you say," Toshinori offered in return.
Mirai paused for a moment, contemplating it. "It…isn't a bad idea, I suppose. Hado might be a little much for them though…and they might be too much for Amajiki, if Toga, err, Himiko is as chaotic as you say."
"Eh, I still think it can work out," Toshinori said dismissively, waving his hand. After a moment, his casual attitude vanished and he took on a stern expression, knowing he had to bring this up. "That said…Mirai, what you did with obtaining their personal records-"
"Was beyond inappropriate. I know. I wasn't thinking, but that is no excuse," Mirai sighed, rubbing his chin. "I'll have to report myself for disciplinary action, and I'll speak to Tsukauchi about what charges they may wish to level against me."
"I may have a better idea," Toshinori began. "I'll be honest, I'm not the best teacher for how to utilize complex Quirks, and at this point, One For All is now the most complex Quirk I've seen. Even now, the three are training to utilize Quirks they may eventually permanently copy. But from my understanding, Togata's Quirk was incredibly complex and no one was able to teach him properly…until you."
Mirai adjusted his glasses, refusing to meet Toshinori's eyes. "Well, I cannot take all the credit. Togata was a superb student and I was lucky to have the opportunity to help him in his quest to become a hero."
Toshinori smiled softly, leaning forward on the desk. "Being a mentor is surprisingly rewarding, isn't it?"
"...yes. Yes, it is," Mirai muttered, still refusing to meet Toshinori's gaze.
"Either way, I'm sure you see where I am going with this. In fact, why don't you agree to a few guest lectures? I'm sure all the students in 1-A and 1-B could use some advice!"
Mirai finally met Toshinori's eyes, his own narrowed. "So this is the punishment you wish me to suffer?"
Toshinori chuckled. "I don't really see it as much of a punishment. Does the thought really bother you so?"
Mirai rolled his eyes. "No, no it doesn't. I suppose it is better than whatever the Commission would throw at me. But I think it's letting me off too lightly. I am aware that what I did was wrong, and I shouldn't try to dodge responsibility."
"Tsukauchi will likely have some very strong words for you, that I'm sure. But…well, if you can promise me you'll never do such a thing again, and that you truly regret saying those things about my kids-err, my successors, I'll let it slide," Toshinori coughed, hoping Mirai didn't notice his slipup…which considering the miniscule grin that crossed his former sidekicks face, his hopes were dashed.
Mirai stood up, patting at his pants. "Very well. I've taken up too much of your time anyways. I shall set up something with Nezu."
Toshinori stood up as well, holding one hand out in a stop gesture. "Have you had lunch yet?"
"No, I was going to do it after this meeting."
"Would you like to get lunch with me, like the old days?" Toshinori asked, looking at one of his oldest friends softly.
Mirai paused, looking Toshinori directly in the eyes before letting his shoulders slump slightly, a smile crossing his lips. "...yes. That…that would be nice."
I'm sure many of you are surprised by how this particular plot point got resolved, but that's the fun part of writing competent characters who understand communication...you can write people actually talking things out like real adults.