In a secret, discreet location somewhere in the island nation of Japan, a secret laboratory still stands despite what had recently transpired about a decade ago when the nation was under its most recent crisis of Hero and Villain activity. But with the likes of Japan's criminal overlord, All For One, and the League dissolved, one may wonder whose laboratory this even is. It is an overlooked laboratory of the League of Villains mad scientist, Dr. Kyudai Garaki, the closest of All For One's worshippers and right hand man. Amidst all the rebuilding Japan went through following the end of the war, the evil scientist had somehow managed to escape from confinement and went into hiding. The villainous madman was currently reading a newspaper from the comfort of his lab chair, growling at each mention of the name "Deku" or "Izuku Midoriya". The headline on the first page was a collab picture of the likes of Class 1-A graduates and the youthful heroes that participated in the battle against All For One and the title read:

New Heroes Soaring in Popularity Polls! Deku Takes First On Newest Poll

A vein bulged atop his bald head, anger bubbling over, before he completely tore apart and tossed aside the paper. He threw it in a spot where other newspapers he read met the same fate. He then turned to his table and slammed it with both hands, letting out an enraged shout.

"DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!" he roared "How could things have turned out like this?! Is fate just MOCKING me at this point?! All the efforts of my master and the League…undone like that!" Feeling his blood pressure rising, Garaki soon clutched his chest and began letting out long exasperated pants in an attempt to calm down. But one moment of his life had been constantly replaying itself in his mind.

"Sorry kid. It's not gonna happen."

The moment was when he was still playing his role as the Chairman of the Jaku Hospital Board, he diagnosed the four year old Izuku Midoriya as being unable to manifest a Quirk of his own. Though this moment had originally been routine for him, it was a crushing blow to the child's self esteem. And yet, as if karma had finally come back to bite him, it was this same boy that was able to defeat All For One and led him to his death. Since having heard about what happened while he was imprisoned, Izuku had became the deeply rooted source of Garaki's hatred and rage. Each time this memory returned, his anger couldn't help but spike.

"If only I knew what would've followed…I would've begged All For One to make that TWERP his new vessel! Not that ungrateful little TRAITOR, Shigaraki! But how was I supposed to expect him to meet ALL MIGHT of all people?!" he shouted, clutching his head. Near the mad doctor, a large pod full of fluid reflected his expression off its glass. Inside was a shadowy creature, human in build with long white hair and flickers of black embers radiating off it, floating in suspended animation. The creature inside brought a sickening smile to Garaki's face. Setting aside his anger, the doctor approached and pressed his hand against the glass while eyeing the creature.

"But soon….soon….WE'LL bring about not just the complete annihilation of that brat, Deku, but the ENTIRE WORLD will be under our thumb!" he satanically laughed "Your dreams will NOT be on deaf ears, Master! And all the efforts I WASTED on the League of Villains…will be put to better use." From inside the pod, the creature's eyes began to slowly open, showing bright red pupils looking back.

MY HERO: NEW AGE OF HEROES

~ Part 01: Another Normal Day for Midoriya ~

~ Musutafu, Japan ~

At the same time, under the sunny skies above, a large car pile up was reported due to the sudden lost control of a person's Quirk and was now causing chaos for those at the site. Several passengers were still trapped in their cars either because of the wreckage or fear of getting out and escaping the rampant Quirk user. The Quirk user was shown to be a colossal four armed giant that lost control of himself due to the traffic. Several police officers were working to rescue the trapped victims while another squad attempted to stall the suspect. Suddenly, he erupted into a vicious roar and grabbed a car with each of its massive hands, lobbing them directly for the police.

"MOVE!" an officer yelled, his squad successfully avoiding the flying cars as they crashed and smashed to the ground. Just then, the giant roared and grabbed onto a nearby school bus with students and the bus driver still inside. They all screamed in terror as the bus was lifted into the air, suspended above his head. But as he prepared to throw it, a lone figure came racing onto the scene and leapt straight for the giant. Decorated in his mechanized battle suit and flowing yellow cape, Izuku drew back his left hand with fist clenched tight.

"DETROIT SMASH!" he exclaimed, slugging the giant's face. The blow was strong enough to cause the giant to fumble its grip of the bus, dropping it on its side in the process, before stumbling backwards. At the same time, another hero arrived on the scene and used her Quirk to remove the gravity of the entire bus. It slowly rotated amidst the zero gravity before landing on its tires, the Hero responsible being Ochaco. She hurried over as the driver opened the door and the students began hurrying out.

"Whoa! Whoa! Everybody calm down! I-Is anybody hurt?" Ochaco asked, watching them rush past. The driver came rushing out as well, nearly fumbling over his own two feet as Ochaco caught him. He let out a reliefed sigh.

"T-Thank you SO MUCH! Don't worry. I-I'll keep an eye on the kids!" he stuttered with a shaking body. Ochaco nodded.

"Okay. Thanks." she said before letting him go. At the same time, Izuku was still going at it with the four armed giant. Each time the monstrous brute threw a punch at him, the hero was able to quickly avoid or jump over his giant arms. After another failed attack, Izuku came at him with a roundhouse kick to his face.

"Deku! You need any help?!" Ochaco called. Izuku paused for a moment to look back to Ochaco, flashing a thumbs up.

"It's okay, Uravity! I got this! Please help the officers with those still trapped!" he called. She nodded with a confident smile. He turned back as the giant charged for him overcome with anger. He threw another colossal fist at him but Izuku used this chance to stop and lock onto his arm, halting his movement.

"C-Calm down! You're not in control of yourself!" Izuku exclaimed "If you can hear me, then…stand down!" The monster growled more until it eventually broke Izuku's grip and sent him flying into the air. Ochaco saw him and gasped.

"DEKU!" she shouted. But out of nowhere, Izuku's arm was quickly snagged by a long strand of sticky tape, shot from the ground below by the arrival of Sero. He pulled Izuku back towards the ground before he was caught by Shoji, standing alongside Sero.

"Are you okay?" Shoji asked "We just arrived ourselves." Izuku groaned, thanking his friends before he was set down on his feet. He looked back at the giant still glaring at him, letting out a snarl.

"Something tells me he's NOT in the mood to talk things out, MIdoriya." Sero commented "We might have to overpower or subdue him before he gets out of control." Just then, a series of explosions was heard overhead before another hero burst onto the scene. Once close enough, he unleashed a massive explosion straight at the giant, causing him to fumble backwards. Landing soon after was Izuku's childhood friend and rival, Bakugo, decked in his hero attire.

"K-Kacchan!" Izuku called. Bakugo glared over his shoulder and groaned.

"Damn it, Deku! How HARD is it for you to use my HERO name?! Call me DYNAMIGHT when we're working, you DAMN NERD!" he exclaimed. From behind, the giant let out another roar and lunged for Bakugo with arms drawn back. But he quickly turned back while his hand emitted a bright red flash, readying another massive explosive attack.

"GO TO SLEEP, YOU DAMN IDIOT!" he roared, unleashing another massive blast at point blank range. The blast was enough to send a big shockwave across the landscape, the others bracing themselves in the process. Bakugo's attack had knocked the giant out, its eyes fading to white before collapsing backwards.

~ The Next Day ~

The entirety of the crisis that day was being talked about and reported on by newscasters as Izuku, now wearing more casual street attire, was seated in a restaurant together with a few of his friends. Seated besides him at their table was Bakugo and opposite them was the likes of Jiro and Kaminari. Jiro watched the footage being shown on the TV, perched in the upper corner of the dining floor, with a heavy groan.

"God damn it, Bakugo." she muttered with a headshake "What happened to you TONING things back when it came to handling criminals?" Kaminari chuckled while she massaged her forehead.

"What were you expecting, Jiro? He's always been that way since we first met in school." he added "He just has a REALLY short fuse. I'm thankful he didn't reduce that car pileup into a CRATER." Bakugo growled, crushing his drink cup in his hand while slamming the table with his other hand.

"SHUT UP! I WAS RESTRAINING MYSELF! I WAS!" he exclaimed in absolute fury. Izuku looked on nervously, not saying a word as to further rile him. Looking to change the subject, Izuku turned to his friends and noticed the silver and gold rings on Jiro and Kaminari's fingers. Kaminari wore his on the same arm now draped over Jiro's shoulders.

"Anyway…" he said casually "It's really great that you guys are back. How was your trip out to Europe?" Jiro and Kaminari lightly gasped, eyes turning to Izuku. Remembering the concert Jiro wanted to attend brought a smile to her face.

"W-Well, we had a lot of fun. The hotel we were at was very accommodating, the people were friendly…and, yeah, we just had a good time." she said. Kaminari genuinely blushed a bit as he saw Jiro's gaze turn to him. He lightly scratched his cheek.

"We had to do something fun for our two year anniversary. A-Am I wrong?" he continued the story "We should REALLY be thanking Yaoyarozu's family for offering to pay for the tickets. They weren't exactly CHEAP." Jiro agreed.

"Still…the fact that you guys have been dating for two years now. Heh. That's a real accomplishment in its own way." Izuku added. Jiro glimpsed at Kaminari's hand before she began blushing as well.

"Yeah. Who would've thought?" she said softly "Earphone Jack and Chargebolt…the hottest trend when it came to "Hero Power Couples" that year. But…I'm not complaining." She then looked towards Kaminari, the sight of her smile making him flustered, thanking him for being a "way cool" boyfriend. He tried to pass it off as no big deal while trying not to show his real feelings. Bakugo's eyes shifted to Izuku.

"At least you're doing better than THIS DORK at dating. Right…Izuku?" he said in a braggish tone. Izuku gasped and looked to his friend, casually leaning in his seat.

"W-What's THAT supposed to mean, Kacchan?! And where did THAT come from?!" he shouted, face bright red. His friend sighed and pointed a finger straight at him.

"I'm talking about YOU and Uraraka, dumbass!" he proclaimed, causing Izuku to freeze up "When are you gonna finally grow some BALLS and ask her out? It's obvious as all hell that you liked her…even when we first started going to U.A. But here you are, Mr. Number One Pro Hero, too scared to even ask her on a DATE." Those words reduced to Izuku to a stuttering mess, trying and failing multiple times to find the best comeback to Bakugo's insult. But Kaminari suddenly laughed.

"Like YOU'RE one to talk, Bakugo! I seem to recall you not having anyone either! Anytime one of your fan girls TRY getting close, you threaten to blast them!" he proudly mocked "You say Midoriya has issues? You couldn't get a girl, even if you TRIED!" Bakugo snarled, the veins in his eyes bulging.

"SAY THAT AGAIN, IDIOT! SAY THAT AGAIN AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS!" he roared, beginning to form crackling sparks in his palm. As Kaminari worked to dissolve the situation, Jiro turned her gaze to Izuku and he silently looked back.

"As much as I want to disagree, Bakugo…kind of has a point. Take it from me, Midoriya. If you really like Uraraka, you should pursue her…unless you want someone else to ask her out first." she said "When we used to hang out in the dorms, the other girls and I had a inkling that she had a flame burning for you too. Now would be the best time to ask her…especially with her folks living better." Izuku remained quiet before lightly nodded.

"W-Well…funny you should say that. Uraraka said she wanted me to meet her a little later today. Maybe I'll try and bring it up then. T-Thanks for the support, Jiro…"

~ A While Later ~

Having left the restaurant and his friends, Izuku is making a beeline to meet up with Ochaco at their designated meetup spot. As he ran down the street, doing his best to avoid the traffic and other bystanders passing him, he eventually arrived and saw Ochaco leaning up against a building. Like him, she was also in casual attire as she soon saw him. She happily waved her hand.

"Deku! There you are!" she called. Izuku came to a stop at her side, stopping to catch his breath.

"Hey, Uraraka. S-Sorry if I kept you waiting. I didn't want to use my battlesuit…unless it was an emergency." he apologized. Uraraka giggled back.

"Don't worry. I only got here a little while ago myself." she said "Thanks again for agreeing to meet up, Deku. Our hero work makes meetings like this a rare opportunity, know what I mean?" Izuku laughed alongside her with a nod.

"Speaking of which, can you explain why you wanted to meet here of all places?" he asked, looking at the sign overhead "Wouldn't a spa visit be better spent with someone like your mom? Or perhaps Yaoyarozu?" He looked back to her just as she placed her left hand against his cheek, surprising him slightly, and rubbed the scar on his cheek. The wound was a memento from the final battle with All For One and the League of Villains. A soft smile was on Ochaco's face, earning Izuku's full attention.

"This isn't really for me. It's…more so a gift for you…Izuku." she softly replied, making him gasp "One of the masseuse that works here has a Quirk that has made this place extremely popular. Her Quirk allows her to boost the recovery of flesh wounds, even removing all traces of their existence." She then took his hand in hers, looking over the multitude of wounds present on his fingers and palm.

"I know you'd probably say these are "reminders" of your time mastering One For All. But, now that the embers have faded away…and you're not at risk of harming yourself with your own Quirk, don't you think it's all right to treat these properly?" she asked. Izuku was completely silent, unable to speak while she looked back at him with a look of genuine concern. Eventually, he lightly sighed and smiled back to her.

"Maybe…you're right. I'll give it a shot." he said. Ochaco smiled.

"If I can be somewhat blunt…I miss the smiling face of that "remarkably normal" guy I met when I went to U.A. and…I'd like to see it again." she added. Following that, the two said nothing more as they went inside side by side through the sliding doors.

TO BE CONTINUED…