Two Days Ago

Somewhere, in a Large Building Complex, Inside a Large Office

7:00 PM


"...Shit," muttered a wide-eyed ash blonde-haired man with a faint stubble on his chin. He also has red hawk wings on his back and is wearing a brown aviator jacket and pants with black boots, along with a black shirt that has gold markings. He stared at a TV screen, looking at the local news about All Might...and about Endeavor.

"As you may know, things have become a lot more dire during these past hours," said an older woman behind a desk, gazing at the young man intently.

"...Yeah," the man said, a little in shock, "Talk about things going from bad to worse almost instantly."

"Which is why we need to eradicate this threat now," the woman said.

"...A Quirkless man...taking someone down like All Might...and Endeavor."

"Witnesses say that the one who took down Endeavor was his oldest son, Touya."

"Still...that guy gave him the gun at least..."

"Either way, you do know that this has become a very grim situation as of now, do you, Hawks?"

"...Yeah," the man, or Hero known as Hawks said. He turned to the woman at her desk, "What else should I know?"

"Reports say that this 'Joker' and his crew have met up with the Villain that planned the USJ incident. The villain at the USJ incident known as Shigaraki also seemed to have followers with him as well, each of them having strong Quirks."

"Hm...so they formed an alliance or something?"

"We don't know as of yet," the woman, being the President of the Hero Public Safety Commission, said, "However, we need to act as quickly as we can. You need to act as quickly as you can. The state of Heroes being shown as incompetent along with society losing faith in Heroes, as well as the minority of the Quirkless getting riled up because a Quirkless man defeated the Number One Hero and took hostage the Number Two Hero, must not take form in the public's eyes."

"Yeah, that much I can gather..." Hawks muttered.

Still, I wouldn't think the minority, the Quirkless, would even follow this guy...at least I hope not.

Hawks continued, "So what's my objective as of now?"

"Right now, you must wait until Sunday to work with the police force of Musutafu. Everything has gotten so crazy, from four Hero deaths, one Hero and UA student losing their Quirks, from All Might and Endeavor's captures, from cops being killed by this man and his henchmen, to finding dead Yakuza members in a burning apartment complex with their leader now a dead burnt corpse on a pile of money, that the Musutafu Police Department should be extremely busy for the time being. This Joker has become a severe threat to the public, and we must work with not only the police but with Heroes and anyone else who can find this madman."

"...Right," Hawks looked back at the TV screen where the headline said 'ALL MIGHT AND ENDEAVOR CAPTURED BY QUIRKLESS MADMAN'. "...I'll do my best."

"See that you will. This man must be stopped."

"Hm..." Hawks nodded and turned around to make his way out of the office.

Man...I can't believe All Might got taken down...as well as Endeavor...the news said Endeavor's oldest son took him down with some Erasure Quirk bullet, which made Endeavor's Quirk disappear...I don't know much about his family history, but...no matter what anyone else says, and even if he does have or doesn't have his Quirk, it all doesn't matter...he's still a Hero to me...always will be...


Sunday

12:30 PM

Musutafu Police Department


"The Wing Hero: Hawks. Well, this is a surprise," Tsukauchi said, sitting in his office behind his desk with Hawks standing in front of him, "I'm guessing you're here to assist this ongoing investigation?"

"Yeah," Hawks nodded, "Sorry for not coming here sooner, I was thinking you and your men would be swamped with all the things that were going on in the past couple of days."

"I think you picked a good time if any to reach out," Tsukauchi told him, "Things have been kind of slowing down...well, almost. There was the beating of a UA Hero student from the Joker, and that same student along with another Hero student of UA had lost their Quirks by the same Villain yesterday."

Hawks cringed, "Man...is the kid that got beaten alright?"

"He said to have awakened from his coma, which was a miracle in itself," Tsukauchi explained, "So he's said to recover, albeit gradually. Although, he and his classmate have lost their Quirks as I said, so I only worry about their self-esteem and futures..."

"Hm...yeah..." Hawks frowned at that.

I really hope those kids will be okay...

"My partner in crime is also recovering from a stab wound by one of Joker's henchmen as well..." Tsukauchi lowered his gaze with a solemn frown, "I'm hoping he'll be okay until then..."

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Hawks said in sincerity, "I know you guys and the police force are always on the front lines more than Heroes, and I really do respect each of your work."

"Thank you," Tsukauchi gave out a slight smile as he looked up at Hawks, "Anyway, down to business, I suppose. What do you need from the Musutafu Police force?"

"Just anything I can do to help. I can patrol the skies around this area, but I might need another winged Hero to assist me."

"Right. I can give Ryukyu a call," suggested Tsukauchi, "However, I think that Joker, this Shigaraki fellow, and the other Villains will be hopefully hiding around the Tokyo areas. It probably won't be Musutafu for all we know, it could be Yokohama, Shibuya, or Shinjuku. Worst-case scenario, they could be out of Tokyo, like Kyoto or Osaka. I just hope not, though. Either way, I just want our men to find this madman and the others, but it'll take a while since they have a Villain who uses a warp Quirk. If we can just have some clue on the whereabouts of this Warp Quirk user, we can locate Joker, Shigaraki, the other Villains, and then we can save All Might and Endeavor."

Hearing Endeavor's name, Hawks had to ask, "Are there any leads for All Might and Endeavor after their capture?"

Tsukauchi shook his head in disappointment, "Not one. I'm really holding on that they're just being held captive..."

Hawks didn't want to think that the Number One and Two Hero would be in such a dire situation, yet here he is, asking to help find them…

"I also need to ask you something else, Detective," he said.

"Hm?" Tsukauchi looked at Hawks, "And what would that be?"

"...Did...Endeavor really got taken down by his...his older son?"

"...Reports from eyewitnesses said it was his eldest son, Touya, who was with the Joker. They said that Joker let him borrow the gun he has and the eldest Todoroki used it on his father...they also heard that he goes by Dabi now."

"..." Hawks lowered his gaze, brow furrowed deep in thought. "...I wonder what happened to Endeavor's son to let him attack his father like that."

"We don't know as of yet...but I have a hunch that...well, some things in Endeavor's family aren't as perfect as they make it all out to be," Tsukauchi commented as he looked down at his documents.

"Huh?" Hawks looked up at the detective in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's an ongoing investigation, but ever since Joker dropped some bombshells about Endeavor, and witnesses heard everything about it, we're led to believe that Endeavor may have done some shady things in the past to keep his image as squeaky clean as possible," Tsukauchi told Hawks, "We're also thinking that Endeavor's wife may have suffered from some kind of abuse...thus the reason why she might've gone to an asylum."

Hawks' eyes widened, a little in disbelief at the news, "...Do...Do you believe it?"

"Hm?" the detective looked up at the winged Hero, "Well, this is just a side case for me. My main goal is to find Joker, All Might, and Endeavor, as well as these other Villains that are probably working together with each other...but as for the Todoroki family, along with eyewitnesses on what Joker said about the Flame Hero himself, to the appearance of his eldest son from a supposed death, and other things adding up, it doesn't look too good for Endeavor right now."

"..." Hawks stayed silent, glancing down at the floor with a frown and furrowed eyebrows.

Seeing that Hawks looked a little disturbed by the assumption of Endeavor not being what he seems, he asks him, "Are...you a fan of him?"

"...Yeah. He...He basically introduced me to Heroes...back when I was young," Hawks kept staring at the floor, "...I had a tough childhood back then."

"...Hm..." Tsukauchi sighed, "Look...I don't know too much about Endeavor, but he seems to be very serious about his Hero work. I would think he saved countless people and thwarted Villains in his career, much like All Might has as well...but until then, right now, we need to focus on finding them, Joker, as well as Joker's new ally, Shigaraki, and the other Villains."

...Hawks looked up at the detective and nodded in agreement, "Right."

Still...I don't want to think...I mean...Endeavor can't be, like...a bad guy, right?

"...I'll patrol the skies until then," Hawks told Tsukauchi.

Before he turned around to exit Tsukauchi's office, the detective called out, "Hawks."

The Wing Hero paused, turning his head to glance at the detective, "Yeah?"

"...Things may be a little tough from here. Honestly, there are going to be some secrets spilled out, and the state of Heroes as of right now is hanging in the balance...I don't want to go into a deep speech or anything of the such, but...just know, that at the end of the day, a Hero is someone who is always there for them. And...if a Hero you admire is brought down to the mud...then that Hero will be tested to move forward, no matter how much is thrown at them. If that Hero keeps going, even after everything that has happened to them, then...there might be some hope for that Hero. And not only that, but there could be hope for this whole Hero system as well."

"...Thank you, Detective," Hawks nodded with a small smile, "I'll keep all of that in mind."

Tsukauchi nodded as well with a small encouraging smile.


4:00 PM

Midoriya Residence


Izuku, and his mother Inko, arrived back at their apartment after visiting Kacchan, which turned out to be successful in more ways than one. Even then, Uraraka and Kirishima were both there for Kacchan, which made Izuku feel a lot more comfortable during his visit. It was actually nice seeing more of his classmates lifting his spirits...

However, while he thought it was a nice gesture, and it could just be in her sweet nature, he didn't honestly know why Uraraka would visit Katsuki...

Speaking of Kacchan, whenever Uraraka would talk, the explosive blonde would talk with her also, and they would have certain exchanges with each other, whether it be teasing, or Uraraka scolding him for cursing so much. Even then, Kacchan would tease her about her own 'potty mouth', which...upon hearing that, Izuku was a little surprised. Uraraka had a potty mouth?

Even Kirishima was picking up on certain things. He often glanced back at Izuku, which Izuku glanced back at Kirishima, wondering if they were noticing it as well. He would even think Auntie Mitsuki and Uncle Masaru, heck, even his mother would notice it too.

Even after they left, Kirishima included, Uraraka still stayed with Kacchan...

Either way, Izuku was really happy to know that his once-childhood friend was...back to being his childhood friend. Although the circumstances were horrific for Kacchan, it would seem the trauma really opened his eyes. And while Izuku didn't wish anything like that on him, maybe...it all worked out for the best? For his friendship, for Kacchan's growth, for Kacchan's realization?

Still, he doesn't deserve all that was inflicted on him...no matter how much of a jerk he was.

As Izuku and Inko entered their apartment, the latter was going to watch more of the news to see if there were any updates on All Might and Endeavor. Meanwhile, Izuku had an idea when he came back to his place.

Around ten minutes later, he exited his room, wearing a workout shirt and some workout shorts, heading to the door out of their apartment.

Inko noticed this and called out to him, "Um, Izuku-Dear? Are you going somewhere?"

Stopping over at the genkai to sit down and put his shoes on, Izuku turned to her and answered, "Oh, well, I was going to go up to the top of the apartment building to train myself. You know, relaying the training that Oguro-sensei had taught me."

"Oh! Well...oh my, you're really serious about all this, aren't you?" Inko asked a little surprised with blinking eyes.

Izuku looked at his mother oddly, "Um...I mean, is that okay?"

"Oh, I mean, sure!" Inko said, a little embarrassed as she sheepishly sweatdrop, "Sorry, I totally do support you, Izuku-Dear, I really do. It's just...I never seen you this determined before."

"Oh...well, yeah, I need to be determined. I mean, even if I'm not going to be a Hero anymore, I might want to help out anyone I can, as best as I can."

Inko nodded with a sweet smile, "Exactly. Just be careful up there, alright? And text me when you get up there and take a picture of the complex's roof, just so that you're telling me the truth."

"...Wha, Mom-"

"I'm sorry, Izuku, but after that stunt you pulled, I need you to be honest with me."

"..." Izuku sighed, "Don't worry, Mom, I'm just going up to the rooftop. But...I will do as you say."

"That's what I want to hear."

Shaking his head, Izuku tied his shoes and got up, telling his mother, "Alright then, I'm going to the rooftop to train now. And believe me, that's where I'm going. I'll come back around suppertime, okay, Mom?"

"Sure thing, Izuku-Dear! Just be careful now, okay?" Inko bid him farewell.

Izuku couldn't help but just smile at his mother, "I will, Mom."


"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Izuku kept punching the air in rapid sessions.

He then delivered a side-kick and a front jump-kick. Landing on his two feet, he rushed forward and swiftly went to his right, turning around to deliver a left-swiping kick. He then started to do cartwheel flips and a jump-kick, which let him flip backward and land on his feet. He started to punch the air again, doing left and right hooks, uppercuts, and downward strikes, until doing a finishing punch.

Heaving breaths of exertion and adrenaline, he paused in his stance, his fist and arm outstretched in front of him. He stood there, letting the passion and drive to keep fighting come to a slow, before going at it full force again.

However, he wanted to check his smartwatch to see what time it was before continuing.

5:30 PM

Okay then, good workout so far. Maybe just twenty minutes and I'll come down for supper.

Before he could get going again with his training, he heard someone descending, their wings flapping.

"Huh. Either you're preparing for war there, kid, or you're doing some extreme breakdance training."

Izuku turned around quickly to see the person speaking.

Up on the top of the fence barrier of the rooftop, there perched the No. 3 Hero, Hawks.

Blinking at the Hero, Izuku stood there a little baffled.

"...Oh! Wow! Y-You're the Number Three Hero! The Wing Hero: Hawks!" Izuku exclaimed in shock.

Hawks smirked, "Heh. Well, I'm glad to know my name is catching some wind around here."

"Um...h-hi?" Izuku greeted Hawks, flabbergasted.

Hawks chuckled, "Hey there. Mind telling me what you're doing up here jumping around like that?"

"...Um..." Usually, Izuku clamps up and makes some kind of excuse, but...he feels like he could probably tell the truth, even just a little since he is speaking to the No. 3 Hero, "Uh...well, I guess...I mean, no, I am! Um, I'm just training a little bit, for..." lowering his gaze at the ground and rubbing the back of his head, he muttered out, "I mean...I'm just basically training myself to be a little stronger."

Raising an eyebrow, Hawks said, "Training to be stronger? What's your Quirk?"

"...Um...I...I don't...well, I don't have a Quirk," Izuku admitted.

"...Oh..." Hawks then began to piece some puzzles together, but wanted to ask Izuku as delicately as he could, "...Did you...have a Quirk? Or...have you-"

"I had a Quirk," Izuku blurted out, "But...it was taken away..."

Now Hawks has the full picture.

"Oh..." the Hero frowned, "...I'm sorry..."

"Yeah...you may have seen the news..." Izuku said as he looked up at the winged Hero.

"...Yeah..." Still perching on the rooftop fence, Hawks contemplated what to say next, "...I'm sorry for what happened to your friend."

My friend...yeah...he is now... Izuku thought.

"Thank you. He's recovering right now and is getting a little better."

"Hm...give your friend my condolences when you can," Hawks told him.

"I will. Thanks."

...They stood in silence...

...Until Hawks asked, "Are you still going even after you lost your Quirk?"

"Huh?" Izuku looked at Hawks, puzzled, until he realized what he meant. "Oh...um..."

"I mean, you said you were training, so..." Hawks shrugged, "Just asking."

"...Yeah. I am," Izuku said looking up at the Hero, "I want to keep going even after losing my Quirk."

Hawks stayed silent for a second, staring at the boy until he smiled, "Can I ask an innocent question, kid?"

"Huh? Um, sure..."

"...What are you fighting for?"

Blinking at that, Izuku answered, "I...I'm fighting for the people that I love and care about. For the families, for the kids who look up to Heroes, and for the good people out there. Even for the people that need saving from whatever comes at them, whether it's from an unfortunate situation, or if they just need someone...there."

Hawks looked down at the kid from the fence, staring at the boy as he studied him...

"...Keep that mindset, my guy," he said with a smile, "That's what a Hero should strive for," he stood up on the fence, saying, "You're on your way, kid...actually, what's your name?"

"Oh! Um...Midoriya Izuku, Hawks, sir."

Chuckling, Hawks said, "Eh, you don't have to call me sir. Really, I'm not that old. But yeah, keep on going forward, Midoriya Izuku...I think I see some good things in your future."

"Um...thank you," Izuku smiled and bowed to Hawks.

Nodding back to the boy, Hawks smiled, "Just hang in there, kid. Things will get better. A True Hero never lets things bring them down, no matter how big the problem seems to be," he saluted to him and spread his wings, ready to go up but not until he said, "I'll hopefully see you around, Midoriya," and with that, he jumped and let his wings flap, going up into the sunset sky.

Izuku looked up at the ascending Hero and watched him fly away...

...He couldn't help but feel a new fire being spurned into him.

"...Right."

And with that, Izuku did more of his training until he went back down to his place to get dinner. After a while, he decided to get some rest for the night...


Monday

UA High School

7:30 AM


Izuku was back at the school grounds...

He didn't know what was going to wait for him when he entered UA, but he did remember that Principal Nedzu wanted to speak to him about which classes he would want to transfer...among other things, which he didn't get any information on. That part got him a little suspicious...

As he walked up the stairs of the campus, he saw his homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shota, up at the entrance of the school.

"Hrmph. Well, you're early," Aizawa mumbled.

"Huh? Aizawa-sensei?" Izuku spoke out in confusion.

"Yep. You may not be in my class anymore, but I have to guide you to Nedzu's office. Come on, follow me."

"Uh...okay," Izuku blinked at that.

Following his old homeroom teacher, Izuku kept quiet as he walked inside the school, passing by some of the students who glanced back at him, probably hearing about the news story about him and Kacchan.

As soon as they reached a different portion of the school, the faculty area, there was no sign of any students walking around, just the staff that works at UA. And from what he saw in the school offices, they were really busy getting files and reports in on time. Izuku felt a little strange being in this part of the school, but he just kept trudging on after Aizawa. Soon, they reached an elevator, for easy commuting to different floors, and Aizawa pushed the 'up' button on the elevator.

They both waited for the elevator to come down...

"...You and, uh...you and the staff around here seem to be pretty busy from what I'm seeing," Izuku decided to make small talk.

"Hm. Yeah. Media has been kind of on us for a while as well among other things..." Aizawa told his former student.

"...Um...r-right..." Izuku stood there as he shifted his stance a little awkwardly.

The elevator binged, indicating that they could get on now.

They entered the elevator and Aizawa pushed the top button, most likely where Nedzu's office was.

As the doors closed and the elevator went up, Aizawa and Izuku just stood there in silence next to each other...

...Until Aizawa said with a sigh, "Look, don't worry about it."

Izuku just stood there silent...

"...I know about the whole thing now, by the way," Aizawa told him.

"Huh?" Izuku turned to look at Aizawa in question.

"About you and All Might's Quirk and how you got your Quirk..." Aizawa glanced at Midoriya with a side glance. "Nedzu told me. Apparently, he knows a lot about All Might. And honestly? While I would say that the way you got your Quirk is so unethical and stupid on All Might's part-"

"It's not."

Izuku just blurted that out without warning. His eyes looked at Aizawa in a fierce resolve, almost as if he was challenging Aizawa on that part...

Aizawa just stood there as he turned his head to fully deadpan stare at the boy...

...He then continued to say, "I was gonna say that while it was stupid...you have come a long way with the Quirk that you once had..." Aizawa looked forward ahead at the elevator doors, "In fact...you may have as well proved me wrong...you're also a lot more confident as usual, so there's that to consider as well."

Izuku continued to look at Aizawa, wondering if he was going to say something to contradict what he just told him.

"...So I guess what I'm saying is, maybe All Might did choose a good successor, after all," Aizawa finished.

...Blinking at that compliment, Izuku looked at his former homeroom teacher in surprise. After a couple of seconds of registering what he just said to him, he smiled and said, "Thank you, Aizawa-sensei."

"I'm not your sensei anymore," Aizawa plainly said, which Izuku shrunk a bit in embarrassment, "...But I do want to say that you really were a good student. A model student to all of Class 1-A...so with that, you're welcome and I thank you for being a part of my class."

Looking at his former homeroom teacher in slight awe, he gave him an appreciative smile and nod. The verdant-haired boy looked ahead at the elevator doors, his expression now turning serious, as he mentally prepared for what awaited him with Nedzu.

BING!

The doors opened and they exited the elevator, Aizawa leading the way once more.

As soon as they reached some double doors that led to Nedzu's office, Aizawa stopped in front of them and told Izuku, "Alright then. From here on in, you get to choose where you want to go to continue your education here in UA."

Nodding to that, Izuku took a deep breath to soothe his nerves.

Aizawa looked at the boy for a moment and said, "If you still want to be a Hero in some way, you could try one of the Support classes."

Izuku looked up at Aizawa, puzzled by his remark.

The Underground Pro Hero just shrugged, "Just saying. Either way, once you choose your class, I'll have to choose whichever student from the other classes to fill in your spot..." he paused, "...It really was good to have you as a student."

...A smile tugged at his lips, and Izuku then formally bowed to Aizawa, saying, "It was good to have you as a teacher, Aizawa-sensei."

Aizawa didn't even correct him on not being his sensei anymore, he just stood there for a second and nodded, a hint of a smile almost on his face.

And with that, Izuku walked over to the double doors, which he pushed open, and entered Nedzu's office.

Once he went inside the office, he saw Nedzu sitting behind his desk, looking at the computer. Upon noticing him, he greeted him with his usual peppy tone, "Ah! Young Midoriya! Glad you could make it!"

"Um, thanks," Midoriya went over to one of the chairs in front of Nedzu's desk and sat on one of them. "So, uh...I guess I'm going to have to go through the process of transferring to another course?"

"Yes, it would seem so!" Nedzu said, placing his paws together in front of him as he sat, "However, I want to ask you something, Young Midoriya."

"Um, okay. What is it?" Izuku asked him curiously.

"Well...as you may have heard from Eraserhead, I know about All Might's identity and his Quirk."

Izuku blinked, "Wait, you...heard us talk in the elevator?"

"It shouldn't be a surprise, Young Midoriya, I have eyes and ears around this school."

"Oh...uh, okay..." Izuku decided to just let that slide and let Nedzu do all the talking.

"Now, as you may know, you and Young Bakugou's little bout made you both lose your Quirks in the scuffle by Joker and his lackeys. Which, I do have to say, I am terribly sorry for the loss of your Quirk, One For All."

"Oh...s-so you do know," Izuku was a little surprised.

Chuckling, Nedzu said, "Yes, I do...still, I must say, with or without One For All, I still think you have the potential to go beyond what you wish to accomplish."

Eyes widened at that, Izuku asked the principal, "R-Really?"

"Mm-hmm. And, I noticed something quite interesting during yours and Young Bakugou's time at your old middle school."

Now Izuku looked confused as he stared at him oddly, "W-What?"

A single whistle from a teapot, which was on Nedzu's desk, sounded off next to him. "Ah! Tea is ready! Would you like some, Young Midoriya?"

"Wha...u-uh, s-sure?" Izuku blinked in bafflement. Then, upon remembering what Nedzu said, he shook his head and said, "W-Wait, no, w-wait a minute, what do you mean you noticed something during our time at our old middle school?"

As soon as Nedzu got his teapot and poured his tea in a cup, he said, "Let's just say, that I am a master of hacking into places that held interest in me."

"...Wait, what?"

"Mm-hmm. Once the news dropped about you and Young Bakugou's incident, I had the sudden curiosity to see what went down over there at Aldera Middle School through security cameras."

"..." Blinking at the rodent principal, Izuku began to process and piece the pieces together. "...You...saw everything?"

"Oh yes. Even Gran Torino and the Vigilante, who were facing Joker and his two minions,"

...Izuku sat there stunned.

"You know, you and Young Bakugou need to find places that are a little more private to talk about your feelings."

...Izuku sighed exasperatedly in disbelief, "Okay...so...you know about Knuckleduster?"

"Hmm...if you're worried about him being exposed by the security footage, then no worries, I can alter the recording," reassured Nedzu.

"...Wha...w-well, I didn't really mean it like..." Now Izuku was a little puzzled, "Wait, what are you...implying?"

Taking a sip of his tea, Nedzu told him, "Young Midoriya, I can see it in your eyes. You still want to be a Hero. And while Vigilantism is frowned upon in this society, I honestly do think you can still keep going if you go down that path."

"...What...makes you think I want to go down the path of being a Vigilante?" Izuku asked his principal carefully.

"Well, the one you call Knuckleduster gave you a card, right?"

"Wha..." blinking, Izuku muttered in bafflement, "Wow...you really did see everything."

"Hoho! Yes, and I'm quite proud of that!" Nedzu lifted his mouse nose up in pride. As soon as he lowered his face to look at Izuku, he asked, "Now, this leads me to ask you: Would you take his offer?"

"...I...I basically did. I trained with him yesterday."

Nedzu grinned a mousy grin, "Excellent! In that case, you are to see him whenever you can! Try to build muscle and stamina when you train with this Knuckleduster! The more you improve, the more you can face Joker and his minions!"

Izuku was completely floored by what he was being told to do, which was basically being told by a principal of a well-established Hero school to go through the path of Vigilantism.

"...You...You do realize what you're asking me to do, right...Principal Nedzu?"

"Indeed I am," Nedzu nodded.

"...But...I-I mean, I'm a student here in UA. How can I-"

"Pardon me for interrupting, Young Midoriya, but I must ask you this...when Joker took All Might's Quirk, One For All, away, after all the mayhem died down, were you angry?"

...Izuku sat there for a second until answering, "Yes."

"Hmm...the feeling is mutual," Nedzu muttered as he looked down at his teacup, "And not only did he take my friend's Quirk away, but he made a fool out of him, as well as making one of my top students lose his Quirk and losing his mentor, Nighteye. Ever since Joker made himself known on Wednesday, he had flipped all of Hero Society upside down, causing a path of mayhem and destruction among the people, killing four Heroes, and de-quirking several Heroes, two of them being All Might and Endeavor. I don't know how we can ever get things back to what they once were, but as of right now, Joker must be stopped. Whether he's doing things by himself, with help, or even having an alliance with a bigger Villain, this man surely is a danger to all of society, with or without a Quirk."

Izuku looked at Nedzu for a moment and asked, "Even someone like All For One?"

Nedzu became quiet for the time being, and answered, "At least All For One would have the sense to be known. This Joker came out of nowhere..."

...They sat there in silence...

"...Principal Nedzu."

The furry principal looked up at the boy.

"...I..." lowering his gaze at the ground for a second, Izuku looked back up and trudged on to say, "I may not have a Quirk...but I will do all that I can to fight any Villain with the best of my abilities. Whether it be in secret or in public, I will be able to help those in need...to tell them, 'I am here'."

...Nedzu smiled, "Then go forth, Young Midoriya. Be the Hero that you are meant to be."

Smiling back, Izuku nodded.

Sipping more of his tea, Nedzu placed the teacup down and said to Izuku, "Now, for your course transfer. Which course do you prefer to go to, Young Midoriya?"

"...You know...maybe I could try the Support Course," Izuku answered with a glint in his eyes.


In a Studio Building in Tokyo

10:20 AM


"It's great to have you, Mount Lady," said a man in a blue suit with purple skin and a white horn sticking out of the top of his bald head. "Let me just first go ahead and say, that I am deeply sorry that you had to witness the loss of your comrades, Kamui Woods, and Death Arms, as well as Crust and Sir Nighteye on television."

"Thank you, Otoko," Mount Lady nodded, still in her costume as she looked oddly solemn, a contrast to her proud and attention-seeking persona. She was sitting on a plush chair next to a desk where the one-horned man was sitting behind, "And...yes, it...it was really...w-well, it was such a shock. Just...s-seeing Kamui Woods, Death Arms, and the others..." she paused so she wouldn't tear up on national television, "I-I never thought they would just..." she wiped a few tears from her eyes and fan her eyes with her hand, "I-I'm sorry, I-"

"No, no, don't be," Otoko said to Mount Lady, grabbing a tissue box and giving it to her to let her use, "You were close to them. Kamui Woods and Death Arms."

The stage lot was set up like a debate talk show, where the guests would talk to the host of the show in four chairs, two on each side of the host's desk. The show was Hero Talk Now with Futsu Otoko, the live daytime talk show in which people who work in the Hero Industry talk about their agencies, as well as the Heroes who talk about their careers. However, there wasn't a big crowd today in the audience, and the air was more reserved, as this show dealt with a more serious topic.

Mount Lady was there to spread her support to the Kamui Woods and Death Arms agencies, and not only to them but to Crust and Sir Nighteye's agencies as well. Her once bubbly and flirtatious attitude was flipped on its head as she looked sincerely shaken up about what happened to her once-good friends and comrades. There was also another Hero with them, sitting next to Mount Lady's right on the other seat next to her, the Hero being Midas Touch, who was wearing a blue and golden attire with his arms crossed, looking stern throughout the whole thing.

She sniffled, "Y-Yes. They were kind of like...well, they were kind of like my brothers in a way. They just...they also taught me how to behave when it came to Hero work, when I was just starting out as well. They...They were such good, good friends..." Mount Lady took a deep breath to calm her nerves, "...They didn't deserve to die like that..." she scowled, "It was...It was cowardly...just...it was pure cowardice."

"I agree," Otoko said with a nod, "They didn't deserve to die the way they did."

"They really didn't," said Midas Touch grunted, "And I also agree with Mount Lady! These Villains and this Joker should pay for their crimes!"

Nodding as she sniffled, Mount Lady used a tissue to wipe her eyes and nose.

"Well, I don't think we should go any further on that topic, but we do have to tell the people at home in this show that throughout this week, we'll be interviewing certain Heroes about the events that led to All Might and Endeavor's capture and the state of Heroes as of right now," Otoko told everyone at home through the cameras.

"I tell ya, things have gone down the damn crapper ever since that Joker guy made himself known! What was the first crime he ever did? Rob a bank? Even then, he killed his own men that day! That's monstrously heartless if you ask me!"

"Yeah...and he was Quirkless also," Mount Lady muttered earnestly.

"Tch! Well, now we got the Quirkless folks saying that this Joker is some kind of 'messiah' or some garbage!" Midas Touch exclaimed, "Honestly, from ruining two kids' lives, to home-raiding the Yaoyorozu Estate, he's a menace to society! He's nothing but a punk if you ask me! A cowardly punk! If he was here right now, I'll use my Quirk to turn him into gold...actually, he doesn't deserve to be turned to gold! That would give him attention! He doesn't deserve the attention and he should be put in Tartarus and put to death for all I care!"

Mount Lady sniffled as she wiped her nose, "You're not wrong."

"Exactly! Now he's going to leech off on this Shigaraki guy who attacked the USJ a while back! The (bleep) even got All Might and Endeavor unfairly!"

"Um, how would you say unfairly, Midas Touch?" Otoko asked him, getting a little nervous at the first sign of language.

"Well, like I said, he's leeching off of stronger people with Quirks! He's using his so-called henchmen he has to do the work for him! Why won't he just man up and fight any Hero out there if he's serious about being a Villain, huh!? Now he's going to going to use this Shigaraki's status to climb to the top of the Villain chain because he's just lucky!"

Frowning at that Mount Lady mumbled, "Exactly..."

"Well, from what the police said, he seemed to put up a fight with Sir Nighteye and tricked a supposed Yakuza leader with a powerful Quirk. What do you say to that?" Otoko asked the Golden Touch Hero.

"Well, I don't know too much about Sir Nighteye, bless his soul, but we didn't see the fight because of the scrambler thing on television. Which is another thing, why can't he just show us his face!? Is he a coward in that as well!?" Midas Touch turned to the camera that was lit on, and said to it, "Just show yourself and fight us like a man, Joker!"

Getting into a sudden burst of anger, she exclaimed, "Yeah! You...You (bleep)ing coward! You killed my two friends, as well as two other Heroes who didn't deserve those deaths! You also killed multiple police forces and humiliated All Might and Endeavor! You're nothing but a leech! Y-Y-You-You're just a horrible, horrible (bleep)! I bet you don't even have the balls to come up here now and fight us! Y-You disgusting (bleep)in' ass(bleep)!"

"Um, we'll be right back," Otoko said quietly.

As soon as the program reached to commercial, Otoko told Mount Lady, "Um, Mount Lady, I understand what you're going through, but you need to calm yourself down."

"No, I think she has every right to be upset," Midas Touch said, "That bastard did enough damage to Hero Society and he needs to be put down!"

"Midas Touch, please, I understand too but keep all of the language out of the show. This is a daytime talk show, a live daytime talk show, mind you, so we need to be professional as much as we can."

Mount Lady wiped her eyes with more tissues, "I-I'm sorry, I'm just...th-they didn't have to die like that!" she choked on a sob.

"I know, I know. But we must keep our anger at a minimum. We have to-"

"Excuse me, Mr. Futsu?" said an ordinary male stagehand with long blue hair who appeared up behind the host.

"Huh? Yes?" Otoko asked.

"Well, we...have a bit of a problem. It seemed one of our next guests won't be coming up later. He had an emergency."

"What!?" Otoko said in surprise and turned to him, "What happened?"

"Um...one of his rats died..."

"..." Otoko sighed and mumbled, "Book one up-and-coming weirdo Hero that has his Quirk revolve around rats, and this is what I get," he turned to the stagehand, "Okay, so what do we do now?"

"Um...well, there is one guest that can fill in his spot, I-uh, I think."

"Really?" Otoko raised an eyebrow, "Who?"

"Um...he said his name is...Asa Furu?"

"Uh...okay. Is he a Hero?"

"Well...he's a psychiatrist...that's...kind of a Hero?"

...Otoko looked at the staff telling him that the commercial break was almost over. He sighed and turned to say, "Okay, fine, bring him in. At least Uwabami is still here."

Nodding to that, the stagehand walked off the stage. Mount Lady was watching the conversation and asked, "Everything okay?"

"Oh, yes, everything is fine...I hope. One of our guests had to cancel his appearance. Ratman, or someone."

"Ratman? You mean, the Hero who controls rats?" Midas Touch asked in slight disgust.

Even Mount Lady made a face, "Ew...what was the reason?"

"One of his pets died, or something."

"Eugh!" Mount Lady shivered, "Maybe it was a good thing he didn't come on the program."

"Honestly, I think you're right," Otoko said as he got ready to get back on air. Once the light on the camera was on, he said, "Welcome back, everyone. We have an unfortunate mishap as one of our guests, Ratman, had to cancel his appearance. Our next guest, though, is said to be...a psychiatrist...which I guess is the next best thing for a Hero," he shrugged, "Until then, let us welcome Asa Furu!"

A camera then filmed a person coming out and onto the scene...almost rather meekly as he smiled weakly and waved at the audience.

The man was wearing...a bright dark pink suit, which was a dark pink blazer, slacks, and shoes. He was wearing a black shirt underneath the dark pink blazer and white gloves on his hands. His face...was a peachy skin color...he also had dark green stringy hair.

As he waved to the audience, he awkwardly came up to the stage, waved to Midas Touch and Mount Lady, and sat on the chair that was across from the two Heroes, the seat next to Asa empty, this one being saved for Uwabami.

The two Heroes looked at Asa, a little baffled that someone like him was a replacement guest...

Asa nodded to them and then to Otoko, "Hello."

Otoko looked at the man a little oddly, "...Um, hello. So, uh...you're a psychiatrist?"

"Oh, oh yes, I am. Um, here, my card," Asa put his hand in his suit...and got out a card to give to the host.

Looking at the card, Otoko reached over to the card and took it. Reading it, it said:

Asa Furu

Villain Psychiatrist

"...Oh...well, this could be interesting then," Otoko said as he placed the card on his desk and gave his attention to Asa, "Well, may I ask what you wish to talk about on the program?"

Asa smiled charmingly and said, "Well, I would think talking about this Joker and his, um...'psyche' would be an interesting topic."

"Oh?" Otoko raised an eyebrow, "Do you...happen to know this...Joker?"

"Well...no," Asa said a little sheepishly as he shifted in his seat, "But...I do have, like...a few theories on what made him the way he is."

Otoko looked at Mount Lady and Midas Touch curiously, who in turn looked at the host in the same way.

"You...do?" Otoko asked him.

"Mm-hmm!" Asa nodded, "Like, I have one theory which is that Joker could've had a Quirk this whole time! Like say, a multi-dimensional Quirk where he just came from another universe, just deciding to do simple chaos and destruction here because...well, he can, I suppose. That's one of the theories I have for him. The other one would be that he once wanted to be a Hero, but was denied and had to be a Vigilante to show that he could be one, but was basically shunned and humiliated for even trying, as a Hero stole all the glory and made him resent Heroes. Lastly, there is a theory that he could've just been around so many chemicals that it could've messed up his brain, but I'm still working on that one."

Midas Touch and Mount Lady, as well as Otoko just looked at Asa, wondering if he was being serious about what he said or not.

That is until Midas Touch scoffed, "Well, it doesn't give him the right to be an evil slime."

Asa turned his attention to Midas Touch...and smiled. A simple, simple but innocent smile.

"Can I ask you something, Mr. Midas Touch?" he asked him.

The Golden Touch Hero looked at the man oddly, "Yeah?"

"Which theory do you think is true? What do you think this Joker's origin came from?"

Midas Touch blinked at that, but thought about the question he stated. "Um...I don't know, the Vigilante one?"

"Really? May I ask why?"

"Well, for one he's Quirkless, like he said. He could've just gotten tired of Hero Society telling him he can't be a Hero because he's probably insane."

"Oh? You think that's the reason?"

Midas Touch shrugged, "Yeah, maybe..."

...Asa's smile...turned wide...almost unsettlingly...

"...What if I...tell you...that you may be wrong?"

Mount Lady looked at Asa and Midas Touch, her expression a little cautious and uncomfortable all of a sudden.

The Golden Touch Hero gazed at Asa in confusion, "But...you said it was a theory...one that you created."

"Yes, but...what if I told you that he wasn't insane?" Asa stated.

The Hero and Mount Lady glanced at each other, while Otoko looked on in interest at this whole conversation.

Asa sat there, a smile on his face, looking almost demented...

"...Oh! Actually, since you and Mount Lady are here, I want to give you your gifts!" Asa said to them, his attitude switching from meek to excitement.

Mount Lady blinked, "Our...gifts?"

"Oh, yes, of course!" Asa motioned the stagehands to come up to the stage to give them their gifts.

Otoko looked a little confused, saying, "Um, Mr. Furu, I don't think this is the time-"

"You get a gift too! Right after Midas Touch and Mount Lady open theirs!" Asa told the host.

The stagehands came up...with one of them looking like a blonde woman, while the other was the same long blue-haired man, each wearing stagehand clothes. They gave them brightly colored present boxes, the woman stagehand a red box for Mount Lady, and the other stagehand male a green box for Midas Touch. They exited the scene quickly after that.

The audience, as well as the cameramen and staff, also looked a little confused, wondering what was even happening.

"Um..." Midas Touch looked up at Asa, "Is this...necessary?"

"Oh, come on now, take it as appreciation on your part, and as for Mount Lady, a cheer-up gift for what that Joker fellow and his men did to you," Asa commented.

"Uh...okay..." Mount Lady was a little dazed by all this, but decided to open hers, until-

"Wait!" Asa called out.

Mount Lady looked up at Asa and Midas Touch looked at the man also.

"You all have to open them up...at the same time! It's more exciting that way!" Asa told them.

"...Uh...alright then..." Midas Touch said.

"Um...okay..." Mount Lady blinked.

They glanced at each other for a second to wonder if they were thinking the same thing too, which is 'what is happening', and opened their gifts at the same time.

...Midas Touch's eyes widened, his mouth slowly agape in horror.

Inside...was a severed hand...a hand that looked like a rat's hand.

"What...What is-"

"OH MY GOSH!" Mount Lady screamed next to the Hero. The box shifted and fell off Mount Lady's lap, which rolled out of it, was...

...The severed head of Uwabami!

Otoko, seeing the head roll out of Mount Lady's box, blinked in shock.

"And now for yours!" Asa said, as he reached for his suit...to pull out a gun.

He quickly aimed it at Otoko's head and then-

BANG!

...The host was shot dead, the bullet entering Otoko's temple and splattering little bits of blood all over Asa's face.

Midas Touch looked up quickly, and then-

BANG!

"AAAH!" Mount Lady fell forward as something hit her in the back of her right shoulder.

The Golden Touch Hero turned to see that Mount Lady was shot from the back...by a shot...a bullet shot.

Mount Lady lurched forward and landed on the ground...her face seeing the dead cold eyes of the severed head of Uwabami.

"Oh yoo-hoo!"

Midas Touch was about to get up and try to intervene, but-

SLICE-SHUNK!

...A razor card was sliced and embedded into his throat.

"URK-URK-U-U-U-UUUUURK!" Midas Touch's gargled speech was drowning him in his own blood from his throat. It hit an artery, and he laid back on the chair, limp, dead as he could be.

The audience gasped and screamed, horrified by all the blood and violence that they were all witnessing.

And Asa...had a big ol' smile on his face. The blood splatter was still on his peach skin...but it looked like it was makeup all along as the blood dripped on Asa's face, letting the skin makeup come off of him.

"Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hmmm..." Asa used his left hand, the one that he used his razor card on Midas Touch's neck, to wipe off the skin makeup...revealing his real skin...

Ghostly pale white skin.

Asa was none other than...the Joker.

Joker looked at the camera with a big grin...and announced:

"HI-DE-HO, FOLKS! WELCOME TO A SPECIAL EPISODE OF HERO TALK NOW! HOSTED BY...ME! HAAAAAA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA-HAAAAAA!"


Yes, yes, finally. But now, I ask, how is it? :O

I tried to get this out on my birthday, but I'm posting this at midnight on September 1st. Oh, woe is me...ah well. XP But yeah, I had a good birthday, either way, so there's that! :)

I hope this chapter is worth the wait! Sorry for being so slow, life happens, as I'm taking care of my folks, being a new uncle, and finding a job. So yeah, sorry this took so long, either way! :O

Tell me how I did! Is it good? Okay? Alright? I love to know! Give me a review, a fave, and a follow! :D

Thank you all for reading! Until then, keep on rocking everybody! :)

-TSP