Rising Popularity

"What are you talking about mom?" It had been a few days since the incident with Stain, Izuku had officially ended his internship while being in the hospital; still recovering from his injuries, which was rather mind numbing. After the first couple of days, Recovery Girl was finally able to come down from school to assist him.

The kind nurse of UA had taken the time to both visit and berate him for his actions, though even she had to admit that taking down the Hero Killer was an amazing feat for his age.

Such a thing was almost unheard of.

Recovery Girl had repaired his body and informed him that there was minimal damage to his bone structure, so much so that it was essentially irrelevant, though if he caused repeated damage then it would be a big problem.

That left Izuku wondering, 'My vessel was made in a hurry, I can still improve it, make it better, make it stronger!' He thought as he remembered the training he did with All Might. So, he was currently in his room, lifting weights to make his body stronger, with his mother in the doorway, a comment she had made confusing him.

"Hundred…ten …hundred eleven!" He had a small headphone in one ear, and listened to music from a local singer in the area, Mika Jirou. The woman's voice was beautiful, and the background music was just as amazing. It helped keep Izuku calm and allowed him to push himself when doing basic workouts.

"I'd expect you to know more than anyone Izuku." Inko said once again, as Izuku curled his back, stopping as he got to one hundred and twenty, placing his weights on a small rack he had against the wall. His arms felt like jelly but he didn't care as he fell to the floor and began doing push ups. "One! Two! Three!"

Inko Midoriya let out a sigh as she stood in the doorway to Izuku's room, "You're the talk of the nation sweetie." a small smile came to her lips as she looked at her son working out, "I'll get to work on breakfast, I'll tell you when you're done!" With that, she made her way to the kitchen to start working on breakfast.

Izuku had no idea what his mother was referring to. Ever since his hospitalization he had only focused on his recovery, and while he heard whispers from people as he passed by on the streets, and from the doctors as he was recovering, it wasn't all too big.

Though, maybe he should check the news?

With that thought, Izuku finished his push ups and got to his feet, "I can do more later, but still I need to eat." He quickly grabbed some clothes, his class "T-shirt" shirt and a pair of black basketball shorts before heading to the shower.

As he entered and relaxed his body, cooling his muscles. 'Still… I wonder what that dream was about…' Sometimes he thought it was just a strange dream, something that his mind had come up with during his exhaustion, yet as he thought more and more about the dream, the explanation he thought of didn't make sense.

After all, there were seven heroes standing with him, eight including himself, and what looked like a man facing off against a villain, so including that man there were nine "good" people in his dream. 'I'm the ninth holder of One For All….'

Was that dream related to the ancient quirk? But he didn't see All Might in his dream, however there were those people that were farther away that he couldn't see, maybe All Might was one of those people?

"Mayb–AHH OH JESUS THE SOAP GOT IN MY EYE!"

Later...

After his little mishap in the bathroom, Izuku got out of the shower and quickly changed into some new clothes, making his way to the dining area afterwards. Sitting down with a smile, forgetting about the dream for now, and enjoying an American style breakfast high in protein was all Izuku wanted to do right now.

'I'm really happy she's using the book Toshinori gave me.' Izuku thought as his mother set a plate down for herself across from him. "Thanks mom." He spoke as he put his hands together, "Thank you for the food!"

Inko smiled, "You're welcome Izuku, now dig in!"

Izuku did just that as his mom turned on the television, "Hello Japan, and welcome to J News With Akira Toriyama!" Izuku's head perked up and drifted to the TV, "Today we have more coverage for the incident from a few days ago in Hosu!"

On the screen, Izuku's face from the Sports Festival popped up, causing the greenette to choke on his food. "Gah! W-What? Why am I on the news?!" He heard his mother snicker and that made him gulp as he forgot his food and focused on the news.

"More news of the recent defeat of the Hero Killer has come to light! The hero in training responsible for taking down the illustrious Hero Killer has finally left the care of Hosu General." The man smiled a wide grin at the news, "It appears that the boy has made a full recovery! We here at J-News are excited to see just what that boy will do next!"

Izuku gulped and grabbed the remote, changing to another news channel. This time a woman appeared, blue skin and purple hair, the white of her eyes was black instead and she had piercing emerald eyes, "Chitose Kizuki here, an update on UA High school student Izuku Midoriya, or Hero-in-Training: Deku. The boy has recently left Hosu General Hospital, with a statement from both the hospital staff and UA's own nurse: Recovery Girl, we've found that the boy has indeed made a full recovery, what will he do next is the real question everyone is asking."

The woman let out a big grin, "Frankly, I'm quite excited to see what he'll pull off."

Izuku had long since left the dining table and was now sitting on the couch, looking rather focused on whatever was on the news. Inko thought that maybe it was too much for him, after all he was never that good with being the center of attention.

"UA teen finally discharged–"

"The Hero of The Hour, Izuku Midoriya–"

"That damn teen, Deku–"

Izuku went through each and every news station he knew, each one commenting about his actions against Stain, it was all too much, too overwhelming. He dropped the remote and held his head in his hands.

"Izuku Midoriya has been UA's star student as far as first years go for the new school year. The Hero Commission has refused to comment on the boy's actions, however mass amounts of the public are pushing for the boy to be allowed to take the licensing exam a year early!"

The youngest midoriya's eyes widened as he looked up, first years taking the licensing exam was almost unheard of! The licensing exam was typically reserved for second years or older. "They really want me to take it already…?"

Suddenly, the screen turned to black, causing Izuku to blink rapidly and turn to his mom, who held the remote in her hand. "Come on sweetie, overthinking won't do you any good, you have to eat." She said with a kind and motherly smile.

Izuku found himself nodding along to his mother's instruction, ignoring the dryness of his mouth and how empty his stomach was feeling now, he joined her back at the table. Izuku was already on his second serving before the news started so he continued with what he had left, now the food felt a lot heavier as he ate and though his appetite was a tad smaller now. His mother's sigh brought him back to reality. "Something… up mom?"

Inko could only shake her head. "Nothing sweetie, just… how are you feeling? I know the doctor cleared you but it's been bugging me." Truly it had, her anxiety had been almost crippling from the moment the hospital had called her, telling her that her son had engaged in battle against the hero killer?!

Still, when she found out that he had defeated the man, one that had taken out dozens of pros, while she did feel anxiety and fear, she also felt pride. And now, looking at her little boy while he ate to his heart's content, she couldn't help but let out a sigh with a small smile.

Izuku smiled, glad that his mom was finding a distraction for him. "I've been feeling good mom." Izuku waved his arm around, "Nothing feels broken, and all that resting really helped with my sore muscles." After all the training, endless drills and sparring matches, those couple of days of pure rest were wonderful.

Inko smiled, "I'm glad sweetie." She really was, of course there was also anxiety and worry wrapped within there as well, but she was also happy that her little boy was happy.

That's all that mattered to her.

Days Later

Izuku gulped as he threw on his uniform for the first time in a while, making sure that all the pieces were in their proper places. Despite how much he wanted everything to look perfect, the mess that could be called a tie really ruined the entire look.

Though, as he looked at himself in his mirror as he tried to fix the monstrosity wrapped around his collar, he couldn't help but admit how much he had changed since starting at UA, ever since meeting All Might.

Of course, he was much bulkier than before, and dare he say a little taller too, but there was also his confidence. His shoulder didn't sag in fear and apprehension all the time, he held his head high, and his new hair gave him a more confident aura surrounding him than what he had before.

Yet, the damn tie still looked so ugly. "Gosh darn it…"

It was moments like these where he was envious of Monoma, his friend's skill with folding a tie was amazing and Izuku wished he had that amount of skill, instead his fingering kept on getting stuck together and jamming.

A chorus of giggling took his attention and his head swiveled to the doorway. Seeing his mother standing there with a wide smile on his face. "You certainly didn't inherit your father's tie skills."

Izuku blinked, surprised at the mention of his father, though his Inko certainly didn't notice as she approached and grabbed his tie, folding his collar up and undoing the cloth, "I'm sorry I haven't properly taught you how to do this sweetie."

He couldn't help but smile at his mother's words, "You don't need to apologize mom, I should've learned by now."

Inko's face mimicked his as she folded the cloth, making it look pristine on his uniform, "I know honey, but still." After finishing her handiwork, she folded his collar once more and patted his chest, "There you go." Looking up, she still couldn't believe how much her boy had changed ever since starting at UA, even though it scared her, she couldn't be more proud.

"Thanks mom."

"You're welcome Izuku, now you better get going to school."

Glancing at his phone clock, Izuku nodded, it was getting rather late, "Alright–" Quickly giving his mother a hug, Izuku gave his mother a tight squeeze, "Thanks for everything mom, I'll see you as soon as I get back." Letting go, he flashed a million-watt smile, "Don't wait up for me, if you need to eat then eat."

Grabbing his bag and lunch, Izuku went towards the door, "Izuku!" pausing for a moment in the doorway, Izuku looked at his mom, raising a small brow, she smiled at her son, "You look really cool."

His heart clenched a bit, joy flowing through his body at his mother's words, with a final smile and thank you, Izuku said, "I'm off!"

Train...

Izuku never really liked riding the train to UA, it was too cramped for his liking, too many people around, as well as the fact that with everyone cramped into such a small space there were usually elbows being shoved everywhere.

It often reminded him too much about middle school, being crowded as he got beat up, getting thrown into lockers, jumping into fights when people were being bullied. Being on the train was too reminiscent of those memories.

Though, today that wasn't what was bothering him most.

"It's him!"

"The kid who beat Stain!"

"It's Deku!"

As soon as he stepped onto the train, every single person, no matter age, height, gender, or quirk, knew who he was. Izuku was bombarded with questions, people wanting autographs, compliments, and some jeers. In his opinion, it was way too much attention, but then again… 'This is what All Might has to deal with on a daily basis.' So perhaps this would just be practice for the future?

At least that was his thought as he signed people's things, took pictures with others, and gave hugs to some. He had expected himself to be rather, or extremely, nervous, and while he was practically feeling the anxiety building up within him, getting ready to explode, he was also able to manage it well with a smile on his face.

The train finally came to a stop, and Izuku had to force himself out of the cramped train. With a small wave to the people inside and a blinding smile, Izuku spoke, "Thanks for your support!" Turning away from them, he finally got to head to UA.

The giant gate stood tall over Izuku, and he smiled as he breathed in the air, feeling slightly taller in the alma mater of All Might, with a singular step he crossed the gate onto campus. Izuku felt right at home, stopping to admire the building, the famous "H" looking glass structure. "It's good to be back!"

"It sure is Bro-doriya!" Izuku smiled and whipped around at the voice, seeing Tetsu standing there with just as big of a grin on his own face. "Heard you kicked some ass during your internship!" Tetsu said as he walked towards Izuku, "That was totally manly!"

A chuckle climbed its way out of his throat, "Thanks, but I was shaking in my boots the entire time!" The two laughed and fell into step together, the conversation quickly turning into them asking each other about their internships. "So, what'd you do during your internship, Tetsu-kun?"

His friend hummed, "We mostly just trained, me and Kirishima from 1-A. Fourth Kind was tough, pushing us past our limits even when we were dead tired, and making us do community service." Tetsu thought back to his training with Fourth Kind and Kirishima, they were pushed into the dirt everyday, to the point of exhaustion where they could barely stand on their own feet. Yet they continued to be stronger, pushing past their past selves and becoming even better versions of themselves.

'And to reach his level…' Tetsu thought to himself as Izuku smiled, "That's great Tetsu-kun!" His hand went up and he rubbed his neck, "Sorry for not answering my phone the last couple of days, I've mostly just been recovering and working out."

"Nah, don't worry about it bro." Tetsu waved a hand, "You needed it after all you did."

It was all over the news, everyone around the country knew what his friend had done, and he felt bad that he wasn't able to help him. The community service was good and admirable, Tetsu understood why Fourth Kind had made them do it, but he felt it was unfair that while they did community service Midoriya was fighting for his life.

"You think everyone else is already in class?" Tetsu blinked as Izuku's question knocked him out of his thinking.

"Probably." He replied.

Suddenly, Izuku's smile turned a little mischievous, after all Tetsu was one of the most competitive students in his class, "Race you there?"

The steel teen met his smirk with a crazy wide smile, "You're on!"

The two quickly secured their bags onto their backs before taking off into a sprint to race through the halls, earning themselves glares from other courses, with mutters of "The Hero Course is up to it again!" But they didn't care, they had just come back from internships and now they were going to enjoy themselves!

"No running in the halls!" A familiar looking Tenya Iida yelled as the two passed him on his way to homeroom, though they made no such efforts to stop. The youngest Iida sighed, though he let out a small smile as well.

"Wow Iida-kun, I didn't think you could smile like that!" Ochako Uraraka commented as she walked with her friend to class. "What's got you smiling like that?" she asked with a head tilt.

Iida turned to her and pushed his glasses up, truly thinking about her question. It was an easy answer, Midoriya truly had lifted a darkness that had been on his heart for a long while, and for that he owed the boy everything. "Midoriya-san, our sister class' Representative, he's quite infectious."

"You're friends with Midoriya!" Uraraka exclaimed.

The glasses-wearing teen thought for a moment before nodding, "I suppose you could say that."

She hummed, placing a finger to her chin before looking at him again, "Could you introduce me?"

Izuku grinned as he saw the sign for his classroom after turning a corner, though that didn't mean he was going to win. Both him and Tetsu were running side by side, the metal teen gritting his teeth as he tried to outpace Izuku, but it was clear he was more focused on muscles and not cardio.

Pulling ahead, Izuku grinned as he flew into the class just a couple of feet before Tetsu did as well.

"Alright!" Izuku cheered as he panted for breath, "I win!"

"Gah!" Tetsu held his head in his hands, "You're just too fast for me, even without our quirks!" The two exchanged grins as they tried their best to suck in as much air as they could. It was clear Tetsu wasn't going to quit, he would catch up to his friend.

"Well, that was quite the spectacle." The two turned to see their friend, Monoma, grinning with a tilted smile, "I heard about your crazy adventure my good friend Midoriya!" Monoma laughed as he walked up to Izuku and threw an arm around him, "Truly! You are an insane one!"

"Hey, Midoriya's here!" Shoda grinned as the class all gathered around Izuku.

"Midoriya, what you did was out of this world!" Awase grinned and slugged him in the shoulder, "How cool can ya get?!"

"It was totally amazing, shroom!" Komori yelled, with Kuroiro nodding along to her words.

"Really cool!" Pony patted him on the back, her accent thick to everyone that was around.

Izuku chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, "Thanks you guys."

"That doesn't exclude the fact that it was reckless!" The crowd split and allowed Izuku to see Kendo, with Setsuna by her side, the redhead had her arms crossed, the gaze she sent at Izuku had his skin crawling, "You could have died!" She chastised.

The fact wasn't denied, as Izuku felt that he was close to death's door multiple times throughout that fight. He clenched a fist and ground his teeth, "You think I don't know that…?" Setsuna's eyes trained on his own, seeing how different they looked from before they left for internships, they were…hardened. Izuku just let out a sigh as his hand relaxed, "I did everything I could to make it out of that, after all I couldn't let other people just die." His own glare matched Kendo's, "After all, what kind of hero would I be if I did that?"

Silence stretched out over the class, realism before optimism clashing before them. "That's what makes you so different." A monotone cut through the empty classroom as the door slid open, Yanagi standing there with a small smile on her face.

"R-Reiko-chan!" Izuku smiled a large smile that encompassed the entire class and blinded them.

Reiko quickly found her way to Izuku's side and gave him a pat on every side, inspecting him for injuries or scars. "You don't seem to be too heavily affected by the effects of your giant obstacle you faced during your time with Eraserhead." She frowned and looked him in the eyes, "Do you have pain anywhere?"

Izuku let out a grateful sigh, "No, I'm all healed!"

"Well, I am quite relieved then." Reiko smiled.

Kendo let out a sigh and smiled, "I'll admit it was impressive, but you've gotta be more careful."

"We can't risk losing ya Greeny!" Setsuna spoke up, looking relieved that her friend was alright.

Before any conversation could break through, a yell cut through the class. "ALL RIGHT, QUIET DOWN!" Vlad King yelled to the already quiet class, not expecting their silence since they were always so loud, "Ahem, sorry wasn't expecting you all to be so quiet. BUT GET TO YOUR SEATS!" His commanding voice bellowed.

Each and every student quickly followed, Izuku smiling as he sat in his seat with Reiko behind him and Monoma ahead of him. "Today to showcase your improvement in your skills, all of you will be participating in a rescue training race inside of the industrial district, or Field Gamma as it's known!" The class all leaned into their seats, wondering what this race was all about and how hard they'd have to push themselves.

"The terrain is hard to maneuver, being made up of pipes, pillars, and a ton of other things that can get in your way." Vlad King implored as he shouted to his class. "You'll be racing in groups of five to a distress signal activated by All Might himself." The entire class seemed invigorated, almost excited, at the prospect of today's class. "Now, everyone go and get changed! We'll meet All Might at Field Gamma!"

The students quickly got up and left, leaving Kan in nothing but silence. The giant of a man huffed before smiling, "Let's see how much all of you have improved."

All of Class B rushed to their changing rooms, Izuku being the fastest out of them all, after all with his costume wrecked he was excited about seeing what Hatsume had cooked up. "Hey man, wait up!" Kaibara yelled as he tried to match Izuku's pace.

"You really shouldn't be running in the halls!" Shishida chastised them.

"Come on Shishibro! Don't be such a party pooper!"

The boys quickly arrived at the changing rooms, each went to their lockers and started opening their cases, changing into their costumes with newfound ease and confidence thanks to their internships.

Easily, Izuku clicked his case open to see a copy of his costume from during internships, he smiled and took it out, throwing the green jumpsuit on first. He quirked a brow at the feeling, it felt like it was stronger than before, or at least more durable, he knocked his stomach and felt a plate there like before. His hand moved up to his chest, feeling two plates on his pecs as well, though on his left one there was something a little bigger, maybe Hatsume left a note for the changes?

Grabbing the boots and shoving his legs into them, Izuku grinned at the fit, as they locked into place. Then were his gauntlets that slid on rather comfortably. His gloves were good as well, looking just as good as before. Finally, he grabbed his respirator that was connected to his hood, clicking that around his neck and securing it on his face.

Looking inside the case once more, he had found a note, one that was from Hatsume.

Hey again Muscles!

So, after the fight with that freaky guy about a week ago, I got sent your suit, or what was left of it. YOU TOTALLY TORE MY BABY TO SHREDS!

Well, I guess I'll just have to make it even better this time! The cloth is made of a carbon-fiber alloy that Teach was able to get through some of his connections, it's apparently the same thing that hobo looking guy that teachers 1-A uses for that scarf of his.

On top of that, even more plating was added to the suit, titanium plating, making it much stronger than the ones previously. There's also a heart monitor so I can track your vitals, can't have my number one customer dying on me!

Ooh ooh also, I MAY have made a couple extra costumes! Each one has variations, more plating, testing with the gauntlets, even different colors! So if you want to test them out come visit the support course!

Other than that, everything else should be the same, if there are any modifications you need then let me know! I LOVE making babies!

The future CEO of Hatsume Industries!

A smile slipped its way onto his face as he pulled his hood over his head, the skin around his eyes fading to black and only his emerald pupils being visible, 'Those are some great changes, wonder what other upgrades she can make.'

Gazing around the locker room, he saw everyone else was ready, "Alright guys! Let's head out!"

Field Gamma

Izuku did his best to stretch up as he was led to a secluded area by a robot, the people who he was racing against included Shoda, Shiozaki, Setsuna, and Kaibara. In terms of maneuverability then he had to worry about Setsuna and Shiozaki the most. He wasn't sure about how Kaibara could apply his quirk to travel, but Shoda did have options. He could punch places and then activate Twin Impact, using it to launch himself.

Though, he wasn't sure if Shoda would come to that conclusion or not.

Shiozaki's quirk was amazingly geared towards both defense and mobility, and while she could use it for offense, Izuku doubted that she would do so. She was very much a pacifist, using her quirk more to trap opponents rather than trying to damage them.

Setsuna could essentially fly with her quirk, though she wasn't amazingly fast, she had maneuverability but it was more geared to traversing strange areas and not getting from place to place quickly.

"We stop here." The robot spoke as Izuku came to a stop, knocking the boy out of his thoughts. "Wait for All Might to tell you to go."

"Got it, thank you." The robot seemed to stare at him strangely before going back to wherever it came from. It was rather strange to thank a robot after all.

"Alright, is everyone in their positions!" The voice of All Might boomed throughout Field Gamma, the industrial district was covered in pipes, causing the voice of the Number One Hero to echo throughout the entire field.

Izuku felt so small here, with the pipes and towers easily being the size of Mt. Lady, yet he still knew he could traverse this area with ease, even if it was a lot different from Hosu, Aizawa's teaching stuck and Izuku knew to remain vigilant. "Well even if you're not! It's go time!" A bell rang soon after and all five students started running, or using their quirks.

Monoma watched all of his friends through the cameras set up across the field, trailing each of them. Setsuna was doing different than what he expected, only splitting up when she needed to get to better areas for running. She was conserving her stamina rather well.

After all, using Lizard Tail Splitter so frequently, Monoma knew how much of a stamina drain it had.

Shoda was also different, Monoma had expected him to just run, however, the boy surprised them by smacking areas and using his quirk for an extra boost for distance.

Shiozaki was doing about what he expected, moving rather quickly, almost impressively so. She looked like a crawling spider, it made his skin crawl.

Kaibara was doing what Monoma himself would be doing in this situation, just running, something he would use Gyrate to climb up certain structures, quickly easily allowing him to make leverage in the stone and metal structures of the industrial district to get to higher points.

Though the most impressive, was his dear friend.

"What the…"

"Just what the hell is that bastard doing! He's barely even touching the ground!" Kamakiri yelled, obviously pissed off.

"No way! He's even faster than Shiozaki-san!" Shishida couldn't believe his eyes, Shiozaki was one of the most mobile in class thanks to her quirk, while Izuku was fast, the terrain should have been too much for him to bare.

Reiko couldn't help but smile, "How interesting."

Izuku was soaring through the air with his arms behind him, firing off air bullets to propel himself through the air, occasionally he would land and use his quirk to leap, either for airtime, to reach higher areas, or to pivot to change direction.

At this rate, he was much faster than everyone he was racing against. He was almost like a rabbit in that regard.

"Well… now that I think about it…." Monoma muttered off, maybe Shiozaki's 'Little Sheep' nickname wouldn't hold up anymore? Maybe 'Big Rabbit' would be a more fitting title for his green themed friend.

Izuku was in the zone, One For All, pushing up his reaction time and allowing him to see everything around him in clear detail. He pushed his quirk for a moment as he landed again and soared straight up into the air.

Reaching the peak of his jump, he shot his arms out behind him and yelled, "AIR FORCE: SMASH!" The power of his air bullets sent him shooting forward, and being so high up he could easily see the entire area, including where All Might was.

It didn't take long for him to land.

"YOUNG MIDORIYA WINS!"

Monoma snapped himself out of his thoughts as All Might yelled, blinking and looking up to see his friend had arrived at All Might's location. The rabbit looking boy grinned and pulled his hood and respirator off, allowing the world to see his million-watt smile. "That felt great!" Izuku grinned as he stretched, relaxing his muscles.

Monoma's smile mimicked his friend's. "Just what are you going to get done, I wonder?"

Tsuburaba clicked his tongue, "How are we supposed to keep up with that?! The dude can basically fly!"

"Falling with style, actually." Awase corrected, only to be smacked by Kaibara.

"Fall behind then, mouthbreather!" Kamakiri yelled at Tsuburaba, "Meanwhile, I'll be working to beat Midoriya's ass!"

Awase's face just split into a grin, one that made Kamakiri regret what he had said. Sucking in air, "GAY!"

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU, SHITSTAIN!"

Before Awase and Kamakiri could murder each other, the next round for the race was called, halting their fight. Reiko hummed, knowing that none of the other races would be as interesting as Izuku's, but she was hoping for some surprises.

Hopefully at least some other interesting things would happen today.

Elsewhere...

A small, frail, thin-looking boy stumbled across an alley, using the shadows to hide, their short black hair covering his head and eyes as he tried his best to stay upright, however, it proved to be increasingly difficult. Steps echoed before he spoke, "What was his name….?" The boy asked himself.

The boy held a piece of paper in his hands, a number scrawled across it, "Izu…Mido…." He mumbled. The dead eyes of the boy suddenly turned to panic as they grabbed their head, "No, NO! NOT YET!" The male voice had become slightly feminine, as the skin began to slip and fall off of the boy, "Please! Just more time! I need more!"

The, now, young girl tried to hold onto the clumps of gray that had once been skin, smashing it into her face to attempt to force it to remain where it was. Yet, her efforts were in vain as the gray substance slipped off her body.

Still, she held the number, it was her lifeline, everything about her life could change with this number, but she didn't have the courage to call it.

She cried, and cried, and hid the tiny, crumpled piece of paper into her backpack, and then collapsed onto the bag as she balled more. Why wasn't she brave enough? What was wrong with her? Maybe they were right, maybe she was just a freak.

"It's not fair…." She just wanted to live her life the way she wanted, what was wrong with that?

Silence echoed and stretched through the alleyway as the cries and pleas of a little, lost girl went unanswered.

But, other things echoed as well, shoes on stone, breathing, puffing, and chuckling. When at your lowest, that's when the devil came out to pay his visit. "Well, well, well." A deep, rich voice spoke as the man paused in front of the girl.

Himiko Toga looked up with puffy red eyes and saw a scruffy looking man with gray hair with grinning pink eyes. "Who….?"

"Ah, sorry about that, name's Giran, kid." He grinned and blew smoke out of a cigarette before pulling the lung destroying piece out of his mouth, allowing Himiko to see that he had a gap in his teeth. "I'm looking to make a team, kid, one with freaks like you and me."

"Like me…?"

Giran grinned, it looked disgusting to Himiko but she still listened, "A place where people like us can belong, where we aren't judged for what we were born with." He blew more smoke as the girl's eyes widened.

"I can live… how I want..?"

Giran nodded and kneeled in the dirty concrete, his purple suit getting dirty, "You can say to hell with all these heroes." He let out a hand for her to grab, "Come with me, and we can change this world, where you can live however you please."

Himiko's eyes broke and tears poured as she grabbed onto Giran's arm, to build a new world? One where she could live however she wanted? "O-Okay! I'll go with you!"

The smile on Giran's face widened, "Welcome kid, to the League…of Villains…"

UA High

Class 1-B found themselves back in their class, school just about to end as they had finished up their normal classes. The races finished rather quickly, and none were as interesting as Izuku's. Shishida came close, as he was rather fast, but he had trouble getting places with his lowered intelligence in his Beast Mode.

Someone else that did surprisingly well was Komori, the girl had made spongy mushrooms that she could use to jump her way across the field, sometimes she struggled with the low moisture in the air but she managed.

However, now the race was over, and school was almost over too.

The Dekusquad sat together, conversing about what they wanted to do after school, "Well, I heard that there's gonna be a big test coming up." Reiko and Izuku perked up and turned to Shoda, who was conversing with Shishida. "I heard about it from a couple of second years during lunch, it sounds tough."

"Did they tell you what the test was about?" Fukidashi, the living speech bubble, asked as a question mark replaced his head.

Shoda shook his head, "No, just that it would be–"

"ALRIGHT!" Vlad King swung the door open with a loud crash, startling some of his students, Komori especially so, but Izuku didn't look as fazed as he had been at the start of the school year. "Now, you've all seen how you've improved under the guidance of other heroes, now it's time to get back on the roll because in just two weeks we'll be having your FINAL EXAMS!"

The class all cried, knowing that they were going to struggle in the exams. "Now now, it's not that bad!"

"How is the test going to be administered?" Kodai asked in her usual monotone.

Kan huffed, "The test is going to be similar to the entrance exam, having both a written portion and a practical portion, the written will be covering all the basic subjects you've been learning, the practical is a secret, one only the staff knows about, so don't go asking around!"

That quelled any thoughts that the students had, "Each year the final exam is changed! So no second or third years have taken the test you all are going to take!" That quelled their thoughts doubly so.

"So, I suggest all of you start studying and training! After all." Kan grinned, one that was not like his usual proud grin, this one reminded Izuku a little too much of Eraserhead's smile, "You're going to need it." With that, Kan gave his students an encouraging nod before stepping out, letting them soak in the information and decide what they would do next.

"So, we'll need to study…." Tetsu mumbled, not really liking the idea. He was much more of a hands on kind of person, preferring to train and dreading their normal school lessons.

Reiko hummed, "Yes, and I believe our mental fortitude should be reined in on that." she spoke up, earning head tilts from everyone.

"Greeny, simply!" Setsuna yelled.

Izuku huffed, "We should focus on studying for the written exam."

The group, sans Kendo, Reiko, and Izuku, moaned, truly not wanting to study and instead focus on fighting. "Complain all you want, you fail the written exam and you get moved down to General Studies." Kendo huffed as they all got ready to go.

Izuku nodded along, shoving his textbooks into his backpack, when something caught his ear, thumping on the ground, as if someone was running. "Does anyone else hear that?"

The rest of his friends all paused, tilting their heads to strain their ears.

"Now that you mention it…"

"Yeah, I do hear something…"

The stomps got louder and louder, causing them all to prepare for the worst, after all they hadn't survived villain attacks for nothing. "YOUNG MIDORIYA–!" The loud voice that they all recognized as their teacher vibrated through the halls and class, before the door slammed open. "-IS HERE!"

"ALL MIGHT?!" The group of students yelled, Izuku gulped and pointed at himself, "You need me?"

The Number One Hero placed his hands on his hips and laughed, "Yes, my boy! I must have a very important talk with you!" The man placed a hand on his head and laughed once more, "News of your escapades have reached even me! And now I must discuss with you the seriousness of this incident!"

Despite how serious All Might tried sounding, it didn't seem to work, Izuku sighed and threw his bright yellow backpack over his shoulder, "Sorry guys, I'll have to catch up with you all later."

"It's fine, my dear friend." Monoma swung his arm around Izuku's shoulder, "Just be careful, you've done nothing wrong so if they chew you out for it then we'll fight for you."

Izuku grinned, "I know Monoma-kun." The two shared a fistbump before Monoma let Izuku go, "See you guys tomorrow!" He waved as he followed All Might, gently closing the door behind him.

Reiko smiled, glad to see that Izuku was healthy and well, and that he was smiling so much more than he did at the start of the school year. His smile was truly a beautiful thing to see.

"Hey Ghosty, you good? You've been looking at the door for a while now."

"She's just thinking about her boyfriend, shroom!"

"SO I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO SEES IT!"

All Might's Office

Izuku shut the door as they entered All Might's office, the Number One Hero quickly poofed into smoke, revealing the skeleton form of Toshinori Yagi. "All Might!" The boy clammored towards his teacher, helping the man stand.

All Might coughed before raising a hand, "I'm fine, my boy, just a little tired is all." The Symbol of Peace smiled before gesturing to the couch he had in his office. "Take a seat, I have to talk to you about something."

Gulping, Izuku nodded, sitting across from his mentor.

"First, I want to congratulate you." Izuku perked up, his mentor giving him the greatest smile he'd ever seen, "Truly, my boy, you saved a lot of lives and stopped a bloodthirsty killer. I know some have called you reckless, but I've never been more proud."

Matching his mentor with his own bright one, Izuku thanked the man that had trained him and given him a real chance at being a hero.

However, All Might's smile quickly curved downwards, "Now, I believe it's time I tell you something I should have a long time ago." The man leaned forward, folding his arms and looking at his student, someone he saw as his own. "The origin of One For All."

"One For All's….origin?" Izuku wondered aloud, he had never even thought of the origin of the ancient quirk, though now perhaps he should have. After all, what could even lead to the creation of a legendary quirk such as One For All?

"Yes." All Might opened a palm, and Izuku could practically see the light of One For All shining from it. "The history of our shared quirk, is tied to the history of another, a man that goes by the name of his quirk, All For One."

"All for One?"

His teacher simply nodded, his brow creasing even more as a look of severe anger appeared on his face. "All For One was a man born at the birth of the quirked age, when heroes weren't a thing and chaos was commonplace. He managed the chaos with his quirk, taking quirks from those that didn't want them and giving them to those that would serve him."

"W-Wait wait wait! He could take and give quirks?"

All Might could only nod his head once more, "Yes." He's never seen All Might so angry before, "All For One built an empire, he ruled the underworld like a king upon his throne built on the sacrifices of his underlings…." The Number One Hero was shaking with rage, "But… there was always one person who he wanted to join him that always refused."

Izuku leaned in, his desire to know the history of their joined quirk growing more and more as All Might spoke, "Who?" Someone extremely powerful, Izuku had no doubt.

"His little brother."

"W-What?"

All Might gave a short snort, "Apparently, even as heartless as he was, All For One's younger brother meant the world to him, but the brother had a just heart. He stood up to All For One, saying what he was doing was wrong and cruel. However, the brother couldn't do much to stop All For One, he was sickly and weak, most of all he was like most of the population at the time, quirkless."

The man paused, seeing his student blink, looking confused but coming to a realization. Izuku's hands felt clammy, and he felt bile climbing up his throat, "A-All Might I have a question…"

"What is it my boy?"

"D-Did the brothers….have hair as white as snow?"

Izuku saw his mentor's face fall, some blood coming out of his skeleton mouth. "How did you know that?"

The boy ashamedly rubbed his neck, "W-While I was recovering in the hospital, I had a… dream." All Might tilted his head as he leaned back in his seat, cleaning the blood that had leaned out. The man motioned for Izuku to continue. "The dream… well I–"

He stumbled and tumbled, not being able to phrase what happened well, after all it sounded absurd.

"This dream… it felt so… real." His lips lingered on each word, trying to navigate his mind to find a way to explain what he went through, "I was in this place, and there were what looked like heroes with me."

All Might's brows creased even more, "Go on…"

Izuku nodded, "There were the two brothers fighting, I- I tried to help the weak looking one, but then suddenly he was reaching for me and he said something."

"What did he say, my boy?"

The two users of One For All locked eyes as Izuku spoke, "So you're the ninth." He spoke quietly and shyly, looking at All Might in confusion, "Have you ever had something like that happen to you before?"

All Might leaned back, hitting the cushion of the couch roughly, "I can't say that I have, I'm sorry Young Midoriya."

"It's okay, I'm just confused about it all.."

All Might smiled, "We'll figure it out together my boy, we always do."

Izuku couldn't help it and quickly found himself smiling as well, "Thanks All Might." They would have a lot of work to do, but hopefully they would come out just fine.

Elsewhere

The smell of alcohol ran rampant through the air, overloading her sense of smell as she walked into the bar. It felt so dirty, like the air was hot, or maybe sweaty was the better way to put it? She just knew she certainly didn't enjoy it, however, anything was better than living on the cold, damp, dirty streets she had long gotten adjusted to.

Her eyes glossed over the dark wooden walls, the rich – almost bloody looking – couches and the bar on the side. This place looked beautiful.

"So–" She snapped her head up from her gazing and looked at an incredibly thin guy at the bar, he had shaggy blue hair, pale skin, and a severed hand covering his face. "You're Himiko Toga, right?"

The ash blonde didn't feel any fear at all, in fact she felt excitement, "That's right, handsy!" Her grin stretched wide, showing off her canines. She felt an overwhelming sense of joy, even though her skin was crawling just being here.

To her discomfort, the man before her started giggling, or maybe chuckling was a better word to describe the action. The man behind her, Giran, pushed her forward. "Pleasure doing business with you Shigaraki."

Giran left, and Himiko gulped as Shigaraki's chair creaked as the man got up. "Listen up and listen well." Goosebumps covered her body as he took steps towards her, her hand twitching as she wanted to grab her knife, however she had been forewarned about doing that.

An arm snaked its way around her shoulder as Shigaraki leaned into her ear, "I expect great things from you… Toga…"

She hated that name, she loathed it with all of her being. All the chains that came from her family just continued to weigh her down and she despised it with all of her being. She forced the thoughts away and smiled, "I won't let you down, Mr. Handsy!"

The man grunted, letting her go before stalking into the hallway leading to the rest of the bar.

She forced out a breath that she hadn't known was being held within her chest, feeling a tad lighter she smiled and turned to the bartender, a man seemingly made out of mist, who was very focused on cleaning a class in his hands, "Hey Misty! Can I get a milkshake?"

The bartender's eyes angled upward, imitating looking up, as he stopped cleaning the glass, before looking back down and continuing what he was doing. Himiko pouted and sat at the bar, laying her head on the table and giving the man puppy dog eyes, "Please, mister…?"

He somehow sighed and turned around, "Very well, Ms. Toga…"

"Yay! Thank you Mister!"

The bartender paused, turning around only a miniscule amount, "My name is Kurogiri."

"Can I call you Mr. Kuro?"

Kurogiri stopped before turning back to what he was doing, not giving her an answer, so she assumed she could call him whatever she wanted. A large banana milkshake with a cherry on top was quickly placed in front of her before Kurogiri went back to cleaning his cups.

She quickly grabbed it and downed it in one go, "Wow, that was amazing Mr. Kuro! Thank you!"

Kurogiri nodded, refusing to speak to her for now.

That didn't stop her happiness however, as she let out a happy sigh and used her arms as pillows to fall asleep at the bar. This place was pretty amazing, a lot better than the cold, damp alleys she was used to.

The note in her backpack was left forgotten.

END

So, this took a while, sorry but school has been kicking my butt a LOT. But I'm happy I was able to get this out. Next chapter will be another gap chapter before final exams, unless all you guys want me to get to final exams right away?

Let me know what you think, I'll do whatever you guys want most, but final exams will definitely be more than one chapter long, all the fights will take a while to do.

For, a lot of people want the first movie to happen, so I'll be doing it. That will happen before the summer training camp arc. And I was thinking about who will go to it.

Bakugo went in canon because he won the sports festival, and Kirishima was his plus one, but he didn't win it in this version. So they both won't go.

So Izuku will, with his plus one who I'm thinking will be Reiko.

Momo, Jiro, and Ochako go because Momo has a business trip and brings those two with her.

Todoroki and Iida go for family business.

Kaminari and Mineta go for summer jobs which I'm thinking I'll have Monoma do as well (since he definitely looks like a waiter I mean LOOK at his hero costume)

And maybe Reiko and Izuku will get to have a nice little dance at the end of it : )

But that's all for now, leave any suggestions, ideas, or things you want to see and I'll consider them

Jay out!