Author's Note: Hello again! I've gotten a few more questions since the last chapter, so I'll answer them here.
Marvin is in fact an OC made by Reaper. I wouldn't call him quite a self-insert, but he does in fact take some characteristics from Reaper himself, which will be shown as the story progresses.
Yes, Marvin and Izuku will still separate as they did in the original. And yes, Marvin will be able to return to Izuku's mind temporarily so they can share control and work together, similar to a fusion dance.
That one was actually Reaper's idea, he planned to put it in his story, but it obviously never got to that point. Hopefully, I can implement it now that I have his notes.
As for what would happen if they didn't separate, well it'd affect Izuku's relationship with Momo, since Momo isn't very keen on having someone essentially spying on her relationship with Izuku 24/7, even if it's unintentional.
Izuku would also become darker and more jaded the longer Marvin stays in his head, due to Marvin, and therefore Izuku, remembering more things about his life and becoming darker. It's essentially like Venom affecting Peter Parker in a way.
That's all for now. Enjoy the chapter!
.
Marvin blinked and looked around. Where the actual hell was he?
It wasn't Izuku's mind; in fact, it couldn't be any different.
He was inside some kind of temple, adorned with gold markings.
Marvin glanced down and saw he was wearing loose robes that felt oddly comfortable.
"Where the…" he muttered, staring at the walls.
It felt oddly peaceful here. Comfortable in an odd sort of way. It felt familiar, intimately so, but at the same time, Marvin had no clue where he was.
He walked forward, glancing around for threats. Subconsciously, though, he knew there were none. How he knew? He had no clue.
Marvin exited the temple, walking down golden-wood steps and into a courtyard.
White brick tiled the courtyard, which was filled with a fountain, lush bushes and trees in specific spots, and surrounded by high red gates.
Marvin looked around. There was just enough sound to keep him off edge, but not enough to overwhelm him. The sun was bright but not blinding, the smell in the air vague but pleasant, and even his clothes felt suited to him.
Wherever he was, whoever had brought him here, had done their research, somehow.
Marvin tentatively reached out to the fountain, out of which flowed crystalline water, almost more gem-like than liquid.
His fingers brushed the cool water for nothing more than a second, but that was more than enough.
Images bombarded Marvin's mind. Of lakes and rivers, of oceans and ponds, heavy rain and morning dew.
But one stuck out most of all.
A tank of water, glowing slightly, with a vaguely feminine body inside hooked up to tubes.
He reared back, tumbling to the floor as his mind slammed back into the courtyard.
His breath was shallow and eyes wide, his hands shaking slightly.
"Wha— what the fuck?" Marvin breathed, trying to control his breathing.
He stood up shakily, brushing off his robes before he realized he was doing it.
Marvin stared at the fountain, feeling anger boil up in his chest.
His right hand shot up before he could stop it, and he pulled his middle finger back, hooking it under his thumb as if to flick something.
Marvin paused and stared at his hand in bewilderment. What the hell was he about to do?
He lowered his hand slowly, letting out a shaky breath. Whatever he was about to do, it was bad.
"Is this… is this my mind?" He asked aloud after a few minutes, staring back up at the fountain.
Almost as if his words had broken a spell, the scenery around him began to crumble.
Holes appeared in the sky, and Marvin stared wide-eyed as some thing stared at him through the abyss.
It was utterly abhorrent, with jagged teeth and rock-like skin. It looked kind of like a soldier, or a guard of some sort, only completely monstrous, with blank eyes and a grin that kicked his adrenaline into high gear.
The thing grinned down at him, and a giant hand reached out from the void as Marvin's mind began to crumble.
His world collapsed around him, the temple began to groan and almost scream as it fell.
Marvin blinked and threw himself back. Hundreds of bodies hung from spikes, chests impaled where their heart had been.
He stepped back and heard a squelch.
Marvin whipped around and recoiled as he saw the headless body of a girl, an 'X' dug in blood over her chest.
The thing in the sky laughed, and Marvin's heart rate skyrocketed.
It reached again, its bony and dead hand reaching out to him.
"No…" Marvin whispered, backing away and tripping over bodies. "No, get away! Get away!"
The hand was within arms reach, and Marvin saw a person emerge from the skin, and recoiled again.
The beheaded girl from earlier reached out, only this time she had a head.
His.
"GET AWAY!"
Marvin shot up screaming, his body shaking violently and sweat drenching his clothing and bed.
His breath was shallow and quick as his eyes darted around Izuku's dark room, desperately looking for the thing in his nightmare.
A crash came from outside Izuku's room and Marvin leapt up, screaming again and his adrenaline kicking into overdrive.
Inko burst into the room holding a metal pole, looking around frantically.
"I-Izuku?" She asked, seeing Marvin shaking violently while backed into a corner of Izuku's room.
Marvin stared at her with wide eyes, not fully processing that she was there.
His mind was hazy, he could only see the hand. Only the hand. The hand and the girl. The girl. He could only see the girl.
"Izuku? Are you alright?" Inko exclaimed, dropping the makeshift weapon and rushing over to him.
Marvin jerked violently as Inko touched his shoulder, and she pulled back her hand as if burned.
Marvin slumped down into a fetal position, trying to get his breathing under control.
"Izuku?" Inko tried again softly, her voice breaking as tears welled in her eyes.
"I- I'm fine, M-mom," Izuku managed to say. He'd woken up too from Marvin's nightmare.
He took a deep, shaky breath. "Just… just a nightmare."
Inko kneeled down beside him, and tentatively pulled him into a hug.
"It's alright, Izuku," Inko whispered, rocking him slightly. "I'm here. You're safe."
Marvin actually seemed to calm down slightly at Inko's soothing, his breathing becoming more level and even.
"It was just a dream. You're alright," she continued, stroking his hair.
Marvin choked and nearly broke down again at the gesture, and mentally, he put a hand over the base of his neck tightly.
Inko stayed that way with him for a few minutes as both Izuku and Marvin calmed down.
Eventually, Inko pulled back, dried Izuku's tears, and kissed the top of his head.
"Are you alright now, Izuku?" She asked softly, hands on his shoulders.
Izuku gave a shaky nod after a moment, and Inko smiled before standing a bit heavily.
"Come on, get up," she said, helping him up.
Izuku stood shakily, brushing himself off a bit. "Thanks."
"What was the nightmare even about?" Inko asked in concern. "I've never seen you react so badly before. Are you alright?"
Marvin nodded shakily. "It was about— it was about Bakugo," he lied. "About what happened in the Battle Trial."
Inko squeezed his arm. "What happened, Izuku? Talking might help."
Marvin shivered violently. "He— He killed everyone. Everything collapsed… I couldn't save them."
Inko did a double take at the sheer hollowness in his tone and eyes. It felt like Izuku wasn't there, but back in the nightmare. His eyes looked like he'd seen death before.
"Izuku?" She asked tentatively.
Izuku took control back, and managed a ghost of a smile.
"I'm alright, Mom," He said, halfway genuine. "It's just… I- I… it felt so real, mom."
Inko hugged him again. "It's alright, Izuku. You're safe, everyone else is safe. They're all safe. They're all alive and well."
Izuku gave a shaky nod. "Y-yeah, thanks Mom."
"If you need anything, tell me, ok?" Inko asked as she stepped back. "I'll do what I can, ok?"
Izuku smiled at her. "Thanks, Mom. It means a lot."
Inko smiled back before she left with a final reassurance, leaving Izuku with Marvin.
He looked into his mind, seeing Marvin sitting against the wall of his mind with the bookshelves, his back pressed to the wall and his side to the shelves.
"She's nice," He muttered emptily. "Your mom."
"Yeah… she's amazing," Izuku replied, slowly walking over.
He sat in front of Marvin, but Marvin didn't look at him, but instead stared at the ground.
"They were real, Izuku," he muttered. "The people. They were real."
"Are you sure?" Izuku asked tentatively. "How do you know?"
Marvin shrugged, his shoulders scraping against the wall.
"I know," he said, picking at his pants. "I knew them. All of them."
Izuku stayed silent. What could he say? He'd never dealt with what seemed like a trauma induced nightmare.
"The girl," Marvin whispered hollowly. "I knew the girl."
"You did?" Izuku tilted his head. "Who was it?"
"The girl from before," Marvin told him. "The one who said she loved me."
A dull shiver passed over his body, almost as if he couldn't feel anything correctly anymore.
"Her name… her name was Rinai," he muttered, feeling warmth on his tongue. "She— I think I knew her."
"Rinai?"
Marvin nodded. "It… it was the same body. I don't know how I know."
He drew his knees to his chest tightly, and rested his chin on top.
"She— I killed her…" Marvin whispered. "I- I'm not sure how I know. But… but I know… I know I did."
"I— I'm so sorry," Izuku told him, not knowing what to say.
Marvin bit down the anger on his tongue, but his fingers tensed and flexed, as if he were strangling someone.
What would he know? Izuku barely knew what the hell it meant to have a spine against bullies, let alone whatever it was he saw.
Marvin's sharp teeth drew blood from his cheeks and tongue, and he inhaled sharply as a new wave of anger rolled over him.
He didn't want pity, he didn't want people's remorse. He didn't know why he didn't want it, but he knew he didn't.
He wanted to be left alone, he wanted his body. He wanted to be able to run away and not be stuck with some wimpy teenager that kept making excuses for someone who abused him.
A choking sound snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked up.
Izuku forced a smile through teary eyes, and Marvin remembered in horror that his thoughts weren't his in here.
His eyes widened, and his anger left him like a leaf hit by winds.
"Izuku… I—I didn't—" Marvin hesitated. Did he really mean it? He didn't know.
Izuku bit back a sob, his lip trembling. "It— It's ok. I… I know I'm not the best person to be stuck with," he whispered hoarsely.
Marvin's thoughts were like a punch to the gut for him. Izuku thought them friends, and ignoring Bakugo, Izuku almost considered Marvin his first friend.
It was why he was so comfortable letting Marvin take control. He knew Marvin wouldn't hurt him, not consciously, and the only thing he wanted was to make Izuku better.
He'd never thought Marvin would dislike it in his mind.
He should've known, of course, being stuck in someone else's head, only allowed to take control in certain situations, without your memories, surrounded by strangers, would be enough to anger anybody.
"Izuku…" Marvin tried again, his horror nearly paralyzing him. "Izuku, I'm so sorry."
Horror and anger fought for dominance inside his head. His anger was fierce and brutal, but his horror was overwhelming and numbing.
Marvin reached out and lightly touched Izuku's shoulder, trying to ignore the burning pain he felt when he did.
Izuku stared at him, and there was an odd emotion in his eyes, one that Marvin couldn't exactly place.
"Look, I—" Marvin stopped, trying to find words. "I— I'm sorry, ok? I just… I didn't mean to hurt you. It's just that, it's hard, ok? I barely remember anything about who I am or where I'm from. I'm not even in my country, since I learned Japanese from your memories and only spoke English before."
Izuku nodded after a moment in understanding, and Marvin sighed in relief.
He stepped back, letting go of Izuku's shoulder and running his hand through his messy hair.
"It's just… frustrating, you know? I feel trapped here," He said, blowing out a breath.
"And I know, I KNOW, it isn't your fault but… I don't know, it's difficult, ok?" He half-questioned, throwing his hands up. "It's hard."
"Yeah… I think I get it," Izuku muttered, looking down. "I… I know you don't have a choice… but sometimes it gets uncomfortable having you in my head. I think anybody would be uncomfortable, but…"
"But it still sucks?" Marvin suggested with a soft grin.
Izuku looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah… it still sucks."
They stayed quiet for a moment, seemingly digesting what the other had said and coming to terms with it.
"Do you think you'll be able to get your body back?" Izuku asked after a while of silence.
Marvin sighed. "I'm not really sure. I don't— well I don't fucking know what brought me here anyway, so it's not like I can retrace my steps."
He shivered as his nightmare replayed internally. "And I don't think I want to."
Izuku nodded before they descended into silence again, more comfortable this time.
The sun was rising now, and Izuku silently changed as it began to peak over the horizon.
"Do you think Nezu could help us?" He asked as he pulled on his shirt.
" Who?"
"The principal," Izuku replied, doing up the buttons. "Aizawa Sensei mentioned how his Quirk enhances his intelligence to a superhuman level."
" How would he help us?" Marvin questioned, standing from the floor and stretching.
Izuku shrugged. "Maybe he has a method of separating minds from bodies? There has to be at least ONE Quirk in the world that could do it. There are so many."
" Do you really want to tell him though?" Marvin asked. " He might think you crazy or me a villain, and neither of those options are good. Especially since I can use One for All, he might think I'm trying to steal your Quirk."
Izuku frowned as he finished tying his tie. "So what should we do? There's not really anything on something like this for us to look up."
Marvin hummed in thought, weighing his options.
He sighed after a moment. " I guess our best bet is for me to stay here for a while, maybe something pops up? From my memories or something?"
"What from your memories could possibly help us here?" Izuku asked as he rushed out the door after saying goodbye to his mother.
Marvin shrugged. " Maybe I can remember what caused me to be here? Then I can reverse engineer it and possibly get my body back."
Izuku blinked. He hadn't thought of that.
He shook it off and stepped off the train to UA, jogging out the entrance and into the street.
"Do you really think you can do that?" He asked as he walked the rest of the way to UA.
" No clue, honestly. Better than nothing, though," was Marvin's reply.
They quickly reached UA, and Izuku took out the pass Nezu had given him a few days prior as he reached the door.
A small scanner popped out from the wall, and Izuku quickly entered after scanning his pass.
" You should take good care of that thing," Marvin said suddenly.
"Huh? Why?"
" It's a pass into the most prestigious hero school in the country, and into its training rooms, filled with high-tech equipment," Marvin pointed out. " Put that in the hands of a villain or an over ambitious civilian and that's a problem and a half."
Izuku paled slightly at that. Marvin was right, there was no telling what a villain could do with unlimited access to UA.
" Aren't there wallets that need your fingerprint to open?" Marvin questioned. " I remember seeing those in an ad the other day."
Izuku nodded. "Yeah, but they're expensive. And I don't have money for something like that."
Marvin paused his immediate reply on how they could easily get some money.
Izuku heard anyway and his eyes widened.
"Marvin! We're not robbing innocent people!" He cried, slightly distressed that was Marvin's immediate idea.
" They're not INNOCENT. They're VILLAINS," Marvin corrected defensively. " They won't miss the money."
"Stealing is still wrong, Marvin," Izuku replied as he entered the training room and put his bag down.
Normally, he would change into his gym uniform and train in that, but Marvin's nightmare had pushed him later than usual, so he decided to train in his normal uniform and simply take the jacket and tie off.
" So is murdering people, but that doesn't stop the villains," Marvin retorted. " Come on, just a handful. You'd be doing two acts of good! Protecting the pass and stopping villains!"
"Vigilantism is illegal," Izuku reminded him. "I could get in serious trouble if I decided to go out without my Hero License."
Marvin groaned loudly. " Oh, come on. You're acting like we'd get caught."
Izuku frowned as he remembered that one of Marvin's skills was hiding in plain sight, sometimes literally.
"It's still wrong," Izuku stated, pulling a training dummy out of a closet.
The dummies were combat dummies. They would fight Izuku like a real person and had an inbuilt AI that would learn from him, adapt, and become better.
They ranged from Level One to Level Five, with One being beginner and Five being Master.
The dummies were still in a test run, but Nezu had given Izuku permission to use them.
" You're already going to come here to train, Mister Midoriya," Nezu had said. " Who better than to test these dummies than you?"
Izuku set the dummy up and started it on Level One, jumping back as it activated.
" I still think my idea is good," Marvin grumbled as Izuku began fighting the dummy.
Izuku rolled his eyes and nearly got hit in the head as his focus wavered.
"And I think…" He said between dodges. "It's not."
He slipped under a jab and struck the dummy in the chest, only for it to grab his arm and knee him in the side.
Izuku grunted and doubled over, taking another knee to the jaw.
He fell back, tumbling to the ground in a rather non-elegant fashion.
"Complete the training! Complete the training!" Izuku half-shouted, hand raised to cover his face as the dummy approached him again.
The dummy stopped, standing straight with its arms at its sides.
" Training Complete," the robotic voice sounded before the dummy went limp and collapsed.
Izuku groaned as he flopped onto the ground to catch his breath.
Sweat dripped down his forehead, and he could already feel a bruise forming on his jaw. He was pretty sure he'd bitten his tongue too; it was rather numb.
" You lasted seven seconds longer than last time," Marvin told him casually. " Good. You're improving."
"Still… long way… to go," Izuku panted.
Marvin rolled his eyes. " Well, obviously. Your movements are all stiff and janky. You move more like a mannequin than the dummy does."
"Mannequins don't move," Izuku groaned as he rolled to his side.
" You get the point," Marvin told him.
Izuku sat up with a grunt, rubbing his sore side tenderly.
"I don't get it," He huffed, his head in his other hand. "What am I doing so wrong? I feel like I should have improved more by now."
" Relax, you've been doing this for like, less than a week," Marvin poked him mentally. " You've got to give yourself time to adapt."
Izuku groaned again and stood. "It's still frustrating. I'm rewatching the memory of your fights and your movements look so fluid. It's like night and day."
" And? I'm pretty sure I'm older, and from what little I can remember, I've been fighting all my life. It'd be embarrassing if I didn't know how to."
Marvin snorted. " Izuku, just last week you didn't even know how to throw a punch without almost breaking your hand. Cut yourself some slack."
Izuku sighed. "Yeah… I guess you're right."
Marvin rolled his eyes again. " Come on, activate the dummy again and I'll show you what you did wrong. Deal?"
"Deal!" Izuku replied, ignoring his pain as he rushed forward to activate again.
" No, no, no," Marvin said as Izuku went to se the difficulty. " Set it to One. If you put it higher it won't do the same moves."
"But that'll increase the difficulty when I do it," Izuku frowned. "Isn't that kind of unfair?"
" That's a good thing. It forces you to improve while still being manageable," was Marvin's reply as he took over.
"Now look, what you did is leave your side open with that jab," He began as he weaved under a punch.
He switched footing and kneed the dummy in the back, sending it sprawling to the floor.
"See? When you dodge, you move everything, not just your upper half," Marvin explained as the dummy got up.
The dummy lunged at him again, throwing a tight uppercut.
Marvin actually closed the distance, taking the hit to the chest before head butting the dummy.
" Wait, why did you do that?" Izuku asked as he mentally took notes.
"Diversity. If I always lean back from a strike before going in, then any skilled opponent's going to pick up on that," Marvin replied as he sweeped the dummy's leg.
The dummy staggered back, its arms flailing wildly.
Marvin rushed in from its left, grabbing the arm before throwing the dummy over his shoulder.
A thunk sounded as the dummy hit the ground, but Marvin didn't let go.
He pulled the dummy's arm back, twisting it and barely not dislocating the shoulder.
"See? You can't stick with just punches. If you do, you're a one trick pony," Marvin told Izuku before he got up.
"Complete the training," He said, and the dummy went limp on the ground.
Izuku hummed in thought. " So you're saying I was too predictable?"
"Exactly. A fight is about reacting as much as it is planning," Marvin explained. "Sure, you can do quite a lot with just jabs, hooks, and whatnot, but it's better to have diversity."
" In order to avoid getting caught in a trap?"
"And to give yourself more options," Marvin added. "If you only do punches and break your arm, you just lost half your firepower. If you do punches, elbows, knees, and kicks and break your arm, then you've only lost a fraction."
Izuku nodded, jotting everything down mentally.
One benefit of Marvin's arrival was that he no longer really needed his physical journals. The awareness of his mental library and memories allowed him to write everything down mentally and remember it whenever he wanted.
He still kept his physical journals, of course. He had too much of a habit not to, but the increased memory and processing ability really helped.
" Ok, I think I want to try again," Izuku declared, 'closing' his mental notebook.
Marvin nodded as he handed over control. " Remember, be diverse. Try something out, if it doesn't work, that's ok. You can try again."
"Got it," Izuku breathed, crouching next to the dummy.
He was about to activate it again when he heard the door to the training room open, and he turned.
"Oh! Good morning, Aizawa Sensei," Izuku greeted his home room teacher. "Do you need anything?"
Aizawa studied him intensely for a moment, his black eyes narrowed as if searching for something.
After a few moments, he cleared his throat.
"I came to tell you to take it easy today, Midoriya," Aizawa stated. "We're doing some simulation training today, and I want you at the top of your game."
Izuku nodded. "Yes, Sensei!" He declared, standing straight.
"Good, I'll see you in class," Aizawa told him as he turned to leave.
Izuku relaxed a little. "Wait, where are we going? I didn't know UA had simulation zones."
Aizawa turned his head slightly. "It's called the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, or USJ. It's not far from here."
He turned away fully. "Get cleaned up soon. Class starts in—" He checked the clock. "—roughly an hour."
Aizawa left, only half glancing at Momo as she entered the hallway.
He gave a dull response as she greeted him, not that she put it much mind as she headed to where Izuku was training.
Aizawa entered the teacher's lounge and picked up his phone, dialing Nezu's number.
"You were right," Aizawa said after they exchanged greetings. "Midoriya's like two completely different people."
" Hmm, interesting," Nezu said over the phone. " I hadn't expected my hypothesis to be fully correct; I thought I'd at most be half right."
"Well, you were fully right," Aizawa replied. "What do we do?"
" We don't want to startle Mister Midoriya," Nezu stated. " We first have to determine the root cause of his dual personality."
"The first one's definitely Midoriya," Aizawa told the principal. "Polite and reserved, but questioning. The second one though, that one's different."
" How so, Shota?" Nezu inquired. " Any different from what we've previously determined?"
"Whoever the second guy is, he's dangerous," Aizawa answered. "He was speaking aloud, explaining something to who I presume to be Midoriya, while causally dealing with the training dummy you set up for him."
" Truly?" Nezu asked. " Did you hear any details? Anything that could clue us in?"
Aizawa rubbed his eyes. "He's smart, good at fighting. He's probably a soldier from the way he spoke. The way he moves is completely different from even Pro Heroes; he fights like he wants to maim, incapacitate, and kill."
Nezu frowned on his end. " That's concerning. Anything else?"
"He moves like Midoriya did when fighting Bakugo," Aizawa told him. "He purposely took a hit to the chest in order to counterattack, much like what Midoriya did during the Battle Trial."
" Interesting," Nezu hummed. " Perhaps it wasn't Mister Midoriya during the Battle Trials."
Aizawa frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
" I'm saying it's possible this second individual was the one who injured Mister Bakugo," Nezu explained. " From what you're telling me, it's exactly like what Mister Midoriya did back then."
He cleared his throat. " So there's a second individual who can switch control with Mister Midoriya, seemingly at any time, is a capable fighter, can severely injure people as demonstrated with Bakugo, and seems to possess enhanced strength— if he's the one who broke the wall and floor, that is."
"He sounds like a villain," Aizawa commented.
" I wouldn't say that," Nezu said. " A villain wouldn't let Mister Midoriya take control back, and from the video feeds, the switch seems almost subconscious."
"Subconscious?"
Nezu nodded. " Indeed. From what I can tell, this second individual only comes out when Mister Midoriya gets attacked, usually by Mister Bakugo, and disappears once he is out of danger."
"So a defense mechanism," Aizawa stated. "Do you think it's a Quirk?"
" No, no," Was Nezu's reply. " I have a few theories, but I'll need more information before I can determine anything concrete. Keep an eye on him, will you, Shota?"
Aizawa nodded. "I'll give you any information I find out."
" Thank you, Shota," Nezu said before they exchanged goodbye's and hung up.
At the same time as Aizawa entered the lounge, Momo entered the training room Izuku was in.
"Good morning, Izuku!" She greeted, making Izuku look up at her.
He smiled softly. "Good morning, Momo."
Momo glanced at the dummy Izuku was putting away and frowned slightly.
"You're not going to train more? There's still some time before class begins," She asked, slightly disappointed she couldn't watch.
"Oh! Well, uhh," Izuku rubbed his neck and turned to her. "Aizawa Sensei told u— me not to train too much today. He said we're going somewhere called the USJ for extra training…"
Momo was only half-listening; her eyes were instead struggling to stay on his face.
Izuku's sleeves were rolled up, his shirt unbuttoned and untucked slightly. His tie was loosely thrown over his neck, untied.
Overall, he looked messy, but Momo found it hard not to stare. He looked older than he really was, emitting an odd sort of comfort and confidence he seemed to be unaware of.
"Momo?" Izuku asked, staring at her. "Momo, are you listening?"
Momo snapped out of her staring and flushed violently, her eyes dropping to the floor as her hands clutched her bag.
"Oh- I- sorry, just- just got lost in thought," She said, looking up and pointedly ignoring the heat on her face. "You were saying?"
Izuku blinked; Momo's face was bright pink, but she seemed to ignore it.
"Uhh, ok?" Izuku shook it off, though subconsciously put it in the back of his mind.
"Anyway, I was asking you what you think our training would be today," Izuku told her.
Momo paused and thought for a moment. "You said it's called the USJ, right?"
Izuku nodded. "Yeah, Aizawa Sensei told me it stood for the Unforeseen Simulation Joint."
"I've heard of it," Momo responded. "It's this training center made to emulate real-life situations that Pro Heroes might encounter. It has different 'zones' that specialize in certain areas from what I've heard."
Izuku's eyes lit up. "Really?! That's incredible! Can you imagine how good of a training tool that is?"
Momo smiled softly as Izuku rambled about the different ways the USJ could possibly be used, though she got lost more than once.
If she had to be honest, she had no clue how Izuku's mind created ideas so fast. It was fascinating to her, for someone her age to be able to come up with thought patterns like Izuku did.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and Izuku's rambling was cut short by the school bell, making them both jump.
"Ah! I'm so sorry, Momo! I didn't mean to make you late!" Izuku cried as he quickly scrambled to look presentable.
"It's fine. At least the time was spent with you," Momo replied before she knew what she was saying.
Izuku's head snapped up from his tie, slightly bug-eyed and his mouth hanging open.
Momo flushed. "I- I- I meant your ideas!" She exclaimed quickly. "Th-They're fascinating to hear and I'm really glad you share them with me!"
"O-oh," Izuku's face lost its shock, and he nodded a bit, as if in understanding. "Right."
He went back to tying his tie, and Momo frowned.
"Wait, Izuku, no," She said, walking up to him. "You're doing it wrong."
She grabbed his tie and undid his haptic knot in a single, smooth motion.
"You leave it too short," She said as she began tying it. "Did no one ever teach you?"
Her brows were furrowed, face knit in concentration to the point where she didn't even notice their proximity.
Izuku, however, very much did, and his face was beet red. His eyes were squeezed shut, since his previous line of sight was directly to Momo's chest.
Momo quickly tied his tie correctly, tightening it and stepping back some.
"There," She said, patting the tie.
Momo froze in the next second and yanked her hand back, blushing as she realized what she'd just done.
Part of her wanted to apologize profusely for the act, while another, more repressed part of her egged her on, pushing her to do it again.
Her mind froze at the two options, not wanting to do either, so it picked a third option:
Momo ran.
She was out the door with her bag in less than a second, her face still beet red as her shoes clicked on the floor, leaving Izuku stunned in the training room.
Izuku stood, his mind slowly beginning to wake up again as he stared at the ground.
There seemed to be fire on his chest where Momo had touched him, and he wasn't sure if he wanted it to end or not.
" OI, Earth to Izuku," Marvin drawled, snapping Izuku out of his shock.
"Huh? Wha?"
Marvin rolled his eyes. " You can crush on Yaoyorozu later. You're late to class, idiot."
"I'M LATE TO CLASS!" Izuku repeated, his mind kicking in again.
He haphazardly threw on his jacket as he grabbed his bag and ran out the training room, his legs pumping under him.
Izuku bolted into 1-A, throwing open the door and stopping, slightly out of breath,
"You're late, Midoriya," Aizawa said as he and the rest of the class, bar Momo, stared at him.
"Y-yeah, sorry about that," Izuku rubbed his neck. "I was in the training room."
Aizawa narrowed his eyes a bit. "I thought I told you not to overtrain and get cleaned up?"
Izuku flushed in embarrassment. "S-sorry, Aizawa Sensei. I got distracted."
Aizawa studied him critically for a moment before nodding.
"Take a seat, Midoriya," He said, turning back to the class. "Don't let it happen again."
"Yes, Sensei!" Izuku barked before rushing to his seat.
"Wait, Midoriya gets specialized training?" Todoroki asked. "Why?"
"Principal Nezu wanted Midoriya to test out a few pieces of equipment for him," Aizawa replied, not exactly lying.
Aizawa stopped any follow up questions by raising his hands, stopping Mina, Kaminari, and Iida from speaking.
He quickly went over what they were going to do, told them about the USJ, to change into their costumes, and to meet him by the bus outside.
" I still think this thing is bad," Marvin muttered as they left the building in Izuku's hero suit.
" It's gotten better," Izuku replied.
Izuku's hero costume had gotten repaired oddly quickly, and now held thin, metal-like gloves, bracers for his elbows and knees, and a darker green color palette with hints of blue.
" You think you can have support items for One for All?" Marvin asked. " Like stabilizers or something?"
Izuku's brows furrowed as they got on the bus. " I'm not sure; I don't think All Might had any support items."
" You're not All Might," was Marvin's reply. " You can't copy everything he does. He's him, you're you."
" And I know, I know, he's your inspiration and blah blah blah," Marvin cut off Izuku's rebuttal. " Doesn't mean you should carbon copy him. Hell, it's better if you don't?"
" Better?"
Marvin nodded. " Think about it. All Might's a 7 foot tall, 600 pound wall of muscle, smiles, and hair. You're average height, thin, and got your power a few weeks ago. Not exactly the same, is it?"
" I mean… no, but why would it be better if I didn't copy All Might?" Izuku pressed. " Everyone looks up to him. He's the World's Greatest Hero."
" And you're a 15-year-old who can't look a girl in the eye," Marvin replied, somewhat annoyed. " If you copy All Might word for word, beat for beat, all you're doing is limiting yourself."
" Let me put it this way," Marvin told him. " All Might relies on mostly punches. We went over, not even two hours ago, how that's a terrible idea for you.
He also seems to only have basic combat skills, and mostly relies on his brute strength for most villains. Which works for him, he's been recording fighting for days, he has the stamina to back it up."
He poked Izuku mentally. " YOU don't. One for All breaks you in a single use. Until you get the control All Might has, you have to rely on combat skill, intelligence, and the occasional help from me."
" You can't carbon copy All Might," Marvin concluded calmly. " Sure, take inspiration from him, imitate his confidence and kindness. But you have to be yourself. Didn't All Might himself say the most important part of a hero is their heart? You don't have his heart."
Izuku frowned mentally. Yeah, what Marvin was saying was right, but it still stung quite sharply. He'd looked up to All Might all his life, and part of him wasn't sure how much of him wasn't inspired by All Might.
He sighed and held his head. " So, what do I do?"
" Look at other Heroes," Marvin told him. " There's thousands, past and present. There HAS to be someone you could take inspiration from."
Izuku's reply was cut off as someone shook him sharply.
He jumped. "Huh? What the?"
Momo stared at him, hand on his shoulder. "I was saying we're here, Izuku."
"Oh! Right!" Izuku said, looking out the bus. "Thanks, Momo!"
Momo returned the smile Izuku gave, but internally, she frowned.
She'd noticed Izuku's habit to zone out constantly. At first, she thought it was just a habit he had, similar to his mumbling.
The more she looked into it, though, the more she grew concerned.
Before coming to UA, she'd done some research on mental illness and trauma, and had brushed up on it after meeting Izuku.
Izuku currently checked several boxes for childhood trauma. The zoning out, the frantic and constant apologizing, his struggle with talking to people, particularly girls, his almost meek nature at times.
But the part that worried her the most were the switches. Out of nowhere, Izuku would go from quiet, shy, and polite, to aggressive and brutal. He often didn't speak during that, and it looked almost subconscious, given how he seemed to 'snap' out of it when startled.
Momo silently wondered if Izuku had some kind of personality disorder, like DID or BPD, but she didn't know enough to guess. She also wondered if Bakugo had a place in it, given that the switches seemed more prominent around the blond.
Momo watched him as they entered the USJ, wondering if her friend, her first male friend and one of her first in general, had some underlying secret like she did.
She wouldn't push, no, that was rude. She would be patient, build his trust in her, make him comfortable, and let him open up to her naturally, and hopefully, she could do the same back.
"—All Might will be arriving later," Aizawa was saying as Momo focused again.
"Until then, you will all be training in here, performing several exercises to test your ability to think like heroes," Thirteen, the space Hero, continued.
Aizawa nodded. "Correct, all of you will be participating in several simulations—"
Aizawa's words cut off as a dark portal open in the middle of the USJ, and the two Pros, along with the rest of the class, turned.
Villains spilled out of the portal, numbering in the dozens, with a variety of Quirks.
Aizawa gritted his teeth as he saw several Mutant-type Quirks in the midst. Whoever had invaded knew his Quirk weakness.
"Thirteen!" Aizawa barked. "Protect the students!"
His shot off, Quirk active and eyes glowing. His Quirk wasn't suited for this, but he didn't care.
"Aizawa Sensei!" Izuku cried as Aizawa began battling.
"Midoriya, no!" Iida said, his hand on Izuku's chest to stop him. "We're not qualified!"
"Eraserhead's Quirk isn't suited for multiple people!" Izuku said, pulling away. "Or to people with Mutant-type Quirks."
Thirteen blocked his path. "You can't go, Midoriya. You'll get yourself killed!"
"I need to help!" Izuku exclaimed, power brewing inside him.
He leapt off, over Thirteen and the class, and into the middle of the fray.
" You're crazy, Midoriya!" Marvin shouted as they landed.
"I'd rather be crazy for helping than not have the heart of a Hero!" Izuku barked.
.
Author's Note: And that's the chapter! Mostly set up in this chapter. People are noticing Izuku's changes, and that's going to have consequences.
On another note, I'm unsure on if I want to keep Marvin as a student like in Reaper's fic. Marvin's 18 here, 2-3 years older than them, around the same age as Mirio, and has plenty of field experience.
I might make him a teacher, partially because I feel like it'd keep his recklessness in check, and partially because I think it'd be funny. Or at least an assistant teacher, like someone to help All Might during his classes.
Let me know what you think, cause I'm leaning towards it.
But, as always, thank you all for reading, favoriting, leaving reviews/comments, and more. It really helps me keep going.