Good In Evil
By: SomeRandomPerson648
Chapter 18: Getting Familiar
A/N: Happy 2025 everyone! So glad I found the time to advance this story and publish the latest chapter. Although I really wanted to post an update for my other story I found that writing this one came much easier, probably because of the shift in tone
Still, happy holidays and here's to more updates in the future!
The second and final day of the weekend brought a freshness that was unfamiliar to the young Midoriya. Upon rising from his bed it was almost as though any and all of his worries had disappeared, both minor and major
The previous day was chalk full of cramming in as much study and homework as possible but today marked the end of all that. Now he was able to calmly stroll to the kitchen where his mother was already awake and preparing breakfast
"Good morning!" She sang, granting him a small smile as he sat at the table. "Finally got everything finished?"
"Thankfully." He answered, watching a plate of breakfast Oyakodon slide into his hands. Like always the dish was simple and effortless to make but nonetheless tasteful and filling
Inko soon sat at the table as well and the two to said the traditional grace before continuing. A comfortable silence wrapped around them as Izuku dug in with no real sense of rush or anxiety. Eventually her mother seemed lost in thought, gazing at her son who beamed with a pleasant joy
"Soooo..." She dragged the word
"...So?"
"How was your date?"
Izuku's coughed uncontrollably before he finally got a handle on himself. Inko was undeterred, looking at him with an innocent smile and her purest motherly expression
Midoriya didn't expect his mom to be this intruding. But in hindsight... he really should've. He'd returned so late at night that there was no opportunity for a proper conversation and the day after was filled with the anxiety of several deadlines having converged into one bad break. Realizing this much made the question so obvious that he was dumbfounded for not anticipating it
"It was wonderful! I mean we ate at this maid cafe (which I never would've imagined looked so pretty before), and I got to drink this really weird (but fantastic), coffee with the shape of a heart on it! They even wrote the kanji for love on my omelette, but Toga just bathed her plate with ketchup instead. Then we spent our whole day at the biggest mall I've ever seen..!"
With an intense fevor the teen spouted details as they came. He spoke on as many elements as possible but found the restraint to leave out the bits that included Tomura and the others. While at first it was strictly the new experiences he inevitably went as far as to retread the brand new and long burried feelings of fascination, wonder and excitement
All the while Inko smiled even wider than her son did. Her attention was laser focused on the vividness of the story and enjoying the life and energy he radiated for the first time in a very long time. It was almost like he never grew up and still rattled off his every passion close to his heart
But more interesting was the transition into the subject of his new friend. The green haired woman was finally being informed of the girl that occupied most of her son's thoughts. She keenly absorbed every listed given attribute and what she could infer to create the mental image of a beautiful young girl with boundless energy and motivation, much like her son. Of course her mental image could never compare to the real deal but until Izuku was confident enough to present her then she'd have to make do
"...and turns out Himeko's really good with fashion." Izuku continued, still talking without having taken a breath
"Really?" She wondered. "So she was the one that chose your new clothes?"
"Yep!" He confirmed, taking a bite of his now cold eggs. "She even taught me a few things on dressing well."
The brief second of calm was all Inko needed to know her son ran out of conversation. Her soft sigh only put it to a close
"I'm so proud you found a girl you like to spend time with." Inko teased, making him blush. But unlike last time he didn't stop to deny it
"And I'm glad I found someone to talk to." He said, his smile darkening slightly at the notion. "She seemed like she needed a friend. And... then she helped me in being my friend too. It worked out in the end."
Finally the boy downed his plate's remains hastily before his current thought abandoned him. Like reviving a fire he jumped from his seat and stood at the hallway's end before turning to his mom again
"I still gotta show you my new clothes!" He bolted away
Inko could only continue to observe her son still full of life and hope after all the hardship. To see him talking about his crush like a normal boy his age was a refreshing change of pace from the endless heartbreak of... just about everything else
As such the proud mother basked in the joy of the moment rather than the recognizable heartache of the past. She could only hope things would stay just as well. And thankfully hope was all she needed
An odd few hours passed before the boy finally decided to leave his house, finishing his passionate conversation with his mother and checking over his schoolwork. He was already feeling the joy of reliving his best day ever but the added feeling of closing ninety tabs on his computer solidified his present high. Still, the faint presence of stress was impossible to shake away
Of course there was only one other place he wanted to visit. Soon enough Izuku walked from a patch of darkness and into the light of the dingy bar. The change in atmosphere, however, was not enough to wipe the small but permanent smile from his face. He'd wondered about the two newest additions to the 'League of Villains' and where they may be, only for one of them to rush at him the moment he appeared
"Izu!" Toga shouted, throwing herself for a tight embrace that locked the teens in place
"Himeko!" He returned the energy and the hug. "How're you settling in?"
The genuine inquiry got a joyous laugh from the girl who's smile trumped that of Midoriya's. "Everything's great." She answered, pulling the boy towards the bartop and into the seat beside her
Next to them was the other new addition, a stranger now unexpected ally. His curious glance was accompanied by his amused smirk like spotting beacons of joy
"Hey." Izuku greeted politely. "Are you doing well?"
"Yeah. Pretty peachy place." He replied almost sarcastically but failing due to the sincerity in the question
The information widened the boy's smile. The former doubt and partial regret from the day before had already disappeared at seeing both Toga and Dabi in one piece. But the confirmation was assuring
Bringing back his attention to the present was a sliding glass of soda with ice that presented itself before him, finally bringing him to the man made of shadows standing before him
"Anything of note for today young Midoriya?" He asked. His usual flat tone was different, however.
"Not really. Why?" He returned the question
"It seems that master has presented a reward for you given your recent successes." The misty man informed. "It was a pleasant surprise that you managed to recruit two new members for our cause, which is two more than we had before." He reiterated, almost as a dig at the distracted boy at the couch
Izuku was baffled by the mention of a 'reward' for his efforts. He'd assumed that his 'reward' was simply knowing that he'd been able to help save two people from the world on his own terms and not requiring the help of heroes but instead using his own influence. Of course he wouldn't turn anything down but...
Before those present could be left wondering about this present the man of shadow pulled two bright colored pieces of paper from his vest pocket and gave them to the young boy. Izuku now held the smooth, laminated paper in his hands and stared at them with genuine bewilderment
"...Tickets for the UA Sports Festival?"
"Indeed." The man confirmed. "Of course this is not without purpose as it ties directly into your next assignment."
"But how? I mean, why?" Izuku questioned before thinking. But the moment the words left his mouth he recognized the how. This was the same man that gathered a small army of thugs from thin air and owned the bar they inhabited, the warehouses nearby and the creature that fought All Might on equal footing. There was very little beyond his sensei's reach
That grander realization would've frightened the unknowing boy under normal circumstances. But his thoughts limited to the paper in his hands. He was more startled by the fact that a 'villain' by all intents and purposes would've ever granted him this childhood wish of his, to see the heroes up close and gawk at their abilities
The expressionless man nodded in response to the questions. "As I stated before this is tied to your next assignment. You will be using your skills to analyze the students' abilities and learn of ways to counter them in the near and far future. As students of a prestigious hero school even the freshman of this year are your likely opponents moving forward. It's best to gather their weaknesses now." Kurogiri repeated. "Of course the event's broadcast will be recorded for you to study and you're well within your rights to explore the festivities."
"So this is killing two birds with one stone." The boy noted
"It's two tickets... am I allowed to bring someone?"
"Certainly, its your reward after all."
Izuku had no opportunity to wonder his options for his answer sat directly beside him and looked at him in a strange pleading manner
"Would you like to come with?" He asked Toga, who's wide eyes and grin grew as though she didn't expect it
"Yes! It could be our second date! We could even dress up with the clothes we bought the other day!" She fantasized, her hands placed over her cheeks in innocent excitement
"Sorry Dabi." The boy apologized to the spectator
"It's fine, I'd rather not get between you and your date after all." He teased, making the teen blush at the realization of what he's agreed to
"Not to ruin the mood." Shigaraki lied. "But the festival is our chance to scout potential members for us as well. Its not every day that our additions fall out of the sky."
"And yet if you bothered to advertise we wouldn't have to hope that they do." Kurogiri chided as he left to grab another drink
"I'm working on it damnit!" The young man shouted after him
The thought of new members caught Izuku off guard. It wasn't impossible for a UA student to join their cause but highly improbably. They were striving to be heroes! They were practically set for the rest of their lives...
"Especially Kacchan..."
"At least... we'll get to see how much they've trained."
"Their skills have likely improved since our last encounter." Kurogiri agreed on his return
"That just means we'll have to train too!" Izuku countered. His firey enthusiasm would not allow defeat again
"Training huh? I guess I should try that." Toga wondered, laying her head down to gather her thoughts. But soon enough she turned her towards Midoriya with a devious grin
"Hey Izuku, you wanna fight me?"
"What? Why would I want to do that?"
"Come on!" She whined as though she were asking for a treat of sorts. "It'll be part of our training! I'll even go easy on you. It'll be fun!"
"I guess she isn't going to avoid combat." He sighed to himself
"...Sure, we could train." He caved. "But I should warn you that I'm kind of strong."
"Oh? Are you bragging?" She wondered, hopping out of her seat and playfully raising her fists
"No..." He smiled. "I'm just warning you beforehand."
"We'll see who's better than who." She declared. Immediately she walked out of the bar despite not knowing where to go, to all of their immense amusement
Soon enough Izuku found himself inside the unsanctioned gym with added company. Without much objection the group moved to the sidelines and watched on as both Toga and Midoriya finished their warm ups
The moment the two hopped into place Izuku finally began to regret his decision of fighting his friend. Even if it was a friendly spar having to stare at his friend as though she were any other opponent filled him with all sorts of confused feelings, none of which were positive
"Hey." He hesitated. "Are you sure we should fight? I don't want to hurt you."
"It's fine!" Toga assured confidently. "All you have to do is pin me down!"
Her teasing reached deaf ears. Instead Izuku found himself trying to measure his own strength for the first time. Of all the fights he has been in he never had to hold back, giving it his all no matter the situation. But the thought of punching Himeko at full force was not pleasing
Before he could try and strategize the signal for the match's start went off. As soon as the bell was heard Izuku was startled to see a small knife flying at his face. His immediate reaction was to push himself to the side and nearly tripping over himself as the blade zipped past him. Were his reaction speed any slower his ear would've been cut clean off or worse...
"She did know I could dodge that right?" He thought, recomposing himself and finally holding his battle stance
Izuku looked forward but noticed that Toga was nowhere to be found. She'd vanished like dust in the wind and likewise he could not hear any sign of her. Just as he was about to question her whereabouts a weight suddenly pressed over him and legs wrapped around his neck. He looked up to see the playful Toga who held a knife in each hand and contained a murderous glint in her eyes
Panic surged him to action. The two knives were continuously jabbed at his head but his arms parried each attempt. The teens thrashed around like a cowboy riding a bull but eventually she took advantage of his lack of balance and forced Izuku to heave forward. Toga's hands met the ground and she used the momentum to roll over her back and send him tumbling away
The green haired boy struggled to fight the dizziness as he rose to his knees. But almost immediately Toga had closed the distance and lunged forward to try and land a flying knee attack. Deja Vu overtook Izuku as he pictured the flying blonde to be the same angry blonde he fought before. His mind recognized the attack in a different form and countered by instinctively raising his arm and ducking, deflecting the attack and causing the girl to soar past him. Likewise he hopped to his feet and whipped around to face his attacker. His body remembered the steel toed boot that once slammed into his chest and was expecting a stream of explosive blasts before he came to his senses
"Did I learn that from my last fight?"
The thought could not be processed fully as Himeko rolled to break the fall. She ultimately landed on her knees and stared at Izuku with red cheeks and a wide smile. "This is kind of fun!"
"Fun?" Izuku questioned, his worry for his friend's safety twisting into worry for his own
"I don't know. It's like I'm playing with food." She elaborated. "Maybe this'll make your blood taste sweeter!"
Like a crazed maniac the teen rushed in with a feverish glee and slashed her knives wildly in an attempt to create a wound somewhere, anywhere, in the hopes that she stained them. But the attacks were poor and sloppy as they were alarming. Izuku carefully deflected each one as even in the chaos of the silver blurs Izuku's mind understood the logic that was hidden amongst it all. He managed to avoid the attacks the very moment he registered them without a second to spare. But for a split second the string of knife slashes stopped as the girl fell low to the ground and swept the boy's legs with her foot. The teen fell flat on his back with a hard thump that reset his mind
Izuku scrambled to his feet but the predatory opponent jumped at the opportunity, hopping on top of her prey and trying to jab both knives into Izuku's chest. But the moment she tried two hands were swiftly placed onto her stomach. She was stunned by the boy's boldness before she was shoved away at full force
The fallen teen had no time to feel embarrassed. He shifted his body weight to his upper back and hopped to his feet, a move from the movies he'd been practicing in real life. But he was unaware that his opponent had landed on her feet and recieved an opportunity of attack the second he recovered. Just as he raised his head an axe kick struck the base of his spine
Midoriya's world darkened as his body reeled back from the stunning attack. His mind and body struggled to retain a hold on the world as his feet did their best to keep him balanced. But the attacks continued nonetheless as a foot slipped into his side and then slammed square in his chest, knocking him backwards. But thankfully he landed on a wall before he could fall to the floor again
The nausea in his stomach was quelled by cold metal piercing it. The focus in the boy's eyes returned the moment his body registered the small blade stuck to it. He couldn't help but glance at the weapon sticking out of him like a twig, which was not large enough to be lethal but definitely enough to be known. But the moment of distraction was enough for Toga. She seemingly appeared yet again and now too close and too ready for Izuku to dodge. The teen could only raise his arms and cover his face from wild slashes resembling extreme cat stratches
Yet Izuku found himself surprisingly calm. The anxiety of getting hurt left his system in spite of the pain."Find an opening." His mind prompted without needing to as his fears escaped through the thin hole in his stomach
In spite of the white hot pain in his arms his mind defaulted to calm. He analyzed the situation with a scary amount of accuracy before finally spotting his opportunity
For a brief second the girl outstretched her arm too far in preparation for another slash. To her surprise the attack streak was interrupted by an arm that interfered with her swing, freezing her in place and allowing the defender to step forward and shove her with his full body. But she was quick to cover her tracks. The second she could she tossed two more knives at Midoriya in the middle of her tumble
The boy did not expect the move but his body was already prepared for it, side stepping the attack and avoiding it completely. However the girl recovered as though she were a cat. The moment both feet settled onto the ground she reached into her box of knives and tossed a few more blades once more, catching Izuku in the middle of his movement
Left with little option his head ducked into his arms to block the attack. All three knives stuck into his arms like dartboards but were still to small and thin to deal permanent damage. He gritted his teeth to prevent the strange chill in his arms from overtaking him, scanning his environment for his now missing assailant
His enhanced mind had already learned the nature of Himeko's disappearance without forming it into words. It was like any trace of her was now missing. Sound, smell and... feeling. The same sensation that registered a person's existence was now missing and left him wondering where she was despite his field of view being rather wide. He'd swear this was the effect of a quirk were it not that he already knew her true quirk. His advanced senses allowed him to identify her presence despite how hard it was to catch but he still needed ample time. And in the middle of battle this was especially dangerous given that he didn't have enough time to identify the faintest presence of danger
He'd well since learned a moment is all a person needs to turn the tides of battle
But his quirk influenced more than just his body. His mind quickly analyzed Toga's pattern of attack and predicted where she'd strike next. He turned to the left and spotted her just as she had lunged at him. Immediately he reacted by reaching out and grabbing the attacking wrist a fraction of a second before the blade made impact. He redirected the attack by twisting in place and using his foot to trip her the moment she lost balance. The result was her now lying face down with a captured arm
Not even Izuku had registered the event until he heard Toga's faint groan. He snapped back to normal and found himself partially laying over his opponent's back to prevent her from moving and effectively pinning her down
"Oh crap! Sorry are you okay?!" He panicked. He quickly released the girl and helped her back to her feet
"Yeah..." She confirmed with a less chipper tone. "But I didn't win..."
Midoriya was paralyzed moreso by the emotion than by the bloodied steel protruding from his body. He'd assumed he was too rough or hit her too hard but instead Toga was just being... well childish was the only real way of putting it
He didn't know he had to let her win. Now he helt like he'd made a massive mistake on his part.
Of course this unease went away when she lifted her head to reveal a bright, unbothered smile. "But I had fun!!"
The switch up in emotions threw the innocent boy for a loop. His hands hovered over her shoulders as though to comfort her but he remained a little seperated to give her space. The only thing that brought him back to his senses was the return of a dull pain in his stomach
"Can I have these back?" Himeko pleaded
"...Sure..." He aggreed as calmly as he could
His body was well used to the numbness of a stab wound. Both the size of the knives and his quirk's adaptability meant that they were only a small bother. In fact the bleeding did not get any worse by their removal and only continued for a few moments before stopping altogether. But the adrenaline from battle did not subside. Instead the frantic energy manifested itself in his mind that worked to etch the recent battle into memory
He was too distracted to notice Toga had begun to lick the blood off the knives. Although they were sharp their design made them only effective at stabbing rather than slashing, but likewise the damage was kept to deep but narrow holes that were imprinted into the boy for the moment
He also didn't notice Dabi standing over his shoulder. His body tensed slightly at the proximity but made no further movement as the man prodded him
"Damn kid, you handled yourself well." He complimented, snapping Izuku from his odd trance. "I thought you'd get laid out."
"Thanks. I've been training my body for a while but I still don't have much experience in fights." He confessed
The man peered further at Izuku's wounds, noticing their state. "The bleeding already stopped?"
Izuku couldn't help but look at his arm. He wiped the warm liquid away and saw how it barely poured out. His arm resembled a leaky faucet or a slightly broken pipe rather than a gushing injury
"Right, I never told you my quirk did I?" He realized. "It's called Survivor. It basically enhances my body and my mind. I learn things faster and my instincts are sharper but my body is also better and more adaptable. For example, since I get stabbed a lot it closes wounds faster and during my spar I learned how to counter Toga's movements and attacks! I'd say-"
Midoriya didn't realize he'd started rambling until he suddenly lacked the air to talk further. The very moment he was allowed he slipped back into his strange habit of over explaining and hyper focusing on certain things. But to his pleasure Dabi remained interested. Even though the teen interrupted his own rant Dabi patiently continued, unbothered
"So your quirk isn't just physical, but mental too?"
"Oh! Well... yeah." Izuku replied, rubbing the back of his head. "My senses are a little advanced but I've learned that my quirk has a habit of 'correcting itself' based on my past mistakes. It's kind of like adapting but mentally instead of physically. I... still have some figuring out to do."
At that the scarred man nodded along. He was still too much of a stranger for anyone to know his thoughts, but he at least looked satisfied. In turn, the curious kid glanced at his scars
"And you? What's your quirk?"
"Mine? It's a little plain." He said, raising his palm to summon a small blue flame for only a second
"You're a pyrokinetic?" Izuku wondered, getting a small nod of confirmation
"But you have burn scars... and from the intensity of your fire..." Midoriya pieced together. "Are your flames capable of bypassing your own heat resistance?"
"That's quite the catch." He smirked. "But no, I'm not heat resistant."
"That's..."
"Unfortunate?"
"Fascinating!"
Dabi was momentarily stunned by the answer. He watched as the kid's eye's sparkled with interest and a hint of mania like he'd never seen before
"That's so weird! Is your control over flames any different from others? If not then what happened to your resistance? If I remember correctly all pyrokinetics have a level of resistance to their own flames as far back as the earliest examples of the quirk. Did you only inherit half of it? Did you lose part of it and become part quirkless? Did you develop something else instead?"
"I have another elemental resistance, just not fire." Dabi answered before the spiral of questions could get any worse. Luckily that halted the stream of thoughts
"So you developed a different... so your parents were-"
"I'm not answering that." He shut down
"I've never heard of this happening before..."
"Neither have I." The same voice replied beside him. Of course it was none other than an imposter Midoriya who licked at the now clean knife
"And you've never tried to access this other element?" The real Izuku asked without getting distracted
"Nope. Never managed it."
"Huh..." He froze with thought. "You have half of a quirk and half of another. And your blue fire. Is that the influence of your other quirk?"
"I- No." Dabi confirmed. "I've trained my flames to become more intese. They used to be the regular red and orange."
"Huh. Are you sure?" Izuku interrogated, his imposter mimicking his furrowed brow beside him. "Someone like Endeavor can only use blue flames on occasion. Even if you don't see it your other quirk probably helped develop your flame's intensity even if a little bit. Like adding a different type of fuel or something."
The flame villain looked a tad shocked at the observation, staring at his hand for a moment before being interrupted
"...Can I see how strong they are?"
"No./No!!" Both voices denied
"Why not? I'm sure I can take it!"
"Only I'm allowed to hurt you Izu! You're not gonna burn yourself just 'cause!" The other Midoriya stated while restraining him
"I've fought people who could counter my flame and even they couldn't handle it. It'll be a long while before I consider it."
"Then I'll just have to train." Izuku huffed. He could already imagine himself taking an incalculable amount of hot showers until his body could finally handle the stress of the heat
In response Dabi's charred face made another smirk of amusement. Almost casually his hand raised itself and settled over Izuku's soft hair, rubbing it like he were a child. The odd emptiness in his eyes were momentarily replaced with the faint fire of life once more
"Maybe one day. But not for now. You're still a little beat up."
The words only annoyed Izuku further. He continued to display an uncharacteristic amount of stubbornness before he finally steeled himself. He knew the two were right but the requirement of training only enabled his wrecklessness
"Still," Izuku sighed, "if I were you I'd look into the other half of your quirk. Who knows, maybe it'll help with your fire too."
Again Dabi was silent. His expressionless face hid whatever thoughts he might harbor but the contemplation was still visible
"Now that I'm not interrupting anything," Kurogiri cut in, "master becons you young Midoriya."
"Oh! Well, does he mind if I'm still... you know." He wondered, motioning to the bloodstained shirt and his unclean wounds
"He'll allow you a shower before you go."
"Right, thanks Kurogiri!"
Without another word Izuku rushed out of the warehouse. But the shadowy man sighed at his departure. "I could've sent him using a portal."
"Does Izuku have his own room here?" Himeko asked, still knawing at the small piece of steel
"Yes."
"Hmm..." She hummed, her devious thoughts clear within her mischievous grin
"I didn't know the kid was so... passionate."
"Yup! It's how I met him after all." Toga commented
"It's one of his more admirable traits." Kurogiri added
A notable quietness settled itself after the warehouse doors slammed shut, leaving everyone to their own devices once more. Himeko continued to hum to herself with the knife in her mouth, content with her day that has yet to finish. Tomura distracted himself with a handheld console in the corner. And Kurogiri returned to the bar. But Dabi sat in the familiar silence of his own thoughts, the aftermath of his informative conversation
He already recognized Midoriya's talent for observation from their first meeting. And yet he was impressed with his ability to garner such meaningful information on little to go by. Even Dabi himself questioned his own abilities despite being so... deeply familiar with them
Quietly he held a small flame over his palm once more. His fingers were the only part of his hand left intact but even they had bits and pieces of raw redness. Yet they were nothing compared to the dark purple shade that burrowed into his sleeve. A hot numbness quickly overtook his entire forearm while the heat sered his already burned hand
"So there's more to learn huh? That's a neat thought."
His lack of care for his own body was not a replacement for his weakness and even now his quirk only worked to destroy him. But the smallest hope that he could get better... a higher peak in power...
"I haven't felt this in a while." He remarked, smiling a childish smile at the light that ate at him. He looked at the flame with just as much intensity for the first time in a while
This thing of his already harbored the furthest extent of his anger and rage. It was the product of all his broken dreams. It was all he knew
Should it become more volatile...
Eventually he shook the light away and stiffled a smile that threatened to reveal his true intentions. Instead he turned to Himeko and playfully tapped the back of her neck with his hot hand
"Ow! Was was that for?!" She whipped around and glared
"No reason." He toyed, pocketing his hand and walking away. "Just felt like it."