Chapter 7: Training Days

Today was the first day, the first step on the road to becoming a hero. Izuku and his idol All Might have met at the once beautiful beach. However, now it's covered by trash and twisted metal.

Still, Izuku stands ready for his training, still somewhat in denial that this has all happened. Him with a quirk, a powerful quirk at that, and trained by his hero All Might.

All Might: "Are you ready Shonen?!"

Izuku: "Yeah!"

All Might: "Excellent! But first, there was a topic we failed to discuss yesterday. And that is the ability you have that isn't like the others."

Izuku: "The fire, right? I haven't…really been able to use it since. I tried just a little at home."

All Might: "Dangerous, shonen. Try to save training with that side of your Quirk for outdoors. Now, can you describe your parent's Quirks for me again?"

Izuku: "Well, mom already mentioned it to you, but she can pull things about as big as her purse to her. It takes multiple motions though. My dad…"

He looked down, remembering the few times he has dared ask about his father. The near instant anger from Tatsumaki and the sadness from his mother…was enough to stop further questions.

Izuku: "I…don't know. Can we…not talk about it?"

He started to mumble, his volume decreasing as he remembers that his father seems to be a taboo subject.

All Might:"Hmmm…alright Shonen. We can leave that side of your quirk alone for now."

With that settled, Izuku regained his composure and will to train.

Izuku: "Thank you, All Might."

All Might: "Think nothing of it. Now! Let's start figuring out just what you're capable of, shonen, and worry about specifics later."

All Might: "We know you can lift small items and lift at least an average junior high student…so let's see what your limits are! Do you see that, shonen?"

All Might pointed off to the side where piles of junk were. Izuku turned and scanned the piles until he realized exactly what he was staring at. He's eyes bulged out at the sight.

Izuku: "IS THAT AN EIGHTEEN-WHEELER CAB?! HOW DID THAT GET THERE?!"

Indeed, the old big rig was practically buried about cabin deep in the junk, with its wheels sticking out at about a 30-degree angle. All Might's boisterous laugh sounded from behind him.

All Might: "Yes, this beach is truly a shadow of its former self. Had we been strength training for One For All, that would have either been your graduation test or I would have been forced to move it myself."

He clapped a hand on Izuku's shoulder

All Might: "With your Telekinesis though…maybe it'll be a cinch! Go for it! You can do it!"

Izuku took a couple deep breaths before clapping his face. All Might believed in him, so he couldn't fail here! He closed his eyes and dug deep for his power. When he opened them again, his irises were blazing emeralds.

The green glow enveloped the rusting behemoth and Izuku tried to lift it straight up. There was a groaning noise as some junk shifted and slid off the pile. The sound of straining metal filled the air.

Izuku had already started sweating and his form was trembling. With a grimace, he threw his arm out as the green glow around him intensified. His arm was quivering like a leaf in a hurricane and he was letting out pained grunts.

The big rig truck slowly lifted up, but Izuku seemed to lose the ability to breathe. Every muscle in his body was trembling and his face had turned bright red.

With a gasp, he let go, collapsing to the sand. The truck groaned and flexed dangerously as it settled back into its heap. He'd been able to lift it about two feet which wasn't enough to separate it from the rest of the trash.

It was honestly more than All Might had expected. But he'd certainly been unable to hold it in midair or move it at all. And even with just that, Izuku was panting like he'd been in a triathlon. With cinder blocks attached to his feet.

All Might: 'What an… amazing Quirk…I truly hadn't believed he'd be able to even budge it. He's had his Quirk for a day…Just what kind of potential does it have? Could he even surpass his sisters?'

The possibilities were almost endless and most of them were good for the world. All Might slowly grinned even wider than his Symbol of Peace grin.

All Might: "That… that was quite a show, shonen."

Izuku: "I couldn't do it…"

He moaned, and clutched at his head.

Izuku: "And I have a headache now. Sorry for disappointing you, All Might…"

All Might: "Disappointed?"

All Might's head snapped to him in shock and thought-

All Might: 'Just what has this poor boy gone through to give him self-esteem issues this bad?'

All Might: "Shonen, I'm as far from disappointed as I could possibly be. I intended for that to be an impossible task…a goal for you to work towards if your Quirk was the type to grow in strength."

All Might: "There are some with harder limits that can't be overcome. That was supposed to be your motivation and instead you blew me out of the water!"

He smiled at the stunned boy and ruffled his hair.

All Might: "I now have to wonder…were you unable to lift it fully because you believed that it was too heavy…or were you unable to lift it because your Quirk is still in its untrained, fledgling state?"

All Might: 'Either answer to that question is… a little scary. Thank goodness he isn't as quick to anger as the eldest Midoriya.'

Miles away a certain green haired women sneezed a few poor villains into a building.

All Might: "Quite frankly, if it weren't for the fact that I already know you don't have a villainous bone in your body, I would be terrified of your potential."

Izuku was mute, blushing madly at the praise. His breathing had returned to normal though his heart was still hammering. His head was still a bit achy too.

All Might allowed himself to revert and relax.

All Might: "Truly, it was a sight to see. Now, let's keep at it. Clearly a couple tons of eighteen-wheeler is too much right now. Let's try some lighter things and try to see if you can do multiple objects at a time."

Energy restored from the praise, Izuku got off his knees and beamed, ready for the rest of the training.

Izuku: "Yes sir!"

It wasn't working.

Months had passed since then, and yet Valkyrie still wasn't sure what to do. Ever since Izuku awoke his power, she had argued with herself on what was the best course of action. Even questioning her own existence more than usual.

Every now and then ,between her patrolling, she went back to Izuku's mind for rest and observed his training. Each time becoming more proud of her onii-chan, yet still feeling worried. His ability with his quirk is steady increasing thanks to All Might and her onee-chan's training.

Her own power seemed to have increased alongside his but that fact doesn't offer her comfort.

When he eventually reaches a state where he can inherit One For All, what need will he have for her? With power like that, he would eventually achieve his dream of becoming a hero. He wouldn't need her anymore, would he?

The more she thought about it, the more her phantom heart ached with sadness. Why did she have to feel this way…

Shouldn't she be happy that Izuku finally got a chance to be a hero?

She'd faced some of the strongest and deadliest Villains and quirk beasts without even batting an eye.

But why…

Why was it that she felt so much fear and pain at being unneeded by her dear brother?

Her entire purpose for existing was to be a hero, but she was now unsure if she still had a reason to exist with Izuku's nearing inheritance of One For All. He could go and…be a hero himself...

Valkyrie looked to the faraway mountains, a sudden thought occurring to her. Maybe she should seek out advice from a friend instead of tackling the situation all by herself. She should have thought of that earlier!

She drops off her latest criminal at the nearest police station before rushing to her friend.

A new day, another grueling session of training. At least it's All Might today.

Tatsumaki can be even more hard on him than All Might sometimes. But thanks to that tough love, his power has increased greatly.

Izuku still hadn't managed to lift the truck cab with the same ease that he could lift something smaller, but he could now hold it above the rest of the trash for a couple minutes before the mental strain got to him.

All Might had forbidden him from moving it off the beach unless he could do it in one motion. In fact, he'd been told that if it touched any part of the beach, another trash heap, or fell, he would personally move it right back.

Izuku hadn't made much progress actually cleaning the beach yet. Mostly he'd been able to move smaller items like chairs and tires with his powers easily. Items like fridges still tire him out after about two hours at best.

In addition, All Might had finally started his strength training while Tatsumaki and Fubuki help him better his technique.

They still had no success with any fire. Fubuki forbade him from damaging himself on purpose to test the fire ability. Speaking of Fubuki…

She was a great help when testing out the flexibility of his power. But every time he makes progress she seems…sad for some reason. All Might and Tastumaki are always praising his progress so Fubuki's attitude stood out.

Despite that, Izuku didn't let it bother him. She trusted his beloved sister with his life.

With that in mind, Izuku walked out of his house at about five AM to get to the beach for his training, only to jerk to a stop as he realized Toshinori was already outside and waiting for him.

In a car.

A very fancy car.

All Might: "Hop in, shonen! Today we're taking a trip. It took a while to set up around this time of the year, so I had to wait a bit longer than I wished."

Izuku: "Where are we going and do my sisters know where you're taking me?"

Izuku asked as he buckled in.

Izuku: "And for some reason I didn't think All Might would like fancy cars…" He mumbled out loud.

All Might: "Bahaha! Shonen, I'm not crazy enough to hide this from your sisters. They know but for now, I'll keep the place a secret. As for the car, Even if saving people is its own reward, the money does help occasionally. I normally don't drive at all, but as my health declined I've ended up doing it more often."

Izuku: "Okay, how long will it take to get there?"

All Might: "A while, you can nap if you like. Were the final exams for the semester stressful?"

Izuku: "Yesss…"

Izuku hissed out, recalling how the semester had ended. He stayed silent for a moment before answering.

Izuku: "All Might… was I… right to just ignore the other kids? To confront Kacchan?"

He asked timidly, as his mind drifted to the next time he had school after, the incident, as well as the days following it.

Izuku couldn't help but shiver slightly, though he couldn't fathom why. The day had proceeded…fairly routinely actually. He hadn't said a word about his new Quirk, and clearly the news hadn't recorded his face or actions since no one had brought it up.

As far as anyone knew, he was still just worthless little Deku. Even Kacchan hadn't said anything. Actually, he hadn't so much as acknowledged Izuku's existence. Hadn't even glanced in his direction, at all since the incident.

Maybe that was what was giving him this bad feeling. That was so unlike Kacchan. He was much more…

Explosive. Loud. Confrontational.

Typical of his Quirk really.

He hadn't even raised his hand to answer a question today. When called, by either one of his hanger-on's or the teacher, he had been even nastier than usual. No small feat when his default seemed to be set to absolute cockiness.

The bell rang and Izuku hurried out the classroom, eager to get back to Dagobah and continue his training. Tatsumaki would be joining him today and he didn't want to disappoint her by being late.

However, his plan hit a little snag. Or maybe the snag hit him.

Bakugo: "DEKU!"

He cringed as Katsuki's voice rang up behind him. He eyed his peers, some grinning maliciously, eager to see him get another beat down. Others just regarded him with pity in their eyes and turned away.

He didn't even have time to say a word, as when he turned around Kacchan had already grabbed him by the lapels and slammed him into a locker. He let out a surprised grunt, though he wasn't yet in pain.

Bakugo: "You little bastard…What the fuck was that last Friday, Deku?"

Izuku: "K-k-k-k-k-Kacchan! I-I-I don't kno-"

Bakugo: "CUT THE CRAP, BASTARD!"

He roared in his face, spraying him with spit. At this point, the rest of the onlookers had realized this wasn't just standard Katsuki. No, something had happened. Something which utterly infuriated him.

Bakugo: "Has it been fun huh, you little shit? Making a fucking FOOL out of me?!"

Izuku: "Kacchan, what are you talking about!?"

Bakugo: "YOU KNOW DAMN WELL! Quirks don't develop past four you bastard! You've been hiding it for years, haven't you?!"

Everyone in the hall gasped or started murmuring.

Bakugo: "Has it been fun, you fucker? Has it been fun making me the butt of your joke for years?!"

Izuku: "J-j-j"

First confusion. How could Bakugo possible think he would pull such a joke.

Then astonishment. Bakugo really thinks Izuku thought he suffered though bullying and ridicule…for a joke.

Finally, rage. Red hot anger at the thought that Bakugo would dare think such a thing!

Izuku: "Just what kind of TROLL LOGIC ARE YOU OPERATING ON, KACCHAN?!"

He shoved the boy back and Katsuki stumbled, a look of utter shock on his face at Izuku growing a spine. The murmurs around increased in volume,

Izuku: "I thought… I thought you'd be happy for me, but you're still the same!"

Rage began to cool as Izuku's notorious crybaby nature was threatening to rear its head. Why couldn't Bakugo be true friend to him.

Izuku: "You think Ilikedgetting bullied by you!? By all of you?! Having my dreams stomped on and crushed? That I was just pretending and having a good laugh out of sight behind your back?!"

When the absurdity of Bakugo's claims were said outloud, anger returned with a vengeance. It was even starting to literally waft off the boy. The rest of the students gasped as his hair started to wave and his signature green glow was starting to show.

Bakugo: "DEKU!"

Katsuki bellowed, rearing an arm back as explosions ignited it.

Bakugo: "How else do you explain it huh?! Quirks don't just magically appear, you bastard!"

Izuku froze as he heard Katsuki's voice, even though his next words weren't spoken at all. 'You were a pebble! Just a pebble in my path! A nobody!'

Izuku: 'Pebble?'

Izuku thought to himself, ignoring his Quirk showing another facet to it for the moment.

Izuku: 'Is that really all you saw me as?'

His sadness grew as he came to terms with the fact that his former friend really hadchanged completely for the worse. Nothing remained about the cheerful, if somewhat mean, boy Izuku had befriended so long ago.

And apparently all the praise heaped on him since early childhood had made him develop a full-blown superiority complex on top of all his other issues.

Izuku: 'You need a wakeup call, Kacchan… and I'm not afraid of you anymore! I'll save you, even if it's you I need to save you from!'

Izuku: "Well mine did! And I'm going to use it to get into U.A. same as you! I'm going to become the greatest hero in the world!"

Bakugo: "Deku… STOP LOOKING DOWN ON ME!"

Izuku: "I'M NOT LOOKING DOWN ON ANYONE! I'M NOT THE ONE WHO THINKS HE'S THE MAIN CHARACTER!"

Bakugo: "DEKU!"

Izuku: "KACCHAN!"

Katsuki charged forward, his arm igniting in mini explosions building up in a crescendo. Izuku's green glow engulfed him, his eyes turning into pools of shimmering emerald and his hair whipping about.

Katsuki was picked up and thrown back into the lockers. He hit the metal and crushed it, a shockwave crumpling other lockers beside his impact zone.

Even the tiles on the floor were cracked and broken. But that's not all, Katsuki also lost control of his Quirk for a moment in his astonishment, and a massive explosion turned yet more lockers and even the wall behind him into rubble.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!"

Their homeroom teacher was hurrying forward and pushing the other astonished kids aside. He skid to a halt and gaped at Izuku, who dropped his Quirk and reverted to stammering old Izuku, sweating up a storm. The teacher gaped at him in shock.

"Was that a Quirk?! At your age?!"

Izuku: "Err…Maybe?"

He squeaked, the fading adrenaline leaving him cold and timid once more.

"That's amazing!"

The teacher gasped, before shaking himself and resuming his forced air of authority as he saw the damage.

"Bakugo! Midoriya! Principal's office! NOW!"

Izuku hurried after the man as Katsuki stood, somewhat scuffed up but not really harmed. He was… a very durable young man. Even that hadn't really hurt him, though any other teen there would have had a couple broken bones at least.

His face was expressionless as he followed them, though if anyone else had been asked they would have claimed his face looked thunderous.

Deku hadn'tjuststood up to him… Hadn't finally grown a pair and fought back…

He'd drawn first blood.

The days following that, when they both returned from their week-long suspension, had been… confusing.

Strange.Irritating.

He expected Tatsumaki and Fubuki's rage at Kacchan. The near bloodbath between Tatsu and Kacchan's mother. It took All Might and Inko to calm them down. Despite the tension, it was expected and normal.

But what wasn't was Kacchan's reaction.

Kacchan hadn't said a word, quite the opposite, the boy had been ignoring him entirely except for nasty glares.

The other kids though…they hadn't exactly been sweet and innocent either. The ones who had bullied him their entire lives…had immediately started trying to cozy up to him. Acting like they were friends. Praising his quirk…never him. Acting like…all the bullying had never happened.

Those who had just stood aside and let him get bullied were no better.

Really, hadn't he always wanted friends of his own? Hadn't he dreamed of a day where he would have a Quirk and would finally be accepted?

And yet when he finally had it…he first got claustrophobic and then he gotangry. How fake could they all possibly be? Not ONE of them had ever evenapologizedfor all the snide remarks and insults.

If he were Kacchan he would most definitely have told them all to fuck right off and told them exactly where they could shove their 'friendship.'

But he wasn't Kacchan. He was Izuku.

And he'd not accepted a single invite to hang out. Hadn't joined any groups…He kept them at arm's length at best. Shrugged off any friendly gestures. Spoke politely at some points, stuttered like normal at others…

Nothing had really changed, and this time it was because of him. And of course, his rejection had offended the little bastards, and it was right back to sneers and loneliness.

All Might: 'Years of mistreatment doesn't just go away, shonen.'

Toshinori thought to himself as they drove off.

All Might: "Can I say you were right? No I can't. No one can say that except for you, Izuku. What I can say is what those kids did to you wasn't right. And personally, I'm glad you didn't buy into their 'friendship.' People can be incredibly fake and the fact that not one of them apologized to you exemplifies that."

He put a hand on Izuku's head and ruffled his hair.

All Might: "UA will be a new beginning for you, shonen. I'm sure you'll make plenty of friends once you make it in. Ones who like you for you and aren't just trying to be seen next to the 'next big Quirk.' You don't need any of those kids by your side."

Izuku: "Thanks… Toshi."

All Might: "Any time, shonen."

Deep within the secret mountain base, alarms start to blare with deafening volume, indicating that someone or something had tripped the multiple perimeter defenses. Three sets of feet thundered down the hallway as they made their way to the control center, a woman already manning the console and flicking on several switches.

"What have we got?"

The muscular man asked, hunching over the petite woman and eyeing the screens warily.

"Unknown bogey, approaching fast. Its tripped the laser defenses and is nearly here. This is no wild animal we're dealing with."

"A vehicle?"

"Radar's not picking anything up. Thermal imaging returns one unit, closing in. It's plowing straight through the mini force-field barriers! Whatever it is, it's tough and not stopping."

Another woman behind them cursed loudly, taking her position on another console as her fingers began flying over the keyboard in a series of rapid taps.

"A villain? Why here?"

A third woman questioned, cycling through the different cameras.

"This is a rescue base, there's nothing valuable they'd want to steal."

"Medical supplies, rescue equipment? A lotta important stuff in here. Who knows, maybe they just have a grudge against us."

The man grumbled, already suiting up in his magnificent costume and preparing for battle.

"Whatever it is, we can't let them take the equipment! We need it to help—"

A loud beeping started, and the lights in the room began to flash red.

"Bogey's approaching the main gate at high speed! Prepare for impact!"

The team of four hunkered down, each anticipating a massive impact against the near-impenetrable steel doors from the unknown… except absolutely nothing happened.

"Eh?"

A small voice crackled over the intercom, soft and nearly inaudible.

Valkyrie: "Cat-lady? It's me, open the door please."

Four set of eyes peeked up at the main screen, and a muscular arm reached up onto the console to cycle through the cameras until they found the one that was situated at the main gate. The screen showed a young woman with pale white skin, standing before the doors and waiting for a reply.

"Is that who I think it is?"

Valkyrie started knocking on the titanic mechanical doors, each knock shaking the entire building. Dust started to drift off the ceiling within the base as vibrations resonated through the building.

Boom, boom, boom.

Valkyrie: "Cat-lady~. Open the doo~r pleas~e."

The vigilante chanted in a sing-song voice, her expression still neutral.

Every eye in the room turned to one particular woman, who grimaced sheepishly.

Well, you're the only one she responds to verbally, right? You talk to her.

Her teammates chided and pushed her into the main seat of the control room, giving her control over the communication systems.

"Testing- testing, is this thing on?"

Valkyrie did seem to hear her for she looked around until she found a camera near the door, then gave it a nod.

Pixiebob: "Right. First of all, it'sPixiebob, not Cat-lady! You're making me sound like one of those old women who keep a dozen cats. Second, what are you doing here, Valkyrie?"

Valkyrie: "I need help."

Her reply stunned the rest of the team: never had the strange vigilante ever asked for help, let alone approach them in the first place. This must have been something serious, the end of the world even. 2012 in real life bad.

Pixiebob: "Is it a disaster? Our emergency surveillance program hasn't picked up anything yet. Anyways, we're ready to roll in-"

Valkyrie: "No villain. No disaster."

Pixiebob: "Huh? Then why'd you come here?"

Valkyrie: "I need help. You said to come to you if I needed help."

Pixiebob's three teammates shot her a look, which told her all that was needed to be said. The blonde woman groaned painfully, her head in her hands.

Pixiebob: "Okay, Ididsay that last time we met, but you can't just barge in here! This is a super-secret rescue base, you know."

Valkyrie looked at the camera, then back to the supposedly impenetrable doors.

Valkyrie: "Open the door please."

Well, apparently she didn't care if it was the National Bank of Japan or a super-secret rescue base. The girl stubbornly knocked on the door again, a little harder this time. Small shock-waves reverberated through the structure with each knock, shaking the building's very foundations.

Pixiebob: "What if I can't open these doors for you? I mean, how did you find this place anyways? This is a classified location-"

Valkyrie: "Open. Or I'll open them for you."

That got their alarms bells ringing. Those high security doors cost a fortune and from what they'd seen of Valkyrie, she could pretty much tear through them effortlessly if she really wanted to.

Sighing, Pixiebob looked to her team for confirmation before reaching over to flick a switch.

Pixiebob: "Fine. But only because I owe you, got it?"

The heavy, multi-ton doors started to slide open and Valkyrie strode in casually like she owned the place. Little did they know she could recognize certain emotional signatures of people she remembered, which was how she found them.

"Well, I suppose we should meet our guest. I'll go prepare some tea."

The muscular man announced curtly, starting to make his way to the kitchen. An awkward silence fell over the three women, two of them already waiting for an explanation.

"Y'know, when you said you can speak to the Valkyrie I thought you were joking. I mean, I've only heard rumors of her speech as an urban myth. So you guys are friends, huh? She's your pal, your chum?"

The brunette teased.

Pixiebob: "It's not like that, Mandalay."

She replied as the trio marched over to the main entrance to meet the vigilante.

Pixiebob: "We met during that big earthquake rescue a few months back and she uh, took a liking to me? I mean, I don't even know why. She helped me out a lot during the rescue and we worked well together. I told her to come to me if she needed any help, didn't expect her to bring that detail up now. Haven't seen her since. To be fair, I do owe her for the help."

Mandalay: "Hmmm. Gimme a little more detail. I need to know what we're dealing with just in case."

Pixiebob: "She came across one of my earth beast puppets during the rescue effort. It scared a young boy nearby, and she started to tear it apart. She probably thought my earth beast was some sort of villainous minion and was trying to protect the kid. Took me a while to convince her I was here to help, but after that she helped me locate the remaining trapped civilians."

Mandalay: "Hmmm. Any thoughts on why she's here, Ragdoll?"

Ragdoll: "No clue. MySearchQuirk doesn't work on her, remember?"

Mandalay groaned, rubbing her head.

Mandalay: "Perfect. An indestructible vigilante in our home that's immune to Quirks. Let's just hope she's peaceful."

Pixiebob: "Don't worry, she only attacks villains. Or people and things she thinks are "evil"."

The three women finally made it to the living room/main hall, where the vigilante was waiting. Their leader took a deep breath and stepped forward, looking to her teammates and sharing a nod.

Mandalay: "Okay, let's do this."

Mandalay: "Locking on target with our sparkly eyes!"

Ragdoll: "Our helping paws will pounce your way!"

"Springing suddenly from out of nowhere..."

A deep voice rumbled from within the nearby kitchen.

Pixiebob: "We're cute, cute, cats with stingers!"

"Wild, Wild Pussycats!"

All four members of the team announced simultaneously, the three women taking positions in fabulous poses in their cat-themed costumes while their fourth member was absent.

Valkyrie stared at them blankly, blinking a few times before answering.

Valkyrie: "Hello."

Ragdoll: "It's our new intro! What do ya think, eh? Eh?"

Ragdoll grinned, even as the girl continued staring at her without a word.

Ragdoll: "Tough crowd... she really does only respond verbally to certain people."

Pixiebob: "Ahem. So, uh, Hi Valkyrie. What do you need help on?"

The vigilante paused, sniffing the air momentarily like she smelled something.

Valkyrie: "Personal advice."

Mandalay groaned, while Ragdoll started to giggle uncontrollably.

Pixiebob: "You came all the way here into the mountains, activated every alarm on your way here, infiltrated our secret base, just so you could get somepersonal advice?"

Valkyrie nodded, then without warning started wandering towards the kitchen. A vague question of what she was doing crossed Pixiebob's mind but died on her lips when she realized Tiger, their fourth member, was still in the kitchen making tea.

Pixiebob: "I know you look like that naturally, but can you at least put on some clothes or something? There's a man in the kitchen."

The blonde remarked exasperatedly. Actually Tiger was a woman turned into a man via Quirk, but that was irrelevant now. Plus, it would help to train the clueless girl for future interactions. Pixiebob doubted that Valkyrie herself knew how many guys she was making hot and bothered with that alluring form of hers.

The girl stopped and tilted her head in apparent curiosity, looking at Pixiebob with that same blank expression she always wore. She looked down at her own featureless body, then at Pixiebob. Or more specifically,Pixiebob's costume.

The older woman instantly got what she was thinking and covered herself with her hands, a scandalized look crossing her features.

Pixiebob: "I didn't mean mine! You can't have these, make some of your own!"

Valkyrie tilted her head again, this time to express her confusion.

Pixiebob: "Don't give me that look, I know you can shapeshift. I saw you change to a smaller size to rescue someone trapped in the debris. I also saw you blend into the crowd when we left by making some clothes of your own. Why don't you do that now?"

A moment passed and Valkyrie was suddenly clothed in a perfect copy of Pixiebob's costume, complete with cat ears, paws, and tail. The strange thing was, it looked better on her than it did on Pixiebob herself.

The sky-blue costume complimented her snow-white skin nicely. Mandalay and Ragdoll exchanged glances, then nodded in approval.

Pixiebob: "Wha- Hey, You can't wear that! Only official members of our team can wear that uniform, it'scopyrighted!Change to something else."

Pixiebob protested, slightly jealous of the other girl's youthful figure.

Valkyrie: "Okay, Cat-lady."

The moment those words left her mouth Valkyrie shrank right before their very eyes, now taking the form of a child in an oversized hoodie that stretched down to nearly touch her knees.

Her hair transformed to jet black, long locks shortening in the span of a few seconds. Her skin was no longer snow-white but instead a healthy, normal color. Light blue pupils gazed at them passively, a surprisingly normal color considering that they used to be milky-white with a green glow.

The women stared in silent fascination, until Ragdoll started squealing in excitement at the completed transformation.

Ragdoll: "Ohmigod, she's so cuuuuuute!"

She ran up to the now younger girl and started rubbing her head gently, cooing all the while.

Ragdoll: "I didn't know she could do that!"

Mandalay: "Me either. Careful Ragdoll, she just looks younger. For all we know you two could be the same age."

Ragdoll: "But look! Look at her cute little face! Tiny!"

Pixiebob: "I didn't mean-gah, nevermind. Why choose that ridiculous form?"

Valkyrie: "Why do you go on rescue missions dressed as a cat? Just as that form is comfortable for you, this form is comfortable for me."

The now miniature Valkyrie continued to wander past them and towards the kitchen, just as Tiger rounded the corner with a huge tea tray in his arms. He didn't see her due to their massive height difference, almost colliding with the girl until the last second.

In his rush to avoid her, he dropped the tray. But he deftly caught it before it hit the ground in an impressive demonstration of his flexibility.

Tiger: "What the- Who-"

The heavyset man didn't get his answers as the tiny girl strolled past him, stopping momentarily to sniff at his tea before finally reaching the kitchen. There, she floated up onto the marble counter-top and reached for a large porcelain jar, opening it effortlessly and retrieving the hidden treasure within.

Without a word Valkyrie stuck her fingers into the jar and pulled out a small sugarcube, popping it into her mouth and chewing slowly. The Pussycats watched her from the kitchen entrance, bewildered.

Tiger: "Is that-"

Mandalay: "Yup."

Tiger: "Why is she so...small?"

Mandalay: "Because Pixiebob told her to put on some clothes."

Tiger: "What does that have to do with anything?"

Ragdoll: "More importantly, she's eating all my sugarcubes! She can't do that!"

She exclaims while shaking Mandalay back and forth.

Mandalay: "Yeah, pretty rude. She's almost like an actual kid, if you think about it. Throwing a tantrum on our doorstep, eating our food...I wouldn't be surprised if she starts raiding our fridge next."

Ragdoll: "No, I mean she'll rot all her teeth if she eats that much sugar at one go!"

After a few minutes of persuasion, the team managed to get everyone into the surprisingly spacious living room where they now sat in a rough circle on cushy-looking sofas. Valkyrie opted to sit on Pixiebob's lap with the jar still clutched tightly in her hands, occasionally reaching inside for another sugarcube.

Pixiebob: "Okay, we're all here. So, what's the problem?"

Instead of speaking, Valkyrie noticed Ragdoll poking at the her childish cheeks. Ragdoll laughed musically when Pixiebob shooed her away gently.

Ragdoll: "Y'know Pixiebob, you kind of look like a mother when she's in your lap like that. Its adorable!"

Pixiebob flushed, her cheeks tinged red in embarrassment.

Pixiebob: "T-that's not-"

Before she could answer, the blonde found a sugarcube prodding gently at her mouth. Valkyrie held it in an angle, apparently trying to feed her.

Pixiebob turned an even brighter shade of red, trying to remind herself that the child before her was much older than she looked (which unknown to them, was actually untrue).

Both Mandalay and Ragdoll smiled brightly at that, the latter even pulling out a camera from seemingly nowhere and taking a quick snapshot.

Tiger just grinned slightly, content at the scene. Pixiebob eventually relented and popped the cube into her mouth, her face scrunching up as the sharp sweetness stung her taste buds.

Pixiebob: "Geh. I don't know how you can eat these."

She grimaced before reaching for a warm cup of tea to wash the taste down.

Pixiebob: "Okay, I ate it. Can you tell us what 'personal advice' you need?"

The girl thought for a moment on how to answer the question. She didn't feel like revealing the existence of her onii-chan…she had to call him something different.

Valkyrie: "I'm scared that my Master doesn't want me anymore."

Pixiebob spat out her tea in a spray of disbelief, coughing and sputtering while the other three Pussycats looked on with various stunned expressions.

Pixiebob: "What?! Master? W-w-what do you mean by that?!"

She couldn't believe it. Such a sweet, innocent, young girl was into such depraved play-wait a minute. This isn't her real form!

Valkyrie: "Master is master. I serve Master."

Technically she wasn't lying. Izuku was her creator and she was his construct. Master and servant. She just preferred to think of him as a brother, as family.

Valkyrie: "S-serve? You mean you do what he tells you?"

Valkyrie nodded, thinking of her first and only order.

Be a Hero.

One that she continued following to this day. All three women blushed fiercely, their imaginations already running wild with all sorts of unhealthy thoughts.

Master and Servant play?

Oh boy.

Tiger instead opted to down his tea, listening with renewed interest.

Pixiebob: "Um, ooooooookay. So, uh… why do you think he doesn't want you anymore?"

It was hard for Pixiebob to understand why someone wouldn't want a shapeshifting, unstoppable metahuman at their every beck and call, especially one so cute by default. Maybe it was her lack of facial expressions. The girl clearly had emotions, but most likely had trouble expressing them.

Valkyrie scratched her head, thinking of how to describe Izuku's new quirk and his inheritance of One For All without revealing too much information.

Valkyrie: "He's gonna get something better soon. Better than me. He…already has something better…the next thing will just…make me more obsolete."

Ragdoll held a paw over her mouth in a scandalized expression while Mandalay turned even redder, fidgeting in her seat. Tiger coughed, then began to pour himself another cup of tea. Despite his hands shaking the tea cup.

Pixiebob: "Listen Valkyrie, I…don't know what kind of relationship you and your, uh, Master are in but I'm sure he wouldn't abandon you just because he found…someone better. At least, I hope he wouldn't. I-I mean, can you tell me what kind of person your Master is?"

Valkyrie did not hesitate to reply as Izuku's good qualities were listed in rapid fire.

Valkyrie: "Brave. Selfless. Kind. Generous. Caring."

Pixiebob: "You really look up to him, huh? This person, do you love him?"

Valkyrie: "Yes."

In a pure, sisterly way…of course. But Pixiebob didn't need to know that.

Pixiebob: "Does he love you?"

At that, the girl didn't answer. Until the sludge incident, Izuku had never even met her face to face and likely barely even knew of her existence. How was she supposed to answer? Pixiebob sighed, stroking the girl's hair gently.

Pixiebob: "Look, kid. Can I call you kid? I mean you're literally a kid now…nevermind."

The girl didn't shy away from the physical contact, instead leaning into the older woman's bosom further. She snuggled into the softness, feeling the warmth of Pixiebob's body through her clothes.

Pixiebob: "At times like these, what you need to do is talk to him. I mean, from what you're implying you guys are close, yet far? It's such a weird relationship but hey, I'm not one to judge. You gotta go talk to him to find out how he feels about you, or else you'd just end up with an unrequited love that'll never bloom.Fight for what you want, what you believe in.If you don't even try you'll just be giving up without a fight."

Pixiebob took a moment to catch her breath, then hugged the smaller girl tightly.

Pixiebob: "I should know."

Valkyrie looked up, her face still cold and stony as if it was carved out of marble. Her eyes however told a different story, for Pixiebob could see a sort of childish fear within them.

Valkyrie: "But what if he doesn't want me anymore?"

The blonde thought for a moment, then took a deep breath and gave her opinion.

Pixiebob: "Then you move on. It's not the end of the world. But whoever this guy is, he sounds like a good person from your description so I don't think he'll just abandon you. Which begs the question of why he would find other girls in the first place, the two-timing scumbag son of a-"

The vigilante tilted her head, suspecting that Pixiebob had somehow misunderstood her somewhere along the line. But so far her advice was pretty decent so she'd keep quiet and listen. Meanwhile, Pixiebob was busy getting upset on whoever would cheat on such an innocent girl.

Pixiebob: "-knuckleheaded imbecile! Either way, that's all the advice I can give you. I mean, I was never really good at this relationship thing so I can't guarantee anything."

Valkyrie: "But I…want him all to myself."

Pixiebob raised an eyebrow, then coughed awkwardly. Maybe the girl wasn't as innocent as she looked.

Pixiebob: "Well kid, that's the thing isn't it? Youwanthim. That implies you want to own him, have him all to yourself. But that isn't right. You can't just own people like they're objects...it may make you happy, but you gotta consider how they would feel. It's a delicate balance of feelings. Relationships sure are complicated, eh?"

She thought for a moment of what Izuku would think if she kept babying him all his life, stealing away his opportunity to grow.

But those thoughts burned away when she felt something horrible.

Pain…

Terrible, ungodly pain that made her shiver with fear.

Pixiebob: "V-Valkyrie?"

Her words fall on deaf ears. Valkyrie drops the sugar cube jar and sprints towards the exit while transforming back to her normal form.

The calls of concern fade into static as Valkyrie's body flickers in and out of existence.

Her onii-chan was in danger…he's…dying…

Izuku had a hilarious look on his face as he looked on at the pearly gates in front of him.

Izuku: "U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U"

All Might: "Are you a young man or a bad record?"

Izuku: "U.A.! YOU BROUGHT ME TO UA?! DID WE DIE?! AM I IN HEAVEN?!"

Izuku was practically starting to hyperventilate.

All Might: "Breathe Shonen. You'll be seeing those gates plenty of times in eight months."

He gave Izuku a badge.

All Might: "Stick that in your pocket. You'll need it for the security system to let you in."

Izuku: "Why are we here?"

All Might: "We're meeting two people…far more capable than me in terms of Quirk Diagnosis. If they can't figure out the full capabilities of your Quirk, no one can."

They made their way through the campus and stopped at a fairly normal looking gymnasium building.

All Might: "This… is Gym Gamma… otherwise known as the Training Kitchen Land."

They opened the doors and went in.

All Might: "And this…"

Nezu: "Am I a mouse? A dog? A bear? All you need to know is that I'm…the principal!"

Izuku: "Nezu!"

Nezu: "I'm happy to see you again, Midoriya."

All Might: "You two know each other already?"

Nezu: "We met during his sister's last sport festival. I happy to see that his quirk has finally manifested."

The other person suddenly coughed, drawing everyone's attention to her.

All Might: "Oh yes, forgive me. And this is Recovery Girl!"

Toshinori pointed to short old woman with her gray hair in a bun. She had a cane shaped like a syringe in her hand. Her name was Chiyo Shuzenji and she was practically what kept UA running. They could never do the things they did without her healing quirk.

Recovery Girl: "How are you doing today, Midoriya-chan? Here, some haribo candies."

Izuku: "Th-thank you, Recovery Girl."

Nezu: "Now that we have all been introduced, has All Might told you why you're here today, Midoriya?"

Izuku: "Just a little. We're here to test out my Quirk, right?"

Nezu: "That's right. Hopefully by the end of the day you'll even have a name for it."

Izuku smiled at the memory of everyone trying to come up with a name for it.

Most of them were too similar to Tatsu's or Fubuki's. Emerald Esper or Flaming Esper. Even Esperanza was suggested.

In the end, we decided to wait till we have a full understanding of it.

Nezu: "Now, let's go over everything one more time. Please, describe everything you've been able to do with your Quirk as of now, as well as your parent's Quirks."

Izuku began to explain his quirk once again, at least what he knows about it. He also avoided any mention of his father's abilities. It was the same thing he told All Might. But he suddenly remembered that day at school again.

Izuku: "Oh, I actually just remembered something! I think I was also able to read someone's mind!"

Toshinori coughed out some blood while everyone else raised an eyebrow.

All Might: "Pfff, you never said a thing about that to me, shonen!"

Izuku: "I… kinda forgot… It was the day thatthingwith Kacchan happened."

All Might: "Ahh…I suppose you did have plenty of other things on your mind that day."

Nezu: "Hmmm…very fascinating. That's quite a Quirk you've got. And all in just two months of use."

Recovery Girl: "It's hard to believe they diagnosed you Quirkless. Did the gene tests really come back negative? The MRI scans did as well?"

Izuku looked at her for a few seconds, before tilting his head to the side.

Izuku: "Huh?"

Off to the side, Toshinori was looking equally confused.

Recovery Girl: "Your gene tests. I'd like to see them at some point."

Izuku:"…What gene tests? They just showed us the x-ray of my toe."

Recovery Girl: "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! The x-ray?Thatwas what they used to crush a young child's dreams? I'll have their practices! I'll have their medical licenses!"

The kindly old lady was quite literally stewing in complete and utter rage. Izuku was almost hiding behind Toshinori.

Izuku: 'And I thought Tatsu and Kacchan were bad…"

Slowly, she cooled herself down.

Recovery Girl: "Izuku-chan, that exam is merely supposed to be the first thing we look for. It IS generally accepted as a tell of Quirklessness, but it is NOT the end of the road. About three percent of the population with the extra joint still have a Quirk. They're just very late bloomers because their Quirks are normally harder to control. Six, seven, and eight is pushing it. Conversely, about one percent of the population without the joint never develop a Quirk. That is an ancient examination! Nowadays we test directly for the Quirk Factor!"

Izuku slowly lost feeling in his legs and slid to the floor. All this time…all this time, he'd been mistreated, ridiculed, and all but spat on by his peers…onlaziness? On medical malpractice? He clenched a fist, feeling frustration well up inside of him.

All Might: "I'm so sorry, shonen."

Toshinori puts a hand on the boy's shoulder.

All Might: "I never knew about this either. Back in my day the x-ray was all we had."

Recover Girl: "Who was your doctor? Where does he work?"

Izuku: "He's dead…He and his grandson went missing years ago."

That brought the mood down to somber levels, before the principal intervened.

Nezu: "I'm sure you're frustrated Midoriya, but we truly don't have much time here today. We have plenty to do to prepare for the next semester here as well as get the summer events in order. I feel for you as well, but we need to move a little quicker."

He clapped his hands as Izuku gave him a determined nod. He was sure that this wouldn't be forgotten any time soon, but for now the boy would be able to ignore it.

Nezu: "Now, first things first…we must figure out how to use your second ability. You say the only time you were able to use it was when you were injured, correct?"

He got a sharp nod from the boy, and released a sigh in response,

Nezu: "Then as distasteful as it is, injured you must be. Unless you can get a feel for the ability, you'll never be able to call it up again. After all, much of learning your Quirk is feeling it out."

Recovery Girl still had a heavy scowl on her face, which only deepened at the principal's words.

Recover Girl: "Unfortunate, but accurate. I will be here to aid you if you can't get the ability to trigger again."

All Might: "I…don't think that's a good idea. His sister, Fubuki, forbid it. I wouldn't want to make her or Tatsumaki rightfully angry."

Nezu: "Neither would I, but it would be better if he learn how that side of his quirk works under controlled conditions. Better now than in a crisis."

All Might: "I agree but…"

Nezu: "How about we leave it up to you Midoriya. Would you like to give it a try?"

Izuku thought for a moment. Nezu was correct in his assessment but he also didn't want to disappoint or worry his sisters. But in the end, he leaned towards the more logical choice.

Izuku swallowed a fair bit of apprehension and nodded.

Seeing him nod, Recovery Girl took out a scalpel from her doctor's coat.

Recovery Girl: "Don't worry dear, just a finger cut. I'm sure your sisters won't mind."

Izuku held out a shaky hand, and the old woman grumbled for a moment about oaths before making a small incision. Izuku winced but kept from crying out as a little blood started leaking through. Yet as the seconds went by, it was clear it wasn't activating.

Izuku: "I…don't think that worked."

Nezu: "Quirks aren't normally one-time things. If that didn't work, then perhaps there is a threshold of pain or injury itself needed to activate unconsciously."

Recovery Girl: "We arenotgoing to put a young child through pain like that!"

All Might nodded in agreement with Recovery Girl. Forget his sisters, he didn't want the boy hurt either.

Izuku stared at his finger. The small cut was already clotting. Despite a slight sense of fear, he didn't want to stop. He clenched his fist and looked up toward All Might.

Izuku: "All Might."

He turned to stare at his mentor in determination as he rolled up his sleeve and held out his arm.

Izuku: "Hit me."

All Might: "Midoriya-shonen…"

Toshinori's protest died on his lips as he stared at Izuku's determined gaze.

Recovery Girl: "We can figure this out another way!"

Izuku: "We tried small. We're not going to get anywhere without some risk, right?"

All Might: "You…you're far too brave Midoriya-shonen. Maybe even for your own good."

He bulked up, turning into his hero form. He held a finger over his student's arm and pulled it back with his other hand. He allowed the finger to slip, and Izuku had to bite back a scream as even that tiny action ruptured tiny blood vessels in his arm and put a hairline fracture in his Ulna.

A bruise formed immediately as Izuku slowly went to his knees, cradling his inured arm. Chiyo bit her lip and forced herself to stay still, fighting her very nature which wanted only to help the child.

And then Izuku's arm was enveloped in green flame. They all recoiled, mentally preparing to be hit by the heat, only to be surprised when nothing happened. Izuku was watching the flame with shiny eyes, a peaceful smile on his face.

Izuku: "It… it's cool."

All Might slowly put a hand over it.

All Might: "It is. I don't feel any heat at all."

Nezu: "Fascinating! How is your arm, Midoriya-san?"

Izuku: "Healed! It only took a second or two for the pain to go away, but I wanted to get a feel for it."

Nezu: "Excellent. Shut it off and try to bring it back."

Nezu told him and they stepped away from the boy. Even if the fire hadn'tfelthot, they weren't sure if that was actually the case.

Izuku walked to the center of Gym Gamma and closed his eyes. His powers…theyfeltdifferent now that he was aware of them. His telekinetic energy felt calm,powerful, and steady.

Otherworldly…

His fire was…different. It was energetic and alive. It made him feel excited and happy. Like the sun was shining on him. He embraced that feeling and his right arm was once again engulfed in bright green flames. He grinned as he stared into its depths.

Izuku: "I did it!"

All Might: "Excellent work, shonen!"

Izuku: "Wait! I want to try something!"

He dispersed the flame and this time tried to reach for both powers at once. This time the fire that arose was decidedlynotcool and tingly.

No, this was a primal,burningfire looking to consume all in its path. He squeaked in fear as the glowing emerald flames enveloped him in a firestorm. They quickly grew out of control and started to spread. It was only a second later that Izuku started toscream.

A soul curdling scream that sent shivers down everyone who bared witness to how his skin began to boil.

Nezu: "Fire Emergency!"

Nezu roared, all traces of his jovial nature gone at the sound of a child and future student howling in agony. The fire suppression systems activated, dumping a deluge of water from the ceiling. They all had to shield themselves from the heat, and almost started to panic as the water literally evaporated before it could do anything.

All Might had enough.

All Might: "Austin Smash!"

He bellowed and thrust his palm forward. The extreme wind did what the water could not. The fire dispersed, leaving a wobbly, naked and severely burned Izuku in the middle of the gym.

Suddenly, the green flames returned. But this time it was of the healing variety. It was already healing the worst of it but would it be enough…

It was only his healing ability, which did not in fact turn off his sense of pain and made things worseby regenerating his nerves only for them to get seared again, that kept him from death. But he still so close.

Before he collapses onto the hard floor, All Might gently caught the boy. He was…barely recognizable due to the burns.

The sight caused everyone to stand still in shock and horror. It was only broken when the ground began to shake and fear overtook them.

All Might: "…We messed up."