Chapter 18: Crappy Stealth And Espionage
Izuku, Lydia, and Serana were known to arrive at UA a lot earlier than most; due to not being just students but teachers, they had a lot of prep work to get done alongside a staff meeting to attend. A meeting Izuku was not looking forward to, especially considering All Might was going to be in attendance. Keeping that one reason in mind, it was rather obvious why he was reluctant to attend. After that day on the rooftop and the many years spent surviving, fighting, learning, and living in the land of Skyrim, he had nightmares of All Might's cruel eyes looking at him with disgust as he told him that he had no chance of being a hero. The scene would replay over and over again in his mind, refusing to change or deviate in any fashion. He occasionally cursed his photographic memory when it came to the traumatic events he would never forget, even if he tried… and he tried.
It's bad enough that the man interrupted his and Melissa's date by following them to the point he was forced to use illusions to lose him only for the man to find them moments later. It truly pissed him and Melissa off; the man was terrible at stealth and he was obviously stalking them. It only worsened his protectiveness; he did not want to leave her alone in her apartment that night, so he convinced her to stay at his place in the guest room; Izuku was taking no chances. It didn't help that the man waited outside all night and less so that he was still there in the morning. It took everything Izuku had to hold back his girlfriends- as much as he didn't want to- from ripping the man apart after they found out when they woke up.
Now you may be asking why Rumi and Ryuko were at his place. It's a rather simple explanation, the two moved in shortly after they confessed and agreed to marry him, much to his embarrassment. Thankfully, with the combined efforts of Izuku and Serana, and their expert skills in illusion, they were able to convince All Might and whoever was helping him to back off. They were also able to make them believe that Izuku and Melissa left the building towards her own apartment. The group thanked any God or Daedric prince they could that it worked. The bastard probably followed the illusion for a good 30 minutes. Thankfully, by the time he'd realize, Melissa, Serana, Lydia, and himself would have already arrived at UA. Rumi would be out on patrol considering she wasn't required to teach today and Ryuko headed off to her agency to get some work done before she had to teach the class today. Himiko decided to leave at a more normal time, but Serana was adamant she should go with them. And so, after giving a convincing argument and the dreaded puppy eyes technique, Serana reluctantly allowed her to leave at a normal time. She did however make her promise that if All Might started following her or anything else was remotely suspicious she would call them immediately, to which she happily agreed.
When the four finally made it to UA, the three dragon slayers took Melissa to the teacher's lounge with them so that Lydia, Serena, and Izuku could finish some necessary paperwork before the staff meeting. It wasn't anything special just confirming lesson plans and writing down their observations of the students during yesterday's classes. It only took them 30 minutes to finish and with the help of Nedzu- who Izuku texted on the way to school this morning- they were able to hide Melissa in Nedzu's office until the time of the meeting.
Before making their way there, the three dawned the armor they wore during their time in Skyrim, the same armor they now use as their hero costumes. Izuku was wearing a full suit of Ebony Plate Armor with Daedric-infused Metal as the trim. The armor was styled to resemble classic Nordic Steel Plating layered over a set of reinforced Wizard Robes with a potion pouch. On his hip he kept a Daedric Blade forged in the image of a Katana. Serena donned the same armor but rather than the Nord Style Plate Helm, she wore a reinforced hood. Bound to her hip, she kept a Daedric dagger, alongside several throwing knives placed in strategic locations around her body for ease of access. Lydia's armor was a full set of the same Plate Mail but with extra reinforcing plates, minus the wizard robes. She kept a full pouch of potions as well as various Scrolls. She bound a Dragon Bone Sword to her hip, a shield lay bound to her back concealing a Daedric Bow and Quiver. The weapons of the three warriors radiated power and put others on edge by the mere sight of them.
As the three sat down, the other teachers couldn't help but to stare at them with a modicum of fear and trepidation, their mere presence caused them to feel intimidated. Midnight and Thirteen on the other hand, were looking at Izuku and Serana with lustful eyes; Serana was the first to notice and speak up about it.
"Oh, find something you like ladies?" Serana remarked cheekily; the single remark beheld the effect of pulling everybody out of their stupor while Serana laughed. Izuku and Lydia quickly joined in; it was always amusing to see the reactions of others when they were in full battle rattle.
Their laughter was cut short when the door to the meeting room opened once more and in walked an exhausted All Might in his skinny form. The man's gaze fell on the three, and stared at the unexpected guests in the room, duly in part due to the intimidating aura the three gave off. He continued to stare at them in shock; how could he not, especially when they were let off such a strong aura that rivaled his own in strength? He was knocked out of his trance when Nedzu cleared his throat before he began to speak.
"Ah, Toshinori, you're finally here. Come, sit, so we may get this meeting underway." Nedzu's chipper tone left no room for argument, it was clear to him that All Might was determined to say something but the principal cut him off.
"Do not worry, these three are our newest teachers here at UA and are already aware of your injuries. Now, please sit so we may start." Nezu spoke in that same chipper tone. With a hint of anger and annoyance in All Might's eyes, he- begrudgingly- took his seat.
"Now that everybody is here, let us start on our first topic. Why was one of our teachers stalking two of our students last night?" Nedzu's tone shifted, becoming more serious as he turned to stare directly at All Might. Despite the chill he felt, the hero spit and sputtered; he had been completely caught off guard, and before he could even ask how the principal knew, Nedzu spoke once more.
"There have been several reports from numerous eye witnesses as well as the phone calls from the two students placed to local authorities. Calls regarding a strange man that had been following them and even waiting outside their home the entire night. So I will ask you again Yagi, why were you stalking two of our students?" Nedzu's tone was serious and cold, something he rarely brought out, but on occasions like this, it was something that caused all of the teachers present to shiver with a healthy helping of respect… and fear.
All Might thought himself proficient in the stealth department last night, but clearly, that had not been the case, and now he was cornered. He needed to come up with a believable excuse otherwise he could lose his teaching position at UA and that meant it would be impossible for him to make any of the students as his successor. An idea popped into his mind and he decided to go with it.
"David Shield, Melissa's father wanted me to look after her while she was here in Japan. I heard she was going on a date, so I told David. Then his overprotectiveness as a father kicked in and I was asked to shadow them and make sure she would be all right." He knew he was lying through his teeth and had no problem throwing his friend under the bus. After all, there was no way he was going to confess to stalking them, not in the hope of finding out their routine and where they lived. He felt the need to observe them, to see if any of them could be manipulated into becoming his successor.
Nedzu knew quite well alongside several other teachers in the room- including the three Dragon Slayers- that he was lying through his teeth. He opened his mouth to speak, to call him out on his lies, but Izuku beat him to it.
"So, you're telling me, you followed me and Melissa all night during our date because her father asked you to?" Izuku says with suspicion heavy in his tone but giving nothing else away.
"Wait, what do you mean you and Melissa?" All Might's confusion was clear, and it only made Izuku laugh at his stupidity. Removing his helmet, he revealed his face to the man, shocking him straight down to his very core.
"Why don't I introduce myself? My name is Izuku Midoriya." Izuku said with a devilish smile, a smile that only further served to make All Might more confused. Izuku wanted to go for his full introduction but the principal was rather adamant on keeping some secrets from the man; now he understands why.
"Wait, what are you doing here!?" All Might exclaimed in a mixture of surprise and confusion.
"You must not have been listening, I told you already, he is a new teacher here. As to what he teaches, that is none of your business or concern. However, do know this, he is an assistant teacher to Hero Studies 101, as well as a student of Class 1A." Nedzu stated, All Might stood to speak, but before he could say anything Nedzu continued.
"Now, I am going to make this rather clear to you Toshinori. If I catch wind of you following students while off campus again, I will fire you on the spot. Am I understood?" All Might could only nod, allowing Nedzu to continue.
"Now, let us move on to the next topic of our meeting. " Nezu said, gesturing to move along.
.
1 Hour Later
The meeting lasted an hour before it was adjourned, allowing the teachers to head off to their respective classrooms to start the day. As the trio of Dragon Slayers left the meeting room Izuku gave a signal to Serana. She nodded in acknowledgment, and gave him a kiss before heading off in another direction. He got permission from Nedzu prior for her to be excused from classes today, she had a task that needed to be done. A task he gave her after convincing the girls not to go out and curb stomp All Might. The mission he gave her was simple; gather information on their enemies. Before he managed to secure his spot as a teacher at UA, he managed to create a spy network. In all respects, he wasn't expecting it to be viable for another year at most, but he underestimated how desperate people living on the streets are. The homeless, the poor, and people who suffer from quirk discrimination litter the alleyways and streets of Japan, such as the South side of Musutafu. People are desperate and are surprisingly willing to help him out, so long as they're paid.
Even now, he's rather surprised at how fast the spy network grew. A week after he arrived he managed to befriend a small group of people who were living on the streets, especially after saving them from some thugs. After getting to know them over a couple of meet ups and supply drops, Izuku would like to think they've become pretty good friends of his. During the meetups he shared with them his plans for the future and they instantly jumped at the chance to help. Unknown to him, they were rather influential individuals among the homeless population and because of that, within five months they were able to build a highly effective Spy Network. He and Serana worked to train them in the art of espionage, teaching them tricks he picked up during his time in the Thieves Guild; and he had to admit, they became rather proficient in the art of espionage. However, even with this new Spy Network, there were limits, and because of those limits, he or Serana would need to go out and get information on their own, a task he currently left to Serana. He wouldn't realize he was so lost in his own thoughts until he was interrupted by his arrival at the 1A classroom.
Shaking his head, he walked in and instantly noticed all eyes were on him. Some looked at him with curiosity, some looked at him with skepticism, others looked at him with heavy amounts of sympathy. One Katsuki Bakugo looked pissed, but didn't dare lash out, knowing he was on thin ice already. So instead of jumping the gun and getting expelled, he opted just to ignore him for the moment. Looking around, Izuku noticed quickly that they had been reading his book. Now the looks in their eyes and their body language made sense to him. Shrugging, he sat down in his seat and pulled out some paperwork that he needed to read over and finish up. Lydia and Melissa matched his movements and went to sit at their assigned desks. However, it didn't take long for some of the students to approach him. The group was led by Ashido followed by Kirishima, Uraraka, Yaoyorozu, Asui, Hagakure, and the Tokoyami twins. He didn't pay them any mind and continued looking over the documents as he waited for them.
Mina was the first to work up the bravery to speak.
"Ahh, hey Mido- Mr. Midoriya, I was wondering if we could talk to you before class starts? We have some questions." Mina asked hesitantly. Izuku gave her a quick glance before speaking.
"Sure, ask away, and seeing that you've been reading my biography, I'll bet you have a lot of questions." Izuku says as he gestures for them to take a seat in the hopes of making them more comfortable. Once they were seated and comfortable, Momo started them off.
"Is everything in the book true and if so why did you come back if you had such a hard life here?" Momo asked hesitantly.
That single question has been eating at her ever since she spent the night reading over its content in its entirety. Reading was a hobby of hers, as such, she was rather used to burning through books quickly, and his book was no exception. However… ever since she finished it, this one question has been burning in her mind. Why would he come back, if he was loved there? Why come back to a world where he is hated and despised? It made absolutely no sense to her, and she was hoping that he could make sense of it.
"Well, there were many factors as to why I came back, but I guess the most important one was that I wanted to see my mother again. Before I was whisked away I was planning another attempt to kill myself. I did so with the knowledge that my mother would know I was gone and she could finally move on. The fact that she didn't know what happened filled me with the want to return. Because I knew if she didn't find the body she would never move on and would slowly waste away with worry. I couldn't live with myself knowing I did that to her. It was one of my biggest regrets, and goals for a couple of years while I was there, but eventually Skyrim grew on me and I slowly accepted that I would likely never go home. But that goal never left me, and so I never stopped searching. Even though it wasn't haunting my every waking thought as it did before, it was still the primary goal I wanted to accomplish. I ended up finding a way home shortly after my battle with Alduin but due to the obligations I had in Skyrim, I decided not to take it. After my final battle with Miraak, things started to become too dangerous for the people I cared about, especially if I stayed, so I decided to come back." Izuku says as he looks at Momo. But before she could respond, Asui spoke up.
"But what was so dangerous that leaving was the only option you had, ribbit?" Asui asked, her expression neutral. Izuku was honestly impressed by how she seemed to have a perfect Poker Face. But somebody with his years of experience could easily see what she was feeling in that moment by looking into her eyes, and due to that, he could discern quickly that she was concerned. She was likely afraid that whatever was after him would, or even could, come here, and considering how strong he is , it would definitely be a cause for concern.
"It was a mixture of things really. The fact that the dragons became hyper-focused on killing me which resulted in them attacking me nearly every day to start with. Because of them, I couldn't enter a city or town without risking the lives of innocents. Then add on the fact that the Dominion was threatening to conquer Skyrim if they didn't hand me over, primarily driven by their fear of my power? Something needed to be done and the only thing I could think of was for me to disappear. The dragons no longer had a leader and the only reason they were such a threat at this point was solely on the fact that they were focusing on me. The Dominion would refrain from threatening a war with Skyrim if I wasn't on the board. I was the only reason they were threatening open conflict, they thought the Empire would use me as a weapon to conquer, and likely subjugate them. Since my ultimate goal was to come back here, I thought coming back seemed like the best option at the time." Izuku says, to which Asui nods her head, accepting the answer.
But unlike Asui, it took a good minute for everyone else to process his response. They had so many more questions, but before they could ask any further, the bell rang, signaling everybody to find their seats before Aizawa entered the classroom. They just managed to do so before he entered, making sure everybody was already quiet. As Aizawa explained what was happening today, Izuku tuned him out while he continued to look over the papers he brought with him. As he looked at one of them, a realization dawned on him and only a single thought popped into his mind.
'SHIT, we have a problem!'
Author's notes:
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Notes:
I want to thank ShotgunJack545 for proofreading this chapter. It was a big help and I am super grateful for it.
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