Angel: To Mufaro's question, I mean, I've already said Izuka doesn't have a villain from the League as her archenemy. And despite what is portrayed of her and Shigaraki in season 6 coming up, I still wouldn't say he's her enemy. She's just directly related to the clash between Izuku and Shigaraki because of her ties to Izuku. Even more so after this chapter specifically. Although that connection does form more later on. So her biggest enemy would be herself, since we already saw her struggles in the first few seasons with her self-confidence and that she feels she's not as strong as Katsuki, Shoto, or Izuku. For example, like when she wanted Katsuki to recognize her as a rival too in season 3 a bit. Not to mention her holding back in her attacks in the past, she's still having to overcome all of that. Hopefully that answers the question.
Will Izuka continue to use roller blades? It does come back in season 6, but it's not going to be as frequent as her art.
And yup, I recognized Zeno Robinson the second I heard Hawks' voice, not a shocker that he's my favorite Pro Hero of the anime. I recognized at least most of the voice actors honestly from other anime or TV shows. For example, Izuku, Toru, Katsuki, Mirio, Mezo, Sir Nighteye, Principal Nezu, Tokoyami and Tamaki's voices are all from Dr. Stone. So are Sen from Class 1-B and Inasa from Shiketsu! I think even La Brava is too, and I might've missed someone. But when you have so many characters like in My Hero Academia, they're all bound to come from something you're familiar with. Some of the people I listed are also in Black Clover, which I'm watching currently.
Endeavor was currently in the hospital still, bandages over his arms, face, and left eye. He looked up towards the ceiling.
Dabi came out of the shadows to reveal himself in Kyushu to Hawks, Izuka, and Endeavor. "Well, I wasn't expecting to find you here," He then suddenly created a circle of blue fire to block everyone else off from the four. Izuka gritted her teeth while looking up ahead.
'Even with three of us, there's no way we can stop him on our own. What does he want with us?' She thought as she stared up ahead.
Endeavor gritted his teeth while Hawks had a hand on his shoulder. His other hand was outstretched in front of Izuka to protect her. "The League of Villains," The number one hero hissed towards Dabi. "Dabi..." He then suddenly remembered hearing about what happened to Snatch on the news. "You killed Snatch. He was a good hero."
"Snatch, huh?" Dabi didn't seem to be all that remorseful. "That doesn't ring a bell. Why don't we forget about him and have a friendly chat? Who knows when we'll get another chance? Izuka Midoriya," He grinned towards the girl. "Gotta say, wasn't expecting you to be involved here."
"I could ask you the same question, you heartless murderer," Izuka growled, but he was unfazed by her answer.
Endeavor was about to get up to face Dabi, only to kneel onto the ground. He was still too injured from his fight with the High-End Nomu.
"You can't fight like this," Hawks warned his teammate. "Just recover your strength for now. Mido, can you help him?"
"No problem," Izuka nodded in agreement, sliding over to Endeavor to support him.
"I'll take care of this guy," Hawks gave a glare towards Dabi. He then straightened up, knowing that Dabi had the greater advantage. "I only have small feathers left...but I should be able to buy us some time."
"Aw, no need for heroics," Dabi replied with a small shrug. "The only reason I'm here is to retrieve my fallen Nomu. I mean, no way I could win this fight, right?" He then lunged forward, bringing his hands together to make another flame. "Unless the top two heroes and a little girl were bloodied and beaten already!"
Izuka gasped sharply at him heading towards her, the two men narrowing their eyes, ready to fight. Suddenly, Mirko jumped in from the sky, her leg outstretched. She let out a yell as she kicked at the ground, stopping Dabi's attack. There was a bunch of wind pressure as the four stared at her. She then jumped back up into the sky.
"Saw the news and hopped over!" She informed the three, grinning towards Dabi. "Patchwork, you're part of the League, huh? I'll kick your butt!"
"It's Mirko!" Izuka exclaimed in a bit of relief.
"Man," Dabi backed away, a little annoyed. "And things were just gettin' good. Do it, Ujiko," He said into a comm device strapped to the collar of his jacket. He then opened his mouth, revealing dark blue gunk coming out of it. All of them tensed up as they watched the gunk engulfing Dabi. "See ya later, Number One. I'm sure we'll have time to have a heart-to-heart someday. I look forward to it. Until then. Try not to disappoint. And don't you dare get killed, Enji Todoroki!"
Izuka flinched as she looked up wide-eyed, wondering how Dabi knew Endeavor's real name...
"Tell us where your friends are!" Mirko shouted while swinging her leg again, only to hit the gunk as Dabi had disappeared completely. Once she landed, the fire disappeared as well. "Vanished. It's the same way they bounced out of Kamino that day."
"Whatever the case, we managed to stop that juiced up Nomu," Hawks turned towards Endeavor.
"Idiot," Endeavor snarled as he looked up. "This...is just the beginning..."
"Hey, you're that UA student that makes the stars, right?" Mirko glanced over her shoulder, Izuka blinking at her. "How'd you manage to get caught up in this?"
"It's a long story..." Izuka stated a little awkwardly, and then heaved up Endeavor onto his feet. "Let's go, you guys need medical attention right away." She looked towards where Dabi disappeared as it left so many questions for all of them...
Endeavor closed his eyes, knowing that he would see Dabi again...the real question was...how did he know Endeavor's real name when they hadn't met until that day?
Back at the abandoned warehouse, Hawks held a feathered blade to Dabi's neck. "That wasn't how you said things would play out," He started off furiously to the villain.
"Oh, is that a fact?" Dabi replied back innocently.
"I'd prefer it if you and I got along better, Dabi," Hawks remarked, frowning deeply. He was not happy with how the Kyushu Incident had progressed.
"Thought you only had small feathers left after that battle," Dabi wasn't too bothered by Hawks' feather blade at all, nor was he too concerned with how Hawks was talking to him.
"If I'm going to meet a liar in a secret location, I'm not coming unarmed," The number 2 hero narrowed his eyes at Dabi. "The fight was supposed to go down at a warehouse tomorrow, and that girl wasn't supposed to be involved. Instead, you unleashed a Nomu in the middle of the city. One on a totally different level than the others we've faced. If we're going to trust each other, you have to keep me up to date."
"I guess I had a sudden change of heart," Dabi simply remarked to him. "But I did give you advance warning I wanted to test the new Nomu in the field. And that we'd be further looking into the girl. Besides, you're not without blame yourself. You said you'd bring a random pro along. I didn't expect the number-one hero. Now that's not very fair." Although Dabi wasn't one to talk considering what he did...
"Your beast gave Endeavor severe injuries, that girl was lucky to even be alive after being knocked into a building," Hawks gritted his teeth as the last thing he wanted was a UA student of all people to be dragged into it. "I figured you'd be thrilled to give him such a work out. I did what you asked of me. You're the only one who broke a promise here."
"Think of it as me testing our pet pro to see if I can actually trust his word. That girl just happened to get into our business by proxy, wouldn't be the first time based on what I've heard," He then moved the feather blade away like it was nothing. "I couldn't help but notice you saved a couple of bystanders and teamed up with her, though. You came to us saying you sympathize with our cause, yet you fought so hard today."
"I'm no good to you if the hero community loses its faith in my work," Hawks pointed out, glaring. "The more they trust me, the more intel I'll be able to collect on them. You know that. Unless you're incapable of thinking long-term." Dabi slowly stepped up, walking past the hero. "Everything I do is in the name of advancing the League. Got it?"
"Sure. Say that all you want," Dabi didn't seem to believe him as he started to leave. "But I can't let you see the boss yet. I'll be in touch...partner."
After hearing that, Hawks closed his eyes, as he had his reasons for doing this...as much as he hated it.
"We need you to infiltrate the League of Villains."
"Uh, you're gonna have to explain," Hawks spoke up in bewilderment as he was talking to the Heroes Public Safety Commission. "Cause that sounds crazy. Aren't you forming a secret team to find them?" He didn't see a reason that they needed a hero to infiltrate the League, since they would see the ruse coming from a mile away. The Kamino Incident proved that keeping them unaware of their plans was the best way to go. "Like with Gran Torino and the others?"
"Where did you hear about that?" The man asked while keeping his back to the hero.
Hawks moved his collar in front of his mouth in silence. He wasn't going to disclose where he heard it, since he had his ways of getting information. And he did not need them to know.
"We need your assistance. It's vital, Hawks," The President stated in a serious tone. "You've just proven how sharp your eyes and ears are."
"At the Kamino battle, we had to consider the safety of the kidnapping victims, so we rushed the operation and didn't gather enough intel. We misread their strength. To truly stamp out these dark organizations, we need more information. Especially about that bioengineered human. Was that thing made using just All for One's power?" By bioengineered human, he was referring to the Nomus that the heroes kept coming into time and time again. "If we don't learn everything we can about the League, then we'll just keep making the same mistakes."
"So you want me to get close to them, but expect me to sit back and ignore all the harm they cause?" Hawks demanded from the two. That meant he'd have to hear about the League's horrible crimes, but be unable to stop them if he wasn't careful. He wasn't sure if he could risk all of those lives by doing this.
The man turned back around to him. "We're asking you because we think you're someone who can ignore it." Hawks narrowed his eyes at the assumption that he would. "You're indifferent to prestige and fame, and you have your eyes fixed on your long-term goal. We think there's no one more suitable than you."
Hawks stood in front of Endeavor's hospital room, blaming himself a little for what happened to both the hero and Izuka. But that was just the way this operation resulted in unfortunately...he just hoped that he could handle things like this in the future.
He slid open the door, Endeavor's left arm being elevated by a cast. He turned to the doorway, staying silent as he stared. Hawks smiled at the man to hide his inner guilt. I'm sorry, Endeavor. Really. I am. And to Mido too...
Dabi stared up ahead at the crescent moon in the sky, the water in front of him. "Oh, that was Snatch," He suddenly remembered who Endeavor was referring to. "The sand guy, right?"
"Have you ever thought about the families of those you murdered in cold blood?!" Snatch yelled towards Dabi during transferring Overhaul to prison.
Dabi let out a breathless chuckle from recalling the question. Some blood was dripping out of the section where the skin was stapled to his face. He reached out to the blood with his thumb to wipe it away. "I've thought about it so much, it's driven me insane..." Not to the point where he would hallucinate about the victims, or to the point where he felt guilty about any of it. But because he wished that he could do it all over again...
Enji and Hawks walked down the streets together, as the former had just been released from the hospital. Both of them were in casual clothing, aside from Hawks wearing his goggles and headset. "Isn't this great?" Hawks wondered while wearing his shades over his face. "You only had to stay in there for 2 days," He then pointed to his face. "Bonus, your left eye's still working, which is honestly surprising."
Enji said nothing in return. He had recovered quickly in that time—all except for the left side of his face. It was now covered with a large, jagged scar going from his hair all the way down to his chin. Thanks to the High-End Nomu damaging it greatly, it was now permanent. Not even Recovery Girl could've healed it back to normal. As for the second-rated hero, his wings had slowly started to regrow, but not enough to fly.
Hawks then gave an awkward look as he thought that he might be making things worse. "I'm sorry," He closed his eyes, feeling ashamed. "This was all my fault."
"Don't flatter yourself," Enji remarked, earning a shocked look from Hawks. "My injuries are my own responsibility."
"Aw, man," Hawks smiled a little, amused. "Can I borrow that line the next time I get the crap beat outta me?"
"Focus on what's important," Enji looked over his shoulder. "That Nomu came straight for us. As if it knew where we were. The exact moment we were talking about it." He remembered that they were talking about Nomus as soon as the High-End showed up, and yet the creature knew their exact location. "An odd coincidence, wouldn't you say?"
"Meh," Hawks didn't seem too worried—although deep down he knew the circumstances behind the attack. "The two new top heroes walking around together in broad daylight and coming across a UA student from the hero course? We just drew too much attention and they decided to take a swipe at us." Hawks glanced towards him, hoping to move away from the subject. After his meeting with Dabi, this was honestly the last thing he wanted to hear about right now... Drop it. I made a scene while we were on the streets just so I could make this filmsy excuse. When he was interacting with the citizens, part of it was to say to Endeavor that it was because they were known to the people that they got attacked. He knew Endeavor would ask about it. Same thing when he stopped Izuka on purpose. He knew where she would be thanks to his sources, and he stopped her because she was a high target on the League's list...or at least, that was what he wanted the League to think. He truthfully didn't want to involve the girl because she would've gotten hurt, and he couldn't pretend that he didn't run into her either because Dabi was watching...it just made sense to tell Enji it was because of their status that it even happened so that no one would suspect anything.
"I was thinking, it's possible that the Nomu rumors themselves are being used as bait to catch heroes," Hawks spoke up while Enji heaved his bag over the staircase. "I think we should contact the team searching for the League and get more info."
"You should be more careful," Enji growled a little, causing Hawks to stop walking. "If you plan to keep investigating this...you're going to need someone to back you up. A hero who can stop a Nomu like that."
"Aw!" Hawks gave him a big grin. "And you care about me so much, you'll be my bodyguard! That's so nice!"
"I'll incinerate you!" Enji hissed while his whole body was on fire. He didn't want to work with Hawks like that.
"Once my feathers grow back, I can start patrolling again," Hawks stated as they walked towards the subway. "It'll probably take another day or so. Can't wait." Enji grumbled a little to himself as he pushed his bag through. "And what about you, huh? Takin' some R n' R, big guy?"
"Possibly," He simply answered as he walked off.
"Kay! Catch you later, then!" Hawks waved a hand, and Enji actually gave a small wave back in return. "...Oh, one more thing!" Enji came to a stop, looking over his shoulder. The winged hero smiled, hands in his pockets. "Need you to pick up a get well gift for Izuka. Find out what she likes for me, I'll be too preoccupied to drop it off myself."
"And I'm supposed to do that how?" Enji glared a little at being an errand boy.
"Well, you do have a son who's in her class. I bet he knows," Hawks gave a small smile and Enji blinked in realization that Shoto would know Izuka's interests. After all, the boy did ask his father to get her number during the Hosu Incident. He wouldn't do that if the girl wasn't important to him...
"...Fine," Enji simply answered and then left.
Hawks moved up his goggles as he watched.
"Is this absolutely necessary?" Hawks wondered to the Heroes Public Safety Commission members.
"This is a proposition," The President informed, crossing her arms. "By going after the League of Villains from both the inside and the outside, we can cut off their retreat and box them in."
"Really?" Hawks gave a small shrug. "Heh. You're calling it a proposition even though you know I can't possibly refuse you." To not take up the commission on their offer would look bad for him. Even if it involved things he knew would go against his morals as a hero. "Well, that's a laugh."
"I won't try to deny that," The President made no objections. "You're not wrong there. We got lucky you weren't able to make it to the fight in Kamino."
"A kid?" A Safety Commission member stared down at a younger Hawks. "You mean a child saved everyone?"
"That accident was terrible," Another one informed as a bus was on fire after crashing into a car. However, every single victim from the crash was safe and sound. "I can't believe it."
"Find the child who saved all those people. Immediately."
Hawks hugged an Endeavor toy close to his chest. "This boy has a natural gift. He should become a hero. Please, allow us to support your family while we help him reach his potential."
Hawks then opened up his wings, some of his feathers falling off. "A secret investigation into the League," He then bowed to the members. "If getting my hands dirty will help everyone else rest easy, then I gladly take on the task."
My name is Hawks. A man too fast for my own good. I wanna live in a world where heroes have too much time on their hands. And I'll make sure that happens He thought while turning away from the gates and leaving. As quickly as possible...
The door slid open in the Todoroki home to reveal Shoto, Fuyumi, and Natsuo. They were all eating lunch at the table as the only daughter looked up happily. "Welcome back home!" She was the only one to greet him.
"Yeah, it's been a while," Enji murmured as he stepped into the living room.
A cat yowled towards Mr. Aizawa, as he was waiting outside for Shoto in his car. He had driven the student over. "Shoto got permission to leave campus for dinner!" Fuyumi revealed to her father. "I asked his teacher to come in and join us, but, um...he said no."
Mr. Aizawa looked towards the cat, waving a finger. He was a cat person...
"Anyway, I bet you're super excited to celebrate your big victory over that monster," She smiled up at Enji. "Huh, Dad?"
Shoto continued eating and then looked up at Enji. "S'a bad scar," He pointed out the obvious. "Looks painful." He then slurped his cold soba while Natsuo stared up at the man in silence. Clearly, neither of them wanted to see their father right now...
"Hey, you two!" Fuyumi whipped between both of them in alarm as she could read the tension. "You promised you'd be in good moods! Congratulate him! Dad's finally trying to think about his family after all these years! Don't blow it! At least pretend that you don't hate him."
"I'm standing right here," Enji pointed out, knowing that they wouldn't want to say anything. But Fuyumi pointing it out was taking it a bit too far.
Natsuo slammed a hand down on the table. "Sorry, sis, but I'm out. I can't do this," He got onto his feet, clenching his fists and walking off.
"Wait!" Fuyumi called after him, not realizing that for Natsuo, he just couldn't stand to be in the same room as his father. He opened up the other door, Enji stopping him by placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Natsuo?" He gave his son an intense look, knowing that Natsuo had his own personal feelings just like Shoto about him. And he wanted for them to be known rather than hiding it, since they didn't have secrets. "If you have something to say, then talk."
"Oh, gimme a break. That's rich coming from you," Natsuo smacked his hand away, gritting his teeth. "Okay then. I found out today that Shoto likes soba. I know nothing about my brother cause you didn't want him to have anything to do with us failures." Fuyumi and Shoto stared in silence.
"Ignore them, Shoto," Enji dragged his son down the hall for some more training. "They live in a different world than the one I'm training you for."
Natsuo gripped an angry fist. After everything Enji had done, now was when he cared? When Natsuo had to find out on his own things that he should've learned during Shoto's childhood? To him, Enji took away their childhoods...so he just couldn't be around him. "For some reason, Mom and Sis are both ready to forgive you for how you treated us." He squeezed his eyes shut and then looked up, feeling like the resentment he had all those years ago was coming back tenfold. "But to me, you're still the maniac bastard who ruined our family!" Fuyumi opened her mouth in disbelief, her eyes saddening as she wanted just once for them to have a normal interaction... "You look like you're different, but you don't act that way! You neglected us. Even if you're the number-one hero, that doesn't erase the past! Mom's screams. Shoto's crying. What happened to our big brother, Toya." His fist was shaking as for years, he had to sit back and endure all of it while Enji never once tried to do anything to fix what he did, no matter what his career was as a hero. He then slammed his fist against the door, looking up furiously. "You may have had a change of heart, but you can't waltz in here and think we'll accept you! How disgusting can you be?!"
None of them said a word as Enji frowned deeply.
"So Mido, can you answer me something?" Hawks turned to the girl, who blinked at him. "What do you think Endeavor here should do?"
"Mr. Endeavor isn't perfect. In fact...his son himself...has issues with him," She started off carefully as Shoto had caught her up on everything that had happened in his home life at this point. Endeavor's eyes slowly widened from her words as she had a deep frown on her face. "He probably doesn't see Mr. Endeavor as a real person. But what I would suggest to think about...is who he's doing all this for. All Might was passionate, brave, calming. I'm not saying that people need to imitate him. But...Mr. Endeavor should face his own mistakes before anything else. Family is important to me...because if you don't have that support system, who will stand with you when times get hard?"
She had a point to what she said. It seems like Shoto is close to her...so she has some sense of what I've done.
"I plan to be your father now and atone for what I did," He informed his son, as he wanted to follow her example. Shoto blinked as he stared at the man, wondering where all this was coming from.
"It's too late!" Natsuo yelled up at him. "I'm sorry, sis, thanks for the food!" He then stormed off without another word.
"Natsu!" Fuyumi ran up to the door, watching him stomp down the hall. "Come on!" He didn't look back or say anything to her protests. She then let out a defeated sigh, covering her eyes in dismay. "Well, that went terribly. Mm..." She placed her hands on her face forlornly, tears in her eyes. She knew that her family had been through a lot...but that didn't mean that they had to be that way. That they always had to be so tense... "Shoto started visiting Mom on a regular basis, and Dad is compromising and making an effort. Mom's even started acting more cheerful. I thought...maybe we could act like a real family for once, you know." She then bent down to Shoto, grabbing his arm and shoulder. "I was just looking forward to it so much, weren't you? Weren't you, Shoto?!" She shook him a little.
He swallowed his soba, looking down at his food. "You know...I think that was the first time I've ever seen Natsu show that much emotion," He pointed out as usually, Natsuo ignored Enji around the house and avoided him altogether.
Fuyumi's eyes softened as she didn't realize it until now. "Two days after the fight, public opinions about the number-one hero continue to evolve rapidly," The news reporter spoke up from the TV.
"You're sure that he's okay?" A resident from the area wondered, looking a little anxious recalling what happened. "He was covered in blood by the end. And that poor girl took a nasty hit."
"I can't believe he didn't arrest anyone from the League, weren't they after the girl he was allied with?" Someone pointed out while standing next to his friend.
"I thought we already caught a ton of those Nomu things," His friend couldn't help but agree. "Why was he having such a hard time with one? That girl probably could've taken it down on her own."
Enji, Shoto, and Fuyumi continued to watch in silence. "Despite his win-"
"Turn that thing off!" Fuyumi whined as she didn't want to hear any of this.
"No," Shoto stared at the broadcast, just as Endeavor's fan defending him had come up.
"Do you know what both of them are doing right now?" The fan implored to the TV. "Endeavor's risking his life for our sakes while she's supporting him by rescuing everyone being affected! Look at them!"
A man in his 20s with three eyes was grinning while being interviewed. "I used to be a huge fan of Edgeshot. But Endeavor's totally my top hero after that!"
"I was actually super excited to see representation for fire-types," A man in his 30s smiled while his finger was on fire.
"I can't forget Look Boy's passion!" A woman from a couple smiled, her ears looking like headphones.
"Who's Look Boy?!" Her boyfriend popped up next to her and she giggled. "Some new hero?"
"The child now known by the nickname Look Boy struck a chord with many during the fight," The news reporter said as there was now merchandise of Look Boy such as mugs and t-shirts. "However, we must not forget that Endeavor..."
"That's the boy I met on the street," Enji recognized him immediately, he wasn't even aware until now that the boy stood up for him.
"Ranked just below the top hero, assisted..."
"A change is coming," Endeavor told Toshinori while they watched Shoto, Katsuki, and Izuka during their remedial course. "I can feel it. Some unseen thing you built up in your prime is starting to crumble."
"It's the dawn of the Age of Endeavor," Another fan stated from TV.
"Endeavor, the top hero, was amazing," Shoto started off without looking back, shocking Enji. "If it wasn't for him, my friend would've died out there. So I'll always be grateful for that. But...that's not who's standing here. I have to agree with what Natsu said." Natsuo was currently standing outside the house to be alone. "I still can't forgive you for what you did to Mom. And that's my choice to make. As for being my 'father'? I'll have to watch your actions to see if you earn that. Because I know something small can change a person. If they want it to," He then slurped up some noodles, Fuyumi looking hopeful that he was willing to see overlook his father's actions to see if he could accept him.
I didn't become Number One the way I wanted to. So my hero work is tainted with shame Enji thought to himself, as no matter what he did or said, his actions as a father would never go away. What is my power even for?
"Why is it so important to be the strongest?" Toshinori couldn't help but wonder to him. "Tell me, Endeavor. I'm sure you have a reason. If you look inside yourself."
When he said that...what suddenly came to mind was one resounding thought. I must guarantee their future He remembered watching Shoto with the kids, knowing that both as the number one and as Shoto's father...he had to make sure his son could still become a hero. That any future generation could be heroes without needing to be ashamed of who they were. If that's the job of the pro at the top...then I've failed with my own family He recalled his own wife panicking from how much mental damage he gave her... How can I demand forgiveness after so long?
"...Reach out to your friend for me. Hawks wants to give her a present. When you have an answer, let me know," He simply said and then left the room. Shoto stared after him, a bit surprised that Enji didn't insist on giving it to Izuka himself or that he wanted to interact with her. And he could tell that his father wasn't lying to try and get brownie points either...
"Dad?" Fuyumi stared after him as he started to leave. "You haven't eaten yet."
He came to a stop. "I want you to know...I'm sorry for everything." Fuyumi gasped in shock for him saying so, though Shoto didn't react. "And I should have handled that conversation with Natsuo differently." He then left the hallway, noticing Natsuo standing alone outside.
Even if it is too late...I'll try to make amends. It's my only path forward.
Minoru was walking around the halls in Heights Alliance, when he saw Izuku stumbling around down the second floor.
That same night, after basic physical training, I worked on One for All until I was exhausted.
He waved to Minoru on the way to his room. He had just spent most of his time training with Toshinori. As soon as he entered his room, his face hit the pillow.
And passed out on top of my sheets.
I wasn't much better honestly.
Izuka's arms were very sore after cleaning the classrooms again. She staggered down the hallway, Ochaco looking at her in alarm. Izuka just gave a small wave over her shoulder as she passed by her best friend's room.
After both cleaning and training thanks to Katsuki, I was so tired it was a wonder I could still move. So as soon as I got into bed, I was out as well.
Izuka didn't bother changing out of her casual clothing as she was snoring, curled up in her bed. Her phone buzzed as a text from Shoto popped up, but she didn't answer.
The moon was shining as a wave washed over Izuku. He opened his eyes to find himself in a void. His whole body was covered in green matter, aside from his face.
I had a dream.
He looked to the side as several people in a line were nearby. The first one in that line was Nana Shimura, Toshinori's mentor and the one who had One for All before him.
There was a beautiful woman with a fierce expression on her face next to me.
A bright light shined as he looked up to see a body shape forming above the group, but he couldn't make out who it was.
There was this light, but...I don't know who it belonged to. Beyond her were other people I didn't recognize at first.
The other people in the line stared up ahead...and then he realized why they looked familiar.
Wait, they're...
They were the same group of people that he saw at the Sports Festival, when Hitoshi Shinso was brainwashing him. And after seeing them, he had managed to snap out of the Quirk.
I'd had a vision like this before. But this dream was much clearer than that one...aside from that light above us. I couldn't tell who that was at all.
He blinked at the much more detail this one was compared to what happened at the Sports Festival. Back then, he couldn't see who was who, but now it was more vivid...
They were the vestiges of One for All.
All of them stared up ahead at something in the distance. The green-haired boy then held up his arm, as that seemed to be the only thing he could do. I can't talk, but I can move my right arm. What's up with my feet? His feet, like the rest of his body, was covered in the green matter, so he couldn't even see his legs. He felt kind of unattached to his whole body...
Other than that light above us, there are 2 more I can't make out.
Two vestiges at the end of the line were like Izuku, covered in matter. One was red and the other one was purple. However, unlike the other vestiges, he couldn't see their physical appearances to get a sense of who they could've been.
"One person improves the power," Izuku remembered what Toshinori said when he had met the twins and explained his Quirk. "Then hands it off to another person. It continues to grow as it's passed along. It is this cultivated power that allows me to save those who are in need of a hero. The truth behind my strength."
These are the successors of One for All He couldn't even believe that he was standing with them, since it was so long ago that he even had any interaction with them...well, more so seeing them than actually talking to them. Every inheritor. Seven people. Eight including me. Every person who's ever used the Quirk except its original wielder!
Although he didn't quite understand why the original wasn't standing with them. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he didn't know much about the original...? It wasn't like he could do research on him, it was decades ago that the power even existed for the first time. He then looked up at the bright light shining over them like the moon. But I don't understand the light, because it's definitely not the original wielder. That person would be next to me, not above us...maybe someone who knew all of the inheritors? But that's not possible...they wouldn't be alive today if that was the case. He only knew of two people still standing today that knew any of the successors: Toshinori and Gran Torino...and with the body shape, it definitely belonged to a female.
"Stand at my side," A familiar voice spoke up, and suddenly, all of the vestiges disappeared into thin air. The bright light still remained, though. And it started to move strangely enough to his shock as it floated around in front of him.
Huh...? This light is alive? I think it's trying to tell me something.
Izuku looked up ahead to see two people facing each other, having the same substance he did around their bodies. But it was more red and black, but he couldn't recognize who they were at all...at least, at first. "Dear, foolish little brother. Why do you resist me?"
The voice belonged to someone Izuku thought he'd never see in his dreams... That voice! I'll never forget it! All for One!
The light near him spun around frantically and he held out his hand to try and calm it down.
All for One grinned towards his little brother. Izuku guessed that this must've been before All for One became known as the Symbol of Evil, because he was definitely much younger here than what he looked like now. But he still looked just as terrifying as he did in Kamino...
The light shook a little and then floated above Izuku's head, giving off some yellow stardust. It went over his head and he blinked, wondering what this sentient light was trying to do. Although that stardust seemed familiar somehow…
"Because what you're doing is wrong!" The little brother shouted, gritting his teeth. "I refuse to stand by and watch as you corrupt everything around us!"
Izuku looked at him wide-eyed, as he knew of a younger brother thanks to Toshinori... All for One called him little brother. Is he...the first? Recalling Toshinori's story, the man said that All for One had a sibling who had a Quirk...that he didn't know if All for One was trying to get his brother to submit or give him a Quirk...
"What a callous thing to say," All for One seemed a bit hurt, and if either of them knew of Izuku's presence, they didn't say anything about it. "I'm trying to compromise with you. But let me guess: tolerance is not part of your rigid sense of 'justice'."
"The world is falling apart right now; it's in utter chaos, but Meta powers shouldn't be used to further self-interest!" The first wielder of One for All tried to appeal to his brother. "You're only thinking about how you can fulfill your own desires!"
The light above Izuku then dimmed to hide behind him a little. He narrowed his eyes, shielding the light from the two.
Neither of them have noticed us. Are we seeing the past reenacted? If so...that means this light is someone from the real world like me. But if that's the case, why aren't they human like me? Is this even someone with a direct connection to One for All...?
All for One held out his hand. "Come..." Two people emerged nearby, with the same red and black aura around them. The first one looked almost like a normal person, except he had sharp teeth around his cheeks, almost like a dinosaur. "This man's jaw was transformed. Those wretched fangs simply won't stop growing. He's a kind-hearted man who takes care of his elderly parents. But he was persecuted. Called sick and a monster. Even his parents have abandoned him."
The second man looked much more normal compared to the first. "This man has no abilities. On his way home from work one evening, he was attacked by a gang of Metas. His stun gun was rendered useless, and the tentacle-like hair of an assailant held him down as he was beaten."
"No, don't!" The first wielder held out his hand to try and talk the men out of this. "There's no turning back-" He grunted as he put his hand over his mouth, kneeling and coughing. The little light zoomed out of hiding, giving off a small ring like a bell. Izuku looked up at the light, wondering if this was too much for the entity to see...
"Please help me," The first man pleaded with All for One.
"Just do it," The other one demanded as the villain stepped up to them both. He placed his hands over their heads, grinning maliciously. Once he touched them, red energy suddenly surrounded the both of them. The sharp teeth completely disappeared from the first man, while something emerged from the 2nd.
The first wielder looked up, shaking as he was unable to stop the process. All for One then stopped the process, moving away his hands and the energy went away. "If I'm ever in need, will you lend me your aid?" He asked both men.
"Yes, of course I will," The first one touched his face in astonishment. He then had tears in his eyes as he felt joy. "I can go home. Thank you."
"I'll help too," The second man grinned from his new power. "I'm forever in your debt after this gift." He felt like he could really defend himself from those with Quirks now.
"Is this the world you call chaotic?" All for One questioned his brother, who was glaring towards him. "It doesn't seem so to me, brother. I saw two people in need and helped both of them using my ability."
The first wielder gritted his teeth; just because he took one Quirk away and then gave away another didn't mean he was helping people. It just meant he was giving people a reason to be in debt to him, to serve him. And at the end of the day...he didn't care what he did as long as he got something out of it. There was nothing stopping him from taking away more from the two.
"I'm no fool," The white-haired man growled out. "You don't care about them, you're just adding lackeys to your collection."
"I do need people I can trust and depend on," All for One agreed with him, but for the wrong reasons. "For someone so concerned with righteousness though, why do you ignore the joy my power brings them?" He saw what he did as helping society, though he didn't know why it was seen as evil. He saw it as a way of changing the world to what it needed to be. "The concept of humanity is broken in this world. I can use my power to restore a sense of order. So which one of us is actually indulging in self-interest, would you say?"
"What kind of order is it if you're taking advantage of people?!" His brother argued back furiously. "Do you even remember how many innocents you've toyed with before you abandoned them?!" He rushed forward to attack, only for someone to stop him by pinning him to the ground. The man held the first wielder's head, pinning it to the ground.
"You'll lose your tongue before you insult him again," The bodyguard growled down at him; he was a loyal member to All for One after the villain helped him.
"Ah, do try to be careful," All for One warned his lackey. "My little brother has a weak constitution. Poor thing, born without any meta abilities." Izuku stared up ahead while the light was fading a little. He already knew that the first wielder was seen as not having a power...but to have a brother as someone as calculating as All for One... "Without power, you can't hope to achieve anything. You're a pitiful hypocrite, but I still love you. I hope you know that."
The light was suddenly red from anger, and Izuku could understand why. It seemed as if the light felt very strongly about the bonds of family...
"You are my only family," Suddenly, a bunch of green matter engulfed everyone and then turned into a town. All for One was walking away while surrounded by the red matter. "I will give you everything you want if you agree to join me. You have my word. Choice to those without power." The red matter belonged to so many people who were dedicated to All for One... "Mercy to those who have sinned."
Izuku kept staring while the light flickered a little, as if it was trying to stay but for some reason had trouble maintaining itself. Everything changed again to a dark room with the first wielder inside. Someone stepped inside, its shadow looming from the front door.
"You've stopped eating again," All for One pointed out as he walked in. "You're disintegrating into nothing."
The first wielder coughed into his mouth as he was starting to get sick. "Brother...I refuse to become the man you want me to be."
"But you should have been there," All for One looked pleased with himself. "You should have seen them fall. All of them. They let their powers go to waste. Formed factions. Rose against me. That's why they had to be killed. But it wasn't by my hand that they lost their lives. My multitude of adoring friends took it upon themselves to spite the wicked and act on my behalf. I couldn't be more thrilled."
Izuku stared up ahead wide-eyed, unable to do or say anything. The light seemed to be panicking or being frantic by the way it was zipping around behind him. They were watching from the ceiling, so they hadn't been noticed, or neither of them cared of their presence. Izuku reached out his right hand to pat it on the head to calm the entity down.
"The suggestion of a desire and people act for me. A fantasy come to life. It's like the world from the comic we read together back when we were young," All for One gave a small smile.
"Except you gave up and only read through volume three," The first wielder retorted back to his brother. "You missed the end. The demon king ruled that fictional land, but a hero of justice struggled against him despite the horrible odds and saved the world. Don't you know? The villain always loses in the end."
He grunted as All for One grabbed his face. "Dreams have become reality. And reality doesn't follow stock plots," He stated while taking energy away from his own brother. "I believe it's time you finally bend to my cause. I'll rewrite your story as well. Because you are dear to me, brother."
The light snuggled in closer to Izuku like a scared child and he held it close, narrowing his eyes. He could understand that this was terrifying to watch...
"Let me go!" The first wielder demanded as he didn't want this at all.
"I've found a meta power for you. Even your pathetic body can utilize it," All for One gave his little brother a small smirk. "You will join me."
"PLEASE, BROTHER!" The first wielder shouted at the top of his lungs. Izuku tried to reach out his hand while the light zipped over. The closer it got, the more it brightened up, causing Izuku to squeeze his eyes shut from how it was like the sun being in his eyes.
"...You're the 9th wielder, right? And she's the hope?" The first wielder spoke up. The boy looked up with a small gasp, though the light was completely gone now. "I'm sorry," He approached Izuku as the past had ended from the dream. "I wanted to show you more, but you're barely using 20 percent of the power yet. And she hasn't learned of her acquired role yet. Be careful."
Izuku reached out his hand, wanting to help him or warn him of his brother and what he would do...but he still couldn't say a word.
"We're long past the singularity point," The first wielder reached out his hand. Izuku grunted as he willed himself to do the same. "Don't be afraid..." He said just as they were about to grab each other's hands... "You are not alone."
The window then cracked in Izuku's room before it broke. At the same time, a shooting star shot out of Izuka's hand as she sat up, panting. The shooting star hit the window and then exploded once it was outside. Izuku was panting as well, looking at his glowing hand. Both of them had so many questions on their mind...
What the...hell was that? Izuka ran a shaking hand through her hair, her eyes still wide while trying to catch her breath. This was due to the fact that...she had the same dream as Izuku just now, because she was that light that was with him the whole time during the whole event. But that didn't make any sense to her, because she wasn't the wielder of One for All...and yet, she was still seeing things that Izuku was, almost exactly like during the Sports Festival. But in the dream, everything was so bright to her that she could only hear what was happening for most of the time, and only felt a presence nearby that wasn't a vestige of One for All. Her being that light made it so that she could barely see anything, but she also did feel that comforting hand...yet she couldn't interact with anything. But when she caused that flash though, she had lost control by then and could only hear what the first wielder was saying, in bits and pieces.
What did he mean by hope...?