The school bell rang, signalling to the students of U.A. that classes had ended, and that it was time to go home. If Izuku was going to be honest with himself—which he normally was—the last class he had, that being the training session he had at Gym Gamma, was one of his least favourite things that he had done that day.

It wasn't because he didn't want to train his Quirk, One For All, far from it; he wanted to get better with the Quirk seeing as he broke his body whenever he used it, and with the Sports Festival coming up, he couldn't go into it with that kind of control. Sure, he could be creative with the uses of his Quirk, but with just how stacked the odds were between him and his classmates, he needed to think of something.

Aizawa-Sensei had said it the best. He needed to control his Quirk. He needed to stop breaking his bones—or at least, he needed to stop breaking his bones to a frightening degree that he had been. He couldn't risk breaking whole limbs anymore—he shouldn't have settled for that in the first place.

His mother had made it a point to tell him that it was unacceptable. That he needed to start thinking of ways to control his new Quirk. His mom was right, and he knew she was right, but the problem was that he didn't know how to control his Quirk. That was what was bugging him—his inability to control One For All.

It was why recently, he was starting to get concerned. The Sports Festival was just two weeks away and with all the declarations made by his classmates about winning, he felt horribly inadequate. All of his classmates had years to train with their Quirks. Izuku on the other hand only had his Quirk for a week. Compared to everyone else, he had a massive handicap.

Not only that, but he also felt useless because of what happened at the USJ. He couldn't do anything of use after helping Tsuyu and Aoyama away from the boat. After that, he did nothing but risk his life, three times, and came out of it with nothing but his body broken, again.

When that hand villain reached out to touch Tsuyu's face…. He wouldn't have been able to act in time. Her face would've been turned to dust… she would've died. If Aizawa-Sensei hadn't used his Quirk right then and there, Tsuyu…

That image played on a loop in his head. He had been having sleepless nights because of it. It bothered him to an unhealthy extent. It went to show just how dangerous that hand villain had been.

And he was still on the loose.

That terrified him. He didn't know why, but he felt genuine fear with that prospect. The fact that a maniac like that was still on the loose… The only thing Izuku knew what to do was to train. To ensure that the next time they met, it wouldn't end in him freezing up.

But, even with that in mind… Why couldn't he get that manic look that villain had in his eyes out of his head? Why did it plague his nightmares? More importantly…

Why couldn't he keep the vision of Tsuyu dying in front of him out of his mind?

Tsuyu didn't die. She was alive. He saw her at Gym Gamma, so she was obviously still alive. But why did his imagination go to such a dark place? Why did he keep seeing the worst-case scenario repeat like a bad joke over and over again?

Sure, they all had mandatory sessions with HoundDog, and while they helped a little, it still didn't get that image out of his head. It still didn't change the fact that at that moment he wouldn't have been able to react in time. It still didn't change the fact that Tsuyu would've died right before his eyes.

Twice now, this had happened. No, actually. Three times, this had happened. Three times he had to bear witness to and or hear of someone nearly losing their life. Twice for his sake with Yoshihara, and once with Tsuyu nearly getting killed in collateral because some villain was having a temper tantrum.

He… hated it. He hated that he felt as useless as he did. He thought that once he got a Quirk—once he obtained One For All he wouldn't feel that way anymore. He wouldn't feel expendable. Yet here he was. He felt the same way he did back in Aldera, and it was all because he wouldn't have been able to help in time.

He would've gladly traded his life if any of his classmates got in harm's way. He would gladly throw himself into danger if it meant even a fifth of the percent of the time that no one else had to die.

And yet, in that moment… he would've failed….

After the USJ incident, when the school re-opened, he and All Might had a chat about what happened. The only thing of note about that conversation was what happened when the Nomu countered his attack on the villain in charge—the hand villain—and how his body hadn't broken when he attacked it. All Might had been intrigued and so Izuku gave him the information the man wanted.

He explained that when he had hit the Nomu, he felt no pain from using One For All, though All Might explained that he had most likely restrained himself instead of using One For All's full power so that he didn't kill his intended target, that being of Shigaraki.

He agreed with All Might and then had been amazed that he had controlled One For All, even if it was only for the briefest of seconds. Granted, he still had a long way to go, that much he knew, but for now, he had every right to be proud, knowing that he had controlled his seemingly uncontrollable Quirk.

Even if it was for the briefest of seconds, Izuku wanted to maintain that control. He wanted to ensure that he could control One For All not for a brief second, but permanently. He wanted to make sure that he no longer broke his body when he used it.

He didn't want to feel useless. He didn't want to feel like a liability. He wanted to know that if push came to shove, he could actually do something.

So, when today's training at Gym Gamma happened, he decided to look for ways to further his control with his Quirk, but each time he did, he only ended up hurting himself. Though he had made some progress, with his arm broken—again—he had to sit out training. However, that didn't mean he couldn't seek help.

He wasn't comfortable talking to the others in his class. Maybe it was his nervousness and negative experiences at Aldera that made him a little paranoid around others, but even if he felt comfortable around them, that didn't mean he was comfortable talking to them. Although he did talk to Kirishima—well, Kirishima approached him, but that was irrelevant. He also spoke to Kujo and Yoshihara, and he got some interesting advice from all three of them.

While the advice that they gave him was all the same, it was worded differently each time. Even so, he still found it helpful. Though, when he spoke to Yoshihara, he could've sworn that the entire time they talked she had been looking at him with an almost accusatory glare. Over what, he didn't know. He'd have to talk to her about it later when he had the chance.

The suggestions that all three of them made were to reduce the amount of power he was putting into his attacks, and focus on distributing the power to other parts of the body, like a blanket. Out of all of them though, Kirishima's way of wording it struck a chord with him.

While Kirishima hadn't done a good job at getting his point across—his words, not Izuku's—he understood what he was getting at. The others had the jist of the idea that Kirishima ultimately put together for him, but they didn't explain it as well as he did, even if Kirishima didn't think so himself.

" So, it's obviously a strength Quirk, right? A strange one that relies on energy, yeah? And 'cause it's a strength Quirk, that means you punch stuff super hard. So, obviously, you hit stuff with yer fists, yeah? But I think you should probably focus on other parts of your body. Maybe the reason why you're breaking your bones is that you're putting too much power into one limb. Maybe try moving it around in your body!

"I guess the best way to get my point across is… uh… okay, so this might be random, but my uncle's a plumber, and he explained to me that things like pipes and whatnot have to divert water flow or whatever you call it around the house to make sure everything that needs water has access to it, allowing for the house to have a functioning water system. Otherwise, it would be impossible to have a shower at the same time the dishwasher is going.

"Since it all comes from the hot water tank, and since a lot of things need water, if the system isn't functioning, then that means not everything is working as it should, and that one thing that is getting all the water at once will break due to overuse and strain. The same goes with water pressure, too much, and the appliance will break, or the pipe will. Maybe think of your power like that…! maybe then you'd be able to use your Quirk better. I might just be spouting nonsense to you, but that's all I got Midoriya, maybe someone else can help explain it better."

He appreciated the thought that went into the explanation and took it to heart. If he thought of his body as the water system within a house, and the source of his power as the hot water tank, he found himself able to feel the flow of One For All throughout his entire body, dividing the energy out into various limbs. While he could only do it for a split second, it was thanks to Kirishima that he found a way to do the one thing he had a hard time doing when it came to controlling One For All.

Visualize himself controlling it.

Izuku was a visual learner. He needed to see something in action for him to understand it properly. It was why he liked studying Quirks more than anything else. Because to get a good idea of what the Quirk did, you had to see it first. While his grades were amazing in school, if there had been a Quirk study class, he would've aced it better than anything else in the school.

So now, with a visual to work off of, he knew that he could actually work towards controlling the flow of One For All's power. And with two weeks until it was time for the Sports Festival, well… he now might actually have a chance.

"Thank you, Kirishima!" Izuku thought, leaving the premises of the school. However, before he turned the corner to exit the campus of the school, a hand grabbed onto his shoulder. He turned around and was met with Yoshihara's. "Oh! Y-Yoshihara! Uh, what is it?" Izuku asked as Yoshihara sighed, letting go of his shoulder.

"Are you free today?" Yoshihara asked as Izuku rubbed the back of his neck, glancing over to the street, avoiding eye contact. Izuku chuckled to himself, before letting out a sigh.

"Uh, sorry, not today. My mom wanted me to practice against her Stand today. She heard about the Sports Festival and wants to help me train. I think it's a way to make it up to me when she attacked us," Izuku explained as Yoshihara nodded, though he could've sworn he saw some sort of disappointment in her eyes.

"I see. How about tomorrow?" Yoshihara asked, crossing her arms as Izuku nodded. Yoshihara hummed, turned around, then walked away. Izuku raised his eyebrow, then shook his head. Ever since the USJ, Yoshihara had seemed on edge constantly. It was a traumatic event for everyone, that much he knew. Yoshihara had a panic attack there but seemed to recover from it pretty quickly, so he didn't understand why she was still acting so skittish. Perhaps something else happened?

Whatever the case was, Izuku wanted to know. Tomorrow, though, since he needed to get home. His mom was probably waiting for him, and the last thing he wanted was to keep his mother waiting for much longer.

The walk from U.A. to his home wasn't a bad one. The reason he walked rather than taking the train like he usually did was because he forgot his Train Pass at home, so he had to walk home rather than take the train. Even if he was a little tired from training all afternoon and because of Recovery Girl's Quirk.

Which, reminded him of something. That something being to never make Recovery Girl angry. Despite her meagre frame and appearance, that cane and the strength she wielded it with was unlike any other. It felt like he was being beaten over the head with a cinderblock.

He didn't expect that kind of physical strength out of someone who looked to be in their late 70s, but then again, don't underestimate the elders was a thing for a reason. They tended to hide their true prowess behind their age and their frail appearance. There was a reason why, albeit mostly retired, Recovery Girl was still a hero.

Still, he was grateful for her. Without her, he would've still had that broken arm, and he'd be decommissioned from training until The Sports Festival itself. Which would've not only made it nearly impossible for him to compete without thinking up some serious last-second strategies—something he knew he could do regardless but would be nonetheless stressful.

The Sports Festival was meant to be fun. Not a stress-filled anxiety pit. Though, with the whole world watching, it might've been a little incorrect to say that for some people. If this had been him from even a month ago, he'd be scared witless at the mere thought of being at the U.A. Sports Festival.

Now? Not so much.

"Although, I have to wonder, what kind of training will Mom have in store for me?" Izuku thought, smiling to himself. The rest of the walk had been peaceful, and his thoughts left him alone. It didn't take him long to get to his apartment complex, which had been a sight for sore eyes.

He hoped his Mom would give him at least a few minutes to rest before they started their training. Though, with how serious his mother had been about preparing him, he doubted that she would. She had adopted a rather… tense air about herself lately. He didn't know why, but he was starting to get worried.

He knew his mother kept secrets—everyone was entitled to do that. But the type of secrets his mother kept… That was the problem. He just hoped that this wasn't one of those times, because if it was, then whatever trust he had built up with her since the last incident would've been shattered.

As he approached the staircase to go up to the floor of the apartment complex where he lived when he spotted someone he had never seen before. That wouldn't have been a problem if it wasn't for the fact that he had known everyone in the apartment complex. From the Wakaba twins to the Jinchiros, up to and including their friends, out of all of those people, this man looked nothing like the type of person whose company they'd keep.

The person in question was a man. He was easily six feet tall, and he was a little bit hunched over which gave him a smaller appearance. He had a cigarette in his mouth, pre-lit, with a tired look on his face. His hair was pitch black, and it went all the way down past his shoulders—kind of like Aizawa-Sensei.

Unlike Aizawa-Sensei, there was a clear and stark difference in how he held himself. He looked like a thug—someone who'd jump you in an alleyway for drug money, or a member of a Yakuza doing a shakedown. That idea was further compounded by the lion tattoo on his arm, in which the lion tattoo was breathing flames toward his wrist.

The man was dressed in a short-sleeve gray T-shirt and a pair of black baggy pants. His shoes looked raggedy and used, and he had a glint in his eyes that said that he recognized Izuku, despite not ever having seen him before. A pang of nervousness filled his chest, as he swallowed lightly.

"Oi. You Midoriya Izuku?" The man asked as Izuku felt his heart skip a beat.

"I don't like this…." Izuku thought, staring at the man with his fear plastered all over his face. Kami, he was being pathetic, but he didn't care. Something about this man… it put him off—way off. He didn't know why, but he did.

"Uh… are you talking to me?" Izuku asked as the man gave him a "Are you stupid" look, which prompted Izuku to flinch. To say he was weary was an understatement, as something in the back of his mind was telling him not to. But, at the same time, there was something about him that, despite his appearance, made him seem… friendly. Going against his better judgment, Izuku approached the man. "Uh… what do you want?"

"I'm a friend of your mom's. We go way back. We recently had some coffee and talked. She told me you wanted to be a Pro Hero. She's not home right now, so I decided to take it upon myself to meet you and help you out." As the man said that, he outstretched his hand and smirked. "Names Nicholas Asahina. Before you ask, my mom's American and my father's Japanese. Hence the strange name. Nice to meet you."

As Nicholas said that, Izuku hesitantly took his hand in a friendly handshake, knowing it was only polite of him to do so. Americans were weird like that, but he wasn't going to judge. He could've sworn there was a glint in Nicholas's eyes, but he paid no mind to it.

"Nice to meet you, too, Asahina-san," Izuku said, letting go of his hand as the man scoffed.

"Just call me Nick, kid. Now, c'mon, I wanna take you somewhere. It's my favourite noodle shop in Musutafu. It's called Nishi-Noodles. We don't got much time till it closes," Nicholas said, stuffing his hands into his pocket. Izuku narrowed his eyes as Nicholas turned to leave, but before he could, Izuku spoke up.

"Hold on, you claim to know my mother. But if you do, what's her name?" Izuku asked as Nicholas looked over his shoulder, narrowed his eyes, and then sighed.

"You worried I'm some kind of crook?" Nicholas asked, to which he was given no response. Nicholas rolled his eyes and answered. "Inko Midoriya. Or, if you're really going to be picky, her maiden name before she married your deadbeat of a father was Inko Akiyama. There, happy now?" Nicholas stated as Izuku flinched.

Maybe he was wrong to be harsh to Nicholas, but… would anyone blame him? Especially after everything that had happened recently, and doubly so after the USJ, he was hard-pressed to trust a random stranger he had never met. Especially someone who claimed to know his mom. That was the setup for a very bad, very nasty horror movie, he just knew it.

"I… I'm sorry, sir, it's just a lot of things have been happening recently that don't make sense. I'm a little on edge," Izuku said, still keeping his guard up.

Nicholas saw this, and shook his head, "Whatever kid," he muttered before he continued to walk. Technically speaking, Izuku didn't have to actually follow him, but for some reason, he felt pulled to do so.

What was drawing him toward Nicholas? He didn't know, and it was bothering him. There was something in the back of his mind telling him he was dangerous. Telling him he was a threat. Telling him that he should run in the other direction. But something compelled him to follow Nicholas.

And so, he did. As they walked, after a short amount of time, he spoke up. "Hey, kid…" Nicholas began as he looked over his shoulder. "You got any friends? You seem like the type to have plenty of them?" Nicholas asked as Izuku hummed to himself in affirmation. He didn't want to tell the stranger much of anything, but he seemed like a nice guy. What would the harm be in giving out a few names?

"Uh, yeah. I do… there's Yoshihara, Fumi-kun, Karera-san, Uraraka-san, Iida-kun, and Tsuyu, uh… that's about it, though. Why?" Izuku asked as Nicholas took a drag out of his cigarette, puffing out the smoke, before chuckling to himself. He muttered something under his breath, but Izuku didn't catch what he had said.

"I… I don't know why but… why do I get the feeling that this is going to go wrong, and quickly?" Izuku thought, resisting the urge to swallow the building tension in his throat.

"Nothing, really. Just curious," Nicholas said, snuffing out his cigarette. "We're here," the man stated, entering a small yellow building named Nishi-Noodles. Once they entered, they were ushered to a booth, and as soon as they sat down, Nicholas stared into his eyes.

There was an awkward silence between the two as the server came by with a menu. As soon as Izuku looked down at it, he bit his lip, and that was when Nicholas spoke. "I dare you to buy and eat their large bowl of Karashibi Miso Ramen Kikanbo."

As soon as he said that, Izuku felt a chill waft through his body, and he immediately raised his hand. In the back of his mind, he had no idea what it was he was doing. As soon as the server came by, he pointed at the menu as Nicholas had said, and the server nodded, heading to the kitchen. Izuku's eyes widened, but he couldn't speak.

It was at this point that Nicholas smirked, reaching into his pocket. Upon taking his hand out, Izuku immediately recognized it as a switchblade, and as soon as he opened the blade, a skeletal man appeared out of thin air, wearing a black waistcoat with a shredded cape of sorts, golden teeth, and tattered pants. It was holding the suitcase as it placed the object on the table, a golden aura flaring to life around Nicholas.

"W-What the—I-is that… Is that a Stand…?!" Izuku thought, his mind racing a million miles a second. There were, of course, a lot of questions going on, such as who Nicholas really was, and all of that jazz, but the other question—and frankly the most important one—was why the hell could he see that Stand! Because that was what it was, that had to be the case.

But, before he could say or pretty much do anything, Nicholas spoke.

"I dare you to be silent for the rest of the time we are in this building, and I dare you to stay right there, and don't move unless you have to use the restroom," Nicholas said, the golden aura radiating off of him as Izuku's eyes widened, though his mouth stayed shut.

"Now, I'm sure you're confused, but I get it, you've never been in this type of situation before. So I'm going to give you a rundown real quick just save us some time. You, my friend, and caught in ability. Not a Quirk, but something worse. Seeing as you're going to die here, I might as well tell you. What I have is called a Stand, and I know you can't see it right now, but—"

"Uh, Nick," The Stand spoke up, glancing over at Nicholas, who frowned. "The kids looking at me. He shouldn't be, but he is." With that, Nicholas's eyes widened, and upon looking at Izuku—who had in fact been staring at the Stand with wide, mortified eyes—Nicholas couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh! Now that's rich! So The Boss was wrong, you are a Stand User! Ha! Well, ain't that just peachy! You know what, I'll let you say one thing and one thing alone. I dare you to tell me the truth. What's the name of your Stand, kid?" Nicholas said, smirking, as Izuku panicked. He felt whatever it was that was keeping his jaw shut go away, but before he could open his mouth to call out for help, his mouth, voice, and pretty much everything how he talked did exactly what Nicholas wanted him to do.

Except, it didn't answer his question. Not fully, anyway.

"I don't have a Stand. I don't know why I can see your Stand, but I have a Quirk," Izuku forcibly said, as Nicholas raised an eyebrow, confusion coating his expression.

"But that can't be right… When you shake my hand, you have to do what I dare you to do. That's the first part of Brittle Bones Nicky's ability. Unless, of course, you touch Brittle Bones Nicky directly, that is. Then you're forced into the second half of its ability…" Nicholas muttered to himself, before shrugging. "Whatever. Doesn't matter. So, cool, I don't have to explain shit to you. You can see Brittle Bones Nicky, so that shaves me some time."

Just as Nicholas finished saying that, the bowl of ramen was placed in front of Izuku, and his body moved entirely on his own, without a choice in the matter. He started eating from the bowl, as Nicholas cracked a grin. "You know, kid, I'm glad I getting to play around with you. Your mom, on the other hand? She went straight for the jugular, so to speak. That's how she ended up like this."

As Nicholas said that, he snapped his fingers, and Brittle Bones Nicky brought out what looked like a small wooden statue of his mother. Izuku's eyes widened, noticing the look of rage and pain etched into the wood, as Nicholas laughed. "That's gonna be your fate after this is all said and done. Then, I can use you and your mom as kindling for my fireplace, and no one will be the wiser!"

As Nicholas cackled, Izuku couldn't help but start crying—both because of the fear he was feeling in that moment, but also from the spice of the ramen bowl. It hurt like hell—as if someone was pouring liquid metal down his throat. Tears welled up in his eyes, a quiet whimper escaping from him as Nicholas stopped laughing, and seemingly gained an annoyed expression.

"Come on kid! Don't be a pussy! Stop crying!" Nicholas snarled as Izuku glared at him, scooping more noodles into his mouth, following it with broth. He wanted something to chase it down, but he knew he wasn't going to get anything for it. Not to mention that he couldn't control his body. Whatever kind of spell the Stand had put on him was, it wasn't letting him go, so he had no choice but to follow through with the "dare" so to speak.

He shook, violently, as Nicolas began to talk. "You know, it's said that too much spice can kill a person. That's why I'm testing this method out with you," He said, crossing his arms. " But I bet you're wondering how these people haven't called the police or any heroes yet. See there's an answer to that. Not only do I run this place and have everyone under my control," Nicholas said as he gestured to an employee.

Except, calling them an employee would be a lie, as there was a lot of fear in their eyes, but the rest of their expression was bored and annoyed—the kind you'd find on a stereotypical fast-food worker.

"He's got hostages!" Izuku thought, a new level of anger boiling within him as his body continued to shovel more and more noodles from the bowl into his mouth, ignoring the pain his throat and tongue were in. Nicholas smirked, completely unbothered by the anger in Izuku's eyes as he continued.

"And if you haven't figured it out yet, I'm also a contract killer. Someone wanted you dead, so I'm going to break you till you die. As I said, I'm starting nice and calm, but I'll ramp things up eventually," Nicholas said as Izuku continued to eat the noodles, glaring daggers at Nicholas, who proceeded to roll his eyes.

By the time he was done, Izuku wanted to scream but was too busy coughing up his left lung to do that. Brittle Bones Nicky clapped, giving him a thumbs up. Nicholas glared at his Stand before rolling his wrist, waving another hostage over.

A glass of milk was placed in front of Izuku, and as soon as he got his hands on it, he chugged it, trying to clear the pain from his throat. It was practically futile, but it did help him a little bit. Izuku started coughing again, spitting into the cup as he hacked up a right lung. Even though he wanted to speak, he couldn't now due to how much that bowl of ramen damaged his throat. That, and he had that spell on him.

"Good on you kid. Now, you see that chopstick?" Nicholas asked as Izuku narrowed his eyes, trying to stop the coughing. He made eye contact with the chopstick, and when he did, he saw Nicholas smirk. "Good, a-hem… I dare you of your own free will to stab yourself in the palm of your hand with it. Use your Quirk if you have to. You have ten seconds, go!"

As soon as Izuku said, he could hear a ticking sound above his head. When he looked up, he saw that there was a clock floating just above him, ticking down a ten-second timer. Izuku's eyes widened, and as it counted down from ten, he knew he had to make a choice.

He couldn't leave the chair unless he had to use the bathroom, he couldn't call out for help even if he wanted to, and he only had 10 seconds to do as the man dared him to, so, regrettably, he gripped the chopstick, and channelling One For All in his right hand.

He placed his left hand, palm upward, down on the table, and with closed eyes, he stabbed the palm of his hand with the chopstick, blood squirting from the wound as he cringed, pain in his eyes as Nicholas scoffed, clapping with a mocking smirk on his face.

He not only broke his left pinky finger and index finger from using One For All in his right hand, but he also now had a stab wound in his left hand, with potential splinters, which could lead to infection.

"Why me!? What did I do to deserve this!" Izuku thought, glaring at the man with tears pricking from the corners of his eyes. When he realized that Nicholas didn't seem to care, he looked up at the timer above his head and saw that he had only 1 second left to spare. The clock disappeared above him, to which he then looked down at his now bloodied hand, blood trailing down his arm and off his wrist, dripping into a small pool beneath his feet.

"Great job kiddo. That's gonna leave a scar, though. I would feel bad, had it not been for the fact that you're a target, so, eh, whatever," Nicholas stated, taking a drag out of another one of his cigarettes before taking it out of his mouth, tapping the ashes to the floor, then sneered. Nicholas leaned forward and put the cigarette out the boy's arm, and when he did, Izuku was forced to repress a scream, trying to keep in line with the dares that he had placed on him.

Izuku wanted so badly to jump up and punch the bastard in the face but knew he couldn't. He didn't know what would happen if he went against the dare, and he wasn't about to find out. Not unless he truly had no choice.

He glared at Nicholas, which caused the man to click his tongue. "Hey now, no need to get your panties in a bunch. Think of this as endurance training. You've got the Sports Festival coming up, right? Think of this as me helping you get stronger!" Nicholas said with a sick smile on his face. "Hey! Waiter! Get me a knife!"

Izuku's eyes widened as the waiter did just that. "Oh no…! No!" Izuku thought, scrabbling for his pocket as Nicholas was quick to catch on. "I dare you to not use your phone for the rest of the day!" And as soon as Nicholas said that, Izuku froze, sat up straight, and gritted his teeth, looking over at his hand. It was beginning to twitch from discomfort as Nicholas's smirk widened.

"I saw what you were trying to do there. Nice attempt, though. If you called for help, then that would mean I had a time limit. But since I stopped you before you could, that makes this easier," Nicholas taunted, chuckling as he did. All the while Izuku was sweating buckets, panic taking over his features as he tried to think of something, anything to get him out of this situation.

"There has to be something that I can do!" Izuku thought, panic filling his eyes as the man sat forward, clasping his hands together. "If I can somehow lunge forward and use One For All to knock him out, his Stand should deactivate, meaning whatever consequence I face won't have time to register! Maybe if I knock him out, Mom will turn back to normal, and then she can help me with this guy!" Izuku thought, grimacing.

"You can take the chopstick out of your hand," Nicholas said as Izuku went to grab it, then hesitated. He narrowed his eyes toward him, and that was when Nicholas huffed, an impressed expression on his face. "Nice catch, kid. Okay, for real now. I dare you to take the chopstick out of your hand, and replace it with the knife."

As soon as he finished his sentence, Izuku knew he had found the opening he was looking for. He did the first half of the dare, but then, just as he reached for the knife, he turned around and charged One For All into his left arm and went to punch Nicholas in the face. However, before it even got halfway to Nicholas's wide-eyed face, his hand was drawn to an ethereal floating table that appeared out of nowhere, forcing him to stand up, as did Brittle Bones Nicky.

"Seems like you fucked it, kiddo," Brittle Bones Nicky said, placing his arm down on the table. "Now you gotta face me. All you have to do is simple. Win an arm wrestle with me. If you win, you get your mom, and my ability won't work on you anymore. But if you lose—which let's face it, will happen—then I get your soul."

The two's hands were forcibly locked together, One For All still charged in Izuku's arm. 'I had a chance! I could overpower the enemy Stand with One For All!' But as soon as he thought that, and as soon as he looked up at the Stand, Brittle Bones Nicky smirked.

"I could wrestle you, like I did with your Mom, but that's lame. Why would I do that, when I could do things the fun way?" Brittle Bones Nicky said, the flames in its eye sockets widening with interest. "Since your mother's Soul was her Stand, that would've been stupid to fight, because her Stand is stronger than me—which is why I won. Since you're probably physically stronger than me, I doubt you are spiritually, despite the fact that you can see me somehow."

As Brittle Bones Nicky said that, it reached into Izuku's hand to pull out something, which made his eyes grow wide. "So, in other words, you're fucked!" Brittle Bones Nicky stated as if his opinion was fact, and began to pull out Izuku's soul.

Or… at least, that was what was supposed to happen.

What happened instead was something else. As Brittle Bones Nicky grabbed hold of Izuku's soul, and as he began to pull it out, a hand that didn't look like Izuku's came out instead. Izuku noticed it right away, but Brittle Bones Nicky did not. As it kept pulling, it only realized that it wasn't Izuku's soul when instead of a head of green hair being attached to the soul's head, it was rather white hair.

And, even then, there were more differences between Izuku and the soul that was before Brittle Bones Nicky. The Soul had a white shirt with a pair of blue jeans and black shoes, and he had the same colour eyes as Izuku. He had a shade of skin paler than Izuku—an almost sickly pale—and he looked rather thin for someone who appeared to be in his early to mid-30s.

"Well, this is a little surprising," the soft-sounding voice of The Strange Soul said, looking around the dining room of Nishin Noodles, a frown slowly taking up his visage as he looked over his shoulder. "This was hardly the meeting I had in mind, Ninth. But, I suppose it cannot be helped. Not with the current situation, anyway."

"Ninth…?"

"O-Okay, uh… what the fuck?" Brittle Bones Nicky questioned, confusion written all over his face as The Soul smirked.

"What seems to be the problem? You've gone out of your way to drag me out of the confines of Ninth, so it must have been important. Go ahead, carry on with your charade, but I assure you, creature. The strength of the many will outpower you, as it has to many before you," The Soul said as Brittle Bones Nicky scoffed.

"Pft, sure, says the frail-looking shell of a ghost! I'll take you out no problem, and claim Izuku Midoriya's soul! Prepare to lose!" Brittle Bones Nicky said as he began the arm wrestle in earnest. It used up all of its strength the moment it began, and… failed. Miserably. The Soul of the Stranger didn't even budge an inch. "Huh."

"Oh? Is it my turn?" The Soul said, raising an ethereal eyebrow, and before Brittle Bones Nicky or Nicholas could say anything, Brittle Bones Nicky's arm was slammed through the ethereal table, shattering it into tiny pieces. As soon as the ethereal table was shattered, The Soul began to dissipate, and the force of the shattering caused the tiny statue of Inko to fall to the floor, and roll away toward the entrance of the noodle shop.

But, as The Soul began to disappear, it spoke. "Ninth. We may not meet again for a long time, but when we meet again, I will explain more. As The First, it is my job to do so. I hope you take this to heart. The Strength of The Many is stronger than The Strength of a Single Individual." And with that, the soul vanished back into Izuku.

Nicholas stared, eyes wide, before narrowing as a vein in his forehead swelled, anger painted all over his face. "There's no way…! Y-You…! YOU CHEATED!" Nicholas snarled, drawing a gun, and aiming it point-blank at Izuku's forehead, right between his eyes. Izuku was terrified. Whatever control Brittle Bones Nicky had on him was gone, yes, but he still didn't know how to control his Quirk.

Nicholas already had his finger on the trigger, and was about to press down, which would've guaranteed his death—no one could get out of a point-blank shot like the one Nicholas was about to make; not unless they had super speed or something that complimented me to the point of basically giving them super speed.

And that was when a green fist slammed into Nicholas's hand, knocking the gun against the wall as it clattered to the ground, the fist having a red arrow on the back of its hand, as Izuku's eyes widened.

He saw that, too. When he looked fully in the direction of where that hand had been, Izuku was able to make out the appearance of his mother's Stand, but only for a split second. The moment he blinked, it was gone.

"What the…?" Izuku thought, confusion taking over entirely as he no longer was able to see his mother's Stand. He couldn't even see Brittle Bones Nicky anymore. But that didn't matter. Not that it could work against him anymore. Was it Brittle Bones Nicky who allowed him to see Stands, or was it something else?

"Not important. Not right now, anyway," Izuku thought as his mother glared at Nicholas, who took a step back. "O-Oh! H-Hi In—" Before he could finish his sentence, Fly, Fly Away slammed its right fist into his stomach, making him double over in pain as he stumbled back against the wall.

"You're going to pay for ever coming after me and my son, Nicholas," Inko snarled, approaching him as Nicholas smirked, a small chuckle slipping out as he stood tall, shrugging off the attack as a murderous gleam appeared in his eyes.

"Whatever you say, you wash up cow! It doesn't matter anyway, 'cause I still got a trick up my sleeve!" Nicholas snarled as a purple, swirling, mist-like portal appeared behind him. Izuku immediately recognized it, his eyes widening to the size of saucers.

"The League Of Villains!"

"So long, chaps! But before I go, take this gift. I hope you enjoy it!" Nicholas said, pulling out two grenades from his pocket, removing the pins using his Stand, and tossing them before falling backward into the portal as it closed.

"IZUKU!" Inko called out, leaping over to him, landing on him and forcing him to take cover as the grenades rolled over to the other side of the building, and exploded. The walls, ceiling, and the ground surrounding the grenades were shattered, two massive holes the size of a truck appearing where the parts of the left wall and the left side of the ceiling had been.

Inko and Izuku stood up, staring at the damage as Inko narrowed her eyes. "That does it… I should've known. I should've known they'd try something like this," Inko spat, walking away from the booth as Izuku raised an eyebrow.

"M-Mom… what was that? Who was that?" Izuku said, looking at Inko. She sighed, looking over at Izuku, her expression one of seriousness. It was about time this came to light.

"That used to be one of my co-workers, Izuku. We'll talk more about it when we all next meet up. For right now, let's go home, and I'll get you some medical attention for that wound on your hand," Inko said, as, without another word Inko and Izuku left Nishin Noodles, though to Izuku, he was still confused.

He had so much left on his mind. Why had he been able to see Stands? Why was it only when Brittle Bones Nicky was affecting him? Who was that guy who had been in his body—The First was what he called himself. He was the Ninth? It had to have something to do with One For All. It just had to.

But, for now, he was tired. He didn't want to think too much about it. And so, with his mother by his side, they both went home.

[XXXX]

!Stand Information Corner!

Stand User: Nicholas Asahina

Stand Name: Brittle Bones Nicky

Localized Name: Brittle Nick

Stand Appearance: Brittle Bones Nicky is a humanoid Stand that takes the form of a skeletal man wearing a top hat and tattered cape. It also wears a black waistcoat, and dress pants with rips and tears in the hips and knees, and it has on a pair of dress shoes. Unlike most Stands, it has a personality separate from its user, and it acts on its own accord except for following the orders of its user. Just with its own flair.

Stand Ability: Brittle Bones Nicky's signature ability is that if you come into contact physical contact with either itself or Nicholas, and if they have the intention of trapping the individual in question, then it binds the individual's soul to itself. However, if an individual binds themselves to Nicholas, then they have to listen to all of his dares. If they touch Brittle Bones Nicky directly, they forgo the games and get drawn into an arm wrestle. Brittle Bones Nicky can choose to pick the physical person or the soul he arm wrestles. If Brittle Bones Nicky wins, then it turns the individual into a wooden statue. If the individual wins, then not only will its ability cease to work on the individual it tried to capture, but anyone who was captured in the last 24 hours gets reverted to their original state.

Stand Stats:

Destructive Power: Grade E (Slightly weaker than a regular human)

Effective Range: Grade B (Can be 25 meters away from its user without hassle)

General Speed: Grade C (Can move as fast as a bullet if it needed to)

Persistent use of ability: Grade A (Unless interrupted, it can keep its ability going forever. If it is past a certain point and is interrupted, then it doesn't matter. The ability keeps going, even after The Stand is dismissed)

Precision: Grade A (Never Misses an attack)

Overall Potential: Grade A

[Status: Defeated but not Retired]

[XXXX]

Walking out of the Tokyo airport, Yoshikawa Kira sighed. She was tired from her flight, but that didn't matter. She finally touched base in Japan after having to do a stayover in Bangladesh due to technical problems. Regardless, it didn't matter. She was here, and she was here for a reason.

Yoshikawa was dressed in a black suit and tie with matching pants and matching shoes. An annoyed gleam flashed in her eyes, as she scowled. She should've—stopped being a horrible person for once and be better—never let that fire user do the job for her. How was she supposed to know he would've been weak and—had some decent human empathy, unlike you—let the brat escape?

If that wasn't enough, said fire user had been able to escape her and her Stand! How ridiculous was that! Once she was done with the brat, she would track down that fire user, the one with the burn scars on his body, and give him a piece of her mind!

But, that was for later. She had more pressing matters to attend to.

"Yes, I've arrived, Johnny…. You have a good day, too. I'll see you in two weeks," Yoshikawa, putting her phone into her pants pocket, a suitcase in her left hand. She needed to find the mistake. When she did, it would be on sight. She wouldn't give her a chance to do anything. Apparently, she was a Stand User, which was even more infuriating.

Not that it changed anything.

Everything would've been so much better if that mistake hadn't been born. If that mistake hadn't been conceived, if Yoshikawa hadn't blindly fallen in love with Yoshimura—no it wasn't blind love, it was true love—shut the fuck up! No, it wasn't, it was blind love! Whatever the case was, even with her fractured mind, it didn't matter. Had it not been for him, she wouldn't have to be burdened with that brat, nor would she have to waste her time finally getting rid of her.

But, if she got it over and done with right now, that meant she would be able to return to her life back in America, keeping her cushy job at the Speedwagon Foundation. But first…

"It's about time I get rid of you myself. And this time, I won't fail…." As Yoshikawa Kira said that, an orange arm with spikes covering the outer forearm formed over her right arm. It reached into her pocket and pulled out a picture of the mistake when she was a young kid. Before she started punishing—abusing—her.

The arm disappeared back into Yoshikawa, looking behind her as she dragged a suitcase along with her, marching over to a cab. She kicked the bumper of the car, causing the trunk to open, and then placed her suitcase within, closed the trunk, then sat in the back, looking at the driver through the rear-view mirror.

"You got anywhere you want to be, ma'am?" The Taxi driver asked, causing Yoshikawa to smirk. She crossed her arms, put her left leg over her right, and as that same orange arm did in her seatbelt—the taxi driver seeing it as some sort of psychic ability—she answered his question.

"Take me to Love Love Deluxe, will you?" Yoshikawa asked as the taxi driver raised an eyebrow, shaking his head before sighing. She didn't care if the taxi driver judged her, that was where she knew that mistake would be. After overhearing the conversation Johnny had with his son, and after doing some research about it, and after looking into who was at U.A. and where they lived, that was where she pinpointed that mistake being at.

"Right, the Love Hotel in Musutafu. The upfront cost is 6,000 Yen, the rest of the price is determined by distance, which is 1,000 yen per kilometre. This drive will take 4 hours, which means it'll be 40 kilometres. That's 46,000 yen. Would like to pay with cash, or—"

"I already sent you the money, Check your bank account," Yoshikawa interrupted bluntly, causing the taxi driver to grab his phone, and recline back into his seat before scoffing, surprised. She wasn't kidding, she really did already transfer the money, and why wouldn't she? Everyone had to get paid at the end of the day.

"Alright then, thank you, ma'am," the taxi driver said, switching on the engine and pulling out of the roundabout, starting their way down the highway as the counter on the dashboard began to climb. Yoshikawa leaned back in her seat, the smirk on her face transforming into a smile. She was going to erase that mistake of hers, rid of it from existence, and do so with a smile on her face.

But… there was something else. She was, ultimately, conflicted. Did she take her medication before or after the fight? No, it would be best to call it a one-sided slaughter, because that was what it would end up being. Her Stand, she knew it was stronger than her pathetic offspring—she isn't pathetic… she survived you, so she can—stop it! She was weak! Pathetic! A piece of shit smeared on the road had more value than her!

Yoshikawa sighed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pill bottle. It would help her with her Schizophrenia and Borderline Personality Disorder. It would last 12 hours before she had to take another.

She stared at the bottle, narrowing her eyes. If she took this, she could get that toxic side of her to go to sleep for a little while… if she did that then—No! She shoved the bottle into her pocket again. When she got to her next stop, she was going to throw it out. Yeah… that was what she was going to do.

Yoshikawa looked out the window and smiled. Yes… once she did that, she would be able to deal with that little brat. And once she got rid of her, she could finally be free. No longer would she ever have to look back on—stop it! you're not the victim. She is, you're a monster… You know you are, so stop trying to—that horrible brat's life and knowing full well that she would live in peace.

"I'll sever this weak link myself. And once I do, I'll finally be able to live a life free of regrets. C'est la vie. The weak die and the strong survive. I'll break you, brat. I'll ruin whatever happiness you had, just like you did me!"

-To Be Continued-