Angel: What would Izuka do if Bakugo was like Gentle? Good question...if we're talking about them in this season alone, I think it would be hard for her to really see him in that way. If it was season one Bakuza, then I don't think she'd be as upset as she was to see La Brava break down like she did. And I think that just like La Brava, it would be hard for Izuka to let Bakugo take a fall for her. She'd probably just go with him even though he wouldn't want her to. This is giving some...very subtle foreshadowing for season 7, huh? Writing that particular episode and the aftermath is going to break me, I swear. And for those who are curious, no, I haven't even gotten to writing that episode yet. I'm kinda dreading it tbh.
For some reason if people are having issues unable to access new chapters, use the Fanfiction app, or just go onto Quotev because I also post this story on there usually a few hours later or by nighttime.
Which movie from the franchise is my favorite? I still haven't watched the fourth one yet (for some reason, it has not turned up on my websites I use for the movies, and it is not on streaming despite it coming out like 2 months ago), so I don't know if it'll beat the 2nd or 3rd movies for me. But as of now, it's a tie between Heroes Rising and World Heroes' Mission. Both of them just have awesome animation and fight scenes, and I also love the dynamics of the characters in both. Two Heroes is good, but to me, I personally think it's the weakest of the movies. It's not terrible, the other two movies just do things way better in my eyes. But I'm probably not the only person who thinks so.
Izuka was pacing around her bedroom, still processing what happened recently between her and Katsuki. "It was nothing, right? It was nothing," She let out a shaky breath while sitting on her bed, her hands over her knees. The girl then groaned as she held her head, knowing that it wasn't nothing even though she and Katsuki agreed it was. They…did whatever it was, it wasn't exactly easy to write off. Suddenly she heard a knock on her door and she looked up, moving her bangs away from her face quickly. She cleared her throat while standing up. "Who is it?"
"It's Uraraka, Mido. Yaoyorozu is with me, we wanted to check on you. Everything okay?"
She gulped as recent events came to mind again but opened the door. She looked around the hall to make sure no one else was around and then gestured for them to come in. The two walked past her and she shut her door, hugging herself while turning around. She needed to talk to someone and she felt like the two girls were what she needed to try and explain any of it.
"You seem panicked, are you feeling well?" Momo frowned while pressing a hand to Izuka's forehead. The shorter girl took a deep breath, closing her eyes.
"Listen...what I'm gonna tell you, you can't say to anyone. Please...keep this a secret, even from my brother. I can't bring myself to tell him about this just yet."
"Of course," Momo nodded at her.
"If we can help any way we can, then we'll do that. That's what friends are for," Ochaco stated and Izuka gestured to her bed for them to sit. They took their seats as they looked at Izuka, who bit her lip nervously.
"So...after the festival, I went to talk to Eri, my brother, Mr. Aizawa, and Togata. After they left, I was about to leave when Katsuki showed up. We talked about why I was late and me being the special mascot, and...I hugged him. And then the next thing we knew, we were..." She blushed while looking at the ground, remembering the make-out session. "T-touching our lips together, but he started it."
It took them a moment to process this before they both just smiled. "That's great," Momo smiled in encouragement.
"Good," Ochaco nodded in agreement and Izuka stared at her friends. The two of them stayed silent, causing her to do a double take at how…relaxed they seemed. Izuku would definitely freak out at first. But the two weren't even questioning it.
"That's…all you're gonna say?" She blinked rapidly at them.
"Was that all you had to tell us?" Ochaco tilted her head in confusion.
"I don't understand," Momo blinked at the girl as the two turned to each other.
"Maybe there's more than that?"
"Well, yeah, because I did that with the classmate that I don't get along with the most. And I'm scared and I don't know what to do about it," She confessed and thought of the event again. She cleared her throat while looking away with a blush.
"We're just glad that you're branching into a deeper bond with Bakugo," Momo hummed a little.
"I always knew there was something between you guys!" Ochaco gave a small encouraging smile. "I can't believe you two kissed, that's adorable."
Izuka blushed in embarrassment with a small grunt. "Not sure if that's the word I'd use...but is that what the word is? A kiss?"
"Oh…right, um," Ochaco glanced at Momo, both of them realizing that she would not know what a kiss was. "Well…"
"A kiss is when you touch lips with someone that you feel strongly for. It can be a sign of affection, love, or to express feelings you carry for the other person," Momo explained to Izuka, who blinked and then blushed, falling onto her side.
"Ahhh, I'm so conflicted…!" She cried out as it was only more complicated. Katsuki writing off the kiss didn't help much either. Ochaco gave her a smile and patted her gently on the head to calm her down.
"Did anything else happen between the two of you? Are you dating now?" Momo tilted her head at the girl.
"No!" She shook her head rapidly, waving her hands. "It's not like that...at least, I don't think so. He had to leave afterwards because of Kirishima. The both of us just called it a spur of the moment kind of thing."
"Awww!" Ochaco complained a little, sagging her shoulders. "Well, I'm still rooting for you guys. Bakugo may be a lot of things, but I think you'd be really good for him someday. And the same goes for you too, he's definitely played a part in how you've changed being at UA. Do you...want to be with him?"
Izuka looked at her hands while lost in thought. When she talked about crushes with the girls and Katsuki came up...she was surprised to learn about her crush on him. Honestly, if it wasn't for him, she wouldn't be who she was today—or even standing with how many times that he saved her life. So maybe things would work out with more time...? She had no idea how it would even turn out or how Katsuki would feel about it. Romantic was the last word used to describe someone like him.
"...Maybe someday...?" She murmured quietly and the two smiled. "But I don't know what to do. After we both passed it off as not a romantic thing, it's not like I can suddenly change my mind. We've been through a lot, you know? And we all know he's not like that."
"Hmm," Momo rubbed her chin in thought. "I see. Bakugo does tend to be more aggressive when it comes to your feelings or your safety. Perhaps he's thinking about this as much as you are despite both of you denying anything face-to-face. It may as well have to do with the fact that both of you had seen each other so differently in the beginning."
Izuka hummed while closing her eyes. She's right. At some point, we did start gradually stop being so spiteful to each other. Before the Sports Festival...was when I saw his more softer side. And then after Kamino, he started being more nicer to me after our talk in Ground Beta. Even when we were kids...he still sometimes wasn't always so proud of himself to me.
"You could just talk to him, though I'm not sure what it would accomplish," Ochaco sweatdropped a little.
"Yeah, no," Izuka sighed a bit in agreement. "He's not usually one to talk about his feelings, especially to me. I think...maybe I shouldn't tell him for now. I'm only still getting used to what happened between us. And he's got other things to focus on besides me."
Ochaco's eyes saddened a little while placing a hand on Izuka's shoulder. "I'm sure deep down, he does like you. He just doesn't know how to express it."
"And we'll be here for you no matter what happens," Momo wrapped an arm around her shoulder blade. Izuka glanced between the two of them and then smiled for their support. She was glad to have them as her closest friends.
"Thanks, you two," She murmured as they shared a group hug. "I'm glad I was able to tell you."
As November neared its end, we got great news.
Eri was getting her hair done by Nejire as the leaves outside were getting their color. The little girl's hair was in pigtails now, to her delight.
"Eri's coming to live at UA," Mr. Aizawa gestured to her.
"I thought it'd be forever till we saw her again!" The twins cried out happily. Their teacher had asked them, Ochaco, Eijiro, and Tsuyu to come here and give them the news.
"Hey," Eijiro smiled as he bent down to her, waving.
"I'm so glad you're here," Ochaco smiled happily and Eri wasn't shying away this time either.
"Welcome home," Tsuyu smiled while behind the couch. "You remind me of my little sister. You're cute like her!"
"Gee, thank you so much!" Eri smiled up at her.
"How is this even possible?" Izuku murmured in disbelief.
"We couldn't make her stay at the hospital forever," Mr. Aizawa informed, to the shock of the twins. He jerked a thumb to outside so that they could talk alone. "From what we can tell, Eri was abandoned by her parents. We know the head of the Shie Hassaikai is her blood relative, but he's been in a coma for quite a while. She has nowhere else to go."
"That's not all," Mirio gave the Class 1-A students a small frown. "Mr. Aizawa may have mentioned this already. The docs figured out Eri's horn is where her Quirk is released from."
"Yeah," Eijiro remembered his teacher mentioning it to him since he wasn't there when it happened. "He said it'd gotten smaller, so it should be fine."
"Truth. It had," Mirio explained as Eri's horn had gotten a little bit bigger. "But it's slowly starting to get bigger again."
"Meaning, in order to keep an eye on her power..." Ochaco started off knowingly.
"Exactly," Mr. Aizawa finished for his student. "So, that's why we're going to let her live here instead of putting her into the system. We'll set up a room for her in the teachers' dorm. Hopefully, she'll be happy and we can help her find a way to harness her tremendous power." If they had put her in the system, she probably would've been placed with someone similar to Overhaul, something they wanted to avoid. And Mr. Aizawa was the best person to keep her power level down when things would become too dangerous. "This is only our first step though. Clearly, it's a long road."
"Sounds like it's gonna be a lot of work for you," Tsuyu pointed out to her teacher, a finger on her cheek.
"That's where I come in!" Mirio immediately raised his hand. "I'm on a temp leave from school right now and I'm super buddy-buddy with our little Eri, so I'm helpin' out! I know you guys are majorly busy. But I'm hoping you'll stop by and say hi?"
"Of course we will!" The twins and Eijiro exclaimed in unison.
Tamaki then placed a hand on Mirio's shoulder, smiling a little. "If Eri's Quirk becomes useable and she learns how to control it...then I bet we'll have our invincible man back in no time."
"Man, that'd be awesome, right?" Mirio smiled, hands behind his neck. "Guess we'll see though!"
"Sorry to be asking for help already, but can you get her settled in?" Mr. Aizawa wondered to the third-year student.
"Roger, sir!" Mirio gave a salute. "We'll play some board games!"
"Do you mind if we join you?" Izuku asked him hopefully.
"And she said she wanted to see a painting, so I'll bring it with me!" Izuka gave a small smile.
"No," Mr. Aizawa glanced at his students. "Go back to the dorms. You have visitors. They'll be here soon."
"Don't worry, I'll ask Bakugo to get it right now," Mirio whispered to Izuka, winking playfully. She flinched while blushing, turning away from him. Her brother and friends were confused while staring at her. The girl just laughed awkwardly that Mirio assumed correctly Katsuki had a spare key to her room...
"No...please don't, just ask him to lend his key to Momo..." She mumbled and he just shrugged.
Fumikage let out a sneeze while walking around the common room of the dorms.
"Uh-oh!" Ochaco looked up at him, holding some tea. "I hope you're not sick."
"I am quite well," He assured his classmate. "My mucus membranes are merely doing their job."
"Uh, what?" She asked him in confusion.
"Or someone's talkin' about you!" Denki teased a little from one of the couches. "Maybe you've got fans! Like the ones who showed for Yaoyorozu at the concert?"
"Don't you make fun of them, Kaminari," Momo warned from right next to him. "I'm lucky to have them."
"None of them probably compare to Mido's fans, though," Denki looked towards the girl, who was at one of the tables sketching. She glanced up from her name being said, looking towards Katsuki's eyes as he was staring at her. She flinched and turned away, her face red. Katsuki flinched as he remembered the kiss after the festival, turning away while blushing.
"K-Kaminari, knock it off," She mumbled awkwardly at him, causing Denki to blink from their reactions.
"Aww, is someone jealous?" Mina teased as she saw Katsuki's red face.
"The hell I am!" He scoffed as he looked away.
"But you're blushing!" She exclaimed while Izuka hid her face into the table, sighing heavily. Most of their classmates stared at the two and their weird behavior. Ochaco and Momo glanced to each other with small smiles, knowing it was about the kiss situation. Izuku tilted his head in confusion while Katsuki was growling.
Did something happen with Kacchan and Izuka?
"I'm sure it's not important," Ochaco changed the subject. "Anyway, Tokoyami's probably had fans for a while now. He did his work study with Hawks, so I bet he's got some street cred."
"No," He turned to her, indifferent about the whole thing. "Likely not. Everything moved too fast there."
"Huh?" She blinked in confusion, wondering what he was talking about.
Suddenly, there was a knock from the doors, and they all turned towards the entrance. "Our guests have arrived. Let's welcome them!" Tenya announced to the class. Izuka sat up and got out of her chair, walking over. Her hair was in pigtail buns with her forelocks over her face as she wore white overalls and a periwinkle blouse underneath, as well as her slippers.
"Your feline fantasies are here!" Mandalay announced to the class.
"Allow us to lend a helping paw!" Ragdoll smiled towards them.
"We're champions serving up justice," Tiger had a proud grin on his face.
"Purrfectly cute, catlike heroes!" Pixie Bob continued their mantra.
"We're the Wild, Wild Pussycats!" The four announced while striking a pose, even though they were in casual clothing, not their hero uniforms.
"How unexpected!" Tenya smiled towards them, Izuku chuckling a bit. "Glad to see you!"
"Seems our little kittens are doing well," Pixie Bob remarked upon seeing them. Toru and Mina ran up to Tiger happily, taking his present. He then turned to Katsuki and Izuka.
"I couldn't protect either of you back then. I apologize," The man told the two sincerely.
"I already forgot about that," Katsuki looked away as he didn't want to remember.
"You don't need to feel guilty about that. We're just glad everything worked out in the end," Izuka said to Tiger with a small smile.
"We're all doing pretty good, right?" Kyoka smiled towards Toru, Ochaco, and Mina.
"Paw pad buns! They brought us paw pad buns!" They all cheered happily in unison.
"Make yourself at home," Mezo informed the four.
"No," Mandalay held up her hands with a small smile. "Thank you, but we can't stay long."
"We need to visit Class B too," Tiger stated...and right next to Mandalay was Kota himself. Izuku gave a small happy gasp to see him there.
"Oh my gosh, Kota, I'm so happy to see you!" Izuku smiled while shaking his hand. "Thank you for your heartfelt letter! I'll treasure it forever!"
"Hi, Kota!" Izuka walked over with a small smile, waving as she bent down. "I'm his sister, he's told me all about what he did back at camp for you. Thank you too for your letter, we're all good!"
"Yeah, sure," Kota turned away from them.
"Do his shoes look familiar?" Mandalay pointed at Kota's shoes at the entryway. Izuku looked up...to see that Kota picked out red shoes with black laces. "Kota picked them out himself. He specifically asked for red."
"Ahhh!' Kota shouted while waving his hands. "It's not what you think!"
"Awesome," Izuku smiled as he wasn't bothered by it at all. "We match!"
"Uhhh..." Kota turned away in embarrassment before looking up at the twins.
"It's great to see you," Rikido walked over to Ragdoll and Pixie-Bob, holding some cups of tea. "But why are you here?"
"Just to let you know, we're back in business," Pixie-Bob held up her hands.
"Seriously?" Tenya's eyes widened in shock.
"Congratulations!" Momo smiled while pressing her hands together. "That's wonderful!"
"Are you back at work again too, Ragdoll?" Izuku turned to the green-haired woman, blinking. "I know you took time off when your Quirk got stolen, so..."
"Still powerless!" Ragdoll wasn't sad about it at all as she raised her hand. "I'll be working behind the scenes to support the other three in the field. Call me the office cat," She mimicked typing and smiled. Izuka felt a little bad for her, since she knew the feeling. She had her DNA stolen after all.
"We received a report from Tartarus prison recently," Pixie Bob relayed to the students.
"I feel simply terrible about taking her ability," All for One said in his message. "When I see a good Quirk, I can't help but desire it. Quite the bad habit, yes? I'd love to return it to the girl, but you'd have to let me use my power. If that's amenable to you, then I'd be happy to help out."
Izuka shuddered a little, knowing what would happen if they did that. So it made sense why they didn't go through with it...
"Thing is, they still don't know how many powers he has," Pixie Bob frowned at the twins. "He could be hiding some dangerous Quirks...which unfortunately means the smartest way to contain him is to not let him use any abilities. Right, Mido?" She looked at the girl.
"Yeah..." She frowned, touching her shoulder with the scar on it. "He wouldn't just hand it over. Everything's always a gamble with him..."
"So why choose this moment to go back into action?" Momo questioned them in concern.
"This will be announced later, but...it's our spot in the Japanese Hero Billboard Chart," Mandalay revealed with a small smile. "You see, we're ranked 411 this term."
The Japanese Hero Billboard Chart! Rankings are based on the total number of incidents resolved, contribution to society, and approval rating from citizens. Active heroes are ranked twice a year. In other words, the higher the spot, the more peace, light, and happiness a hero has brought to his country.
Izuku blinked as he remembered their spot last term. "Wow, last time, you guys came in at number 32."
"So it's cause your rank went down!" Eijiro exclaimed, feeling pumped up. "That makes sense!"
"No, silly!" Ragdoll exclaimed with a big smile. "Isn't it weird that we're still in the triple digits even though we haven't done any hero work?"
The twins and Eijiro glanced to each other in confusion. "It's due to our approval rating," Tiger revealed to the three. "That number gave us a big boost."
"There are people waiting for us to return," Pixie Bob had a small smile on her face.
"No way can we just stay on the sidelines!" Ragdoll announced, raising her arms.
"So you're doing it for the public," Eijiro guessed correctly and pointed at them. "You're so manly, Wild, Wild Pussycats!" He then started sobbing...
"Dude, cool it," Denki remarked while watching him.
"I kinda forgot they haven't announced the results for the second half of the year yet," Mina commented to Mashirao, Fumikage, Toru, and Shoto.
"And so much has happened," Fumikage pointed out; there was All Might's retirement that would be the biggest change of them all.
"A chart without All Might? That's so strange," Mashirao said while Shoto stayed silent, knowing who the top spot would go to. And he didn't really care. "I can't imagine what it will even look like."
The next day, it was time to announce the rankings. "It's the first chart since Kamino, when All Might, the Symbol of Peace, was forced into early retirement," A reporter started off while there was a bunch of people lined up to witness it themselves. "You can feel the excitement, folks. This is an important moment in the history of heroes!" The stadium was already full of people. "In the past, pros didn't come up on stage during the announcements. But today, we see something new. Here we go!" She smiled as the lights came on.
"Number 10!" An MC announced and Ryukyu stood up, waving. "Dropping down one rank from the last chart—Dragoon Hero: Ryukyu!"
She got onto the stage, looking just a little nervous. "Honestly, I don't think I deserve to place this highly..."
"Number 9 has also slipped in rank, but he won't be defeated! Equipped Hero: Yoroi Musha!" The MC announced, Yoroi Musha being a samurai-like hero.
"Outside of the top three, numbers are meaningless," He remarked as he got onto his feet. "Based simply on the tide of the times."
"Number 8!" A washing machine was on the stage. "From the Clean and Shiny commercial. It's everyone's favorite Laundry Hero, Wash!" Wash then came to life, as the washing machine was part of his costume.
"Wash! Wash-a wash-a!" Bubbles came from his costume.
Kamui Woods was on stage next, waving as he walked up. "Number 7! In a huge leap up the charts, it's Kamui Woods!"
"I'm honored," He replied humbly, since he was a newer hero last term.
Some reporters were surrounding Mt. Lady, as she worked with him more than once. "Any words for Kamui Woods?"
"As one of his teammates, I couldn't be more thrilled for his fast-growing success," She gave a small smile.
"And the reports that you two are dating?"
"I have no comment," Mt. Lady raised her hand, growling to herself as she turned away. "We're on a team!" She cried out while gripping Death Arms by the collar. "Why are they the only ones on stage?!"
"It's not like you ranked badly, you know," He commented as Mt. Lady was only 23rd, which she wasn't happy with regardless.
"Number 6! From the orthodox school of manliness comes a regular in the top ten. Shield Hero: Crust!"
"I wish I could have seen more of All Might in action," He lamented, shedding a small tear. "Such a shame."
"Number 5! This bunny's spirit is infectious! Rabbit Hero: Mirko!"
She brushed away a forelock from her face. "I heard you formed a team. Talk about weak," She glanced up at the next person. Mirko preferred to work alone, and she had no hero agency either.
"Number 4! Check out the huge increase in this mysterious ninja's resolved cases! Ninja Hero: Edgeshot!"
"Compose yourself," He glanced at Mirko in disapproval. "We're in public."
"This time, those heroes involved with the Kamino Incident have all seen their approval ratings go up," The reporter stated while recording from her seat. "Which brings us to number 3."
"He's currently on hiatus, but he still ranked highly," The screen then changed to show Best Jeanist. "With the number-one approval rating this round, it's Fiber Hero: Best Jeanist! We're all hoping for him to return as soon as possible! Number 2! He does things his own way, which is how he reached the charts with lightning speed! Wing Hero: Hawks!"
"Well, I'm not sure about all that," He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Finally..." The lights went out as someone stepped up to the stage. "He's been the temporary number 1. But..." The lights shined as he continued walking. "Today, he'll officially inherit that sacred spot. After all this time..." Endeavor himself stepped out, though he didn't look too proud considering how he got the title... "Flame Hero: Endeavor!"
It was then dead silent for his debut and all 9 heroes stood side-by-side. "We chose to make the charts more of an event today because we feel this time is a critical juncture for heroes," The chairwoman of the Heroes Public Safety commission spoke up into a microphone. "It's been about 3 months since All Might's retirement, and I know that there are some of you who feel we are still lacking an icon. But the heroes who will guide us into the future are standing before you. Let's put our faith in..."
Hawks twitched a little bit before looking up at Endeavor. "So how's it feel to finally take the top?" He whispered to Endeavor, who just grunted in response. It was still a sore spot for him. Hawks then zipped his mouth shut.
"How about we hear a few words from everyone?" The host held out the mic to Ryukyu.
"Thank you very much. However, if it had been within my power, I would have refused this honor," Her eyes saddened remembering the loss of All Might as a hero, and his sidekick Nighteye. "Lately, we've lost too many people. There are those I should have been able to save, but did not. I'll strive to do better."
"Aw, Ryukyu!" Fat Gum cried a little for her. Locklock was sitting in the row behind him.
"I get your concerns!" Crust cried a bit as well. "The anguish in your heart! What a burden we bear! Let's stand tall together! You deserve this, Ryukyu! You're strong!"
"It's not your turn to speak," Ryukyu reminded, a little annoyed he interrupted.
"He gets so worked up," Someone from the audience whispered.
"I love it!"
"The world has changed," Yoroi said when it was his turn. "But our objectives have not."
"Wash!" Wash shouted into the mic.
"I'd like to honor every hero who's come before me," Kamui Woods stated, and Hawks seemed a little bored listening to this. "That's one reason I'm humbled Edgeshot invited me onto his team." The winged hero groaned a little.
"Ohhh!" Crust cried out between Kamui Woods and Mirko. "Why wasn't I at Kamino that fateful day?! I could've helped that student from UA against that monster of a villain!"
Mirko smirked while looking up ahead. "If anyone out there is scheming right now, you best be prepared for me to send you flying!" Mirko grinned confidently, jerking a thumb to herself.
Hawks inhaled as he wasn't sure how much longer he could handle this. "And you, Edgeshot? You were 3rd in the approval ratings."
"I'm not concerned with such numbers," Edgeshot remarked, his fingers pressed together. "I'm grateful for the support I've received. But I don't do this for the notoriety. I believe it is my duty to bring about peace."
"Come on, guys," Hawks suddenly spoke up, unzipping his lips "Who wants to hear this kind of canned crap? Stain, maybe?" Edgeshot gave him a blank look, and then everyone went quiet.
"I like this guy," Mirko was amused while looking at him. "He's fun."
"As always, you enjoy causing a commotion," Edgeshot wasn't too pleased, because it wouldn't be the first time Hawks did something like this...
"I just have a problem holding back sometimes," Hawks walked up to the host, taking the microphone to her shock. "Okay, so. If we're talking about popularity, Best Jeanist is ranked at the top thanks to the boost he got from being on hiatus," After he opened up his wings, he flew upwards, getting everyone's attention for sure. "I'm runner up, thanks. Edgeshot is third. And Endeavor ekes in at fourth. I'll skip the rest." Endeavor glared up at him for being like this; not just for saying he was fourth in approval rating, but for disrupting the event. "To be honest with you, I think the approval rating is the most important number right now. Isn't it about time the charts were overhauled?" Hawks didn't seem to have any regrets for what he was saying. "Don't you think we need to change how we do things? Our great Symbol is no more. At this 'critical juncture', why does it seem everyone's playing it so safe? Enough with these rehashed PR lines. Maybe we should stop pretending and start saying what's on our minds, huh?"
"Man, this kid was rolling his eyes earlier, and now this?" Locklock muttered in disbelief.
Fat Gum gave the winged hero a small frown. "I seriously have no idea what he's trying to achieve with this speech," If anything, he felt kind of bad for the other 8 heroes standing up there, and was almost glad Best Jeanist wasn't here to hear it.
Hawks, age 22. At 18, he started his own agency, and by the second half of that year, he was already in the top ten—the first pro in history to crack it before the age of 20. Given that speed and relative youth, people say that he's moving too fast. It's no surprised he was ranked third in the last chart.
Fat Gum was still a bit confused, since Hawks was the youngest hero up on stage. "Is this just his way of doing things or what?"
"Arrogance," Locklock muttered at the whole display.
"Well, that's all I've gotta say," Hawks flew back down to Endeavor, holding out the microphone to him. "Now let's hear from number 1, who has a lower approval rating than I do."
Endeavor silently snatched the microphone from him. He gave Hawks a look, wondering why he was doing all of this. Hawks just gave a small smile.
"I bet a lot of people can get behind what he just laid down."
"Right? How do you follow that? I don't envy Endeavor..."
Endeavor took a deep breath, recalling his conversation with Toshinori while they were watching those in the remedial classes.
"What does it mean to be a symbol? That's the question I have for you, All Might."
He stared at the crowd, feeling just a little pressure. Now he knew how All Might felt for all those years... "Since this child decided to fan the flames, I won't say much," He then clenched a shaking fist, looking up. "So instead, just watch what I do."
They all chattered amongst themselves before Hawks was clapping for him, and no one else joined in. Probably because they were thinking about what they just heard...
"Sorry if I threw you for a loop, man," Hawks was being held up by the collar by a pissed off Endeavor once they were alone. And he was low key a little scared since the hero had his flames out...
"What the hell were you thinking, boy?!" He glared down at the younger hero.
"Everyone just kept spouting the same normal, boring stuff, you know? Felt like somebody needed to make an impact," He gave a small smile as Endeavor calmed down his flames.
"You were trying to test me."
"Of course not!" Hawks laughed the assumption off. "If anything, I was helping you! It turned out well for you! Look, I'm not an All Might superfan or anything. I never wanted to become like him. But still..." He took off his goggles, looking sympathetic. "I was completely shocked by his retirement. I'm not suggesting we need another shiny icon like him. But it goes without saying that we could definitely use a new leader right about now. And I thought you nailed it!" He smiled encouragingly at Endeavor. "You sounded cool up there."
Endeavor gave him a straight-laced expression, trying to figure out what Hawks was trying to do. Is he being serious or mocking me? He then narrowed his eyes a little. "And you don't wanna be this new leader yourself?"
"Ha, are you kidding me?" Hawks shrugged a little. "Do I really come off as a leader? I'd have more freedom down in the lower ranks. Somewhere in the 20s."
"People who think this is a game infuriate me," Endeavor growled out at him. "We're done. You owe the others an apology."
"Hold up," Hawks stopped him before he could leave. "I got one more thing for ya."
"I said we're done!" He shouted to emphasize that he didn't want to talk anymore.
"I wanna team up with you," Hawks offered with a smile. "One case, that's all. There have been some troubling eyewitness accounts in my hometown. You remember those Nomu things, right?"
Endeavor looked over his shoulder curiously.
Dabi opened up a door and stepped inside a warehouse. "The others before didn't really understand...but I don't think you'll disappoint...High-End," He spoke to a more monstrous-looking Nomu...
"Hey, has anyone seen Mido this morning? I wanna borrow some of her paints!" Mina grinned widely at everyone as she walked into the common room of the dorms.
"She's actually in Kyushu. She said that she needed some fresh air after the school festival," Izuku blinked in thought. "She has been looking a little flushed lately, so I hope it's not a fever."
Ochaco gave a sheepish laugh. He must be talking about after what happened with Bakugo.
"She went all the way down there by herself?" Mashirao blinked in alarm at Izuku.
"She likes to be alone in areas that are a bit far from school so that no one bothers her. It's been her way of dealing with things sometimes. Mr. Aizawa gave her permission, so I know she'll be okay," He gave his classmate a small smile.
"Indeed!" Tenya walked up to them. "She notified Yaoyorozu and myself of her whereabouts, and I told her to be back before dinner."
It's over...I worked at this company for three years. And today I'll bring it down An employee looked up at the building in front of him. Ever since I can remember, I've always put other people first. Oh, it was suffocating. But that was the old me. I've put him into the ground He had recently read a book tilted 'Metahuman Liberation Warfront, Unprecedented reprinting! Destro's Life story.' It ended up inspiring him. "Curing the idiots I worked with isn't enough. Liberate me. Liberate me. This is it! Metahuman liberation!" He opened up his coat.
Teruo Hazaukashi, age 31. Quirk: Shame. The more embarrassed he feels, the stronger he gets.
He blushed a bit out of happiness for fulfilling his goal. "Meta...Human...Lib-" He yelped as he got hit from behind by red feathers. Hawks and Endeavor were walking across the street, Endeavor staring at the man silently.
"I'm a little peckish, so why don't we have our talk over some food?" Hawks offered as he led the way, though he seemed to be looking for someone. "There's a great hot pot place not too far away from here. You can really taste the flavors of the broth. Does that sound good? Not too heavy for ya?"
A woman then screamed as her dog ran on his own. "No, Schwartz, my baby!"
A large red feather suddenly caught the dog before it could get hit by a bus. The dog went flying back into his owner's arms, to her relief.
"Pretty solid yakitori, too," Hawks smiled a little as Endeavor looked at the woman and her dog. "Liver skewers are seriously to die for."
"It's Hawks!" A citizen recognized him.
"Whoa! You hardly ever see him out on the streets."
"Heyo!" Hawks waved to the citizens with a small smirk, looking up ahead. He then stopped moving as he flinched. "Oh, wait." An elderly woman was struggling to move her bag up the stairs. "Let me help ya out with that," Around 6 red feathers flew over to lift up the bag.
She then smiled gratefully at Hawks. "Thanks so much."
Soon, Hawks had a crowd around him. "Congrats on coming in second, man!"
"I watched it live! If you don't cool it, you'll start makin' enemies."
"Is that so?" Hawks just smiled as he wasn't fazed.
"Hey there, Hawks!" A female ran up to him with her phone. "Selfie?"
"Say cheese," He smiled as he gave a peace sign. Once she took the photo, she ran off while waving.
"Excuse me," A mother spoke up while approaching with her son. "But could my son get an autograph?"
"That looks like a nice backpack!" Hawks smiled down at the boy. "Sure I can write on it?"
"Uh-huh!" He nodded eagerly and the hero took it.
"What's your name?" He asked while taking the marker.
"Ryosuke!"
"Okay, Ryosuke," He smiled happily while signing the backpack. "Have a good one."
"Hawks, you're so awesome!" He gushed, but Endeavor was frowning as he wasn't surrounded by anyone. Despite just being named the number one hero...he didn't have fans approaching him like Hawks. True, he was more focused on his work and sometimes didn't interact with people in the best way, but still...compared to Hawks and All Might, he definitely had less fans.
"You've made his day, thank you!" The mother bowed gratefully to Hawks.
"It's Endeavor." The hero glanced to the side upon hearing his name to see a crowd nearby.
"He looks scary up close."
"Right? He's just so intimidating..."
"A perfect chance to grab an autograph, right?"
"No way!"
"I thought you said you liked him."
"Yeah, but I couldn't talk to him..."
Endeavor stared at the crowd and then walked over to the three boys. "Oh crap! He's coming our way, what do we do?"
"What?! This is nuts," The fan turned away in a panic. "His new costume's so cool!"
Endeavor then outstretched his hand. "There's no reason for you to be frightened."
The fan gasped while holding his shaking wrist. "Ah, man..." He muttered, to Endeavor's confusion. "Endeavor doesn't do fan service! Being mean is what makes him so cool!" He was crying blood somehow.
"Whoa, you're a hardcore fan, huh?" His friend stared at him in surprise.
"This is terrible!" The fan held his head. "You've changed! I miss the old Endeavor!" He then ran off, to the bewilderment of everyone else. His friend bowed as an apology, as Endeavor was disappointed. Hawks had seen the whole thing as well.
That wasn't right? But...I hit it off fine with that kid from Shiketsu...
"Well, we've gotta take our leave, we're on our way to an important meeting!" Hawks waved to the crowd and then walked off. Endeavor stared after him as the crowd all waved to him.
"Goodbye, Hawks!"
"Thank you!"
Endeavor clamped his mouth shut and followed after Hawks, wondering how he could be as welcoming without freaking people out...
"Actually, I'm looking for our final guest. Word has it that she's right around…" Hawks then gave a small knowing smile and Endeavor looked in his direction. His eyes widened as he saw Izuka using rollerblades down the street. She had earphones in her ears so she couldn't hear anything. The girl zipped around the corner, humming along to the music a little. She was about to zip past a store when Hawks flew in and got in her path, holding up two hands.
"Hi there!"
She yelped in alarm and tried to move down her heels to stop, but skidded. Hawks caught her by the arms as she dropped her bag, a red feather of his capturing it. Endeavor flew down to land next to him using his fire.
Izuka blinked incredulously at him while opening her mouth. "M-Mr. Hawks?!" She quickly removed her earphones and turned to Endeavor, gasping. "And Mr. Endeavor…?"
"Did you really have to do that?" Endeavor growled towards Hawks in disapproval for blindsiding Izuka like that.
"Wanna join us for lunch?" Hawks had a small smile on his face as he ignored the question. She looked up at him in confusion, and Endeavor was baffled as well.
Hawks let out a laugh at the restaurant. "Well yeah, what did you expect? It's not exactly your vibe."
Izuka sat between the two in front of the window, sweating immensely. "I-I'm intruding on this, aren't I?" She felt like this was something just between the two of them now that she was there...especially since she hadn't had a proper conversation with Endeavor until now. She only talked to him during the Hosu Incident, only because Izuku was in trouble. During both the Sports Festival and the remedial classes, she heard him, but didn't directly say anything to him. Although based on what both Shoto and Izuku told her, it was really hard not to seem biased. Just because he's Shoto's father doesn't mean I'll be too friendly to him.
"Not at all! Eat whatever you'd like," Hawks encouraged the girl with a small smile while gesturing to the food. "And a little bird told me you go by Mido in your class. Alright if I use that with you?"
"O-oh, yes! I don't mind it at all, even my teachers call me Mido," She gestured to herself; she correctly assumed that Fumikage was the one who told him that nickname.
Hawks then noticed the silent Endeavor. "Hey, are you done here, cause we'll totally eat the rest," He reached out to the table.
"Eat whatever you want, you glutton," Endeavor grumbled at the hero, who took some skewers.
"I know, I'm awful, right? But like I said, I have no self-control," Hawks remarked and Izuka flinched as she had watched the rankings from her phone live prior to seeing them.
"Oh, congratulations to you both!" She bowed her head to them. "Although I do think what you said was a bit much, Hawks..."
"Aw, thanks. You're an interesting one based on what I know from your classmate," He handed her some skewers and she took them, blinking in confusion. "Did you know I scouted both her and your son after the Sports Festival? I mean, I admit I had ulterior motives." Endeavor just kept glaring at him. "Having the son of the number-two hero at my agency would look pretty good. Or someone who's a student of All Might. Oh well. I'm glad Tsukuyomi was the one who joined me in the end. Shoto failed his exam. That's a pretty big mark against his brand."
Izuka gulped while Endeavor's flames grew out of anger and she sweated nervously. "While I appreciate the consideration and all, I don't think you should be saying that to his father...Shoto's a really good friend of mine," She whispered to Hawks.
"You know a lot for someone who didn't go to UA," Endeavor pointed out, earning a gasp from Izuka.
Whoa...he's the number 2 hero, though. A school like UA would've been a great alumni for him. But I never told him about All Might, so how does he even know that? She gave a sheepish expression.
"I stay well-informed," Hawks stated simply, turning to the girl. "Eraser is also making you go through those remedial classes because of your fight with All for One. A bit overkill if you ask me. I thought you were pretty brave. It's not like you had a choice."
"Oh, thank you so much!" She was a bit flattered that he was on her side, and silently relieved that he didn't seem to know the secret of Izuku having One for All. "Actually, can I get a picture with you so I can show my brother?"
"Oh, the one who breaks his body. Sure thing!"
Endeavor growled as Izuka and Hawks took a photo, mad that the girl wasn't like this with him because he wanted her to form a team with Shoto. He didn't want them to have a negative relationship in order to accomplish that.
"Get to the point!" He yelled, getting their attention. "I didn't come all the way to Kyushu to talk about this nonsense. Tell me why I'm here. And why are you involving her when she has nothing to do with this?"
Hawks looked at Endeavor. "It's like I mentioned. Rumors."
Endeavor wondered if this was another test from Hawks ignoring the question as he frowned. "A remodeled Nomu, yes. Those grotesque puppets the League of Villains sends out. Mido has her own share of experience with them..."
"That's correct," She spoke up softly, her eyes softening. "It feels like it was so long ago...my brother and some of our classmates came across one that hurt Mr. Aizawa. All Might managed to defeat it, but it took a lot out of him. We never saw that Nomu again."
Hawks then turned serious. "Whenever All for One was captured in Kamino, they found a few dozen of those suckers too," He was referring to the Nomu factory in Kamino that was discovered by Mt. Lady's team. "The League has been plenty busy since then, but suspiciously, no more of the creatures have appeared. We might have snagged them all, or maybe old AFO was hiding the rest somewhere else. Which...could mean the League is looking for them. That's one of the reasons why Mido is here. One of them had the same hair color as her...that means the League has their own interests in trying to get her Quirk. Thankfully, her Quirk didn't transfer over, but it's still something we should watch out for."
Izuka gave a deep frown as she remembered. All for One wanted to make sure I could never become a new Symbol just to get to All Might. Stealing my Quirk would've meant that I'd be associated with the League, and then smeared my name in the process...although almost no one noticed when that Nomu had my exact hair color in Hosu…
"Since you asked me to team up with you, I assume you have some definitive proof and not just speculation," Endeavor accused the hero across from him.
"Nope! I sure don't," Hawks smiled innocently at the man. "Only what I'm hearing."
Endeavor wasn't too happy to hear this as he grunted. He then stood up, clapping his hands. "Bring me the check now! We're done here!"
"Ah! Just like that?!" Izuka yelped with wide eyes, looking up at him.
"Sit back down, man," Hawks gave him a playful smile. "There's more to it than that. This is not the only place where Nomus have been spotted. Bet that's news for ya." Endeavor stayed silent, looking over his shoulder. "There have been reported sightings from across the country. Not so much that the media's picked up on them quite yet, but there's been plenty of neighborhood gossip about monsters. That kind of stuff. Gets filtered down to students and spreads fast."
"What is it you know?" Endeavor turned back to him, somewhat curious.
"Mido, I trust that what I say won't leave this room?" He questioned and she nodded at him sharply.
"As far as I'm concerned, we were never here. So you can count on me."
"Thanks. The first time I heard about one...I was on a trip, talking to some locals. I looked into the case with the help of the police. A quiet investigation. I couldn't find anything, though. We came up dry. But it made me a little curious," Hawks then opened up his wings. "So I flew around the country. Did some digging on my own."
"That so?" Endeavor gave him a deep frown.
"Some details were different, but similar rumors were popping up in areas that were completely unconnected with each other. Still, there was no proof. Only talk. Now this is just my opinion...but after the incidents at UA, Hosu, and Kamino...everyone knows how creepy these genetically engineered beasts are and they're getting worried," He picked at his teeth a little with the toothpick. "I think some idiot is telling scary stories to stir up the public. Drumming up panic, and trying their best to spread it across the country." Endeavor let out a small grunt; he wouldn't put it past someone...but he didn't think they could just pass it off as rumors. Izuka blinked slowly that Hawks even had this opinion. "You heard that flasher. He yelled about metahuman liberation. That ring a bell? It's from that villain biography that was recently republished. Pretty popular right now. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what influenced him, actually. Those kind of books are always gonna sell better when society is ill at ease. Fear is good for business..."
"Cut the crap," Endeavor growled and Izuka sighed at him, closing her eyes. "I'm tired of you dancing around the point. What is it you want?! What was the other reason Mido is here?"
Hawks looked up and pointed at him. "For you to become a dependable leader now that you're number one," He gave a thumbs up. "I want you to figure out if there's any truth to these rumors. And if not, stand proud and tell everyone there's nothing to worry about. And Mido here is close to All Might, isn't she? So Mido, can you answer me something?" Hawks turned to the girl, who blinked at him. "You've seen All Might in action front and center a lot and you even fought alongside him. What do you think Endeavor here should do?"
Izuka blinked slowly in a little shock that he wanted her opinion for this and turned away. "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?"
Endeavor stared at her silently as he felt like there was some truth to what she was saying. If a fan didn't want to approach him earlier...what did Shoto think of him now?
Hawks smiled, pleased by her answer. "Thanks for the advice! Meanwhile, I'm gonna keep doing my thing! I don't know if you got this from my chart speech, but...basically, I see myself as your producer."
He must really admire Endeavor to be doing this for him. No one else as far as I know has... Izuka gave Hawks an anxious expression.
"Moron," Endeavor grunted at him.
"I just wanna take it easy and have some fun," Hawks casually shrugged with a grin. "I'd like to go on leisurely patrols, complain that nothing exciting happened, and then tuck myself into bed at night. Doesn't that sound like the perfect life?" He then looked a little too happy as he placed a hand on his cheek. "My goal is to make this a world where heroes have too much time on their hands."
"You're pretty easy-going for a hero, huh?" Izuka sweated a bit as that was definitely a first for her...
Endeavor looked out the window and so did Hawks. "Well, that's not good."
Izuka blinked and was about to turn around when their waitress approached. "Excuse me. Here are your drinks."
"No!" Hawks held up his hand. "Don't come any closer!" He then flinched as he looked to Izuka right in front of the window. "MIDO!" He used a red feather to capture the back of her shirt and she went flying just as something crashed into the window. The waitress let out a scream as Izuka landed away from the flying broken glass.
It was the High-end Nomu... "Which of you is strongest?"
Izuka blinked in alarm to hear it talk. "Wait, what?" She murmured in confusion since the Nomu she had seen so far couldn't actually communicate...in fact, they weren't supposed to.
"Go, Hawks. Evacuate them," Endeavor ordered as Hawks shielded both the waitress and Izuka.
"All over it! What about you?"
"It looks like they weren't rumors," Endeavor clenched an angry fist. "This is turning out to be my lucky day. After all, I wanted to know more about these things, right?" He leaped forward as his glove was emitting smoke. "So Flashfire Fist...Jetburn!" He sent a shot of fire into the Nomu and there was an explosion from the window. The High-End Nomu looked up as Endeavor was flying above him. "Come on. I'll show you who's strongest here."