Sitting at a cafe sipping a brightly colored drink Melissa had recommended, Itsuka looked at the green haired addition to their group curiously. After introducing himself with the last name of Shigaraki – and hadn't his family name sent a shiver up her spine – Izuku, as he'd asked to be called, had become rather quiet. He was easily flustered and it was easy to see that it'd taken a lot of his courage to even approach them. Jirou's blunt wariness had intimidated the poor boy, but Yaomomo quickly stepped forward apologizing for Jirou's behavior and asking if Izuku would be interested in joining them for oyatsu.
A hesitant acceptance and a short walk behind Melissa had brought them to a cafe. After ordering and finding a place to sit, Yaomomo didn't hesitate to start the conversation. "So Shigaraki-san, if you don't mind me asking, what brings you to I-Island?"
"Izuku, please," the boy smiled, and Itsuka might have been imagining it but she thought she saw a small bit of red color Yaomomo's cheeks, "and I'm here for the Expo. It's always been a dream of mine to come see it, so when my Sensei offered me a chance to go, I didn't hesitate to take it."
"Sensei?" Itsuka asked, her mind flashing to All Might.
"Yeah," Izuku's smile fell, "About a year ago, my Mom died. Sensei was the one who took me in afterwards. Supported me as I recovered. He's not family, but he looks out for me. I owe him everything."
"I'm sorry." Itsuka cringed. "I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories."
"It's fine," Izuku dismissed her apology with a wave of his hand, "it was a year ago. I've grieved and moved on." Itsuka took a sip of her drink as an awkward silence fell, though Ochaco soon broke it with a change of subject.
"You said you were a fan of ours, so does that mean you watched the Sports Festival?" The brunette asked with a cocked head.
"Yeah!" Itsuka's eyes widened at the enthusiasm of the exclamation, and she wasn't the only one. "All of you were amazing. Jiro, the way you wielded your jacks in the first round like whips to augment your defense demonstrated an incredible mastery of your Quirk. I can only imagine how long you spent training to use them so instinctively. Kendo, the way you mastered your ability to grow your body right in front of everyone was incredible. And Uraraka, did you intentionally use Yoarashi's windstorm to supplement Zero Gravity in the first round?"
"Um, no, that was just a coincidence." Ochaco blushed and she wasn't the only one. Jiro was twirling an ear plug around her finger, her face dusted red, and Kendo wasn't sure if she was much better.
"What about me?" Yaomomo asked. She took a sip of her tea but her eyes were locked onto Izuku, a single raised eyebrow resting delicately on her forehead.
Izuku's smile became almost teasing, "What about you?" He repeated. Momo nodded as she took another sip of tea. "Well, I could talk about your teamwork with Kendo in the first round. Your strong showing in the second. The ease with which you dispatched Miss Kodai, but-"
"But?"
"I think instead I'll say something about your match with Bakugo."
"Yes?" Momo leaned forward eagerly.
"...Good job."
"That's all? Good job?" Jiro questioned, jacks rising.
"Kyoka." Momo's sharp reprimand froze the purplette half-standing. The Yaoyorozu heiress didn't say anything else, simply staring the girl down with her cold, hard onyx eyes until she returned to her seat. Turning her attention back to Izuku, she smiled, "Thank you, your words mean a lot."
"Of course," Izuku returned her smile with his own, "Anytime."
"Izuku, do you mind if I ask a question now?" Melissa asked, raising her hand.
"Sure, go ahead."
"You clearly care a lot about heroics. Did you ever think of attending U.A.?"
Izuku's expression fell, "Unfortunately, that was never in the cards for me."
The girls exchanged glances, "What do you mean?" Uraraka finally asked.
Izuku opened his mouth, but seemed to hesitate before speaking. "I'm…Quirkless." He admitted.
Melissa's eyes widened, "So am I! Oh, this is so exciting! I've never met anyone else who's Quirkless before. I grew up here, so my perception's been skewed by the island's selective admission. What's it like out there in the real world?" She asked eagerly.
Izuku's eyes were distant as he answered, lost in memories of the past. "Not good."
Melissa's excitement fell, "What?"
"Imagine being bullied everyday of your life for a genetic quirk outside your control." Izuku began, his voice soft but firm, while his eyes remained locked on his drink. "Imagine your best friend becoming your worst bully. Teachers punishing you for actions you never committed, and the best, the absolute best treatment you hope for, is either pity or being ignored entirely."
Melissa wasn't the only one looking at Izuku in horror, but he continued without pausing. "Imagine wanting to be a hero in that environment. Everyone wants to be one of course, but can you imagine a Quirkless being a Hero?" Itsuka's mind answered the question without prompting, but Izuku vocalized her thoughts. "'It's too dangerous. Without a Quirk, they'd just be a liability. How can they even hope to match up to someone with a Quirk?' After all, it's common knowledge that no matter what your Quirk is, how useless or impractical it may be, the Quirkless are weaker."
"But being a Hero, it was my dream. Some days, it was the only thing keeping me going. Although, looking back it's not like I worked towards it. I didn't train, didn't workout, nothing. All I did was wander around the city, watching Heroes go about their business and wishing that one day I might be one of them."
"And then what happened?" Surprisingly, the question didn't come from Itsuka or Ochaco or Yaomomo, or even Jiro. It came from Melissa, who seemed to shrink down as everyone's eyes turned her way. "Something happened, didn't it? Something that finally put an end to your dream?"
"Yes." Izuku confirmed, his emerald eyes interlocking with her aqua orbs. "I knew it was impractical, but I still believed that somehow, someway, I could beat the odds. Then one day I met my Hero, the man I looked up to more than anyone. I asked him if he thought it was possible for someone Quirkless to become a Hero like him."
"What did he say?" Ochaco asked, her voice a mere whisper.
"He told me that it was fine to dream, but you have to be realistic. That without power, no he didn't think it was possible to become a Hero. That moment was when my dream died. My Mom died soon after and Sensei took me in. Thanks to him, I was able to see the Sports Festival, come here for the Expo. He-" The ringing of a phone cut Izuku off and he quickly drew one out of his pocket. Checking the screen he sighed, casting the girls an apologetic look as he stood up, grabbing his drink with his free hand. "Apologies, but I have to take this. It was nice meeting all of you."
Walking away, Izuku accepted the call, "Hello."
"We're ready." Wolfram said all business. "There's a tracker on the phone so we'll know who you are. Play along and let us do our job and things should go smoothly. Any questions?"
"No." Izuku answered, "I'll be ready."
"Good." A click and then the only sound Izuku could hear was the dial tone of a dead line.
A Month Earlier:
The setting sun painted the sky gold as Itsuka took a seat across from her mentor. Yagi-sensei had sent her a text requesting her presence in his office once school let out and club activities were done. It was the first private talk they would have since she got back from her internship, and Yagi-sensei didn't waste any time, pouring her a cup of tea as he asked her how it went.
"Good," Itsuka answered, holding out her arm, "Yu, I mean Mt. Lady, helped me get a handle on the way One for All empowered Big Fist." From her elbow down, the limb began to swell, "It's not yet instinctive, but it's close. We figured out I can grow any part of my body, as well as the entire thing. I don't reach Mt. Lady's size but it's quite the difference. I'm probably going to need to rename my Quirk."
"I'm sure," Yagi-sensei nodded, taking a drink as Itsuka shrunk her limb back down to normal size. "People won't ask too many questions when you file the paperwork. You aren't the first Hero student to discover a new aspect of their Quirk once they started training, and you won't be the last. Just make sure your Quirk description covers the improved abilities of Big Fist and One for All. It's said the best lies often have a grain of truth to them; perhaps a stockpile of energy you draw upon to augment your size and physical abilities?"
"Maybe." Itsuka nodded, sipping her tea. "Can I say something?" She asked hesitantly.
"Of course."
"As happy as I am with my progress, I feel like I wasted my internship. I relearned how to use my own Quirk which is important, don't get me wrong, but I feel like I'm falling behind when it comes to using One for All. I can still only use it when I grow my limbs and even then, I can only do it for so long before they break. Is there any advice you can give me?" the orangette practically begged her mentor. "Anything at all?"
"Hmm," Yagi-sensei hummed pondering the question. "One for All came quite naturally to me," he admitted shamelessly, "and I didn't have a Quirk for it to augment."
A moment of silence then-
"Wait, you were Quirkless?!" Itsuka screeched.
"Yeah, did I never mention that?" Yagi-sensei blinked.
"No!"
"Oh," the Hero shrugged, "well I was. My Master passed One for All down to me just like I passed it onto you." His expression fell, "One for All is a special Quirk. It can't be stolen and it can only be passed on if the bearer wishes it. A transfer they can force if necessary."
"A forced transfer?" Itsuka frowned. "Why would One for All need to be forcibly transferred?"
"It's a long story." Yagi-sensei sighed. "A story that dates back to the dawn of Quirks and the origins of One for All itself. I should tell you, especially considering some information I recently learned, but…"
"But?"
Yagi-sensei looked up, and Itsuka felt a shiver crawl up her spine at the weight of his gaze. His eyes were heavy, weary, reminding the girl that this was All Might, the man, the Hero who'd spent decades confronting the worst of mankind. The monsters and demons that lurked in the dark committing acts too reprehensible to imagine, violating the laws of humanity for their own sick amusement and pleasure.
"There are some stories," the blond said finally, "that are best forgotten. You need to know and I will tell you, but for now, Kendo shonen, know that sometimes ignorance is truly bliss."
Silence fell as Master and student drank their tea, lost in their thoughts. "You asked me for advice on how to use One for All," Yagi-sensei finally said. "Think about how our use of it varies. You channel it through your limbs, but is that what I do?"
"No."
"One for All empowered your Quirk. Big Fist is no longer contained to just your hands, it's spread. I encourage you to think about Young Todoroki. Why is it when he uses only half of his Quirk, he runs the risk of frostbite or overheating? He needs to use it in its entirety spreading it throughout his entire-" the Hero trailed off meaningfully.
"Body?" Itsuka guessed with a frown. Her eyes widened, "Body!" Yagi-sensei chuckled as Itsuka rushed towards the exit with a hurried farewell.
As the door clicked shut, All Might let his smile fall. Placing his head in his hands, he could do little to stop their trembling, just thankful that Itsuka hadn't noticed. His side throbbed, phantom pain striking him despite the fact the wound itself no longer existed to bother him. He needed to tell Young Kendo about All for One, and he would in due time, but not right now. He himself was still coming to terms with the fact that man– no, the creature that wore the mask of a man could still be alive. All Might might smile and put on a brave face, but Toshinori Yagi knew his psyche bore the scars of their encounters. All for One had killed his Master, nearly killed him too. The whirlwind of emotions: horror, fear, hatred, and excitement began to bubble up from within, but Toshinori forcibly suppressed it, eyes ablaze with inner strength. The embers of One for All were fading, he only had so much time left; the best he could do now was work to finish what he'd started all those years ago and end this multi-generational conflict before the duty passed to his successor.
Now:
With Izuku's departure, the girls were left alone once more with their thoughts. 'All Might used to be Quirkless,' Itsuka mused, remembering her conversation with her mentor. 'He was in Izuku's shoes once, until his Master gave him One for All.' Channeling said Quirk through her hand, Itsuka watched the orange glowing veins creep across her skin, 'The power of a Quirk. Is it really needed to become a Hero?' Itsuka's instinctive answer was yes, but it felt wrong somehow. Heroics shouldn't be about power, it should be about making a difference, helping others, but at the same time, having faced Nomu and villains, Itsuka had to admit that it did feel like a certain amount of power was necessary. 'I should ask All Might what he thinks,' the orangette decided, 'He's experienced both sides of the issue, he'll know more about this than I do.'
"Refill, madam?" A voice inquired.
"Yes please," Itsuka answered, holding out her empty glass. Wait a minute, she knew that voice, and she wasn't the only one.
"Kaminari?" Jiro asked incredulously.
"In the flesh," their lightning-powered classmate winked, and he wasn't alone either.
"Mineta? What are you two doing here?"
"The cafe needed extra staff for the Expo and since it meant a free trip to the island, we applied." Kaminari explained.
"We get to explore the Expo during our breaks and make some extra money. Plus, there's always the chance we'll have a fateful encounter." Mineta added.
A loud rumbling like distant thunder echoed across the island. Turning towards the direction of the noise, the students saw smoke rising up from one of the attractions. "What's going on?" Jiro asked.
"Hmm, I think that smoke's coming from the Villain Attack game." Melissa answered, adjusting her glasses.
"Villain Attack game? What's that?"
"It's one of the most popular Expo attractions. Robots act as villains and you compete to take them down in the fastest times. Pro Heroes usually win but it's still fun to see how your time compares to them and see the differences in how competitor's complete their runs."
"Sounds like something we should check out," Itsuka said, finishing her drink and quickly standing up. "Mind showing us the way?"
"Sure," Melissa replied, rising alongside the others, "follow me."
"With a time of 57 seconds, give it up for our competitor!" A commentator announced as Itsuka and the others passed through a tunnel and into the stands. Sporadic clapping echoed around the area, but Itsuka's eyes were fixed to the screen displaying a certain smiling, spiky red-haired, sharp-toothed classmate.
"Okay, just how many of us are actually on the island?" Jiro wondered aloud, inadvertently giving voice to Itsuka's thoughts.
"Another classmate of yours?" Melissa guessed.
"Yeah, that's Kirishima." Ochaco answered. "Kirishima!" She shouted, waving her hand to catch the redhead's attention. Hearing his name, Kirishima looked up and visibly double taked upon seeing them.
Before he could speak though, the commentator's voice drowned him out, "Now please welcome our next competitor!"
This time it was Itsuka who called out his name, "Yoarashi!"
"Oh, I know him." Melissa said, leaning forward to get a better look. "There were clips of him being shared amongst my classmates. They were wondering just how much his winds would affect barometric pressure and if it would be possible for him to incapacitate villains by cutting off the oxygen they received." She looked around at the girls staring at her. "What? It's a valid line of questioning."
"Ready? Go!" The commentator's declaration brought everyone's attention back to the course where Yoarashi wasted no time rising up into the air.
"Amazing, it seems the tubing on his suit assists Yoarashi in moving the air around his body." Melissa announced as she studied the boy's costume. But Yoarashi wasn't the only one rising into the air, the villain robots were too. Defying gravity, they quickly gained altitude swirling about in a giant whirlwind, occasionally slamming into one another before, like a maestro conducting in orchestra, Yoarashi waved his arms to begin the grand finale. The whirlwind constricted, picking up speed until the robots were forced together into one giant clump, then with a downward flourish, the winds died altogether and the robots fell, slamming into the ground where they exploded on impact.
"Incredible! With a time of only 23 seconds, we have a new first place!"
"Oi, Yoarashi! Kendo's here with some of the girls." Kirishima called over the crowds cheering.
"Really!?" The star of the Sports Festival exclaimed, scanning the crowd and quickly locking onto Itsuka's orange hair. Creating two whirlwinds – one under Kirishima and another for himself – Yoarashi flew over, depositing the two of them on the ground next to their fellow U.A. students. "Ah, I'm excited to see you all! Tell me, what brings you all to the Expo?"
"We should be asking you two that." Jiro snarked.
"Oh, I was invited for making it to the Sports Festival Finals." Yoarashi explained, all too happy to answer.
"And I got your ticket when you declined, Kendo." Kirishima added.
"Oh yeah, I was invited." Itsuka remembered. "I just turned it down because I was coming here anyways" 'with All Might.' She added silently.
"Yeah," Kirishima smiled sheepishly. "I just happened to be passing the teacher's lounge when Aizawa-sensei got your rejection. He saw me and asked me if I wanted to go. When I said yes, he just gave me your ticket and said it was less work for him."
'I can see him doing that.' The 1-A students sweatdropped.
"But wait, if Kendo and Yoarashi got invitations because they were finalists in the Sports Festival," Uraraka wondered, "then does that mean that-"
"The Villain Attack course has been reset, so please give it up for our next competitor!"
"Bakugo!" Kendo exclaimed as the 1-A resident bomber strode forward to the starting mark. At the commentator's signal, the blond exploded into action. With a savage grin, he launched himself forward, destroying one robot only to quickly turn midair and rocket towards another, leaving a cloud of smoke and metal pieces in his wake.
It was over in seconds. "15 seconds! Another new record!" The commentator announced. Bakugo walked away with a satisfied smirk, though he looked up when Kirishima called his name.
"Oi! Bakugo! Look who's here!" Explosions erupted from the blond's hands as he launched himself towards his classmates. Grabbing the railing, he quickly started screaming at Kirishima. Jiro was all too happy to yell back in kind while Kirishima laughed and tried to calm the two down.
"Hey Kendo," Yoarashi called out catching the 1-A Vice Representatives attention, "You should go down there and compete too. There's no real line and with your power, I bet you'd get a pretty good time."
"I don't know." Itsuka frowned. "My Quirk isn't really suited for speed and transversal." 'Although,' her brain added helpfully, 'now would be a good time to practice Dispersion. This course is practically designed for it.' "Actually," she spoke aloud, "I will try it. I have a new technique I want to test and now's a good time to do it."
As she hurried towards the course entrance the commentator shrieked. "Ahhhhh! This is insane! With a single icy attack, he wiped out all the robots in f-fourteen seconds! Ladies and gentlemen, we have another new first place finisher!"
"So Todoroki's here as well." Yoarashi observed as robots rushed forward to begin clearing the giant iceberg that'd overrun the course. "Makes sense considering his father."
"Another classmate?" Melissa guessed.
"Yeah." Momo confirmed. "He's also the son of Endeavor, Japan's #2 Hero."
"Wow," Melissa's eyes practically sparkled. "Your class is amazing. All of you are going to become great heroes."
"Please," Momo blushed, "We're still just students. We have a long way to go."
"Yeah, but we appreciate your support." Uraraka added.
"Uh-huh, it's cool to have fans before we even debut." That was Jiro who was rubbing one of her jacks, having apparently tired of Bakugo's yelling affecting her enhanced hearing.
"And we have a new addition to the roster." The commentator declared, drawing everyone's attention back to the arena where Itsuka stood stretching. "With the course repaired, will she give us another top score or succumb to the pressure? Let's find out! Ready?"
'Focus.' Itsuka concentrated. 'Spread it throughout your body. Low output. Disperse it.'
"Set!" Orange veins crawled across Itsuka's skin as similarly colored lightning began to cackle around her.
"What's she doing?" Momo frowned.
"I don't know, this seems new." Jiro added. Even Bakugo had fallen silent, focusing solely on the arena, and he wasn't alone: Todoroki, Yoarashi, Kirishima, everyone was staring intently at Kendo.
'One for All: Dispersion!'
"GO!" Itsuka raced forward, her classmates' eyes widening at her speed and then widening even more as she began to agilely leap from rock to rock.
"It's like she has all the strength of her enlarged limbs without any of the growing." Uraraka wondered in awe.
'Control yourself,' Itsuka drew back her arm as she fell towards the first robot, holding tight the reins of One for All. 'Only use what you can. No injuries, no broken limbs. Limit it, just 7%.' Launching her arm forward, Itsuka's normal sized fist tore through the robot like it was nothing. She didn't pause to consider her unbroken arm, already moving towards the next robot, then the next, and the next.
"An incredible run coming in at 15 seconds! Ladies and gentlemen, we currently have a tie for second place!"
As the crowd cheered and the U.A. students dissolved into discussion, Melissa's eyes remained locked on Itsuka. 'That speed. That power. It's just like Uncle Might's. I can see why he took her as his student. Their powers are so similar. However…'
"We've picked up the goods."
"There's been a development," the scrambled voice of their contractor and inside man added before Wolfram could hang up. "All Might's on the island."
"What? All Might's here?" He paused, considering what the Hero's presence would change but ultimately- "It doesn't matter. We can handle him." He assured before ending the call. 'Of course All Might had to show up.' For a moment, Wolfram stared at his phone, considering whether he should call that man's representative before deciding not to. He could handle All Might, it was why he'd been given a down payment for this very situation. Everything was still going according to plan.
The steady beeping of a heartbeat monitor filled the lab. Lying inside a medical pod, Toshinori waited patiently as the machine analyzed him, gathering data that was then transmitted to the nearby computer for David to analyze. With one final beep, the pod completed its analysis, opening up for Toshinori to leave.
"I don't get it, Toshi." Stepping out of the pod, Toshinori turned to David who had turned in his chair to look at him. "Your Quirk levels, they're practically in freefall. This kind of dramatic change, it's like nothing I've seen before. I know you were seriously injured by All for One, but I thought with your physical regression, the damage would have been fixed."
"It was," Toshinori confirmed, "But my Quirk fading, that's unrelated."
"There has to be some way to fix this." David exclaimed, pulling his hair in frustration. "Your Quirk can't just disappear."
'I know,' Toshinori thought, gazing at his friend sadly, 'and it's not. I wish I could tell you about One for All, about Itsuka being my successor, but I can't. You already know about All for One, that knowledge alone puts you and Melissa in danger. I won't make things worse for you two.'
'At this rate, the Symbol of Peace will disappear.' David thought in frustration. 'The Japanese crime rate hovers at around 6% and that's all because of you. Other countries average around 20%, and some are even worse. Even America with its free use Quirk laws still has a crime rate in the high teens.' "Part of me wishes you'd stayed in America and never went back to Japan." He finally said vocally.
"David," Toshinori said, walking up to lay a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "No matter what happens, things will be okay. The world is full of capable Pro Heroes. Not to mention the good people like you who support them. I still have time left. All Might's not dead yet."
"What-" David frowned. "What if another monstrous villain appears? Another All for One, Ghidorah, or Enma, and you're not around to save us?"
"Dave, if that day comes, I'll still be there. Just because I'm retiring doesn't mean I have no intention of standing on the sidelines." 'Besides, there's still hope for the future of One for All and the Symbol of Peace. A new generation is rising to take my place, they're the ones who will carry our legacy into the future.'
"The I-Expo preview will be closing at 6:00 p.m. We thank you for coming. Please enjoy your evening." As the message repeated through the island's speakers, Kaminari and Mineta collapsed onto a bench with synonymous groans.
"The Expo isn't even open to the public yet and we're already this busy. I don't think we're going to get a moment's rest until it's over."
"Shut up, I don't wanna think about it." Kaminari groaned.
"Mineta! Kaminari! How'd your guys' shift go?" Yaoyorozu's voice awoke the two boys from their depression as they looked up to see their classmates approaching. "We brought you two a present." The heiress smiled, holding out a pair of tickets.
"What are these for?" Mineta asked.
"Invitations to the Expo reception party tonight."
"There's a party?"
"And these are for us?"
"Melissa took pity on you for some reason." Jirou explained.
"She thought you two could use a break." Uraraka added.
"I had a few extras lying around." The blonde smiled. "I'd love for you guys to have them."
"Kaminari." Mineta slowly turned his head towards his buddy.
"Mineta."
"An angel has awarded us for our hard work." The two sobbed joyfully as they hugged each other.
"Uh…"
"Ignore them." Jiro advised Melissa, resting a hand on her shoulder. "They're weirdos."
"Let's plan to meet up and go as a group." Yaoyorozu said, clapping her hands together to get everyone's attention. "Dress appropriately and meet in lobby seven of the central tower at 6:30 sharp. I'll contact Todoroki, Bakugo, Yoarashi, and Kirishima so they'll know to meet us."
The group began to split up as they headed back to their respective hotel rooms to change. "Itsuka." Melissa called out, catching up to the orangette to walk alongside her. "Can I show you something before you get ready for tonight?"
"Why would I wanna go to a party?" Bakugo complained, lying on his bed. "It'll just be a bunch of old geezers I don't know giving speeches. Sounds like a lame night to me."
"But we get to eat a bunch of gourmet food at their expense." Kirishima answered. He was in the room next door but had come over to visit his explosive friend.
"Well, it's not like I brought any fancy clothes with me anyways."
"I figured you wouldn't."
"Huh?"
"So I called your Mom. She was more than happy to give me one of your suits just in case you needed it."
"You've gotta be kidding me, you spikey-haired idiot!" Bakugo exploded but Kirishima simply laughed.
"Friends, are you preparing for the party as well?!" Yoarashi questioned, stepping into the room only to get an empty soda can thrown at his face.
"Fuck off Buzzcut!"
"We found five guards, but they're restrained now. The plan's a go."
"Keep them bound but alive. Start working on the security system." Wolfram ordered over the phone"
"Yes, sir. Beginning infiltration."
"Good." Wolfram smiled. Lowering the phone from his ear, he checked the tracking app. According to the little dot, All for One's representative was already in the ballroom. "Now the fun can begin." The villain muttered as he affixed his mask to his face.
"This is my own personal research laboratory." Melissa explained as she led Itsuka into a room. The ninth wielder of One for All had followed the blonde all the way to I-Academy where Melissa claimed she had a surprise waiting for her. "Sorry about the mess. I wasn't expecting to have any guests and I didn't clean up before break."
"It's fine." Itsuka said, looking around. "I still can't believe you get to study in a place like this. I've seen the U.A. support labs, but this is still more cutting edge."
"No surprise there," Melissa laughed, "This is I-Island after all."
Itsuka's eyes landed on a myriad of awards sitting atop a shelf. "That's a lot of trophies. You must be really talented."
"Actually, I was kind of slacking not so long ago. It's why I've been studying so hard recently. I realized I needed to be a good student if I wanted to be a hero."
"You mean a Pro?" Itsuka asked.
"...No, not anymore," Melissa's voice echoed from the storage room she was looking through, "I gave up on that dream a while ago." Her voice quieted, "You remember Izuku?"
"Yeah."
"I'm… like him. Quirkless, I mean."
"You don't have a Quirk?"
"...No. My mom and dad took me to a doctor when I turned five and my Quirk still hadn't developed. They diagnosed me."
"I'm sorry, that must be hard for you."
"What do you mean?" Melissa asked, emerging with a small box in her hands.
"Oh, I… I mean it must be hard, not having something everyone else has I mean."
"Well, it was definitely a shock. Luckily, I had another goal I could fixate on."
"Really? What?"
Melissa turned to smile at a series of photos showing her and her father. "To be like my father. He didn't have a Quirk that would let him be a Hero either. But he supports Uncle Might and other Heroes with the power of science. He's fighting for peace alongside them, just indirectly."
"And you want to be someone who does that too?"
"Yep. That's how I'll make a real difference. Anyways," Melissa set the box she was holding on the counter, "this is for you. It's a support item I made a while back after seeing Uncle Might using his power."
"What is it?" Itsuka asked as Melissa wrapped the red band around her wrist like a bracelet.
"Press the button on the back." Itsuka obeyed and the red bracelet unwound, lengthening it wrapped around her entire arm from palm-to-elbow, encompassing her like a glove. "As far as names go, I was thinking of 'Full Gauntlet'. When we met, I noticed you didn't have any support gear, then at the Villain Attack course, I noticed you were holding back and limiting yourself on purpose. So I thought maybe your body couldn't handle the full power of your Quirk. This gauntlet can withstand All Might's full power, at least for a while, so it should work for you too. As long as you have that on, you should be able to use your full power."
Itsuka's eyes widened as she held the Full Gauntlet up to examine. "All my power?" She whispered in awe.
"Yeah, it'll even loosen to stay on as you expand and then contract when you shrink. Please, take it. Promise me that you'll become a Hero someday and you'll never stop helping people in need. That's all the payment I'll need."
"I promise."
"Okay, then we really should get ready for the party." As the two left I-Academy grounds, Melissa hesitated, "Hey, Itsuka?"
"Yeah?"
Melissa was quiet for a moment. "When we spoke to Izuku, he said he wanted to be a Pro Hero even without a Quirk. Do you… think that's possible?" The blonde's tone seemed to be casual, but Itsuka could easily tell how personal the question was.
"I…I don't know." The orangette answered honestly. "I want to say yes, but," She remembered the terror of facing the Nomu and Shigaraki at the Sports Festival. How it'd felt to feel his hand wrapped around her throat at the mall, a single finger all that lay between her and death. "It's dangerous, incredibly dangerous even with a Quirk. To be a Hero without one… I just don't know." Silence fell after she finished.
"I…see." Melissa replied. "I'll see you at the party." All Itsuka could do was stare as the blonde walked away, her shoulders beginning to shake before she vanished out of sight.
Author's Note:
New month, new chapter, new Author's Note. Don't have a lot to say here but I enjoy writing the contrast between Izuku and Tomura when they meet with the U.A. students. Tomura is deranged, not understanding why things don't go his way and raging about it like a gamer while Izuku is ruthlessly intelligent twisting facts to suit his needs while identifying what traumas he can strike at and use. No real Izuku/Momo moments but I hope the underlying plays off of each other are enough for now.
This month's fanfic recommendation will be a twofer over on AO3 and fall under Harry Potter because I'm posting the first chapter of HPVM's today as well. First is The Reminiscene by ImperialPotter which sees Harry gets sent back to an au with alive Potters (stop me if you've heard that one before) but I like it because the Potters in this story are incredibly ruthless and follow a family first motto. A family which includes Bellatrix as Harry's doting deranged Godmother. The other will be A Fortuitous Arrangement by Magical_Worlds which is more of a smut story but I just think the Susan in the story is adorable and needs to be protected.
So...yeah. As always check out my P-a-t-r-e-o-n and thanks to whoever updates this story's TvTropes page. I like reading it. Leave a comment since I enjoy reading them and if you're an artist or bot spamming your content feel free to fuck off. I don't need you advertising here about how you love my story and want to bring it to life for a few hundred dollars when the same thing's posted on every story you view.
Until next time this is the demon getting his eye cut open on Friday signing off,
- D'yavol Lucifer 3:)
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*IMPORTANT NOTICE*
All the cover art for my stories are ones I found online. I am really interested in using fanart provided by you the readers to replace them. If you're interested draw something up and pm me so I can send you the details on where to send it or pm me and I'll give you some details so you can draw one. As I say in my bio if I use it I may add you as an oc in one of my stories! Isn't that exciting!
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