268Chapter 50: Victory?
Pain.
Physical pain.
And mental pain. From the shock and horror that lay before the boy.
Izuku saw two stumps where his arms should be. The hand, wrist, and halfway towards his elbow on each were gone. The world seemed black and red as he stared into the bleeding wounds. The pain kept getting worse, yet he could not scream to languish in it. Instead, he just thought about what losing these meant. He had lost the fight.
After transferring almost all the visages of One For All into the Shigaraki, Midoriya had entered his mind and could see his past. All For One's visage also awakened from within and revealed Tomura's actual origin to them. The villain manipulated everything from his friends, father, and decay quirk to install the required rage and hate to be a true vessel to All For One. What small moment Izuku could get through with Tomura vanished, and he was repelled from the visage world. And what damage happened in that world also happened in the real world. His arms had taken that damage.
However, soon, the pain was too much, and Midoriya finally did something.
Izuku woke up.
The sudden rise in the boy's heart rate had the machine's alarm sound, and it caused the previously napping girl that was at his side to nearly fall onto the floor. The sound of many voices soon followed, but Midoriya didn't care; he instead focused on his wrapped arms. Well, with his one eye. The bandages on the right side of his head blocked the other. Either way, his arms were still there, unlike that nightmare. However, it felt very much real because Izuku did lose them not too long ago, however brief that was.
Suddenly, the world around then started to come back: the rush of nurses and the head doctor, the coughing of All Might, and the cries of his girlfriend.
"It was just a bad dream, I swear!"
The reptile doctor looked over the equipment once more. "Everything seems to be in order now." He then turned to his patient. "My only concern is why they started now. You didn't have any reactions like this to your dreams before. Which is odd considering how much you slept until today."
Midoriya looked down at his arms again. "My nightmare had to do with my arms. I only got the feeling back earlier today." He looked back at the doctor. "Maybe that's why?"
The man seemed to be in deep thought. As the doctor walked away to ponder, All Might asked in a strained voice, to the nurses, "Could I be wheeled to the window? I want to give the two some privacy."
"Of course, sir," one of them said. After moving him over, they pulled over the room divider screen before exiting the room.
Now, the two were alone. But neither said anything for a time. During the silence, Izuku inspected his girlfriend's attire. She wore khaki shorts, a pink t-shirt with blue stripes going horizontally, and yellow snap bracelets. This meant school wasn't back in session, he thought. Through the window, it looked to be midday still. Midoriya really didn't know how much time had passed since the day of battle. He was only conscious minutes or so at a time due to exhaustion and pain until this morning. This spurred him to ask finally. "How long has it been since I got here?"
After a sniff, Hagakure answered. "A week."
So it's mid-May, he thought. Now Izuku turned his concern to her and asked, "Was your mission a success?" After Aoyama had falsely lured Midoriya into a trap for All For One, Monoma, through copying Kurogiri's Warp Gate quirk, was able to isolate and separate the villains laying in wait. Hagakure was one of the ones left behind to clean up what villains remained.
"Yeah, but it was a tough fight. There was a plant villain, who had an even more powerful version of Komori-chan's quirk but with vines. He subdued everyone but me, and I didn't know what to do as he taunted Yuga-kun. But then Yuga-kun unleashed a barrage of lasers that I redirected back at the villain and fried him. Then, we worked together to free all the other heroes as the plant quirk stayed active even after knocking the bastard unconscious. Aizawa-sensei showed up later and called us to join in the final assault."
"So Yuga-kun found his fighting spirit again. That's good," Izuku stated before giving a sigh of relief.
Hagakure then asked, "Do you feel like you got what you wanted with Shigaraki?"
Midoriya thought back to the end of that day.
"Tomura Shigaraki kept fighting to destroy."
A message Izuku needed to relay to Spinner once he got a chance. A promise. Then he recalled his response to this.
"You already destroyed it."
Tomura had brought hero society to its knees. It would never be the same. But then came his final words, with a genuine smile on his face.
"That will depend on what you guys do from now on. So do your damn best."
"Yes and no. I feel I did keep my promise to Shimura-san. I got through to him, but there's still a lot I need to do to make things right. But that's for later after I recover." He then turned back to Tooru and asked, "Have you been here every day?"
"When I can. But you were always resting. So I mostly talked to Yagi-sensei when he wasn't in surgery when I could come."
Right. The last time Izuku was up, this morning, he was able to speak to his master. He recalled All Might's comment about what the doctor said.
"...he's never seen so many bolts."
Toshinori had joined the fight, too; using the modified Hercules as battle armor, he fought All For One to stall for time. The villain had fallen due to the overwhelming might of the heroes but used a reverse-engineered Quirk-Destroying Drug as a trump card, continually rewinding his body's damage and returning to the fight. However, it was de-aging his body permanently. So then it was just a battle of time, something All Might knew he could help do.
Midoriya looked over to the room divider. He wanted to talk to Yagi some more at some point, but not now. "I'm sorry I wasn't awake when you were around earlier."
"I'll take this over you being in a coma like last time."
"Heh. For sure."
Tooru sighed. "So about the others..."
"They can wait," Izuku interrupted. "I've kept you waiting for long enough." The statement startled the girl. "First, thank you for saving me during that final push." During the last offensive against Tomura, he produced a behemoth of a laser that Tooru redirected back. Had it hit its mark, the boy didn't even want to consider the possibility.
"Oh, that? That was nothing." Pride could be heard from Hagakure's voice.
"Your suit was okay?"
"Yup! Yuga's lasers are easy now, and even if All For One's were much harder to deflect, Mei-chan's upgrades came through."
Okay, that helped the mood a bit, Izuku mused. He then asked, "And how are you feeling right now?"
"All things considered? I am fine. I am more worried about you." The invisible girl took a deep breath. "Yagi-sensei told me what happened this morning. And I visited Katsuki-kun before coming back here."
Oh. So she knows. Midoriya turned his head away. This was something he hoped he could push till later.
"It's just not fair." The girl was on the verge of tears again.
So much for lightening the atmosphere. Izuku was now feeling the same as her. His quirk was fading—just embers, like when All Might had transferred his quirk to his pupil just before the entrance exam. He had already accepted it, but he knew she and others wouldn't. Trying to cheer her up, he stated, "Regardless, I still have some power left. I want to use it to finish school."
Both teens heard the bed nearby stir, but All Might didn't say anything. Guess he was listening in after all. Either way, it wasn't something Midoriya had shared at the time; it was just something he had pondered in his dreams before the recent nightmare.
Hagakure cleared her throat. "They said an announcement for school should come in about a week."
"I'm guessing you hope we still get our summer break."
"I just want you and the others to have more time to recover. I could care less about time off for myself at a time like this. Besides, it's a mess out there."
"Sorry."
"It's okay. I would agree with you any other time, but it's still hell out there, even with all the help we are getting."
Now intrigued, Izuku asked, "Help?"
"International aid. It started with the United States, but now many countries are sending help. You have pro heroes, supplies, and money. You name it. The recovery effort has been wild. Even from what limited progress I can see from home."
Of course, everyone would be back home after the U.A. was totaled and nearly fell into the ocean. "Was your house untouched?"
"Someone broke in while we were away, but my parents took the important stuff with them when they moved to school and then the offsite place after that. Whoever got in rummaged around but didn't seem to take anything. My dad fixed the door, and my mom cleaned up the mess before I moved in the next day." Tooru put a hand on her boyfriend's leg as she stated. "I called your mom, and your house is fine. A few broken windows and a messed up roof that leaks badly when it rains but nothing else."
"That's a relief. For both of us."
Hagakure leaned forward. "We sidetracked enough. I want to go back to talking about your quirk."
Right. She wasn't going to drop that so quickly, he mused. "It's like I said, with what time I have left, I still want to get my pro hero license."
"But what about our dream of us going pro together!?"
Izuku could only hang his head upon hearing that outburst. This was something they wanted to share into adulthood. And now he would be lucky to have the power to be a competent hero to the age of twenty at best, going by what All Might had told him. Eventually, he sucked in the despair and responded with, "It's something I still want for both of us, more than anything. But it doesn't seem possible now. Still, I want us to work together in school and with our friends. And even if I can't be at your side during your professional career, I'll still support you somehow. I'm not giving up!"
Tooru leaned closer and rested her head on her boyfriend's lap. "I guess that's the best either of us can hope for now. I still don't like this, though."
"I know." It pained the boy that he couldn't reach out his hand to her. He then felt his left cheek being poked lightly.
"A bunch of new scars, huh?
She must mean the right side of my head, Izuku thought. "Undoubtedly."
Hagakure groaned. "They say girls like scars. I don't. Considering my situation, I know it probably sounds petty to be concerned about how you look, but it's not about your appearance. It's about what they mean. All that you sacrificed, and yet you still get screwed over in the end."
Midoriya was happy to hear that his girlfriend didn't see it as ugly; it was just what they meant. But still, he needed to address her concern. He thought long and hard until a little inspiration from earlier that day and Shigaraki's final words got him to speak up. "Scars fade with time. It's what we choose to do with said scars that matter. I was quirkless but tried to save Kaachan when he was in trouble and was given One For All from that act. I used that gift to defeat the darkness of our quirk society, but I lost it in the process, gaining these scars. If it changes society for the better, then it will be worth it in my eyes. Still, we can't assume it has changed enough yet, so we need to continue working on it. No matter how long that might take."
"Yagi-sensei's speech style is rubbing off on you, huh?"
With a big grin, Izuku responded, "A student takes in the best qualities of his teacher."
On the other side of the room, Toshinori shed silent tears with a smirk, confident that the couple would be alright going forward.
"Are you sure you should be carrying so much?!"
"It's okay, Mom. It only stings a little. And it's just my skin that occasionally hurts, not my muscles." Izuku then readjusted his hold on the grocery bags in his right hand. They were currently just moments away from home after a shopping trip. Inko had only bought enough for her to eat since coming back, but now that her son had been released from the hospital today, they needed to stock up. The younger Midoriya was carrying most of the food, much to his mother's dismay.
"Let me at least get the door."
Izuku went a step further than their home's entrance to give his mom room to open it. A key turn later, Inko dashed inside, to her son's confusion. However, the boy soon understood why as he stepped into the sound of a bang and shower of confetti.
WELCOME HOME DEKU!
His girlfriend, close circle of friends, Hatsume, and Maijima stood in the now cramped living room. All with beaming smiles, well he guessed so with Tooru. Said person was quick to give him a tackle hug. Inko looked concerned for a moment but noticed it didn't hinder her son at all despite also carrying all the groceries. This reaction was practically natural at this point.
All the guests, but for a moment, looked a bit shocked; well, besides his girlfriend, Izuku figured. The right side of his head was shaved; he had an extended cut above his eye that ran to the top of his head that required stitches there, so the hair had to be cut. His right cheek also sported a scar that took a majority of it, a large splat instead of the incision on his head. Midoriya had already sent Hagakure pictures once his bandages were removed. Trying to refocus, he looked down at his girlfriend and asked, "Guessing this was your idea?"
Tooru tightened her grip as she stated, "I wish I had thought of it first."
Tenya cleared his throat before taking Izuku's groceries in hand and saying, "That would be me. I had already hatched a plan days before you awoke for good. It didn't take much to get everyone else involved. It gave me plenty of time to practice anyway."
Izuku noticed his friend wearing the apron Ochako made for him. He then smelt the air and noticed a familiar scent. "Katsudon?"
Ida puffed his chest proudly, "Your favorite!"
"With my mother's recipe, of course," Uraraka added as she grabbed her boyfriend's left arm.
Midoriya took off his shoes before saying, "Well let's dig in! I've been on hospital food for over a week. I'm starving for good food!"
After putting away the groceries, almost everyone helped set the table beside Izuku and the support department duo. The former inspected the two standing just outside the dining room. They were both in casual wear. Not a common sight at all. For Power Loader, he wore an orange t-shirt with the large yellow text of "Hole" on the front and blue jeans folded up to just below his knees. Mei wore a yellow camisole and green khaki shorts. In the latter's case, the boy realized that he had never seen the girl in anything but their workshop outfit or P.E. uniform.
Hatsume squinted and asked, "What's with the staring?"
"Cause you look normal for once," Maijima stated bluntly.
"Says the usually shirtless guy!"
"At the very least, he got to see the 'normal' me when I chaperoned his Christmas date with Hagakure-san." He then crossed his arms. "Even I haven't seen this outfit of yours before today."
Mei turned away before saying, "Well, it's hot outside, and it's not like showing up sweaty in my usual outfit to a welcome-back party would be proper."
"Woah there. Proper etiquette and hygiene? From Hatsume-san? Stop the presses," Power Loader stated with dry sarcasm.
Seeing Hatsume start to fume, Midoriya stepped between the two and said, "Hey now, I appreciate it, Mei-chan." He then turned to Maijima and asked, "So what brings you here, sensei?"
Power Loader proceeded to point upward. "Prime is on your roof fixing it up. When Hatsume-san learned it was leaking badly from your friends, she wanted to fix it up, but I argued that it would be pretty awkward for her to work on it while we all had dinner. Bringing Prime was the solution; however, now that it's not a literal warzone out there, it is still technically school property, so I need to be around to," the man made air quotes with his claws, "authorize its use outside the campus."
Mei let out a chuckle. "Nice excuse. I think you just wanted a free meal. Besides, you usually hate family stuff like this."
The pro hero turned his head to his pupil with a tired gaze. However, before more could be said on the matter, Yaoyorozu spoke up. "Dinner's ready and set!"
Ojiro had brought out another table with the help of the older Midoriya to fit everyone. The guest of honor sat in the middle with his mother on his left and Hagakure on his right. Across from him sat Ida and Uraraka together to his left and Ojiro and Yaoyorozu to the right. Hatsume took the left end of the tables and Maijima to the right end.
Izuku looked at his bowl and raised an eyebrow. "What's this brown sauce?" If there were anything dark, it would be soy sauce, which was nearly black. Even if diluted, it wouldn't be this light brown. The smell also wasn't there, if not very muted.
Ochako stopped mid-bite to explain. "Oh, that's an alternative from my mom's recipe. It's demi-glace, which is often used in French cuisine. It's a very reduced brown sauce made from cooking various meats, veggies, spices, and even wine for a long time. It's a super rich, meaty flavor in liquid form. A pain to make but worth the taste."
Ida raised his hands in the air. "I just bought the stuff. It's good quality but probably not as good as homemade. It's a two-day ordeal to make for just one ingredient if made at home. I wanted to practice making the dish itself beforehand without bothering with such a complex process."
Uraraka happily continued, "You can make a big batch of demi-glace for later use, but he has a point for a situation like this. This recipe is taken from a version of katsudon that is popular in Okayama. There, it's called demi or domi-katsudon. That version doesn't use eggs and usually adds green peas. My mom wanted the former but not the latter, so she added the demi-glace to the traditional recipe."
"I didn't understand a word she said, but whatever it does, it makes this pretty yummy compared to the regular version," Hatsume said before downing another mouthful of her meal.
Maijima just sighed and placed a hand over his face.
"I've heard versions that remove the egg or replace the pork with beef or chicken, but this is new to me," Inko stated while considering the taste. "I'll have to look into this later."
Ochako esthetically proclaimed, "I would be happy to help with that, Midoriya-san!"
"Thank you Uraraka-san."
Izuku smirked at all the exchanges and then took his first bite. The sensation was sudden. A deep umami flavor and a sweet undertone with a slight tanginess complemented the saltiness of the pork cutlets. In the typical dish, the soy sauce did this to a degree, but this was much more noticeable since the soy sauce is also salty. Midoriya then tried to imagine this with no eggs and peas instead but didn't like the idea. However, he wasn't against trying it someday, just to be sure.
The dinner continued without incident. The main topic was all the foreign pro heroes everyone had seen in the past two weeks. Izuku felt exceptionally jealous that his friends had seen or even met said heroes in several instances. He couldn't fault them because they didn't exactly know who they all were, and he quickly identified any that they didn't recognize. Once the meal was over, Maijima happily volunteered to wash the dishes, Hatsume went to check on Prime, Ida and Ojiro went to see the younger Midoriya's room, and Yaoyorozu started to make tea, which Uraraka observed.
"You should talk to the others," Hagakure stated, rubbing a finger into her boyfriend's cheek. They were the only ones still seated at the dinner table.
Unaffected by the gesture, minus a slight blush, Izuku asked, "Are you sure? I wanted to talk about your birthday coming up." At this point, it was a couple weeks away.
This statement seemed to catch Tooru off-guard, but she shook it off. "There's plenty of time for that later. Go catch up with the others."
The talk was just going to be preliminary stuff, like asking what Hagakure wanted to do. If nothing came to mind, he would propose his idea. And if she didn't like it, they could brainstorm together something else. He planned for it to be a phone conversation later in the week when he had settled in, but his girlfriend was currently wearing the sun dress she bought on her last birthday. Midoriya just had to try to ask today.
Instead, though, no dice for now. So Izuku stood up and weighed his options. After a moment, he decided to check on the boys in his room. Upon opening it, he noticed his friends inspecting two different things though. Mashirao was looking at the All Might figures, and Tenya kneeled, staring at a video game collection. The former was wearing a plain red t-shirt with brown khakis. The latter no longer had his apron on which now showed a blue and gray plaid shirt with brown dress pants. Neither looked bandaged up, which was a relief for the boy.
Midoriya closed the door behind him before asking, "See anything interesting?"
Ojiro answered, "I noticed three distinct designs for All Might. I mostly recognize this one but not really the other two." The one he was pointing out was the most recent look to All Might before he retired.
"That's his Silver Age design. All Might adopted it about seven years ago. It marked the start of a softer presence of his heroism. Many of us fans thought it was because he was going to retire soon, but eventually, I learned it was because of his battle with All For One. The limited time of his hero form meant he couldn't be as active as in the Golden Age." By now, Izuku was standing beside his friend.
"So Silver started when I was about nine, as I began to learn Muay Thai and got the idea of becoming a hero. Makes sense I wouldn't recognize the other stuff before that point. So what's this one?"
"The Golden Age. Starting from his debut in Japan." Izuku's hand moved towards a small batch of figures to the side. "And the Bronze Age was while he was in the United States. They didn't make as many of those designs, as figure collecting isn't as big in America as in Japan. Plus he wasn't a smash hit there like he was here."
Mashirao nodded a few times. "Yeah, I forgot he started his career there. Anyway, this must be a pain to move. Do you want help packing up before moving back to the U.A.?"
"You sure? I don't want that to get in the way of your packing."
"You saw my room back at school. I don't have much and don't need more. It will give me something to do as this wait before moving back is killing me since my parents are barely home."
Right, his parents were still needed at a time like this. He could invite him to hang out just to pass the time, too, Midoriya pondered. Something they could talk about over the phone later. "Sure. I can't say no to help." He then looked to Ida, who, while peering around at the conversation, was mostly still busing himself with the video game collection. "Does something catch your eye?"
"This is all quite old. Classics but again, well beyond our years."
"Well, I already asked my mom a lot about these figures. I didn't want to break the bank by keeping up current with games. These games were easy to find in stores like Daiso, Seria, and Watts for very low prices."
Tenya stood up and placed a hand on his chin. "Hyakkin (100 yen stores), huh? Makes sense. However, I don't recall you having these in your room back at the dorms."
"I left them here to focus solely on my hero studies. Besides, I mostly stopped playing these when I was twelve. But I won't deny I sometimes wanted to play them when I had little to do during the slower times at school. But going forward, I think we will be plenty busy." Izuku pondered why his friend focused on his game collection. He only recalled the battle manga from his room during their sleepover from what seemed like forever ago. Nothing involving video games.
Now crossing his arms, Ida stated, "Even I am surprised we will be returning for our second year so quickly. I am all for it, but I figured there would need to be more time before everything would be ready, considering all that happened."
Just a few days ago, they had all received the call. School would begin in early June. To cover the lost time from the first term, there would be no summer break. Tooru didn't take the news well, considering the promise Izuku had made back in April. But after a long phone call, he calmed her down. Perhaps next year. Still, it meant Midoriya wanted to give it his all when it was time. That's why he wanted to begin discussing Hagakure's upcoming birthday early to cheer her up.
Ojiro sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "The whole situation sucks, but you can't blame them with the circumstances. Going back to the normalcy of school will be weird at first, I imagine. At least we'll see the old third-years graduate before things start. I hear the celebration is quite intense and different compared to most schools."
"That's news to me." Izuku wondered precisely how it would all go down. But then another thought came up. "Hey, so, back during the fighting. Did everything go okay with you guys? I didn't really get much detail on everyone's individual experiences."
Mashirao sat at his host's desk and turned it towards the others. He explained, "My portal dropped me off at Takoba National Stadium, where we did our provisional license exam. I was with Rikkido-kun and Hanata-kun. We were doing good at first until this weird masked villain with a creepy puppet quirk started overwhelming us. Thankfully, Aizawa-sensei arrived with reinforcements, and then we warped to your location, Izuku-kun." He then looked at Tenya and said, "Pretty boring compared to his experience."
"We all did our part as needed, but I won't deny it pushed me to my limits. I was warped to Kamino with Shoto-kun and some of his father's sidekicks to face Dabi and a High-End Nomu. I was pretty useless in that fight against Shoto-kun's brother, as I had to keep my distance due to the intense heat, which would easily overheat my engines, making me a sitting duck. I did help, however, take down the Nomu. Dabi was eventually warped away from us to confront his father but had become a ticking time bomb after pushing himself too far. All Might-sensei informed us he would soon explode, causing widespread devastation for a couple of kilometers in about ten minutes."
Ida then sat on Midoriya's bed and brought up his left leg pants to reveal his engines. They looked slightly different than he remembered. "I had never gone so fast before in my life after what followed. Thanks to Shoto-kun's quirks, he cooled my engines while reducing my drag so I could achieve a speed I never knew was in me. It cost me, however. We arrived in time to cool off Dabi before he could burst, but my engines exploded. I removed them the day after, and these are what have grown since."
Izuku had heard Dabi was still alive but wondered how bad his condition was. Instead, he looked to his two friends. "Sounds like you both went through hell. Thanks for the saves there during that last push." As Midoriya went in for one final punch to Shigaraki, Ojiro defended him from an onslaught of attacks, and Ida helped carry him for a time. Without everyone's continued assistance, victory would not have happened that day.
Mashirao gave a thumbs up. "Things did get dicey at the end, but it was cool to be a part of it all."
Tenya pulled his leg pants down as he stated, "Even without my engines, I can still run. Happy to have helped."
Midoriya's thoughts, however, turned to a different matter. Hagakure had told him a few things, like Todoroki and his brother. Now, he wanted to focus on what he learned about another. "Tenya-kun, how is Ochako-chan?"
Ida grunted. He took a few moments to respond. "We talked. A long talk while she was still at the hospital. She was discharged not long after you woke up." He then looked up at the ceiling. "It's still a work in progress, but venting her emotions was a good first step. I've already visited her place twice this week to help with things. Ochako-chan doesn't want to worry her parents, who are neck-deep in construction work anyhow. So she's alone most of the day, and it has been eating her up for some time."
So not as bad as I feared, mused Izuku, but still concerning. He was glad to hear Tenya knew he had more work to do. Now, the other matter. "Does the rest of the class know what went down?"
Ojiro shook his head. "Footage of the conclusion of her fight with Toga wasn't recorded. So only those she told know."
Midoriya recalled there was a big push by the professional and amateur media to document the carnage that day. So perhaps it was best what happened wasn't there for all to see. Uraraka had been stabbed in the gut by Toga and was bleeding out. However, the heroine got through to the villainess before falling unconscious due to the blood loss. Himiko proceeded to transfer her blood to Ochako to save her before passing away herself. As much as Izuku felt he went through, this one felt more personal and tragic. He wondered what Tooru felt about it, as she only wanted to state the facts and not her views on what happened when he was told. The boy didn't want to push it at the time considering the girl's own experience with Toga back at the end of April.
Ida stood up and asked sternly, "Well, as she is now, I think Ochako-chan will pull through with this. She's a lot stronger than she thinks she is. But right now, I am more concerned about you, Izuku-kun, and your embers of One For All."
Midoriya felt a pang in his chest. Of course, Hagakure would have told the others. He didn't blame her but wasn't ready to face his friends about it just yet. Izuku didn't have a choice before, considering he was bedridden. But how to answer this? He wanted to address everyone in his class at once if he could.
Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and Momo's head poked in. "Tea's ready if anyone wants some."
"I'll take some." Midoriya then turned to address Ida. "I'll give you an answer to that soon once we are back in school. I want to tell everyone. Okay?"
Tenya thought for a moment but soon sighed and nodded slowly. "I understand, I'll be waiting."
Momo tilted her head in confusion at the conversation's lack of context but didn't pursue it further as Izuku walked out of his bedroom.
As Midoriya entered the living room, he took note of everyone's location. His mother and Maijima were chatting at the dining room table, which was just the one now. Tooru was at the kitchen counter, looking towards the living room. Uraraka was sitting on the couch facing the TV. All had a cup of tea. Yaoyorozu then passed him to head to the kitchen.
"You can sit over here while Momo-chan pours you a cup," Ochako stated while patting the open spot beside her with a free hand.
Izuku sat next to his friend's left. First, he noted her clothes—a brown skirt and red tank top—something he hadn't seen before on her. Then he glanced over at her cup and noticed its pale yellow color. "Ah, so it's White Tea."
"Yup, your mom forwarded her recipe to Momo-chan so she could practice it before coming this evening."
Midoriya leaned back onto the couch, saying, "I'm surprised Momo-chan didn't make her usual."
"The Golden Tips Imperial? Yeah, once your mom heard that tea, she instead suggested something more simple. Momo-chan was fascinated by your mom's choice and wanted to try and make it herself for today." Uraraka then took another sip from her cup and produced a bubbly smile.
With a smirk, Izuku stated, "Looks like it's a big hit with you."
"I've only had green, oolong, herbal, and black tea, so this is a new experience for me."
Yaoyorozu placed a fresh cup in front of Midoriya before saying, "I wouldn't say this is a prime example of this kind. It's quite different than I am used to."
Uraraka began to look at her portion intensely. "What's so special about it?"
"It uses milk," Izuku stated before gulping and appreciating its flavor.
"But I've had milk in tea before."
Momo sat in a chair she had pulled up opposite. Like Ida, she wore formal wear compared to everyone else. It was a red dress with black borders that ended as a skirt which went down to her knees. There was also a black belt with a silver buckle and black pantyhose. She held her cup as she explained. "Yes, milk is mostly used to lighten or dilute bolder-tasting teas like black tea. White tea, however, has the most delicate flavors compared to the others. So strong additions like milk would overpower whatever you were trying to get with the base tea. So you must use the strongest white tea blends and the weakest milk for a balance worth pursuing."
"So that White Earl Grey blend you used earlier is quite strong?"
"Yup, it contains bergamot oil, which is lemony in taste. White Chai works as well as it uses lemongrass, fruit, and spices." Yaoyorozu then took a drink.
"And the almond milk you added doesn't overpower it. Got it."
Midoriya then piped in, "My mom sometimes uses cashew and lighter coconut milk, too. You have to avoid things with cream or too much fat."
An excited Uraraka stated, "Your mom must have taught you a lot, Momo-chan."
With a shake of the head, Momo responded, "She only taught me the black teas, starting with Golden Tips Imperial. It was with the help of Sakurai-san that I learned of the others. Though I had to do my own research on foreign varieties, like from China and India, because of how he is."
After putting down his cup, Izuku asked, "Why did you want to learn so much about tea in the first place?"
Momo looked away from the others as she explained. "Mother taught it to me to make me look presentable to guests. At first, I genuinely thought she wanted me to be like her. She always did it for guests before I was old enough to make it myself. But eventually, it just felt like I was parading around to look appealing to future suitors." The girl took a deep breath, and her tone softened as she continued. "But I liked making the tea because of how different it was from my quirk. Creation just requires my fat cells and knowledge to make almost anything I want. But a drink? That required a process. It was flexible and had preferences for me and others. I could use my senses of taste and smell. It made me proud to make something with my own hands rather than just from nothing."
By this point, Midoriya's attention was entirely on his friend now.
Uraraka looked to be fighting back tears. "That's beautiful."
Momo smirked, "Just a hobby. Like your stargazing or Izuku-kun's figure collecting. It's what makes us, us. But if I weren't gifted with this quirk, I would work in a tea house in a heartbeat. Maybe in another life." She then finished her tea.
Izuku pondered his friend's family issues, mostly with her mother. Perhaps Mashirao was already much more aware of this. If it was a big enough concern, would he bring it up? Was it his business to know? Midoriya wasn't exactly sure.
Ochako got up and offered a hand to Momo before saying, "I can clean up for you, Momo-chan. I am sure Mashirao-kun is missing your company."
"Those two are spending quite some time in Izuku's room."
Midoriya got an idea and took up his unfinished tea in one hand. "I'm sure they just found my notebooks. After how much you all poured over out of my Cubicity notebook, who knows what else might interest them."
The suggestion lit a fire in Yaoyorozu's eyes. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to check on them, so I'll take you up on that offer, Ochako-chan."
Hook, line, and sinker, Izuku laughed internally. That will probably keep her occupied for the rest of the visit. After Momo left, he then followed Ochako as she went into the kitchen. The boy's observations of the girl seemed as if as all was normal, but she could be bottling up how she currently felt. There was no need to ask how the mission went with Momo as he feared it might bring up unwanted memories for Ochako. I guess it's best for time and Tenya to handle things for now, he mused. The boy then caught the conversation between the adults as he passed them by in the kitchen.
"You sure Hatsume-san is okay up there, Power Loader? She's been gone for some time."
"She texted me earlier that they found out multiple apartments are leaking, and both decided to try and tackle them all. And besides, I told you, Midoriya-san, it's okay to call me Maijima-sensei. I am not out on the streets at the moment."
Uraraka began to wash the finished tea cups and large teapot as Midoriya sat on a stool to the right of Hagakure. He then said, "You're awfully quiet."
"Just enjoying the peace, considering everything that has happened. Besides, as I said earlier, I wanted you to mingle with the others first."
Izuku placed his tea on the counter and leaned closer to his girlfriend to ask, "Did you not want to talk to anyone yourself?"
"I've had enough texts and calls between them to be caught up."
In a whisper, Midoriya asked, "Including Ochako-chan?" He wanted to be sure they couldn't be heard, even if she was doing the dishes a fair distance behind them.
Hagakure sighed before taking a sip. Once she had finished, she leaned on her boyfriend's shoulder and said in a low voice, "Okay, maybe not her, but you know why that's a hard thing to do at the moment."
"Yeah, but if anyone can relate to what she's going through, it would be you."
"I know, but it's still difficult to compare. I just took a cut, not a stab to the abdomen. I swayed Toga to reconsider a single thing, not switch sides. She got away last time, not sacrificing herself for another's sake. I feel like small potatoes compared to Ochako-chan's experience."
"That's all fair, but all she has had is Tenya-kun to talk about this, and he is even further removed from understanding Toga as you and Ochako-chan have. He's trying his best, but you chipping in couldn't hurt in the right context."
Tooru grunted. "Ugh, your logic wins again. I guess I just need to work up the courage to ask."
"Just try, though not today."
"Soon, but yeah." Hagakure then gave Midoriya a slow bear hug. Her volume rose to normal as she said, "What can wait, though, is talking about my birthday."
"Why's that?"
"I want to see how this second year looks before we commit to anything. I don't want us to plan something extravagant and for us to be as pooped as we were during the cultural festival training. Nothing would suck more than a low energy birthday."
Right, Izuku mused. Who knows what might be different with the new school year, on top of Japan still recovering from its last battles. "I understand, but I'm ready the second you want to discuss it."
"Duly noted." They parted, but Tooru's hands still grasped her boyfriend's. "The same applies to my plans for your own birthday; however, that is much too far to even bother with for now."
Midoriya didn't mind at all discussing what that could entail but didn't want to push it, considering how things were going with Hagakure's birthday. Still, he couldn't hold his excitement at what she might have in store. "I can't wait regardless!"
Izuku opened the door to his apartment in complete shock. However, his mother had a more mixed reaction from the dining room couch. She recognized the former number two hero, Hawks, just not the other two gentlemen standing behind him.
Hawks stood front and center, sporting a black suit and tie with a white undershirt. To the teacher's right was the Hagakure family friend Gou Inoue. Without his costume or wheelchair, he wore a simple white T-shirt with cargo shorts that sported a blue and gray camo pattern. Finally stood the towering Iwao Takamoto, who was actually sporting a shirt for once, yellow with red text saying " Unbreakable," and blue jeans.
Gou waved as he proclaimed, "Good evening, Midoriya-san!"
By now, Inko had arrived at the door to greet the guests.
Iwao bowed, "I hope we are not interrupting anything important, ma'am?"
"Uh, we only finished dinner a while ago and we're just watching TV together. Is everything okay?"
Hawks answered, "All is fine, Midoriya-san. My associates and I were eating nearby, and I suggested we come visit since we all have business with your son." He then turned to Izuku before asking, "If he doesn't mind a little chat, of course."
"Uh, sure. I got time." The boy could understand the two vigilantes seeking him out but had no idea what the former pro hero would need from him.
The Midoriyas then stepped aside to let the three men in. As they took off their shoes, Inko asked, "Can I get you gentlemen anything?"
The two vigilantes shook their heads, but Hawks nodded before saying, "I could use a cup of coffee. I am going to pull an all-nighter tonight. Lots of late meetings. Lots of joy. Could you give me a pick-me-up for later? The place we went to sadly did not serve any."
Iwao grunted. "Had you told me you wanted some beforehand, I would have chosen a different place."
Hawks totally ignored the man and stated, "Anyways, is that okay Midoriya-san?"
The woman shrugged, saying, "Well, neither of us drinks coffee." But then a thought popped into her head. "I can serve you something else with high amounts of caffeine if that works, Hawks-san."
The former pro hero pondered the thought for a moment. "Couldn't hurt. And call me Takami-san."
Inko bowed, "Can do Takami-san. It will be ready in a few minutes."
Keigo put a hand on Izuku's shoulder as he stated, "Let's head to your room for a bit of privacy if you don't mind."
"This way." As Midoriya made his way to his bedroom, he wondered just what this visit entailed. Hawks called the vigilantes 'his associates.' Was that just a cover, or did that mean they were working together?
Once they entered, Landslide gave the boy a big hug and lifted him off the ground. "Midoriya-san, you gave us such a fright. I saw the footage; you fought like hell."
"Got beat up like hell, too. Can't see Tooru-chan digging those new scars."
"Yeah, she's not a fan."
After putting Midoriya down, the tall man noticed all the All Might figurines on display and immediately beelined to them. Hawks glanced at them but walked to the glass door on the opposite side. Inoue closed the door behind them all.
"I like your style, kid," Takamoto stated with glee.
It took a moment for Izuku to remember that Tooru had told him that the vigilante collected action figures. "What about them?"
"These figures are all poseable. I'm not a big fan of statues. What's the point of something unmoving? This customizes your collection and makes it much more personal. Don't you agree?"
Midoriya hadn't thought about it like that before. Poseable figures needed to be less detailed to allow for articulation. Statues were highly detailed because they were unmoving, so they cost more. He had just gone for the cheaper option. The boy couldn't argue that he liked posing his All Mights, even if most of them held the same pose. "Yeah, I get you. Um, what exactly do you collect, Takamoto-san?"
Landslide proudly stated, "High-quality Godzilla and Transformer figures. All poseable, of course. The latter must be their G1 versions, transform, and I must have multiple copies of each for their robot and alternate modes so I can display both at the same time."
After sighing, Inoue said, "It must get really annoying with those triple changers and combiners."
"Very, but it's a craft you have to go with a hundred perfect. No exceptions."
Midoriya wasn't very familiar with Transformers, so all these terms were going over his head, but he at least understood Godzilla to some extent. Though the prospect seems staggering considering all the many, many movies and eras for the franchise would mean an equal amount of different figures.
Takami cleared his throat. "Let's stay on task, gentlemen." He turned around from his host and said, "Sorry for the unannounced visit. Things are flying a kilometer a minute, and I didn't have the time to forewarn you."
Izuku was currently focused on the former hero's back. It was bare. No more wings. All For One had stolen them during Hawk's last stand. So, he was already quirkless. Something he was soon to be as well. The boy shook his head. Now's not the time to think about that, he thought. "And what do you want to talk about?"
"I am no longer a hero but was given a new job. President of the Hero Public Safety Commission. Ironic isn't it?"
Midoriya's eyes went wide. "That's a pivotal position in the hero industry." He understood the irony but didn't feel he was in a position to say anything about it.
"At the moment? Not really. The committee is currently a shell of its former self. The previous president and several other members were killed during the incident in Deika City back in March. It's one reason why getting foreign aid to our country was such an issue during that dark period that followed. Then there's obvious corruption that led to agents like Lady Nagant being used as an assassin and myself for various other questionable orders. So, I am rebuilding it from the ground up to avoid such situations again, which is quite a task. Hence, days like today require me to endure an all-nighter to get what needs to be done quickly in this delicate time for our country."
Keigo then turned to his host. "So with this position came great access to information from the police. Including their more secret activities. Like the Vigilante Task Force led by a certain Detective Ojiro." Now, he started to pace back and forth. "How he was using his agents intrigued me. They weren't doing his dirty work; they simply did things outside the view of the public, as they were not pro heroes. All the while they weren't limited by all the red and yellow tape of bureaucracy slowing them down since they are not in the public eye. This allowed them to get things done efficiently but Ojiro-san still made sure to still keep it legal when all was said and done. I see value in that. But all that work was restricted to only Tokyo minus extreme exceptions. Even after a decade of work with proof that his system was showing results. The police force was holding such potential back."
Gou walked over to Hawk's side and said, "To sum it up, he's our boss's boss now."
While still marveling at the figures before him, Iwao stated, "Now, with proper funding, a more permanent task force, and clearance throughout the country, Ojiro-san is head over heels for the change in management."
The former pro hero held up both his hands, "Of course, this is mostly just promises at this point. There's a lot of work to be done for it to become a reality, but with no big delays, I want these vigilantes out there in full force in the next few weeks. This isn't the time to be sitting on our hands as we recover."
Izuku stood up. "Wait, so did Ojiro-san get a raise?"
For a moment, Hawks seemed puzzled by this question, but then it came to him: "Don't worry, Midoriya-san. Under our organization, he doesn't need to hide his profession and will be properly paid his work's due. Also, federal health benefits are even better than the police's."
This was fantastic news! However, Midoriya wondered why his friend hadn't told him yet, but then he figured he hadn't been told yet. As Tamaki stated earlier, none of this had been implemented yet. No need to hype the family if nothing was set in stone yet. Still, progress was finally being made. "Does All Might-sensei know?"
"All Might is very much in the know. He was the one that pointed me towards Ojiro-san. I was a skeptic at first; he looked like a run-of-the-mill detective. Until I used my newfound resources to dig deeper and find out what was really going on," Hawks smirked.
An idea formed in the boy's head. "Could I ask you to use your resources for me? I have two promises I still need to uphold."
All three men looked surprised upon hearing this. Tamaki then asked, "Well let's hear it."
Izuku took a deep breath. "Before Shigaraki-san died, he asked me to send a message to one of his friends, Spinner. I know he's in custody, so could you arrange a visit for me?"
"I can definitely arrange that. But it might take a week or so. And what about the other request?"
Midoriya sighed. "I know this one is a tall order to ask, but I also promised Overhaul that he could meet his boss on that night you assisted me with Lady Nagant."
Hawks closed his eyes and his face scowled slightly. After a few short grunts, he responded with, "That's a bit beyond my jurisdiction right now, but considering Tsukauchi-san worked under Ojiro-san for a time, maybe I could ask him to pull a few strings to make it happen."
Izuku bowed. "Thank you so much Takami-san." Before Keigo could say anything, a knock came from the door.
Inko then walked into the room with a cup and plate. "Um, it's ready, Takami-san."
"Ah, perfect." The former pro hero approached and gave a bow. "Thanks for fulfilling my selfish request. This will no doubt be leaps and bounds better than whatever I would pick up in some random vending machine on the way back to headquarters." He then looked down at his drink and looked a bit lost. "Uh, what is it? Some type of green tea?"
The older Midoriya answered at first but gained more confidence as she spoke. "Y-Yes. It's called g-gyokuro (jade dew). It has more caffeine than your average cup of coffee, but because it has a certain amino acid, it works with the caffeine to make the burst of energy more subdued by lasting longer compared to the short burst of most caffeinated drinks."
Inoue then spoke up. "The amino acid is called L-theanine, and she's right. It works wonders. They shade the planet during growth to prevent most amino acids and alkaline caffeine from converting to catechins and tannins, which is typical if they were to receive full sunlight. Oddly enough, the shading stresses the plant to produce even more caffeine. It's what I drink while on the job. Though it's got to be high quality to get that effect. Cheaper blends use older leaves and stems, which have a much reduced effect."
Takami shrugged and then took a sip, and his eyes widened. "Wow, that's sweet and savory. I expected a blast of bitterness." He turned to the woman to say, "You're a lifesaver, ma'am. I'll have to look into this if tonight goes as swimmingly as you and my associate here described."
"Happy to help! I can make more if you need."
"You've done more than enough, but I will have to ask you for the recipe if this does work out."
"Of course!" Inko then made her exit and closed the door behind her.
After finishing another gulp, Keigo stated, "Well, I have a better idea of why you are the way you are Midoriya-san. You learned well from your mother's kindness."
Izuku could only blush and rub the back of his head in response.
Hawks then turned to Gou and asked, "I thought your expertise was computers and hacking surveillance? Not chemistry."
"Chugging coffee worked for a couple of years when I started this vigilante gig, but it wasn't sustainable. Unlike you heroes I had to almost always work at night while still retaining my day job. I turned to other options. And I did my research extensively. That tea you have was my solution."
Iwao shrugged. "You could have simply stated you were a tea otaku, and it would have been just as believable, man."
The other man just grunted and walked over to stand by Midoriya.
The boy asked, "So, no more hiding your old injury?"
"Won't need to with this new management. Besides, I need to be upfront with the Hagakures going forward. I already told them about my change in management for example. They deserve that much."
"I'm sure Tooru-chan would appreciate that."
Landslide was now looking over the All Might merchandise.
Inoue chuckled. "You might have inspired him to start a new collection, Midoriya-san."
Takamoto became quite serious as he explained, "Oh, please. One can appreciate another's collection without wanting to start one's own. The number one rule of collecting is to limit yourself. Set rules, or you just go off the deep end and have to get everything. You never recover from that, as it's never enough."
Izuku stated, "Sounds like you speak from experience."
"From others. Online friends that tried to get it all. I didn't like what I saw and didn't want to end up like them. I actually have the money to do that if I wanted, but I don't want to become obsessed. I still have my dogs to take care of. They shouldn't have to suffer 'cause I go way over my head with high quality toys."
"And don't forget, you work for me now. Still, a level head from a collector? Who knew? Though for a mercenary, you sure are quite picky with your money," Hawks stated before taking the last sip of his tea. He then placed the cup on Izuku's desk.
"Former mercenary. Now, just a vigilante on a bit of a short leash," Landside said before moving away from the boy's collection.
Short leash? Midoriya then noticed something as the tall man walked and asked, "No more ankle monitor?"
"Nope. A thank you from Ojiro-san for 'behaving' these last two months. Still on the no-fly list, my bank account is being monitored, and a couple other annoying things, but I'll take that over getting stares everywhere I go."
Inoue came over to his partner and playful jabbed him to his side before saying, "Didn't you already get gawked at for having red skin?"
Sakamoto sighed. "Okay, more than usual." A thought then seemed to come to the vigilante, and his eyes squinted. "Wait, back up a bit. You knew about triple changers and combiner Transformers. You never told me you were a fan."
Gou shrugged. "Because you are one of those G1-only fans. So you consider everything that came after inferior. I didn't want to step on any toes."
Iwao raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like something a Beast Wars fan would say."
"And there it is. You cannot tell me straight-faced that transforming robot dinosaurs and other animals is the coolest thing ever!"
The two started to get lost in their conversation.
Izuku sidestepped the two men as they argued. Keigo approached the boy, chuckling. "It's hard to believe the pair actually work well together on the field."
Midoriya thought back to how he and Bakugo had interacted since their fight in the second term. He could see similarities between the two. The boy then remembered seeing his friend's reaction to learning about the embers of One For All back at the hospital. Seeing Katsuki shed tears for him still was hard to get over. Izuku tapped his forehead with his knuckles and tried to refocus on his guests. "Thanks for coming here to tell me this, Takami-san."
"To be honest, I planned to just meet with you at U.A. after school started." Hawks then spoke softly, "But as I got to learn more about these two at dinner tonight, I mentioned you got out of the hospital a week ago, and they begged me to come visit. We were nearby, so I figured, why not? They were really worried about you."
"They have a weird way of showing it," Midoriya stated while watching the two grown men bicker over a very old cartoon series.
The former pro hero rebutted at an average volume, "They are just passionate, and we need that kind of passion in people for the Vigilante Task Force. Besides, your good graces are what drew me to them."
"What? How?"
Tamaki crossed his arms and then leaned against the wall. "When I told All Might of my new position, I mentioned how gaining trust with anyone competent to work for me would be hard. Plus, I didn't want to drag down any pro heroes' reputation by being directly associated with us until we could build that trust back with the public. He mentioned Ojiro-san, and after learning the truth about his job, I asked your mentor if I could trust them. The answer he gave was that you did. That was enough for me."
"Really?! I mean, I felt more like I should give them a chance. I can't see myself as a glowing recommendation, though. Inoue-san just introduced me to his mechanic because her suit needed a significant upgrade. Nothing more." Midoriya was used to the praise, but this felt a bit much. This was a decade-long project that he barely interacted with in such a short time compared to its inception.
Keigo then stated bluntly, "There were others too. To some extent, Stain. But more so Gentle Criminal and La Brava." His tone softened as he continued. "You also changed the civilians of this country, kid. I saw the footage and the reactions of the people. Inspiration at that level is rare, but you did it. As young as you are, too. It will only grow from here if you keep on your path." He then whispered, "Quirk or no quirk."
Izuku gulped loudly.
"These two don't know if that is what concerns you. It's not my place to tell." Hawks then turned to the boy and put a hand on his shoulder. "My dream is to make a world where heroes have time to kill. A society where heroes can enjoy a little boredom. To do that, we must change how we do hero work in the country. I see that change from you. Your multiple pillars of peace. The use of vigilantes as comrades instead of would-be villains. The drive to save the villains from becoming too forgone. That's all from you. So yes, I trust your endorsement of my dream."
So he had talked to All Might about a lot, Midoriya mused. Though he was struggling to keep a straight face. Those were his goals. But would they even be possible with his waning quirk? Could that inspiration be enough if he fizzled out from the pro-hero world in a few years? These experiences. Could they still be of use?
"And one more thing, Midoriya-san."
Izuku stopped his pondering and gave Tamaki his full attention. "Y-Yes, sir?"
"Keep an eye on the television next week. Since I am here, I might as well give you a heads-up. All Might is up to something and wants to announce it next week. That's all I can say."
"Uh...what?"
Keigo put an arm around the boy's shoulders and started walking forward. "Don't dwell on it for now. At the moment, let's try to reason with these two. Can't have them at each other's throats for too long."
Ojiro sat down and groaned. "Okay, display cases are the devil."
Midoriya closed a very short but long box. "At least these can be taken apart."
"I do not want to imagine how heavy the ones that don't are."
They had just collapsed the last glass display case. The wooden top and bottom, as well as all the screws, door hinges, and shelf racks, were in one box, while the glass panes were in the one that Izuku had just closed.
Izuku wiped his brow. "Well, the movers will take care of the rest tomorrow. They didn't break anything last time, so I trust them."
"I took an hour to get all my stuff together, and this took all afternoon. You did this on your own last time?"
"A little help from my mom here and there, and yeah, it took most of the day."
It was a Monday evening. School was to resume in just two days. Ojiro had come over to help his friend, as promised. This was his third visit since the welcome home party two weeks ago. The graduation ceremony of the third years and the entrance ceremony would be on Wednesday. Thursday the first years would arrive while the others would officially start. Soon, they would be actual second years. Just almost a month ago, their country was in shambles. It was still hard to grasp the turnaround. At times, Midoriya wondered if anything had changed at all. But he was seeing glimpses here and there these last two weeks. Was it enough, though? Was this truly a victory?
The tailed teen stood up and asked, "Think your mom is done with dinner?"
"Couldn't hurt to check."
Both boys entered the dining room to see that Inko was still in the kitchen. Mashirao walked up to the counter and sniffed. "Whatever it is, it smells great, Midoriya-san."
Inko took rice out of the rice cooker, as she explained. "It's Mapo Tofu (bowl of diced shitake mushrooms, tofu, green onions, and miso paste)."
Ojiro asked, "The spicy kind?"
"Sichuan (a province in China)?" The woman shook her head. "Unless Bakugo-san was here, I just use a much milder recipe that uses miso paste (fermented soybean) over doubanjiang (fermented broad bean and chili paste) and mushrooms over some form of meat."
"Oh right, he likes spicy stuff."
Izuku corrected his friend by saying, "She means Kacchan's mom."
"Oh." Mashirao pondered that tidbit for a moment. Inko went back to her cooking.
Midoriya glanced back at the TV, which had been on all day. He didn't say much about Hawks' visit to his mother other than his new job and the warning he gave. The boy figured keeping it on the most popular news broadcast was the best bet to know if anything big was going to happen. So far, nothing. Izuku instead turned back to his friend and asked, "Everything okay back at home?"
"Same ol', same ol'. Mom is actually coming home each morning now, though, but Dad has still been a no-show," Mashirao stated with a hint of irritation.
Midoriya couldn't blame him. All things considered, the tailed teen hadn't seen his father since New Year's. But he knew great news was just around the corner. Still, a thought came to him. He spoke up loudly. "Want to stay the night?"
Mashirao's face lit up.
Inko heard, turned to their guest, and stated, "I'm okay with it, Mashirao-san. Still, you should ask your folks."
The tailed teen reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. "Sure thing!"
Izuku then pondered what they could do with the rest of the evening. Now that he had packed, things were a bit limited. There were his video games, as they were staying here. But before he could think of other options, he noticed the TV light up.
The anchorman on screen shouted, "Breaking News! All Might is holding a surprise interview in the United States!"
The anchorwoman to his left continued, "Rumors of the former top hero of Japan being released from the hospital this weekend seem to have been confirmed. Just moments ago, BCD News, based in the state of Washington, went on air, showing All Might wheeling into their newsroom. We are working to set up a live stream momentarily with subtitles for our viewers." As the woman spoke, a small repeated clip of All Might in a wheelchair being brought up to a podium was displayed in the corner of the screen.
Inko then ran into the room. "Oh, it's happening now!?"
"What's happening!?" Mashirao asked from the corner of the room.
As Mrs. Midoriya explained it to Ojiro, her son grabbed the remote to turn up the volume. He then quickly posted in the group chat to turn on their TVs if possible and also sent a personal message to Hagakure. The entire screen was filled with the live interview stream within a minute.
The newsroom had a man and women behind a large semi-circle table, with both behind the flat side. The former had a cat mutant quirk, and had orange and white fur. The latter single long sharp horn protruding from the back of her head. Yagi was on the right side of the large table and was sporting his yellow suit. He looked lively despite being confined to a wheelchair, sporting a large neck brace, and with his right arm still being heavily bandaged.
The female interviewer excitedly stated, "I must say, All Might, your English is quite good."
"Thank you. That means a lot to me. It seems an old dog can still retain the tricks he learned long ago even if he is out of practice."
The male interviewer then asked, "While we are honored to have Japan's former number one hero here, we must ask. What do you wish to discuss? And why contact us?"
"To answer your first question, the truth."
Izuku felt strange. Should he be worried about this "truth"? A part of him said yes, but he still felt oddly calm. Was it because his mentor would be setting the record? Or did he just prefer someone else to explain everything? Regardless, he was well beyond having a say at this point.
Both interviewers exchanged glances at one another but said nothing.
All Might coughed before continuing. "My fans will tell you I am an enigma. My upbringing and the minute details of my life are all but a mystery. My name is unknown. My age is speculation. When asked about my quirk, I always avoided the question, usually with humor. Today that ends, because if things are going to change then I need to tell all my tale." The man took a deep breath. "The recent incident in Japan devastated the country, but we are rebuilding. There were smaller uprisings throughout the world as well. And your own country's top hero died to give us time to prepare. Cathleen was greatly inspired from my time in your country to become a hero, and I regret not getting to talk to her just once more. I even had a special gummy candy in mind to give her the next time I saw her."
A grave silence followed.
"Sorry, I am sure it's still a sensitive subject. It's only been a month." The man cleared his throat. "To answer your second question. I want the world to know this, not just my country of origin, so broadcasting it in English seemed the best course of action. Plus, this station showed some spunk these last two months against the enemies' efforts, and I felt I should reward that."
"From Meryl?"
"Our weather forecaster?"
All Might chuckled. "Ah yes, her. Considering she was never fired, I figured BCD News silently supported her views. That was enough for me to trust your network. I would have done this sooner, but I needed a weekend to collect my thoughts while not in a hospital bed." He leaned forward and rubbed his back, "Though this wheelchair isn't that much of an upgrade."
The two hosts laughed awkwardly.
Another cough came from the pro hero. "Before I get to the nitty-gritty, could I get a glass of water? There's much to discuss."
"Right away, sir!"
During the brief intermission, Inko then arrived with three bowls of dinner. "Did I miss much?"
Izuku stated, "Just some introductions. He's about to start for real."
Mashirao asked, "Think he's going to mention you, Izuku-kun?"
After a nod, Midoriya responded, "If he's going with the 'truth,' there's no way he wouldn't talk about me."
Inko asked with concern, "Are you okay with that?"
"I mean, I am already all over the news in Japan. Now it might go worldwide. We can't tell how everyone else will react." Izuku, however, thought, maybe this will guarantee that our hard work will bring about a change. From someone like All Might, we would receive more coverage, and be able to explain why we took the actions we did. He didn't care what publicity this brought if it showed the hero world it's time to do better to prevent another catastrophe.
The stage came back into view. Centered on All Might, with the lights dimmed minus the single spotlight on him.
The man's eyes were closed but eventually opened. He smirked before starting. "My name is Toshinori Yagi. Born on June 10th, and will very soon be 56 years old. My blood type is A. My favorite things are watching action movies and walking alongside the yakusugi (+1,000-year-old Japanese cedar trees) from Yakushima island. And my quirk," he paused for a moment, "doesn't exist." He let that information process for a few seconds before continuing. "I am quirkless. However, I was gifted a quirk called One For All."
The next segment was a long one. He started with the Shigaraki twins, how the older one rose to become the dark lord of Japan and how the younger inspired the resistance to this dark era. What followed was how each user of One For All continued that legacy. The second and third users being a part of the first's original resistance. The fourth's choice to seclude himself to train but aged rapidly. The fifth and sixth users encountering All For One multiple times.
This talk made Midoriya truly start to miss the visages that resided in him. Even though he only knew of them for about half a year and only fully communicated with them for about two months, they felt like an integral part of him. And now they are gone. No more words of inspiration and wisdom from Shigaraki. He had finally gotten through with Kudo and Bruce before the end. The kind words of Shinomori, the brashness of Banjo, the intelligence of Tayutai, and finally, Shimura's support of his relationship with Hagakure. No more.
Yagi took a moment to stop. He rubbed one of his eyes and took a few deep breaths. "The seventh user was Nana Shimura, and her quirk was Float. Her quirk's name explains it enough. She and others joined the sixth user in battle against All For One. Before being cut in two, he transferred his power to her. Shimura-sen…, I mean Nana was different from all the other users. It wasn't a mad dash to transfer the One For All to the nearest person. Instead, she personally trained a successor, and that was me. The eighth user."
Toshinori raised his left hand and looked at it for a time. "Long ago, in this hand, I held a lead pipe trying to fight off a bunch of thugs, barely a teenager at the time. Nana saved me from them, and I was inspired. I asked to become her pupil. She refused since I was quirkless. I told her my family was all dead from the rise in crime from villains at the time, and again, I was rejected. She didn't want to fuel my revenge. But that was the point. I didn't want revenge. I explained I just wanted the power to break the endless cycle of hatred in our country. The world needed a "symbol of peace" to inspire a new age of harmony. It seems my sense of justice got through to her as I soon was gifted One For All."
Izuku could see the parallels in what convinced All Might to choose him as the next successor.
"In my final year of school, together with the hero Gran Torino we confronted All For One. But we were no match. Nana sacrificed herself to let us escape. I fell in despair, but Gran Torino pulled me out of that rut and trained me until graduation. I was convinced to start my career in America to stay out of All For One's reach as I continued establishing myself. Once I felt ready, I returned to Japan and made my debut. The symbol of peace was here, and things began to change. All on my own, I was making headway. And eventually, I even took on a sidekick. My only one. Sir Nighteye."
Yagi's expression turned stern. "Then I confronted All For One. I must admit, I even fell into that cycle of hatred that day. I thought I killed that man; the emotions of my fallen master got the best of me. I punched his head clean off, only leaving his lower jaw left."
Both interviewers held expressions of shock and horror.
Midoriya now understood why All Might could have accidentally let All For One escape that encounter. But it made him wonder how things would have gone if he had let that anger and hatred solely try to kill Shigaraki instead of trying to get through to him. Would it have saved more people and or condemned him to more anguish for killing someone and hurting the desire to change society for the better? It reminded him of how Tooru felt about killing the Nomu, even if by accident.
"I didn't walk away from that fight the same. Jaded and injured to the point that this form, as you see now, was a reality I was faced with. I pushed away my only sidekick as I limped forward stubbornly. My continued drive created a problem for our hero system. I alone was holding it up. Society had become over-reliant on my presence. If there was ever a time I had to step down, could anything fill that void? Would we return to how things were before? At the time, I didn't consider that at all. Until a little over two years ago, I met someone."
After finishing her dinner, Inko stood behind her son as he sat on the couch. But after hearing that last sentence, put the palm of her hands on Izuku's shoulders. Izuku placed his right hand on her left hand.
"You've all seen the footage of how we finally defeated All For One and his followers. So many people put their lives on the line that day: civilians, students, police, soldiers. Heroes, some even retired. It didn't matter. We all fought tooth and nail to save our country. However, one boy probably caught your attention. The one who fought All For One's planned successor head-on."
All Might's smile beamed before saying, "He calls himself Deku. And he was my successor. The ninth user of One For All."
50.
50 CHAPTERS!
What a milestone.
Thanks to my early readers who have endured not one, Not Two, BUT THREE HIATUSES. And also newer readers who have experienced any other amount, for some fics, it's the death knell for their story. BUT NOT HERE!
The manga series has ended. So, I return with a new chapter. This is not the beginning of the end, however. The following two years will be covered in detail. There will still be small time skips, but it will, at most, be one to two months. I have a lot of free reign here and plan to use it to its full potential. There are still some details that we will learn with the final volume release (December in Japan) and a potential third and final databook, but I will adjust stuff if I deem it worth including in the story. But besides that, this will all be primarily original stuff from now on.
All right, clean up stuff before we talk about the chapter properly.
Now, some commissions. I had Hazel0217 do another IzuTooru piece for me, though due to an error, I actually got two pieces out of it. It was supposed that Izuku was cutting Tooru's hair, but she read it wrong and did the opposite. They, of course, went back and made the correct version, but it's still funny I got two for the price of one! Also, another DailyKrumbs commission was made, this time for MashMomo. And it's a meme! One that just popped into my head one day, and I pounced the next chance they opened their commissions. It's still not finished, but hopefully, it will be soon!
Over the break from this longfic, I wrote two chapters for each Iichako and MashMomo short story. I also released a new one starring KodaJiro in Tales of the Beauty and the Beast. Unlike the previous two, which focused on the boy's PoV, it stars Jiro in the starring role. It also starts as a pre-relationship to shake things up a bit. I'll be releasing new chapters between Cubicity until it catches up to the other short stories.
I've started a long-needed overhaul edit of previous chapters. For some, there are almost no changes. In others, I am making minor updates and adding a few character lines. Mostly of characters I rarely or never used, Tsuyu and Shoto being examples. They in no way change the story but add more to the mix for fun. All these edits are in a separate google doc and will be released all at once. Maybe it will give a few of you another reason to reread this behemoth of a fic one day or not, but I always strive to improve the old stuff as long as it's not too drastic.
Night Foliage is actually caught all the way up with edits and is working through the short stories as I type (already nearly done with Iichako)! But anyway, here's how they turned out: Chapter 46(60), 47(32), 48(57), and 49(109)! Once they finish the short stories, they can then be active with my spot editor, Cleric of Nayru, and hopefully, fewer embarrassing errors leak through (but you know it always will cause us humans are flawed AF).
Alright, now to the chapter itself.
The first scene was a toughie. I didn't want to summarize everything all there, but sprinkle it as the couple interacted. Even then, I kept it to the bare minimum when I could. I decided to offload more of that in the next couple of scenes (and even late chapters). The ending of the scene almost felt like it could just have ended the chapter by its tone, but of course, we got a lot more to cover before that!
Next, we touch base with many people and, of course, throw in more food fun. There's always room for foodstuff (though this time with tea too)! You've probably noticed I kept things Tooru-light in this chapter despite all that happened, but it's for a reason. She'll get a major focus in the next chapter, so don't worry. Anyhow, updates on everyone in the main crew here. Ochako's breakdown of her stuff with Toga, instead of happening on the first day of school, now happens while still in the hospital and will be regulated to the Iichako short story to be fleshed out (in its eventual 8th chapter). It will be less intense, considering she hadn't bottled it up for weeks/a month like in canon, but it is still important to the couple's development going forward.
More vigilante stuff (and tea)! At first, I planned for Aizawa instead of Tamaki for more backstory with Inoue. Still, I realized that I could focus on Eraserhead stuff once school started again, so Hawks could be used to focus on a different plot. In the end, this made this scene shorter than what was planned, but this better paces all the information we learn, I feel. And I must admit Landslide's collecting of Transformers and Godzilla figures is exactly what I do. Even down to how he collects the former. ;p
This last scene is a big change from canon. Izuku's involvement isn't left muddied by everyone else's efforts. This isn't because I feel he should have gotten this in canon; this is more to change how people will perceive him in this story. I tried not to keep it too info-dumpy. I focused only on information new to Izuku, from side content that isn't in the main anime or just important to getting the point across and summarizing the rest.
Chapter 51 will let us see how the first week back to school affects the couple, with much Tooru focus. Again, I'll write a KodaJiro chapter between each new Cubicity chapter. So even if you don't read my side stuff, keep a lookout for them to know when I will start writing this next chapter. Again, thank you so much for your patience. I hope to continue to provide content to you for the years to come despite the recent end of the series!