Chapter 31: (Episode 27: Bizarre! Gran Torino Appears)
Everyone slept relatively well, with most entering the theater room fully awake, and wearing clothing outside of their uniform and sleepwear. A few were still a little out of it, but there was nothing like a good breakfast that wouldn't wake them up soon.
"Three days of this… How much longer is this going to take…? I'd really like to see my family again…" Kyoka groaned, sitting down with her plate, as the rest of the girls followed along, and took up the other available chairs.
"You said it, Jiro-san…"
"I would say that I'm worried about my family, kero, but they're still sleeping. I just want to see them like Kyoka-chan does."
"Tell me about it… I'm still trying to wrap my head around how we have lived through what's felt like two days of this, when in reality, time doesn't seem to exist here…"
"My wonder is will there soon be others who will join us today…?" Momo hummed before taking a bite of her food, lightly tapping her chopsticks against her lips, as she thought further, stating, "On the supposed first day here in this theater, over twenty of us arrived, while on the second day, there were only two additions."
"Maybe since we're in the same class as Midori-kun, and Aizawa Sensei is our homeroom teacher, and All Might is Midori-kun's mentor, we're the main focus…! Anyone else is like a supporting character to Midori-kun's journey or something."
"Then why is Endeavor here…?"
"Would that make Shigaraki his main enemy, then?" Toru wondered, thinking about all the shounen manga she's seen throughout her childhood, knowing that a protagonist must have his antagonist.
"If so, good luck to him…"
Overhearing the end of their conversation, Hitoshi slightly narrowed his eyes at what that could mean for the rest of them. While he didn't like being called a supporting character to Izuku, he didn't take too much offense to it, seeing as being here gained him a friend group that were actually nice to each other.
Speaking of which, turning back to them, his lavender eyes took note of how obvious Izuku and Ochaco were being. Glancing in the direction their heads were facing, Hitoshi took another bite of his noodles, as he carefully watched Tenya. The blue-haired boy had to know that there were eyes on him, but he didn't seem to care, as he continued his meal.
"When did Aizawa Sensei say we could talk to him…?"
"When he's finished his meal… Also, we have to wait for him, too, don't forget that." Hitoshi reminded her, looking back over to the two to see Ochaco's face scrunched up with concern.
"Yeah…"
"I'm gonna get another plate…" Izuku muttered, sliding out his chair with his dirty dish in hand, before jumping out of his skin at seeing Shoto right behind him.
The heterochromatic teen hardly reacted to the other being scared, stepping back in order to catch the plate, while the remainder of his food spilled on the tile between them. It was absorbed into the floor soon after, which fascinated the two boys, until Izuku realized what he'd done.
"TODOROKI-KUN, I-I-I'm so sorry-"
"It's fine." Shoto cut the greenet off, holding the plate back upright, as he held it out to a stunned Izuku, who blinked down at it, before slowly reaching out to take it.
"I-If you say so… Uh…" Izuku gulped at the thought of having to converse with Shoto, seeing as others had a difficult encounter with him before. Aside from Denki, though. So avoiding the boy's gaze on him, the greenet blinked frantically, as he asked, "Um, did… did you need… something from… me?"
"You deserve One for All."
"Huh…?!" Izuku shot his head up at the confidence in his voice, locking eyes with Shoto, who only continued staring him down, with no explanation.
"So you think Deku-kun deserves One for All too, Shoto-kun…?!"
"All Might told me yesterday to help convince Midoriya that he was deserving of One for All after I told him I didn't want it."
"Wait, why would he offer it to- Oh, wait…" Hitoshi recalled the example that was used by Toshinori when explaining how One for All would work for someone who had a quirk, nodding, while he hummed, "Okay, I remember what you're talking about now…"
"So, I came to say that you deserve One for All, Midoriya."
"Yes he does…!" Ochaco was having too much fun with this than she would like to admit, both watching Izuku explode into a stuttering mess, and also to help get her mind off of Tenya for a moment.
"That was all."
"Ah, uh, w-wait…!" Izuku stepped forward to try and stop Shoto from leaving, wondering why he did that, until his intense gaze was once again on him. Swallowing the lump in his throat and coming up with something on the spot, he ducked his head down, as he quietly apologized, "Um, I-I just wanted to… I just wanted to say that, uh… I'm, uh- I'm sorry for telling… for telling everyone about, um, about who… who you… are…"
Feeling Shoto's glare intensify, the curly-haired teen gulped, as he struggled to say, "I, uh- I'm sorry- I am sorry for… for, uh, mentioning- for mentioning it a… again…"
"You apologize a lot."
"Sorry- Wait, no- I'm- No, sorry about that- No, wait, I didn't mean to say that, sorry- AH, wait, stop, sorry! NO-"
"What Deku-kun means to say is 'thank you'." Ochaco placed her hand over the freckled teen's mouth to stop him before he continued on, smiling to Shoto, who blinked in return, until the brunette added, "And we're really thankful for your input. Really, thank you."
With the conversation finished, the three students turned away and went back to their own tables. Sitting back down in his seat, Shoto thought about how Izuku kept reacting to him, and how Ochaco diffused the situation when the other was at a loss for words. This caused him to think about his father and how he would handle situations, until someone would come in and diffuse the situation, usually leading Enji away.
"Hey Shoto, what were you talking about with Uraraka and Midoriya?"
"Am I scary…?"
"What?! Who gave you that idea…?!" Hanta exclaimed with a mouth full of food.
"Yeah, where'd that come from?"
"Midoriya jumped when he saw me. He also kept apologizing to me, especially when I pointed it out to him."
"Oh, Midoriya's not scared of you, Shoto…! It's not like that." Denki smiled, explaining to his new friend, "Midoriya's just jumpy because he's always on guard, and he apologizes because he doesn't want to offend anyone. You weren't here when his past was revealed, but he's never had a real friend before. And he sees the biggest ass- bully… his biggest bully as his friend, so Midoriya's been through some shit. I mean, he comes from a school, I think, where no one wants to be friends with the 'quirkless kid'. Like it's some kind of infectious disease."
While listening to the sparked blond ramble, Shoto had glanced to where Izuku was sitting, observing how the green-haired boy acted toward the other two around him. He appeared to be slightly calmer with them around, though, he would still sometimes jump when it came to Ochaco's actions. When it came to Hitoshi, the pale-skinned teen was more tranquil and easier to talk to.
Shoto wanted to get closer to Izuku.
Standing up and taking his plate to the sink, finished with his meal, Tenya began to make his way down to the couches, his mind still on the events of yesterday. When he had his first thought about killing Chizome, he had scolded himself, knowing that heroes didn't kill villains, but he slowly started to accept the idea in a way of avenging Tensei. He didn't like the thought of taking someone's life, but if it was for the greater good, he could live with that. He could do it.
"Iida-kun…!"
What he couldn't do was face his friends right now, faintly startled as he took a step back away from Ochaco, who, along with Izuku and Hitoshi, had approached him out of the blue. And spotting movement to his right, he caught Shota also making his way over too.
"I didn't mean to scare you, but um… We were wondering if you would be willing to talk…? Just for a little bit…! Maybe…?"
"We're, uh, we are… We're worried, for you… Iida-kun…"
Tenya appreciated their concerns, but he didn't want to talk about this, at least right now, voicing this to his friends, "I appreciate your worries, but I do not wish to talk about this… not yet… I don't have the patience to talk about this right now…"
"That's okay- a-okay- You don't have to…! Um, we can wait- Yeah, we'll wait until you're ready…!" Ochaco didn't like the direction this conversation was going, watching how Tenya was avoiding everyone's eyes on him.
"Let us know when you feel ready to talk, and know that my room is also open, Iida." Shota reminded the grieving student, before silently persuading the other three to head back. Ochaco obviously protested, but began to walk away when Hitoshi put his hand on her shoulder and led her past Tenya, who clenched his fists at his side as they passed.
Moving to walk down again, the boy took off his glasses to dry his eyes and clean them after he sat down in the front row, closest to the door collection. Placing the lenses back on his nose, Tenya sighed, calming his racing heart. While he was fine with killing Chizome, he didn't want his friends or Shota finding out about what he was planning to do. He couldn't ever let them find out.
Others soon enough finished their food, and began finding places to sit, patiently and impatiently waiting for what they would be viewing for today. Leaving his dish on the table, Tomura snatched a water bottle from the fridge, before making his way from the kitchen to his own set of couches.
The villain had been quiet for the entire morning, seeing as Katsuki was on the other side of the room, which he had immediately noticed when watching the blond. Along with that, Tomura spat under his breath at finding his favorite blond on the opposite side of the couches from where he was yesterday. This had to be Shota's doing, which wasn't cool of his favorite hero to do.
"Fine, be that way…" Tomura groaned, plopping down on the back couch, as he popped open his drink.
"Okay, so yesterday we didn't get to see Midori-kun or Shoto's new costumes. Nor did we get an explanation of the glowing thing that Midori-kun was doing."
"That has to be what we first see. If it isn't, I'm calling bullshit." Kyoka grumbled out, agreeing with what was said from Mina, who nodded along with the purplenette, while the rest of the girls gathered together on the first row.
Tsuyu glanced over to where Tenya was on their row, but didn't say anything. She didn't have anything to say to him right now.
The TV flickered on, and the speakers fired up, humming to life.
'Please don't say what it did yesterday…!' Izuku crossed his fingers in hope that the episode wouldn't say he would become the greatest hero. Even if he did want to be that hero, it sounded wrong for it to be said.
The infamous hero high school known as U.A. gleamed in the sun as its campus stood tall throughout its years of being built. When it comes to hero course programs, no other school can hold itself as high as U.A. does, with its low acceptance rate and intense classes that are provided. And Midoriya's journey is no different than any other student that is attending.
"U.A. High School's hero course…" Midoriya began, standing proud at U.A.'s gate, as he clenched his fists, and recalled his past endeavors, while stating, "In a world where about eighty percent of the population has some kind of superpower called a 'quirk', this prestigious school was built to raise heroes to oppose villains and their crimes."
"Boo, boring way to start the next level…" Tomura groaned out, trying to tune out the gasps and cheers that were coming from the other side.
Despite the majority of the students having witnessed these significant moments in Izuku's journey, most were just as ecstatic to see them again as the first time being shown.
"Yeah, punch that robot right in its sorry face!"
"Throwing a ball with one finger is pretty impressive now that we're being reminded of it, kero."
"Not USJ…! Anything but USJ!"
"Shit, that looks a lot worse than what was described…"
Tomura found the last portion of the flashbacks to be his favorite to see, but he also found it interesting to see a short glimpse of the fight from the Battle Trials. During this specific memory too, a few glances had been thrown Katsuki's direction, until it came to the part where Izuku was dreading most, which further pissed off the blond.
"I NEVER WANNA HEAR THAT STUPID SHIT AGAIN!"
'Me neither…' Izuku trembled at the volume, until he felt Ochaco's hand rest on his, squeezing it faintly, and helping him out of his thoughts just in time to see some highlights from the Sports Festival yesterday.
"Man, that was a stressful watch through…"
"I can't wait to try the games for myself…!"
While none of Shoto's past was brought up in the recaps, thankfully, whenever Enji did pop up on screen, Denki was the first one to glare back at the fiery hero. The man had nothing to say, as all of this played out, and neither did any of the other students, so they continued to wait patiently until the actual future began.
"-for our internships to begin… And for us to learn new skills to further our goals."
"Keeping these results in mind, whether or not anyone asked for you, you will all be participating in internships with pros. Those who had offers from pros will be given your own lists. Those who didn't have offers will choose from among forty agencies around the country that will be accepting interns. Think carefully before you choose."
"Yes, sir!"
"You've got an offer from a hero! The hero's name is Gran Torino." All Might glanced back at the excitement written on his young successor's expression, holding his best smile, as he informed Midoriya, "He was a teacher at U.A. for only one year. The man who was my homeroom teacher."
The opening theme commences.
"OH- Oh, it's with the new costume…!"
"What was his old costume…?" Hitoshi asked, but seeing how Ochaco wasn't facing him, and was continuing to rapidly tap Izuku on the shoulder, he wasn't going to get an answer soon.
"I am telling. You…! This better be the episode we get an update on Midoriya's development with One for All!"
"And update on what…?" Hitoshi wondered, but no one was paying attention enough to provide him the answers. Being left in the dark was definitely one of his pet peeves, but what he hated more was bringing any sort of unnecessary attention to himself, sinking into the sofa, and choosing to wait and see.
"THERE- Right there is what I want to see…!" Kyoka exclaimed, which caused the distressed lavender-haired boy to sit up and observe what was on the TV, noticing the red lines energizing Izuku's wrist, until it eventually showed him again, but with green energy in the form of lightning bouncing off him.
'Ah, I see… That is definitely quite the development.'
"Oh, look, you can see some shots from the Sports Festival if you look close enough…!"
"What? How can you- Oh, I see it!"
"You say that just as it goes away, kero."
"Silver Age All Might costume…!" Izuku geeked out when the hero appeared on screen, after Ochaco had thankfully stopped shaking him, with Toshinori grinning down at his successor.
Tomura made a gagging noise before looking away, and then proceeded to take a long drink. He just wanted some alcohol at this point in the viewing sessions; was that too much to ask for?
"Ooh, these lyrics are sounding really dramatic right now…" Kyoka couldn't wait to get her hands on the full song and lyrics, wondering how they would correlate to what was in store for them today. Thinking back to the final episode from yesterday, she tapped Momo on the shoulder, gaining her attention, as she whispered toward the other girl, "We're starting off with the internships today, right?"
"That is what I believe is awaiting us, yes." Momo replied with a faint nod to her friend, before asking her next, with a slight tilt of her head, "Is there a concern that you have, Jiro-san?"
"Not really, no- It's not that important right now."
From what she could already tell about the lyrics of the song, Kyoka knew something big was possibly going to happen during their internships. But thinking about what they had witnessed yesterday, along with a bit of foreshadowing, it was no secret that this moment could have something to do with Chizome. And that thought scared her.
Within the opening visuals as well, there were quite a few surprise camoes, that caused quite a few of them to get emotional upon seeing them.
When Nana appeared on the screen for a moment, with her back facing them, Toshinori could feel his heart squeeze at the sight of her again. Even though it had been many years since her death, he would always think about her whenever he could, whenever his mind had the time to think. When Tomura had caught sight of the woman's white cape, he couldn't let go of the thought that she reminded him of something. He wanted to know why.
Seeing his brother in the reflection of his glasses, Tenya almost lurched out of his seat, gasping at the sight of his hero, with his tears resurfacing at the reminder of Tensei's bright smile. While he knew deep down that he was okay, safe and sound back at home, knowing about what would happen to him brought his raging thoughts from the previous night back. And when glancing over to make sure he was okay, seeing the hidden anger burning in his eyes, it scared Tsuyu and Toru.
"Uraraka-san…" Izuku muttered when her loss against Bakugo flashed across the television screen, furrowing his brow, as he looked at the brunette. But instead of seeing her down, he was surprised to see a look of determination on Ochaco's expression. She had watched herself lose, and accepted the fact that she had lost.
'I've experienced it so that I can have the chance to change it…' Ochaco turned around to locate where the spiky-haired blond was, spotting Katsuki, as she zeroed in on him, with a smirk, 'I'll get stronger, and I won't lose so easily…!'
When Momo's loss made an appearance as well, it was just as short as Ochaco's had been, so not everyone paid attention to it. But she did, clenching her fists, and digging them into the couch, as the moment was called back to mind. The rest of the girls had noticed it as well, but only Mina moved to try and comfort their friend, silently hugging onto her arm, and laying her head against her shoulder.
Catching a brief appearance of Chizome, Tsuyu, with her gaze still on Tenya, shivered at the anger forming on his expression. She understood completely why, but it wasn't fitting to see the other this angry.
"Iida-chan-"
"WOAH- Holy fuck-"
"Shoto?! You're using your fire…?!"
With some looking to the front, and others turning back to where he was sitting, Shoto's eyes widened at the sight of watching himself use his left side, willingly. Of course, it was only for a brief second, to then give way into Tenya's opening move, but still. It was something that everyone was shocked to see, but it was something that Enji was extremely proud to see, grinning from ear to ear at his son letting go of his childish ways.
"Shoto, are you feeling all right…?"
Glancing over to the source of the voice, Shoto blinked at seeing the underground hero upon him, as he softly responded back, "Yes… I'll… I am… fine."
"Sorry if we were too loud…" Denki lowered his voice to apologize to his new friend, with Shoto turning to face him, as he continued to say, "I know we can be a bit loud without realizing, but… I don't think any… any of us were expecting… that…"
Staring down at his left hand after hearing that, curling his fingers to make a fist, Shoto sighed out, agreeing, "I wasn't expecting it either…"
Looking at the map All Might had given him to find his old mentor, Midoriya thinned his lip, staring at the paper, as he thought, 'A hero that even All Might is afraid of, huh?'
"Huh…? What's this about?" Tomura chuckled, wondering if he heard that right, as he slowly began to laugh harder, "There's a pro hero out there that the fearless Symbol of Peace is scared of…?!"
Instead of bringing Nomu to the school, he should just find this terrifying hero, and use him against Toshinori. What a hoot that would be…!
'Gran Torino, I beg you to go a little easy on the kid…' Toshinori could feel himself holding his breath, while the scene went on.
"-I'm sure he's an amazing person…! I'm sure he's an amazing person!" Midoriya softly mumbled to himself, trying to justify the hero's fear. However, looking at the building of where this Gran Torino apparently lived in, maybe All Might's reaction could be justified.
"It's the same building from yesterday…" Ochaco hummed, with the other students soon recognizing it by its features and decorations.
'The hero that All Might thought of yesterday does kind of look like the older hero from the first episode yesterday… If Gran Torino taught All Might when he was my age, that has to make him really old, right? Would… Is he still in the right state to teach somebody…?' Izuku was now growing nervous to meet Sorahiko, even though he himself wasn't going to see him currently. Unless the pro hero suddenly showed up, which caused him to jump slightly in his seat.
'The address matches the one on the map…' Midoriya, despite getting a very bad feeling about this, knocked on the door. When no one answered, he found it to be unlocked anyway, cracking it open, as he peered inside, introducing himself, "I'm here from U.A. High. My name is Midoriya Izuku… Nice to meet-"
As the light from outside lit up the inside, he began to notice something disturbing towards the middle of the room. And getting a better look at it, focusing, Midoriya began to hyperventilate as he saw the hero, Gran Torino he presumed, laying in a pool of his own blood, his intestines spilling out.
Midoriya screamed at the top of his lungs, "HE'S DEAAAAAAD!"
"I'm alive!"
"HE'S ALIIIIIVE!" Midoriya exclaimed next when the hero suddenly raised his head up. Knowing he was alive, though, brought a huge amount of relief to the greenet.
Title screen 'Episode 27. Bizarre! Gran Torino Appears'
"Yeah… He sure knows how to make an appearance…"
"Um…"
"I have no words, Young Midoriya." Toshinori replied, which caused Izuku to gulp at his mentor's quick response, before jolting faintly as his large hands rested firmly on his shoulders, with the hero saying, "But do your best."
"Y-Yes, sir…"
'-too easily misunderstood!' Midoriya swallowed, listening to the hero explain how he had slipped and fallen with his plate of sausages covered in ketchup. A weird food combination that could very much mistake someone's death with.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Midoriya Izuku from U.A.!"
"What?"
"I'm Midoriya Izuku!"
Raising his voice so Gran Torino could hear him better, Midoriya waited for his reply, until he repeated again, "Who are you?"
'C-Crap…' Midoriya was starting to have regrets, noticing how much he was shaking, even as the older hero was holding himself up with his cane, thinking to himself, 'He's All Might's teacher. I knew he would be pretty old, but this is…'
"All Might, how old is Gran Torino, kero?"
"That… is information I do not have, Young Asui…"
"Then, how old are you?"
"Forty-eight. All Might will be turning forty-nine on June 10th." Izuku answered for him, and while no one should be surprised that he knew that information, Toshinori specifically was shocked to hear that the kid knew his birthday too.
"Yes… That is correct, Young Midoriya…"
"So if Gran Torino has been training All Might since he was a first-year at U.A…." Mina tapped her chin in thought, trying to do math in her head, before she decided to just give up, and say instead, "Wow… That is pretty old…"
Midoriya had gone outside of the building to call his mentor, informing him of Gran Torino's condition, but he soon heard a noise behind him just as the phone began to ring. Turning around, the young student jumped at seeing his briefcase open, and with the older hero looking inside.
"What're you doing…?!"
"Fire off a One for All at me." Gran Torino instructed, his voice a tone deeper than it was before, which took Midoriya by surprise, while the man continued to say, "I wanna know how well you can handle it."
'What's with this guy? Suddenly…' Midoriya blinked at his sudden change in demeanor, too stunned by it to move.
"This is a good costume. Wear it and fire!"
"Does he have, like… a bi-polar disorder… or something…?"
"Forget that, I wanna see this costume…! If Gran Torino likes it, that should be a good sign, right…?!" Denki beamed with anticipation, but his words caught Shoto's attention, as he remembered that he was shown with a new costume as well. Knowing what he did now, it was no surprise that he would change his costume before going to their internships.
"What is taking so long…? Can't we see something better than this bullcrap- He appeared, hallelujah, now get to the good part…" Tomura was becoming bored out of his mind with how stupid this interaction was proving to be.
"Because All Might doesn't have any time left. That's why… I can't waste any time messing around with you, sir."
'You… should not have said that, Young Midoriya… I'm only glad Gran Torino is not here himself to scold you for it.' Toshinori figured that by the boy saying that, it was about time Sorahiko would drop his act and start training his successor.
"Once you choose your internship, you can't leave them." Shota warned from above, which caused Izuku to wince slightly, before he shrunk in his seat to avoid the pro hero's stare.
"-that case…" Gran Torino mumbled, making the boy pause, as he looked back, and watched how the hero took in a deep breath, before jumping for the ceiling, Midoriya gaping, as he tried to follow his movements. Being too fast for him, the greenet finally caught up to him when he landed before him, until the older man jumped up for the wall, just above the door, proclaiming, "In that case, there's even more reason to fire one off! You zygote! I watched the U.A. Sports Festival on TV. The way you used that power was unthinkable! He's called the Symbol of Peace, and the number one hero, but that justice-obsessed All Might is worse than a novice when it comes to teaching."
"He's not that bad!" Minoru tried to defend him, but even Izuku had to admit that he wasn't the best, especially if he had learned how to control One for All through a different mentor, who hadn't even possessed the quirk.
'-you zygotes?'
'He's using the same phrase. The way they play dumb is the same, too. This person must be All Might's teacher, after all!' Midoriya couldn't help but stare at Gran Torino with admiration after making this realization.
Now, Toshinori was definitely taken aback by this, as it had never dawned on him before just how much he had taken after his teacher. And the quiet laughter around him didn't make this realization any better, but seeing how Izuku had shrunk into the cushions again - due to embarrassment - was something the hero couldn't stand for, wrapping an arm around the kid's shoulder to reassure him.
"I can't stand watching how you're using your power, so I'll teach you. Now, put on your costume!"
"Yes, put it on already! We wanna see the new and improved 'Deku'...!" Hanta jumped out of his seat at his exclamation, which gained a few others to cheer in his wake. However, some were a little weary about calling him by that name, seeing as Izuku hadn't been too keen about it yesterday.
"Um, would- would it, uh… would it be okay if you… didn't… call, um… call me that…?"
"Yeah- It's totally okay- I just thought, you know…" Hanta winced at how hesitant Izuku was to set boundaries, trying to defend himself, before he realized that he had nothing to say, so he just sat back down, while nervously smiling, as he just said again, "But that's fine…!"
Nodding back as a way to show he accepted his apology, Izuku sighed from working up the courage to say that to Hanta. When the dark-haired boy had said that name, it had taken Katsuki by surprise, until he remembered that it was his hero name now, causing him to narrow his eyes at the greenet, before looking back to the TV.
"-it'll definitely be a lot cooler like this!"
"Wait, where'd that voice come from…?" Hanta whispered over to Eijiro, who blinked at the question.
"Oh, it was on the manual instructions for Midoriya's new costume…"
"Okay, thank you, twin bro…!"
Eijiro still wasn't comfortable with Hanta referring to them as twins, but it felt too late to tell him that now.
'-in the support business is like Hatsume-san… Either way, it's my first battle with the beta version of my mom's suit!' Midoriya put the finishing piece of his new, and improved, costume on, before announcing to Gran Torino, as he looked himself over, "My preparations are complete."
"It's not that different from your old costume, but there's some changes to it, kero. It looks better than your other costume. Though, I find it cute that you refer to your costume as your mother's, Midoriya-chan." Tsuyu commented on the new look once it was shown completed, while Izuku squeaked at what she said.
"I was going to ask what his old costume looked like before, but based on what you said, I'm just going to assume it's the same thing, but with more additions…"
"You couldn't be more right, Shinso-kun…!" Ochaco chuckled, gaining his attention, while she rambled on, "Deku-kun had his costume made to resemble All Might - with his hair, and the smile - seeing as they now share the same quirk…!"
"It was most definitely also because he's the biggest fanboy there is…!" Denki cackled, which only made Izuku want to dig his grave.
Jumping around the room, while mocking Midoriya as he stood there, confused, Gran Torino eventually slammed into his microwave, taking a second to tell his student, "You couldn't see my true strength with that hit earlier? I can't believe the ninth holder of One for All is such a wet blanket…"
"The ninth…?"
"So there were eight people who have held One for All, huh…"
Hearing this confirmed Momo's questions from before, but this only caused her curiosity to grow, sighing to herself, while gathering her thoughts, before calling out, "Pause- And pardon my interruption, but there were a few questions I had, if you wouldn't mind me asking them, All Might?"
"I fucking mind!" Tomura yelled out, but he was politely ignored.
"Of course, go ahead, Young Yaoyorozu."
"I understand this is important for Midoriya-san, so I will be only a moment-" Momo shifted in her seat, facing Toshinori, as she asked firstly, "How long have you been in possession of One for All?"
"Well, I would have to say that I was around your age when I received it… Perhaps maybe a year younger- I do remember that it was sometime during my years in junior high."
"That's like…" Izuku mumbled out, before dropping his chin into his hand to do the math, until he gasped, "Over… thirty years…?"
"Wait, so, if- Hypothetically, all of the previous seven users have had One for All for that same amount of time, then that would make this quirk ancient, right…?"
"That brings me to my second question-" Momo silently glanced over to Hitoshi, acknowledging what he said as that same thought was on her mind too, before she looked back to Toshinori, "Are you aware of where this quirk originated from? Because if it has been passed down to nine different users, then who was the first? How did this power come to be?"
This was territory Toshinori had been avoiding to tell. When he originally thought the villain to be dead, not having the slightest idea that he could somehow even survive that, he didn't feel it was necessary to even mention the name to Izuku. Now, knowing he was still alive, and working with Tomura of all criminals, there was no doubt in his mind that he could bring himself to tell the boy about One for All's true origin. He had sworn to himself that, once they were back home, he would immediately track down the League of Villain's hideout, and kill All for One, right then and there, making sure his successor didn't have to worry about that fate falling into his hands. Right now, though, as he looked into Momo's eager gaze, he would have to give an answer that would, at the very least, satisfy her curiosity.
"That… That is quite a long tale to tell, Young Yaoyorozu… If you remind me at our next break, I will answer your yearning questions, then."
"Remind me, too, cause I wanna hear this lore…" Tomura grinned, and while his response surprised the hero, Toshinori figured that the supervillain just hadn't mentioned it to him.
Time could only tell when All for One would choose to share this information with Tomura.
Slamming into his student's back, Gran Torino quickly flipped around, not giving Midoriya enough time to counterattack, or think, as he continued to jump around the room once more.
'He's too fast! What's his quirk?' Midoriya's earlier attempts of trying to follow his opponent's movements were proving to be futile, as Gran Torino knocked him down, catching himself, before he could completely fall over. It was time to change up his approach, turning around so he wasn't facing the floor, while he thought, 'No, that's not it. Under these circumstances where there's no place to hide and no openings, rather than carefully figuring out where he is, I should keep him from moving.'
Moving his arm back, Midoriya powered One for All through that part of his body, gritting his teeth, as he focused, 'Imagine the egg not breaking inside the microwave! He's passed behind me twice! Then-'
With Gran Torino behind him a third time, Midoriya predicted that this would be the likely chance the hero would strike him again, spinning around to counter his attack.
"Analysis and prediction, huh?"
'SMASHHHHH…!' Midoriya threw his fist up toward Gran Torino, but in a split second, the hero had moved out of the way in the time it took to extend his arm out.
"But, you're stiff! And your awareness is a mess!" Gran Torino observed, while dodging his student's punch, and then proceeding to pin him onto the floor, with one hand on his head, and his foot on Midoriya's other arm. Grinning, while his chandelier shook above from the disrupted air, he finished up by telling his new student, "That's why it turned out like this."
"Ugh, he was so close- If only Gran Torino wasn't so fast…!"
"That's probably the point of it, kero. Midoriya-chan was focusing too much on trying to follow and predict Gran Torino's movements, he ended up moving slower than his mind."
Izuku had heavily put his focus into what was being said, and shown, up front, but upon hearing his name, he subconsciously listened in on what Tsuyu was saying. And paying his sights down to her proved to be useful, immediately reaching for his notebook to write down what she said, hoping to ask her later for advice on that. Of course, he planned to talk with Toshinori too, and hopefully understand more about what the older hero was talking about, and maybe get further intel on Sorahiko's quirk.
"But your admiration for All Might and your sense of duty are like shackles."
"'Shackles'...?" Izuku was confused by this.
"'I have to get stronger quickly', you say. It's true. Time and enemies won't wait until you get stronger. You're thinking One for All is more special than it is."
"That's not…" Izuku understood the first part about what Sorahiko was saying - he needed to become more adapted with One for All since others have had their quirks for years - but there was something about the rest of it that he couldn't comprehend. Turning to Toshinori, he went to ask his mentor, "All Might, what does Gran-"
"NO- No, you don't!" Ochaco suddenly exclaimed, surprising those around her, as Izuku jumped in his seat when she turned on him, "Gran Torino says you need to figure this out for yourself, Deku-kun…! I'm sorry, but no more getting help from All Might today!"
"But what about-"
"NO BUTS!" Ochaco yelped, which threw a few people off, until she reached for Izuku's wrists, and pulled him out of his seat, before dropping him next to Hitoshi, who could only blink at what just happened. Now taking her place beside Toshinori, who looked from her to his successor, the brunette crossed her arms, huffing, "Now, All Might, the same goes for you."
"Y-Yes, Young Uraraka…" Toshinori wasn't going to argue with the girl, even though he was already planning to tell Izuku something similar.
Straightening himself up, the greenet gazed past Hitoshi to try and get his mentor's attention, but it was no use as Izuku sighed into his new spot on the couch. Tapping his pencil against the page, he thought about what Sorahiko said, and about how Toshinori was a shackle to his power. Though, before he could think any further on it, there was a sudden shake in his shoulder, looking over to see Ochaco, wide-eyed, and gesturing toward the TV up front.
"Normally, we're mostly just waiting for calls from clients, but recently, you know, Hosu's been kind of hectic."
'Iida-kun…' Izuku realized what she was trying to tell him, clenching his fist, as Ochaco sat back down in her seat.
"Street patrols become a way to suppress crime." Iida stated, walking through the city of Hosu with the hero he chose for his internship.
"That's right. But man, I can't believe Ingenium's little brother is interning at my agency. I'm sure you had offers from heroes more capable than me." the hero in charge of Normal Agency, which Iida chose for his internship, shyly praised, while waving to a couple students across the street. The boy didn't respond, choosing to stay silent and continue the patrol, as instructed.
'Hero Killer… So elusive, he can't even be caught by the net of modern society. I know this might be in vain. Even so…' Iida paused when he thought of his older brother, causing him to stop for a moment. Looking out toward the other side of the street, he knew he was the only one who had to stop Stain in Ingenium's place, thinking to himself, 'Even so, I cannot not go after him.'
"Yes you can." Tsuyu argued, turning to the boy near her, furrowing her brow, as she firmly told Tenya, "Iida-chan, Ingenium almost died fighting the Hero Killer. You're going to get yourself killed going after him."
"Iida-kun, please don't do this…!"
Tenya knew they wouldn't understand, which was why he didn't tell them anything. Even now, they couldn't understand, but before he could tell them such, Chizome's voice echoed through the speakers, bringing back all his rage from before.
"Oh…?" Tomura's interest piqued at seeing himself on screen again, apparently showing him and Kurogiri trying to convince Chizome to join them. It made him smile.
"Iida- Pause-"
"Oh, come on, just when it was getting good-"
Tsuyu realized he wouldn't be paying attention to what she was saying if the villains were on the TV, calling out to Tenya again, "Iida-chan, listen to me-"
"Asui-kun, I'm sorry, but you will not understand- I have to do this-"
"No, Iida, you don't."
Startling out of his seat, Tenya stood up, and turned around to find Shota standing over him, his narrowed eyes glaring down at the boy, as his lip quivered in fear. The teacher knew something was suspicious when the student's chosen internship would be in Hosu City, he only wished his future self had done something about it.
"Ai-"
"Iida, this is not the way to handle this. I won't be so uptight about this as long as you aren't planning to do the same." Shota could feel his fists shaking by how overwhelmed he was feeling. However, he needed to calm himself if he was going to get through to Tenya, taking a moment to breathe, before he started again, "Iida, what we saw yesterday- When I knew that you were going to Hosu City for your internship, and it showed me doing nothing to stop you, I… I'm sorry for not doing anything about it."
"Aizawa Sensei, you don't need to apol-"
"Yes, Iida, I do. As not only a teacher and a pro hero, but also as a friend of your brother. I have a duty to protect you kids, and to let something like this go undetected… Right under my nose…" Shota reached out, and rested his hand on Tenya's shoulder, before squeezing it, as he sternly told the boy, "Promise me that whatever happens today will not come to pass when we go back home. Promise me that you waitso we can help stop Ingenium from getting hurt."
"I…"
"Promise me, Iida…!"
"I promise, Sensei." Tenya spoke, even though the words felt hollow to say. Bowing to his future teacher, the boy closed his eyes, as he truthfully told Shota softly, "I'm sorry to worry you needlessly…"
All that rage he was feeling, slowly, Tenya could tell that it was beginning to fade after he said that, and was being replaced with guilt. He was still angry with Chizome, and he knew he would never be able to forgive him for hurting his brother, and ending his hero career. But the guilt of causing Shota - of causing any of his friends - immense pain for pushing them away began to sink in, and it hurt Tenya to think about.
But he still needed to do this. No matter what.
"Come on- Leave the fucking brat alone so that we can contine this shitshow…!"
"If any experienced pro hero could not defeat the Hero Killer, how does this inexperienced boy think he can do any better…?"
"He'd do better than you any day!"
"Kaminari…!"
"Iida-kun…?"
Tenya still wasn't ready to face anyone, even if he had been forced to speak with Shota very briefly, hanging his head, and facing the direction of where he heard his name. Seeing this, both Izuku and Ochaco realized that their friend didn't want to talk about it, at least with them, just yet. They understood this, but it didn't make the pain go away when seeing himself hurt like this.
"We'll be here when you're ready, Iida-kun…"
Not wanting to leave Tenya's side, the underground hero stepped to the side, and chose to stand close to the couches near the student, allowing him to have space, but also to say that he was here when he was ready.
"And you want to add me to your numbers."
"Yeah." Shigaraki replied back to their guest, stating, while leaning his body on the bar counter, "Come on, you've got so much more experience as a villain, senpai."
"What are you after?" Stain wasn't here for leisure conversation.
"For now, I just want to kill All Might. I want to break everything I don't like." Shigaraki held up a few photos for Stain to see, with the first image presenting Midoriya, as he won the first round of the Sports Festival, adding to his answer, "Damn kids like this, too… Everything…"
Izuku shivered at seeing his photo in Tomura's hand right when he heard Hitoshi whisper under his breath, "God, that's creepy on so many levels…"
"-interested. You're the type of person I hate the most."
"Huh?" Shigaraki uttered, as Kurogiri went on his guard.
"You want me to go along with your childish tantrum?" Stain huffed, crossing his arms, as he reached for the blades at his side, asking Shigaraki, while he glowered at the villain, "What meaning is there in killing without conviction?"
"I have convictions, Stain… I wanna kill All Might because I hate him, and the entire hero society runs on his fucking fame, and I wanna kill the green one - mainly because he's fucking annoying - but if the brat doesn't get the quirk, that's one less hero…! See, I have convictions!" Tomura scoffed, tossing his empty bottle toward the TV, as he began to itch his neck.
Whatever convictions the criminal thought he had, it didn't have much meaning to them aside from his obvious hatred of the two, which Toshinori would handle someone saying they wanted to kill him. It was a common thing villains said as you rose through the ranks. However, Izuku couldn't handle being threatened every single time Tomura opened his mouth, shrinking in his seat, and subconsciously leaning toward Hitoshi for comfort.
"This is fine!" the voice from the TV audio spoke with glee when Kurogiri asked if he should stop this meeting, explaining to the warp gate for him to understand, "There's no point if we just tell him the answer. He should think about where he still needs to mature. Spur on his growth! That is what it means to educate."
"I don't like that Midoriya-chan and Shigaraki are learning the same lesson… It's scary, kero." Tsuyu was right, and those that heard her say that felt the same fear creeping up their spines. Especially Izuku, who wanted nothing more than to go back to bed and wake up back home; he didn't like this feeling.
"Oh, we never got to see the back of Midoriya's costume, huh…?" Denki, who was one that didn't hear what the greenette said, noticed, as the scene changed back to Sorahiko's home.
"The little bunny ears in the back…!" Hanta lightly chuckled at how they hung down on his back, as if it was meant to resemble how a rabbit folds their ears back when they feel threatened.
'I'm thinking One for All is more unique than it is. Is that what's making my movements stiff? What does 'stiff' mean in the first place? Thinking about it another way, what makes movement flexible? Flexible…' Midoriya was still stumped by what Gran Torino said about his moves, thinking about his past experiences in battle, along with how All Might fought. When observing his previous fight with Bakugo, and contemplating how the blond moved, the boy suddenly gasped, reaching for his notebook, as he exclaimed, "I know! I've been thinking about One for All and the smash as a special move. I saw it used up close - Why didn't I notice? That's right. Quirks are part of your body. I need to think of One for All more, more evenly…! That's it! I see…!"
'His thinking is flexible. I knew that from the way he moved at the Sports Festival.' Gran Torino noted, standing against the door, as he listened to his student outside. A smile grew on his wrinkled expression when he thought, 'You found someone pretty good, huh, Toshinori?'
While the unexpected praise from his former mentor was nice to hear, Toshinori was still weary about what Tsuyu had said a moment ago. Of course, he was still happy to see Izuku discovering the answer on his own, and understanding where he was going wrong. However, he needed to make sure that the boy here understood first what his future self was saying.
"Who's Toshinori…?" Hanta questioned, and it took the blond hero by surprise, listening to the young man say next, "We kept hearing that- Wait…"
With Hanta's gaze landing on him, and, as if too stunned to voice the question, gestured down to Toshinori, who silently nodded, which caused the black-haired boy to gasp.
"That makes so much-"
"Best Jeanist's agency…?!" Izuku exclaimed over him, which brought Hanta's attention back to the screen, as most of the class realized that someone in their future class had gotten the recognition of one of the top five heroes in Japan.
"Frankly, I don't like you."
"Huh?"
"Bakugo?!"
"Shocker…" Kyoka was just as surprised as the rest of the students, however, it was no wonder why Tsunagu didn't like Katsuki. And that was an understatement.
"Be grateful- If you don't fucking want him, I'll take him." Tomura huffed, adjusting his seating position so he could pay attention properly.
"-the top five most popular heroes, right?" a hero by the name of Best Jeanist, currently ranked at number four on the pro hero charts, turned to the student he chose to take up for an internship.
"You're the one that put in an offer!" Bakugo contradicted the man, frustrated with how he was talking to him.
"Yes. Recently, I've only been getting good little kids, so you were the first one in a while to strike a chord." Best Jeanist plucked a lock of his swooped hair, perfecting his style, before he focused back on the blond, recognizing, "I watched you at the Sports Festival. You were able to freely manipulate a quirk with high potential, and had a good grasp of application as well. You're an outstanding talent already good enough to recruit as a sidekick."
'That's what that other hero said after the Sludge Villain Incident…' Izuku recalled, though what Tsunagu was saying here didn't sound like it was meant to be praise for Katsuki.
'While his performance could say that, I've watched Best Jeanist enough to know that there's more to what he's saying than just that…' Shota may not be fond of most of the top heroes, but he had to admit that Tsunagu was definitely one man he could tolerate.
"Why does Bakugo always get praise when he should really be getting a beatdown instead…?"
"If you would listen, Kaminari, maybe you'd hear it…" Hanta rolled his eyes at the complaints from the blond, as he didn't entirely agree with what he was saying anyway.
Katsuki spat at what he was hearing, from both Denki and Tsunagu, because he already knew that he wasn't the strongest anymore, nor did he care about how he appeared. However, none of that mattered because he was eventually going to become the strongest, and nobody would care how he looked once he became number one.
"-you try to put that into practice, not caring how that looks. You have a ferocious nature."
Physically shaking after having to listen to all that, irritated, Bakugo took a step toward the hero, as he snarled, "Did you choose me to give me a lecture-"
In the blink of an eye, the boy was suddenly restrained, with his legs and arms tied up to hinder his movements, with Bakugo staring dumbfoundedly at Best Jeanist. The number four hero held his arms up, part of his denim costume torn at the sleeves, as the fabric from his clothing halted his new student.
"It is part of my work as a hero to correct people like you. Heroes and villains are two sides of the same coin."
"Could Midoriya-chan and Shigaraki be one coin, kero…?"
"Tsuyu-chan, don't say something like that!" Minoru exclaimed soon after she voiced her question, which gathered the majority of everyone's attention, as they looked over to either him or Tsuyu.
"What… did Tsuyu-chan say…?"
"She wondered if Midoriya and Shigaraki are the hero and villain of that same coin metaphor that Best Jeanist said just because they're learning the same lesson…!" Minoru cried out, with actual tears running down his face, making everyone uncomfortable.
"It is not a bad question." Momo spoke over his blubbering, glancing up at the TV before she continued to explain, "Pause- Excuse me once more, but I believe Asui-san's question is one known as an astute observation."
"Whatever question you brats are going on and on about ain't important right now!"
"It regards you, though…?"
"HUH?!" Tomura looked over to where Yuga was sitting on the fifth row with Fumikage and Mezo, the blond being the one who spoke, to which the criminal grumbled in response, "Continue…"
"Well, um… This, uh, may not be related in the slightest, but I cannot help but believe that this All for One and One for All go along with what Best Jeanist was saying-"
"There's no way Sensei is relative to that fucking quirk- One's the greatest supervillain out there, and the other is a stupid hero's quirk…!" Tomura interrupted, and while this disheartened Momo to stay quiet, the young man didn't realize how wrong he was about this.
'Then it is a fact that All for One did not tell Shigaraki, then…' Toshinori also remained silent, hoping that this conversation would be dropped, for his and Izuku's sake.
"Before we move on, though, let me just say one thing-" Hanta spoke as if he was about to give a speech. Pointing behind him, glancing back at Katsuki, the short-haired teen determined, "There's no fixing that."
"The hell?! I'll fucking fix myself if I want to!"
"Please, even if you wanted to try and change yourself, you wouldn't even know how."
As he turned back around to sit down and let the episode start up again, apparently moving on from the conversation, Katsuki hadn't. He stared daggers into the back of Hanta's head, taking his words as a direct hit to his ego. He'd show him.
"There are countless things to do. In the short period of a week, I will sew all that into your body."
"All I can say is good luck…" Mashirao chuckled under his breath, until Katsuki turned on him.
"This is too redundant!"
"The same agency, too…" Eijiro muttered under his breath, while scratching his cheek, as it showed him and Tetsutetsu at the hero Fourth Kind's agency.
"Well, still doesn't change the fact that you're better than him…!"
Eijiro still didn't feel the same as Hanta, but he wasn't going to argue with his friend, as he should probably listen in to what Fourth Kind had to say.
"I look forward to working with you!"
"I saw your guts at the Sports Festival. I like you two. However, being a hero's not so easy that you can rely on brute force alone. I will teach you that as someone with more experience."
"As expected of the Chivalrous Hero!" Tetsutetsu geeked out after hearing what their mentor for the week, Fourth Kind, said.
"So manly!" Kirishima agreed with a grin, before the man brought one of his fists down onto the table, silencing them.
"Wait for me to finish!"
"S-Sorry!" the two boys immediately bowed in apology, getting a huff out of the four-armed hero.
"I'll teach you manners properly, too."
"Damn, what a stickler…"
"Yeah, but he's not wrong… Aizawa Sensei said we had to be respectful to the heroes taking us on for our internships…" Eijiro defended one of his favorite heroes.
"But it's not like you guys interrupted him or anything… People like that annoy me." Denki groaned, and while he understood what was being said, Eijiro didn't agree with him.
"-pro heroes are very different. Regarding the actual duties of a pro hero…"
In another city of Japan, walking through the streets with the Battle Hero: Gunhead, Uraraka listened passionately to what he was saying, "Basic hero duties involve controlling crime, see? When a crime occurs, the police will contact heroes for support. The requests will come all at once by district, see? We file reports on the service we provided, like assisting with arrests or rescuing people, to the government office. And then, we receive pay based on an examination conducted by a special agency. We usually get a percentage."
'The way he talks is cute.' Uraraka, who appeared to be listening intensely to what Gunhead was saying, thought after he finished.
A few of the girls giggled at what Ochaco thought, while Toshinori whispered to the brunette, "Were you listening to what Gunhead was saying, Young Uraraka…?"
"Oh, yes All Might…! He was basically saying that depending on the amount of work you do at a crime scene can go back to your pay grade, right? Like… with what Aizawa Sensei was saying yesterday, with the interest and graduation…" Ochaco had been listening closely, especially once the hero had mentioned about getting paid.
'No fair- How come Yaoyorozu gets to go to Uwabami's agency?!' Minoru grinded his teeth in jealousy, but by the way the woman was talking to the two interns she took on, Momo and Itsuka, the former would gladly trade places with him.
"-around, okay?"
"I wanted to experience something more hero-like, though…" Kendo mumbled under her breath, before she was taken aback by Yaoyorozu stepping forward.
"No, this is not something you can avoid if you want to become a pro! Besides, she is the one who fell for pathetic little me… I will learn as much as I can!"
"She's going all out…"
"You're not pathetic, Momo-chan." Tsuyu tried to argue, and while the other showed appreciation for her words, Momo simply didn't truly believe her friend.
"Yaoyorozu, you don't have to take on side jobs as a pro hero. Sometimes they are needed for either extra money to get by, or your agency thinks it's a good idea for you to take one on. But for whatever reason you desire to gain a side job, they are not required in this career." Shota hoped that she would take his words to heart more than hers, because as much as he hated to think of this, heroes like Uwabami weren't the best at their main job if they needed a side job.
Instead of replying to him, Momo only nodded in response, before glancing back up to the TV, wishing that the girls around her would do the same. She didn't like this pathetic feeling, and simply hoped it would go away with time, as that match would soon be a forgotten memory like everything else.
"It's also because you're cute!"
"Huh?"
And hearing that from Uwabami didn't make that feeling any better for Momo, as she thought, 'I am most certainly going to end up as one of those third-years who are deeply ashamed of their first-year choice of internships…'
Near Tatooin Station, where a year ago, Mt. Lady debuted, Jiro was running down the street, with Death Arms as her mentor for the week, as he yelled out, "Heroes must practice and train every day. That doesn't change even if they are on patrol!"
"R-Right!" Jiro gasped, out of breath, as she tried to match his pace, while thinking as she gritted her teeth, 'Man, this is harder than class!'
At Mt. Lady's apartment home, she lay stretched across her couch, eating a bag of chips while reading a magazine, as she called out, "An important part of being a hero is knowing how to pass idle hours. Do you understand?"
"Y-Yeah…" Mineta mumbled, irritated that he was here, doing her chores, not learning anything, as he thought in frustration, 'I'm not into this kind of stuff…'
Laughter erupted throughout the theater at not only Minoru's expression, but the predicament he had put himself in. If anyone was going to be regretful of their internship, it was definitely going to be him.
'I did this to myself… I made the choice to go to her agency, now I have to live with this… At least I can change it, though, I suppose, but this… this image of me will always haunt the back of my mind.' Minoru could only stare blankly ahead, letting the laughter fill his ears, as he would never forget this.
"You did this to yourself, Mineta-chan."
"I know that, Tsuyu-chan! I KNOW- I'll make sure to choose somebody different!"
When the scene changed to present another student's internship, the joy began to die down at the familiar voice that came from the speakers, followed by a name that caused Denki to gasp out, as he turned to his friend, "Shoto-"
Whatever happened in the future to make him choose his father's agency, Shoto wanted to know right now. Fire and ice quirks were common powers to be born with, meaning he knew there were several heroes out there that could teach him other than Enji. So, why would his future counterpart choose the one agency that he had been wanting to avoid his entire life?
Since he hadn't responded, or even looked in his direction upon calling his name, Denki assumed that this meant Shoto was deep in his thoughts, trying to figure out the same question that he wanted to ask. And it made the blond wonder if maybe the answer would come up in the conversation between father and son.
Enji was simply pleased to know that Shoto had now truly abandoned his childish behavior.
"-you are finally ready to take the path of the mighty, huh?"
"I have no intention of going down a path you made. I will take my own path."
"You tell him, Shoto…!" Denki cheered softly through gritted teeth, keeping his voice down, so he could also listen to the rest of the conversation.
"-you should get ready, too. We're going out." Endeavor, who scoffed at his son's response, informed his intern, which raised a question for Todoroki, throwing him off, as he expected to get straight into training.
"Where?"
"I'll show you what a hero is."
"Should have interned under literally anyone else to see that…" Hanta huffed under his breath, before catching who was on screen again, sitting up straighter to watch with anticipation.
Overhearing what he said, Shoto completely agreed, which only proved to further raise the question of why his future self would choose that agency. Of course, the only acceptable answer at the moment was that something had happened prior, causing him to change his mind, and it was why he wanted to know what that moment was. But, since it didn't show this significant moment, it meant he either had to figure it out himself, or it would appear later in another episode. This only frustrated the teen more.
Listening to Gran Torino seemingly talk in his sleep, it petrified Midoriya, who was still currently awake, as he thought, 'He is sleeping, right?'
"Looks like it to me…" Hitoshi hummed, coming from someone who had difficulty sleeping in general.
'-first day, he ended up just testing me. We didn't do any hero work. And after coming back from buying food, he went to sleep.' Midoriya was grateful for the man's teachings, but with his mind still racing about how to use his power, he couldn't quite go to bed just yet. Exiting Gran Torino's room, the greenet quietly walked downstairs, opening the front doors and checking outside, while thinking about the hero he was interning under, 'Gran Torino… I didn't get any hits when I searched his name. A U.A. teacher for just one year. There are a lot of mysteries about him.'
"You shouldn't be wandering outside on your own, Midoriya…" Shota strictly narrowed his eyes onto the teenage boy, watching him stiffen at calling his name.
"Imagine even being able to walk outside. On your own. In the dark…" Kyoka spat under her breath, followed by a few of the girls nodding along with what she was saying.
'-and the others can do as naturally as breathing, I still feel the need to 'use' in a conscious way. If I can use my power at five percent like breathing, movements like that won't be impossible!' Midoriya, while thinking back to his first match against Bakugo, thought about the way his opponent had moved, remembering something else too, as he further thought, 'Aizawa Sensei and Kirishima-kun said so, too- If I can master my quirk, there's a lot I can do!'
"Woah, when did Kirishima say something like that…? I get Aizawa Sensei, but damn, you just keep inspiring Midoriya more and more, bro…!" Hanta grinned over to the redhead, excited to know that he was helping Izuku with his quirk dilemma, but Eijiro was now overthinking everything that he had said in the past three days.
'I… don't entirely recall what exactly Kirishima-kun said, but if it helps, it helps…' Izuku had his pen and paper ready to take a huge amount of notes.
"Even with just five percent, I should be able to cross this distance. If I can go, jump, jump, jump, then it'd be really cool!"
"It probably would, but that shouldn't be what you're worried about, Midoriya-chan."
"I-I know… Asu-Asui- Tsuyu… chan."
Hearing her chuckle at the effort he was making to respect her nickname, it caused him to lose his focus for a second, feeling his body beginning to heat up. He only came back to his senses as the sound of a bang echoed through the speakers, accompanied soon by laughter, which confused Izuku.
"What the fuck was that?!" Tomura rolled off the couch, holding his sides, as he kicked his legs from seeing the kid slam into the brick wall of a building.
"Oh- OH, I'm sorry- I'm sorry, but that…! That took me by surprise!"
Eijiro felt bad for finding this funny, snorting, as this form of training only reminded him of his own, trying to strengthen his hardening. Maybe he and Izuku could have a chat, and maybe do a workout, with his quirk.
'-and cushion my arms… Which means, from the second jump, I'll need to put power into my arms and legs… But if I don't do it quickly, then I might break more bones…' Midoriya, despite planting face first into a brick wall, was hoping to try the move again, visually the scenario in his mind, before he muttered out loud, "It'll take too long to visualize like I usually do. All right, one more time!"
Climbing out of the trash bags he fell on, cushioning his fall, Midoriya hopped up to attempt his theory again, as he crouched on the ground, and powered One for All through his legs again. He jumped for the first wall with his arms outstretched, gritting his teeth, as he replayed the scenario quickly through his head, hoping it would work this time.
'Reinforce my arms-' Midoriya's mind only proved to move faster than his body again, as he slammed into the wall instead.
'You're stupid if you can't figure this out, Deku.' Katsuki glared at the screen, as the theater erupted into laughter once more.
The blond knew he could figure it out, seeing as Izuku had been studying quirks from the literal day he could write a full sentence. It was just a matter of what Sorahiko had said, too, at the beginning of the episode. If he was going to be imitating his movements while trying to understand this power better, Katsuki better see him do it right by the end of this.
Going for a third try, Midoriya thought differently, as he stopped visually thinking of it, but instead, put that effort into actual going through with the action, 'Switch faster-'
Once more, he couldn't get the action to his limbs in time, as he crashed into the stone wall, sliding down the side of the building. He kept up this method for a while, trying to experiment with every possibility that came to mind, not stopping until he could find one that worked out for him. Eventually, he had been out so long that a couple passing by heard the noise, frightened at the sight, as trash bags rolled into the street.
"Faster…! Faster!"
"What's that?" the woman shivered, clinging onto her boyfriend.
"Let's go! We shouldn't get involved." he eventually replied when there was another crash, taking her hand in his, as they fled the scene.
"FASTER…!"
'I should probably work on my spatial awareness, too…' Izuku felt awful for scaring those two citizens, clenching his fists in defeat, as the screen grew darker, before showing it was now morning, aka, the second day of their internships.
"Come on- You're telling me he didn't figure out onefucking method to this freaking power?!"
"And you're telling me that after three days of being here, and listening to his yapping, my eardrums are still working…?"
"You said it…" Mina chuckled softly at what Kyoka said.
"-digest what you said to me and put it into practice, but I have a long way to go."
"It's your first time trying it, so that's only to be expected. It can't be helped." Gran Torino replied to his student after hearing that Midoriya had gone out on his own to understand what he had said. Brushing his nose, the older hero informed the young boy of his old teachings to the current number one hero, All Might, explaining, "It's hard to get that kind of thinking from All Might. Since he was able to use it normally from the start, I taught him in a different way. His only redeeming feature was his body."
"All Might as a student? What was he like…?!" Midoriya grinned at the thought of learning firsthand how his idol trained, curious to know what his mentor was like at his age.
"Hm? Oh…" Gran Torino thought about that question for a moment, thinking back to the tough training he put All Might through, as he responded, "It was nothing but practical training for him."
Witnessing a flashback to Toshinori getting punched so hard in the gut he threw up, only to get uppercut a second later by Sorahiko, it was no surprise that their Symbol of Peace was scared of him.
"Man, I'd like to do that to All Might someday…" Tomura grinned like crazy, imagining the kind of expression the world would face once he disintegrated Toshinori to nothing but dust.
"It's no wonder All Might's horrified of Gran Torino- Shit, I just got shivers watching that…!"
Noticing Toshinori shaking slightly beside her, Ochaco furrowed her brow, before she reached over and hugged him, taking the hero by surprise.
"Is everything all right, Young Uraraka…?"
"I should be asking you that, All…" Ochaco started, until she registered what was spoken over the speakers, sitting up to look Toshinori in the eye as she asked, "Your mentor… passed away…?"
Toshinori didn't know how to reply to the young girl, and when he caught Izuku's sights on him, it only made it worse to admit the truth.
"Huh?" Gran Torino glanced back at the boy, surprised that Midoriya wasn't aware of this information already.
They were interrupted by a ring at the door, as the mail carrier called out, "Delivery…!"
"Oh, I'll get that." Midoriya walked off to answer for Gran Torino, who watched him go with a frown, thinking about the boy's answer, as if he didn't already know.
'You haven't told him about the seventh holder, Toshinori?'
"All…?" Izuku wasn't sure what to think after hearing that, understanding why his mentor didn't want to talk about it, even though he had asked yesterday about some of the past holders of One for All.
"I understand your curiosity, Young Midoriya, however, now is not an appropriate time to discuss this… Perhaps later."
Along with the greenet, those that were paying attention to Toshinori, and heard his reply, were curious to know more, though, it also sounded as if he wasn't ready to talk about his deceased master. It caused Ochaco to give the hero another hug, which he didn't say no to, as he hugged her back. Izuku thinned his lip, turning his eyes down to the floor in thought.
'I don't want to pressure All Might, but he seems just as hesitant to talk about him as he did yesterday…' Izuku understood why talking about the seventh holder would be difficult for Toshinori, he only wished that the episode would stop making him curious to know more.
"-it broke yesterday! So I used expedited delivery."
'I can't tell if he's serious or faking it.' Midoriya grimaced, as it sounded like Gran Torino forgot that he broke the microwave yesterday, having to order another one.
"All right, kid! We're gonna eat those frozen taiyaki I bought yesterday. Get ready!"
"Taiyaki for breakfast…?! Lucky…!"
'Could eating taiyaki stunt my muscles…?' Izuku, seeing as taiyaki was a very sweet treat, wondered about the consequences of eating something that was probably not on the 'Aim to Pass: American Dream Plan'. Though, maybe that plan didn't matter anymore now that he was at U.A. High, but it was still important to keep up his physique.
"-like sweets!"
Putting a plate of four taiyaki in the new microwave, after setting it up, Midoriya stood by the machine, watching and waiting for the timer to go off. And while Gran Torino drummed his hands happily onto the table, his student was busy getting lost in thought on ways he could improve his use of One for All.
'To use One for All like I'm breathing… Thinking about it objectively, I have to catch up to the feeling everyone else had fifteen years to cultivate.'
"I feel bad for saying this, but I don't think I could live without my quirk… It's just a part of me, you know? Though, at the same time, I don't think I'd know what to do if, randomly, a tail appeared out of nowhere one day."
"You said it, Ojiro." Hanta agreed, before glancing over to Izuku, whose eyes were still on the TV, but he felt the need to say, "No offense, Midoriya…!"
"Huh? Um, none ta-taken…"
'Honestly, I don't know if I'd rather be quirkless or stick with the quirk I was born with…' Hitoshi didn't like controlling people, but being quirkless could possibly make not only his life worse, but the bullying, too.
"What should I do…?" Midoriya hummed, setting the plate down, while he tried to think of something that could help his predicament.
Though, that wasn't what Gran Torino was worrying about right now, eagerly taking the taiyaki, as he grinned, "Why the long face? For now, just eat a piping hot taiyaki, and- IT'S COLD!"
"Huh? No way…!" Midoriya felt at fault, as he tried to explain, "I microwaved it on defrost, though…"
"Are you an idiot…?!" Gran Torino accused the boy, who faintly winced at his exclamation, while the older hero jumped out of his seat, pointing at the microwave, as he shouted, "You stuck a huge plate in, didn't you? If you force a plate in like that, it won't turn, so only part of it will get hot…! Is this your first time using a microwave?!"
"He's very passionate about taiyaki…" Hitoshi mumbled, but neither of his friends paid attention to what he said, either not hearing him, or one was about to make a startling realization.
"-type… I'm sorry-" Midoriya paused, straightening up, as he thought about what just happened, widening his eyes when he thought about how similar these situations were. It was so obvious, it made him gasp, as he called out to Gran Torino, "I've got it! G-Gran Torino-san! This- This taiyaki is… me!"
"No, it's not. Are you okay?"
"Yeah… what he said…" Minoru, just like everyone else in the theater, looked over to the greenet, to make sure he was okay, but Izuku wasn't paying attention to them. Furthermore, he wasn't paying attention to anything around him, frantically writing down everything that came to mind to sort through it later, not realizing that it was all being said and shown on the television above.
"It's just, I get it now." Midoriya, placing the taiyaki down that he proudly declared was myself, clenched his fists, grinning, as he explained to Gran Torino, "Up until now, I've insisted on 'using' One for All. Using it when I need it, in the places that I need it. Like flipping a switch. But with that, my reaction time got slower and slower, with the second and third moves. If that's the case, then I should've turned the switch on throughout from the beginning!"
Clenching his buttcheeks tight, Midoriya gritted his teeth, as brought forth One for All throughout his entire body, letting that heat spread through his form, and allowing the power to flow freely. As just with five percent of the quirk, he could feel himself straining to hold this power, but he persisted.
'Imagining the heat that used to be in one place… spreading throughout my whole body!' Midoriya felt himself getting weighed down, trying to keep this new development under control.
'It didn't take him long to figure that out.' Gran Torino smirked, silently watching the boy, as energy exploded from Midoriya, making his eyes glow, as static danced off his body.
'In my whole body, continuously! To the upper limit of what my body will allow- Five percent!' Midoriya twitched at the overflow of power circulating through his body.
"To visualize a taiyaki in a microwave is really boring. You okay with that?"
"All Might… already said… that's fine…!" Midoriya's voice gave away how much pressure the quirk was making his whole body feel, but his answer only excited Gran Torino, tossing his cane to the side.
"Can you move in that state?"
"I… don't know…"
"Wanna give it a try?"
Focusing on the pro hero, seeing his grinning expression, Midoriya couldn't help but feel that same excitement, as he answered back with his own challenging smirk, "Yes. Please…!"
The ending theme commences.
"HOLY SHIT-"
"That's what you little shits were hyping up?"
"Hell yeah! Let's just hope this doesn't end in a bone shattering mess!"
"It probably won't, judging from what we saw before."
"Deku-kun, did you see all that…?!" Ochaco jumped up from her seat, excited, as she bounced on her toes, before plopping down on the other side of the couch, next to her friend. The action caused Izuku to faintly jump, shutting his notebook on instinct, before realizing it was only Ochaco, causing him to blush at how close she was.
Then he remembered what she asked, as Izuku replied, "S-See what…?"
"Wait…" Ochaco playfully narrowed her eyes, wondering to herself if he actually didn't see what just happened, softly whispering so as not to scare him, "Did you not see what happened…?"
When Izuku shook his head, before the brunette could reply to his question, they were interrupted by Mina's exclamation, "A mushroom home…!"
"Wait, is this like…?"
"Oh- OH! Fantasy…! I love the fantasy genre!" Yuga cheered, clapping with joy, as he recognized the setting from a few of his favorite series.
"I was thinking more medieval-"
Izuku was confused about what was going on, first wondering what his friend was talking about, to now being curious about why his mother was in a mushroom house. It seemed strange, with his clothing, and the sword on his belt, but the visuals were interesting, nonetheless.
"OCHACO- You look so cuuute!" Mina cooed, kicking her legs, before she sprinted over to where the girl was, crashing into Ochaco in order to give her a hug upon seeing her friend in a mage outfit, along with Tenya being presented as a knight, which took the blue-haired boy by surprise.
"I like this, but this is all of a sudden- Where did this come from?"
"Who cares…?! I wouldn't mind seeing an episode or two about this kind of lifestyle!" Denki quickly responded to Hanta, before turning to his new friend, Shoto, lowering his voice for only him to hear, as he said, "I don't like the idea of Endeavor ruling a kingdom in this alternate universe, but you work great as a prince…!"
"I… do?"
"Yeah…! The ladies agree, too." Denki stated, overhearing a few of the girls down below squealing at seeing Shoto's smile, and while he usually would be jealous in this kind of situation, it was for his friend.
"Oh…" Shoto didn't know how to take anything that was just said, but his response was enough for Denki to look back at the screen anyway.
"Fucking sick-" Tomura threw his head back laughing, at seeing Katsuki on a dragon, along with scaring away the horse that Shoto had been shown riding previously.
"I… really, really like this."
"Why can't this be my life…?!"
"Would you rather fight villains or goblins?" Shota raised an eyebrow toward the three boys, waiting for them to give him a response, but Hanta and Denki's silence was all he needed to answer that question.
"I'm a wizard…!"
"I am certain the proper term for a female with magical powers is a witch, though, a better term can be mage."
"I'm a mage…!"
"Wait, does Bakugo have a tattoo…?" Mashirao glanced to his left, wondering if he had heard his question, or had just seen what he was talking about, studying Katsuki's expression.
"Oh…" Kyoka raised a hand to her lips, covering the gasp she wanted to let out, as she took in the lyrics. She tried determining what they were, but with everyone speaking around her, it was hard to know for sure, but that last line told her the possibility of what the rest of the song could be about.
As the final visuals ended, with Izuku bringing his sword down in a blinding display of color, the song came to an end, and the voice asked its audience, "Would you like to continue to the next episode?"