Chapter 11: Forced Progression
Itsuka Kendo had always prided herself on her fighting spirit and overall positive attitude towards life. Her general determination and tenacity were things that anyone would be hard pressed to find outside of the hero community. And just in general, it was always safe to assume that no matter what was thrown her way, she would at least find a way to wrap her head around it.
However, right now, she wasn't afraid to admit she was freaking out.
Everything had just been on a constant decline from the moment they had walked into this crazy facility.
Obviously, the biggest surprise factor was the villains themselves. As soon as they arrived, All Might took off and tried to take the fight to them, but that plan quickly fell through as soon as it formed.
Needless to say, the situation went off a cliff from there.
Great, just great, Itsuka thought to herself as she enlarged her hands and ran up to a villain covered in purple spheres, introducing him to the floor as she tried to gather her thoughts.
First, that teleporting freak separates the class and spreads out the villains so All Might can't solo them. Then he comes back for seconds, bringing backup while also sending Thirteen and Aizawa-sensei to who knows where!
Grunting in both frustration and worry, the orange haired teen almost didn't realize her classmate was talking to her.
"Yeah! Great job, Red! We make a pretty good pair! Don't ya think?" Mineta said with a smirk, some obvious second meanings behind his words.
"Sure, but focus up, we took down the few that came for us, but more could be coming any minute," she reminded, keeping a sharp eye while holding in her nerves.
"You tell him Kendo-chan!" Tsunotori said from behind the two as she grew a new set of horns. It looked as though she already had some sort of issue with the small hero in training.
"Ugh, will you two lighten up? I swear, the hotter a girl is, the more troublesome her personality. Listen, I was scared at the beginning too! But relax, all these flunkies they sent after us are a bunch of pushovers! And All Might is here! Remember? He's totally kicking butt!"
Both girls rolled their eyes at the first sentence the boy muttered to himself, Kendo in particular was starting to understand why Yaoyoruzu mentioned such a negative first impression of the boy.
"Plus! We have Monoma-san going to get help, remember? Everything's gonna be fine!" The purple haired teen continued nonchalantly, even going as far as to yawn.
While not exactly agreeing with her classmate on the direct amount of danger they were in, she did have to admit that she found comfort in the fact that help was on the way.
Even if the person going to get it wasn't the best in her eyes…
Rather than think about the blonde though, Kendo smiled as she instead thought about how he got to them. Or rather, who sent him.
Monoma had quickly explained that Midoriya sent him back to the main entrance for a variety of reasons. First as a distraction for the villains they were facing, secondly so he would be safe, and thirdly so he could make himself useful with different classmate's quirks.
And while he didn't exactly use anyone's quirk to make himself less of a burden, the boy volunteered almost instantly to run out of the facility and go find help.
But hey, he still technically got all three objectives out of Monoma in the end. Pretty impressive.
And speaking of impressive, she really needed to ask the boy more questions when she saw him again. That was the third time he'd saved her! And even though this time wasn't life or death, she was still very curious about how he could almost see things coming before they actually happened.
Ironically enough, the boy surrounding her thoughts was also the very reason she was broken out of them a moment later.
"ALL MIGHT!"
"Huh?" Kendo, Mineta and Tsunotori all looked up in unison, their eyes widening as they saw Izuku flying through the air, noting that his speed was about the same as Monomas's.
"He's… Going straight for the bosses!? Is he insane!?" Mineta yelled, his fear apparently coming back with a fiery vengeance.
"Look!" Tsunotori pointed, her Japanese still sounding very rough. "It looks like All Might is cornered!"
Looking closer, it was obvious that this was the case, but not to any fault of the symbol of peace, it seemed as though the three main villains had teamed up to put him in a not so advantageous position.
"B-but, that's three against one! No fair!" Mineta yelled in a panic as he attempted to chew his nails through his yellow gloves.
This seemed to strike a chord with Itsuka, because she was quick to respond to the boy with a realization of her own. "It's just like Aizawa-sensei said, the world doesn't care about that…"
Gulping heavily, the purple haired teen was about to bite back at the girl for provoking his fear, but he didn't get the chance, because she took off in a dash for the heart of the facility.
"Hey! Where the heck are you going!? Not you too, Red!"
But she wasn't alone, because a few seconds after her, Pony took off with impressive speed as well.
"C'mon Mineta-san! You wanna be a hero don't you!?" The horned girl yelled back, not really expecting or waiting for a response.
"S-stop it! Not like this! This is insane! You're both too pretty to die!" He cried out, both girls rolling their eyes again at the boy's maturity, or lack thereof.
Focusing back in, Itsuka was happy to have some kind of backup with her. She knew the task ahead would be a challenging one.
I can almost see the battlefield. C'mon All Might! You're the best around! You can do this! She thought frantically. It didn't take long for her to catch her stride and begin sprinting, but somewhere along the way, her mind broke away from All Might and back to her green haired friend.
And Midoriya, you better not get yourself killed before I get there!
No way, this isn't happening! The super powered teen thought to himself as he flew through the air, tightening his body in order to streamline himself.
The boy was on his way to a head on collision with three villains and one former idol. And it wasn't a hopeful sight in the slightest.
The large blue humanoid creature seemed to have All Might in a powerful hold from underneath, its left hand leaking with fresh blood from where it was digging into the hero's side.
What!? All Might is bleeding!? His skin should be basically impervious! They must have caught him by surprise. But still, that doesn't make any sense…
Realizing he was getting lost in thought, the boy shook his head and forced himself to focus.
Ok focus Spider-Man, All Might needs you. It looks like that huge monster is halfway inside that teleporting mist. And now that scary hand guy is approaching too! What's the plan…
…
Wait… Scary hand guy!?
"Agh!" All Might choked out, spitting up more blood into the air as the grip of the Nomu tightened.
"Ahahaha! How do you like that, you fake!" Shigaraki cackled once again, very much enjoying himself as he approached the symbol of peace in his helpless position.
Crap, to escape this I'll have to use more power, I only hope it doesn't burn up all the time I've saved today.
"Prepare to die! You false symbol of peace!" The deranged leader cried out, reaching out with one hand and placing it firmly on the number one's elbow.
Instantly, All Might knew how dangerous the man's quirk was. Whether it was the sight of his highly durable costume being turned to dust, or the feeling of his skin going numb, he knew he was in trouble.
Getting ready to power up and break free at the expense of his body, All Might tensed up and gathered his energy. Preparing to cut loose and deliver an all out attack.
"ALL MIGHT!"
"Huh?" Both Shigaraki and Kurogiri questioned as they turned to the source of the newfound disruption.
Needless to say, both men were flabbergasted when a flying teenager adjusted himself in mid air and shot a pair of web lines at Nomu, pulling himself toward it at an incredible speed.
Those… Look like webs… Shigaraki thought darkly, his instincts clearly reminding him of something that his mind couldn't quite catch up to.
Of the three men present however, none were more surprised than the symbol of peace himself.
"Y-young Midoriya!?"
Now propelled even faster by his arms, Izuku realigned his body, shifting from flying head first to feet first, no longer holding anything back considering his target was an 'All Might' level villain.
The boy's brain couldn't really fathom what was happening anymore. He was pretty sure he recognized the leader of this group of villains, but he had no time to worry about or process this, because All Might was in trouble!
When the boy finally did land his very own spider version of a drop kick, he surprised himself with the results.
Not only was he not used to putting all of his strength into one attack, but he also wasn't quite prepared for how solid his target would be.
What the heck!? How dense is this guy? The super powered teen thought incredulously as he felt the impact in his legs.
While the sheer sturdiness of the creature was obvious after his feet made initial contact, Izuku's full power and momentum combined were easily enough to knock the monster back and out of the purple mist it resided in.
In the blink of an eye, All Might felt the grip of the monster vanish completely, easily allowing him to get back on his feet a moment later.
Turning to his student with a satisfied smile, the symbol of peace looked impressed as Midoriya stood atop of the Nomu.
Incredible, young Midoriya… I'm unsure if I should be impressed that you have the strength to knock down that monstrosity, or more so confused that it's you who's helping me…
Grabbing his left side with a grunt and dusting off his costume's residue on his elbow, All Might shrugged and took a fighting stance once again. Not hesitating to give his student a signature smile.
"Thank you, young Midoriya! I am ever grateful for your assistance. I only ask now that you stay on the defensive and allow me to handle this. This has gone on long enough."
Nodding at his teacher with a kind smile gracing his lips, Izuku aimed his web shooter downwards and gave the Nomu a healthy dosage.
"R-right! I'll stay out of the way!" The boy said slightly, the reality of the situation in front of him beginning to set in a bit.
I really just did that… Awesome!
"You bastard! That's my Nomu! How dare you sully his artificial body with that disgusting quirk of yours! Get that sticky white stuff off of him!" Shigaraki complained, his other ally, Kurogiri, now by his side as well.
While still trying to keep his head in the game, the green haired boy almost chuckled at the villain's choice of words. He already knew without a doubt that Peter would've had a field day with that comment.
"Young Midoriya," All Might boomed in his heavy voice, instantly breaking the boy's thoughts. "Be very wary of that man with the severed hands all over his body. Do not let him touch you, I suspect he has some sort of corrosion quirk. Understood?"
"Understood All Might! I'll keep my distance."
The symbol of peace nodded to the boy, smiling even more when he saw him jump up and out of the way of the fight.
Hmm, perhaps I was too hasty to judge him…
"Texas Smash!" The oversized man cried out as he pushed his fist through the air. He would have all the time in the world to think about his conspiracies later. Right now, it was time to protect his students.
"Shigaraki-san! Get closer! I can-" Kurogiri began only to be silenced by a ball of webbing hitting his head.
"What!?" Shigaraki yelled in frustration as he looked up to where the boy had jumped. He seemed to still be in midair, as well as far away from the action, but that didn't necessarily mean he wouldn't help.
It was at this point that the hand themed villain finally got a good look at the boy, and not just his appearance either. No, the particular detail that had his attention right now was the action the boy displayed with his fingers in order to rain hell on them with his projectiles…
They are webs… They're coming from the devices on his wrist…
However, the evil doer's internal revelation was cut short by the massive gust of wind from the symbol of peace's attack pushing them off their feet and into the air.
"Gah! No! Do something Kurogiri!"
"Agh! I can't Shigaraki-san, the wind is too strong!"
Landing on his feet with a small thud, Izuku observed as the villains were blown away, finally letting his thoughts settle on the man who appeared to be their leader.
I know that's him, I will never forget that day…
But what did it mean? Why were these people here at U.A? The boy doubted that they were here for him, that would be way too much of a coincidence.
I should report to Aizawa-sensei that I know these guys… It's the right thing to do…
But wait, then that might lead into more questions about my powers…
"Young Midoriya! Watch out!"
"Huh!?" The green haired boy jolted as he broke from his thoughts to a loud familiar ringing in his head.
Turning just in time to widen his eyes in fear, the super powered teen gaped as a large, blue fist came crashing down on his midsection, sending him flying down the battlefield.
"NO!" The number one hero screamed angrily, not hesitating to take off and meet the genetic creation blow for blow.
"Tch, I knew those crappy webs couldn't hold Nomu!" Shigaraki grumbled as he regained himself, getting to his feet much quicker than his purple shrouded partner.
This kid… Who is he… I must know…
Izuku winced as he skidded across the floor like a stone skipped across a river, his arms protecting him as much as possible.
Agh, my ribs! The boy moaned inwardly, his body creaking even more every time he met the pavement. For a moment it almost felt like his momentum would never end, but soon a sweet release was presented to him in the form of the lake within the facility, but even that was short lived.
Before the super powered teen could land somewhat comfortably in the water, a purple mist appeared before him, swallowing him up.
He couldn't see much through the mist, and even when it cleared up to show his new location, Izuku's world was still spinning much too fast for his sight to be of any use.
Luckily, the green haired boy had one sense that never failed him.
Snapping his eyes open, Izuku jerked as his spider sense unthawed his fuzzy mind, waking him up like an alarm clock and hyper focusing his brain.
Ok, I'm still moving so my momentum hasn't stopped, the teleporter just changed my direction, noted. But where am I…
The words died in his mind before they had a chance to consider being uttered.
Now standing a good ten meters in front of him with a familiar terrifying smile, was the leader of the villain group, his arm outstretched with his hand wide open and ready to catch him.
Crap! There's not enough time! I can't change my direction!
"Yes! Come here you little sh-"
"Shigaraki-san! Lookout!"
Suddenly a pair of horns came soaring out of nowhere, lodging themselves right into the villain's arm with a concerning sound of tearing skin.
"Ahh! What on earth!?" Shigaraki screeched violently as he stared down at his wound. The pair of horns had almost made it cleanly through his wrist.
For a moment, the evildoer appeared to be considering whether or not to pull the horns from his damaged appendage, but something quickly derailed his train of thought.
"Hiya!" Kendo yelled from behind as she delivered a powerful slap with an enlarged hand. It seemed as though sending people flying with attacks was the common theme today, because pretty soon it was Shigaraki skidding across the pavement.
"I've gotcha Midoriya!" The orange haired girl focused quickly on her flying friend, not hesitating to enlarge her other hand and catch the boy as softly as she could.
Landing as softly as one could inside a giant pair of hands, the super powered teen did his best to grin. "Ugh, Kendo-san, that was amazing…" the boy groaned out through very visible pain.
The big fist user matched his smile, gently placing her friend onto his feet before assessing his many visible bruises.
"It's no problem Midoriya, I owe you for all those times you saved me. Are you ok?"
"Hehe, yeah, I'm fine," he said, attempting to straighten up before wincing in pain. "That huge monster definitely broke a few ribs though. Gonna feel that one in the morning."
Itsuka briefly wondered how the boy could crack a joke right now with the condition he was in, but put that thought aside when another voice captured her attention.
"Hey, uh, guys? Sorry to interrupt! But I can't keep this guy busy for long!" Pony shouted as she ran in their direction. Her horns were now growing back at a slower rate, and she appeared to have a good amount of cuts riddling her body as well. Holding off Kurogiri by herself, even for a moment, had definitely taken its toll.
"He's not a good opponent for her," Izuku observed. "He can just redirect her horns right back at her."
Well, is he a good opponent for anyone? Is what Itsuka wanted to ask, instead she just took on a fighting stance and prepared herself. "Well, now he's up against all three of us. Let's see how good those odds are.
Despite how grim the current situation looked, Izuku couldn't help but smile at his friend as he too adopted a fighting stance. "Thanks again for saving me, both of you."
As the pair prepared themselves to fight alongside their classmate, Shigaraki could be seen a little ways away picking himself off the floor with muttered profanities.
"Agh! I hate these kids!" The villain leader cursed under his breath as he assessed the battlefield.
The three students who had gotten involved were all currently confronting Kurogiri, if you could even call it that. Running around and just barely avoiding him was a more accurate description. But that didn't matter as much to the deathly pale man.
No, what really concerned him was the fact that the fight between his Nomu and All-Might was now reaching its climax, and it was very clear the creature was on the losing end.
"I will not allow you all to harm any more of my students!" The symbol of peace shouted, his anger boiling over into his punches causing his opponent to falter.
"No! NOMU!" Shigaraki screamed to no avail.
Even Kurogiri stopped his assault on the heroes in training to pay attention, his surprise shown on his face as well.
With everyone's attention on the conclusion of the battle, All Might didn't hesitate to end things quickly.
"We must go beyond!" The number one hero bellowed, his punches speeding their pace and his teeth gritting.
Having already fallen off tempo from the barrage of attacks, Nomu could do nothing but stand there and endure the cluster of earth shaking punches from the symbol of peace.
Said symbol of peace noticed this and quickly realized that the creature's shock absorption was at its limit, granting him a clear path to wrap this fight up.
"PLUS ULTRA!" He shouted out with more passion than ever, reaching back with his right fist and preparing a finishing blow.
All around the battlefield, pairs of eyes were glued to the action, and none were more curious as to how the fight would end than Izuku Midoriya.
The boy really did try to look away from the action, after all, he should have been focusing on the task at hand, which was evading Kurogiri. But even the purple shrouded villain was gawking at the scene before him.
That's why the super powered teen was somewhat confused when his spider sense began going off with a villain in plain sight…
Already knowing what he needed to do, Izuku took action, shoving a very distracted Pony away from him and tackling Itsuka who was a bit further away in the opposite direction.
All before an enormous glacier came crashing through the battlefield right where they all stood a moment ago.
After that, everything blurred together. With loud sounds beginning to blare all around, the boy's senses overloaded as his head began to throb.
Welp, I hope I pushed Tsunotori-san far enough away from the ice. At least Kendo-san is ok…
Feeling the girl shift around under him, Izuku let his eyelids fall heavy for a moment and just relaxed, his mind moving a mile a minute trying to distinguish all the sounds around him through his raging headache.
He could have sworn at one point that he heard the glass from the ceiling take a massive hit, along with chatter and some explosions signaling the arrival of other students.
"Where the heck are all the villains!" A revved up Bakugo demanded to no one in particular.
Fluttering his eyes open at the familiar voice, Izuku noticed a frazzled head or orange hair directing its attention toward him.
"Darn it, Midoriya! How do you keep doing that!? Are you ok? You don't look so good," Kendo spilled out rapidly.
"What, this? It's nothing, I'm fine," he said nonchalantly, though it came out as more of a groan. In reality, the green haired boy couldn't help but feel touched at the genuine concern she was showing as she looked around for any sort of help. The girl must have found what she was looking for, because her face soon lit up like a Christmas tree.
Ignoring his dismissal, Kendo didn't hesitate to take charge of the situation. "Oh look, there's Aizawa sensei with some of the others! Do you think you can stay here while I-"
"I AM HERE!"
Suddenly appearing before the pair with a proud pose, All Might's unexpected presence got a small squeak out of Itsuka, which Izuku would have found cute had he not been waiting for an update on the current situation.
"All Might, that huge villain… Is it-"
"Fear not young Midoriya, for I have dispatched the issue. What is it you kids say these days? I raised the roof on him!"
Both teenagers looked at each other blankly as a singular sweat drop formed on their foreheads…
It was only when the dust finally began to clear out that everyone was finally starting to become visible. Aizawa, along with a handful of students stood a good ways away, not appearing to have seen them yet. But that wasn't who the trio was focused on.
Instead they all looked forward about twenty meters to the two remaining villains as a purple shroud washed over them.
Kurogiri and Shigaraki stood perfectly still as they slowly sunk into the dark mist, only the ladder reaching out and pointing a finger directly at Izuku once they were almost out of sight.
"I know your secret…"
Chapter 12: After the Fact
"GAAAH!"
Kurogiri flinched as his colleague continued throwing a temper tantrum, making a mess all over their secret base.
"I can't believe this crap! That scrawny little kid in the alley that day got the spider! This isn't fair!" Shigaraki wailed, lashing out on another piece of furniture.
"Shigaraki-san, perhaps you should calm down for a mom-"
"Shut your trap, Kurogiri! You're the one who lost the stupid thing and stopped me from killing him that day! Do you see what you've caused!"
The purple shrouded being gulped and stepped back nervously as his pale boss approached. "Sh-Shigaraki-san, please forgive me, we can stop this, we can seek the boy out and end him!"
Walking up to his subordinate and closing the distance to corner him, the hand covered villain could only glare deeply. "Yeah? And then what? Master will be all over us if we act without his orders! And if we kill him, the spider really is gone and unusable…"
Noticing that his leader's eyes had glazed over as he broke eye contact, Kurogiri instantly knew what he was thinking before finishing the train of thought. "Right… If we keep him alive, then Master can take the quirk back! You're a genius Shigaraki-san!"
"Tsk, you idiot, I outta kill you for how stupid you are."
"Huh?"
Breaking away from the dark misted villain, Shigaraki stomped back towards the bar and found a seat that he hadn't corroded away. "Having Master take back the quirk is a last resort, and even then it might get us killed for insubordination…"
Feeling the tension in the pregnant pause, Kurogiri merely stayed silent and waited for his leader to finish.
"Don't think so small Kurogiri, if we find out more about that darn brat, maybe he can switch sides willingly…"
Widening his eyes, Kurogiri couldn't help a smile from forming as the puzzle pieces all fell together in his head. "And that way we can say our plan was to give it to him all along!"
Shigaraki smiled devilishly as his purple shrouded friend finally got the picture, it was a top notch idea after all.
"Looks like we're watching the sports festival this year Kurogiri."
Shota Aizawa definitely considered himself someone who very much paid attention to detail. Often finding himself in the background, he was no stranger to staying silent, but that wasn't always a bad thing. It allowed for more listening and observation, which in turn strengthened his senses and overall gut feeling. He always trusted his gut, logic would always fail eventually, the attack on USJ just yesterday was proof of that…
Which was the primary reason he was full of brooding concern as he walked through the halls of the school with one destination in mind; the principal's office.
The students were all safe and out of danger, so that wasn't an immediate concern. Sure, he was slightly ticked off due to the fact that he couldn't help All Might with the bulk of the fighting yesterday, but everything ended well, so he couldn't complain. The school had even canceled school today in order to appease parents and keep them calm, so everything was under control now.
Well, mostly under control.
I should have been there.
As Nezu's office came into view, Shota shook his head at the recollection of statements from multiple students who witnessed the main fight, or at least the end portions of it. In basically all of the statements, one name continued to come up.
Izuku Midoriya.
Stepping inside the spacious office. Aizawa resisted the urge to sigh as he took a seat in front of the principal and next to a very skinny looking All Might.
Why do I feel like I already know what this is about…
"Alright, let's get this over with," The underground hero began with a small yawn. "What's so important that we needed another one of these super secret meetings?"
"Do not take this so lightly Eraserhead, this is serious. I think my suspicions have been confirmed." All Might stated seriously, all but leering at the erasure user.
Aizawa noted that Nezu was staring forward silently with no reaction at all. "Just cut to the chase already, I get it. This is a big deal." The underground hero beckoned.
All Might stared for a bit longer before clearing his throat and continuing. "As I just told Nezu, I heard our mystery villain say something quite interesting to Young Midoriya just before he and the teleporter disappeared. Without hesitating for even a moment, he pointed at us and said word for word; I know your secret."
Silence hung in the air for a solid minute as the words sunk into the teacher. In fact, even Nezu seemed to be processing still, and he'd already heard the story once.
"Was anyone else there to witness this?" The small creature began, breaking the thick layered silence.
All Might didn't seem to appreciate his curiosity however. "Yes, another student, young Kendo, I believe. Is my word not enough, dear friend?"
Nezu kept his straight face and ignored the sarcastic bite from the number one hero, replying without an ounce of hesitation. "I see, this is most unfortunate. I do not wish to bring any suspicion to our theories by snooping around and asking another student. We will need to tread carefully here no matter what we decide to do."
Grunting slightly, All Might nodded, turning now to Aizawa who had yet to even react to the news shared over a minute ago.
"Well, this certainly got interesting…"
Turning his attention to the underground hero now as well, Nezu raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean Aizawa? You have something?"
Looking up from the floor for the first time. Aizawa let out a long sigh. "I agree All Might, that is indeed very concerning."
Feeling like someone was finally on his side, the symbol of peace burst into a wide grin as his fellow teacher continued.
"Don't look at me like that, it's not for the reason you think."
Looking even more confused now, All Might was about to open his mouth when Aizawa cut him off.
"You said he pointed at all of you, so yes, it's possible that he was pointing directly at Midoriya, and we should definitely be on high alert when it comes to him. But that isn't the only possibility. What if he was pointing at you, All Might?"
Nezu's eyes instantly widened, a rare show of emotion that was quickly swallowed up by pure indifference once again.
All Might on the other hand was gritting his teeth as if he was stumped on a frustrating riddle that he just couldn't find the answer to.
Regardless of their facial reactions, it was the principal who reacted verbally to the comment first. "I see, I had not considered this option. That would indeed be a terrifying scenario. I commend you Aizawa, it would be good to prepare for this as well."
"Tch, thats… Thats impossible. No one knows my secret…" All Might choked out through gritted teeth.
"Except us..."
"Why, you!" All Might stood up, gritting his teeth even more.
"Relax, All Might." Aizawa paused, putting his hands up calmly in an attempt to mellow out the scrawny symbol of peace. "Like I said, it's not like we know for sure." Aizawa reminded the man, hoping to pacify his irritated state. "Your theory about Midoriya could still be true. If anything this just motivates me even more to keep my eyes on him. His actions yesterday proved at least that he's on our side firmly for now. But that can all change in an instant."
This seemed to stabilize the mood of the room momentarily, but not for long. Not if Nezu had anything to say about it.
"You're right Aizawa, about both points. In my opinion, both could be right, but both could also be very wrong. I've been holding back a very important piece of information that you both must hear."
Both men turned their full attention to the white furred creature, not daring to interrupt even once.
"This morning we found evidence that our security breach on Tuesday was more than just reporters… A class schedule was stolen. And they knew just where to look. It appears that we officially have a mole, whether we know who it is or not…"
All Might wasted no time in practically jumping up in place, taking the honors of speaking first. "There! That's proof! We need to find Midoriya and arrest him. I have a friend in the police who can get all the truth out of him in no time!"
Aizawa stood slowly from his seat as well, making heavy eye contact with the symbol of peace. "All Might, you need to calm down, stop acting like a child. We don't have all the facts yet. We need to-"
"Don't have all the facts!? Then let's interrogate him! Nezu just admitted that there's a mole! How can we not follow up on this information!?"
"While I agree with your urgency All Might, Aizawa is right, we can not make a rash decision. If the boy is guilty, then revealing that we know right away is not for the best."
All Might grunted to himself and turned away from the two men, running a frustrated hand through his wild blonde hair.
Aizawa on the other hand, kept his composure as he thought to himself, his eyes narrowing in suspicion more and more.
This doesn't make sense.
"Nezu, if I may, I believe that our best course of action is to just remain vigilant for right now. Something just isn't adding up."
Both Nezu and All Might now had their full attention on the tired looking teacher. Neither of them looked very agreeable at his suggestion.
"What do you mean Aizawa?" Nezu questioned. "While I agree that All Might's proposal is too rash, yours is on the opposite side. Could you be more clear?"
"It's just, think about it. This doesn't add up. Why would the villains go through all this trouble to plant a mole, only to give up his identity themselves?"
The principal merely nodded, appearing to have already considered this possibility. All Might on the other hand looked stunned, obviously showing that he hadn't thought about this as deeply as his other two colleagues.
"I want to keep this school safe as much as you two do, but we can't go around making too much noise about things like this. It has to be handled silently and discreetly, just like underground hero work."
After another few moments of silence, Nezu spoke. "Very well," He stated with a nod of approval. "Aizawa makes an incredible point. We will continue to stick to the shadows. Both of you will keep very close eyes on Midoriya. But no action will be taken without my knowing, is that understood?"
All Might knew Nezu was directing that last comment at him, and it aggravated him to no end. He knew that both men had valid opinions, but he just knew in his gut that something about Midoriya was fishy. One thing was certain, he would get his answers one way or another.
With a stiff nod, All Might rose and exited the room with a sharp slam of the door in his wake.
Leaving the remaining two heroes in a comfortable silence, Nezu couldn't keep his curiosity at bay.
"Aizawa, what is your true opinion of the boy, without any of this conspiracy?"
"Can I be honest?"
"Of course."
Taking one more deep breath, the tired man spoke. "I'll admit the kid has rubbed me the right way so far. He's strong but also modest, I'd even go as far as to call that modesty timidness sometimes. I don't know him very well yet, but he's easily one of my top students. And I would be lying if I told you that I want him to be the traitor, because I don't. Especially not after the guts he showed yesterday."
Nezu took a moment to dissect the information he was given, looking as though he was staring into the teacher's very soul.
Out of nowhere, though, a bright smile appeared on his small and furry face. "You are a good teacher Aizawa, I'm grateful to have you on my staff. You may take your leave now. Thank you for your time."
Nodding without another word, Eraserhead got up and walked out, leaving the principal alone with his thoughts.
My oh my, what are we going to do with you Izuku Midoriya. I hope your teacher is right about you…
Itsuka Kendo winced as she took a kick directly to her stomach, falling to a knee as she attempted to catch her breath.
"Hmm, I'm proud of you for wanting to train so fast after what happened yesterday Itsuka, but I'm shutting it down. Your mind is clearly elsewhere."
Wincing slightly as she attempted to stand back up, Itsuka responded defiantly. "No way Dad, I'm not done yet."
Needing no more convincing than his daughter slipping on her own sweat and falling back onto the mat, the man known as Itaru Kendo smiled as he finalized his decision. "Hah, yeah, you're through. I've never beaten you that easily in sparring. And we aren't even using our quirks. Wipe down the mats and hit the showers. I have another class to teach in half an hour."
Blowing hair out her face with a pouting huff, Itsuka sat up and watched her father walk away.
He's right? What's wrong with me?
The girl played dumb, but she knew exactly what was wrong. She wouldn't say it outright, but something about yesterday was really eating at her, Or better said, someone.
She just couldn't help that Midoriya was such an intriguing person, and if she had a handful of questions for him before, well, let's just say that now that handful had turned into a truckload.
What was he thinking attacking the villains head on like that? He was usually so much smarter and careful about his decisions. And what about those creeps that attacked the school? Who were they? And why did they tell All Might they knew his secret, what was that about?
Ugh, this is so annoying. I'm gonna kill that kid when I see him tomorrow! Taking up all this space in my brain like this, I'll show you!
Wait a second, I'll show you…
All of the sudden, a lightbulb went off in the orange haired teen's head about something she had already mentioned to Izuku. Something that could give her the perfect excuse to talk to him!
Wow, I sound like some love sick teenager.
"Dad! Hold up!"
Turning around, the very muscular and orange haired man had his disciplined expression blank once again. "Yes dear?"
"I want your advice on something, it's about uhh… teaching."
Putting a large and calloused hand to his chin, the man hesitated. "I'm sorry Itsuka, I'm not sure I understand. You mean teaching as in martial arts?"
Kendo blushed at her indirect wording. "Yeah, that, I was just wondering if you could give me pointers since I've never taught anyone before. Well, at least not one on one."
The truth was that she had taught many times alongside her father in their Karate dojo, but if she was really gonna train Midoriya out of his funky fighting style, he was gonna need more than just pointers on form.
"Hmm, interesting. I assume this is for a classmate of yours?"
Itsuka nodded, allowing for him to continue.
"I see, well, there's not much of a science to it, dear. It just comes from the heart. Your drive to see the person improve as well as your love for the martial art. You already know many stances for many different fighting styles. Obviously we prefer Karate, but I've made sure your range of knowledge is deep in almost every martial art. So as long as you remember those first two things and you know the art, you can teach any way you want."
Itsuka looked on proudly at her father, his words hitting her in all the right places before she realized he wasn't done.
"Honestly, you're going to have an advantage with it being a one on one lesson. In my opinion, that is the true way to teach someone to fight. Endless sparring, with trial, error and pain. Those are the best teachers."
Now grinning from ear to ear, the big fist user now knew exactly what she needed to do. "Thanks Dad! That's great advice!" She shrieked out as she pulled him in for a big hug.
Ruffling his daughter's hair with a grin that reached his eyes, the man took a moment to cherish the closeness with his daughter in a rare show of emotion.
"There there, go on now dear. The mats still need cleaning."
Kendo promptly slipped away from the hug with a groan. She was hoping he would forget about that.
Ugh, my body feels like it's been inside a blender.
Groaning like a zombie, Izuku squirmed around under his sheets until he was sure sleep was no longer possible.
Sitting up slightly, the boy stretched his shirtless upper body with a heavy grimace as the soreness of yesterday hit him like a train.
"Ugh, remind me to leave a bad review on the Nomu express next time," the boy mumbled to no one in particular, craning his head to check the time.
One thirty!? In the afternoon!? Wow, look at me becoming a useless member of society.
Getting up with a few more spurts of pain, Izuku at the very least rejoiced in the fact that his slowly growing sense of humor was back after the heaviness of yesterday. He had only noticed after the fact how intense and serious he had been during the USJ incident. Which, to be fair, could you blame him for? Yesterday was his first ever villain attack, heck, it was probably everyone's.
It really was an indescribable experience, it was a mixture of shell shock, fear, and the slightest bit of excitement. And that really freaked him out.
No wonder Peter is always joking around. It keeps the mood light, not just for the reader, but for his own sanity as well.
An exceedingly loud rumble of his stomach was what it took to end the teen's internal thoughts.
"Heh, I guess I should get off my butt now, shouldn't I?"
Grabbing his firm stomach in an attempt to quell his hunger, Izuku walked over to his desk and sat down, examining its new contents while also brainstorming his plan for the day.
Alright, breakfast can wait a minute. This might be the perfect way to spend my day off.
Running the interesting material through his sensitive fingers, the green haired boy's mind was running at an olympic pace.
Training was definitely out of the question for today. He had gotten pretty good at gauging the speed of his healing factor after the battle trial earlier this week, and by his estimate, his cracked ribs wouldn't be serviceable until tomorrow at least.
No, what he had set aside for today was using the special carbon fiber thread that Maijima-sensei had supplied him with. It was officially time to begin work on his Mark II suit.
Although, the material is a little darker of a green than I wanted... Oh well, It's still gonna be epic!
Already having had specs written down for a while now, Izuku was about to begin sewing when his stomach grumbled again, this time even more aggressively.
"Yeah, you're right tummy, some food first will give us the boost we need."
Right on cue, the boy heard a soft knocking on his door, presumably his Mom trying to determine if he was still asleep.
"I'll be right out Mom, just rolled out of bed."
"Oh thank goodness. I was beginning to think something was wrong," she said in her meager and muffled voice through the door. "Ooh that must have been such a traumatic experience for my baby, and on his first week no less! Are you sure you're alright honey? You don't want me to go down there and set that fancy school straight?"
The super powered teen couldn't stop the slight upward curling of his lips at his mother's worry over him. Not only was the idea of his tiny and shy mother going and ranting to the principal amusing, but he was pretty sure the school was already dealing with enough complaints right now.
"Thanks Mom," the boy chuckled, picking up a shirt off the floor and throwing it on. "But I think U.A got the idea from all the other parents already, everything's fine."
She didn't sound convinced, but Inko relented. "Ok Izuku, if you're sure. I'm gonna start on lunch. I'll let you know when it's ready."
"Thanks Mom," he replied, listening to her soft footsteps get further and further away. He felt good that she was here for him, but it was still not ideal to get her involved in this mess.
Though I doubt the school would even listen to her anyway… After what that villain said to me yesterday, there's no way that All Might isn't suspicious of me.
Should he just come clean? He knew his situation wasn't normal, but he hadn't broken any laws as far as he knew. So what was wrong with telling the truth?
Because I'll get kicked out of U.A, that's why…
Izuku shook his head and pushed those thoughts back as far as he could. There was no way he would let that happen, he wasn't hurting anyone, so his secret was staying a secret for now.
Ugh, how am I gonna explain this to Kendo-san!? She was right there with us!
And what about those scary villains!? They remember me too! Agh! This is so crazy!
In the end, the boy vowed that if he ever saw those villains again, or if they became any sort of threat to the school. He would come clean immediately. He didn't feel good about it, but it was what he was going with. Even if it did feel like a small, yet selfish decision that Peter would have made, only to regret later on…
*RIIIING!*
"Alright class, settle down, into your seats," Aizawa muttered, a small yawn escaping his lips.
The whole class swiftly began to plop into their desks without needing to be told twice. Despite everything that had happened a few days ago, all seemed normal in the class of 1-A. But as everyone got settled and turned their attention forward, it made it all the more obvious when one student had their attention elsewhere.
That idiot is late! Where on earth is he!? Kendo thought distastefully. Her annoyance burned a bit as the boy had once again left her hanging on the walk to school this week.
Noticing that his main class representative had her eyes glued to the door, Aizawa opened his mouth to say something, but a new third party beat him to it.
"I'm here!" Izuku all but shouted as he burst through the door a little too roughly. "Sorry I'm late, Aizawa-sensei!" The teen said again, still attempting to catch his breath and gather his jumbled thoughts.
Sighing even deeper than before, the underground hero rolled his eyes. "Just shut up and sit down Midoriya. You're causing a ruckus."
With an audible gulp, the green haired boy quickly shuffled to his seat, unintentionally making as much noise as possible.
He also did his best to avoid locking his green eyes with some intense turquoise ones. Completely naturally and inconspicuously of course.
Letting out one final sigh as the room turned their attention back to him, Eraserhead began his thought again. "Alright, as I was about to say, I'm glad you're all ok, I hope you all took yesterday to recover from the shock of Wednesday."
Most of the class nodded in response.
"You all did incredible in defending both yourselves, and your classmates, and I'm proud to call you my students."
Growing more upbeat at their sensei's words, more and more students began to brighten up, with only a few outliers looking indifferent.
And speaking of those outliers.
"However, it was not all fine and dandy. We got lucky, and some of you were outright reckless with your quirks. Overall, I consider it a miracle that we got out of there with only minor injuries." Aizawa concluded morbidly, instantly killing the upbeat atmosphere forming in the air.
"In the end," the instructor began again. "What matters is that you're all ok. Some of you may not see it this way, but what you all experienced yesterday is exactly what's waiting for you out in the real world. Being a hero is not all sunshine and rainbows. I know that most of you understand that, but I just want to make sure. Getting that first experience out of the way now will likely make it a lot easier to deal with in the future. Is that understood?"
"Yes sensei!" They all called out in unison, a more intense and motivated feeling washing over the room.
"Good, now we can get onto the real news. As I'm sure you all know, the U.A Sports Festival is drawing near…"
Great… The other hero class probably hates us now…
Izuku sighed as he left the last class of the day, his wandering thoughts drifting to earlier when Bakugo decided to take on almost all of class 1-B…
I'm honestly kinda surprised that Kacchan didn't get physical when their class representative stood up to him. He looked furious.
In reality though, he knew Bakugo wasn't an idiot, any kind of fight would have been grounds for some serious punishment. Not to mention that the sports festival was in two weeks time, that was where all frustration could be dealt with properly.
Still, it would have been pretty funny to watch an instructor come out of nowhere and try to stop them.
Or better yet, Kendo-san, she's our representative and already an expert on de escalation haha.
Speaking of the orange haired teen, Izuku had been forced at lunchtime to cough up why he had ditched her this morning on the walk to school. This had him stuttering and apologizing like a fidgeting mess. His only relief was when she started laughing at his explanation of staying up late to work on his costume. He really needed to get better at time management.
"Don't worry about it dork, just make it up me by meeting me after school in gym gamma. I have a proposition that you might be interested in. Especially with the sports festival coming up."
Shaking from his thoughts to the present, Izuku pressed forward through some doors. What he saw next left him absolutely speechless.
This gym… It's amazing! Are those panels on the floor to change the layout on command!? I've never seen anything like it!
The boy didn't get to geek out any further because a waving Kendo caught his attention in the corner closest to the entrance. She had already changed into a turquoise shirt and a black pair of leggings, and there must have been a storage closet somewhere nearby as well, because laying at her feet was a large red sparring mat.
"Over here Midoriya! Did you bring your gym clothes like I asked?"
The boy nodded as he took in his surroundings, gulping as he began to catch a whiff of where this was going.
Smiling genuinely and punching her open palm roughly, Itsuka happily responded. "Sweet! Then get changed and take off your shoes, cause you're about to learn how to fight!"
Chapter 13: Preparation and Curiosity
"Gah!" Izuku croaked out as he fell back onto the mat with a small thump. This was starting to get tiring. Itsuka had been coming at him nonstop for over half an hour now, and frankly, he was starting to get tired of dodging. But it wasn't like he had a choice in the matter, the few times she had tagged him with a solid blow were definitely wake up calls for him to try harder. Even without using her quirk, Itsuka's fists were like cement blocks.
Stepping towards the green haired boy assertively, Itsuka pounced, not intending at all to give her opponent a chance to recover. Unfortunately for her however, the boy didn't miss a beat and got up with an impressive kip-up.
Just like he had every other time…
"Dang it, Midoriya! How do you keep this up so long!? Your endurance to keep dodging is crazy," she said breathlessly.
Blushing as he paused for a moment, Izuku at last took a deep breath of his own and let some of his fatigue show. A detail that didn't go unnoticed by his training partner. "Yeah, sorry about that Kendo-san, dodging is just kinda my specialty I guess. It's one of those things that I specifically trained to excel at."
The boy expected that answer to satisfy her, but if the burning look in her turquoise eyes told him anything, it was the opposite.
It's like she's trying to read my mind…
Turning his gaze away and attempting to calm his burning face, the super powered teen tried his luck a second time. "Forget about my dodges though, those hands of yours are the real deal Kendo-san. I couldn't tell which hurt more, the punches or the karate chops. What style were you using? Is it a variation of different styles? Can martial arts even be combined that way? I sure hope so, since I just copied a bunch of random stuff from movies and comics…"
Watching with a now amused smile at how her friend was muttering himself into oblivion, Itsuka shook her head and relented her intense attitude. "Good eye Midoriya, you got it spot on, I was using a karate and kickboxing hybrid."
The girl watched as her student beamed with confidence, not having any idea of what was to come next.
"But… That's about it as far as good things to say. Your form is even worse up close."
Feeling like his proverbial airplane had been shot out of the sky, Izuku scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "That bad, huh?"
Nodding firmly, the orange haired teen put her hands on her hips. "Atrocious. It actually kinda hurts watching you."
With a sigh, Izuku brought a small grin back to his face and adopted a fighting stance once again. "Well, I should have figured that out when I couldn't land a single hit on you… Take it away then sensei, show me how it's done."
Itsuka noted the sarcasm in the boy's voice and did her best to hold back her own blush. "Oh, it is on now, Midoriya. Keep that up and I'll actually make you start calling me sensei."
She was not joking…
By the end of the two hour session, Izuku had more bruises on him than he liked to admit, and he only ever ended up landing a single solid blow onto his classmate.
Or should he say sensei now…
Well, Peter, my mouth came back to bite me. Dang it...
"Not bad Midoriya. I still wiped the floor with you, but it looks like you adapted pretty well to kickboxing. I think that's the one we should focus on for now."
Acknowledging the girl's words, the boy nodded from his very wet and sweaty spot on the floor, the energy to respond leaving him for the moment.
Hearing a thump right next to him, the green haired boy opened his eyes to see Itsuka lying right next to him on the mat before he turned his attention back to the ceiling in exhaustion.
For a while, the teens stayed in comfortable silence, the peaceful sound of their breathing calming down to a relaxed state.
Eventually it was Itsuka who broke the silence.
"Midoriya, how did you know to shove me out of the teleporting quirk? And how did you see Todoroki's iceberg coming?" She asked curiously between breaths.
Not caring about his guard being down, Izuku spoke truthfully. "Spider sense."
This caused the big fist user to sit up abruptly and look over at her new student. "I'm sorry?"
Taking one last deep breath and pasting an amused expression on his face, Izuku joined his friend in sitting up, making sure he was locking eyes with her before giving a proper explanation.
"Spider sense. It's a part of my spider quirk. It's like a short burst of precognition a few seconds before danger."
"So… You're like, psychic?" Itsuka said blankly.
Chuckling a bit, the boy shook his head. "No, that would be weird. It's more like a sixth sense that just warns me when something is about to happen. I get a ringing in my head and goosebumps all over my body. And I recently found out that it's for more than just danger, I think it might be for anything negative affecting me altogether. You remember the other day when you tried to warn me about Monoma-san stealing my quirk?"
Totally engrossed in her friend's explanation, Itsuka simply nodded.
"Well, right before you said that, my spider sense activated. Granted, it was much softer than normal, but it must have been because of the low threat level."
"That. Is. So. Cool! That's how you're so good at dodging! I can see why you focused on that in your training. Dodging rocks from a bunch of neighborhood kids was probably childsplay to you."
Izuku nodded sheepishly. Still not totally used to receiving such intense praise.
"Ugh, sometimes it frustrates me seeing such cool quirks! Mine is so simple and bland! Meanwhile you're over here predicting the future!"
Watching her lay back down in frustration, Izuku was about to correct the girl on her claim of his spider sense being future sight, but wisely decided against it. Something told him now was not the time for sarcasm.
"Don't say that Kendo-san, Your quirk is awesome!"
The girl responded by blowing her hair out of her eyes defiantly. "I mean, yeah, it is strong, but sometimes I feel like something is missing. You know?"
Rather than responding, the boy only reached over for his backpack excitedly, growing his classmate's curiosity more and more as he rifled through his belongings.
After a few more seconds of looking, Kendo observed closely as he brought out a familiar looking notebook and flipped to a page by memory before handing it to her.
Taking a good look at the piece of parchment in her hands, Itsuka's eyes widened at what she saw before her. Right there in the notebook with its own dedicated page was a very detailed sketch of her in her hero costume. And that wasn't all, on the sidebars there were descriptions of her quirk and different applications for it. This was incredible… And the drawing was clearly done with a lot of care. It looked just like her!
"I uh, I obviously don't have all the info on your quirk yet, but um, I still wrote down as much as I could observe."
Itsuka was speechless, she had no clue what to say. There was absolutely no way to relay how touched she felt right now. She knew he was being genuine by the lack of bravado and that affected her all the more. She also didn't fail to notice how he added the word 'yet' as far as him knowing the ins and outs of her quirk.
Noting her silence and slightly panicking, Izuku spoke up again. "I uh, sorry if you think that's weird. I-I really like studying quirks as a hobby. I hope I'm not making you feel uncomfortable."
Snapping out of her stupor and shaking her head vicariously, Itsuka cursed herself for giving him the wrong idea. "No! I love it, Midoriya! This is so amazing! I didn't know you were such a good artist! I'm actually flattered that you'd even consider me and my quirk worthy of a page in your notebook."
Sighing in relief, this time it was the super powered teen's turn to shake his head. "Again, don't think that way Kendo-san, your quirk is strong! And I'm convinced that there are other ways you can use it more creatively. Would you like to hear some ideas I've brainstormed?"
Shifting her view between her friend and the notebook a few more times, Itsuka nodded curiously.
Not needing any more of an invitation, Izuku opened the floodgates with delight. "Alright, first off, to be able to gauge your quirk better, I'm gonna need a rough estimate on how much you can lift with and without it. I know you told me last time that you've never tried it, so it's ok, we can run tests later. But trust me, that information will go a long way in not only developing your quirk, but also showing you where to train."
Kendo nodded with even more vigor than before, the storm inside of her turquoise orbs demonstrating how closely she was listening. "Got it."
"Sweet," Izuku bubbled. "In that case let me hit you with the obvious path right now. Have you ever grown your hands any larger than what I've seen?"
This got the girl's attention as she got to her feet and grew one hand. In the blink of an eye she had her hand at "full" size. "Unfortunately I've tried that before, and I can't grow it any more than this. Watch.
This was where Izuku nodded and paid close attention. Already knowing what to expect, the boy noticed that his friend began to struggle and grit her teeth, clearly putting conscious force towards growing her hand more.
The effort is there, but her hand hasn't even twitched.
"I see, you can stop now Kendo-san, what did that feel like?"
Grunting in frustration, the nearly red faced Itsuka gave in and let her hand fall down to her hip, now at its normal and small size.
"Ugh, I can't explain it, it's like… Like there was a wall there, one that wasn't even budging."
Interesting, the boy thought, his fingers gripping his chin.
"Well, what about smaller?"
Freezing in place as if she misheard him, Itsuka questioned. "What do you mean smaller?"
"You know, kinda like a medium size. Just by looking at your full sized hands, let's go ahead and say that they're twice the size of your body. Why not try making them smaller? You may lose some of your strength, but then you would also gain speed and mobility. It's not a bad trick to have up your sleeve. Just think of it like wearing bigger boxing gloves that happen to be your fists…"
Izuku couldn't finish his last sentence without chuckling a bit, something his friend soon joined him in after taking everything in.
After stifling her giggles, Itsuka didn't bother to say anything else, closing her eyes and concentrating on her quirk, focusing as hard as she could to expand her hand more slowly than normal.
This time Izuku noted that there were results attached to the girl's struggles, and while it didn't look like she could hold it very long, for about four full seconds, her 'big fist' was about the size of an average basketball. "That's it Kendo-san! That's just what I imagined! Just like a big boxing glove!"
Letting out an exasperated breath, Itsuka fell back onto the mat grinning victoriously. "Heck yeah… Take that, quirk!"
Laughing softly at his friend's sarcasm, the super powered teen plopped down in front of her, taking his own seat before speaking. "Heh, you sure showed your quirk whose boss, hopefully it doesn't decide to abandon you when you try to use it."
Rolling her eyes, Itsuka sat up to face the boy, her orange hair sticking to her forehead and her cheeks red and puffy. "Har har, very funny Midoriya, I'll have to work on keeping my hands that size and making it second nature. I'm already getting a couple ideas on how I can use this!"
Izuku couldn't help but beam at the girl's renewed enthusiasm, closing his eyes and falling back onto the mat in exhaustion with a big stupid grin on his face.
Over the coming two weeks, to bolster themselves for the sports festival, the pair would spar every day after classes ended without fail.
During this time, Kendo made sure to take full advantage of Midoriya's close proximity and asked him all sorts of questions he couldn't squirm out of.
Not to say he didn't try his hardest though, but it was pointless to try and dodge questions from someone who constantly had you cornered and could beat you up at any moment.
"Ugh, I'm starting to feel like a punching bag Kendo-san…"
Smiling sheepishly to herself as her pupil fell onto the mat with a thud, Kendo allowed her posture to slump as she relaxed back into her familiar seat next to him.
"Alright, my turn!"
Izuku gulped in between his gasps for air. They had begun taking turns asking each other questions throughout their sparring (her idea) and frankly, her turns were starting to get more personal than he was comfortable with.
You can do this! I need to break out of my comfort zone somehow!
At first, she had only asked him more about his quirk, which was easy enough, but things heated up on him much faster than he would've liked.
Throughout the two weeks they had discussed USJ and how scary it was, what their feelings were on the sports festival coming up, and a little bit about what prefecture they were from. Also, much to Izuku's relief, Itsuka had even asked about what secret All Might could be keeping. He almost had to hold his breath when answering so he wouldn't respond too quickly and show his relief.
None of that however, could prepare him for the question she would ask him today, only two days from the festival.
Currently, the pair were sprawled across the mat breathing heavily since their session had just come to a close. It didn't take long however, for Itsuka to leave Izuku breathless in a different way.
"You've gotten a lot better, Midoriya. Far from perfect, but at least you won't look stupid at the sports festival." She spoke through light laughter, making her pupil's head drop in disappointment.
"I've been searching for some videos on the internet that are pretty educational, and I know you originally learned from watching, so I thought it would be helpful if I sent you some of them. What's your phone number?"
…
…
…
What? The green haired teen thought as a panic arose within him, his previous sorrow totally forgotten. My number? A girl wants my number!?
"Uh, or I can just show you on my phone?" The girl backtracked, sensing the awkwardness.
"N-no! Of course you can have my number! Or uh- I mean, yeah, you can have it if you want… Or uhhhh."
Itsuka found herself giggling for what felt like the tenth time today. As a matter of fact, she couldn't even remember a time where she laughed as much as these last two weeks.
"Relax dork, It's not that big a deal. We are friends after all." She said calmly. Definitely not trying to convince herself as well...
"Y-yeah. Of course, friends… Friends give each other their phone numbers."
Itsuka frowned, remembering what he had told her earlier about how she was his first real friend he'd ever had. Tch, stupid Bakugo, you don't deserve the way Izuku sees you as his friend.
Getting back on topic, Itsuka soon realized something about her thoughts just now that made her blush. But after a moment, an idea sprung into her head and she smiled widely. While a bit forward, she had the perfect idea to make her new friend feel more comfortable around her!
"Here you go Kendo-san," the boy spoke, breaking her train of thought.
The big fist user looked down at what he was handing her and beamed. It was a small piece of paper with his phone number scribbled on it hastily. The boy must have been quick to pull out his backpack while she was distracted.
Now's the time! Itskua thought to herself, overflowing with optimism.
"Thanks a lot dork," she started, looking him directly in the eyes. "But we're friends, remember, call me Itsuka."
…
…
…
Instantly the boy's face turned a brand new shade of red as he collapsed back onto the matt…
Ahh! It had the opposite effect!
"Sir? You wanted to see me?"
Taking his attention off of his office computer, All Might took in the presence of his student, not giving him an answer right away.
"Young Togata, thank you for coming. Sit down."
The blonde teenager nodded and did as he was instructed. Judging by his teacher's demeanor, what he was about to hear was probably not great news.
I hope I get the chance to tell him about the aches my body has been having lately…
While it had almost been a year since he inherited One For All, his body was still having trouble adjusting to it. And despite him having no issues firing off attacks at one hundred percent, it felt like it was too much sometimes. The boy couldn't remember the last time he woke up without some random pain burdening him.
"The reason I have called you here today is serious, but I don't want you to overreact. Understood?"
Mirio nodded profusely, his cheerful face never wavering once.
"Do you know an Izuku Midoriya?"
Togata reacted calmly, bringing a hand up to his chin in thought. "Hmmm, the name sounds familiar, I can't quite picture him though."
Pulling a photo out of his pocket, All Might quickly remedied the situation. "This is him. He's a first year in class 1-A of the hero course."
"Oh! Izuku! Yeah, I know him! He was training one day at Dagobah before you got there. He was really nice. When I told him my trainer was meeting me in a hurry he was polite enough to pack up and go before you arrived."
The number one hero took a moment to contemplate his pupil's story, nodding his head in the end. "All the more reason we shouldn't overreact, he seems like a nice kid, but we need to be careful."
Togata looked confused, waiting for his master to continue.
"You see, it was recently discovered by Nezu that we have a leak in the school, someone who's secretly with the villains. And while I'm not completely sure yet, I have a hunch that it's Midoriya."
"What!? But why? What has he done?"
"Well, he hasn't made a mistake yet, but something is fishy about him. What would you say if I were to tell you that I met that kid almost a year ago, right before I met you, and he was quirkless…"
The blonde hero in training took a second before the switch flipped in his head and turned his eyes into saucers. "No… All For One…"
"Exactly my thought. Again, there is no hard evidence yet, so just keep an eye out. I'm only telling you this so you can be on watch if you ever do interact with him."
"Yes sir!"
All Might cracked a small smile at his student's determination. "Thanks a lot kid. And sorry for this big bombshell. I know you must be quite busy with the sports festival on the horizon."
"It's not a big deal All Might! I feel honored that you felt you could tell me all that! Thank you!"
"Heh, go crazy kid, I wanna see you wipe the floor with everyone in that festival. Just uh, try not to use One For All, I think we've done a pretty good job of keeping it a secret, and it's not like you need it anyway."
With that, the symbol of peace stood up and walked out of the office, heading home for the day. Only allowing his student to nod in approval at his final words.
Aw man, I didn't get to tell him… Eh, oh well, I'm sure it's just growing pains. After all, it is a whole other quirk on top of my own…
Speaking of which, I'm glad I'll be just limited to permeation. I've gotten WAY too rusty with it since picking up One For All…