Ch. 7: Sharing Secrets
Izuku woke up the next morning feeling so much better than the last several mornings. A good bed not made out of jagged springs, lumps of coal and itchy fabric can do wonders for a person. Though he wished he could have fallen asleep faster. He was too busy thinking about what All Might and Aizawa had told him on the car ride home. The new quirk. A transformation quirk by the look of it that turned him into a rage-filled monster who attacked All Might, his hero and idol, like he was the reason for all his problems. After getting a good stretch, he looked at the schedule Aizawa gave him.
'8 A.M.: Quirk Training,' Izuku read to himself, but noticed something peculiar about the "schedule" he was handed, 'Every other time slot is sleep, eat or study. I guess he's not wrong since I'm not allowed to leave under specific circumstances. Though didn't the agreement say that Mom could let me leave?' He then read the rules on the opposite side of the sheet, '"Izuku is forbidden from leaving his house without supervision from his mother, a member of the police, or Shota Aizawa (Eraserhead). He also may not leave Musutafu for any non-school related reasons." Oh. So, yes but no then-' Izuku rolled his eyes before he noticed at the bottom of the page the name of the probation officer in charge of him, "Naomasa Tsukauchi…" 'The detective from my interrogation is also my probation officer? Why him? He wasn't there when I was released and no one said anything…' he read through the rules again though most of it was the same, he noticed a new one, 'Legal guardian and Izuku must meet with probation officer twice a month and relay all information regarding Izuku's activities including, but not limited to, all times he has left the house. Izuku is also required to write down his actions in the Event Notebook provided to him to be handed over when requested… "Notebook"? What notebook?!'
Izuku walked over to the duffel back full of his school supplies for his studying and found a green pocket notebook on top labeled "Event Notebook". 'Gee, thanks, Aizawa… The least you could do was tell me any of this! He probably just assumed I'd be smart enough to read this and figured it would be a waste of time to just tell me. What a pal.'
Izuku got dressed for the day before slipping the pocket notebook in his… well, pocket. The clock by his bed said 6:30 A.M. so there was still a lot of time before he had to leave so he figured he'd look around his new home. It was a small two-bedroom, one-bath apartment with a living room and a kitchen. The basic necessities of a home, more or less and that was even reflected in the furniture of the home… or lack thereof. There was no couch, no TV, no decorations, just a table and a couple chairs. 'Considering a few days ago, my mom didn't even know I was alive, it's likely the move back here was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Maybe more will arrive soon from the States,' Izuku walked into the kitchen to find something to eat, settling on a colorful All Might themed breakfast cereal his mother must have picked out that made Izuku nearly laugh at the sight of it. 'I'd ask how she knew what cereal to get me but, knowing my four-year-old self, I'd be shocked if I ate anything else.'
Izuku poured himself a bowl of All Might cereal and fetched himself one of the textbooks he was supposed to study from. He found a study guide pertaining to the relevant subject on what he was supposed to do to get himself ready for the Entrance Exam's test and with Nezu's signature at the bottom, he could tell who did this for him. 'And here I thought I was being left for dead here with Aizawa… at least someone's trying to help.' Izuku followed the math study guide as best he could while eating, solving problem after problem that was asked of him until the doorbell rang. He looked up at the clock to see it was eight. 'Aizawa's here. It's time to figure out this new quirk of mine.' Izuku walked to the door but stopped and ran to his room first. He was given back his quirk notebooks and he'd need to make a new entry soon. After finding the one about his quirks, he ran to the door to see Aizawa standing there looking like he was dragged out of bed ten minutes ago and didn't have any coffee yet, dressed far more casually than yesterday, in slacks and a jacket.
"There you are," Aizawa said before he looked at Izuku's hands, "Was wondering if you read the schedule I gave you."
"Sorry, I was studying and I lost track of time and then I needed to grab my quirk book since we're training so I'll need to write down what I learn about my new quirk." Izuku quickly explained, nervous under Aizawa's gaze. He didn't even notice that Eri was there too.
"Big bro!" Eri shouted as she ran up and latched onto Izuku, "You're okay! You were gone for so long, I thought something bad happened to you!" She looked up and Izuku could see tears in her eyes.
"I'm so sorry about that Eri but I promise it won't happen again," Izuku patted Eri on the head with his right hand. "This time, I'm not going anywhere!"
"Unfortunately, Eri will have to remain with me for the time being so you'll only be able to see each other during training," Aizawa clarified, "But at least I can tell you weren't lying about studying." Izuku became confused by this statement.
"How can you tell?"
"You've got pencil marks on your right hand," Izuku turned his hand over to see that there were black pencil marks from his writing. Aizawa turned and walked towards the stairwell, "Let's move, you two. We've got a lot of work to do and four months to do it. It'll pass by before you even know it."
Izuku took Eri's hand and followed after Aizawa as the trio walked to Dagobah Beach. It was still early morning so the sun hadn't risen yet and it was still dark, only being lit by the lights of the city. Izuku took in the early morning atmosphere but there were a few things Izuku decided couldn't wait so he spoke up, "Aizawa, why is Detective Tsukauchi my probation officer? Isn't that job beneath him?"
"Because he volunteered," Aizawa stated bluntly.
"Volunteered? Why would he want to volunteer for something like this?"
"Considering your situation, the answer should be obvious," Izuku thought about it for a brief moment before responding.
"It's in case Mom would let me do something she shouldn't let me do, right?"
"Technically, we've got all our bases covered in regards to you and your movements. Your tracker can even detect you using your quirks in any way, shape or form, though we lack the context of the situation. However, Tsukauchi seems interested in you for some reason so he's decided to personally be informed on your development. It does make sense though when you consider all the factors."
"Like?"
"Classified."
"Right," Izuku sighed at the obvious avoidance though he knew he couldn't get past it.
"You made sure to bring the notebook, right?"
"Yeah, about that," Izuku readied himself, "Thanks for not telling me about it."
"I did tell you about it." Aizawa replied.
"That doesn't count," Izuku retorted dryly. Eri was starting to get a little scared at the argument.
"Yes, it does," Aizawa countered calmly as the entrance to the beach came into view, not turning around to look at Izuku at all, "I told you what was on that piece of paper. I merely expected you to read the rules we set up for you. I didn't say it to you because I didn't have to say it. The rules were laid out for you, plain as day. It's your responsibility now. And I believed you could handle it." He finally turned around to look at Izuku. "Well? Can you?"
Izuku could remember Tai telling him something similar. 'The world is full of people with different personalities, different backgrounds, and different experiences. Everyone moves through life in different ways that make sense to them so we, as individuals, must be ready to adapt to anything that others might do lest we get caught off-guard and are unable to recover.'
'I guess I never did take Tai's words to heart as I thought I did… or maybe I just forgot along the way…' Izuku took a deep breath to calm down before letting it out. "No… you're right. I'm sorry," Izuku replied in a quiet voice, "I'm out of line…"
"Don't be sorry, be better. 'Sorry' is a pointless word if you don't back it up and change for the better. Though I'm sure you will, given time." Izuku could tell that Aizawa was trying to help him in his own way... It was just a shame that didn't make him feel any better. This situation was his fault and he shouldn't be complaining since the alternative was much, much worse. 'Sorry kid, but you've been too free to break whatever rules that were in your way and you need to know that won't fly anymore.'
Izuku took a quick look around to see the beach completely deserted as the three walked onto the beach except for a lone, familiar blond man sitting on a cooler.
"Ah, Aizawa, Young Midoriya," Yagi waved to the three as he saw them approach, "And it's nice to see you again, Young Eri,"
"You're the weird looking man from before," Eri said innocently, causing Yagi to cough up a little blood in surprise.
"Don't mince words, huh? You really are like Midoriya," Yagi coughed a little more before standing up from the cooler.
"What's in the cooler?" Izuku asked, getting a laugh out of Yagi.
"Water, of course!" Yagi spoke in a facsimile of his All Might persona, like he was making a sales pitch, "You can't train without proper hydration or you'll never get anything done!" Yagi opened it up to show a cooler full of about twelve or so water bottles sitting in ice. Yagi handed Izuku and Eri one each before Aizawa spoke up.
"So, here's how this is going to go: First, since you'll be spending a large chunk of time indoors, I figured it would be a good idea to make sure you keep in shape. Can't have you showing up weakened from lack of exercise. You'll stretch, run from here to one end of the beach, to the other, and then back here again. That should be a good warm up," Izuku nodded and walked to a clearing away from the group. Aizawa turned to Eri, "Now while we wait, we might as well get started on your training,"
"I'll keep tabs on Young Midoriya," Yagi offered as he started walking away towards the middle of the beach, "I doubt I'll be of much help with her training," As Yagi walked away, Aizawa looked down at Eri, who was starting to shake with fear.
'I'm no counselor so this might be harder than I thought,'Aizawa took a deep breath before kneeling down to Eri's level, "So, are you ready?" Eri shook her head rapidly, "Alright, why don't you tell me why?"
"I'm… I'm scared…" Aizawa had to keep a calm poker face and a gentle, lest his annoyance break through.
'Yes, thank you. I hadn't noticed,' "I promise you that everything'll be fine. No one's going to get hurt today. I'll tell you what, when we're done here, I'll get you a bag of Recovery Girl's gummies," Eri's eyes lit up at the offer, before she nodded with a smile. Aizawa stood back and allowed Eri some room. "Okay, first lesson: Turning your quirk on." Eri nodded with a determined look on her face though it didn't help the underlying problem, 'Now… how do we even do that?'
With great difficulty apparently. After about an hour of various methods of mental ignition (thoughts of people she cares about, her father, willing the quirk to activate, desiring to rewind something, etc.), Eri showed no sign of activating her quirk or doing… much of anything really. She just held her arms out in front of her like she was pushing an invisible wall. Aizawa sighed and rubbed his eyes as he realized this wasn't going anywhere.
'It's possible that Rewind can't turn on unless she's in contact with a "living being". It's not one she can just turn on or off without a specific set of circumstances. Or she could be suffering from a mental block from what happened with her father and possible abuse from Overhaul and she can't get through it, even if she wants to. We might need to take out a tree for this one. I'll get All Might to buy a potted plant or something,' Aizawa heard a small whine coming from Eri, bringing his attention to her. She looked almost as scared as before.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Aizawa…" Eri didn't look at him and seemed tense, almost like she was waiting for something. Aizawa's years as a teacher and as a hero, recognized it for what it was.
She was afraid that he was angry with her. The signs of abuse were still there but at least Aizawa had an idea where they were coming from. Izuku was too loving and protective of her so that just left Overhaul and the Shie Hassaikai. Aizawa had to hide his disgust for the Yakuza or he might make the problem worse. He walked over to her slowly and watched as she became stiffer and more fearful as he approached until he placed a hand gently on her head.
"Eri, I'm not mad or even disappointed. You did fine today," Eri finally turned to look at him, now surprised that she wasn't being reprimanded for failing, "We're not in any rush here. We'll take this as slow as we need to."
"Really?"
"I'll tell you what, it's a bit out of season but I'll get you an ice cream later to go with those gummies for trying so hard," Eri's fear fled her face as it was replaced with eager joy.
"Really?!" Aizawa nodded before standing back up and motioned for her to follow.
"We'll call it a day for you. I need to rethink our approach for tomorrow," Aizawa walked over to Yagi and Izuku as they were finishing another set of push-ups. "Alright, Midoriya, finish up so we can get to the real deal," Izuku picked himself off the ground and stood in front of Aizawa as he tried to catch his breath. "Now we need to identify the exact trigger for your quirk… and maybe give it a name so we can easily refer to it. 'The new quirk', has overstayed its welcome," Aizawa calmly pulled out his phone and began to type a few words before stopping. Izuku had his hand on his chin as he thought.
'A name for this new quirk… I thought about it last night and I think I'll hold off on naming it until I know what it actuallydoes,' Izuku looked up to Aizawa before shaking his head, causing the teacher to put his phone in sleep mode before putting it away.
"Now Detective Tsukauchi mentioned your eyes flashed red at the interrogation so I believe the most obvious trigger is to get you angry enough that it just kicks on," Aizawa stated as Yagi started to lead Eri to the minimum safe distance. It would be bad to be too close to Izuku should something go wrong.
"So just, will myself to be angry?" Izuku said skeptically as he thought about how he was going to get this to work.
"My best advice is to think back to when you first used it back in Hosu. You were able to remember what led up to the transformation so you may be able to replicate it if you relive the experience in your head."
'Relive the experience, huh?' Izuku closed his eyes as he remembered that night. The nomus, Shigaraki and Kurogiri, the beating of his heart in his ears, the anger he felt at them for what they did to him, what they did to Tai, and what they did to all the people that became those monsters. Just as it all flowed back to him...
*thump thump*... *Thump Thump*... *THump THump*... *THUmp THUmp THUMp THUMp THUMP THUMP*
Izuku could feel his heartbeat increase in pace, becoming deafening in his ears; his blood felt like it was boiling as his whole body went hot like he was on fire. Izuku opened in now red eyes and let the power out as he grasped his chest where his heart was.
"GraaaaAAAAAAAH!" Izuku let out a roar as his blood red fiery aura burst to life, though no lightning like before. Izuku began to gasp heavily as he looked at the ground and began to realize something that was different, "I've… I've got control…?" His voice had the echo though it sounded like it was only one voice, Izuku's voice, not the legion of voices from before.
"Interesting…" Aizawa mumbled as Izuku looked up to the pro who seemed completely unfazed by what was happening in front of him. Unbeknownst to Izuku, Aizawa was looking at the only other part of his transformation that was still missing: His hair was still green… or at least mostly green. Starting from the roots, it was slowly making its way towards the ends. Aizawa started counting the seconds in his head, seeing how long it took for the red to completely overtake the green. 'Fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty…' And then…
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Izuku's eyes shifted from confused to pained as he let out another roar. Izuku's second roar was far more beastly than his first as Aizawa took in the changes to Izuku. The aura was now much larger and was burning with a greater ferocity as the crimson lightning returned with a vengeance. Izuku opened his now furious eyes again but didn't get to even move before Aizawa erased his quirk and Izuku, like that night, dropped like a stone to the sand, unconscious. Aizawa then began to count again, this time out loud as he watched the red hair begin to seep back.
"Six… seven… eight…"
"Big bro!" Eri ran up to Izuku before falling to her knees beside him and started to shake him, netting no response, not even a groan. Yagi quickly caught up to the little girl who could run surprisingly fast for a five-year-old.
"Don't worry," Yagi said as he placed his hand on the now teary-eyed girl's shoulder, "He'll be fine in a bit. We just need to give him a moment," Yagi put on his most confident smile, though deep down, he wished he could be in his All Might form to really sell that confidence. Yagi put a hand to Izuku's throat to make sure he still had a pulse. He'd let out a sigh but that might clue Eri in that he wasn't confident in his words. The two listened in on Aizawa's counting, no doubt, waiting to see how long it would take Midoriya to recover.
"One twenty-two… one twenty-three… One twenty-four…" At the sound of the last number, Izuku's hair lost the last of the red and his eyes flew open. He shot up from the sand before becoming disoriented and falling back down again. He eventually settled for rolling onto his back as he groaned.
"Ugh… I feel horrible…"
"Well, this was certainly informative," Aizawa dryly admitted as he handed Izuku his water bottle, "Drink up. You'll want to take notes on this," Izuku had to really push himself to sit up, and needed extra help from Yagi so he could lean his back against the cooler, as all of his muscles were sore now as if he did a full body workout and then did another one just because. If he could remember back to after the incident when he was being taken to the police station, he felt the same soreness then too as he had to be dragged to the interrogation room. Izuku downed the water bottle before pulling out his notebook and warping a pencil to his hand. Aizawa explained as best he could what he witnessed: The one minute, his hair changing color, the double time it took him to wake back up, his voice, the aura, the lightning, everything he could make note of as Izuku furiously wrote everything down before he read it over to himself. He then realized something else that was different than before.
"I… could remember everything that happened," Izuku stated as he looked up from his seated position as Eri brought him another bottle of water to chug down.
"That's definitely different from before since you said it was like you were drowning in boiling water while completely unaware of what was going on," Yagi recalled.
"But that's not the only thing that was different," Aizawa began, "You had control of it, for a very brief period, but control nonetheless," Izuku nodded his head as he looked at what he wrote down again, trying to make some sense of it, "No matter how you look at it, it's unnatural how quickly you're adapting to its power, almost as if you're mutating to accommodate it. No one improves this much in less than a week in only two tries."
"So, what does that mean?" Izuku asked.
"Either you've had some control all along and failed to mention it or even notice it," Aizawa said as he stared down Izuku who met his gaze nervously, "Or there's something affecting your ability to control it that we haven't isolated yet," Aizawa took a deep breath before looking at the time. It was still early but he took one look at Izuku and made his decision, "Midoriya, we're done for today."
"Already?" Izuku looked over towards the horizon as the sun was just now getting up itself.
"Look at yourself," Aizawa gestured to the sitting form of Izuku, "You can barely stand, much less train and that's from one use. I'm not anxious to see what happens after two. You could injure yourself if you haven't already."
"I'm fin-whoa!" Izuku tried to stand using the cooler to steady himself before nearly falling over again, only stopped by Yagi. Izuku looked at the ground, embarrassed and defeated, "Okay, never mind…"
"We'll take him to Recovery Girl," Yagi suggested, "She needed to see him anyway."
"See me for what?"
U.A. High. The most prestigious hero school in Japan that produced legendary heroes like All Might, Endeavor, Best Jeniest, and so many more. A symbol of excellence as mighty as… well, All Might. Izuku was now inside these same walls and he'd love every second of it…
If it were under better circumstances...
"Don't tense up!" Recovery Girl shouted as she prepared a syringe, "It'll only hurt more!" She steadily injected Izuku and pushed down the plunger.
"Ow!" Izuku yelped, causing Eri next to him to jump slightly.
"See? Now we've only got four more to go."
"Four?! We've already done two!"
"According to your medical records, all of your shots are out of date and we've got nothing on you as 'Seigo Saichirou' so it's obvious you haven't had any," Izuku groaned as he leaned back into the bed but he was drawn back to Recovery Girl by her chuckling, "Oh and I was kidding about the extra shots," Izuku looked up from the bed as he realized he'd been duped, "We can only put in one per arm so we'll take a break for now but next week, you'll be getting your next two," Recovery Girl said with a smile before placing a bandage on Izuku's arm and some candy in his hand as well as some for Eri. Aizawa and Yagi walked back into the room, finished with whatever it was they were doing.
"He's done then?" Aizawa asked as Yagi walked over to Izuku.
"For now, anyway," Recovery Girl walked back to her desk and picked up a clipboard, "So, in regards to the examination, what exactly did you make him do?"
"We had him do some basic exercises for about an hour, which he did without being that out of breath, before we worked on his quirk that we still haven't got a name for."
"I'm still thinking," Izuku remarked.
"Think harder," Aizawa answered back, before shifting back to Recovery Girl "After his first use, we came here."
"How bad's the damage?" Yagi asked as he took a seat next to Izuku.
"I'm not sure," Recovery Girl stated bluntly, "The wear and tear on his body has almost completely disappeared. It's almost as if his body is healing it faster than normal."
"So, what, does he have a regenerating quirk, too?" Recovery Girl just shrugged at Aizawa's question.
"Possibly but not a very strong one. He won't be regenerating a lost limb or anything like that. With this boy, nothing impossible."
"Midoriya, whenever you worked out, did you ever feel sore the next morning?" Yagi asked.
"Um…" Izuku thought about it for about a minute before shaking his head, "I don't think so," he was also starting to look sleepy but no one said anything.
"So, it's possible," Yagi noted, "But it doesn't change the fact that he could barely move after using it."
"His body probably isn't used to the massive influx of power and the obvious result happened," Aizawa looked over to Izuku who was starting to nod off. He motioned for Yagi to take Eri out.
"Come along, Young Eri," Yagi held his hand out for her to take, "We still owe you an ice cream."
"Will Bro be okay?" she said as Izuku finally passed out.
'She must have noticed something's off,' "Don't worry. Recovery Girl will make sure he's the picture of health! Now, let's get you that ice cream!" Eri took Yagi's hand as the two left, leaving the two heroes with the unconscious Izuku.
"Now for the most important shot," Aizawa spoke quietly as he made sure Izuku was asleep. The first shot he received was actually an extra strong sedative instead of a vaccine. He couldn't know what was about to happen, "He's out cold."
"Right," Recovery Girl reached into a drawer and pulled out something resembling a nail gun, "I wish we didn't have to put a tracker under his skin."
"It is what it is," Aizawa spoke as Recovery Girl swabbed Izuku's neck and stamped the tracker under his skin, "The foot tracker can be removed by his quirk so it's less than useful long term. This is to make sure if he goes rogue or is kidnapped, we can easily find him."
"Have you ever considered having faith for once?" Recovery Girl said with a scowl as she put the tracker injector back in its drawer. "I highly doubt this boy will fly the coop now. Not after what I've been told about him."
"He has to earn faith. Just like everyone else," Aizawa countered as he left the room. 'Though, if he's serious about being a hero and works hard, it shouldn't take him long to convince me.'
Izuku was back home before noon and he felt like crap. His body wasn't as sore anymore but now his neck hurt like hell and he couldn't even figure out why. Oh, and now he might have another quirk. Great. Just what he needed. Izuku walked into his living to see that there was now furniture. A couch, coffee table, a TV, the works.
"Oh, Izuku," Inko called from the kitchen, smiling as she turned into the living room, "The moving company delivered our stuff while you were gone."
"I see that," Izuku said with a smile. He hadn't had a TV since he lived with Tai so it was a nice change. It'll be a nice distraction if he needs a break, "How are you feeling?"
"Jet lag's still there and I still feel groggy. I just got out of bed an hour ago when the truck arrived," Inko walked up and gave her son a quick hug, "There's also a few things in your room that I made sure to bring back for you," Inko said as she walked past Izuku to his room. He followed and saw that his room now had a desk with a computer as well as a single box sitting on the floor. Izuku opened the box to see a few pieces of All Might merchandise, including a very familiar action figure. "I figured you'd want them back."
"You kept them?"
"I couldn't get rid of any of it," Inko admitted with a sad smile, "It would be like admitting you were gone forever," Izuku stood up and wrapped his mom in a hug that she returned.
"Thanks, Mom."
"Don't mention it, sweetie," the two unwrapped each other before she continued, "So, when will your friends be over?"
"They said they'd be here by six. I'd go get them but none of them live in Musutafu and Ochako lives way out in the country,"
"I still can't believe my son has a girlfriend," Inko teased, taking Izuku aback.
"I told you yesterday that it's not like that, Mom!" Izuku cried defensively.
"I'll be the judge of that when she arrives," a timer in the kitchen went off, signaling Inko to go check on it, leaving Izuku alone with his box of memories. He took all the merch out and put a couple of posters up, set up the few action figures he had on the desk, he even had an All Might alarm clock. With his room starting to look more lived in, he got back to preparing for the entrance exam.
It was a little past six when the doorbell rang. Izuku shot up from his desk and ran to the door to greet his friends, only to be surprised to see who arrived first… and alone. Ochako, arm in a cast and sling, with a sheepish smile.
"Sorry I'm late," she feverishly scratched the back of her head before looking past Izuku, "Did Tsu and Minoru show up yet?"
"No, actually," Izuku answered before he was cut off by Ochako pulling him into a hug, nearly stopping his heart and causing every single muscle in his body to seize up. 'She's hugging me… Why is she hugging me?!' She quickly realized what she was doing and pulled out of the hug, face beat red.
"Sorry… It's just that I heard about what happened from Tsu when the police came by to pick up Eri… she wasn't told why you were arrested and I just got so worried about what was going to happen to you or Eri and… It's just nice to see you're okay..." Izuku could see the tears at the corners of her eyes. He tended to make the people around him cry a lot lately.
"Yeah… It's been a long week," Izuku stepped aside to let Ochako into the humble apartment and let her take her shoes off.
"No kidding," Ochako chuckled as motioned to her injured arm, "For you and for me,"
"Yeah, I was going to ask about that, what the hell happened?" Izuku asked as he closed the door.
"Heh heh…" She chuckled nervously, "I'll explain when Tsu and Minoru get here," Ochako shivered a bit as the warmth of the apartment started to run down her back, "Ooh, it's nice in here," Ochako walked into the living room to see Inko walking out of the kitchen with a tray of baked snacks.
"Well, hello there!" Inko greeted warmly, "You must be one of Izuku's friends,"
'Izuku? Is she talking about Seigo?' "Yes, ma'am! I'm Ochako Uraraka-oh, chocolate!" Ochako squeed as she reached forward, "Can I have some?"
"Of course, have as much as you like!" Ochako quickly picked five brownies off the tray and stacking them in her other hand before starting to devour one.
"Just save some for the rest of us," Izuku joked as he grabbed a cookie. Ochako quickly swallowed her murdered brownie before glaring at Izuku.
"Hey, I've been on a strict diet for six months now," Ochako pointed out before she brought another brownie to her mouth, "I think I earn a little self-indulgence," Izuku felt his mother pull him aside.
"Are you sure you're not dating?"
"Mom!" Izuku angrily whispered.
"I'm just saying, most girls don't just run up and hug someone like she did," Inko winked before walking back over to Ochako to receive compliments on her cooking.
'She was spying too?!' Izuku face palmed before sighing, his cheeks now a bit red with embarrassment 'Of course she did, she's my mom…' Izuku, Ochako and Inko talked some more before the doorbell rang again. Izuku walked to the door and saw Tsuyu and a very annoyed Minoru.
"Sorry we're late," Tsuyu pointed at Minoru, "I had to drag him kicking and screaming here," Minoru simply looked away towards nothing.
"I'm still angry with you," Minoru spoke with a hint of venom in his voice, but was stopped before continuing by an emerging Ochako.
"We've got baked treats in here," Ochako called out from around the corner.
"Oh, free food!" Minoru shouted with glee as he threw his shoes off to get the goods.
"He's lying by the way," Tsuyu explained as she walked in, "The whole way here, he wouldn't stop crying about how happy he was that you were still alive like you were in danger of dying or something," Tsuyu walked into the kitchen to join the others, leaving a nervous Izuku at the door.
"Hahaha," he laughed that wasn't at all forced, "I wonder what gave him that idea..." After about fifteen minutes of hanging out, the four friends relocated to Izuku's room to talk.
"So, I take it you're going to explain everything," Tsuyu began, "Because you gave us a hell of a scare when we found out about your arrest,"
"Right, first is my name," Izuku took a deep breath before continuing, "My real name is actually Izuku Midoriya, not Seigo Saichirou."
"Oh, that's right! Your mom called you 'Izuku'," Ochako pieced together, "I was so confused when she called you that."
"And there's also this…" Izuku began to explain everything he'd been up to for the past few years. Tai's death, his murder and the culprits, his actions as Noh that eventually got him arrested, each and every one of his quirks, Nezu's deal and his probation, everything that was relevant in as brief a fashion as possible. After almost an hour of just explaining what was going on, Minoru finally spoke.
"Thank god it's finally over," Minoru said with almost a sigh of relief, "No more Noh nonsense!"
"You knew?!" Tsuyu and Ochako both looked at Minoru with shock and a hint of betrayal from the two boys.
"I noticed that Sei-" He cleared his throat at the wrong name, annoyed, "Izuku's tags for Targeted Warp were the same as the ones found at a few of the Noh crime scenes whenever photos of them showed up online. There's also the fact that for a hobo, he seemed surprisingly well off in terms of cash so I figured he had to be getting it somehow. He might have been good at hiding it from others like heroes and the police but he's garbage at hiding it from us."
"He figured it out on his own so there wasn't a reason to hide anything," Izuku clarified, "I never told him and then just decided not to tell you two,"
"To be honest, I always felt like you were hiding something," Tsu began, "I still feel like we should have been told, especially since all you ever told me was that your dad was murdered because that dry skinned guy was looking for you," Tsuyu explained, her tone slightly angry, "Do you know how painful it is to know that your friend was off breaking the law to find a murderer while you had to sit in the dark and wonder what he was going to do with himself? To know that he doesn't trust you to keep a secret? You could have died and we would've never known," Izuku rubbed the back of his neck for a moment before looking at Ochako, who was looking at her cast with a look of… shame?
"I'm sorry for not trusting you guys and I'm sorry to you Minoru for ignoring you when you said it was a bad idea to go after All For One," Izuku sighed, "I was an idiot and I'm sorry,"
"No, you are an idiot," Minoru corrected as he stood up from the floor he was sitting before walking over to Izuku, "Which is why you'll need us to stick with you," Izuku let out a small gasp of surprise, "Let's face it, all those quirks of yours and you'd probably still die without us," he added with a smirk.
"I'm not ready to forgive you yet for keeping us in the dark and almost getting yourself killed but I'll give you a chance to earn it," Tsuyu said with a smile. The two looked to Ochako who seemed to not be paying attention.
"Ocha?" Ochako was ripped from her thoughts at Tsuyu calling her name.
"Huh? What?" Ochako quickly surveyed the faces of her friends who were looking at her with varying levels of concern, "Sorry, I was just thinking about what Tsu was saying,"
"What I was saying?"
"That Izuku didn't trust us because he wouldn't tell us what he was doing… and I realized that I kinda fall under that umbrella as well," Izuku's eyes widened as he realized what she was about to say.
"Ochako, don't," Izuku tried to stop her but she held up her hand.
"No more secrets between us," Ochako stated with determination, "You were willing to tell us everything, even about that… I don't know, 'Rage Shroud'... thing and I can't sit and watch you tell us everything and not do the same about… what happened to me."
"But it's not just your secret!" Izuku countered.
"No, it's not but please, I want us to believe in each other and not be suspicious anymore. I even asked him if it was okay so it should be fine since I trust you guys," Ochako then gave a sheepish look, "I was also going to ask you guys for help with… my new problem?"
"What, your period?" Minoru asked before Tsu slapped him with her tongue, causing him to rock like a bobble head, "Sorry, it slipped out."
"Maybe you should just start from the beginning," Izuku suggested as he rubbed his forehead, "They'll understand better that way."
"Right," Ochako agreed with a nod.
"You want to go to Musutafu?" Seigo asked as he ran his hand through his currently gray hair that would more easily match Eri's while he and Ochako walked down the street of Ochako's hometown. Both of them were in tracksuits of green with white lines and black with white shoulders and pink lines respectively as they prepared to start their workout together.
"We're both planning on going to U.A. next year and I want to see it in person, at least once," Ochako admitted as Seigo led her down an out of sight area. The two took a quick look around for anyone around, "Coast Is clear, Sei," she said as she placed a hand on Seigo's shoulder.
"Looks like it," Seigo agreed as Bio Scanner was running a negative, "Musutafu it is," with a pop, the two were instantly on an abandoned rooftop in Musutafu.
"Wow, you can even see U.A. from here!" Ochako pointed to the structure at the top of the hill. With a giant wall running for about several kilometers around and at least twenty meters tall, it would ordinarily be difficult to see much of U.A. but the main building was clearly visible. "So, I take it we're going to jog there?"
"We could but there's also a beach nearby that I found that would make a good training ground if you want to see it."
"A beach? Wouldn't it be full of people come summer," Ochako asked as she began her stretches.
"You won't think that when you see it," Seigo, after finishing his stretching, walked towards the edge of the building towards an alley to see no one down there. He dropped a marked pebble down before Ochako placed her hand back on his shoulder to be warped down, "Follow me, we'll run there," Ochako nodded as she followed Seigo… and followed… and followed… and followed for what seemed like an hour.
"Sei, couldn't you have picked... a better starting point?" Ochako cried between gasps of air as she tried to keep up with Seigo… who was around fifty meters ahead of her.
"Come on, Ochako," Seigo yelled back with a laugh, "We got to get in shape if we want to be heroes!"
"You're already in shape! You've got a six pack for crying out loud!" She whined as she started to slow down to a stop underneath an overpass, "I've only been training a few months and we never did a 5K... give me a break here," Seigo laughed harder as he started walking to her with a water bottle he warped into his hand when no one was looking. Just then, Bio Scanner went off as a mass of green slime and sewage started to seep out of a manhole cover behind Ochako.
"Ochako! Behind you!" Seigo shouted as he rushed forward with Body Burst on. He cursed the fact he didn't have his friend tagged.
"What?!" Ochako turned to see the mass of sludge and gunk form teeth and eyes as it towered above her, almost reaching the ceiling.
"You'll be a perfect skin suit to hide in!" The villain tackled Ochako and before Seigo could get close enough to warp her away, he was smacked by the villain and launched down the street, "Don't worry, this will only hurt for a bit!" he claimed as he forced himself down her throat and nose.
"Ochako!" Seigo picked himself up and ran again to try and warp the villain away this time. 'I can't afford to leave any tags here or a hero might realize I'm Noh,' he quickly summoned a few pebbles to his hand and dropped one on the ground.
'I… can't breathe…' Ochako attempted to use her quirk on anything, but it didn't matter as all it did was move the sludge monster to the ceiling rather than the ground, causing Seigo to miss again and almost got slammed into the concrete by the monster, having warped back to the pebble to try again.. Ochako could feel tears running down her face at her helplessness, 'Seigo... please… I don't want to die…" Seigo was about to close in again but was halted by a loud bang coming from the other side of the tunnel.
"Have no fear, you both safe," Everyone immediately recognized the voice. It was All Might stepping out of the manhole in a t-shirt and cargo pants holding a bag of… groceries? "Now that I am here that is!" The sludge monster immediately threw a gooey arm to attack but All Might dodged it with ease. Another was sent but All Might reeled back to let the villain have it. "Texas…" Seigo knew what was coming and immediately warped backwards, not just to evade the blow, "SMASH!" All Might's smash sent a huge current of wind down the tunnel, destroying the sludge villain in one blow and free Ochako who flew right into Seigo's arms as he caught her. Seigo quickly lowered her to the ground to check on her.
"Ochako! Ochako! Are you okay?!" He placed a hand to her neck to feel a pulse before placing a finger beneath her nose. He let out a sigh afterwards. She was still breathing but she wasn't conscious anymore. He turned to look at All Might as he was busy scrapping the villain into two bottles. Normally he'd be fanboying but right now… he was too worried for his friend to care. He heard a cough coming from Ochako as she started to stir.
"What… happened?" she asked before immediately turning over to vomit.
"You were attacked by a body-snatching slime monster," Seigo stated matter-of-factually.
"Oh, gross-urk!" she shouted, disgusted as she continued to vomit, her mind finally recalling everything, "The taste! It's never coming out!" she cried as she hacked. Seigo just looked at his friend with a relieved smile.
"Well, you two seem to be alright!" All Might declared as he walked over, "Sorry about that back there. I didn't mean to get you two caught up in my justicing. Usually I pay more attention to keeping bystanders safe, but it turns out this city's sewer system is pretty difficult to navigate! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ochako was in a state of star-struck awe while Seigo was a slightly less so, making sure to warp the pebbles he used back to his hand so All Might wouldn't see them, "Anyway, you two were a big help!" All Might produced two large bottles carrying the remains of the sludge monster, "I've captured the evildoer!" Seigo couldn't tell how he should feel looking at the dismembered corpse of a villain that had just tried to kill his friend. All Might turned away and let out a cough, getting blood on the hero's hand. 'Shit,' All Might quickly refocused on the two teens, "Welp, I've got to get this guy to the police so they can take care of him," All Might haphazardly shoved the two bottles into his pants pockets before he turned around, waving the two off, "Stay out of trouble, see you two around!"
"Wait-" All Might, without hesitating, launched himself into the air towards the city, "I wanted your autograph…" Seigo mumbled dejectedly. He helped Ochako up before he got an idea. "We're going after him!"
"What?!" Ochako looked at her crazy friend's eyes.
"I missed my chance for an autograph! I don't know when I'll have the chance again!" There was also something he needed to ask him. Seigo placed a hand on her shoulder before warping from rooftop to rooftop in the direction that All Might flew in, using Bio Scanner to track him. Seigo knew that tagging as many rooftops as possible would come in handy someday. After the sixth warp, Seigo hit pay dirt. Seigo had his tags out of sight so no one would see him if he used them so All Might didn't notice them as he picked himself up from his landing and let out a sigh.
"Hey, All Might!" Seigo cried out. All Might panicked expression was only visible for less than a second before it vanished in a puff of smoke, surprising both Seigo and Ochako. Before rocking their whole world when the smoke cleared. In All Might's place was an emaciated man in All Might's clothes that were far too big for him. Seigo couldn't see his eyes before but now the icy blue of his were now clearly visible and his famous bangs were now hanging limply in front of his face. If Bio Scanner wasn't telling Seigo that this was still All Might, he wouldn't have believed it.
"A-All Might?" Seigo could only mutter his words but Ochako had him covered.
"What happened to you?!" Ochako screamed as she tried to process what was happening. All Might sighed but as he did, a huge amount of blood flowed from his mouth as he did, causing Ochako to scream again and Seigo to grimace. "Are… are you really All Might?"
"Yes, I am All Might," Ochako near fainted but Seigo caught her before tapping her on the head to restart her brain. "You know how guys at the pool are always sucking in and flexing and trying to look buff? I'm like that."
"What? How?! Why?!" Seigo began before Ochako rocketed back off of him to face All Might with a determined look.
"I have so many questions!" Ochako couldn't seem to keep her voice down anymore as All Might sat down next to a railing.
"I'm trusting you two to keep your mouths shut. Don't go talking about this online or telling your friends," All Might pulled his shirt up to show the two his stomach… or where it was supposed to be. On his left side was lines of scars flowing into a central one that looked just like a hole had been punched through him. Ochako, started dry heaving, having nothing left in her stomach to barf up while Seigo just looked on in shock at the gruesome injury. "Pretty gross right? I got this in a big fight five years back,"
'Five years?' Seigo thought for a second before All Might continued.
"My respiratory system is basically destroyed and I lost my whole stomach. All the surgeries have pretty much worn me out and it can't be fixed," Seigo then thought about Eri and how she could rewind people… but he put that thought down. He couldn't reveal what she could do, not even to All Might, "Right now I can only do hero work for about three hours a day and the rest of the time, this is what I look like," Seigo and Ochako were speechless as they listened to All Might talk but he wasn't finished, "Now it's my turn to ask you how you caught up with me," Seigo immediately realized how dumb his plan was. Of course he would ask how he managed to keep up with the Number One Hero. However, before Seigo could explain anything, an explosion from nearby in the direction they came from drew their attention. All Might looked down to his pockets and noticed that he was missing the bottles.
"How was I so careless?!" All Might threw open the door leading downstairs and left the two alone.
"Dammit, I forgot about the autograph again!"
"Forget the autograph, we should go check it out!" Ochako suggested, "It has to be the sludge villain from earlier!"
"You mean the one that almost killed you?! Why?! We'll only get in the way!" Seigo countered.
"Then you'll just get us out of the way if that happens!" Ochako held out a hand to Seigo, who looked at it with a look like she was the crazy one now. He sighed before taking her hand and warping them closer to the chaos. The two sprinted until they found the alley full of fire and smoke with pro heroes doing whatever they could to fight the sludge monster. Seigo took stock of everyone involved.
"Something's off, where'd all the fire come from? None of these heroes have fire-based quirks," Seigo noticed as he had been watching the various heroes that may have become a problem in the future.
"Hang on, I think I see someone in there!" Seigo followed Ochako's finger to see a blond-haired teen struggling to get out of the slime villain.
"You picked the wrong guy to mess with!" the blond shouted as he freed his mouth, "I'm gonna send you back to whatever sewer you crawled out of!" Suddenly, two large explosions rocketed outwards from the boy's hands, engulfing the area around the two in fire in smoke, obscuring everyone's view but did no damage to the monster.
"Well… at least that explains the fire," Seigo commented as he uncovered his ears.
"The heroes aren't moving…" Ochako whispered, drawing Seigo's attention back to the heroes. Kamui Woods was too busy saving civilians but couldn't get close due to him being made of wood, Backdraft was busy putting out fires, and everyone else couldn't harm the sludge monster to save the teenager. Mt. Lady had arrived on the scene but she couldn't do much at the moment with the boy being a hostage.
"And I don't think they will be either," Seigo remarked as he took in the heroes faces, filled with trepidation and uncertainty. It was clear they didn't know how to approach this.
"Isn't that the villain All Might was chasing earlier?" an onlooker noticed.
"What?! All Might?! No way, he lost, where is he?!" another shouted in surprise.
"Can't someone call him or something?"
"Seriously, why hasn't he shown up to help the heroes?" Ochako let out a quiet gasp at what the crowd was saying. She knew that All Might wasn't coming. Seigo kicked on Bio Scanner and noticed that All Might was literally standing a few meters away, taking in the scene with a look of regret and frustration on his face.
'All Might's time limit ran out but he might still be able to help that guy... or maybe not. I could also, in theory, get the guy out but I'd risk people knowing about Targeted Warp and that might cause problems so I think I'll sit this one out,'Before he could move to ask him to help, Seigo noticed that Ochako had enough and ran in to help the teen.
"Ochako-" before he could run in after her, Death Arms stopped him by grabbing his arm.
"Are you nuts, kid?!"
"Yeah, what's it to you?!" Seigo warped a rock into his hand and threw it to warp himself out of Death Arms' grip, shocking the Pro and the entire crowd at the display. He took off running and caught up with Ochako quickly, looking at her with a glare, "How about you: are you nuts?!"
"Absolutely peanuts!" She shouted, face contorted in fear but her legs never stopped running, "What the hell am I doing?!"
"Being completely insane!" The duo saw the sludge villain throw out an attack but they quickly dodged it at the cost of being separated.
"Yeah, that's about right! I'll grab him and you warp us out!"
"Yeah, cause it worked so well the first time!"
"But this time, you've got me helping! It's a lot hard to track two people than one," Ochako stated. Seigo warped a slingshot into his hand to shoot a larger rock into the sludge villains' eye. He retaliated but he slid under one attack as Ochako leaped over another after using her Zero Gravity on herself.
All Might watched on as the two kids from earlier jumped into the fray to save the boy. He gritted his teeth as he focused on his power. 'I have to do something… no matter the cost!' but before he could move...
"Release!" She suddenly fell and managed to get a hand on the boy's hair as Seigo grabbed her ankle and warped all three out of there, back towards the crowd.
"There! Are you happy now?!" Seigo shouted, seemingly at Ochako but it was pretty much directed at everyone that just felt like being useless and/or stupid today, including himself. As if on cue, with his hostage gone, Mt. Lady dropped a massive stomp on the villain, defeating him instantly.
"Ugh… Nasty little booger!" she cried out as she scrapped the villain off her foot into a nearby dumpster. All Might watched on, still in his deflated form, as he saw the situation finally be brought under control, the crowd cheering the heroes. There were even a few cheering the kids and their quirks and hoped they would be heroes someday. He felt like a failure for letting this happen and the only reason it worked out… was because of two kids crazy enough to risk it all to save a life.
After all the excitement, including being berated by the pros and police for being reckless, stupid, having great quirks, having a death wish and nearly being sent to jail, Seigo and Ochako walked towards the beach as the sun set.
"Sorry about all that…" Ochako apologized as the two walked through the suburb overlooking the ocean.
"Don't worry about it," Seigo said as he patted his friend on the back, "No one died and we didn't get sent to prison so we take those, right?"
"Yeah, and we saved that guy, whoever he was," Ochako smiled at the fact they helped someone even if they had to get yelled at afterwards.
"YOU DIDN'T SAVE ME!" The two turned around to see the exploding blond from before as he ran up to them, panting heavily from his sprint to catch up with them. After stopping for a second to catch his breath, he pointed at the two of them, "I was fine by myself!" He shouted, delusional to what the reality of the situation was, "You're a couple of second-rate weaklings with third-rate quirks that would be lucky to make it as rent-a-cops!" Ochako looked at him like he was some kind of nutcase that lost grip with how helpless he was back there while Seigo grabbed his head as it began to hurt. He felt like he knew this guy from… somewhere. Before he could think about it some more, the boy turned and walked away while shouting over his shoulder, "I'm to be the greatest hero in the world, better than All Might! I don't need losers like you in my damn way!"
"Wow, what's his problem?" Ochako asked, "His explosions were making everything worse back there so he was the exact opposite of 'fine', eh, Sei?" Ochako looked to Seigo who was still holding his head in his hands. "Are you okay? Did his shouting give you a headache?" she asked with concern.
"No… it's probably nothing more than a need for a nap," he said with a weak smile.
"Maybe you can show me the beach another time. It's getting really late," She pointed to the horizon to show the setting sun.
"Yeah, it's probably best we get you home before your parents find out what happe-"
"I AM HERE!" All Might, straight out of another path, slid to a stop in front of the two.
"All Might?!" the two cried in unison.
"Why are you here?!" All Might let out a hearty laugh at the question.
"I always show up when I'm needed and also when I need to be somewhere! And that somewhere is right he-plewwww!" All Might, try as he might, let loose a slew of blood as he reverted back to his small form, causing the two teenagers to shriek at the bloodshed. He quickly wiped the blood of his face and recovered his composure before continuing. "I need to talk with you both about what happened back there."
"Great, he's here to scold us too…" Seigo muttered with a sigh.
"No, I'm not. I came here to thank you," the two looked at All Might with surprise before he continued, "I was sloppy today because I was worrying about my time limit and it almost cost that young man his life. I was there when you two ran in, being nothing more than a helpless bystander, too weak to do anything. Young man, young lady, you both inspired me to act, even if I didn't get the chance to. I was willing to break my time limit to help because of your actions. Let me ask you both, why did you run in there?" The two looked at each other for a few seconds as they processed the question. The both nodded before facing All Might.
"I just ran after Ochako since I thought she was going to get herself hurt," Seigo admitted, scratching his cheek bashfully. All Might shifted his gaze to Ochako who rubbed her arm sheepishly.
"I… happened to catch a glimpse of the boy's eyes," Ochako began, "and when I did, I saw in them the same thing I felt when I was being attacked by that monster…" Ochako stopped as she tried to find the words.
"What did you see?" All Might asked.
"I saw fear... like he thought he was going to die and that no one was going to save him in time… and when I saw it, I just took off. By the time I realized it, I was already past the crowd with Seigo beside me," Ochako shook her head before looking at All Might with a fierce look of determination, hands clenched, "I just... I couldn't stand the fact that someone was feeling the same fear I felt!" All Might smiled at the heartfelt declaration.
"That's good. That's very good! One of the most common traits of a hero's beginnings is that when others were in danger, our feet moved before we've had a chance to think. Then I have something I want to offer you, young lady," The two looked on, confused, "My quirk," Seigo and Ochako brains stopped processing.
"What?" the two asked simultaneously.
"There's a couple things you should know about my abilities. My power has been speculated by the pundits and theorists for years as super strength or invulnerability but I've always dodged the question with a joke whenever I was asked. It's because the people need to believe that their Symbol of Peace is a natural born human like anyone else… but I'm not. There's nothing 'natural' about my quirk. It's a sacred torch that was given to me by someone else," His quirk could do what now?
"Someone… gave you your quirk?" Ochako asked, still in a state of shock. Seigo was also getting a feeling of Deja vu and it made him sick to his stomach.
"Yes, and I've decided to give it to you so I have one final question for you, young lady: Will you be willing to take this torch and become the next Symbol of Peace?"
"Geez, no pressure!" Ochako cried out, in shock at the proposal. Her? The next Symbol of Peace?
'A quirk that can be passed on… does it have anything to do with… me? Is there some connection?' Seigo quickly put the thought away for a second.
"I can't believe you can just give someone your quirk!" Ochako continued, still in shock, "It's… I've never heard of anything like that!"
"No… in a world of quirks, anything's possible," Seigo corrected. He'd know better than anyone.
"You'll need to adjust to this new reality, young lady," All Might added, "I can transfer my quirk to someone else… and that's just one facet of its abilities. The true name of my quirk is 'One For All'," Seigo felt his breath catch in his throat as he remembered hearing about someone with a similar name: All For One. The man that turned him into a "nomu". The reason for all his problems. All Might didn't notice the distress in Seigo as he kept talking, too focused on Ochako "One person improves the power, then passes it along, causing it to grow with each successor. It is this cultivated power that allows me save people in need of a hero; the source of my strength." Ochako turned silent for a good fifteen seconds, racking her brain over what she was hearing and what she was being offered. She didn't know what to do... Seigo noticed the conflict going on in her head as it was written all over her face.
"Ochako, I think you should take it," Seigo suggested, causing Ochako to nearly fall over herself in shock at the suggestion.
"What?! Not you too!"
"I'm not exactly a people person but you love brightening everyone else's day," Seigo explained, "You've almost always got a smile on your face, you love helping others and you're being scouted by the top hero in Japan," Ochako could feel herself blushing at the praise, "Plus, you'll be able to help more people if you're stronger and that means more money for your family, no?" Ochako looked unsure.
"But you're so much stronger than me! The only reason we saved the day was because of you and your awesome warp! You should have-"
"Which is why I don't need it," Seigo cut her off, "This is a chance to be a hero that doesn't need to rely on me or anyone else," 'Also, I've got enough quirks. I don't wantanymore.'
"I agree," All Might grabbed their attention again, "I've been on the hunt for a long time for a worthy successor. It was you that rushed in first, inspiring your friend and me as well to come help. You acted like a hero!" All Might clenched his fist with a look of conviction. The look gave Ochako the push she needed.
"Okay! I'll do it!" She shouted with no reluctance, bringing a smile to All Might and Seigo's faces.
"And since then, I've been training every day under All Might… and I did it. I got his quirk," she then looked down at her cast with an ashamed smile, "And it broke my arm the second I tried it." The room was silent for a minute before Tsuyu spoke up.
"Thank you for telling us but do you think this is alright? Us knowing?"
"It should be fine! I trust you guys won't do anything stupid," Ochako said with a friendly smile that had a hint of danger to it.
"You sure? Mino's not the most reliable guy on Earth," Tsuyu replied.
"Hey, I kept Sei's secret just fine!" Minoru countered.
"Izuku," Tsuyu corrected.
"Argh, whatever!" Minoru shouted back, "Though I'll admit, I'm kinda glad Izuku here didn't get all that power. With what he told us earlier, could you imagine the result?"
"No one on Earth would have a prayer of stopping you… if you could control it," Ochako answered, "You'd be an even greater hero than All Might by a long shot!" A nice sentiment but to Izuku, who just looked down with almost a sigh of relief that he didn't get offered the quirk. He had enough problems right now.
"As for your arm, well, we are talking about all the power of All Might here," Minoru pointed out with a confused look on his face, "What did you think was going to happen?" Tsuyu responded by smacking Minoru again.
"Stop being tactless."
"Doesn't make me wrong!"
"Enough, you two!" Izuku commanded, quieting them both before an argument broke out, "We're all friends, right?" the three nodded, Ochako's grin widened as she realized what Izuku was about to say, "Then it's our job to help a friend when she's in need, right?
"Right!" Tsuyu and Minoru shouted, though Tsuyu's was only a little louder than her normal speaking voice.
"Thanks guys! Yeah, I can't control the power and I'm not sure where to even start since this is nothing like Zero Gravity," Ochako rubbed the back of her head bashfully.
"Okay, so we just brainstorm for a bit and we get a game plan going. Easy, right?" Izuku suggested. The three nodded as Izuku pulled out his quirk notebook to begin their plan for Ochako. Though during it, Minoru had to ask...
"Hey, Izuku, did you ever get that autograph?" Izuku hung his head with shame.
"...no, I didn't…"
"So, did you come up with a name?" Aizawa asked the next day when he arrived. Izuku nodded with a smile.
"I think we should call it 'Rage Shroud'."
"Simple but effective. Good."