Being a hero was hard work. In between patrolling the streets, aiding police operations, fighting villains and endorsing their own products, a pro's schedule was nearly always packed to the brim with events. Many heroes simply got overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work, opting to take a week off at least once a month.
Endeavor was not one of those heroes.
He was currently patrolling the streets as usual, on the lookout for any sort of unusual activity. The number two hero dedicated himself to one thing, and one thing only: to surpass the colossal wall known as All Might. The sea of people that inhabited Musutafu City parted for him as he walked through, many civilians pointing, chattering and some even taking pictures of the respected pro hero. Despite the relative peace in recent times there were still rare cases of villains popping up unannounced, such as the assault on U.A's USJ facility yesterday. And to think Shoto had been there, too…
Endeavor clenched his fists. It was pure luck that the boy had not been harmed. The audacity of those villains… if anything had happened to his progeny there'd be hell to pay. Not just because Shoto was his plan to finally surpass All Might, but also because the boy was his son.
Truth be told, despite his proficiency at Hero work Endeavor knew he wasn't the best parent. There simply wasn't time to coddle the boy; defeating All Might would require tremendous amounts of skill, talent and prowess… something that he nurtured into Shoto since the tender age of five. The boy was to be his legacy, a being capable of wielding his fire and his wife's frost. The best traits of both parents bred into the perfect warrior, resulting in overwhelming power—well, it would be except the boy only used his right side like a damned fool.
Didn't he realize this was how the world worked? Power was everything. In this world strewn with superpowers, people were not born equal. Might makes right—just as the powerful controlled the world, the powerless were controlled by it. Law of the jungle, survival of the fittest, and that the weak should fear the strong. That was what Endeavor believed in… so why was it that Shoto still refused to use his inherited power?
The hero's train of thought was derailed when a low whine followed by a monstrous roar split the air, something screaming across the sky overhead in a flash of green. It sounded like a fighter jet, complete with Doppler effect as it rapidly covered distance. A second later something else sped past in pursuit in a blur of white—the Buster Hero, Air Jet.
While the nearby civilians cowered and looked on in awe Endeavor snarled, tapping at his earpiece communicator to contact his own hero agency over a priority line.
"Endeavor-san, sir! We've received reports of a flying—" a panicked voice began.
"Send strike package Epsilon-one to my location," he barked, chasing after the trail Air Jet and his quarry had left. "And patch me through to the Buster Hero, Air Jet!"
"Roger, Epsilon-one en route! Patching you through!"
Endeavor cursed, knowing the package would take at least a minute or two. That thing Air Jet had been chasing… some sort of missile? He had a bad feeling about this.
"Endeavor-san, this is Air Jet speaking," the Buster Hero's friendly voice crackled over the comm channel. "Good to have you. Reports of an unknown bogey flying over the city came in from the local police only minutes ago. I'm in pursuit. No idea what it is, but it keeps on circling around the city, almost like it's looking for something..."
"Give me more details. Any identifying markings or anything of the sort?"
"I see—" There was more crackling as the connection fluctuated. "A streamlined profile, green armor plating. Bright green exhaust, two plumes. Need to get a little closer…"
"Epsilon-one has arrived at your location." a computerized voice chirped. Moments later a riderless motorcycle screeched across the street in front of Endeavor, patiently waiting for its owner. The number two hero wasted no time and hopped on in one smooth motion, his flames fueling the infernal high-tech machine and bringing it to life. The heavy vehicle roared and bucked like a live animal as Endeavor shifted into gear and revved the throttle, his signature orange flames flaring along its wheels.
"Talk to me, Air Jet," he barked, swerving around traffic and blazing a literal trail behind him. "What does your Radar show?"
"Minimal Radar cross-section."
"A stealth aircraft?"
"No, it's… tiny compared to conventional craft," Air Jet replied hastily, clearly struggling to keep up with the unknown bogey. "I think it's an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. I'm going to try for visual confirmation; activating afterburners!"
"Tell me what you see!"
"I'm still chasing it; this thing's speed and maneuverability is insane; it can turn on a dime! No wings, too small to fit a pilot, silhouette does not match anything in the JASDF database. It almost looks like a missile…"
"Do you have radio contact?" He could see them now, the bright yellow emission of Air Jet's thruster pack chasing a comet tail of green energy. His eyes tracked their forms as they bobbed and weaved through the air like a pair of dragonflies, the unknown making directional changes that were nigh-impossible for aircraft. It almost seemed to slide and shift mid air, bleeding off speed in tight turns.
"Non-responsive. Wait, what the—"
"Say again, Jet?" Endeavor frowned at the bewilderment in Air Jet's voice and the abrupt cut-off, tapping at his earpiece twice to send two mic clicks his way. "Jet, do you copy?"
"I—I copy. It's a… man," Air Jet said incredulously. "And he just flipped me off!"
"Tch, cocky bastard," Endeavor's voice sizzled through the mic. "Shoot him down. Try to ground him in an uninhabited area."
"But Endeavor-san—"
"Do as I say, Air Jet!" he ordered. "Or are you doubting my decision?!"
"No, Endeavor-san. I just think that we should at least try to talk—"
"I don't care what you think, that man is hereby considered a criminal and you are a hero! Do your bloody job!"
"Alright… but I'm firing a warning shot, flashbang payload."
A missile shot out from Air Jet's pack and burst mid-air like a firework, resulting in a blinding blast of light. That certainly got the unknown's attention—it reversed its heading to slam into Air Jet with an ear-splitting explosion of green, sending the Buster Hero spiraling to the ground. Endeavor cursed and revved the throttle, accelerating to where he predicted the downed hero would land.
Only moments later a distant crash was heard, the hero coming across a scene of panicking civilians. He advanced forward and issued a command to his hero agency to begin evacuations and form a perimeter around the crash site as a crowd of civilians rushed past him to safety.
A shallow crater had formed in the middle of the street, Air Jet sprawled spread-eagle within it. Atop him was the unknown villain, his armored boot resting upon the Buster Hero's head.
"Can't get a hint, can you? Piss off." the villain said, grinding his heel against Air Jet's armored helmet. The downed hero let out a painful groan, indicating he was at least alive. "You shoot at me again and I'll shove that jetpack so far up your ass you'll shit exhaust for a year."
"Hey, you!" Endeavor shouted, the flames along his shoulder flaring out. "That's right, punk. I'm talking to you! What the hell do you think you're doing in my city, huh?!"
The villain whirled around to face Endeavor, presenting a green rabbit-like mask with long ears and dark eye-lenses, coupled with a metallic respirator that protected his mouth. The unknown man's head tilted to the side curiously, surveying his soon-to-be opponent.
"You… you're Endeavor, aren't you?" he grunted, almost sounding confused. "In the flesh."
"That's right, scumbag. And I'll be the one to bring you into custody," Endeavor growled. "Just another notch on my belt for some good-for-nothing, spineless nobody in a silly costume."
"Don't diss the costume—that's rich coming from someone whose head is on fire. I've heard of you— a real hothead..."
"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way—though I'm hoping you'll resist so I can put you into the ground. So what will it be, asshole?" the hero's eyes narrowed. "Surrender or run?"
"That's an ultimatum. I don't do ultimatums."
Now that Endeavor was closer he could take in the villain's form in more detail—he was clad in a green jumpsuit with plated armor that protected his forearms, hands, torso, and shins. A dark utility belt with pouches circled his waist, a pair of heavy boots completing the outfit. He kind of looked like a hero… but the way he spoke was similar to a villain, rude and uncouth.
"Blame it on your friend here"—the villain gave Air Jet a light kick, prompting another pained groan—"for trying to shoot me down. Is this how things work around here? In my time anyone could use their Quirks whenever they wanted to as long as they weren't hurting anyone. You people are so backwards."
"Those who utilize their Quirks outside of what is permissible under the law shall be perceived as villains, and dealt with as seen fit," Endeavor recited, growling. "This iron rule has not, and will not change. This is your last warning—if you continue to resist arrest we might have an accident that will leave you in excruciating, burning pain."
"The only accident I fear will be your head being blasted off with me wearing your fucking moron face as a party mask," the villain said nonchalantly, beginning to take off. "Leave me alone hothead, I've got work to do."
"You're not going anywhere!"
An inferno flared from Endeavor's fingertips, the orange conflagration forming a fiery net to ensnare its unlucky target. The man cocked his head, an explosion erupting from his torso and shredding the encircling net apart effortlessly.
"Tch. I need to find him and you're wasting my precious time. Look, I'm not trying to terrorize your city or anything like that… But I can see reasoning with you is no longer an option. So if it's a fight you want so badly, then that's what you'll get."
"You goddamn villain punk—"
"Save your breath, you'll need it when I make you scream like a pussy." He pointed his armored fist towards Endeavor, crackling and popping with energy—
"Lacquered Chain Prison!"
A series of thick branches shot through the air and crashed into the attacker with a crunch, twisting and sliding over each other to bind him in a tangled ball of wood. Kamui Woods stood atop a gigantified Mt. Lady's shoulder, accompanied by Death Arms who flanked from below.
"Endeavor-san! We saw the commotion and we're here to help!" Mt. Lady called, giving him a thumbs up and reaching for the captured Villain to hold him down. "I just need to—"
"Stay back!" Endeavor shouted.
An eerie emerald light flared from within the gaps of the overlapping branches—Mt. Lady barely managed to withdraw her hand when the wooden prison exploded into a thousand splinters, revealing the villain within.
"All these distractions, all these obstacles..." the armored man hissed, his voice strangely distorted—almost like two people speaking at once. Emerald energy crackled from his entire body, flaring out in concentric waves and forcing the heroes back. "Get away from me, you fucking ghosts."
"Surrender, villain! There's no escape; you are surrounded!" Kamui Woods yelled bravely.
"All I am surrounded by is ignorance—" Green motes of light glowed behind dark lenses. "—and dead heroes."
[x]
The sweltering afternoon heat bore down on Izuku like a blanket of discomfort, the blazing sun hanging high in bright blue sky. Glancing at his watch the boy noted it was already 1:00pm.
He was currently taking a short break to catch his breath and get something to eat, buying some Takoyaki and gulping them down as they walked through Musutafu's Uptown Park. On his shoulder Kiri was eating one too, nibbling at the snack hungrily. He was still considering the current situation he had found himself in.
Johnny had mentioned the last two were villains… but it didn't make any sense. Izuku scratched his head, his mind struggling to comprehend that. Why would villains be in possession of One For All? Theoretically it was possible but… he wondered what kind of circumstances would result in such a thing happening. One For All could only be given, not taken. The only explanations he could come up with were that one of the previous wielders went mad whilst in possession of One For All, which would lead them to become a villain... or a dying wielder made the choice to pass on the legendary Quirk even to a villain to prevent the flames of hope from being snuffed out.
Izuku suspected it was the latter, remembering that little tidbit Johnny mentioned before he faded away—someone by the name of "König". The old hero had said that she was the one who killed him… and that she was the one who probably caused the breach that allowed them to escape. She… killed Johnny and got One For All? And her name... The boy brought up his phone and typed it into the search bar, eyes widening slightly at the result.
''König' is the German word for 'King',' the device displayed in neat little letters. Well that was encouraging; just wonderful. A quick look through the online global hero/villain public database showed no such record of anyone prominent bearing that name—there were two or three small-time heroes and villains, but they were all male, not the one he was looking for.
The implications were frightening, perhaps a little too much to think about at this time. Izuku felt a shiver creep up his spine at the possibilities before squashing the thought. Johnny also mentioned she was 'fast as hell', which he interpreted as her having some kind of speed or mobility capability—a Mover-type Quirk? Mover-type metahumans were notoriously hard to capture and contain, with speedsters like the hero Ingenium being a prime example of their sheer versatility and potential. Then there was the remaining unknown villain, the one he had no information on… he would cross that bridge when he came to it.
Regardless, things weren't looking very good at all. He had no idea what he was dealing with, or how these villains would act…
For a moment an image of the thin, sickly-looking villain from USJ resurfaced in his mind again like a monster from the deep, gnarled ghostlike fingers reaching out towards him. He imagined his classmate Tsuyu falling into pieces, cracked and withering away, Nomu's tar-black muscles rippling and coiling as Aizawa-sensei's arm snapped like a cheap toothpick—
Izuku shivered and gulped, swallowing the fear that threatened to well up and spill forth from his mouth. He locked up that terrified part of himself into the detention cell of his mind, imprisoning it for the time being. Now wasn't the time for fear, to let that part of him out. Kiri poked at him in concern, letting out a worried murmur while eating away at his negativity.
"I-I'm… I'm fine. The next one's somewhere around here, Kiri-chan?"
"Nn." The little construct nodded, pointing in the direction she wanted him to go.
"Okay." Izuku breathed, scanning the park for any unusual activity. "Let's see…"
He reminded himself to be extremely cautious when approaching. Still, there was nothing out of the ordinary here. The few people in the park were relaxed as always, not a hint of fear nor alarm on their features. Izuku focused, his eyes taking in every detail in the surroundings no matter how insignificant. One of the two villains was here somewhere.
A jogger blurred past him, huffing and puffing with effort. A family of four strolled down the main path, enjoying the fresh air. There was a camera flash as a pair of tourists took a picture of the nearby fountain. A man walked alongside his dog leisurely, the animal panting in excitement. A policeman cycled by, patrolling the area with vigilant eyes.
Why here, in the park? There was nothing of use here besides the fresh air. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people walked through this park on their way to and from the city… but it wasn't anything special. Just the normal greenery, along with the cherry blossoms that bloomed beautifully when the Spring came. He struggled to think of why a villain would come here, factors like human traffic and the surrounding plant life taken into account. Nothing came to mind—he didn't have enough info to form a solid theory or hypothesis.
Izuku sighed. He still didn't see anything unusual… perhaps this villain had some sort of camouflage or stealth-based Quirk that allowed them to hide amongst the human traffic or lush greenery? But then again there weren't many people around at this time of the day either. Kiri continued searching as well, eyes closed in focused concentration. The boy took another bite of Takoyaki, contemplating what he would say when he inevitably met him or her.
"Step aside, you pheasants!" a bright young voice called out cheerfully. "Make way for the King!"
"It's 'Peasant', Sat-chan. Pheasants are a type of bird," another voice corrected. "Also, shouldn't it be 'Queen' instead of 'King' since Yui is a girl?"
"Are you questioning my royal authority as the King's Right Hand, Minister Kotoha?! To the dungeons with you! Ten Years dungeon, no trial! What say you, your majesty?"
"Forward, my mighty steed!" a third voice squealed with childish delight. "Mush!"
"Wan, wan! Woof!"
Izuku whirled to face the source of the commotion, eyebrows rising into his messy hair as he witnessed the strange scene.
A trio of kids were parading down the wide cobblestone path of the park, nearby commuters parting for them with amused smiles. Among them was a little redhead girl riding atop her large black-and-tan dog like a horse, giggling. She was flanked by two of her friends: one with blonde hair and the other with blue. They were apparently having the time of their lives in a game of pretend under the afternoon sun. All three held long sticks that they brandished like swords, waving them back and forth in the air happily.
Izuku smiled, briefly reminded of his childhood adventures with Bakugo. Well, the good parts, at least. Ahh, youth…
"There," Kiri chirped, pointing at the trio. "It's them."
"Eh?" The U.A student blinked… then did a panicked double take at the kids.
Wait, what?
"The villain we're looking for—it's one of them."
"EEEEEHHHH?!"
It couldn't be… the villain was one of those kids?! But they looked so ordinary, their behavior matching that of what would normally be seen in children their age. They looked like they were around ten years old—he never could judge ages correctly. The gears in Izuku's head spun like pinwheels, his young mind trying to comprehend what he was seeing.
"But... I can't tell which one because they're standing so close together." She continued tracking them to make sure, nodding.
When it came to Quirks one needed to think out of the box: things weren't always as they seemed. If he thought about it rationally it was probably some sort of disguise or stealth-based Quirk in action, maybe one that allowed the villain to take the form of a child. But what were the activation parameters and effects? The possibilities were practically endless, but there were already some clues that he could guess just by observing.
The fact that they looked entirely ordinary was already a clue; this villain had to have some kind of stealth-based ability that let them hide in plain sight or disguise themselves. Possible Stranger/Changer rating. The boy began to think of possible scenarios, diving into his extensive knowledge of metahumans.
Why take the form or body of a child? The villain could be using the form as a disguise like Kiri did to avoid detection… or perhaps for a more sinister purpose like luring people towards them. For a moment Izuku's wild imagination conjured up the image of an invisible villain floating behind the trio, tethered to one of the girls via an equally invisible fleshy cord and using the child's form as a puppet, a lure to attract prey—much like how an Anglerfish uses its glowing lure in the dark ocean depths.
As freaky as the image was, it was completely ridiculous… yet the boy shuddered, reminding himself that he was dealing with a villain here. Going in blind without any info was foolish, even suicidal. The only upside would be that the unknown villain would understand that killing him would result in their demise as well.
With a nervous sigh Izuku made his decision, slowly trudging forward. No choice but to approach and see if one of them showed a reaction to him since they were unlikely to separate. He hoped he didn't look like a creep due to approaching a group of little girls, but then again he wasn't much older than them.
Squaring his shoulders the aspiring hero moved towards them, lowering his hood to show his face while Kiri hid inside his disheveled dark green hair to observe. He gave her a command to hide in silence, just in case.
"You there, plain onii-san!" The little blonde girl noticed his approach, drawing her 'sword' defensively. "Stop right there, criminal scum! You have violated the law!"
"I… I have?" Izuku stammered, holding both hands up nervously. "In what way?"
"You're in the way and still haven't paid tribute to passing royalty, matey!"
"What."
"Yar har, ye scurvy dog! Part with a hundred doubloons or ye be the talk of the town," The girl's eyes glinted with mischief, lips curling into a cheeky smile. "And the talk will not be merry."
"Ehhh..." Izuku blinked slowly, now being subject to a mix of extortion and piracy by a bunch of brats.
"Are you a pirate now, Sat-chan?" the redhead remarked curiously from atop her mount. "I thought we were playing royal knights."
"Oyaji told us to be careful whenever a suspicious-looking guy approaches us." the blue-haired girl piped up, munching on a skewer of roasted meat. She plucked off the last piece and fed it to their dog, the delighted pet gobbling the morsel in a flash. "But you look harmless, onii-san."
"Uhhh… thanks?"
"That wasn't a compliment."
"Riiiiiight." Izuku said awkwardly. Okay, time to be blunt. "Um, have you three seen anything… weird happening around here?"
He hoped to get a reaction out of that but the three kids simply tilted their heads, eying him with a mix of suspicion and curiosity.
"What are you talking about, onii-san... Are you perhaps sick in the head?"
"Uwaa, d-don't tell me— m-m-maybe you're one of those c-creeps that mom warned me about? T-the kind that goes around talking to little girls like us…"
"You're weird. Does that count?"
"Woof!"
Ouch. Well that was a critical hit to his self-esteem. He should have just got Kiri to turn into her child form to approach them instead.
"Fear not, my King! I'll defend you from this miscreant." the blonde girl interrupted and raised her makeshift weapon in challenge. "Prepare to face our wrath, weird onii-san! For I am the Holy Knight Sat-chan!"
"I am Kotoha." the passive blue-haired girl said simply, wielding the stick at her hip in an Iaidō stance like a samurai.
"A-and I am Yui!" the mounted rider squeaked, raising her own trembling stick.
"Together, we're Colors!" They announced in unison, striking a pose. "Protectors of this town!"
"Wait, I just wanted to—"
"Take this, Divine Smite!" Sat-chan cried playfully, lightly whacking Izuku on the shin. "You take 2d8 points of damage."
"Be purged from this World." Kotoha adjusted her hat in a way that she clearly seemed to think was cool, her stick slicing through the air in a practiced, chunnibyou-like motion. "Aero Slash."
"U-um... um!" Yui looked around timidly, then patted the dog she was riding on. "I'll use my mount to attack! Sic' em, girl! B-but don't hurt him, just b-bark at him or something!"
"Wan, wan!" Her dog barked happily, tongue lolling out and panting. "Wan!"
At that final statement Izuku's eyes widened in alarm; he was in no mood to be attacked by a dog, especially one without a leash. He automatically assumed it was some sort of guard dog for the girls with its size and fearsome aesthetics. In fact, it almost looked like a wolf.
He raised both arms high into the air in surrender, which caused the girls to stop 'attacking' and give each other high-fives.
"We did it! Once again, the day is saved thanks to Colors!" Three 'swords' were raised skywards into the air triumphantly. "Victory is ours!"
"Uh… okay." Izuku sighed. He still didn't see anything out of the ordinary, the three kids behaving as kids should.
"However." The blue-haired girl, Kotoha, suddenly stepped aside to join him. "It is clear that a change has to be made around here."
"Minister Kotoha, what do you think you're doing?!" Sat-chan gasped in mock horror. "That is the enemy!"
"With this onii-san's help," Kotoha eyed Izuku, giving him a knowing nod. Izuku's eyes widened—was she the villain or still playing? "I can finally overthrow the corrupt monarchy and free the people from your oppression. Vive la révolution."
"Look girls, I don't really have time to be playing around with you—"
"E-eh, what's happening?" Little Yui's head swiveled back and forth in confusion. "A c-c-coup d'état?"
"In the name of the Royal Senate of Colors," Kotoha drew her stick, pointing the tip at her previous ally. "You are under arrest, Holy Knight."
"Are you threatening me, Minister Kotoha?" the blonde whispered, her voice low and dangerous.
"The Senate will decide your fate."
"I am the Senate."
"Not. Yet." Kotoha said carefully, her eyes narrowed to razor-thin lines.
Sat-chan straightened, her stick twirling in an arc to come into a ready stance at her side. It began to glow with amber electricity along with her body, demonstrating her power… she was using her Quirk! Was that One For All's lightning effect? No… this was clearly different; taking a closer look he realized she was imbuing objects like the stick and her clothes with the strange power—it didn't extend to her own body. This wasn't One For All.
"It's treason, then." the blonde hissed. She charged with an intricate spin attack, a high-pitched battle cry upon her lips. "Auuuuuugggggggh!"
"Girls, wait!" Izuku called, only to be completely ignored when Kotoha leapt into the fray as well, her stick clashing with her opponent's when she launched herself forward with a blast of air: she was using her Quirk as well. "Hey, don't use your Quirks—"
They completely ignored him and began play-fighting, darting around with impressive speed and sending loud cracks into the air when their 'weapons' clashed. Izuku groaned, exasperated. So this was what an elementary school teacher felt like everyday. Well, at least nobody was around when he took a quick look at the surroundings.
"Our Imperial glory will shine forever more! To think that you would stoop to relying on foreign aid... Fall, rebel scum!"
"Sic semper tyrannis. Your so-called 'royal' prerogative gives extensive, unaccountable power… and with that power you have committed atrocities. You've earned a place at the guillotine for your crimes."
He looked between all three girls, gauging their behaviors carefully. One of them was the villain disguised in another form, but which one... Was it excitable Sat-chan, who seemed to be unafraid of anything? Or was it calm Kotoha, who was unusually fluent and articulate? Or perhaps it was the timid Yui, who had shown extra caution when he approached?
The boy hummed, deep in thought. If he thought about it rationally the first two kids had already shown their Quirks which ruled them out as the villain. Atop his head Kiri tugged on his hair, making him turn towards the redhead girl. She wanted him to… talk to her?
She let out a small squeak under his gaze, wary of his approach. Was this the 'Yui' that Kendo confused for Kiri earlier? No, this little girl was obviously too young to be confused with Kiri's teenage form and looked nothing like her, her short brownish-red hair bobbing from side to side as she brandished her stick at him. It could be her… she looked a little reluctant to join her friends for some reason. Also, they had called her "King" earlier...
"Aren't you going to join them?" Izuku asked, trying to garner a response to determine if she was actually the villain. "They're not serious, just play-fighting."
"I… I can't. And m-mommy told me not to talk to strangers." she said defensively, heels tapping against her mount in an effort to get it to reverse. The dog didn't budge an inch, staring at Izuku happily with its tongue lolling out.
"Well I'm—" he patted his chest and gave her a friendly smile. "—Midoriya Izuku. Now we aren't strangers, are we?
"U-um… I guess not." the redhead looked around nervously. "Won't we get in t-trouble for using our Quirks?"
"Well, not really. After all, you're just kids." An old memory of an explosion splashing across his four-year-old face along with the scorching heat and subsequent pain resurfaced, causing Izuku to cringe internally. "Yeah, adults don't really care about that sort of stuff when you're young."
"B-but I don't like to use mine because s-sometimes people get scared and confused when I do." The little girl hung her head sadly. "I wish I got a simpler Quirk. I wanna play along with them but I can't… I wanna be a hero, too."
For a moment Izuku sympathized with her, reminding himself of the days where everyone doubted him, when nobody believed he could even amount to anything. Yet here he was, currently attending U.A and in search of a villain. His heroic spirit shone once more and the boy decided to again meddle in affairs that didn't concern him.
"Now, now… don't be like that." Izuku knelt down to look her in the eyes, giving the girl a warm smile. "Your Quirk is a part of you, after all. There's nothing to be ashamed of. You can still be a hero."
"Woof!" the dog agreed.
"No, you don't understand!" Yui shook her head. "My Quirk, it… it can be d-dangerous when I use it around people."
Should he? A part of him thought he had finally cornered the Villain and was taking a gamble… but another part of him just saw someone who needed a little help, just like he did in the past. Who knows… a few words of encouragement can go a long way, especially for a child who was chasing their dreams. He knew that from firsthand experience.
"Show me." Izuku inched closer to her, unafraid.
"But onii-san—"
"Don't worry…" the boy flashed her a reassuring grin, warm and full of trust. "It'll be okay."
Now or never. Either little Yui would reveal herself to be a delusional villain in hiding or just a normal kid who was just afraid of her own power… Izuku gulped, bracing himself just in case things went awry.
"A-alright. If you say so." she mumbled shyly and closed her eyes. "It's not as flashy as theirs, but… you'll know when it happens."
For a moment nothing happened, Izuku's brows rising in puzzlement—then he felt it. The surrounding air started to turn… cold. The moisture in the air began to freeze, creating a light mist that shrouded the girl like a ghostly veil. Some sort of temperature altering effect that ate away at the surroundings? That wasn't so bad. Izuku tried to touch his hands—
Something was wrong. Everything was moving so… slowly. The two girls play-fighting in the background now looked like they were moving in slow motion, their swift momentum grinding to a halt with looks of alarm. Izuku's movement, his breathing, even his thoughts slowed to a painful crawl. The boy began to feel dreadfully lethargic, almost as if he was losing the will to do anything at all. The strange effect ended abruptly a few seconds later, Izuku letting out an explosive gasp at being freed from its grasp. The dog let out a sneeze, shivering a little before shaking its head rapidly.
"Uwaah, it's cold!"
"Brrr."
Sat-chan and Kotoha shivered and shook off the effect quickly, continuing their play-fighting once more.
"I-I'm fine!" Izuku quickly held out a hand to reassure the little brunette, who looked like she was about to burst into tears. "Don't worry, I'm fine. That was—"
"S-s-sorry, onii-san!" Yui wailed, looking miserable. "I tried to make it as small as possible..."
"—Awesome!"
"E-eh?" she blinked.
"At first I thought it was some cold generation effect but your Quirk affects the mind, too!" Izuku brought out his Hero Notebook and began scribbling while mumbling to himself almost incoherently. "A Quirk that robs the surroundings of heat, while also taking away the opponent's will to fight? Think of the applications... it's perfect for neutralizing threats! Your Quirk is amazing!"
"R-really?" the girl turned red in embarrassment. "O-only my parents and nee-chan have ever said that before…"
"You should try out for U.A High when you're older if you wanna be a hero, that's where I'm studying now." Izuku smiled. "With a formidable Quirk like that, you'll be sure to earn a spot if you work hard enough… that torpor side-effect sure is powerful."
"I, um… don't know what that word means." Yui admitted timidly. "I still haven't picked a name for my Quirk so the doctors are temporarily calling it: Fimbulwinter. I'm still learning to control it properly, but basically I can create an area around me that makes everything inside, uh, slow and cold. Fast things become slow, hot things become cold, and active people become tired. They're saying I might be able to reverse the effect when I'm older."
Izuku's scribbling on his notebook intensified. A Quirk that affected the surrounding environment and people, but not the user. Shaker rating confirmed. If he was understanding it right her dampening effect caused moving objects to lose inertia, surroundings to lose heat… and humans to lose willpower. It was fascinating, if a little hard to control—but ultimately it wasn't what he was looking for. She had basically proven she was not a villain, just a normal kid who had some trouble controlling their Quirk.
"Your Quirk is amazing, and so are you." Izuku flashed her a wide, encouraging grin. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, Yui-chan."
"O-okay." the girl blushed at his praise, the corners of her lips tugging upwards almost unnoticeably. "T-thanks, onii-san."
He nodded in assurance, closing his notebook. Right, time to refocus. Now it meant that the villain wasn't taking the form of one of the girls, which hinted at a more esoteric explanation for why Kiri had thought he or she was one of them. For all he knew the villain could be invisible or even worse, intangible. Izuku turned to look at the two kids still play-fighting happily without a care, deep in thought.
"Ah, it's the Colors. Oh dear, are they playing 'revolution' again? Those two, really..."
"Shiozaki-nee-chan!" Yui exclaimed, her mood instantly brightening. "Hello~!"
Izuku looked up to see a teenage girl around his age gazing down at them with a patient curiosity, wearing a pristine white sundress and plain brown sandals. The most eye-catching part of her appearance was her hair; long, vibrant thorn-covered vines that cascaded down from her head and ended at her waist like a lush waterfall of green. Lovely acorn eyes gazed down at them, a small smile forming on the girl's face.
"Hello, Yui-chan." Shiozaki greeted calmly, before turning her attention to Izuku. "And who's this?"
"Um, this is, uh..." The little girl squeezed her eyes shut and tried to recall his name, before giving up completely. "Weird onii-san!"
"W-w-weird?!"
"I-In a good way!"
Shiozaki giggled, bringing a demure hand to her mouth. Izuku meanwhile began to blush helplessly, his shyness around girls flaring up once more. It didn't exactly help that she was pretty attractive, her graceful and soft-spoken demeanor giving the impression that she was one of those pure, innocent girls that were way out of his league. Somehow, he felt as though he had seen her before…
"My apologies, where are my manners? I am Shiozaki Ibara." she bowed politely. "Thank you for playing along with them. As you can see, these three can be quite the handful."
"I'm M-midoriya Izuku." Izuku stammered, bowing back awkwardly. "Um, it was no problem, really."
Naturally, he didn't tell her about his true intention which was to look for a Villain that had escaped from within his head and was now possibly disguised as one of the three kids. Yeah, no. The last thing he needed was the neighborhood police on his case.
"It's nee-chan!" Sat-chan and Kotoha stopped playing when they noticed the older girl and scrambled over excitedly. "Yahallo, onee-chan!"
"Salutations."
"Hello Sat-chan, Koto-chan." Shiozaki smiled warmly, an air of quiet tranquility around her. "Were you two playing around with your Quirks again? Just be careful not to hurt each other..."
"It's fun! And look, we met this onii-san just now!"
"He's financing my rebel operations to destabilize the region for long-term war profiteering." Kotoha said simply.
"Um, is one of them your little sister?" Izuku ventured curiously, noting that the four girls were color coded in red, blue, yellow and green. Maybe Shiozaki could help gauge their behaviors to spot if something was wrong.
"No, but I helped to babysit them when they were younger." the teenager reached out and pat their heads tenderly, eliciting a bright laughter from the girls.
"Midoriya-nii-san goes to the same school you do, Onee-chan!" Yui mentioned helpfully.
"Wh-what?" Izuku turned to the vine-haired girl in bewilderment. "Wait a minute. Don't tell me—you're from U.A?!"
"Ah, no wonder I found you familiar. You're that plain-looking boy from 1-A, are you not?" Shiozaki tilted her head curiously. "Yes… I'm from Class 1-B, Midoriya-san."
'Plain-looking boy'. Kendo had used the same term to describe him earlier, too. The two girls were in the same class as well… Izuku groaned internally, feeling a little depressed. Was that how everyone's first impression of him was like? Gah. At least now he knew why Shiozaki looked familiar to him: he had remembered seeing her distinctive thorn-vine hair around in school from time to time.
"That's me." Izuku sighed. "I knew I recognized you from somewhere… so this is our first time actually speaking to each other. Not a bad introduction, considering the circumstances."
"I suppose not." she giggled. "What a coincidence, or so it seems. What brings you here to the park? Not many tend to come here at this hour..."
"Um, I'm, er, enjoying the scenery!" he lied through his teeth, trying to throw her off his trail. "Y-yeah. I guess you could say I'm quite the nature-lover."
"Oh my. It seems we share similar interests... I too, enjoy appreciating the beauty of mother earth. Though I suppose you can see why from my appearance." Shiozaki hummed and gave him a demure smile. "I have a feeling we'll cross paths again, Midoriya-san. Especially if you frequent this place in the afternoons."
"M-maybe." He was talking with a girl! A cute one! Casually!
"I must say I'm impressed by how well-disciplined your dog is. To be quite honest I was rather worried when I saw them playing with it, but I can see now it has been trained to be around children."
"My… dog?" Izuku said blankly. "This… this isn't my dog."
"It's not?" Shiozaki frowned, turning to her little charges. "Girls, where did you find this gentle creature?"
"Here in the park! She came to us when we were eating earlier and looked really hungry, so we fed her some meat! And then we took her to Oyaji and he fed her some doggie biscuits, and then we had a lot of fun playing fetch and stuff. She's really nice... she even lets us ride on her back!"
"Oh dear… I wonder where the owner is."
Kiri suddenly began pulling on several strands of his hair like reins while hidden atop his head, forcing him to look back at Yui. His little sister was trying to tell him something about the girl? But she'd already shown her Quirk, and it clearly wasn't one that allowed her to change her form…
The little fairy hidden within his hair began to pull in different directions and he responded appropriately, looking up when she yanked his hair back, and down when she yanked it forward. Shiozaki blinked curiously, starting to look a little worried.
"Is there something wrong, Midoriya-san?"
"I'm, uh, just stretching!" Izuku answered awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Y-yeah!"
What was Kiri trying to tell him? She couldn't exactly speak due to him ordering her to hide herself, but she was clearly trying to convey some sort of message to him. She made his head go up and down several times, repeating the process to the point where Kotoha and Sat-chan got interested and began to point and laugh at him.
"Hahaha, look at this weirdo! It's like he's at a concert." Sat-chan giggled and thrust out her hand to form the sign of the horns. "Rock-on, onii-san!"
"You're super-weird, onii-san." "Kotoha remarked, reaching into her bag. "I'm gonna take a picture to commemorate your weirdness."
"Wan!"
He ignored them, thinking hard. Up… and down. Kiri was trying to tell him something. His head jerked skyward, then down towards the ground with a little more force. She was telling him to look down? There was nothing to look at unless the villain was the size of an ant or something, it could be anything. But that would mean that his earlier theory still stood, that the villain was some kind of—
Izuku head jerked downward to stare at the large dog Yui was riding.
Shape—
His eyes widened just a tiny fraction and the dog… smiled, revealing a row of gleaming white razor-sharp teeth.
—shifter.
"That bitch is fast as hell and will be halfway around the country if you startle her,"
Izuku paled visibly, realizing what was currently happening in front of him. He'd been looking for the wrong target all this while... The villain had taken the form of a dog. Shapeshifting into an animal form! He got careless and focused too much on one thing when he should have been thinking out of the box, he should have thought of that in the first place!
That little girl was riding on top of a villain! He wanted to scream, to warn her of the immeasurable danger that she was in but the words just wouldn't come out, his brain simply unable to comprehend nor process the sheer ludicrousness of the situation.
"Are you okay, onii-san? You're looking a little off-color." Kotoha's features twisted into a smug grin. "Don't tell me… you're afraid of dogs?"
"N-no, that's not it." Izuku said shakily. The large canine continued smiling at him, its tongue now hanging out and dripping with saliva.
"Oh!" Yui pushed herself off the hound's back, stroking its head carefully. "Maybe you wanna play with the doggy—"
The moment the dog heard the word 'play' it lunged at Izuku, bowling him over much to the shock of Shiozaki and the three kids. They immediately went over to pry the large canine off him in fear that he was being attacked but all it did was lick his face happily, causing the boy to cough and sputter.
"Wha—hey!" Izuku cried, defenseless against the playful animal. "C-cut it out!"
"Aww, she really likes you!" Sat-chan giggled.
"Oh… oh my." Shiozaki said.
"Gah!" the boy protested, feeling drool all over his face as the animal licked him endlessly. He still didn't know what the villain's intentions were, why was she behaving like this?
Then he saw it. Upon her neck was a simple leather collar, and hanging from it was a small, silver dog-tag that bore a name and details in bold capital letters. Now that he was this close, he could actually read the minute script.
KÖNIG, [F]
POLIZEI
K-9 EINHEIT
ID: [GS-1203]
DEUTSCHER SCHÄFERHUND, DEA [6]
That all but confirmed it—he could only read the first sentence which described her name, the rest were in what he supposed was in German. This was the villain Johnny had mentioned, the one who had killed him and received One For All as a result. But still, it didn't explain why she was acting this way, perhaps she had gone mad or it was a side-effect of her Quirk? Or maybe she was committed to deceiving the kids as well.
"K-könig-san!" he tried, raising his arms in defense. "Stop!"
She stopped, alright... but what happened next was rather unexpected; Izuku couldn't believe what was happening even while it was taking place right before his eyes. König transformed without a sound in a flash, limbs lengthening and fur receding to form the lithe yet toned body of a girl in her early twenties…
And now she was straddling him, not a single scrap of clothing on her form.
"Nice." Kotoha was the first to react, bringing up her portable game console to take a quick snapshot. "This'll make good blackmail material."
"KYYYYAAAAAAA!" Yui squealed, turning a bright shade of red and covering her eyes. "It's super-lewd! W-what do you think you're doing, onii-san?!"
"Hahahahahaha!" Sat-chan laughed. "Not only is he weird, he's also a big pervert! Unacceptable, hentai-nii-san! To the dungeon with you, one million years dungeon!"
Shiozaki said nothing… though her lovely pale cheeks turned bright red. Her eyes were wide before snapping themselves shut, clearly much more uncomfortable than Izuku despite being a bystander. The innocent maiden was much too pure to have experienced any lewdness in her life, and now she had a front row seat to the scandalous perversion taking place. She was unable to stop blushing, hands wrapped around her own graceful body protectively.
"H-how lecherous! Look away, girls!" Shiozaki cried, eyes scrunched shut in a mix of disbelief and overwhelming embarrassment. Unfortunately she couldn't stop herself from peeking, her blush intensifying tenfold. "I… I can't believe you, Midoriya-san! And here I was beginning to see you as such a sweet guy! You… you… deviant! You heathen! T-to think that you're one who c-c-c-consorts with beasts! Giving yourself over to shameful l-lust!"
"N-no wait, i-it's not what you think!" Izuku said frantically, his cheeks burning and struggling under the dog-girl's superhuman grip. It was useless, her wrists were bands of iron that pinned him down firmly but gently. "Let go of me!"
His eyes couldn't help but travel up his captor's feminine figure where strips of thick, velvety black fur clothed lined her tan skin in tribal patterns to form a natural costume, just barely protecting her modesty. A youthful face was framed by short, tomboyish dark hair that parted above her head for a pair of cute, pointed ears that were alert and twitching with excitement.
She looked like a perfectly normal human with the exception of her limbs; her arms and legs ending in large, mitten-like paws that pressed softly against Izuku as he struggled. A long, bushy tail extended from her tailbone, swishing from side to side rapidly. She kept on licking his face which caused the poor boy to blush even further, thanking his lucky stars that nobody was around to witness this aside from the girls.
A pair of brownish-red pupils surrounded by black sclera locked onto his, wisps of ghostly red energy flowing outward like flames. Gazing into those eyes Izuku realized he had jumped to conclusions once again; within there was a small spark of humanity nearly overwhelmed by pure animalistic glee and primal hunger, the look of a predator who had cornered her prey and was ready to devour it… or one that had found a new chew toy to play with. She was practically salivating over him, her hot, panting breaths tickling his face. Now he finally understood why she was acting this way.
She wasn't a human who could turn into a dog.
She was a dog who could turn into a human.
"Oh no." Izuku whispered.
"OH YEEESSSSSS!" König howled, tendrils of crimson lightning crisscrossing and arcing off her body like a Tesla coil's discharge. She snatched him into a princess carry, powerful legs tensing to jump. "WAN, WAN! WAN FOR ALL!"
[x]
All Might was not having a good week.
Just yesterday USJ had been attacked by a group of villains, which resulted in them learning about their sinister secret weapon: the artificial human known as 'Nomu'. Not only that, a new mystery had arisen in the form of the vigilante; Valkyrie, who displayed abilities and power that nobody had never observed from her before… most notably the form and fighting skills of the late Shimura Nana. Then earlier this morning he'd gotten reports of the U.A teachers encountering and battling an unknown individual who'd gotten away with the help of another unknown at the grounds near USJ. To escape not one, but four U.A teachers… how troubling.
But right now he was focused on his current task. Only minutes ago he had received a call from Tsukauchi that Endeavor and a few other heroes were facing down an unknown opponent that had been flying over the city, and that the situation wasn't looking good. All Might grit his teeth in worry. Endeavor was an extremely powerful and talented hero that he respected, but the man could be rather overzealous when in combat. The fact that he was having trouble with fighting the unknown? That sent his alarm bells ringing.
Leaping across multiple city blocks with a single leap the hero finally found the cordoned-off combat zone… and his eyes widened at the sight. Several heroes were lying unconscious in the broken street, defeated by the unknown villain. He quickly checked up on them and was relieved to see that they were still breathing, if a little bruised and battered. Air Jet, Kamui Woods, Death Arms, and Mt. Lady were all down for the count. The villain was someone who could take on five heroes all at once? Incredible.
Continuing onward All Might finally found his fiery comrade still in combat with the unknown. Endeavor's right arm hung limply by his side while he rocketed forward down the scorched street, the villain doing the same. A miniature sun flared and throbbed in Endeavor's hand while his opponent chambered an armored fist, a lance of green flaring from his elbow. All Might's eyes widened, recognizing that technique. Though it was slightly different with the additional elbow-rocket effect, that was one of his trademarked—
"Iowa…"
"FORBIDDEN SUN!" Endeavor roared, a tsunami of fire flaring from his palm, the sphere of flame growing exponentially as it screamed down the street, its blazing core grossly incandescent.
"—smash."
Scorching orange and immolating green clashed in a single moment before the colossal sphere of condensed heat and flame was torn apart by a gargantuan emerald explosion, the pressure wave shearing through the curtain of flames. Endeavor cursed as the spiraling torrent of burning viridescent energy rumbled towards him like a speeding train, roaring and surging. The hero's boots ignited to thrust himself backward, ready to launch a counterattack until a blur of yellow and blue darted into his line of sight.
"TEXAS SMAAAAAASH!"
All Might's hefty fist impacted the oncoming blast and split it in two, sending twin blasts of green spinning to his sides while he stood in front of his comrade, his massive back presented like an immovable wall. "Are you okay, Endeavor?"
"All Might?!" the Flame Hero snarled. "Stay back—this is between him and me!"
The tall, armored man tilted his head, gazing at the new arrival with curiosity. Endeavor growled and stood beside his rival, features twisted with rage. Despite his broken arm he kept pushing on without a care, determined to take down his opponent. Such unbreakable willpower was admirable.
"You're… All Might." the villain whispered reverently, pointing at him with a steady finger. "You're the Symbol of Peace."
"That's right! Now I suggest you surrender!" All Might said. "I appreciate all my fans, but I don't take kindly to you hurting my fellow heroes."
"What?" Another tilt of the head, the villain's voice laced with confusion.
"That was one of my signature Smash attacks you launched, was it not? I can tell you're a big fan. Now let us settle this peacefully, I'm willing to talk things out. Let's just all calm down now, young man."
"All Might, you can't possibly be serious! How can you get soft on this goddamn punk?! He's in direct violation of—"
"I've gotten a sitrep from the Hero Association; he was just flying around the city when you ordered Air Jet to shoot him down." All Might held out a hand slowly. "Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding. Violence only begets more violence."
"Wise words from a great hero. Your fiery friend never could reach your level…"
"Who the hell do you think you are, you little shit?" Endeavor hissed. "I'm going to make sure they lock you up and throw away the key—"
"I don't have time to listen to the nonsensical ramblings of some washed-up old man." the villain shot back, beginning to hover into the air as flickering bursts ignited under his boots. "Especially one so blinded by ambition that he abused his own wife and child."
For a moment no one spoke, digesting what had just been said. That moment soon ended when Endeavor's face twisted into a snarl, his muscular frame seeming to expand with volcanic rage. Towering flames erupted and flared from his massive back, a wave of heat rising off him and distorting the air.
"You son of a—" Endeavor roared, fists aflame with wrath.
"I'd suggest you spend some quality time with your family, hothead. It's not too late. And All Might, you really shouldn't be here. You're looking a little…" the villain tapped three fingers along his own ribs. "...bony."
He knows.
The number one hero's eyes widened slightly, which went unnoticed by Endeavor when a torrent of fire erupted from his palm. The villain simply dodged the attack gracefully and flew off, blasting into the skies once more. In his shock All Might didn't pursue, simply staring at the rapidly diminishing dot in the sky.
"Tch, he got away… and my bike was trashed in the battle." Endeavor tapped at his earpiece angrily, though he seemed a little shaken. "I need a recovery team for Epsilon-one—"
"Wait, Endeavor. Your arm!"
"I'm fine. He landed a lucky shot, that's all." the Flame Hero growled, shoving All Might away roughly. "Get out of my way. I didn't need your Goddamn help."
"Everyone needs a little help sometimes, Todoroki." All Might gazed at the horizon. Something about that guy felt… wrong. "Sometimes a little help can make all the difference in the world."
The hero kept watching the sky for a few more seconds before turning away, deciding to let the aerial-specialist heroes go after the unknown. There'd be time to ask questions if they caught him. The biggest question was… if that villain knew about his true form, why hadn't he told anyone yet?
Just before he flew off All Might had gotten a good look at him: his costume seemed eerily familiar, a heavily warped distortion of something he once saw before. It was at the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't remember where. Despite not being able to see his face, the hero seemed to get a feel of that villain's current emotions from his body language alone. Beneath all that indifference and anger that man had looked incredibly…
...sad.
[x]
Midoriya Izuku screamed incoherently, hanging on for dear life.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" König screamed along with him, her voice thrumming with delighted glee. "You found me! You found meeeeee~"
The villainess had leaped into the air without a word earlier, leaving Shiozaki and the kids behind in bewildered confusion. Now Izuku was currently being princess-carried by an overexcited dog-girl, the wind rushing past his face as she leapt from rooftop to rooftop with dizzying speed. Kiri was still hanging onto his hair, holding on tightly.
This was insane; the girl carrying him was traveling at a speed much too fast for him to get used to. The surroundings were a blur of light and sound, König clearing multiple city blocks in a single bound. He had to stop her before he blacked out and wasted even more time.
"König!" His yelling was barely audible over the rushing wind. "S-stop!"
"Don't wanna!" she yelled back, kicking off a nearby water tower and almost parallel to the ground. "I wanna play! I wanna have fun!"
"No!"
"YES!"
Izuku's mind raced. Maybe he could get Kiri to turn into her adult form and drag her down—no. That wasn't a very good idea in hindsight; König could drop him, and then he'd have to go on a wild goose chase to look for her all over again. There had to be a way to stop the dog-girl without startling her, a way to make her listen to him.
Listen to him.
It was absolutely crazy and he doubted it would actually succeed, but all he had to work on was the little existing information he had. König was a dog… a dog who once had a master, as indicated by her collar and tag. And the fact that she could speak Japanese meant that the other wielders within his head must have taught her at some point, which ultimately meant she could perhaps understand and respond to him as well.
"König…" Izuku cried out, making his voice as authoritative as possible. "HEEL!"
The dog-girl twitched, but ultimately obeyed his command. She slowed down, decelerating until they were now traversing at a comfortable speed instead of her earlier breakneck pace. Now he had to look for a place to set them down… he spotted a wide-open concrete rooftop of an apartment and chose that as their landing zone.
"There!" he commanded. "Stay."
König complied and stopped at exactly where he'd indicated, reluctantly letting him out of her arms. Izuku sighed and took a deep breath, glad the ordeal was over. Now that he finally had a moment to think, he turned towards the girl and—
Woah.
It took all it had in him not to back away… he didn't realize how huge König was in her human form until she stood upright in front of him. The girl was as tall as All Might's hero form and had the body of an elite gymnast or athlete, all lean muscle and tan skin. Thick, fluffy fur covered her limbs up to her elbows and thighs, giving the impression that she was wearing evening gloves and thigh-high socks. More fur lined her shoulders like a pair of fluffy pauldrons, making her torso look bigger than it actually was. He took a moment to thank his lucky stars once more; all that fur across her body formed a 'costume' to clothe her so nobody could actually see anything important. She stared at Izuku expectantly, her eyes hungry. He noticed the jagged line of lighter scar tissue running horizontally across her face… an old wound?
"U-um. König-san?" he tried nervously, not sure what to call her.
"That's me! But everyone calls me Koko!" she introduced herself excitedly. "You can call me that, too! I like exercise and eating, and my special skill is eating a lot. Also, I can turn into a human. Sort-of."
"Alright, um… Koko." This had to be one of the weirdest moments in his life, period.
"You're the new host! New friend!" Koko gushed, towering over him and twitching sporadically. "New master, Ja?"
"N-n-no, I'm not—"
"Don't worry, master! It's a doggy-dog world, and Koko is top dog!" The girl ignored his protest and smiled widely, gazing down and examining him from all angles.
"Actually, it's 'dog-eat-dog'—" he began.
"Koko no eat doggies!" she exclaimed defensively, aghast. "Bad!"
Izuku sighed exasperatedly. "Nevermind. You recognized me earlier? Why didn't you try to get my attention or something?"
"I was looking for everyone because I was lost, but then I got hungry, then I went to play with the children! They gave me food, yummy food! Then I found you, then we played hide and seek in plain sight, and then you found me!"
"Right…"