Chapter 17: When Do We Start?
This time, Izuku is able to stifle his yawn before he finishes sending the email and vanishes his second phone. He was exhausted but he was on a warpath to get answers from everybody tonight!
Leaning up in his seat, Izuku asks, "I can't wait any longer, why exactly did you wait so long to see Kaminari?" Usually, he wouldn't be so direct but between the villain attack and Recovery Girl healing session, he was tired.
Kaminari shifts in the seat next to him in the back of the car they sit in while Uncle Thor sits up front driving. "Well, as you know Izuku, through my time as both the God of Thunder and an Avenger, I've made a lot of enemies. So-"
Izuku groans, falling back in his seat. "Uncle Thor…if you tell me it was to protect them I will stab you through your seat."
…
"Uncle Thor?"
"Just so you know, these seats are made of some pretty thick materials."
Izuku facepalms, letting his face sit in his hands. "Just so you know," he muffles out. "I'm only not stabbing you because mom would kill me for messing up your seats."
"We wouldn't have to worry about seats if we had just flown here, dad!" Kaminari puts in his own two cents while leaning back in his own seat, arms crossed and looking out the dark window.
"Oh how I do miss those days," Thor recalls fondly. "But Midgard has changed. And the hero license I received only allows me such uses in America."
"Laws only say you can't use your quirk in public. And we all use magic…" Izuku mumbles bitterly.
"Yes, yes, you and my brother with your technicalities." Thor glances back at him. "But I respect the laws of this world and you boys should do the same."
Kaminari narrows his eyes from his seat. "Is this a 'do as I say, not as I do' kind of lesson?"
Izuku snickers. "He's right. This is coming from the same man who had his license suspended by the WHA after flying to Latveria without permission."
Giving a mock salute, Kaminari says, "don't worry, dad. We're just following your example."
"Hey!" Uncle Thor is trying to be stern. It doesn't work. "I'll have you know I won the appeal to shorten that suspension."
Izuku raises an eyebrow. "You won that appeal? Or Bruce won that appeal?"
"Technically Bruce but I helped…" Thor grumbles. "And besides, why would I not accept his help? His name carries a lot of weight."
"Makes sense," Izuku agrees. "His work in the field of gamma radiation is unparalleled."
"I'm a fan of how he can turn into a giant green rage monster!" Izuku can't help but laugh at Kaminari's admission.
"Even so," Thor interjects, trying to take back control. "I don't want to see either of you arrested so quirk or not, there will be no public magic use."
"Don't pretend like you don't know how dad taught me how to break out of several different jail cells," Izuku deadpans.
Kaminari shrugs. "The quirk canceling cuffs wouldn't work on me so I can probably just fly out."
Izuku's face lights up. "I know! Kaminari! Let's get ourselves arrested!"
Thor nearly swerves into oncoming traffic but Kaminari just gives him a curious look so Izuku continues. "Yeah! We can get ourselves arrested in different places and prank all the jails by easily breaking out!"
"But wouldn't we get in trouble?" Kaminari asks a fair question.
"Not a bad response but the correct answer was 'no,' Denki," Thor tries. He is promptly ignored again.
Izuku waves off his concern. "I can change the way we both look so they'd never know it was us!"
Finally, Kaminari's face lights up like his. "That would be EPIC!"
The greenette feeds off the other's excitement. "And we don't have to break out immediately! We can use our powers to make the guards and prisoners think the jail is haunted or something! You can make thunderstorms and lightning to set the mood and I can make them think they're seeing ghosts!"
"When do we start?!"
"No! No no! No!" Thor bellows, finally getting their attention. "Denki, my brother used to pull me into stunts like these all the time when we were young and they never ended well."
Kaminari tilts his head. "What do you mean they never ended well?"
Thor breathes a sigh of relief. "We would always end up having to talk or fight our way out of whatever situation Loki pulled us into. I never knew which prank would be our last."
The car sits in solemn silence for a minute before a grin breaks out on Izuku's face. "I don't know about you…but I'm even more excited now."
The blonde next to him rubs his hands so fast in excitement, that a few strands of lightning begin to appear. "It wouldn't be fun without a challenge!"
"I have just discovered a grave secret." Thor's solemn words stop them for just a second. "I had always believed the Odinsleep to be a way for my father to recharge his immense power, however, I now believe he just needed time away from his kids."
Izuku and Kaminari look at each other before they burst out laughing.
"So answer me this." Izuku takes his shoes off at Kaminari's door. "Why did you finally decide to…you know?"
The entrance hallway led to a more open concept home, with the living room on the right and the kitchen to the left, and a dining room straight ahead. Two more hallways were placed behind the kitchen and living room leading to more rooms.
Thor walks into the kitchen, behind an island table, uses his umbrella to flick the cap off a beer from the fridge, and takes a long drink before answering. "If we were to be honest, it was you, Izuku."
Kaminari shoots up from where he was putting on his slippers. Izuku points to himself. "Me?!"
Thor nods, taking another swig. "Yes, you. Every time you would come to visit Asgard over the years, I would see how well you were doing, would see you growing up safe and sound despite your father being in your life and it would remind me of what I was missing."
He sighs, putting the beer down, and slowly swinging his umbrella around in his hands. "That, plus my brother's constant reminding of how, in his words, utterly stupid and disdainful my reason for leaving was, drove me to come back. At least partly."
The god looks down. "The biggest reason was a bit more simple. I just missed my family."
"Awww, dad!" Kaminari jumps up on his father, hugging his arm and wrapping his legs around him to stay clung on.
Izuku slowly approaches, making a show of him rolling a knife between his fingers. "I guess I can delay your stabbing for now, Uncle…"
Thor smiles. "You truly are a merciful god, Izuku. Thank you."
Kaminari slides off, going to the fridge himself. "Speaking of merciful gods, where's mom?"
"I'd imagine in bed after how much she cried holding you earlier." He reaches over his frowning son to pull another beer from the fridge.
"Uuuuuuugh." Kaminari goes to slam the fridge but seems to remember his sleeping mother so he stops and closes it lightly instead. "And to top off today, we're out of soda."
Thor shrugs. "Take a beer. It's tradition to get your fill of ale after a day of battle."
Kaminari laughs, turning to Izuku. "That would be something, right? Survive the USJ only to die to my mom when she finds out I was drinking."
Izuku joins in on the laughter, taking one of the sodas out of his bag he brought from home and tossing it to Kaminari. "Saving my life again?" The blonde jokes, cracking the can open and taking a drink.
"Repaying the favor," Izuku jokes, opening his own soda.
Kaminari hums in approval at his drink, looking at the can. "This is good. Josta? How come I've never heard of this brand before?"
Izuku just winks, taking another sip.
"Either way." Uncle Thor goes in for his thi-wait, that's his fourth beer. When did he drink the third? "It brings me great relief that you are both safe and will be staying under my roof tonight. Especially with the revelation that you two engaged in combat with a Dark Elf today."
The mood in the room drops a little. "Dad told you already?" Izuku asks quietly.
"Your father was quick to act," Thor commends. "Asgard already gathers a force to send to Lamentis-1 to eradicate the elves. Loki and I will join them tomorrow to see the mission carried out."
Kaminari takes a small sip. "You guys are gonna be ok, right? Because that thing we fought today…"
Thor gives his son a reassuring smile. He flashes it to Izuku as well when he sees the worried look on his face. "Do not worry, little princes. This is something we have done many times. We'll both be home before you know it."
"Look at it this way," Thor continues, trying to lighten the mood. "With your mother at work tomorrow, you and your friends will have the house to yourselves. I expect at least some of it to still be standing when she returns." He says sternly to the boys.
"Wouldn't you…I mean." Izuku looks at Kaminari who looks just as confused. "Wouldn't you want the whole house standing?"
The Thunder God doesn't answer at first, as he takes a whole new case of beer from the cabinet and puts it in the fridge. "It would be hypocritical of me to hold you to higher standards than I had when I was your age."
"I don't think you have to worry about that…" Izuku laughs uneasily.
"As a responsible father, it is my job to worry," Thor says proudly. "Now, should that case of alcohol I just put in the fridge not be there when I return, I will pretend not to notice. And if any extra merriment should happen, the spare bedroom is down this hall-"
"And I think it's time for bed!" Kaminari yanks Izuku out of the kitchen who only barely has the time to grab his bag.
After what admittedly became a restless night, Izuku gets out of bed early the next morning. The sun's rays barely shone over the horizon and into the windows of the spare bedroom he stayed in.
Unable to sleep, he makes his way out back to the living room to find his Uncle Thor downing a whole pot of coffee, wearing traveling clothes. He finishes and wipes his mouth, noticing his nephew. "Ah, Izuku. Good. I wanted to talk to you before I left."
He fishes in his coat until he finds what he's looking for and hands it to Izuku. It's a book. A small, very worn, and very old book. The cover had long faded, making the title illegible. "I have been meaning to give this to you for some time."
"What is this?" He questions.
"That," he points at the book. "Is something that rightfully belongs to you."
Izuku is just more confused now, and he should know since he's usually the one doing the confusing. "Rightfully mine? If it was, wouldn't dad have given it to me?"
Thor grimaces. "You have to understand, Izuku, your father has some…reservations about what this book contains and he felt you were better off not learning anything from it. So he kept it at his private library on Asgard."
"You stole it?!" Izuku asks incredulously.
"Loki has stolen a great many things of mine, I felt a little payback might be in order." Thor laughs, causing Izuku to snicker with him.
"So, why didn't dad want me to have this?"
Before Thor can answer, Kaminari's annoyed yell cuts him off. "Dad! I gotta go and you left Mjöllnir on the toilet! AGAIN!"
Izuku snorts while his uncle has the decency to at least look a little sheepish. "I put it there to wash my hands and sometimes forget to bring it back out with me," he whispers.
"Why are you bringing it into the bathroom with you in the first place?" Izuku giggles back.
Thor opens his mouth but can't seem to come up with an answer so instead, he yells back to Kaminari, "I'm sorry, son! I'll take care of it!" He holds his hand out.
"Wait wait wait!-"
A loud crash reverberates through the house causing all Asgardians to flinch when the umbrella returns to Thor's hand. They all fall silent before Thor awkwardly clears his throat. "The bathroom door was closed, wasn't it?…"
There's a few seconds of silence before Kaminari answers. "Mom's gonna be maaaaaaad…"
"Thank the gods she left already…" Thor mutters before turning back to Izuku. "Well, my, uh, very important mission that may now take a few extra days calls so why don't I explain this book to you so I can take my leave?"
Izuku laughs harder but agrees.
Uncle Thor leaves giving Izuku a lot to think about but that's for later. He vanishes the book just as Kaminari comes out, still wearing his pajamas like Izuku.
"Hey," Izuku greets. "I wanted to go out and get some soda for everyone before they got here. Iida might have an aneurysm if we start drinking."
"All the more reason to do it!" Kaminari jokes. "But you're right, we also need some snacks, and we can probably order a pizza or five."
"Cool." Izuku conjures his wallet. "I got my dad's emergency credit card, we can just put it on that."
Kaminari makes a show of waving his hand but nothing happens. "Yeah, I can't do that whole conjuring thing. But I got my dad's emergency card in my room too. We can just split?"
Izuku nods. "Sure." In a yellow flash, Izuku is in street clothes. Brown cargo shorts with a long-sleeve blue shirt that reads, 'I vary from moment to moment.' "C'mon, get changed. Let's go."
He points his thumb behind him, down the hall. "Yeah, I have to actually go to my room and stuff."
Izuku guffaws. "You haven't learned how to use your powers to change yet?!"
"Well there is a lot to learn and it didn't seem high on the important list!" Kaminari throws his hands up in the air.
The green-haired boy copies him. "Of course it's important! It means you can get into armor at any moment! Plus it looks cool!"
'Alright Izuku…stay calm…you need a clear head…and go!' His hands fly across the controller. His character, Sub-Zero, on the screen matches his movements as he tries to outmaneuver Tenko's Scorpion.
He couldn't lose this time! He had already lost in the finals to Tenko at Hero Smash…and after a hard fought win over Iida in Mario Kart he lost to Tenko in the finals again! Now here he was…about to lose again and it wasn't even the final match!
His senses go up a notch, screaming danger behind him. He knows what it is. Uraraka is watching them like a hawk. Winner faces her in the finals and she had kind of a scary face right now. Apparently, she spent a lot of time playing fighting games over at friends' houses when she was younger but now wasn't allowed to anymore.
He had laughed when she first told him but now…
Oh crap! He let his concentration slip! Tenko's got him in a combo! No, no!
"Phew, I thought I might have to try there for a second," Tenko casually remarks after winning, taking a bite of his pizza.
Izuku moans, tilting his head back on the couch. He gives himself a second before handing the controller to Uraraka's increasingly impatient hand and moves for her.
The living room was a simple design. A three-person couch sat in the middle directly facing the tv while a two-person loveseat couch sat on either side. A coffee table in the middle of all the sofas holds various boxes of pizza, candy, and soda.
"Don't take it too badly, bro!" Kaminari says from his spot next to Iida. "At least you're not stuck in semi-final hell like I am!"
"You all just need to git gud." Tenko wins the first round of the game, earning him a hard glare from the gravity girl next to him.
"Yeah, yeah," Izuku dismisses Tenko, picking up one of the mochi balls Uraraka had brought over and taking a bite. Oh, green tea, his favorite.
He plops down next to A-Tsu on the couch opposite Kaminari. "Are you having a good time? Is there anything I can get you?"
Tsu's unreadable expression will never not throw him off. "You don't need to try so hard, I'm having a good time, thank you. Ribbit." She types something on her phone and all their phones ping.
"Tsu!" Kaminari complains. "I can hear it! You don't need to type all of your ribbits in the chat!"
"Are you sure…ribbit."
Ping!
"Dammit!"
"No!" Uraraka's scream postpones Kaminari's ribbit torture for now. Her on-screen character is ripped apart by a fatality while Tenko leans back, his air of superiority not lost on anyone. "You got lucky! That's what it was! Just plain old stupid luck!"
"The gratuitous violence of this game is deplorable!" Kaminari barely avoids getting chopped by Iida's hand. "What if a child were to attempt to emulate what they saw here!"
Izuku looks back and forth between him and the screen. "You know what, you're right Iida." He conjures a dagger. "I'm an impressionable child, come here! I wanna try!"
"Midoriya! No weapons outside of hero classes!"
Izuku smirks but vanishes the blade anyway. "Oh, you're just mad you lost to me!"
Iida stands. "It would be immature to be upset at a loss at a video game!…and we both know you waiting for me to obtain first place before using your blue turtle shell was completely unethical!"
"How about we take a break and watch a movie," Tsu suggests before Izuku can kindly tell Iida where he'd like to shove a blue turtle shell. She gets up and walks over, asking Uraraka to switch with her so she can turn on a streaming service.
The brunette agrees, walking over but stopping when her eyes meet Izuku's. "Uh, i-is it ok if I sit here?"
It takes him a little too long to realize she asked a question. "O-oh! Yeah, of course!" He moves over, practically squishing himself against the sofa arm so she can sit. When she does, she's far on her side as well, keeping her eyes glued to the tv.
Should he say something? Even pressed against the arm, the couch was small enough to have them pretty close to each other, but why did it feel awkward? It was just a loveseat-
Okaaaaaay! Feeling his cheeks warm, Izuku stops all thought and just goes for something simple. "T-thank you, for the mochi," he squeaks out.
"H-huh?" She turns back to him, cheeks also a little red. It did look like that final round was pretty intense.
"The mochi." He holds up his half-eaten treat. "Thanks, they're really good. And you got my favorite!"
Uraraka seems to relax a bit. "Well, I couldn't come over empty-handed. And that one's my favorite too! I'm probably gonna need another one after that last bull crap loss to Tenko!" She sticks her tongue out at the game champion who promptly responds with a middle finger, causing Iida to restart his chopping.
Izuku snickers. "I'm sorry for your loss? Well, that loss. I'm not sorry for beating you in Hero Smash."
She puffs her cheeks adorably. (Strikeout). "Don't you start with me, Deku! That's how someone gets floated into the sun!"
"You mean like how I sent your character flyi-Woah!" Izuku barely gets out of the way of her outstretched hand, dodging her anti-gravity punishment.
She laughs, lunging again causing Izuku to dive over the back of the couch to get away. Uraraka looks over to the laughing Izuku on the ground. "You did the crime, now you gotta do the time!"
"While I applaud the extra quirk training that could be had, please do try not to hurt yourselves!" Iida calls out.
Izuku raises his arms up while still on the ground. "Yeah, he's right, everyone's trying to watch a movie. Besides, you could never catch me anyway."
Uraraka narrows her eyes dangerously. Izuku finds he kind of likes that. "Is that so?" She asks in a low voice.
He meets her dangerous look with a smirk. "Yes, it is."
An exasperated groan cuts through their moment. It's Tenko in the kitchen grabbing a new bag of chips. "Listen, can you two craft your future relationship on your own time?"
Izuku shoots up, red in the face and arms flailing. Uraraka does the same.
"Wh-wha-"
"T-that's n-not!-"
"Leave them alone, Tenko," Tsu says calmly, though there is a light chuckle in her voice. "They'll figure it out in their own time. Ribbit."
Ping!
"Tsu!"
Izuku scratches the back of his head, not much of the red having receded yet. "You're not gonna float me if I sit back down, are you?"
Uraraka giggles, also still a bit red. "How about you bring me some more mochi and we call it even?"
"Deal!"
Once everyone is seated back down, Tsu turns the tv back on, letting the news play in the background while they decide on a movie.
"Hello, welcome back to Channel 3 News, bringing you updates on today's latest news-"
"So what kind of movies does everyone like?" Tsu asks.
"Action! Adventure! Comedy! All of the above!" Kaminari immediately answers.
Iida puts a hand to his chin. "I find a nice educational documentary does the trick for me."
"Horror." Tenko's answer makes both Izuku and Uraraka shiver, unconsciously moving closer to each other. "If not, romantic comedy."
Tsu looks at him. "Those are pretty much polar opposites."
"Moving on. We now bring you the latest news on the recent reappearance of the Hero Killer Stain-"
Tenko shrugs. "I like what I like."
The frog girl appraises him. "That's fair. I can pretty much watch anything but I like happy endings."
"I like hero documentaries," Izuku happily answers. "Also like action/adventure." Kaminari gives him a thumbs up. "But nothing too serious, you know?"
Kaminari leans forward. "I figured you'd like those reality prank stuff."
Izuku scrunches up his face in disgust. "No way, stuff is so fake. Besides, I'd rather do the pranking myself anyways."
"As you can see, this viral CCTV footage has pretty much confirmed the rumors that have been circulating for months now. Stain does indeed, have a partner-"
"I love comedies!" Uraraka raises her hand like she's in class, making a few of them laugh under their breaths. "Real life has enough hardships, you know. It's nice to just turn your brain off and laugh for a couple of hours."
Everyone agrees but Izuku feels something else. Call it a feeling, but the way she said it sounded more like she was talking from experience than anything. Izuku reminds himself to find a way to bring it up later.
"We're never gonna find a movie this way, just load up one of the services and start scrolling," Tenko suggests.
"It appears as though Stain's partner is male, and like the hero killer, uses a sword as his primary weapon. He's been physically described as-"
Tsu switches the input of the tv and Izuku relaxes into the couch, feeling content despite the arguments over movies being scrolled past.
He can positively say that no one had had a crazier first week of school than his class, but they had gotten past it. They had persevered. And right now, Izuku felt like he could handle anything the universe could throw at him.
"Onto the last subject of today's meeting, the creature known as Nomu." Principle Nezu puts down his second finished cup of tea, looking around the room at all of UA's staff present, minus Thirteen and Aizawa along with Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi.
Vlad King stiffens. "We are not even going to finish discussing that not only have we identified the possibility of a traitor, but we also have the most likely suspect among us-"
Nezu raises his paw. "Your opinion has been noted but to continue this topic would be a waste of time without any evidence."
"Evidence?" Vlad asks in bewilderment. "What more could we need? The kid has no respect for the rules, can make people see what he wants, be in multiple places at once, he can turn invisible at will for gods sake! I'm not saying we expel Izuku Midoriya immediately, but surely keeping tabs on the kid isn't out of the quest-"
All Might slams his hands on the table, standing as he does so. Despite being in his skinny form, the gravitas of being the number one hero still carries throughout the room. "Why don't you go ask Eri what she thinks of young Midoriya for five minutes and then come back here and seriously suggest he could be the traitor."
Vlad looks around the room for support but when he doesn't find any, he concedes weakly, "this isn't over…"
"Of course. Now!" Nezu claps his paws happily. "Back to the Nomu! Detective Tsukauchi, what can you tell us?"
"Not too much," The detective responds, passing out packets of papers with their findings around the table. "It was cooperative, did everything it was told, and showed no aggression to any of my officers. We took a lot of blood but have no conclusive results." His eyes flash to Nezu and the principal understands. There is something to talk about in a more private setting.
"But it gave you no answers, did it?" Midnight rests her head on her hand, completely forgoing her hero persona.
The detective shakes his head. "We had hoped that after the other creature died that we might get something from the still living Nomu, but no."
Tsukauchi sighs before continuing. "Truthfully, the only other thing we know is that it obeys all commands given to it by Izuku Midoriya, who seems to have stolen control of the creature since the attack. I witnessed him command it myself and confirmed it with my quirk."
"Why are you making that last bit of information more relevant than anything else?" Ectoplasm inquires.
"Because we have an idea!" Nezu announces in a way that lowers the temperature in the room. "It would be such a waste to have a creature such as that just sit in a jail cell, just waiting to possibly be scooped up by some government agency to be tested on."
Even Tsukauchi takes a step back at how predatory Nezu's smile becomes for a moment before it shifts back to his normal cheery one. "We are proposing we move Nomu's place of stay to here at UA!"
Silence. Every teacher gapes at Nezu as if he just said he wants to build Shigaraki a house on UA grounds to live at. "You're gonna…you're gonna have to walk us through that one a little more boss…" Snipe finally says.
"It's quite simple really!" Nezu continues unperturbed, to the horror of all. "Nomu can be used for a variety of tasks around the school whether it be quirk practice or something another. Assuming Mr. Midoriya doesn't acquire the creature for some other means of entertainment. I'd imagine using it to protect the child Eri may be high on his priority list."
"Wow, you're, uh, serious." Mic swallows. "Okay, obvious question here. We gotta have more safety guards on the thing besides Midoriya controlling it?"
Vlad is fuming. "We can't be seriously entertaining this! A creature that from all accounts of those present, a villain, as strong as All Might living on our campus controlled by a boy that could very much be a villain himself! This is ridiculous!"
Nezu doesn't falter. "A boy that most of our staff seems to have their faith in. And we have multiple safeguards in place! Do not forget we will have the actual All Might still on campus with us! And he has learned his lesson on prioritizing our students I assume?"
All Might shrinks in his seat at the glint in the principle's eye before the animal goes on. "The creature will be fitted with quirk canceling bracers on each of its wrists as well as hyper-compressed weights on its arms and legs to tone down its strength. Every staff member, as well as Mr. Midoriya since he controls it, will be given a device that can remotely release the weights and/or cuffs should we need to."
"And finally," Nezu gestures to a picture of the Nomu in their packets. "I think it should be fairly obvious that the creature's weak point is the exposed brain. Tsukauchi, was the process complete?"
The plain man nods. "Several miniature bombs were implanted into the Nomu's brain. The devices you will all be given will have the power to detonate those bombs should you feel Midoriya has lost control."
"So you have already agreed to these terms." It's less of a question from Cementoss, and more of an observation.
It's almost as if Tsukauchi ages just a little in front of them. "Principle Nezu makes a very…compelling argument."
The rat(?) only seems to get more excited. "If there are no more objections, we will have a small proof of concept tomorrow morning. Meeting adjourned!"
In Nezu's office after the meeting, it's just Toshinori, Tsukauchi, and the principle himself who's just handed the two men cups of tea. "It would appear you had more to say, detective?"
Tsukauchi reluctantly agrees. "I do. What we found in Nomu's blood goes from bad to much, much worse."
The other men don't say anything, letting him continue. "We found human DNA in Nomu's blood but that's not all. We found not only DNA from four different people, but even that of two quirked animals. A dog and a bird. Our best guess is that they had minor intelligence quirks."
"That is…not what I was expecting but the animal quirks would certainly explain some of Nomu's behavior that you reported," Nezu says after a moment. "That would equate Nomu to more of a…pet wouldn't it?"
Toshinori has to use his seat as support. "A pet…Nomu?…is young Midoriya ok with this? Because if we're being honest, a pet Nomu doesn't sound like something anyone would want."
"The kid's been blowing up my phone asking for updates all day, trust me, he wants it," Tsukauchi blankly says.
"You implied you had more news." Nezu plows on.
Tsukauchi looks at them both gravely. "The reason for the multiple splices of DNA and Nomu's appearance is because…it has multiple quirks."
Toshinori nearly drops his tea while even Nezu stops midsip. "You are insinuating…"
"I don't know." Tsukauchi rubs a hand through his hair. "But with the evidence we have…"
All Might is having several different emotions pummel him right now, it's all happening so fast that all he can feel is the weight of the world strain harder on his shoulders causing the old hero to crumple into his chair.
"It all makes sense…" he says in a horrified whisper. "Young Hana Shimura's resurrection, and now a creature with multiple quirks specifically designed for me? What else could it be…"
Tsukauchi shifts uncomfortably where he stands and Nezu fixes him a look. "You have more to say."
The detective looks like he wants to throw up and say no more but he talks anyways. "I agree that with the Nomu, all signs point to…well to him. But something's telling me that young Shimura's revival may be…something else."
All Might raises his head from his hands. "Wha-what are you saying?"
"Toshi…" Tsukauchi starts uneasily. "Because of that tip, we were both there that night when it happened. We saw her remains…I don't know what it is. Call it a gut feeling but I don't think any combination of quirks could have brought her back."
Nezu tilts his head curiously at what the detective is exactly implying here but All Might is the one to speak. "How could it not be…Tsukauchi, if not All for One, then who?"
Loki stands atop a large hill watching the last of the Dark Elf forces prepare for battle below him. The polluted air and unnatural purple tint of Lamentis-1 barely registering to him. The crunch of the dirt behind him signals Ebony Maw coming to stand with him, but Loki knew he was there long before.
"How many will remain?" The God of Mischief questions the alien next to him without looking.
"One hundred," Maw answers. "Enough to appear as a threatening force, but not so much that their loss will hurt us. The rest are already off-world, proceeding to the secondary location."
"And the Kurse stones?"
"Also off-planet. We have not many left, they will not be wasted," Maw informs him.
Loki hums. "Asgard's forces will be taking their leave soon. I have to be there."
"Obviously," Maw drawls. "I will inform the Great One of the plan's status." With nothing else, he walks away, leaving Loki to observe the elves for a few more minutes.
It was all coming together, wasn't it? The decades of planning. The sacrifices he had to make. The people he's hurt. The people he will hurt…
Shaking an image of his son from his mind, he strengthens his resolve. They will not understand why he did what he did. Why he will do the things he will do. But they will.
Because despite it all. It was working. The universe was heading toward becoming a safe, prospering place. For his family. For Izuku.
A green light shines in his hand and Loki looks down at his scepter. Izuku's was made to look exactly like his, the obvious difference being size.
But that wasn't the only thing that was different. From between the elongated blades, an orange light reflects off Loki's piercing green eyes, the scepter humming with power, making him think of all the souls in the universe.
In the early morning before school, Izuku and Kaminari study his own scepter, which leans against a couch. The eerie red glow filling out the dark home.
"So this is what you were telling me about?" The blonde gets a little closer.
"Don't touch it," Izuku says sternly. "But yeah, this is it. I think…I think it could really help me, but I can't do it alone. Will you help me?"
Kaminari beams at him. "Of course, man!"
He shakes his head, laughing a little. "You had me scared there at first Midoriya, the way you were describing this thing, I thought I was going to have to start questioning my own reality!"
Izuku laughs along. "No, nothing like that."
"Shigaraki, do you believe this is truly worth the risk?" Kurogiri questions his master inside their bar.
Hirona rolls her eyes. "What's the point of having someone who can make portals through space if you don't do stuff like this every now and then? Now let's go!"
The portal user relents and after waiting for her to raise her hand, he opens a small portal. Hirona immediately reaches through, feeling around before grabbing what she hopes is it and pulling it through.
Kurogiri closes the portal and she cheers. "Jackpot! New hero movie! Straight from the store shelf!" Hirona's thanks are almost missed while she rushes over to the tv.
Hitoshi Shinso scowls at the back of the hero students while he walks to school. Look how happy they were, it was probably easy to be when life hands you an easy quirk that let you cruise by.
Whatever. He'll work harder than any of them. He'll sharpen his mind to the point they won't be able to breathe in his direction without him taking control. Hitoshi will show them. He will be a hero.
"I literally don't know how much more proof you need?" Izuku says to the gathered teachers on the P.E. grounds.
"Mido! What else can he do?!" Eri cheers happily from her spot on the ground while she plays Patty Cake with Nomu, who looks just as happy.
"Whatever you want!" Izuku tells her, the little girl letting out a happy squeal in response. Izuku can't help but smile genuinely. Seeing Eri have the time of her life was better than any prank.
Odin, King of Asgard, stands in his vault. Call it an old man's senseless musings, but he just had to be sure. He approaches a seemingly normal wall in the back of the room and waves his hand.
On command, the wall begins to fold in on itself. The light from the dark room beyond nearly blinds him but his eye adjusts. The various defense systems he has in place ready themselves but he need not proceed any further.
He just wanted, no, needed a visual confirmation it was still there. Odin doesn't know where this feeling of foreboding is coming from, but his anxieties are quelled a little by seeing it still remains.
But seeing it only strengthens his resolution. Giving the purple stone one last look, he waves his hand again to reseal the fortress that surrounds it. For he knows this power can never be released back into the universe again.
'I hope everyone is ready…'
Loki spins on the spot, walking away with a flourish. A green glow slowly starts to envelop the smirking god. One last thought permeates him before he vanishes.
'Because we're just getting started.'