Izuku flew over the Downpour Zone, feeling the cold patter of rain beginning to seep through his hero costume. He'd probably get a cold by the end of this day, but he could give a rat's ass about that. Right now, his classmates and friends were scattered all over the USJ, and they were all in abject danger. Villains, no doubt summoned to their various positions by the mist villain's portals, were lurking all over as Izuku scanned the place with his Soul Sight.
One of the souls, then, winked out like a candle that had its flame blown out.
Seeing that someone had definitely and truly died, Izuku flew with all the speed that he could muster. If it was one of the villains that just got their life cut short, well, they probably died because a hero student was forced to fight in self-defense. But if it was one of his classmates…
Izuku shuddered at the thought. Heaven knows what he'd do if one of his class got killed today. He'd be… very, very mad. He was honestly afraid of himself in that situation. After all, when your basic spell is a beam of concentrated mana that obliterates beings at the cellular level unless they've got defensive magic protecting them, an Izuku that goes off the rails could probably delete quite a few souls from the board.
Frieren would be a thousand times scarier, then.
As he got closer to the place where that soul went out, Izuku heard a rather familiar voice. It was… Dark Shadow? The sentient quirk was roaring, drowning out a cacophony of panicked screaming with his power no doubt greatly increased by the darkness here in the downpour zone. Given that the mist villain sent Fumikage to the one place where'd he be at his strongest, the villains were either complete morons or didn't know about Class 1-A's quirks. If the latter was the case (and it was by far more likely), then the hero students had the element of surprise on their side. But of greater concern right now was…
Oh, hell. It just sunk into Izuku's brain. Dark Shadow, and by extension, Fumikage, have just killed a villain.
Izuku was sure he couldn't blame his friend when the villains were obviously hellbent on having fun. Fun in this case being killing hero students and thus eliminating their opponents before they grow up. Or as their gamer leader said, "farming the minions for XP." What were they supposed when they had proverbial knives being held against their throats? Wait for someone else to come save them?
The mage hero student arrived just in time for a villain with a strength quirk, based on his grotesque musculature, to scramble out of a dark alleyway (honestly, all the alleyways here were already dark, but this one was extra dark for some reason). The villain didn't even notice Izuku there as he quite literally pissed himself from the abject fear he felt at that miment. "Damn it! I thought we were just going to fight a bunch of kids that don't know how to fight! Why is there a monster here?!"
Izuku could only watch as a familiar claw of shadow shot out of the darkness and dragged the villain screaming into the shadows. It was a scene straight out of a horror movie, just without the distorted violin soundtrack. He ran toward the dark alleyway, just to see that there was… half a villain lying on the ground, while others were either sprawling all around the alleyway or hanging on nearby terraces and lamp posts, their bodies replete with bruises and wounds. None seemed to be life-threatening… except for the one who had been split in two pieces.
"Calm yourself Dark Shadow! Please!" Fumikage's voice called through the darkness, both to his quirk and to Izuku. With a photomancy spell, Izuku lit up the alleyway, revealing that the muscular villain had been thrown against a nearby wall with enough force to crack the concrete. Dark Shadow screeched under the light, retreating back into Fumikage's body. The birdheaded teen shrunk to the ground, panting in exhaustion.
"I… Izuku?" Fumikage croaked before he saw the severed body in front of him. "What… did I do?"
"Fumi," Izuku said, approaching his friend, taking care to step over the severed body. "Don't look at it. Look at me."
"But… I killed him! He had his quirk by my throat when I landed here, I think, I think it was… his fingers could become knives! He was about to slit my throat!" Izuku could see that there was the slight beginnings of a wound on Fumikage's neck, a bit of blood bleeding staining his red choker. It wasn't easy to notice, but the choker being cut open was the first clue. His ankle was also bent at a weird angle. Fumikage must not be feeling the pain because of adrenaline. "I panicked and I lashed out. I didn't want to die! Then… I heard something squelching. It was a sickening sound… and I couldn't bring out the light spell Frieren taught me… I couldn't imagine myself lighting a light… here, and now, when I was consumed in Dark Shadow's rampage…"
"Fumi," Izuku repeated, coming to a step in front of the birdheaded teen. He wasn't sure what to say. What was he supposed to say to someone that's just getting into terms with the fact that he had snuffed out the life of another human being? A despicable, murderous human being, granted, but still a human. He wrapped his hands around those of his friend. "Let's get out of here."
Fumikage visibly shook. "O… okay… right."
It hurt Izuku to see him like this. Fumi was always so calm and collected. Now, he's a nervous wreck. "Don't walk, I'll carry you. Your ankle's busted, you're just not feeling it yet because of adrenaline."
Fumikage looked down at his leg. "Oh… can you, though?"
Izuku just gave him a smile. "Blau Kraken." A tentacle of mana came up and wrapped itself around Fumikage, allowing Izuku to carry him about. "Is Dark Shadow behaved now?"
"He's apologizing constantly," Fumikage replied. "But I can manage, now that you're here."
Ah… he's calmer now… because I AM HERE?
"Alright, then. Let's look for any other classmates here in the Downpour Zone," Izuku replied. "I doubt it's just the two of us here."
"Yeah…
"Kurogiri…"
"Yes Master Tomura?"
Shigaraki Tomura was livid. These minions are completely useless! They were being beaten left and right by a bunch of hero brats and their teacher. To make it even worse, Kurogiri, in his idiocy, sent the lightning kid to the one place where there's water. The entire party of goons that were supposed to ambush and kill whoever fell into the water zone all got tased like the morons that they are while frog biatch and the purple dwarf watched from the boat. And then, Kurogiri also sent the shadow brat to the one place where it's dark. All Shigaraki heard from those who had been tasked with eliminating whoever got sent there were panicked screams and a guttural roar.
Idiots! Useless ass griefers and feeders!
"If you weren't our one way out of here, I'd dust you myself!" Shigaraki hissed.
Kurogiri didn't seem to be concerned about Shigaraki's threat. "If you say so, Master Tomura."
Shigaraki watched on as Eraserhead beat the hell out of the useless morons that made up this raid. How were these idiots losing against one rogue? It looks like Shigaraki has to do things himself. And, as if hell itself answered his prayers to the devil, Eraserhead had just kicked the last goon between him and Shigaraki in the crotch, making him bowl over in pain. Shigaraki decided that to be the moment he charged in. "You're so cool, Eraserhead! Too bad I gotta kill you too!"
"I don't care," Eraserhead activated his quirk, erasing Shigaraki's quirk before kicking him in the side, making the villain ringleader grunt in pain.
"You got a tell, you know," Shigaraki grinned maniacally. "You blink when your hair falls down. Your ability has a cooldown!"
Shigaraki went for Eraserhead's elbow, only to find his hand blocked by a transparent set of armor. "What is this?! Cheater! Hacker!"
"Yeah, and as moderator, I'm booting you out of the server," Eraserhead coldly replied, wrapping Shigaraki in his capture cloth. He then pulled the villain towards himself before bashing him in the skull with his fist. Shigaraki was bodily smashed against the floor. Eraserhead probably broke something in there.
"Ow… that hurt, Eraserhead! You really are cheating, huh? Well, I got a cheat code of my own! Nomu!"
The giant birdlike creature turned its head towards Shigaraki at that. "Beat him up!"
The aforementioned nomu moved in front of Eraserhead as though it was made of lightning. It brutally struck Eraserhead, the magical crapium armor protecting him from the first punch. Then the Nomu punched again. With the second punch, the cheatcode broke apart, and Nomu grabbed Eraserhead by the head and slammed his face against the ground. There was blood. A lot of blood.
Shigaraki revelled in the sight. Oh, he's so going to enjoy this! The sounds of gasping hero students... it was like music this ears!
Shigaraki grinned. "Oh ho! Nomu, don't kill him yet, I want them to watch! Let them despair!"
The downpour zone was honestly just the worst. Izuku had blasted several villains into oblivion already; it was honestly too easy to send them flying with low-powered Zoltraaks. Except for the one that went straight for Fumi with his crocodile jaw wide open to take a chomp. The idiot got slammed into and through a wall by Blau Kraken for his troubles.
It should be known at this point that no one is allowed to hurt the people Izuku cares about.
Izuku had been following his Soul Sight. So far, every one of those had been villains prowling for hero students to kill, but- "Is that someone screaming?" Fumikage asked.
The mage apprentice took a pause and listened. "It's rather high pitched… it might be one of our classmates!"
"You don't have to carry me around to check on that one, Izuku! I'm just slowing you-"
"Oh, don't talk such nonsense Fumi!" Izuku blasted off to the air, carrying Fumikage with him using Blau Kraken. The latter almost yelped as flying was very new to him.
"You could have warned me that we were going to fly!"
Izuku ignored that, instead looking down at the ground. A visibly wounded and distressed Koda was running while a group of villains were hounding him. They were obviously toying with him, calling with jeers and slurs while commenting on what they'd do to him once they bothered to catch up with him. "Villains are chasing Koda…" While he hadn't really interacted with Koda at this point, there was no way he was going to let this disgusting sight continue on any longer.
Izuku fired a Zoltraak at the buildings just behind Koda, letting the debris block the villains' path. With that, he flew down himself and Fumikage, landing in front of the scared mutant. "Koda, are you alright?"
"Thank you, Midoriya…" Koda panted. "Oh! Tokoyami, what happened to you?"
"Ankle bad. Story for later," Fumikage curtly replied. "It's good to see you Koda- ow," he grunted as Koda hugged him.
"I was so scared, guys!" Koda gushed out. "They kicked and prodded at me... like I was just some kind of... animal!"
"You're with us now, so they won't have any more chances to do anything to you. Also, Koda, I'm the one that blocked them off," Izuku deadpanned. "Why don't I get hugs?"
The wall of debris then exploded, revealing a group of no less than ten villains. A cursory glance with Soul Sight revealed that these were the only people left in the vicinity, and indeed, the whole Downpour Zone. "Oh, look at that! Three hero bratw! It's nice that you gathered together, saved us the trouble of finding you!"
Dark Shadow emerged out of Fumikage's torso, snarling and hissing at the villains. "Try it, you pieces of ah-"
"Allow me to deal with them," Izuku stepped in front of his injured companions. He then gazed at the villains, his expression unreadable.
"You're clustered in a narrow street," Izuku said as he took aim with his staff. "Good. That means I need only one shot to defeat you all."
"Huuuh?" One of the villains, a man with a mosquito's head, complete with the blood-sucking part, cocked his head to the side as if Izuku had just said the dumbest thing ever. "What's up with you, being all so confident? There's twenty of us, and three of you. You'll be dead soon."
"Apologies, but we do need to hurry out of this dome, and we have no time to entertain your existence," that same magic circle appeared on Izuku's staff, aimed straight at the rabble of villains in front of him. "Zoltraak."
The street would be immediately engulfed in bright, blue light as a rather sizable beam exited out of Izuku's staff, slamming into the villains. For a moment, Koda was genuinely concerned that Izuku had actually reduced the villains to ash... until the smoke cleared to reveal that, while they were alive, they were completely immobilized.
"Remind me never to piss you off," Koda commented as he looked at the miserable heap made out of his erstwhile tormentors. "Though, that was awesome. Your quirk is really strong."
"Oh, thank you!" Izuku switched from coldness to warmth at the flick of a button as he turned to face Koda, who looked somewhat mortified. "Now, let's get out of here!"
When Izuku finally exited the Downpour Zone with Fumikage and Koda in tow, he saw only chaos in the middle of the USJ.
Todoroki was there, locked in a combat stance but not doing any actual combat. Bakugo was there too, screaming expletives. Kirishima stood in front of them, his body hardened. And facing them were the mist villain, the one with severed hands, and-
Izuku's blood froze. Aizawa-sensei was on the ground, his face the epicenter of a growing pool of blood. The gigantic creature held him down, and had doubtlessly broken through the magic armor Izuku gave to his teacher.
No.
This cannot stand.
"Ah, whatever. Nomu, crack his brain open and kill those brats next," the villain with hands said. "I'm going to feed the loud one his heart, just because he's pissing me off."
Izuku flew up faster than anyone could blink. Anger fuelled him. How dare they? How dare they threaten to kill his teacher and his classmates? How dare they even breath the same air as he is?! The blue-skinned, the Nomu... it was obviously not human. It is a monster, an amalgamation of suffering souls and dead flesh.
One enormous magic circle appeared on his staff. "Zoltraak…"
However, instead of the normal blue beams that everyone had grown accustomed to, a black one came out it in its place. The Nomu screamed as its right arm hit by Zoltraak in its pure, original form, its cells rupturing from within. Another Zoltraak shot tore through its chest, and then it's other arm, and finally, through the head. The souls intermixed within screeched as they were freed from their silent torment.
When the smoke cleared, there were only two legs and a torso left, the rest of the Nomu falling away as ash. "No, you… cheating AP build user!" The hand villain screamed like a manchild. "How did you destroy Nomu?! It was engineered to kill ALL MIGHT!"
So that was their plan, Todoroki thought as he watched the exchange happen. But if Midoriya could kill it in a few shots, then maybe they never had any hope.
"Tomura Shigaraki," the mist villain said. "We must retreat for now."
"Like hell, Kurogiri! This haxxoring little-"
Blau Kraken emerged from underneath Tomura, grabbing his legs. They slammed him down to the ground faster than Kurogiri could cut them with portals. "You hurt my friends and my sensei," Izuku growled as the tentacles proceeded to manhandle Tomura and throw him against the floor, again, breaking his nose. The rest of Class 1-A, those present, anyway, could only watch in morbid fascinarion at the beatdown being conducted in the center of the USJ. Todoroki slid towards Eraserhead and began to carry the unconscious teacher away with Kirishima's help, while Bakugo watched with his jaw on the floor as Izuku, for a few moments, looked like he would actually kill another villain for what they've done. "There will be consequences. You will rot in a ce-"
"Master Tomura!" Kurogiri cried out, throwing open a portal just as Izuku was about to throw Tomura to the ground yet again, getting the other villain out of the USJ. Kurogiri would retreat too as soon as his master was safe on the other side.
The League of Villains has lost its first battle, badly.
Notes:And so the USJ arc concludes! Yeah, Nomu got deleted and Shiggy got the smackdown of his life.
Toshinori Yagi was angry. He was angry at himself, first and foremost. If he hadn't wasted time solving every petty crime on his way to Class 1-A's heroics class, they wouldn't have needed to deal with the sudden villain attack. They wanted him, after all. They just settled for attacking the children and their present teachers when they had discovered that their target wasn't there.
Toshinori Yagi was also angry at the villains, secondly. They had the gall to come into UA and proclaim themselves as wishing to kill the Symbol of Peace. They then chose to try to kill the members of Class 1-A. They severely injured Eraserhead and Thirteen, and Eraserhead would have certainly been killed, along with several or more of the hero students if not for Young Midoriya's intervention at the opportune moment.
When Iida Tenya had rushed into the faculty room screaming that villains had attacked the USJ, Toshinori immediately transformed into his Muscle Form, time limit be damned, and jumped towards the USJ. Nezu rallied the teachers and an entire legion of UA's military surplus robots for a counterattack against the villain incursion. When he arrived, though, the fight was already done. It was clearly a victory for the hero students, and Toshinori couldn't help but be proud that they were able to repel a villain attack, especially one that would amount to being the largest incident of terrorism that this country had experienced in decades. But at the same time… they shouldn't have needed to fight for their lives. They're still children, damn it! 15 and 16-year-olds should never be subjected to such an experience. Toshinori knew well that they were traumatized by what they had seen, especially as a number of villains were outright killed or, in the case of the one known as Nomu, completely destroyed.
They may be hero students, and they may eventually come to the decision to take a life once they were in their careers, but the key word there was eventually. It hadn't even been a month since they began here in UA. And already, some of them were forced to use lethal force to protect themselves. Or, in some cases, panicked and killed their attackers. Toshinori would never fault the latter category, though. What else were you supposed to do when someone was already in the process of running you through?
This is all his fault. If he just trusted his fellow heroes to solve incidents without his assistance. If only he got there faster. If only he didn't waste his time. If only he was able to maintain his muscle form for longer. If only… if only…
"Don't beat yourself about it, All Might," Nezu's voice brought Toshinori back into reality. They were standing within the USJ, the students of Class 1-A in the process of giving their statements to the police. Elsewhere, robots were dragging the dead villains into rows, draping sheets of cloth over them. Other robots were carrying the legs and torso that were all that remained of the Nomu villain to be studied by the police. "No one could have known. You couldn't have known. Even I, the most intelligent creature on Earth, didn't know. Damnable warp quirks are so rare but also... annoying. I wish they did not exist at all. Either way, we must simply be grateful that none of our students and teachers died."
"What about Eraserhead's and Thirteen's injuries?" Toshinori asked.
"Recovery Girl had just informed me that both will recover and return to duty eventually," Nezu replied. "Now, our concern is the mental well-being of the students."
As if on cue, a tired-looking police detective with black hair and hastily shaven facial hair approached, scratching his head. The nameplate on his jacket identified him Tsaukuchi Naomasa, one of the few people who knew about All Might's secret. "So, update. Four of the students of Class 1-A just told me that they killed a villain, or more than one. Can't really fault them for panicking when their lives were threatened. One of them was just staring into the air while I took his statement."
"Which one?" Toshinori asked. He dreaded the answer, no matter which one it was.
"Kaminari," Tsaukuchi replied. It made perfect sense. He fell into the ocean zone and was immediately surrounded by villains with killing intent as soon as he was in the water. He panicked and let out an electric discharge that decimated the villains. As the UA robots dragged them out of the water, most were covered with electrical burns, barely breathing. Others were outright dead, cooked by the electric currents that surged through the water.
"Who are the others?" Toshinori asked.
"Tokoyami nearly had his neck slit when his quirk… a sentient quirk, that is, sliced the villain in half and began ravaging the others that were poised to attack him," Tsaukuchi sighed. "Kirishima had a bullet bounce off him, which ricocheted and killed the villain that fired it. And Midoriya… well," the detective looked at the direction of the Nomu's remains. "According to the testimony of the other students, the Nomu villain was poised to kill Eraserhead and three students when Midoriya intervened. I'm going to put my word in with the higher ups to see it as self-defense. But for now, they will have to return home with their parents while we sort… all this out."
"Poor children," Nezu shook his head. "Hound Dog will be most busy in these coming days."
Toshinori didn't say anything about that. As far as he was concerned… this was all his fault.
All. His. Fault.
"Kaminari? Are you there?"
Izuku sat beside Kaminari, who was staring into nothingness. A bandage covered his shoulder, right where a villain had stabbed him. The electric user was clearly disassociating, but Izuku calling out his name brought him back into reality.
"Midoriya!" Kaminari jumped. "I didn't notice you there."
"Just wanted to check up on you," Izuku replied. He noticed that Kaminari's hands were trembling. He placed a hand on them and applied a very subtle temperature spell, making his hand warmer than it should be. At the very least, that should help his classmate, somewhat.
"I can still smell it, you know," Kaminari suddenly said. "I was in the USJ entrance one moment and the next, I was falling into the water. I don't know how to swim."
Izuku kept quiet. He would keep listening to what Kaminari had to say.
"But I could hear them. They were talking about how they'd spill my guts, how they'd be glad to kill a hero brat like me. Then one of them stabbed me in the shoulder. That was when… it happened. It's like fight or flight, you know, and I could only fight while underwater. I discharged half of my electricity, I think. I couldn't see what was happening, but when Asui dragged me out of the water and put me on the boat with her and Mineta, I saw… the villains floating on the water."
Kaminari hung his head low. "I could smell it. I can still smell it now. I… killed people. I know that they were hellbent on killing me. I know that we'd eventually have to do that once we're heroes, you know, when we got no other choice, but… I just can't wrap it around my head. All that happening now to us. I just…"
Izuku winced as Kaminari began to tightly hold on his hand, but he ignored the momentary sting of pain and patted the electric user on the back. He himself was still reeling from blasting the Nomu with the demonic version of Zoltraak, but heaven knows that he already knew its nature as a beast with six tortured minds within it. Hopefully, the police would rule it as acceptable self-defense… because, honestly, that was the best thing he could do to stop the Nomu from killing Aizawa-sensei and then Todoroki, Bakugo, and Kirishima thereafter in short order.
Izuku barely even noticed it when Kaminari hugged him from the side and leaned his head on his shoulder for comfort. Heaven knows that every member of Class 1-A needed just that when their lives were nearly on the brink of ending. Nevermind that they dismantled the villains that attacked them...
"Izuku, Kaminari," a familiar baritone voice announced itself to the two. Izuku looked up to see Fumikage. He had been given a bandage for his neck, and Dark Shadow was just absurdly tiny on his shoulder. "May I join you?"
"Yeah, but there better not be anyone else," Izuku replied, injecting a bit of humor just to dispel the heavy atmosphere around them. "Or else my shoulders are going to break."
"Hah, good one," Fumikage replied as he took his position beside Izuku and joined in.
"I didn't know you were a hugger too, Fumi," Izuku whispered.
The reply was swift. "I need it."
Oh, yes. They needed it. They all did.
Inko yawned. Being an office worker was… a little monotonous. Sign these forms, fill out these forms, put up a spreadsheet, put all those things into the database… ugh. If a more exciting job offer came to her, she'd accept it in a heartbeat. Now, lunchbreak was just about done, and-
"Midoriya!" One of her coworkers came running to her with Inko's phone in hand. Inko had left it in her office block. "There's a call for you!"
"What?" Inko frowned. "Ishi, that better not be another of your pranks-"
"No, it's from UA! Something about your kid there!" Ishi all but yelled. Inko grabbed the phone and placed it next to her ear.
What came next made her blood freeze. "Ishi, I need you to cover for me. Tell the boss that there was a family emergency, I have to go!" Inko all but flew out of the office. As she did so, she pulled up her contacts list and searched for the only other number she'd call when it came to Izuku's wellbeing: Frieren's. Hopefully, she'll-
"Yes?" Frieren sounded bored.
"There was a villain attack in UA. No, Izuku's fine. I'll pick you up at the house and we'll go there together."
"Funny that you'd mention that," Frieren replied. "His friend's father is here. He had proposed that we proceed to UA as soon as you arrive."
"No, really. Tokoyami Raito is at our house?"
"Yes, it is him. He was just looking for you…"
When was the last time Inko really spoke with Tokoyami Raito, anyway? That man was… rather intimidating, thanks to the fact that his quirk, Dark Aura, made him exude an oppressive pressure around himself through nearby shadows. But if there was one thing he and Inko had in common, it would be the sheer protectiveness they had with their children. They'd both destroy worlds if it meant making their kids happy.
"Alright. I'll be there. Is he… offering a ride?"
Frieren paused. "He is."
Frieren looked at the man that had shown up at the doorstep of the Midoriya household. He was short, probably just around her height. He wore a long, black coat with flaps that reached all the way to his ankles. His shoes were also black, his glasses had a black frame, his pants were black, and his hair, scratch that, his feathers were black. Like his son, he had the head of a bird, though his beak was black. When he spoke, Frieren could see the sharp, serrated teeth within.
Frieren could see where Izuku's friend got his preference for wearing black.
"Inko's coming, then," Raito said as Frieren put her phone away. "I am perfectly willing to wait."
"Fumikage had spoken highly of you," Raito continued after a moment, observing the elf. For a moment, Frieren wondered if Dark Shadow had blabbered about her real identity and origins to him. "If I didn't know better, I would say that I am not impressed but…"
The man looked around the apartment complex. He hadn't been brazen enough to enter the Midoriya apartment without Inko there or without Frieren saying anything about whether she'd let him, but already the shadows near the doorway were extending, exerting emotional pressure on all those that they touched. And right now, the only person they were touching was Frieren.
"On top of apparently having a very powerful quirk, you have no reaction to my quirk. Only the most strong-willed people, like my wife, can ignore Dark Aura. That, and people that I genuinely like," Raito continued. "I cannot turn it off, unfortunately. People are instinctively afraid of me even though I'm not really a scary person. I'm actually a very chill guy that anyone can have a sake with." Frieren could detect the slightest tinges of a lie there. Oh, he was scary alright, just not to Frieren. Or, rather, he was fully capable of being actually scary to most people. Raito had a huge paternal protectiveness that was matched only by the underlying ruthlessness that he could bring out if need be.
"So, you have the shadows and the mutation," Frieren pondered. "Quirks combine in proceeding generations… so what does your wife have?"
Raito laughed. "Oh, asking the right questions, are we? Well, she has a sentient quirk. Though it's a small red dragon with glowing yellow eyes. She named it Wushu. But enough about us. What about you?"
"I taught Izuku to use his quirk," Frieren replied simply. "And I gave your son… tips." If one could call a spell that can create light a tip, then so be it. But she also had in her mind giving him a spell that could adjust light levels in general, not just light a light. Dark Shadow gets stronger in darkness, after all. He just needs to learn how to fully control his quirk…
"Right, you're the one mentoring my son's friend," Raito chuckled. "I keep encouraging him to make more friends… to make connections , but he finds it difficult. He has always been lonely. A loner. Ironic that he is never alone, since he has Dark Shadow. But… well, you live here? With the Midoriyas?"
Frieren thought about it for a second. "I do," Frieren replied. "For the last 11 months."
"Where are you from, anyway?"
"Germany."
"I suppose that makes sense. You have more… Caucasian features. How are you related to the Midoriyas?"
"Family friend."
Raito nodded. "Uh-huh. Are we just… going to wait out here?"
"Yes. Is there a reason not to wait here?"
Raito sighed. Does this woman not know that it's polite to invite a guest in to sit? But again, he hadn't asked. And… does he want to? He was already close to the Midoriya residence when he received the message, so he decided to see if Inko and Frieren were present. And he supposed that getting to talk with his son's friend's mysterious mentor wouldn't hurt.
"I suppose not," Raito leaned his back on the railing. He looked at Frieren, who just lazily looked back at him. Raito didn't know why, but she exuded… power and majesty. Such a strange feeling it was. She wearing rather normal clothes, and her white hair and pointed ears were just normal-ish mutations that wouldn't be out of place with anyone else. But being near her was… what was it, different? Fumikage told him that she was quite strong. Raito had it in his mind to try to dig up more about her, as he wondered why someone who was apparently that powerful didn't go into heroism, but he filed that for later when his son added that she was also teaching his friend how to use his quirk. Honestly, if she was teaching someone to get into hero school, then she was more or less alright in his book.
But this feeling… is this what it's like when Dark Aura is influencing someone else? Could it be that his quirk was picking up a hidden, modest strength that she had? Raito knew that Dark Aura's shadows also told him things about those that they touched, but never before had he felt this… save for when he once spoke with All Might.
Raito peered through the open door behind Frieren. "Is that a pile of books?"
"Yes. I spend most of my time reading." It didn't matter how messy the pile became. She could always use magic to neatly put them back to the library.
"Ah, a studious reader. Not a lot of those in these times. Not with actual books, at least. Everyone just reads off their phones. Honestly, there's nothing better than the scent of the book in your nose. It is crisp, like fine wine."
"I… do not see how that analogy works, but I suppose that you are correct. Newly printed books do have a certain aroma to them. However, my primary concern is the knowledge within them."
"Ah, yes. I remember this quote from back then… 'knowledge is power. Guard it well.' Ironically, the people who coined that term were doomed by the abuse of the knowledge they had." Ah yes, the Thousand Sons and their fall. Raito used to play a game with overpriced miniature as the pieces, but these days those miniatures were simply there as a collection.
"Knowledge is not just a tool to be abused… looking for it and learning can be quite fun," Frieren replied.
"Oh my. I wish more people thought that way!" Raito waved his hands around with indignation. "I certainly wish I did back in the day! I hated studying, you know. I'd rather be lounging about or playing games. But here I am, learning the value of knowledge. It's never too late for a second chance, yes?"
"Yes," Frieren nodded. Reaching Ende and talking to Himmel again, getting to know him better in death than in life, is basically her heading towards her second chance. She could come back any time to Fern and Stark and pick up on that again… but she has all the time in the world. It's never too late. And maybe she'll go there and take those two to see this world for themselves. It's not like any of the three would be missing much. What would two war orphans and an ancient elf miss, anyway?
It took about twenty minutes for Inko to arrive. When she did, she rushed up the stairs, out of breath. "Hey… Raito, Frieren…" Inko panted. "Raito, you said that you're going to offer us a ride?"
Raito looked back at her. Frieren could detect sympathy coming out of the man. The shadows around them shrunk but did not entirely return to their natural state. "I have drinks with me in the car. Do you still drink? I think we'll need it."
"Raito… you know I don't anymore. But you still do? Honestly, such a bad example to Fumikage."
"Heh, right," Raito chuckled as he proceeded to the stairs. "I'll be waiting down there for you two."
As Raito left, the shadows subsided. "He is a strange man," Frieren commented.
"Oh, yes, he really is," Inko replied. "But he's been a friend of mine for a long time. Just haven't talked for a bit."
"I can sense a darkness in him, and not just his quirk," Frieren dully said. "He has the eyes of someone who has seen and done many things."
"Well…" Inko opened up her bag to see if she was missing anything while they proceeded down the stairs towards a waiting Raito. "I'm sure that, whatever he does, it's for what's good and just. That just comes with being in the HPSC."
"I suppose so," Frieren nodded.
Izuku still had Fumikage still stuck to him as they sat in UA's main lobby. Most students had gone home early as the police swept through the place, searching for potential hidden cameras and sensors that the villains might have left behind. Recovery Girl, having used her quirk on the birdhead using him as a comforter, had more or less cleared them for leaving with their parents once the latter had arrived. Fumikage was feeling sleepy, but was not quite there yet. As for Kaminari, his mother had arrived a little earlier and they left, but not before Kaminari wrapped Izuku in the tightest hug he could manage.
Most of their classmates had already left as well. Ingenium showed up in his hero costume to bring Iida home. Had the situation been different and more cheerful, Izuku would have asked him for an autograph, but that would just be wrong. Meanwhile, Yaomomo boarded an armored car staffed by people who were no doubt military veterans that the Yaoyorozu family hired to be her bodyguards. Her ultra-rich parents must have been worried sick when they heard about the attack if they had brought out all that just to escort her back to the Yaoyorozu estate.
But again, what kind of parent wouldn't be worried sick if they heard that their kid got involved in a villain attack? One where there was a very real chance of kids dying?
"Fumi," Izuku said, making Fumikage lift his head. "I'm sorry but my shoulder is a little sore now. Can you… uh…"
Fumikage sat upright, somehow still putting himself in a dignified pose. "Apologies. I was very sleepy."
"Don't worry about it, Fumi," Izuku reached out and patted his head. It was something Frieren did sometimes, especially when he showed visible improvement in magic. Honestly, it just felt right. "You don't have to stay awake. I'm not leaving you alone."
"IZUKU!"
The door to UA's lobby burst open as Izuku's mother entered and scooped him into a tight hug. Frieren followed, followed by- is that Fumikage's dad?
"Hi mom," Izuku said as Inko finally released him. "Don't worry, we're fine. Mostly. Ah, hi, Frieren, Mr. Tokoyami."
"It is good to see that you are well, Izuku," Frieren said, patting him on the head. "It appears that my teachings have made you strong enough to fight in a true battle."
"Yes, Frieren, really, thank you for all you've taught me. I don't know what would have happened back there if not for our lessons." It was only through the combination of Flight and Zoltraak that Izuku blasted away the Nomu that was about to splatter Aizawa's head into the pavement. Without one or the other…
"Izuku, good to see you again," Raito acknowledged him before setting his eyes on Fumikage.
"Father," Fumikage said, his eyes drooping from the side effects of Recovery Girl's quirk. "You're… here?"
"Why, my little magpie, I was going to visit you and see how you were doing," Raito put his hands on his son's shoulders. "Then I heard that this… happened."
"I'm not… a magpie."
"One more thing," Raito turned towards Izuku. "I had… heard from the police the testimony of your classmates, as well as your statements. No, do not ask how I did that. Thank you for what you did, for being there for my son in a… difficult time." The more the death of that villain was left unsaid, the better. "You also saved your teacher and your classmates from dying. In gratitude, I will make sure that no idiot bureaucrat tries to charge you for murder, or whatever. Though I doubt any of them will to begin with. But that's just in case."
"Oh…" Izuku nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Tokoyami."
"Don't worry about it," Raito bared the sharp teeth in his beak as he 'smiled'. It wasn't like Dark Aura was scary enough; the people in this room were lucky he liked all of them. But this? It was like staring into a pterodactyl. "I will take care of everything."
"Stay still, Master Tomura. We do not want your wounds to become infected."
"Gah! You're not my mother, Kurogiri!"
Shigaraki Tomura grumbled as Kurogiri's misty hands brushed his bruised and gashed face with cotton buds dipped in antiseptic fluid. The first of the high end Nomu had previously applied an ice pack to the heir to All For One's legacy's broken nose, which Tomura still held up with visible discomfort with his left hand. On his right, he held a bottle of tequila, which was doing very little to calm his iridescent fury. "But the very purpose of my existence is to take care of and protect you, Master Tomura," Kurogiri replied with his characteristic calm. "So, going by that logic… I might as well be."
"That cheater…" Tomura shivered in barely contained rage. It was bad enough that the magic-looking hero brat made him lose Father, and would thus never know Shimura Kotarou's ever-present grip on his face ever again. The mere thought made him want to scream. "That… damn wizard wannabe ruined everything! He killed our Nomu, Kurogiri!"
"Then he proceeded to manhandle you, bash your face against the floor, and threw you at one of our tables when I portalled you out," Kurogiri's gaze lay over the destroyed wooden table that Tomura landed on when the two of them escaped from the USJ. "Yes, yes, we have been over that several times in the last hour, Master Tomura," Kurogiri replied. "The League of Villains has failed to kill All Might, nay, to even engage him to begin with, yes, but we have done something else of substance."
"Oh?" Tomura growled. "Pray tell, Kurogiri, what did we do other than fail miserably?"
"We showed them that we may strike anywhere, anytime," Kurogiri answered. "The Symbol of Peace's… peace will begin to erode. There will be fear of another attack. They may never rest easy again. This may not be a practical victory, Master Tomura, but it is symbolic. It is not like those thugs we hired were any good for anything other than being cannon fodder."
"If they weren't so useless minions, maybe they wouldn't have lost so easily against a bunch of brats with no XP," Tomura spat, literally. Kurogiri's yellow eyes slightly flared as Tomura then closed all five of his fingers on his bottle of tequila, turning it to ash. Sighing, Kurogiri opened a portal, pulled out an extra bottle from it, and set it on the counter.
"That was their whole purpose, remember? To be our, as you called it, meatshields."
"I'm going to kill them all, every last one of them!' Tomura dusted the bottle that Kurogiri had just procured. "That cheating AP build user. That birdbrained brat. The electric idiot. I will kill them all!"
"I doubt that you can accomplish that all by yourself, Master Tomura," Kurogiri replied. "Or with just the two of us, for that matter."
"Yes… yes! That's it. To kill these hero brats, I'm going to need a party. A party that isn't just a bunch of useless morons and thugs. I need an elite group with high stats and XP. Call Giran. I need the best of the best villains to join our guild."
"Very well, Master Tomura. We will build your party."
About three days had passed since the USJ attack. As expected, it had gone all over the news, though thankfully, UA did not release any information about the students involved in the attack, nor did the police. All that was said was that villains attacked the Unforeseen Simulation Joint with the use of a warp quirk, but were easily and quickly repelled. The fact that about 10 villains were killed in the process was omitted from the news story, instead going with the story that all villains involved were swiftly captured by teachers and UA's robotic sentinels once they responded.
However, it was also easy for the media to put two and two together and conclude that the students did have to fight to defend themselves. As Izuku watched the latest discussion about the attack, a certain blue-skinned journalist, one by the name of Chitose Kizuki, had some… interesting things to say.
"It is clear that if ordinary citizens can use their quirks to defeat villains in their general vicinity, then villains wouldn't even dare step into the open," Chitose said in response to a question from the TV show's host. "Perhaps freer quirk use would also mean that the hero students would have had greater practice and experience-"
A knock on the door took Izuku's attention. Izuku opened the door, just to see a thin, skeletal man with gaunt, black eyes, blue irises, and blonde hair. He would have thought that this person was a beggar if he weren't wearing a formal suit. But he'd seen this person before roaming UA's grounds. When he had asked Present Mic about him, the hero/radio talk show host/teacher said that this guy, who looked like he was just one cough away from the grave, was actually All Might's secretary. That made sense. All Might was a very busy man, and he'd probably delegate a lot of mundane duties to other people. And, well, Izuku would never really expect the big man himself to show up at his doorstep.
"Mr. Yagi, All Might's secretary?" Izuku asked. The man nodded.
"I'm making rounds through your whole class," Yagi replied. "Checking up on you, seeing if you're fine… and relaying what… legal decisions were reached concerning what you and some of your classmates, err, did."
Right. Izuku, along with Fumikage, Kirishima, and Kaminari had killed villains in the USJ. Not that they wanted to.
"Is your mother here?" Yagi continued. "Or any adult that you trust?"
"I'd trust anyone that All Might trusts…" Izuku muttered. He hadn't realized he said that out loud.
"Oho, but really, is there anyone there? Or are you just alone now?"
"Well…" Izuku peered through the door to the guest room, where Frieren was still busy reading a book, this time about Chinese Zodiac signs. "I do have an adult here, but it will be hard pulling her from her… uh, reading. I'll just tell her what you tell me. Come in!"
"Alright," Yagi nodded. He removed his shoes and stepped into the Midoriya apartment. He glanced at the guest room, where Frieren was still busy reading. As he and his student walked (not that he knows), they also passed by Inko's room, where there was a shrine to the late Midoriya Hisashi. Yagi squinted at the sight of the picture as if remembering something when he saw it.
"I should probably tell my mom that All Might's secretary is here…" Izuku muttered, again. The hero student and the 'secretary' sat opposite one another on the dining table.
"So, where do I begin…" Yagi let out a tired sigh. "First things first, you and your classmates will not be in trouble for what you did." Izuku's shoulders relaxed at that. Tokoyami Raito really carried through. "The higher-ups declared that all four of your cases were that of self-defense against lethal harm. Or, in your case, preventing a massacre."
Izuku gulped. He still couldn't remove the memory of the Nomu with its fists raised. "Well, I suppose that my body moved before I could think."
"That's how many great heroes start out," Yagi replied before coughing out a little bit of blood.
"Mr. Yagi! Are you alright?"
"Yes, I am. Don't worry about me. I'll just continue."
"Uh, right."
"The autopsy report of the villain you defeated just came back as well. But before I say it, remember that you are not to tell anyone outside your class. Alright?"
Izuku nodded. "Okay. My mouth will be shut, All Might's honor."
Yagi tried not to choke at the fact that Izuku swore on his name. That's a real fanboy if he's ever seen one. "Alright. So, when the police tested the Nomu's DNA, it was apparent that there were six DNA strands in it. From six different people. That explains why it had multiple quirks. Regeneration and Super Strength were two, but we didn't know the rest since... you know, it didn't get to use them"
It had multiple quirks? Izuku thought. He didn't notice that at all, but he probably didn't have it in mind to really analyze it when he killed it with Zoltraak, nor did he see it in action much when he was busy going around with Fumikage and Koda in the Downpour Zone. He also knew that there were six souls in there, six tortured minds being forcefully mended together. He knew that it was an undead creature. This revelation merely reinforced that knowledge.
Yagi visibly shuddered. "The Nomu was a twisted science experiment, not really human anymore. You might remember the Yao Guai, from the time around the Dawn of Quirks? History class in middle school should have covered it."
Izuku nodded. A few years after the Dawn of Quirks, the People's Republic of China used strange and cutting-edge genetic sciences to merge multiple quirked individuals into creatures that lacked a will of their own in their losing war against the combined forces of the Pacific Treaty Organization and the newly born secessionist Empire of the Northern Han, called the Yao Guai. The last of the Yao Guai would be wiped out by PTO forces in the Battle of Shenzhen, and the knowledge and equipment used to create them were supposedly destroyed as well. But it seems that someone somehow rediscovered the lost, disgusting science behind the Yao Guai. Or perhaps it was never lost to begin with?
"If the people that were mixed into the Nomu were still conscious, somehow, then their existence would have been one of constant agony. The Yao Guai were said to be constantly screaming; the Nomu was mute, and probably intentionally so. The name probably suggested that already, too. 'No Brain', that is what its name meant. Testimonies from your classmates also confirmed that the Nomu did not move an inch until it was commanded to do so by the one named Shigaraki Tomura. In conclusion… you did not commit murder, or anything close to it, Midoriya Izuku. It was an act of mercy to the trapped souls in the Nomu."
"I just saved Aizawa-sensei and my classmates," Izuku replied. Of course he didn't commit murder. Murder is when you kill a person. A zombie isn't a person. Neither is a demon. "That was all I had in mind."
"And they're alive, thanks to you," Yagi nodded at him. "You better come to classes this Monday, alright?"
"Yes, Yagi-san."
"I'll be going then," Yagi got up from his chair. "I have to visit three more of your classmates…"
"Keep safe, Yagi-san."
As the scrawny man left, Izuku rushed to Frieren's side. For no rhyme or reason, he just got an idea.
"What is it, Izuku?" Frieren asked. She had just turned the page on, what is that, the Year of the Dragon?
"I just met All Might's secretary," Izuku said.
"I heard. I thought you would be more excited."
"Ah haha. Anyway, remember when I said that I got sent through a portal? And since magic is about visualization…"
Frieren closed the book and turned to face him. "I'm listening…"
When Izuku stepped into the classroom, several heads turned to him all at once. The first was Ochaco, who sprung out from her seat with a concerned look on her face. "Mido! Good morning! Are you good?!"
"Yeah, Uraraka," Izuku replied. "Did Mr. Yagi visit you too, by the way?"
"We were just talking about what he told us, actually," Uraraka replied. "I'm just so relieved… I really thought that you guys might get into trouble when you… you know…" Uraraka glanced at the members of 1-A who were already there. Fumikage was already here, though he had a book over his face, suggesting that he was napping, though Dark Shadow was drawing doodles on his notebook. Iida was sitting on his desk, as stiff as ever, but disturbingly quiet. Yaoyorozu was busy chatting with Ashido, while Bakugo… well, that was a surprise. Bakugo had a more neutral expression when he saw Izuku. He didn't look like he was going to shoot his face off, but he wasn't looking friendly, either. Kirishima was babbling to Bakugo about… something, and Bakugo looked like he was just barely tolerating the redhead's constant talking. Not that Kirishima seemed to care that Bakugo looked like he was just an inch away from shoving his face off.
Asui and Mineta were talking, too. Strangely enough. Mineta wasn't looking at her chest but at her eyes. Given that Asui was even entertaining a conversation with the purple dwarf with a notoriety for perversion, maybe being stuck on that boat did something to his head.
Shoji and Koda… wow, Koda really was snug in those six arms. Kaminari and Jiro were speaking to one another, their voices a little hushed, but Kaminari was smiling, much unlike the worrying quiet he had back at the aftermath of the USJ. What did Mr. Yagi tell him to make him feel so much better? Or was Kami just putting on a happy facade? It was… still worrying. After all, he did electrocute 7 people to death and put 13 others in the hospital. But if Jiro's expression was any indication, she wasn't worried about that. She looked happy to talk with him. Maybe she told him some comforting words, too? It's not your fault and all that?
Todoroki was sitting quietly, alone and… quiet, but he looked at Izuku with an inquisitive gaze that made the magic hero student a little worried. What was Endeavour's son thinking?
As for the others… Aoyama was on the phone. He was speaking and cursing in French; Izuku had been on the internet long enough to know a few curse words that the French use. Sato was eating a croissant beside him, which was probably granted unto him by Aoyama. Hagakure had somehow appeared beside Yaoyorozu and Ashido. Ashido and Hagakure were gossiping while Yaoyorozu was mostly just looking between the two of them, shaking her head in disappointment. Sero soon joined in the gossip. Oh hell, is Sero part of the girl squad now?
"Oh no. I was the last to arrive, wasn't I?" Izuku said… and found himself yawning. Damn it, he shouldn't have been trying to make a new spell up until midnight.
"Come on, Mido," Uraraka grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him to his seat. He barely resisted, mostly because he was still feeling a little sleepy; a little side effect of a sleep spell. "Homeroom is going to be starting soon." Izuku glanced at the others, who slowly began to order themselves in preparation. Of particular note was Dark Shadow… who poked Fumikage and woke him up.
"I wonder who's going to substitute Aizawa-sensei?" Ashido asked no one in particular. "I mean, he was still in the hospital…"
This was when a robot entered the classroom with a monitor in its hands. "Oh, a robot is going to substitute for homeroom?" Uraraka asked.
The robot held up the monitor… which then flickered to life to show Aizawa wrapped in bandages and judging by the sheets and the pillow he was lying on, he was still in medical care. "Good morning, class."
"Aizawa-sensei! You mustn't exert yourself whilst you recover!" Iida chopped the air with his arms.
"It is sweet that you're concerned, but as you can see, I am not exerting anything," Aizawa lazily replied. "Recovery Girl said that she would kill me herself if I got out of this bed. So… ugh. Anyway, I know that you're probably still reeling from what happened back at the USJ. But we have persevered, and I know that each of you is strong in your own ways. We will keep moving forward. And so is UA. The Sports Festival will be held in approximately two weeks."
"Wouldn't that be dangerous when we just got attacked?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"I did bring that up," Aizawa replied. "But they said that this is how UA proves that it is not cowed by terrorists and villains. Either way, security will be quadrupled this time around. The military is helping with securing the perimeter, along with quite a few heroes. Security gets even tighter because apparently Her Excellency Miao Ying will be watching the Sports Festival as part of her diplomatic visit, so we got a lightning dragon in there too. Something about the Northern Han showing solidarity with Japan in the wake of this terrorist attack. And… General Winter and Stars and Stripes will be watching too. I don't know why Novgorod's Number Three and the Reunited States' Number Two are going to be watching, but them being there will make it even harder for any villains to attack. Consider their presence as potential connections for your future careers. Hell, you might even end up going with them for internships, because we got a program for that, too."
Murmuring erupted at that. "All hail UA's infinite budget and Nezu's creative accounting skills," Aizawa continued. "Anyway, that's it for homeroom. You're free to spend the remaining time however you wish. Just be on time for your next class."
"Yes, sensei!"
With that, the monitor with Aizawa's mummified face turned off and the robot drove away from the classroom. "Sports Festival! It's got three parts, right?!" Sero punched the air. "I asked our senpais about it once, they said that there are going to be-
"I'll beat you all, easy," Bakugo interrupted with a grin.
"I remember you losing-"
"Shut it, See Through Girl!"
Izuku sighed. At least they were back to being bombastic and all.
Izuku was hungry.
Literature class was just about done. Cementoss hadn't actually been present to teach, something about an emergency meeting between the faculty members; he had instead given the class an asynchronous lesson, instructing them to write a long essay on the book entitled "Animal Farm." As for the meeting that Cementoss and likely the rest of the faculty went to, Izuku could put two and two together to conclude that they were discussing the USJ incident. It had been exceedingly relieving when All Might's secretary personally visited each and every member of Class 1-A in their homes to tell them that they were not going to be in trouble when it came to the legal sphere or that UA will be doing its best to keep them safe as time goes forward. But ever since that attack, there had been a tiny, little, itty bitty sense of safety being an illusion in the back of his mind.
Well, it was time for lunch-
"Hey, why are there so many people blocking our door?"
That was Sero, as he had been the first to get up and try to leave the classroom only to find that the hallway was absolutely filled with other students, primarily the other first-years. Izuku peered at the mass of students, which included a haughty looking blonde from Class 1-B that he recognized from passing.
"I would have thought that they would be going to lunchtime already," Fumikage grumbled. Dark Shadow whispered something about simply bowling their way through but most of it was beyond Izuku's earshot. The sentient quirk would be scolded by his host with a light tap on his face.
"It's obvious!" Bakugo made his way to the front, pushing aside Sero in the process. "These extras are trying to scope out the competition before the big event!"
"Oh ho! It's Class 1-A! You think you're big shots just because you fought some villains last week?" The blonde was the first to speak, talking in a haughty, arrogant tone that would probably make most targets of his speech become encapsulated in an all-consuming rage. Izuku also remembered his name at long last, as he'd seen it on the list of people who passed the entrance exam to the hero course. Monoma Neito, that was his name. The wielder of a Quirk called Copy. It is rather self-explanatory.
"Oh yeah?!" Bakugo squared up with Monoma, his red eyes staring into the other's blue. "I'll beat each and every one of you extras in the Sports Festival!"
"AHA!" Monoma laughed at Bakugo. "The dog finally barks!"
As Bakugo and Monoma traded insults, Izuku let out a tired sigh and moved towards Ochako. Everyone here had spirit, yes, but they were all a bit confused on how to do it. Some rivalry is good and all, since it could spur competition and accelerate growth, but… this? Only bad things can come out of something like this.
Bakugo looked like he was about to finally insult Monoma's entire family tree when Kirishima stepped in, grabbing him by the shoulders and slowly pulling him away from the door. Surprisingly, Bakugo let him do it, if only because he was so hyperfocused at