Monday was a complementary free day of rest offered by U.A, and Izuku found himself in a strange situation yet again when they visited Hatsume Mei.
"Gyaaaaa, what the hell is this?!" Mimi cried, covering the top of her head. "This is… this is…!"
"Doggy ears!" Kiri squealed, gently lifting her sister's hands to reveal the floppy appendages. "They're really cute."
"Would you like some too? Abracadabra!" Haru laughed, snapping her fingers.
Kiri peered at her reflection in a nearby river and marveled at the pair of cat ears on her head. Apparently they could be controlled by moving one's eyebrows.
"Look!" she told Mimi, pointing at her new ears. "I'm a kitty!"
"Lovely. How do we get rid of them?" Mimi asked.
"Relax, it's just a hologram!" Haru said. "We are in Mei-nee-sama's Simulation Room after all."
"...Fine. As long as I don't get a tail." Mimi said dryly before observing her new pink-haired friend. "What are you supposed to be?"
"Well, since you're a doggy and Kiri-chan is a kitty… I'm a mouse! Duh!" Haru pointed at the rounded ears atop her head as if they were the most obvious thing in the world. "Let's go, onward to adventure!"
Izuku watched it all happen on a wide screen, the children fooling around in the aforementioned room next door. The Hatsume residence was home to all sorts of futuristic marvels and odd gadgets of various purposes, Mei smiling as she showcased her advanced hologram technology. She even had Haru join in so they'd all be friends together, the pink-haired girl asking them to address her using her nickname since they were doing the same.
"This is some really impressive stuff, Hatsume-san…" Izuku observed, holding back a giggle.
"Eh, it's a prototype." She prompted him to follow with a wave of her hand, dressed in that casual black tank top and overalls that she liked so much. "Since the kids are having fun, what do you say we have some fun of our own?"
"U-um, sure." Izuku stammered, not sure if that was some sort of innuendo.
He trailed in her wake down steel corridors, thirty stories below ground level. This was Hatsume's secret underground base, a facility which was basically a giant earthquake-proof Faraday cage. Eventually a set of heavy doors slid open and revealed the main workshop, a large circular room lined with workbenches and various tools. A multitude of robots scooted around, but what really caught Izuku's eyes was the throne atop a set of chrome stairs.
"Now then." Mei's grin was stretched ear to ear as she sat on it, smiling down at him. "Time for a formal reintroduction. Welcome to my parlor..."
"...Said the spider to the fly." Izuku finished with a shy smile of his own. "Nice place you got."
"Thanks! Y'know, you're the only human to have been down here besides me!" Mei said. "I take security very seriously."
"That explains the mechanical hounds that were accompanying Haru when she opened the front door…" Izuku mumbled, remembering how Mimi had nearly cut one in half with a blade of plasma when they rang the doorbell. "Anyway, I'm so glad that you're alright, Hatsume-san."
"You were worried? Aww, how nice of you. You didn't have to though, because I always have a contingency plan!"
"So you're a professional." Izuku said, playing along.
"That's right! Professionals have standards. Be polite. Be efficient. Have a plan to kill everyone you meet." Mei stated proudly. "Words to live by, see? That's something an evil overlord like me would say."
"I don't think you're an evil overlord…"
"I'm literally sitting on a throne."
"It's a chair." Izuku said flatly.
"A real big one! Come here, I've got room for one more~" She waved him over teasingly.
Should he? Izuku eventually made his way nervously and sat down together with her on the throne, surprised when it suddenly lifted off the ground. It could float! Not only that, it was actually really comfy as well. Together the pair zoomed around the workshop like they were in a bumper car. Izuku found himself smiling alongside her before he knew it.
"So! As I promised, we'll have dinner together later." Mei drawled, leaning back in her throne. "Not only that, I'll tell you what my glorious five-year plan was."
"I'm listening." Izuku said.
"Truth be told, the past few days have been rather… enlightening. To think that Quirks can be passed down to each other, combined with the fact that some Quirks are alive—well, we'll have to rewrite the scientific journals one day. Unfortunately I'm preoccupied with my other research and projects so I don't have time to study your particular case yet. Living Quirks and Quirks that can be passed down." Mei tilted her head toward him. "All Might's One For All."
"Um, please don't tell anyone." Izuku muttered in a small voice. "About everything you just said."
"Tell you what; I'll keep your secrets if you keep mine. Don't tell anyone about Zabby or Haru and I'll keep my mouth shut, hehe." Mei said. "The data you've provided me has been quite the eye-opener. Quirks are science. They are measurable, predictable, they have rules… until they don't. Until they result in people's consciousness' surviving after their deaths and Quirks with self-awareness. Until they might as well be bloody magic. Boggles the mind, really."
The girl genius sighed, looking a little frustrated.
"Speaking of minds." She suddenly grabbed Izuku's head and stared right into his eyes. "Oiiiiiii, ancestor-san~? Are you in there? The main family's doing fine so don't worry! I'm not too familiar with them but I do hang out with cousin Katyusha from time to time."
"W-w-wha!" Izuku's face was burning red from her close proximity.
"Anyways~" Mei smiled, pressing a button and stopping the mobile throne. "I don't intend to tell anyone about All Might's little secret and apprentice. It's not ethical to blab about a client, y'know?"
"Wait, client? You're working for U.A. too?
"With, with!" Mei corrected him with a slight air of indignation. "I'm working with U.A. but I'm my own boss. Right now I'm helping with some of the more complicated problems that even Power Loader-sensei can't solve. Not problems like 'what is beauty', because that would fall between the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I learnt engineering so I could solve practical problems, like how to make invisible clothes for an invisible girl."
Izuku followed the nod of her head to… an empty display case tended by multiple robotic arms? The translucent case flickered and highlighted its contents—an incomplete bodysuit.
It was invisible.
"This is something one of your classmate's commissioned. Hagasomething-san?" Mei shrugged. "Got the idea from one of my seniors who'd manufactured this cool suit from a dude's hair since his Quirk would cause anything else other than himself to phase through him. Pretty revolutionary stuff but I couldn't use the same technique she used."
"Oh, you mean Haagakure-san! I always felt pretty bad that she had to fight while she's, um…" Izuku blushed. "...Naked. I mean, she doesn't seem to mind because she's invisible, but still."
"Yeah, she messaged me and explained the situation. All I asked for was a hair sample and bingo, we're in business. Here's where the magic happens."
Izuku peered into the case. There was something at its base; a slab of jelly-like substance peppered with tiny little holes, robotic limbs tipped with needles that harvested and reeled something invisible from it—
His heart leapt into his throat.
"Hatsume-san, is that… is that what I think it is?"
"If you think that's a piece of artificial flesh that I flash-cloned from her DNA to harvest her invisible hair, then yes! That's exactly what it is!" Mei smiled proudly. "Don't worry, it's technically non-organic. It's composed of an organo-plastic polymer based on a Siphonophore cellular structure that's lined with artificial 'jelly' cells with the same properties in her genome that allows it to bend light! Hair is already dead cells so that part's easy, the tricky part is recreating the anomalous properties that are tied to her Quirk. I haven't been able to replicate the light-bending effect with my machines or else we'd already have stuff like active camo. Such a shame."
"Bioengineering? I thought your speciality was robotics."
"I'm multidisciplinary." Mei smiled, chest puffed out in pride. "Yeah, science!"
Cloning tech… or at least, the beginnings of it. Mei seemed to notice his worried expression and quickly reassured him that it wasn't possible to actually fully clone someone along with their Quirk yet. Even the 'cloned' batch of Hagakure's hair created via this method was insanely expensive, time consuming, and limited since the effect would fade after a few years. It could not be reproduced and luckily U.A provided most of the funding for this particular project.
"Moving on!" Mei said gleefully, moving on to her next baby to show off. Izuku could tell she was having fun. "Here's Zenith in his tank! You and your sister did quite a number on him so he's recovering. Don't worry, although I've technically built a Von Neumann machine these nanobots are programmed to self-destruct if they stray a certain distance from the main core or detect anomalies within themselves so I can prevent a 'grey goo' situation. Say hi!"
"Hi, Zenith-san…" Izuku fidgeted awkwardly in front of the large, cylindrical tank. Zenith swam within the liquid like an eel with mirrored skin, eyeballing him with a trio of fisheye lenses. "How are you feeling?"
"I FeeeEeeeELlLL FFfaaaaAntaaaasStic." Zenith replied in an undulating, high-pitched voice.
"R-right." Izuku said. "Hatsume-san, your technology must be decades ahead of everyone else's. Are you sure you're not a Tinker?"
"Nooooope! I'm just smart. There hasn't been a true Tinker-type Quirk since the Dark Age ended and perhaps that's for the best… Nowadays 'Tinkers' are just people who are good with tech. Just yesterday I got a call from my lawyers that Detnerat—err, nevermind. Mankind isn't ready for this kind of tech, but there's also a reason that I'm showing you all of this."
"And that would be?"
"Because I believe you have the potential to change things for good. Not All Might's successor, but you; Midoriya Izuku." she smiled, causing him to blush. "Facing off against you in the Sports Festival made me realize something."
"It-It did?" Izuku mumbled.
"Yup! Y'see, you put a real big hole in my plan with your very existence. Take a look at this and I'll explain what plan I had for the future."
A screen lowered itself in front of them, flickering on to show a 3D render of the H-Drive she used in the Sports Festival. Izuku remembered that it was some sort of power source and generator, creating those strange particles she used in her weaponry.
"The H-Drive. This was the linchpin to my five-year plan. The cornerstone of its foundation." Mei said, using a laser pointer to draw an imaginary circle on the screen. "My plan was two-pronged; destabilize the public's reliance on heroes while simultaneously opening up their minds to the acceptance of technological advancement as a replacement. Had I won the sports festival I would have promoted my tech to no end and replaced heroes with robotic enforcers. Here's a secret, Midoriya-kun. Not many people want to admit it, but we're on the brink of another series of resource conflicts. Do you remember the Solar Wars?"
"Read about the bare basics in history class." Izuku replied, thinking back to his middle school lessons. "The short story is that we ran out of oil. It's why the orbital elevators were built; to harness solar energy from space. Nobody truly expected the ramifications and geopolitical conflicts that resulted from such a decision... It was a complicated time to live in."
"That's just how it is. Supply and demand, my dude." Mei clicked a button on their shared throne's armrest and a hologram of a tower popped up. "The world was a messy place even after the Dark Age ended. With the threat of the Quirk Singularity on the rise, this was to be part of my solution."
"What is it?" Izuku asked.
"A third and final Orbital Elevator." Mei said and tapped on her hologram to zoom out, showing an image of the Earth surrounded by what looked to be a 'ring' of super efficient solar panels, bridged to the planet via the three space elevators. "Hatsume Heavy Engineering and our sister company Usada Construction have been planning it for some time now, along with the solar ring. It's a big improvement from the arrays we have installed right now. It would assist greatly in our future asteroid mining operations. To complement it I would have made my H-Drive publicly available as well."
"So this was your answer to the energy and resource demand. I don't see how this is related to the Quirk Singularity, though."
"Patience is a virtue, young Midoriya. You see, I discovered something really interesting a while back. The H-drive is what you would call a semi-perpetual engine that generates H-particles, a prototype that I created for our renewable energy program. Nuclear energy is sooooo last century. With the advances I've made in aerospace technology using this same framework, I can tell you that we won't be leaving this planet via chemical propulsion. Everything was near perfect except for one teeny, tiny issue."
"Mmhmm?"
"When H-particles from the prototype H-drive are exposed to common solar radiation they change somehow, emitting their own type of pulse-like radiation signature that's also non-cancerous. It's hard to explain if you don't understand the correct terminology, it's like light—both a particle and a wave. Right now my newest design, the one that I used against you, gets rid of that flaw. This is footage of one of the older versions." Mei waved her hands and a video recording of the 'corrupted' particles showed up.
Unlike the bright pink lights she had shown off during the sports festival these were a ghostly blue, reminding Izuku of Cherenkov radiation. He had know idea how he even knew about that.
"You see? Even the color's changed due to a different wavelength. It's slightly stronger too in terms of energy output but here's the kicker; this type of radiation can decay the Quirk Factor, or rather, the 'Plus Alpha' gene in a person's DNA! It only works on younger to middle-aged individuals though. Basically people who can still breed."
That got Izuku's alarm bells ringing. He snapped his head towards Mei with a speed that surprised himself.
"You mean it could… remove a person's Quirk?" Izuku whispered in horror.
"No, nothing so drastic. From the tests I've run it seems that it cripples and weakens the 'Plus Alpha' gene but only with concentrated, repeated exposure over a long, long period of time. In other words, this would have stopped children from being born with stronger and stronger Quirks; instead they would just have Quirks with the roughly the same power level of their parents. Whoever's affected won't have their Quirk weakened, but their children's Quirks will not grow any stronger than theirs. Quirk Stagnation. This was my attempt to stop the Quirk Singularity, to halt it in its tracks by stopping the power of Quirks from rising. I would have basically reduced the power level of the next generation permanently, and their children would be affected too."
"Repeated exposure?" Izuku grimaced at the pale blue light, edging away from it as if it wasn't just a harmless display instead of the real thing. "I don't think anyone would have subjected themselves to standing near that all day."
"You'd be surprised. I intended to sell these purposefully altered H-drives, spewing out all those blue particles… they would have become the new combustion engine. If everything worked out well I would have them everywhere! In cars, trains, planes, ships…" Mei smiled and Izuku shivered. "Tanks, jets, satellites. And of course… Orbital Elevators and the solar ring."
"You would have covered the entire planet in the Quirk-decaying effect by getting everyone to use your particle-based tech and making it the new standard." Izuku realized. "They fade visually but would still be on the street, in the air, in the atmosphere."
"Bingo! I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!" Mei huffed before letting out a feminine laugh. "It could have worked. Five years, give or take, and I would have had everyone using these."
"That's…" Izuku hesitated, not willing to offend his new friend. "Amazing."
"I don't need yes-men, Midoriya-kun. Tell me what you really think."
"I think that… it isn't right."
"How so? I would have given them a world with no conflict, no discrepancies in power levels, no discrimination—"
"And no choice. You would be forcing this upon everyone… This is almost like you're sterilizing Quirks. Don't play God, Hatusme-san." Izuku said firmly. "I'm sorry, but that's my opinion. Besides, wouldn't someone find out? I mean, even if you told people it was harmless they'd do their own investigations."
"That's where the Zabanya Network comes in. They'd trawl the web and various other places to see if anyone has caught on. I'm sure an egghead or two might find out, and then we would make a few changes to their readings or maybe persuade them a bit, the works. Nothing illegal, of course. Zabanya hasn't actually killed anybody yet and I'm not keen on making him start. Either way, I was sure I'd be able to turn anyone who found out to my side, one way or another. All to stop the relentless advance of overpowered Quirks. This was how it would work."
Mei pressed another button near her armrest and a holographic list popped up in front of them, displaying her plan in super-simplified bullet points. She'd even drawn a stick figure of herself swimming in money at the bottom.
'Step 1: Destabilize hero society and replace them with my robots while promoting tech advancement'
'Step 2: Release H-Drive and finish Solar Ring, start worldwide Quirk Stagnation while simultaneously expanding into space'
'Step 3: ?'
'Step 4: PROFIT!'
Izuku looked at the list dubiously. It was a flawed plan and they both obviously realized it, but it was also the closest anyone had gotten to slowing the Quirk Singularity.
"There are a few kinks that I'm still working out. Gimme a break, I'm only fifteen." Mei cleared her throat, looking slightly embarrassed. "It's a flawed plan but I believed that in time, those that followed after me would carry on my legacy and work."
"So it'd be a massive conspiracy that you couldn't hide forever. You would have gotten the whole world to use this tech and limited the growth of Quirks, and by the time word got out it'd be too late. Quirks would remain stagnant and never grow stronger with the next generation." Izuku frowned. "I get that this particle-based tech is relatively cost-effective and pollution-free, but… I doubt you have been able to keep up the charade, especially when alternative forms of energy are discovered. There's no way people would accept making their children's Quirks weaker in a society that revolves around Quirks."
"I know, that's why I wanted to shift society's focus towards technological advancement. Technology is not a straight line, Midoriya-kun. There are many paths to the same end. Accepting one path blinds you to alternatives. I would have made our civilization revolve around particle technology. Mytechnology. By using it, society would develop along paths that I desired. A bloodless global takeover, if you will. Conducted not through war or conflict, but rather by aid." Mei said. "With this advancement in tech I planned to build space stations, then colonies in the Lagrange points for more efficient asteroid mining. We would have expanded beyond our homeworld. I planned to leave."
"L-leave?" Izuku looked shocked. "To go where?"
"Beyond. I believed that even if there were conflicts, people who didn't like each other could simply live on different planets or colonies." She looked ashamed for a moment, her gaze flicking to the ground. "But I miscalculated the power of human emotions. I saw only the big picture, but the big picture was made out of lots of little pictures. The cycle of hate would have still remained, passed down from parent to child. Now I know that this was the wrong path to take. It's not enough to just understand people. You have to reach their hearts."
"I'm afraid I don't quite get what you're trying to say."
"It was you and your sister. The both of you made me think. In my desire to see the world shaped to my will; free of fanatics and extremists… I failed to realize that I had become a bit of an extremist myself. Like I said before, I hoped that the next generation would carry on my work and flawed plans but I finally saw that I was just pushing my problems onto them, just as the previous generation did to us." Mei sighed and folded her arms. "Heroes bring many problems, yes… but right now they're our stopgap solution. It's exactly like you said. We have to change. Not our predecessors, not our descendants. Us. Our actions, ideals and behaviors will be passed down to our children, then our children's children. We have to be better for their sake. Just as what the generation before us did defined the current state of the world, what we do now will determine what the world would look like for the next generation. They created heroes to combat chaos; I wanted to create a world peaceful enough to the point where we wouldn't need heroes."
She clicked on another button and the screen changed to a live feed of Kiri, Mimi and Haru playing some sort of VR fantasy adventure game in the Simulation Room. They were smiling as they ran about, faces lit up with childish innocence… Izuku remembered what Zenkichi said to him only yesterday, about how children are the future.
"Your self-aware Quirk brought up new horrors within me. I have no doubt that the Quirk Singularity would cause more people like you to show up, but I eventually realized that living Quirks like Valkyrie and Dark Shadow are just another type of people—a different facet of humanity. Seeing the two of you… it gave me hope. Different groups of people must learn to live with each other in harmony, to apply their intelligence and go beyond their current state. People must change. Otherwise; even if humanity expands into space, it would only create new conflicts. Earth vs the Colonies. That is something I cannot allow to happen. All I wanted was for people to change. To be better, just like you were."
Mei smiled sadly and looked him right in the eye, her golden pupils reflecting his gaze. Back then that tragedy she witnessed could have been prevented if only the heroes listened to Toxic Chainsaw, to understand and empathize with him.
"In you and your sister I saw something different. Humanity and Quirks, not wrestling for control but living in unity! Not Man misusing Quirk or Quirk dominating Man, but a true union where you both understood each other. When I discovered what she truly was, I hesitated. Eventually, I knew I had to stop. Kiri-chan is a living being who deserves the chance to live as any other. My plan to saturate the world in corrupted, Quirk-stagnating H-particles would have destroyed the chance for more entities like her to be born, and that would have been a tragedy. I once thought that Quirks brought nothing but trouble; increased aggression, mutations in humans, loss of control… but people like you with living Quirks that love each other may be the next step in our evolution. Our destiny as a species. You are beautiful to me, Midoriya Izuku. A scientific impossibility that equally fascinates and frustrates me to no end. In you, I saw a future."
"I-I see, um, t-t-thank you. So you won't be saturating the planet and crippling the growth of Quirks in future children?" Izuku asked, confused.
"No." Mei smiled. "No, I don't think I will. This Quirk-decaying tech could still be used in hospitals for medical purposes though... I highly doubt the general public would allow for their Quirks to become weaker without a massive outcry. As for the Quirk Singularity, your way seems to be promising. I will be watching your career with great interest. Of course, I'll come up with my own contingency plans. I'll still be releasing the H-drive to the public in maybe half a decade or so, but they'll be the newer version that won't produce the corrupted particles."
"My way? I don't—"
"'You can do it'." she said, stopping his sentence. "Didn't you say that's what the word 'Deku' meant? If you wanna tell everyone that you have to back it up, y'know."
Mei leaned back in their shared throne, prompting him to do the same. It was really comfy.
"If I'd gone through with my plan I would have created unity by eliminating differences. You would have created unity despite differences. I would have ensured that humanity survived, and you would have made sure they lived. A symbol is a rally point for everyone, but what happens when that symbol falls or fails? That's chaos. Unexplored territory. People have rallied around All Might for so long that they've gotten complacent. He'll say that 'I am here!' and people would think, oh everything's gonna be sunshine and rainbows, All Might will handle it! When he's gone they'll run around like headless chickens until they find a new 'symbol'."
Gold met green, Mei leaning into Izuku's personal space again.
"A symbol isn't enough, not for the chaotic future we're facing. If you become a 'symbol' just like All Might you'll only be making the same mistakes! People will depend on you, to the point where they forget how to depend on themselves. Here we have the comparison. 'I am here!' versus 'You can do it!'. Do you see what I'm getting at? Come on, thinking caps on! This is big brain time."
Izuku's eyes widened after a few seconds of heavy thinking. Of course! This was something All Might had conveyed to him when he was in motion, but never in words.
"One is telling people that they can rest easy and that someone else will help… while the other inspires others to be the one to help." Izuku muttered. "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
"Exactly! When you make it out there in the big leagues, you have to inspire them to stand on their own two feet instead of depending on someone to save them. 'Save me' versus 'Save yourself'. To be morally strong enough to harmonize with their own overpowered Quirks and use them responsibly. Inspiring others to stand up for themselves while also helping their fellow man… 'You can do it'. A narrative for them to follow instead of a symbol. I'll help, of course." Mei nodded eagerly. "Of all the things that I can sell, there are none more powerful or profitable than a narrative. Selectively packaged and highly potent. Controlling the information that the public receives and believes is vital to continued business. To create narrative and control public consciousness, that is the key to overcoming the Quirk Singularity. To show people that we're not defined by our Quirks, but our choices."
"Do you really think I can do it?" Izuku whispered. "I'm just… me."
"Inheritor of a legendary Quirk, All Might's secret apprentice, Brother to the Valkyrie, and an all-around sweet guy?" Mei teased, causing him to blush. "I know you will. If you're worried just keep in mind that the journey's more important than the destination, and I'll be there every step of the way if you need me."
"R-really? I…" Izuku bowed at her, not knowing how to communicate the gratitude and respect he felt. "Thank you, Hatsume-san. You've shown me so much and given me perspective. That means a lot to me."
"No problem. Now, about that dinner I owed you…"
What followed was indeed a lovely evening dinner where the children were invited as well. Kiri initially stared at her Borscht and poked at it curiously with her spoon, only eating it when she saw her brother do the same. Mimi got along surprisingly well with Mei, even earning a few headpats from the older girl. Izuku found the soup to be delicious, reminding him of childhood memories that weren't his. At least this time Mei had actually made the dish using her own two hands instead of some monstrous spider-shaped machine. When he asked her why she favored those insectoid designs, her response was that 'babies with lots of legs are the cutest!'. He supposed it was something he would never understand.
They even had a discussion about Quirks and her ongoing research on them. Mei even theorized that Quirks drew power from countless planes of other realities; claiming that it was one of the ways the impossible energy output made sense. He quickly steered the topic away by asking her about school and thankfully she took the bait; he was worried she'd discover dimension-hopping too early. Izuku learnt many things about how the Support Course differed from the Hero one when they started talking about classes. The students would be supporting each other, with the Support students helping the fledgling heroes to develop new items or gear. Mei took the liberty of extracting his costume's current design from U.A's Support Course database and making improvements on her portable holodeck even while they were having dinner, the two of them discussing what he would like. At first he was rather reluctant, not wanting to trouble her and wondering how he would pay for it, but Mei insisted on helping 'out of the kindness of her heart'. He figured she just liked to build things that would actually be used.
"There we go. I'll upload it to my fabricator and we should have it ready in a few minutes…" Mei's fingers flew over a holographic keyboard.
"U-um, sorry, but could we do the upgrades on the actual costume instead of making a new one?" Izuku requested shyly.
"Hm? Fine, suit yourself. Sentimental, are we?"
"My mom made it for me."
"Awww, that's cute." Mei laughed. "Guess I'll have it ready by Tuesday once we get back to school. Now, was there any other gear you needed? My babies can help out in a pinch."
"I'll try not to rely too much on items, thank you. Something Aizawa-san said." Izuku smiled before remembering something. "But there is one thing…"
He proceeded to explain what happened in the park with Zenkichi; how he'd momentarily lost control of himself and gave in to anger. It happened when he first met Monoma too, in front of the classroom before the Sports Festival started.
"A brainwave fluctuation, huh. Hmmm… that's weird. It might be a side effect of your unique Quirk—well, Quirks. I've been doing lots of research on personalities being affected by Quirks too, so perhaps this is a chance to gather even more data. Let's see… baby 0982, come here!"
A box in the corner grew legs and waddled towards Mei. Once it was in front of her it opened like a cabinet and multiple drawers slid out, the girl genius digging through numerous tiny inventions.
"No… no…. no… ooooh, this one's nice." Mei turned back to face him with a great big grin, presenting a small box atop the palm of her hand. "Here, Midoriya-kun! Take this!"
Izuku carefully received the box and opened to find a tiny sliver ring. He could feel his siblings peering over his shoulders, letting out small, impressed murmurs.
"What is it?" Izuku asked.
"It's a ring." Mei said casually. "But it's also a miniature neural scanner that detects abnormal brain activity. I had to wear it for a time because I got too engrossed in my work, you see… I would forget to eat, shower, and sleep. This little baby helped to detect that I was stressed and sleep-deprived, I've just made a slight adjustment to it so that it'll detect your strange brainwave fluctuations as well. It's also waterproof! Come back to me after a month or so and it'll give me a report of your neural patterns so I can figure out what's going on."
"Ahhhh." Izuku said, slipping it onto his ring finger without another thought. "How does it work? I-It's not like that thing where Zenith-san jumped into my head, right?"
"Nah, that can't fit in there. Don't worry, Mindjack tech that interacts with an individual's cognisphere is too dangerous to operate without an A.I. assisting; it'd scramble your brain like an egg. Hmm… 'Brain Scrambler', that's a good name for a baby… Anyways, first this inner lining here detects your body temperature and heart rate—" Mei began happily.
"Aniki, you idiot." Mimi whispered under her breath. "Don't you know the significance of rings on fingers?"
"Whazzat mean?" Kiri asked.
"...Nevermind. I'm sure he'll figure it out soon enough."
Unfortunately for Izuku he was still listening to Mei's lengthy explanation and didn't notice what the sisters were discussing.
"—and best of all, it'll send you a light electric shock to zap you out of whatever altered mental state you're in!" Mei laughed. "Nothing lethal or damaging, but it sure stings! It can even expand to fit your wrist so it'll be a wristband instead of a ring!"
"I think I'd like to keep it as a ring." Izuku said, eying the simple sliver band. "Smaller, less noticeable."
Mimi rolled her eyes. Clearly he underestimated a girl's eye for details. The two teenagers were apparently too innocent to even consider what a ring on that finger even meant.
"Thank you, Hatsume-san." Izuku began helping her clean up after dinner while the children went to play around for a bit more. "Is there anything I can do to repay you?"
"You've done quite a lot for me, actually. I won't be getting any internships since I'm a Support student, but thanks to our battle Hatsume Heavy Engineering's stock price is through the roof! To the moon, baby~!" Mei cheered. "Come to me whenever you're in need of some new gear or an upgrade; this way you'll promote my brand. Quid pro quo."
"Fair enough." Izuku smiled, looking over to the children. "Come on, girls. We've bothered Hatsume-san long enough."
"Wait! I've got gifts for all of you!" Haru said quickly once Kiri and Mimi made their way back to Izuku. "Assuming direct control."
Her pink eyes glowed for a split second and a floating tray zoomed over, Haru picking up some items and presenting them to the Midoriya family.
"Here, Midori-nii-sama! This is for you, fresh from our fabricator." Haru gave him a nice green hoodie that was similar to the costume design he'd just finished with Mei. "Thank you for saving me!"
Izuku was rooted to the spot even as he accepted the gift with slightly trembling hands. That was right… he had saved her back then. He smiled nervously and crouched down to match her height, giving her a pat on the shoulder.
"Thank you, Haru-chan." Izuku said, watching her smile back. "I will wear this with honor."
"Mmhmm! And these are for the two of you!" The little girl turned to her new friends. "Check it out!"
"What is it?" Mimi asked, accepting a small box. "Eeeeeh? These are…"
"Dolls?" Kiri asked, opening the box to reveal a miniature Valkyrie, complete with her streetwear costume. "Cute~"
"They're action figures!" Haru insisted. "Allow me to demonstrate! See, kung-fu grip!"
The toy Valkyrie's arm moved up and down smoothly in a hammer-fist motion when a lever on its back was toggled. Kiri took it back and stared at the toy version of herself with much amusement.
"And yours has this awesome fireball launcher! See!" Haru said, pressing a button on the toy Viking's back and ejecting an accessory. The plastic projectile bounced off Mimi's forehead and she continued to look unamused.
"Wonderful." Mimi said dryly, eventually accepting the gift.
"It's our new product that will be sold starting today! The money's already flowing in, muahahaha! Don't worry Midoriya-kun, I'll wire the royalties to your account since you technically own the IP rights." Mei grinned, eyes alight with glee. "These toys and the upcoming merchandise I have planned are going to make lots of children really happy, and make me really rich~ Well, I'm already rich but I think you could use the dough. Profit!"
Izuku couldn't help but let out a lighthearted laugh. Mei was eccentric as ever but she had a good heart. The two families then exchanged their goodbyes, with Izuku and Mei looking forward to their next meeting at school. Izuku left the Hatsume Mansion with a heart burdened by the responsibility he was now made aware of.
There was also an alarming conclusion he'd made with the new information about the Quirk Singularity he'd received from both Tokoyami and Mei. The Ascended; living, self-aware Quirks. Quirks becoming stronger, even influencing their users to a dangerous degree. More mutants are being born each year, corresponding with an increase of stronger and even more unstable Quirks—Abnormalities. It couldn't be… He didn't even want to consider the possibility; it was too radical, even absurd for one to think of. But the knowledge he had added up. The words came out in a low whisper; just barely loud enough for his sisters to hear.
"Quirks are becoming more human… and people are becoming less human."
Izuku's gait slowed, his posture drooping slightly until both siblings sensed his feelings and held his hands. He looked down at them and sent them a small word of thanks, the worry in his heart fading slightly. Whatever the future held, everyone would face it together.
He was not alone.
Once Izuku and his siblings had left, Mei leaned back on her silver throne. She switched her monitor feed from the security cameras outside to a visual of the stock market, watching her company's stock rise. Mei smiled to herself until Haru suddenly climbed onto her lap. Rubbing the little girl's head, she relaxed her shoulders and sighed in content. This child was one of her babies, and she loved each and every one. Some more than others.
"Mei-nee-sama, there's a lot of things you didn't tell him." Haru mumbled, rubbing her face against her sister's generous bosom. "Like Feel Good Inc's spy satellites and the other Zaibatsus that are definitely working with Detnerat corp. Should we at least tell him that something's fishy going on with those guys?"
"He's got a lot on his plate already, and even if we did they haven't done anything illegal that we know of… yet. For now we wait and continue with our own operations." Mei said, the newly-repaired robot falcon Laserbeak gliding into the room and landing on the back of her throne. "Other than that, I can't wait to see what new developments our little green friend will cause."
Laserbeak leaned downward and opened his mouth, presenting a single strand of curly green hair. Mei smiled and encased it in a glass tube, eying the DNA sample curiously. It would be insurance just in case anything happened, but for now she would keep it in her high-security vault.
"A brave new world awaits." Mei whispered. "But I always have a contingency plan."
Machinery clicked and whirled, the underground base alive with technology decades ahead of what everyone else was working on. The Queen leaned back in her iron throne, a drink already in her hand as she continued planning for the future.
[x]
It was time to go back to school.
Izuku dragged his feet, looking a little more tired than he usually was. The train ride to school was much different than it usually was; people recognized him from the Sports Festival and crowded him to give words of encouragement and even requests for autographs. It was both embarrassing and exhausting, especially when he hadn't received that much attention from strangers before.
He slogged through the morning, settling down at his desk after greeting his friends and classmates. There was some hurried whispering among the girls but Izuku didn't seem to notice, more focused on wondering what they'd be learning today.
"That's a cool ring, Midoriya-kun." A voice behind him said. "Is there a fashion trend I'm missing out on?"
Izuku turned to see Sero peeking at his hand in mild curiosity, genuine interest on his face.
"Oh, Sero-kun. This isn't actually a decorative thing. It's a device that helps me with my Quirk."
"Ah, so it's a support item!" Kirishima said from beside him, jumping into the conversation. "What does it do?"
"W-well, I've discovered that I have trouble controlling my Quirk sometimes, or rather, it's starting to affect my mind a little." Izuku said. "This device shocks me whenever I'm being influenced by my Quirk too much and snaps me out of it."
"You electrocute yourself in order to keep your Quirk in check?" Sero winced. "Ouch, dude. Hope you don't have to do it often."
"To go that far to make yourself a better hero..." Kirishima made a fist and nodded with respect. "That's so manly!"
Naturally, the teenage boys were more focused on 'cool' stuff rather than realizing what a ring on his finger might have looked like and meant. There was a bit more chatter between them until Todoroki entered the classroom, his mismatched eyes meeting Izuku's for a second before continuing to walk towards his assigned seat. Izuku gulped and decided to be friendly for once.
"G-good Morning, Todoroki-kun."
"Morning." Todoroki replied quietly as he passed, suddenly stopping in his tracks. "I never got to thank you, did I?"
"Um, you're welcome." Izuku stammered.
Todoroki turned to look at him, that expression only a degree warmer than what he usually wore. Izuku sensed he'd changed somehow, just a tiny bit. It was a start. The rest of the class continued to discuss the results of the Sports Festival and their newfound fame until the front door rattled open.
"Alright everyone, settle down." Aizawa slid into the room like a wraith, silent and swift. "Today we'll be…"
Class 1-A held their breath, wondering what crazy shenanigans their homeroom teacher had planned for them.
"...formulating your code names. Your hero names."
The room proceeded to explode into cheers, the excited teens practically jumping at the chance to finally do something hero-like. Aizawa cut them down with a single glare, silencing the entire class in the span of a split second before he began speaking again.
"As I was saying. This activity is related to the draft nominations by pros I mentioned the other day. The nominations will truly start mattering only after you've gained some experience while your abilities are judged in your later years. In other words, the nominations you're getting this year are more akin to expressions of interest in your future potential." Aizawa explained. "It's not rare that interest dries up by graduation or is simply unilaterally dropped. Now, the tally of nominations is as follows. Typically the results are more balanced, but this year all the attention is leaned towards two of you in particular."
The blackboard lit up with a bar chart when Aizawa waved his hand, displaying Class 1-A's nominations. As expected Tokoyami got the most since he won the Sports Festival, with Todoroki following in a close second. Both of them had roughly over four thousand nominations while the rest of the class had much lower numbers.
"Just as expected, Todoroki-san." Momo said nervously to the classmate next to her.
"A lot of that's just gotta be because of my dad." Todoroki replied.
Ochaco seemed thrilled at the one hundred nominations that'd been sent her way, a small squeak of excitement escaping her lips. Izuku looked at his own tally and found that he'd received around two hundred. He felt as excited as she looked. People actually wanted him! This was new.
"Based on this, regardless of whether or not you have received any nominations…" Aizawa said. "I'll be having all of you to go get some so-called 'workplace experience'. Unfortunately the whole lot of you have experienced the world of pros during USJ; and I think experiencing the activities of pros firsthand will prove to be more fruitful training than before. That's why you will need hero names. Placeholder names are fine too, but..."
"But they're not what you're looking for, is it?!" Midnight interrupted, sashaying into the room like a runway model. "The names you pick will become what the world will see you as! In many cases, they stay that way after becoming pros!"
"Midnight-sensei!" the class cheered.
"She's right. I'll be having her evaluate your naming sense, since I definitely can't." Aizawa yawned, shuffling over to make space for his colleague. "The way your futures end up will approach the image projected by the names you choose. To quote a phrase 'Names and natures often agree'. For example 'All Might'."
After fifteen minutes of discussion and self-reflection, it was time. The students began presenting their names, starting from Aoyama's odd 'I Cannot Stop Twinkling' to Mina's nostalgic 'Alien Queen'. The mood soon changed when Tsuyu presented her cute yet friendly hero name; 'Froppy'. Kirishima chose 'Red Riot', naming himself after the legendary hero 'Crimson Riot'. Sero chose 'Cellophane', while Momo chose 'Creati'. Ochaco chose the lovely 'Uravity' to be her hero name. Todoroki simply listed his first name, 'Shoto'. Iida did the same, picking the name 'Tenya' and sending Izuku a reassuring smile when he looked over. Hero names could be changed later in life, so Izuku supposed he had a good hero names were approved by Midnight one by one, most of them being wonderful titles that held great promise and potential.
"King Explosion Murder!"
"Absolutely not!"
Most of them.
Then it was Tokoyami's turn to get up on the podium. The bird-headed boy flipped his handheld board to the class, presenting the hero name he'd chosen.
"Tsukuyomi." Tokoyami said flatly, more like a declaration of himself than a title he'd picked.
Izuku was no stranger to the name. Tsukuyomi, God of the Moon and estranged husband of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu. Lord of Night and Order. Tokoyami looked straight at Izuku as he said it, even while Midnight nodded in approval. What will you be, his eyes said.
Soon Izuku found himself walking up to the podium and past Tokoyami as they crossed paths. Dark Shadow's words still echoed in his mind. We are kin. Truth be told, Izuku has been considering a similar name during those fifteen minutes of thinking, A hero name would represent what he wanted to be.
The name 'Odin' was a whisper in his mind. He had thought about it, wondering if that was the path he wanted to walk before deciding… no. Despite it being a good name with an underlying relation to his siblings' names of 'Valkyrie' and 'Viking', he didn't feel that it was right. He wasn't a particularly religious person either. He didn't want to be a God. Izuku wanted to be someone who told others to never give up and save them when they were at their lowest points and darkest hours. To tell them the words 'You can do it'.
His vision fizzled in and out of reality, words that he'd never heard before echoing in his head. A memory… Kiri's. He was recalling a phrase that someone said to her a long, long time ago.
God doesn't make the world this way. We do.
Izuku continued to walk forward.
I pray to no one.
He stepped up to the podium, his green eyes meeting Tokoyami's curious gaze.
Nor will I be prayed to.
"Deku." Izuku said calmly, flipping the handheld board to show the class. "This is the name I have chosen."
"Eh? Are you sure about that, Midoriya-kun?" Ojiro asked, concerned.
"Yeah. Up until now I didn't like this name at all…" Izuku closed his eyes. "But a certain somebody changed the meaning of the word for me and blew my world wide open. I was so happy."
He opened his eyes, meeting Ochaco's warm smile with one of his own.
"This will be my hero name."
Tokoyami nodded with a quiet respect when Midnight approved the name. Nobody noticed the venomous red glare that was directed at Izuku by his once-childhood friend, the rest of the class too busy deciding who they wanted to work with during the one-week work study.
[x]
"The Battle Hero Gunhead?" Izuku looked up in surprise when he heard Ochaco's decision. Ahh, that's a hardened battle group he's running. You're picking that one, Uraraka-san?"
"Yep! They nominated me!" Ochaco puffed out and did a little shadow boxing. "The match with Kodai-san really opened my eyes to how many more possibilities there'd be if I was stronger! I want to learn how to engage in close combat. Don't get me wrong, I still wanna be a rescue hero like Thirteen, but if I stick to my comfort zone, my options will be limited."
"That's an impressive mindset! To get out of your comfort zone, huh…" Izuku muttered. "What about you, Iida-kun?"
"Me? I'm heading over to Hosu City to work alongside my brother." Iida smiled.
"Your big bro? Oh, he's the turbo hero Ingenium, isn't he?"
"That's right! To tell you the truth…" Iida lowered his voice and looked around before leaning closer to his friends. "There's a reason that I chose my hero name to be 'Tenya'."
"Oho? Let's hear it!" Ochaco said, curious.
"My brother's going international soon, and he plans on passing the Ingenium name to me while he goes on to join the Peacekeepers." Iida said, causing them to gasp. "He wants to pick a new hero name so the title of Ingenium will remain as a Japanese badge of honor."
"The Peacekeepers? That's amazing!" Izuku whispered, eyes lighting up. "It's a true honor to even get an invite to join their ranks. I'm sure your brother feels you're worthy."
"That may be so, but I don't see it that way. Until I've proven that I'm worthy enough to hold that honorable name, I shall remain as 'Tenya'." Iida stated, straightening. "I'll earn that title with my actions, not my blood relation."
Izuku smiled along with Ochaco, and the three friends continued to discuss their internships. He actually hadn't picked who he wanted to go with yet, planning to ask his wise mentor on what he should do.
Time passed and classes soon ended with nothing exciting happening for the rest of the day. Just as Izuku slid the classroom door open a yellow and white blur screeched to a halt in front of him.
"I AM HERE, IN AN UNCHARACTERISTIC POSE!" All Might boomed, bowing mid-skid when he forcibly halted his momentum. "Young Midoriya, come here for a sec. A nomination came in for you!"
They continued down the hallways, Izuku following the giant man with a confused look. This would be a good time to tell him now.
"Um, Sensei! About One For All—"
"Oh, don't worry about that. The person who nominated you already knows about it." All Might coughed, misunderstanding his statement. "His name is… Gran Torino."
Izuku searched his memory and drew a blank. Seeing his perplexed expression, All Might decided to continue his impromptu history lesson.
"He's taught at U.A before, but only for one year. That man was my homeroom teacher."
"A-All Might's teacher?" Izuku gasped, distracted from what he wanted to say before. "S-someone who taught you… wants to teach me? Wow!"
"That's right! Gran Torino was a good friend of my predecessor, Shimura Nana. He retired so long ago that I can't actually remember how long it's been…" All Might frowned. "Did he nominate you because he felt that my guidance was lacking? To the point where he took up his old hero name. A-anyways, while it's still my duty to train you, you should go learn what you can from him since you were nominated."
"Yes, sensei." Izuku nodded, wondering why All Might seemed a little worried about this Gran Torino person.
"One more thing before you go. Your costume, it just got back from being repaired!"
"Ah, that's great. But actually, sensei… There's something I've been meaning to tell you."
"What might that be, young Midoriya? I'm always here to help."
"Well, um. About One For All… Everyone who's ever held this Quirk is still alive inside me." Izuku said in a small voice.
There were a few moments of silence until All Might patted him on the shoulder with a proud smile.
"Of course, young Midoriya. As long as we remember the fallen and the sacrifices they've made, their memories will never die. A part of them lives on inside us—"
"N-no, that's not what I meant." Izuku shook his head. "I mean, like, literally alive inside me."
"You mean One For All's crystallization of power? Yes, this power is passed down from one person to another, getting stronger with each iteration…"
Izuku tried to explain but the world flashed before him. Another memory interrupting him again.
A city was burning around him in purple flames, someone pushing him away from the inferno.
'MASTER!' Toshinori's voice called out desperately, his hand reaching out for her. Shimura Nana.
She was there, all alone against the darkness. Before her stood a jungle of tangled flesh and bone, and standing atop its peak was a man in a crisp suit. Black lightning crackled and cut through the air like hundreds of pitch-black serpents. Nana pointed at him, at Toshinori Yagi.
'All Might.'
Her gloved hands made a fist, and she smiled before facing her doom. All For One's voice was poison in his ears.
'Thank you for such wonderful comedy.'
The memory ended and Izuku was back in the hallway with All Might, a painful sting resonating on his ring finger from Hatsume's device. It'd pulled him out from the memory? Izuku's hand quickly shot up to his face to cover his nose.
"Young Midoriya? Are you alright?"
Izuku considered his options. What good would it do if he told All Might now? Closure, perhaps. But somehow he felt… he felt that Nana should be the one to tell him herself. He deserved that much. In the end, Izuku decided to arrange a meeting between master and student.
"I'm fine, sensei." Izuku nodded, making sure his nose wasn't bleeding when he smiled. "Just fine."
[x]
"Ehhh, so you got a nomination from Edgeshot?! That's wonderful, Kodai-san!" Kendo said cheerfully, genuinely happy for her friend. "You're going to work with one of the top ten heroes… damn, girl!"
"Nn." Yui replied calmly.
Reiko hummed to herself, spinning a pen carelessly atop her palm while overhearing the rest of the class' chatter and gossip. Recent developments had caused her to write so many more reports… it was annoying. Some good old-fashioned fieldwork would be nice.
"What about you, Reiko-san? Who'd you pick?" Kendo smiled, and Reiko knew she was just trying to be friendly. "I chose to work with Uwabami."
"Me?" Reiko leaned back in her chair with her usual tired look. "I picked Cirrostratus."
"That's the cloud-jumping rescue hero, right? Heard she works in Tokyo, in that city next to Hosu. Komori-chan's headed over there too! What's the city called again? Kor-something?"
Reiko smiled to herself, overcome with nostalgia and homesickness for a moment.
"Korusan."
[x]
The days went by while Izuku waited for Nana and by extension the others to recover from their battle with Zabanya. In the meantime he inspected his new suit, did more training with both sisters, and continued studying. Before he knew it, the weekend arrived and Izuku made his way to Gran Torino's residence.
It was far from what he'd expected.
Apparently Gran Torino lived in a crumbling, dilapidated building that saw better days. The paint was practically nonexistent, cracks snaked across the walls… Izuku double checked the address, then triple checked. Yep, this was the place.
Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the front door.
"Gran Torino-san? I'm Midoriya Izuku from U.A. I…"
Izuku trailed off when the door creaked open with its rusty hinges. His mind immediately spun into action, noticing the dimly lit interior. Did someone break in?
No sign of forced entry, doorknob unscratched. Loose lock? No. Deliberately left open. Invited?
A horrifying sight met his eyes when he looked deeper into the building. There was a small figure lying in a pool of red, a long length of raw flesh unspooled from beneath him. Izuku immediately rushed forward to stop the bleeding until he smelt it. It wasn't even blood. It was ketchup! The length of flesh was just some uncooked sausages linked together.
"Whu-Toshinori?" the little old man groaned, sitting up with Izuku's assistance.
"U-um, pardon the intrusion! I'm Midoriya Izuku from U.A, and—"
"Toshinori, help me!" Gran Torino said blankly. "I've fallen, and I can't get up! I'm… too weak..."
Izuku sighed. This was going to be a long week, wasn't it. He proceeded to help Gran Torino up and started cleaning the floor without another word, making sure the ketchup didn't stain. Luckily the sausages could still be salvaged. He also made sure to wipe the sauce off Gran Torino's costume.
"Gran Torino-san?" Izuku asked after finishing up. "My name's Midoriya Izuku."
"Toshinori!" the old man grinned at him dumbly. "So good to see you again!"
"I'm not Toshinori-san, sir." Izuku said, thinking for a bit. "Here, just wait a moment while I make something for you. May I use your kitchen?"
"Sure. How'd you know I was hungry?"
"Apparently you're hungry enough to believe I would fall for that little trick of yours."
Izuku could feel the man's eyes boring into the back of his head while he continued to prepare lunch for him. It was how he was ready when it happened.
There was a whoosh of air exploding from behind him, Izuku tilting his head to the side just in time to avoid a yellow boot. He countered with a backfist that swung wide, Gran Torino slipping under it with another gust of wind from his feet. An aerokinetic Quirk, Izuku realized.
Gran Torino was a pinball that bounced off every surface he touched with ludicrous speeds, Izuku joining in a moment later. The two of them were a blur of yellow and green as they thundered across the room, the old hero several degrees faster than Izuku.
"Good, good! Show me what you've got, boy!"
The sound came from above him and Izuku barely had time to do a mid-air pivot, shifting his weight to face upwards. Gran Torino was already responding by doing something that resembled an aircraft's aileron roll, the tip of his boot catching Izuku in the side and forcing him into an uncontrollable spin. Gran Torino was behind him in an instant, his axe kick slicing downwards.
Izuku whirled around, catching the attack with his forearm and grabbed the man's ankle, causing a stalemate. Wind and lightning radiated the two locked in combat.
"Not bad kid, you're sharper than you look." Gran Torino's eyes glinted while he hovered in the air, no longer possessing that fake senile stare. "But in this aerial position I still have the upper hand."
"Guess again." Izuku said quietly.
Gran Torino looked down and grinned when he saw it. Izuku's inverted free hand was primed with Delaware Smash, his middle finger already cocked back like the hammer of a revolver. The boy's gaze scanned the room, noting how some of the floor tiles were cracked from his opponent's movement alone. Their eyes met again, each waiting to see what the other would do first.
Then an awful burnt smell reached Izuku's nose and he immediately let go, eyes widening in horror. Gran Torino simply watched with confusion as Izuku rushed over to the kitchen stove in a panic, letting out a groan at what he saw.
"Uwaaah, it's all burnt..." he said, dejected. "I'm so sorry, sir! I—"
The old man began to laugh, Izuku blinking in stunned silence. Gran Torino's laughter eventually faded into small chuckles as he settled down, grabbing his old walking stick off the floor and hobbling towards Izuku.
"You are a strange one." Gran Torino peeked over at the ruined sausages in his pan. "Who are you again, boy? Say it with confidence."
"I'm Midoriya Izuku, sir." Izuku said it as best as he could. "All Might's apprentice!"
"Eh, you could use a little work." Gran Torino nodded sagely. "Then again, nobody's perfect. Come on, kid. Let's see what Toshinori has been teaching you."
"Y-yes, sir!" Izuku smiled, glad that the man accepted him.
"And stop with the 'sir', I hate it when people call me that. Makes me feel old."
"Yes, sensei!"