Chapter 8
Izuku felt numb.
There was no other way to describe it. It felt like his entire world had gone to sleep on him and he was trapped screaming in the back of his head as pins and needles worked their way up his body leaving him functioning almost on autopilot. It was a sensation he was all too familiar with, to be honest. Every time he had to fess up to the fact that his dreams were nothing but a self-delusion.
He'd only felt it this badly three times before. When the doctor had said he was quirkless. When his mother had apologized when all he wanted was for her to believe in him. When All Might had told him he couldn't be a hero. And now...
And now after Eri told him that in 12 years aliens were going to burn the planet from orbit, kill a billion people in the first week, then brutally enslave the rest. Because no, you can't just enslave humanity, you have to do it brutally. Because reasons.
He was doing his best to keep his cool. He'd actually gotten quite used to functioning perfectly well despite being overcome with depression and fear and absolute bone gnawing terror. The secret was to put one foot in front of the other and keep walking.
"How do you feel, Midoriya-shonen?" All Might asked him as they walked through the hall towards the elevator.
"I'm terrified," he admitted, "Aliens. Real aliens. Real evil aliens."
He grimaced. He must sound like such a coward. In front of All Might no less.
"I am too," the Symbol of Peace admitted, causing Izuku to pause and look up at him in shock.
"Y-you are?"
"Very much so," All Might replied, "I'm still only human and this is far beyond anything I ever had to prepare for emotionally. I do believe we're both floating on the same raft, my boy."
Izuku laughed with just a little hysteria. "So it's not just me?"
"It's not just you," All Might confirmed. "I'm sorry you're not going to have the option, on account of your age, but I at least intend to get extremely drunk tonight after hearing all of that. Between All for One being alive and this alien thing, today seems very much the perfect circumstance for that sort of thing. And that's not even counting the fact that it's been six years since I've been permitted to consume alcohol."
Izuku felt his blood go cold in his veins. To hear All Might of all people say that he was terrified of what was to come and that his plan for dealing with it was to get drunk and deal with it in the morning was... he hadn't thought it could get any scarier. Well, silly him.
"My suggestion? Spend tonight with your mother. Hold her close and don't let go."
Izuku smiled slightly. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea. He guessed. Still, there was still one question nagging at him.
"All Might," he asked after a moment of consideration, "Who's All for One?"
"He's..." All Might paused for a moment, "He was the ultimate evil that One for All was created to defeat. During the dawn of the current era there were two brothers. One was strong and possessed a uniquely terrifying quirk while the other was quirkless and weak. The stronger brother's quirk permitted him to steal the quirks of others for himself, and to gift those quirks to others, if he so wished."
"Pass on quirks?" Izuku observed, "That sounds like One for All."
"It does, because they are related. You see, All for One's brother? He was sickly and weak, but he possessed a strong sense of justice. For some reason, All for One forced a quirk that stockpiled stamina onto him. Perhaps it was out of a desire to control him, or perhaps out of some twisted form of brotherly love."
Izuku nodded. Giving someone who was naturally sickly a quirk like that would probably allow them to live a relatively normal life.
"What neither of them knew however," All Might continued, "Was that his brother did indeed have a quirk. His quirk was a useless quirk that only allowed itself to be passed on to others, and was the only quirk that his brother could not steal. However, once he was given the stockpile quirk, the two melded. The quirk that stockpiles energy and quirk that can be passed. They combined to create One for All."
He closed his eyes. "It's ironic, thinking about it, that all of our troubles are the fruits of that misbegotten era... first All for One, now this."
"Yeah" Izuku admitted with a gentle nod. "Somebody famous once said that if we hadn't had the phenomenon, and all the chaos surrounding it, we'd probably have interstellar travel."
All Might nodded. "And if we were among the stars already, we wouldn't be sitting here like lambs to the slaughter."
Izuku sighed. He was right. Because they'd turned inward and stopped looking towards the stars, they'd left themselves ignorant and vulnerable. And now they had 12 years to accomplish about 120 of discovery and preparation.
No pressure!
"But I believe we're getting off topic," All Might stated, "All for One rose during that period of chaos, gathering followers. He took the quirks of those who would resist him and granted them to his followers. He worked in the shadows to get his followers into positions of power with the intent of becoming the shadow ruler of Japan."
"You know, come to think of it," Izuku said after a moment, " I've heard rumors on the hero forums about certain people being figureheads for someone else. But they were dismissed as conspiracy theories."
"The dealings of thugs and criminals rarely make it into the text books," he replied, "As for the brother who would become the first wielder of One for All, he attempted to stop All for One when he saw what his brother was doing. But even with the stolen power granted to him by his brother, he was too weak. So he passed his quirk on to another in hopes that it would one day be gifted to one with the strength and will to put an end to his brother's tyranny. And then in time, that holder passed the quirk on. And that holder passed it onto another and so on. Until it reached me. One for All is not just cultivated power, it also carries with it the hopes and dreams of those who came before."
Izuku looked down at his hands, lost in thought. When All Might had told him about it, it had just been a quirk. A strange and exceptional one, but he hadn't grasped the sheer gravity of it. It was a legacy. A mission.
He thought back for a moment, his mind going back to what Eri had called him. 'The Symbol of Hope'. He would have had to fight on despite the inconceivable odds against him. Despite witnessing the best and brightest humanity can offer being cut down like pigs to the slaughter. He would fight because he believed that humanity could win and could keep winning. And in turn that belief would inspire others. He was effectively All Might for that horrible future... but at the same time he was something different.
Then it hit him. Having One for All wasn't just about being the strongest hero. It was about being what the world needed. In times of strife, conflict and later order, the Symbol of Peace. And in times of sorrow and despair, the Symbol of Hope.
One for All really was a sacred torch, wasn't it? One with a singular mission: to ensure that the fires of courage, hope, and justice were never extinguished. To be the light in the darkness to ensure that humanity never lost its way.
On one hand, he was humbled and inspired by the enormity of faith All Might had to have had in him to grant him this honor. On the other hand... he was coming to the slow and completely terrifying realization that he was effectively The Chosen One. In the literary sense.
No pressure!
He couldn't help but break out in hysterical giggling from the stress, which caused All Might to look down to him with concern. "Relax Midoriya-shonen. I understand what it's like." He paused, "Well, somewhat. My own mentor was clear about the threat of All for One from the beginning. The aliens are new, but I at least understand somewhat what you are going through."
Izuku took a deep breath and steadied himself. It was not an easy process. His statement did however beg a question.
"Your mentor..." Izuku asked looking up to All Might with a thoughtful gaze. "She was the seventh, wasn't she?"
All Might paused in mid step and took a deep breath as if to steady himself.
"Yes. She was the bearer of One for All before me. Her name was Shimura Nana. She was..." he paused for a moment, "When I looked at you, I saw myself looking back. In you, I saw a reflection of the foolish orphan boy holding onto an impossible dream that she saw fit to put her faith in. I would have been disgracing her memory if I had turned you away. She... Nana was the only mother I've ever known. And he killed her."
Izuku couldn't help but freeze in shock as he saw tears welling up in All Might's eyes as he spoke those words. No wonder All Might hated All for One so much. Just thinking of what he'd do to a person who murdered his mother... he'd rip them apart, and anyone else who stood in his way, with his bare hands and to hell with the consequences.
"Compared to that pain," he said through gritted teeth, "The injury he gave me was just a love tap..."
After years of dealing with crying adults, thanks to his mother's hair trigger waterworks, Izuku had an almost ingrained instinct of what to do in such a situation. And seeing the person he respected most in the world on the brink of tears, he couldn't help but follow it. Without remark or hesitation, he hugged the massive man, wrapping his arms around the muscular giant's waist.
Towering above him, All Might was rendered speechless by the unsolicited show of physical affection.
"I... I..." he trailed off for a moment before laughing himself silly and patting Izuku on his comparatively tiny back. "You're certainly a character, my boy! Thank you."
Izuku pulled away with an ear splitting grin on his face. He just hugged All Might and had sorta gotten a hug back! If it wasn't for the whole looming apocalypse thing, this would have arguably been the best day ever. Except for yesterday. But all in all this had been a good week. Except for the... well... best not to think about it right now because that path led to uncontrollable weeping and a complete psychological collapse that would leave him crawled up in a ball sitting in a pool of his own fluids.
No pressure!
Inko honestly didn't know what to say, do, or think. When she'd asked All Might if she could go to the Uwabami Boutique she'd actually felt a little guilty for taking advantage of his kindness. Honestly, she'd been intending to buy the cheapest shirt or maybe pair of socks, primarily with the hope of getting one of their shopping bags.
Mitsuki would lose her damn mind if she saw it. She'd always been the prettier and more fashionable of the two of them. She could never hold herself back from gushing (or griping depending on her opinions at the time) over the latest magazines and fashion trends. The fact that theshopping bags alone were made out of some sort of finely made cloth that most other places would charge you for underscored the quality of the brand, along with the prices that it demanded.
What she hadn't expected was to be whisked away by a pretty, smiling, and impeccably dressed young girl with white downy feathers for hair. Who then proceeded to whisk her away on a merry journey through the strange and exotic land of high fashion with nary a set of brakes to be seen.
And now, a quarter of a million yen later, she found herself the proud owner of a new outfit. Not a new wardrobe. An outfit. An. Outfit. Singular. That was almost as much money as her husband sent home in a month from his job overseas. And it had brought her one outfit.
She felt wracked with guilt. She'd wanted to say no, but the girl was so forceful and the outfit...
It made her feel pretty again. Like she had been before Izuku had been misdiagnosed as quirkless and her entire world fell apart. Before she's turned into a human nikuman.
But while she felt guilty about spending so much of the Number One hero's money, despite his insistence that she buy herself an entire outfit, that sensation was drowned out almost completely by the joy she felt for her son.
Her Izuku was going to be able to reach his unreachable dream and that made it all worthwhile. Every gram. Every tear. Every single moment of every sleepless night. All of it.
Now it was all that Inko could do to wander about the shopping center, clustering her immensely expensive purchase to her chest as she people watched. It was strange seeing pro heroes hanging out amongst normal people.
Thanks to Izuku she could actually recognize most of them. There was Slidin' Go eating a bowl of gyudon, Compass Kid with a load of groceries, and Mount Lady walking out of a shop holding...
She blinked. Was that an otome game?
"Well, heroes have hobbies too, I guess."
She was interrupted from her musing by a buzzing from her pocket. Pulling it out, a small smile came to her face as she saw it was a text from Izuku.
We're coming down, mom.
Standing up she started towards the express elevator, arriving just in time to see the door open to show her son and his mentor. She didn't think that she'd ever get over that.
"Greetings Midoriya-san!" he exclaimed with his trademark boisterous joviality.
Before he could continue though, Inko began to bow before him and held out her bag.
"I'm sorry, All Might-san!" she exclaimed, "I became too excited and I abused your kindness! Please, accept this back. I don't want to be a burden to you!"
The massive man blinked in surprise and then began to chuckle before letting his face harden ever so slightly. "Please step back into the Elevator with us, Midoriya-san, so we do not make a scene. I know for a fact that the paparazzi tend to infest the public areas of Might Tower, despite the strict limitations on camera use."
She nodded nervously and did so. All Might looked over to a nervous looking Izuku before giving him a smile and pushing the button for the top floor. One of the ones that hadn't been illuminated when she'd used the elevator.
"This should keep it moving long enough for me to explain this to you, Midoriya-san," I know perfectly well how expensive Uwabami-san's boutiques are, and I knew exactly what I was getting into when I told you to buy yourself an outfit."
"But it's so expensive..."
The large man took in a deep breath. "Did you enjoy yourself, Midoriya-san?"
She slowly nodded. Very much so.
"Then all is well," he replied, putting on his largest smiled, "Because..."
"...You are here?" she asked nervously.
He blinked. Then he blinked again. And then he began to laugh. "No, actually, but that was very well timed. No. What I was going to ask you is... tell me, Midoriya-san, what is the name of this tower."
"M-might Tower?"
"Yes. And who owns Might Tower?"
She bit her lip. "Yo-you do?"
"Yes," he replied, "I do. I own a fortified skyscraper located on what could arguably to be some of the most expensive real estate in the world. While I do not like to show off my wealth, the simple reality is I am one of the richest men in Japan. I don't know where I rank, because I don't care."
Slowly Inko's eyes went wide as she realized what he meant. Heroes made their living off, among other things, their merchandise. And All Might's brand was everywhere. Hell, looking down at the package in her arms she realized that she'd easily 'donated' at least twice as much to the man simply due to the volume of All Might collectibles, posters, toys and other memorabilia that she bought for Izuku over the years...
" I don't value money. I value happiness, safety and camaraderie. I grew up with simple means, and I have simple tastes. Buying expensive things because they are expensive is something I find very distasteful." he looked down at the bags. "When you bought those, were you happy? Did it make you smile?"
She slowly nodded. "Y-yes?"
"Good. Money well spent," he said matter of factly in a beat that left no room for argument.
She took a deep breath and nodded to him. With that done, he hit the button to take them back down to the lower levels. As they did, she looked over to her son. She'd honestly expected him to say something during this exchange. Instead she was heartbroken to find him looking distracted and forlorn.
"Izuku?" she asked nervously, "Are you all right?"
He looked up at her with a tired smile. "Y-yeah mom. I just..." he paused, "Eri's story."
He looked up to All Might for a moment. The massive hero nodded to him.
"She's been through..." he paused and his face hardened, "What she's been through is... it's unspeakable mom. I guess I'm just... still trying to come to terms with it."
"Even I am left feeling blanched simply having listened to it." All Might added.
Inko could only gasp. Her sweet little boy saying something was unspeakable was one thing. He wore his heart on his sleeve and would find any sort of abuse to be the most horrible thing ever. It's one of the things she loved so dearly about him, his kind and honest heart.
But for not just a Pro Hero, but the Pro Hero to say the same...
Oh god. Whathorrors had that poor, darling innocent child been forced to endure? She'd seen the scars herself. Oh, what cruelties had been inflicted upon her? She could only imagine.
And imagine she did as her mind began to fill in the blanks...
She... she... she...
"Mom?"
"M-midoriya-san! Please calm yourself, there's no reason to cry!"
Eri hugged herself tight under the covers of her bed.
Eri had never slept easily. For the longest time Chisaki had haunted her nightmares. Even after all of the pain and sacrifices that had been made in her name, she'd never been fully free herself of his shadow. And then, a decade later, when she was finally strong enough to chase the demons away on her own, the world had ended, giving her a whole new host of nightmares.
And that wasn't counting the fact that he was not some specter of the distant past. That future was no longer relevant. She'd walked out herself and he was going to look for her.
Her eyes slowly drifted towards the clock. Two in the morning. Not an hour for good little girls to be up and about. But she hardly was a little girl anymore, was she? Chisaki had destroyed her innocence long ago and now she had the memories of a grown woman resting in her they were clear as day, sometimes shadows eluding her grasp, but they were real and they were hers.
Part of her hated herself for it. Hated her future self. Hated Flashback for what she'd done. She'd sacrificed what was left of her childhood as cruelly as Chisaki and his scalpels. And really, what sort of sadistic idiot draws blood by cutting? Needles are a thing for a reason!
But she'd done it to save humanity, and in doing so have given Eri her childhood. It was distant, and it was bittersweet but... there were so many kind people. Too bad it never was going to be real. Memories only she'd have that no one else would ever share. But even now, that proof that there were so many kind people in the world willing to fight and sacrifice just because someone needed help? It gave her hope. Just like it always had. Just like it always would.
But enough of her existential crisis. She did all of this for a reason.
Slowly she climbed over to her bedside and retrieved the pad and pen that All Might had left for her.
She had a lot to record and not a lot of time to do it. With her memory feeling muddled and confused since she passed on One for All, she simply couldn't risk forgetting anything. Every nugget could spell the difference between humanity's survival... and... well... her having to do this shit all over again.
Though she had one important thing she needed to handle before she even considered writing anything down. One problem that overshadowed all others and simply could not be ignored.
She really had to pee.
Chapter 9
There was no one in the world that Iida Tenya admired more in the world than his elder brother, Tensei. It had saddened him when his brother had been unable to see him after the exam, and that he'd been busy the next day as well, but he understood why and would never resent him for it. His brother was a fine hero who was dedicated to his duty above all else. He had no doubt that the older Iida had been pulled into some urgent task that he simply couldn't set aside, not even for family.
It was because of this, that his face was filled with greatest joy when he came down in the morning to see his brother sitting at the family table, having a polite conversation with his parents.
"Big brother!" he said with a wide smile as he approached the table. He couldn't wait to tell his brother about the exam. From how he'd acted before and how he felt in the aftermath, it was a life changing transformative experience that taught him a valuable lesson he would carry to the end of his days. As expected of a school as prestigious as UA! Even their entrance exam was so profound as to teach you important lessons in heroism!
This caused his mother to chuckle and looked at him, "No love for me and your father then, Tenya-chan?"
He paused feeling completely aghast. "My apologies mother, I..."
She smiled and waved it off. "Oh, I'm only teasing you Tenya. You're too much like your father sometimes. So serious," she learned and gave him a wink and a smile. "Even when you were little, you were my little man... so mature..."
Tenya couldn't help but blush in mild embarrassment.
She glanced conspiratively over to his elder brother, "Unlike some people I know."
This time it was Tensei's turn to blush as he rubbed the back of his head. "Come on, mom..."
"Leave the boys alone, Hanabi," his father childed politely as he lowered his paper just far enough so he could shoot his mother a glance.
She rolled her eyes in response, "There you go again. The natural enemy of fun."
Tenya could only sigh. His parents were always like this. Their relationship was a quirk marriage, a union made to further their careers as well as ensure the strength of the next generation of heroes. This wasn't to say that they didn't get along, they openly admired each other as heroes, but their relationship was passionless. More like old friends than husband and wife. Right down to the endless snarky banter.
It got old.
That said, his mother was right. He did take after his father. Iida Tenka, the Pro Hero Virtium, was a serious man. To those who did not know him, he would seem detached, even disinterested. But when he did commit to something he did so with every fiber of his being. Including parenting.
His mother on the other hand, the Pro Hero Nitra, was a much more jovial person. That wasn't to say she wasn't dedicated, just she tended to have a stronger sense of humor. Or at least that's what she thought.
"So, Tenya, how was the test?" his elder brother asked with a smile. "I'm sure you did well."
"All Might himself said that he believed that my placement would be within the top ten," he stated, his heart glowing with pride in his accomplishment.
The moment that his father put down his paper, Tenya knew he'd made a mistake. He'd promised the Number One hero that he'd hold his becoming an instructor in confidence and in his excitement, he'd let it slip. He felt his face fall as he felt overcome with shame.
"Are you saying that All Might was in attendance?" his father asked.
"Please disregard my statement, father," he said shamefaced, "It was not for me to say."
His father smiled slightly and slowly picked his paper back up, clearing reading the expression on his son's face. "Of course. You said you were speaking to a member of the faculty?"
"Stop fishing, Tenka," his mother warned, causing the man to chuckle and then sigh as he buried his nose in the paper again. His father had always been the more nosy of the two, unable to let go of anything that caught his interest. A good trait to have in a hero. In a parent? Not so much.
"Um," Tenya coughed, "I have good reason to believe that I scored in the top ten," he began again, causing his brother to chuckle.
"Sure you do, little brother. So what happened?"
"It started with an odd, muttering boy," he replied. After all, in the end it came down to that strange character. "His name is Midoriya Izuku. While I did not hear his first speech myself, he apparently had surmised the true intent of the exam and shared it with some of the other prospective students."
"You're telling me this kid figured out the Rescue Points?" Tensei asked, causing him to blink.
"Then he was correct? There really is a hidden metric?" Tenya asked, feeling entirely vindicated in his decision to place his faith in Izuku's instincts. He'd have to contact him and tell him about it. He was sure his erstwhile partner would appreciate the knowledge that he'd been right.
"Yeah, just don't tell anyone," Tensei warned, "They keep that secret for a reason."
Tenya nodded in acceptance. Belay that.
"What I'm more interested in is that Tenya-chan made a friend!" his mother exclaimed with a happy smile as she clapped her hands together with glee.
Tenya sighed. Here we go again. He was never comfortable with his peers so he'd never had much in the way of friends in middle school. It was always something which had always left his mother concerned, and him a bit lonely to be completely honest. But Tensei had always been around to make up the difference so it never was as lonely as it could have been.
"So when are you going to invite Izuku-kun over for dinner? Just let me know and I'll have Shimi-chan make us something super special!
"Leave the boy alone, Hanabi," his father said in a level voice.
"All fun, Tenka. All that is fun," she said with a snort.
Tensei rolled his eyes at their mother's antics. "Come on, Tenya. Finish the story."
He cleared his throat. "Of course. Anyways, Midoriya-san's speech was about 'Owning the E'. His belief was that we should act as if we were already heroes and focus our efforts in behaving in a suitably heroic manner, even if we feel it might negatively affect our scores."
"Ballsy," was Tensei's reply, "I like him already. So what happened from there?"
"When we were on the bus to the challenge zone, I questioned him more deeply on his philosophy," Tenya replied. He very intentionally left out how he had made something of a fool of himself in front of the entire testing body. That was something he would carry to his grave. "I found his logic to be valid and was impressed with his character, so I offered to work with him in the exam. After all, the best heroes work closely with their allies."
He could hear a grunt of approval from behind his father's paper. Cooperation and teamwork had always been a policy that was encouraged within the Idaten Agency. While the core family team all shared similar Quirks, the Idaten Agency had never fallen into the trap of adopting a strict theme. Instead they welcomed a wide variety of talents to allow them to adapt to any situation and cover any potential weakness.
"Our combat synergy was surprisingly good," he continued, "He seemed to be able to predict and work around my fighting style with relative ease and this, combined with his own natural combat ability made him very easy to work with. We were able to destroy many of the robotic villains and aid a number of our fellows."
Tenya couldn't help but smile at the memory. Most of that ten minutes had actually been some of the most fun he'd ever had.
"I actually enjoyed myself greatly. There was this one point villain that I used as a launching board to sail over two other villains so I could dropkick a third that was moving to blindside a girl with a mushroom quirk. I actually kicked a villain so hard that it flew through the air and landed on a second villain. Then there was this one where Midoriya-san grabbed the arm of a two pointer, spun it around, and launched it into my path so I could intercept it in mid air. We never even had to stop moving. By focusing on being a hero rather than treating it as a test, it was actually a great deal of fun and it felt very fulfilling."
"I'm glad. I always enjoy being a hero. Nothing is better than helping people," Tensei replied, "And I'm glad you found a friend. It's always good to find field partners that you can work with. So what's his quirk?"
Tenya couldn't help but tense for a second. Midoriya's quirk. That was something he'd spent the last couple days mulling over. That he was able to keep up with him and his 'Engine' was an impressive feat in its own right. Had it just been that, he'd have simply said it was a physical enhancement quirk and left it at that. But... there was that moment with the Zero Pointer. What he'd done to it, and what he had in turn, done to himself.
"His quirk is..." Tenya trailed off for a moment. "It's intimidating."
This caught his brother's attention, as well as the attention of his parents.
"You said this kid was strong," his mother said carefully, "You never said 'intimidating'."
"When I talked to you and father, I hadn't really had time to think about it. But now that I've had time to sleep on it?" he paused. "His quirk appears to be a physical enhancement quirk of some form. When he activates it, his body crackles with green lightning and his physicality seems to be multiplied many times over..."
"Sounds like something from a shonen anime," his father observed.
Tenya blushed slightly. It really did, didn't it? "It appears to be a very powerful one, but he seems to have relatively poor control over it."
"That can be dangerous," Tensei replied with a frown, "You can easily hurt yourself, or those around you with a quirk like that."
Tenya shuddered slightly, remembering Midoriya's angry, swollen body and ragged gasps for air. "I know. He seems to limit his quirk to a fraction of its full power for just that reason. But when the Zero Pointer showed up..."
"I remember those," Tensei laughed, "I won't lie, I think I almost wet myself when I first saw them. Those things are scary."
"They are," Tenya agreed, "And we saw a girl trapped underneath some rubble. It was about to roll over her..."
He took a deep breath. "I tried to get to her, but even when I had redlined myself, I wouldn't have been fast enough to reach her before she was crushed."
"But she survived, right?" his father asked, in a somber tone, his newspaper folded and away, "It's been years since there's been a fatality in the UA exams, and it would have been in the paper..."
"Midoriya-san, he..." Tenya closed his eyes for a moment, "He was behind me one moment and the next he'd closed the distance between us and the girl. He kicked the zero pointer so hard that he tore it in half. So hard that the faculty had to divert the torso so it would land in one of the athletics fields as not to endanger the school."
"Aren't those battlezones kilometers away from the school?" his mother asked.
"And correct me if I'm wrong," his father added, "But aren't those machines the size of an office building?"
Tenya nodded. "Yes. On both counts... It was almost like watching All Might."
A sudden hush fell over the room.
His brother could only blink. "Wow."
"'Wow' indeed" his father seconded.
"The girl, she had an anti-gravity quirk. With the time that Midoriya-san gave her, she was able to clear the rubble herself. When we looked up we saw Midoriya-san falling from the sky. She used her quirk on me and rendered me weightless. Then we caught him by using her quirk to cancel his momentum." He smiled for a second, "With her canceling my mass, I was able to fly...!"
That got a chuckle and a smile out of his brother. He'd always envied his elder brother's ability to go airborne using his elbow thrusters. "Good for you, little bro! So what then?"
"When we landed, he looked..." Tenya couldn't help but grimace, "He looked like he was in great pain. Bruising over his entire body, ragged breaths, bloodshot eyes... Even with Recovery Girl's quirk it was several minutes before he was able to fully regain consciousness."
Everyone winced and for good reason.
"If your friend's quirk is as powerful as you say," his father said, "Then it is no wonder he has difficulties. Stay close to this one. Should he succeed, he'll definitely go far. Having such a strong ally will do much for your career and bring prestige to the Idaten agency."
"Was he okay?" Tensei asked. "And what about the girl?"
"Uraraka-san only twisted her ankle, while Midoriya-san seemed fatigued but all right."
"Good," Tensei replied, "And you were okay?"
"Nothing I couldn't handle," Tenya replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
"Ten-ya!" his mother said with a frown, "Is that so? Because I distinctly recall you saying something about redlining? Did you overheat your Engine?"
He paused and then sighed, lowering his head. "Yes mother, but Recovery Girl attended to me moments afterwards."
"And we all know that healing quirks don't always work properly on mechanical mutations!" she exclaimed.
He lowered his head. "I'm sorry mother..."
"How bad?" she demanded.
He flinched. He couldn't lie to his mother even if he tried. "I could see the glow through my skin?"
"I expected better of you, Tenya," she said with a deep frown.
"Yes mother. I'm sorry, mother," he muttered with a deep sigh of resignation. He knew what was coming next.
"I'll make an appointment with Shumata-san for tomorrow," she said in a tone that brooked no argument.
Damn it. He closed his eyes and hung his head in defeat. He always hated having to go see the mechanic.
"Oh, and Tenya?"
"Yes mother?" he asked, his head still low.
"Tell me about this 'Uraraka' girl you talked to and seem to know the name of..."
His eyes widened slightly as he looked up to see an almost manic grin on his mother's face.
"Was she pretty?"
Tenya looked over to his father, who had quickly retreated behind his paper.
And then to his brother who just shrugged at him.
"On your own little bro. Sorry."
He swallowed by reflex as he turned back to the intense gaze of his creepily smiling mother.
'Help.' The young hero desperately pleaded to no one in particular.
Toshinori smiled as he knocked on the door to Eri's room, with a smile on his face and a large platter of food held in the other. Since the girl had a stockpile quirk he was sure she'd be hungry.
A moment later he heard a muffled voice at the door. "Who's there?"
"I Am Here!... with Sustenance!"
He swore he could hear her groan through the door before it opened.
"Being short sucks," she muttered to herself as the door swung open.
Toshinori nodded. That was about the exact opposite of his problem, really, but he could sympathize. His hero form was taller than most rooms.
"I'll have you brought a footstool, Eri-chan," he replied nonchalantly, "So where do you want your breakfast?"
"On the coffee table, please," she said quietly as she retreated back into her room.
He nodded and gently placed the food down before removing the cover. He understood better than anything that to feed quirks like theirs you needed plenty of food so he'd decided to order up a reduced version of his favorite daily breakfast.
In this case, a short stack of pancakes, a pair of waffles with fruit, bacon, eggs, a three egg ham and cheese omelet, two pieces of buttered toast, a single bowl of Cinnamon Toasty Squares (they were a child's cereal but he didn't care. They were delicious.), a carton of orange juice, and plenty of milk.
Looking over he saw that she'd been watching TV, and was mildly surprised to see that the news was on. Maybe he was just making assumptions based on her size, but he'd half expected to see cartoons. If only because even he had to admit that they had a cathartic value.
"I'm getting up to date," she explained, picking up on his questioning gaze.
He nodded. "Of course, Eri-chan. There is something I must ask you."
She nodded. "Yes, All Might-san?"
"Would you be willing to speak to Nezu, the principle of UA, and Sir Nighteye?"
"I would," she replied looking up to him, "I remember Nezu-san, he passed in my freshman year. He was a good man who even in declining health never gave up on his students."
All Might frowned at that. They'd never known the chimera's lifespan. In fact he knew that his lifespan was one of the few things that the small being actually was apprehensive over. It wasn't the question of death, it was the uncertainty, and as saddening as it was, he guessed they now knew.
"And while I know he's not the same Sir Nighteye," she continued in the same quiet tone, "I would very much like to thank him. He died to pull me out of Chisaki's hell, and I'll always honor his sacrifice."
Toshi's jaw clenched slightly at the reminder of his partner's other death. He very much did not like this alternate timeline.
"I'll send the message asking them to come here. Unless you'd like to go to UA to meet them."
"I'll be happy with whatever," she replied, "And last night I filled the notebook."
Eri handed the open notebook to the hero and started pointing at the marked pages
"The marked pages are things you need to handle right away," she made clear, "They're time sensitive. I don't remember everything, and I was writing as I remembered it rather than based on when it happened so there's no order to it. I did get down the most important things though."
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what are those?"
"Several mathematical formulas that serve as the foundation for several important pieces of the alien's technology and the molecular structures of a number of compounds that don't currently exist on Earth," she replied with a great deal of seriousness, "Melissa drilled me until I could repeat them in my sleep."
"I'll send them to her father," he replied with a nod. His old friend could do more with them than anyone. "And I'll have more notebooks sent up."
"And tell him about One for All," she added, causing him to flinch somewhat.
Yes. He sighed. That too. Along with Mirai, David was one of the two men that Toshinori would outright describe as being his 'brother', and letting the man know his secret was at least a decade past due.
Really, he probably should have told him during their college days, but he'd always been too nervous. By the time he'd gotten over that, he'd married and had a daughter. Toshinori hadn't told him then because he knew the man would have felt obliged to help, and he simply couldn't permit David to risk his wife and daughter against one of the cruelest monsters the world had ever known.
But with aliens invading, he guessed it was long past due.
"I'll do that," he replied without hesitation.
"Good," she replied, "One more thing though..." she asked, her cheeks reddening slightly.
"Yes, Eri-chan?"
She took a deep breath to steady herself. "About my clothes...?"
He glanced at her. Yes. He'd ordered his merch sent up as an emergency measure. Now that she was up and about he'd have one of his assistants take her shopping. Or maybe ask Mount Lady, she seemed to have taken a shine to the girl, and it would also neatly solve the bodyguard question.
"I had clothes sent up from the gift shop for expediency's sake. If you want more conventional outfits, I'll have someone help you shop later on today."
She flushed. "I-it's not that All Might-san... it's..."
She took a deep breath clearly deeply embarrassed by what she was about to say, if the almost phosphorescent glow on her pale cheeks was any indication, "We need to discuss my panties."
All Might's eyebrow shot up. Okay. That was just about the last conversation he'd ever expected nor wanted to have with a small child, regardless of her mental age.
"I don't feel this line of conversation is appropriate!" he exclaimed after a long moment, blushing deeply and feeling more than a little mortified at the concept to be completely honest with himself.
"T-that's why I'm bringing it up!" she said, her voice reaching a squeaky tone.
"I'm afraid I don't follow," Toshinori replied in increasing dread and confusion, "Why are you bringing up your... um... underclothes if it's unappropriate?"
She closed her eyes. "It would be easier if I just showed you."
He quickly turned around and frantically stammered, "T-that won't be necessary!"
"Not the ones I'm wearing!" she shouted with clear annoyance.
He sighed in relief. Small miracles.
"Then what..."
She stood up and walked over to the bathroom, slipping inside for a moment. "Hold on."
A moment later she exited carrying a small package that proudly said on the front 'All Might Girl's Undergarments.'
Oh... Um... He didn't know they made those. He swallowed a lump in his throat. And he very much did not like where this line of conversation was going...
Reaching into the back she withdrew a square of red and blue fabric before hooking her fingers into the legs holes and stretching it out for display.
He felt his stomach bottom out and his blood run cold as he saw that his grinning mug was being prominently displaced on the central triangle, in a place of honor, dead center on the crotch.
Oh dear god. This was the sort of nightmare they warned you about in First Year Heroic Branding... to say nothing of the fact that the idiots had plastered his face on little girls' underpants!
"Shit," he muttered in English, unable to think of any better word to describe his thoughts on the matter.
For a moment, he was wondering if it could get any worse. And then he wanted to kick himself for asking that. A moment after he finished the thought, she turned the pair around, and it proceeded to get so much worse.
For proudly plastered across the back end were the words: 'Watashi Ga Kita!'
The official english translation of his catchphrase was "I am Here". It was what he'd used in America, and it would have been more than bad enough on its own. And if they'd used the kana it would have meant just about that. 'I have Arrived' was the literal translation. But no, they used the kanji, and one of the possible readings of the for kita was kuru, which meant come. And kuru and come were two of those words that meant the generally same thing in both languages. In just about every possible meaning of the words, both common and vulgar. And then on top of all that, you had the fact that Japanese was a high-context language, which meant...
They'd plastered his catchphrase, which could be unsympathetically read as 'I Came', on the ass of little girls' underpants! Just the thought of it mortified him beyond all human imagination. Did he have to explain to people why this shit was beyond inappropriate? Just looking at it made him want to die. What genius? What intellectual behemoth? What... what mental giant among men had thought that any of this was, in any way, shape, or form a good idea?
'Plus Ultra' did not translate to 'Full Stupid'!
"All Might-san, are you alright?"
No, no he wasn't, he reflected as he stood in place, an unmoving statue, his eyes wide with horror, his skin ashen and pale, with a wordless sound emanating from the depths of his throat that sounded like the squeal of a dying piglet.
"A-all Might-san? You're worrying me. Should I call for help?"
Izuku breathed slowly as he reached deeply within himself, feeling the burning flames of One for All. All Might hadn't been kidding when he'd called it a Sacred Torch. The power was incredible, it felt like he had a fusion reactor in his gut.
It was strange, you'd think the sensation of having a wellspring of nearly endless power plugged directly into your soul would be an alien sensation, but no, it felt... right. Like he'd just plugged in something he'd be missing his entire life.
Now if he could only control it. He'd been trying to recapture the feeling, the way it had felt during the exam. At the time it had come easily to him, by instinct almost. He'd cloaked himself in One for All's power and in doing so had been able to do what had seemed to have been impossible to him just a day before. Now however, he could feel it, but it was like trying to grab a hold of water. It just flowed through his fingers without letting him grab hold.
Or maybe that was the problem? Maybe he needed to stop thinking of it as something he needed to hold onto and treat it like something fluid? Maybe if instead he could just channel it and let it flow around him? Let it flow through his being without restraint, without being held, a constant self-sustaining stream both within and without.
He smiled as he felt a familiar feeling of warmth behind to infuse his being. Yeah! He almost had it! Just a moment more and...
"Izuku! Stop sparking at the breakfast table."
Izuku's eyes burst open to see his mother sitting across from him looking more amused than annoyed.
"Um, sorry mom..."
"Izuku," she chided, "I know you're anxious to test your quirk but there's a time and a place for everything, and right now is the time and place for breakfast."
He flushed and rubbed the back of his head, "Yes, mom. Sorry, mom."
He took a deep breath and looked down at his plates. Plural.
"Mom?"
"Yes, sweetie?"
He poked at the dishes in front of him, which by most standards was a traditional japanese breakfast... for three.
"Is someone else coming, or...?" he asked poking at the relatively vast quantity of food.
"No, sweetie, that's all for you."
He looked up in confusion. "Mom?"
"I read up on stockpile quirks last night, just like what All Might-san said yours is," she replied sternly. "You aren't just eating to feed yourself, Izuku-kun, you're eating to feed your quirk as well! And a well fed quirk means it will never fail you when you need it. So eat up, I don't want to see a single grain of rice left in that bowl, young man! If you're going to be a hero, you're going to need every bite."
"But... but what about you mom? What about the budget?" he asked a bit frantically. While his father did send money, he knew it was enough to house and feed them comfortably, if he was eating this much more it might not be enough.
"I'll make do," she stated with a slight huff. "Your wellbeing is most important. If I need to I'll get a part time job."
Izuku felt mortified at the very thought. His mom shouldn't have to get a job just to feed his quirk!
"And the money we'll save by not buying All Might merchandise will help as well," she added.
Izuku's eyes went wide with unspoken horror. No! Not his All Might collection! Anything but that!
"Izuku," his mother said giving him a level look that clearly told him his unspoken horror hadn't been as unspoken as he hoped, "You're All Might's personal apprentice, now. You could probably just walk into his gift shop, fill a cart, and no one would bat an eye edgewise."
Izuku blinked in surprise. Yeeeeeeeeeeeees. His mother was right, wasn't she? He could probably just do that, couldn't he?
"Izuku, I don't like that smile."
He blinked. He was smiling, wasn't he? And very widely. Why wouldn't he be? After all, he had all the reason to. He could have all the merch now. The latest and greatest and all on release! He just had to walk in and just take it off the shelf. After all, All Might himself had said he could get anything in Might Tower that would help him develop as a hero...
"Izuku, that was an observation, not a suggestion... Izuku? Izuku!"
...He could have All Might everything. Sheets. Plates. Bath towels. Underwear. That 40,000 yen one meter tall limited edition All Might plushy that he'd been coveting since forever? It was all within his grasp! It was official. All of his dreams could now come true. Not only could he reach his dream of becoming a hero, but he could finally have the ultimate collection...
"I swear to god, Izuku, if you fill this house with merchandise, I'm taking it all to a Flea Market. All of it."
Izuku immediately snapped out of it, the manic rictus vanishing from his face as quickly as it had appeared. No! Not the Flea Market!
"I-I understand, mom."
"Good," She sighed in clear relief, "So, how did you meet All Might-san?"
"Well, I met him after I was attacked by that sludge villain on the way home from school one day..."
His mother blinked in shock as her eyes began to well up with tears. "Wait! I thought that thing just attacked Katsuki! It attacked you too!? Oh god! You're telling me I almost lost you and you never told me about it?"
Izuku could only flinch. "Um, I was a bit overwhelmed at the time. A lot had happened that day. By the time I'd gotten home, I was a bit overwhelmed. You see... ummmm..." he paused for a moment, "First I'd just found out that All Might was injured and then after the second sludge villian attack, he'd just offered to make me his successor. Compared to that, I'd completely forgotten about the first villain attack."
She sniffed, the waterworks flowing freely. "Izuku, I don't want you to ever do that to me again. I know being a hero is going to be hazardous, but I deserve to know if you get hurt or are put in danger! Please, Izuku!"
Izuku couldn't help but tear up. He had been keeping too much from her, hadn't he? And while he didn't want her to be afraid, not telling her would leave her to fill in the gaps herself, and he knew how her imagination would always lead her to the worst conclusions with stuff like that.
It was funny. He didn't want to make his mom upset, but at the same time, he had to tell her stuff that would make her upset so she didn't become even more upset. It was a classic no win situation.
Taking a deep breath, "Mom, I didn't really get hurt in training," he said after a moment of thought, "I think I might have overstressed myself a couple times but I never really hurt myself."
She nodded, watery eyed and biting her lip. "So you haven't really hurt yourself then?"
Izuku smiled weakly and scratched the back of his head, "I wouldn't exactly say that..."
"Izuku..."
He sighed. "It was at the exam. I should start from the beginning."
She gave him a level look. "No, you can tell me the rest once you're done. What happened?"
Izuku sighed. "Mom, at the end of the exam... for the practicals they have us fight robots."
"They have children fighting robots?" she exclaimed, flushing red. He could understand her feelings. If he hadn't had One for All, he'd have felt it was ridiculous too.
"Mom," he sighed, "We're being taught to be heroes! They're actually not that tough and they don't have any lethal weapons or anything like that. It's mostly to scare us and see how we deal with a combat situation."
She nodded, accepting his explanation but clearly not pleased with it. "I see."
"Well, at the end of the battle they sent in a robot that wasn't worth any points. They said it was more an obstacle than an enemy. I think it was mostly to see how we'd deal with something really scary and outside of our ability to handle."
She frowned. "What do you mean by 'really scary'? Aren't robots scary enough?"
"It was huge, mom," he replied, "At least thirty meters tall."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. Oh great, now she was getting angry. "And they expected you to fight that?"
"No!" he stammered out quickly, "They expected us to run, but..."
She looked at him. "But, what?"
"There was a girl," he replied with a sigh, "She was caught under some rubble, in the path of the robot. They probably would have stopped it from moving before she was crushed, but I didn't think about that at the time. All I could see was someone in trouble... and I couldn't reach her in time..." he trailed off, "So I went full power."
His mother blinked. "Didn't All Might say your quirk was so powerful that it could kill you?"
"I've been training for months," Izuku replied defensively. "And I wasn't thinking about me. All I could see was her..." he paused for a moment, "She was scared, mom. All I could see was her eyes begging for someone to help her. I couldn't just let her die in front of me. Not when I could do something about it."
His mother looked at him with wide eyes. "Izuku..."
"I was able to save her. I destroyed the robot, but I hurt myself. It was the worst kind of pain... but I saved her. And that's what was important."
There was a pregnant pause. A tense moment of silence between them before his mother slowly stood up from the table and walked around it. Not a word was spoken as she did so, then she walked up to him and pulled him into a tight hug. "Never do anything like that again."
He slowly shook his head. "I can't make that promise, mom... not when lives are at stake."
She look at him, the tears readily flowing. "If something happened to you, Izuku, it would destroy me. Please."
He bit his lip, feeling his own beginning to well up. "Only when it's life or death."
She stiffened... but eventually nodded. "Alright. Just promise me you won't use it for foolish things."
He nodded. "I promise."
"... And Izuku?"
"Y-yeah mom?"
She hugged him tightly. "You're my hero."
Chapter 10
It had been some time since Nezu had hosted Sir Nighteye in his office. While the man had never been a student of his, being a former salaryman who, driven by All Might's example, had become a hero later in life, he did not hold it against him. If anything, it comforted Nezu. He knew all too well that the UA entrance criteria were rather difficult for those with more subtle quirks.
This was in part due to design, though Rescue Points and now Hero Points did much to balance it out. The reality was that UA's curriculum was largely designed around finding those who already possessed top tier quirks and forge them into some of the world's most powerful heroes. An apt comparison too because he thought the best way to forge a young hero was to apply sufficient heat, pressure, and repeated physical and psychological impacts!
But again, the man before him was proof that anyone with the right will and character could be an exceptional hero. He was even tempted to ask the man to join the staff as a part time guidance counselor. Several of the new students coming into the hero track this year were students possessing less flashy quirks who had managed to pass on sheer gumption and gallantry. Right now his only teachers focusing on more subtle uses were Aizawa and Kayama. The problem with that was two fold. First, Eraserhead was notoriously picky when it came to mentorships. And second, Midnight had a tendency to act extremely... Midnight.
"This is an interesting tea, Nezu-san" the tall human stated gently as he sipped at Nezu's favorite blend. It was a flavor that normally took humans a little time to adapt to, as it was more conditioned to his palate than those of the genus Homo, but humans who could appreciate good tea often found it to at least be a fascinating flavor. Something he often appreciated in turn.
He always respected Sir Nighteye. He had a good tongue for tea, was intelligent enough to hold a proper conversation, and his quirk allowed him to provide interesting insights. Sadly though, he doubted he'd take the offer unless he floated the idea with Yagi first. Sasaki was almost as picky as Aizawa. He'd need to convince All Might to convince Nighteye, and even then he'd need to be careful about which students he offered up to him for guidance.
At least Togata was a given. Beyond that would involve careful consideration.
"I have heard you've seen our mysterious traveler," he said, taking a sip of his tea, "What is your read on the girl?"
Nighteye smiled genially, almost causing Nezu to raise an eyebrow. The man was notoriously morose and fatalistic, but the cheerful smile on his face was anything but.
"Her power has a disruptive effect on my own," he replied, "I believe I can confirm, with the utmost assurance, that Midoriya-kun's assessment of its temporal nature is accurate."
Nezu nodded. He could see. From the man's profile, his fatalistic attitude was largely born out of a degree of existential angst over the question of Free Will. Most people would find a power that disrupted their own to be a bother, but he could see that Sasaki found it to be liberating. A panacea for his own fears and doubts.
This was a good thing, overall, Nezu decided. A positive outlook was useful for Heroes and contributed to their long term mental and emotional stability.
The door to his office slowly opened and he glanced over to see the broad form of Toshinori Yagi enter with a tiny pre-adolescent female. She was albino, with facial features that humans would find pleasing, and a small horn asymmetrically located on the right side of her forehead. He also quite clearly noticed the scars on her forearms peeking out from under her sleeves.
The last bit caught his attention with great intensity. Looking more closely, he studied her affect and condition, and quickly came to a conclusion that made his own scars ache. One that filled him with the same primal fury that fueled the 'sadism' that he was infamous for among his staff and students. He and this girl clearly shared a kinship beyond the both of them possessing white fur. They were both the victims of cruel, systematic experimentation.
This was why he largely despised humanity. They were a species of stupid, violent, ignorant apes who mindlessly despoiled everything they touched and feared anything they couldn't understand. But he was intelligent enough to understand that like all sapients, they were made up of individuals. Sure, there were the bad apples who ruined the bushel as the old saying went, But on the whole he found your average human to be kind, honest, and good natured, with each one possessing their own wonderfully unique little oddities that made them just so insufferably endearing.
People were destructive, idiotic sheep; persons were unique, special snowflakes worthy of protecting. Quite the conundrum, he'd say. And in the end he'd decided to place his faith in the power of the individual to rise above.
To go beyond.
Plus Ultra, as they'd say.
Surprising was how the girl reacted to the sight of him. Most people were confused or even a little taken back at first sight. After all, he was a small, cuddly mammal in a suit and a double breasted vest. This girl on the other hand, she seemed to not only recognize him, but the microexpressions on her face showed that she was actually relaxed by his presence, and not by his 'cute' appearance, but rather by his personal presence as a whole. This implied familiarity.
Interesting...
"I am Here... to discuss the future."
"Greetings All Might-san," he said, passively, "And... I see you've brought our young mystery. What is your name young lady?"
"My name is Eri," she replied, "And it's a relief to see you alive, Nezu-san."
He raised his eyebrow at that. "Really? And just what happened to me exactly?"
"You died while I was in my freshman year. Old age," she replied. "I'm sorry."
Nezu nodded slightly. Well then, that answered one question. He had no idea of his natural lifespan. Being a quirked chimera made it difficult to guess his relative age as the various animals he was composed of had many inconsistent years of lifespan. He'd already been noticing the aches and pains here and there for some time and suspecting his time was going to come to a close sooner rather than later. Having an estimated date, while certainly not a relief, was at least something he could at least prepare for rather than have to assume. And, all things considered, an approximate decade was something he supposed he could live with. And ensure that when he did pass, he did so with dignity.
"I see," was his simple response, "No need to apologize and thank you for informing me. I'll be sure to have my affairs in order when the time comes."
She snorted slightly, "Not happening, you're too useful to die. Once I rebuild my reserves, you're on my list."
"Your list," he repeated, "I assume this has something to do with the way that you healed All Might-san?"
She nodded. "My power doesn't heal, my power reverts people to a previous physical state."
Of course. Not that it was something they hadn't already surmised, but he guessed that the word healing was technically inaccurate, even if it was functionally so. After all, 'healing' All Might was well beyond anything a conventional healing quirk could ever accomplish.
"And I'm guessing that is why he looks so youthful," Nezu stated, "You physically reverted him to a physical state before he received his injury."
"Exactly, sir," she replied.
"And I assume you wish to physically revert me to a younger state, as you did All Might-san?"
She nodded. "Yes. Once my reserves recover, I'd like to Rewind you. Recovery Girl as well."
"Of course. Please take a seat, and would you like some tea?"
She smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Nezu-san."
He watched the girl and All Might sit down while he poured her a cup. Politely she took the tea and began to sip at it. She still seemed uncomfortable, but she seemed to slowly be relaxing.
"So, tell us about yourself and the future you came from."
She glanced over to All Might. "How much did you tell them?"
"Nothing," he replied, "I haven't had a chance to share the details."
Nezu couldn't help but be amused as he looked at the Number One hero and considered the massive difference between what he looked like before and how he looked now. Before, he'd been a sickly, emaciated figure who looked to be alive more thanks to sheer determination than anything else. Now, even with his quirk inactive he simply looked like a shorter, more vibrant All Might. This child's power was awe inspiring.
He would have to consider her offer. One never simply just accepted being the subject of such a powerful quirk without at least some basic consideration, but he was sure that he'd do it even after giving it some thought. It was not everyday someone offered to extend your lifespan by years, if not decades.
As Nezu thought to himself, All Might reached into his bag and withdrew two stacks of photocopies.
"How retro," he said with some amusement, though he already knew why he'd decided to use the "dead tree" format in favor of digital.
"Yes," All Might replied, "I thought this information was too sensitive, at least at the moment, to risk it being compromised."
Nezu nodded in thanks and looked at the human child. "Would you like to begin or should we read this first?"
She sighed, "That was largely written as I thought of it in the middle of the night. Since I passed on One for All, my memories have become muddled," she admitted, "But... I'm from twenty years in the figure. In twelve years the Earth is going to be invaded by aliens."
Nezu paused and looked down at the papers before him. Well, that was just about the last thing he ever would have expected.
"You're serious?" Nighteye muttered in clear shock as he began to leaf through the papers. "Oh my, you're actually serious."
"I'll admit, my own feelings on the matter were not much different than yours," All Might replied, "But after a long night of thinking-" he paused "-and I will not lie, a good deal of heavy drinking, I realized that we simply cannot afford to overreact. We must stay the course and retain our focus."
"Of course," Nighteye replied with a sharp nod, "I'm just surprised that I didn't see any of this."
"Last night, I came up with a theory about that," All Might replied, "I apologise if I'm not quite accurate, but I was somewhat intoxicated at the time. I think it has something to do with the alien's 'Faster Than Light' drives."
"Of course! Causality!" Nezu exclaimed. While All Might often played the buffoon, sometimes to the point of his own detriment, he was actually a very intelligent and well educated man; even if he tended to favor direct action over more careful consideration. Plus there was the obvious fact that One for All had to boost its user's comprehensive speed to match the boost it granted to one's physiology. After all, the brain was simply an organ, and in order to catch a speeding bullet, as he'd seen All Might do several times in the past, you had to be able to think beyond the speed of a bullet's velocity. It was a cognitive trick that even Nezu's High Specs quirk was incapable of matching.
"According to the laws of general relativity," Nezu continued, "Anything that could be used to travel faster than light would, by its very nature, allow for time travel... and as Eri's quirk, which is related to time can serve as a blindspot for your quirk..."
"Then anything that involves faster than light travel will likely do so as well...," Nighteye finished grimly, "Suddenly my inability to comprehend temporal interruption is far less comforting."
"I'm sorry," Eri said lightly, "I know it's upsetting but..."
"No," Mirai replied, "It's not anyone's fault. And I'd rather have to be told about it and have the opportunity to change the future than be doomed to be a modern day Cassandra," he said in reference to the princess of Troy who was gifted with prophecy, but cursed so that no one would ever believe her.
Eri for her part could only nod. "The core principles behind their FTL technology was an important part of the equipment that permitted me to travel through time," she replied. "They're on page six."
Nezu immediately turned to the page and his beady eyes went wide as he looked at the jumble of mathematics that had been half-scribbled on the page by a hand clearly unused to writing such complex formulas.
Oh.
Oh!
Oooooh!
This ... this was... something else. Something else entirely.He couldn't help but laugh. And it wasn't even a cackle. Even he had some trouble following this, and even then it was only just. If he hadn't already seen the proof of her power sitting across from him, this alone would have convinced him. Because either this girl was a time traveler, or she was a genius in theoretical physics to a sufficient degree as to make Albert Einstein look like a drooling moron. And at an age where most children were still mastering basic addition.
Out of the two, he found time travel to be the more probable.
"So, what's the plan?" Nighteye asked, looking to All Might.
"I was actually hoping we could figure this out together," the large man replied. "I will not lie and claim that I'm not feeling a little over my head with this."
"Surely you've come to some conclusion," Nezu asked the large human.
"I've decided that, at least in the short term, it would be best to follow the plan given to me by Eri-shojo. Reach out to my other contacts, handle the immediate issues she outlined in her report, recruit the individuals she listed..."
Nighteye paged through the notes and frowned. "Several of these individuals are criminals, if not outright villains in their own right."
"Most of them aren't bad people," Eri countered, looking slightly offended. "They're just... lost. They need help."
Nighteye flipped the page and visibly grimaced. "And am I supposed to believe that All for One counts among those people?"
Nezu blinked and turned the page. All for One? Alive? And the girl seriously was suggesting they work with him? From a pragmatic standpoint, he could understand why. All for One was powerful beyond imagination and for all his terribleness, he had a vested interest in humanity's survival. Then again, the very idea of being so desperate as to work with such a vile creature sickened him. As it clearly did All Might. And even more telling, All Might wasn't speaking up against the premise.
"Of course not!" she replied strongly, "All for One is a monster. But at the end of the day, he's our monster."
Nighteye's face twisted in pure disgust at the concept. "I cannot believe you are suggesting this... insanity."
"Sir Nighteye-san!" she exclaimed, cutting him off, before her voice lowered back to a near whisper. "I respect you very much. In the original timeline you died to save me." At that the man's complaints came to a sharp stop at that realization, "And I know exactly how terrible All for One is. I had to work with him for years and he was never one to hide his history... if anything, he was proud of it. His methods were unspeakable, but he was a key factor in our survival. I'm not suggesting this lightly."
"I see," he said after a moment, looking towards All Might who took a deep breath and with a pained expression, simply nodded.
This more than anything made Nezu's stomach twist. What she'd said so far was simply the tip of the iceberg. What hadn't she told them yet that was so horrible as to convince Toshinori Yagi that even entertaining the concept of allying with All for One was in any way an acceptable idea? He almost didn't want to know, but he supposed he'd have plenty of time to become intimately familiar with it once he read this in full.
"It was that bad?" Nighteye asked, clearly dreading the answer.
"It was worse," she replied, "So much worse. Billions dead. The world enslaved. Even All for One was, in the end, just another soldier."
For a moment all conversation stopped as a pause fell over the room like a cold mist. The enormity of what she was describing was unimaginable, even for him. And he could imagine quite a lot.
"So, your plan is for us to establish contact with the... recruits you've outlined and use the knowledge within this report to best prepare for the imminent alien invasion?" Nezu said, trying to bring some motion back to the conversation.
"Yes sir." she replied dutifully.
"And what about you?" he asked.
She lowered her head. "I'll rewind anyone who can contribute to the effort to their prime, like I did with All Might."
Nezu nodded. Logical, but it made him question. "What else? You're a child. One who legally doesn't exist. You must have some idea what you want to do with your life."
She flushed slightly. "In the long run, I really don't matter. All that really matters is humanity's survival."
"Nonsense, Eri-shojo," All Might replied, "Your wellbeing is important as well."
"I have to agree," Nighteye replied, "I didn't 'die' so you could suffer in silence."
"I don't even know who I am," she replied bluntly, her affect not of a controit child, but instead reminding him of a veteran standing at the very precipice of her breaking point. This woman. This girl. This hero needed an intervention, needed grounding now, before her own doubts tore her apart.
"You implied that you went to UA," Nezu asked suddenly. "What was your name?"
"Flashback," she replied, "My hero name was Flashback."
Nezu smiled at her, "Well, Flashback-san, what do you mean you don't know who you are anymore?"
She paused for a moment. "I'm... on one hand, I feel like I'm just a child who has had all of this just... dumped on her head. On the other, I feel like a... grown woman trapped in a little girl's body. I don't know which is the real me anymore. I-I'm just not sure who I am anymore."
"Perhaps you're both," was Nezu's response, "Or perhaps you're neither, and are instead a whole new person born out of the merger."
He paused. "How old are you?"
"That's the problem," she said with a sad laugh. "I don't even know anymore..."
"How old was the woman who went back?" he countered, "And How old are you physically?"
"Six and twenty five," she replied, confusion apparently on her childish face.
"So, you're not sure if you're the child or the adult. The six year old or the twenty five year old?"
She nodded. "Yes."
He could only chuckle. "Well, mind a suggestion then, Flashback-san? Eri-chan? Whatever it is you wish for me to call you?"
She nodded gently. "At this point I'll take whatever I can get..."
"You're neither. Not anymore. You're no longer the child, and no longer the woman. You're something in between. You're not six years old. You're not the twenty five year old. Split the difference, take the average. That should put you at 15 and a half."
"I..." she trailed off for a moment, "I don't think it works like that."
"And why not? If I did my math right, tell me, did you manage to graduate before the invasion?"
She frowned. "No. I didn't."
"I see," he said with a nod. "It must be strange to be back here after so long."
"Not really," she replied, a small smile on her face. "After I was rescued, I spent most of my life living here at UA. As a child I had poor control of my quirk. Everyone here was so kind to me."
Oh. That did not sound pleasant. An uncontrolled quirk capable of reverting a person to a previous state? The hints of shame and sadness in her eyes made it clear to him that not only was her quirk hyper-lethal, but she had killed with it before in this timeline. Likely a friend or family. Probably a parent.
The poor girl.
"Eri-chan," he said, reverting to the childish form of address in order to connect with her both as the child she was now, and to summon the memories of the child she once was in the timeline that would never come to pass. "You deserve to have a life. Everyone here will do what they can to help you find your place."
"Thank you. But it's too much of a risk," she whispered, "Chisaki is not going to take my disappearance lightly."
Nezu frowned. A cold fury laced his next words, "Is he the one who experimented on you?"
"Yes!" she replied, "And he's not going to stop putting those around me in danger until he's taken into custody."
"Are we talking about Chisaki Kai?" Sir Nighteye interrupted,"Leader of the Shie Hassaikai?"
She nodded.
All Might turned to his former sidekick. "You know about him, Mirai?"
"Yes," replied the lanky hero,"I've recently begun looking into the organization. Why would he be so obsessed with you, Flashback-san?"
"I put notes of my own on the back," All Might stated grimly, "Based on what she told me."
Nezu flipped to the back. He was expecting the worst, and he certainly got it. Terrifying quirk. Competent team motivated to the point of fanaticism. Quirk destroying drugs.
"Oh my!" he heard Sir Nighteye mutter in exclamation as he also breezed through the sheets, "I had suspicions that they were engaged in something. They've been buying medical supplies, chemicals, pharmaceutical precursors. Nothing technically illegal so far, but..."
He took a deep breath, "I'd honestly been expecting them to eventually start manufacturing Trigger, or something along those lines. There was nothing that would have ever suggested anything close to this level of... depravity."
Nezu had to disagree. It made sense that many of the same compounds that went into a quirk enhancing drug would likely be used as part of a quirk destroying drug. But then again, this was a clear example of hindsight being 20/20. Given the same sort of information that Sir Nighteye likely had access to, Nezu doubted even he would ever come to such a fanciful sounding conclusion.
"Do you have any other information?" Nezu asked.
"Only that their organization seems to have gone to ground," he replied, "Chisaki personally disposed of several of his points of contact and then vanished into thin air."
All Might gritted his teeth, "Well, if you find him, you let me know. I want to deal with this bastard personally."
"You're not doing this alone," Sir Nighteye stated bluntly.
"Mirai..." All Might began.
"Don't give me that, Toshinori," he countered, "If you're worried, don't. I'm not going to let him kill me twice and I have my own life to avenge, don't I? You're not doing this alone, so don't even pretend."
All Might chuckled. "All right. Just stay alive."
"I very much intend to. And if it is my fate to die... then I'll change it. I'll will myself to live. And then we can go have drinks when we're done, just like the good old days, how does that sound?"
Toshinori laughed. "Sounds good."
"Don't underestimate him," Eri warned, "He's as cautious as he is insane. He won't move unless he thinks he has a sure-fire chance of getting me back. So if you want to use me as bait, I'm willing to do whatever it takes."
"Absolutely not, Eri-shojo," All Might exclaimed.
"I-it's the only way..." she whispered.
"No. We can find him," Sir Nighteye replied, "With my abilities, we can do it without you having to endanger yourself."
Nezu could only flinch. The girl was offering to risk being retaken by her tormentor in the hopes that he might be brought to justice. She certainly had the character of a hero.
"Then I'll accept any form of protective custody you see as fit," she replied.
"Are you expecting to just hide in the secure sections of Might Tower until he is taken in?" Nezu asked her.
"If need be, yes," she replied.
"No," Nezu replied, bluntly, his voice carrying with a determination that honestly surprised even him. "I will not allow that."
Nezu willed himself to calm down and stared at the girl across from him
"Do you want to know what I see when I look at you?"
"Um, I guess so?"
"I see a girl. A young woman lost and confused. A heroine who sacrificed her entire world to give humanity a fighting chance. I will not allow you to cage yourself like that, Eri-san. You deserve better."
She blinked in confusion. "W-what?"
"I'd like to make you an offer," he stated, "I very much doubt you'd like to rejoin your... physical peers."
She grimaced at the very idea of having to spend her days amongst a pack of first graders. "No."
Nezu nodded. "Then how about this. It would be easy enough to create an identity for you. We tell largely the truth, but lie about your age. Claim that your appearance is due to your quirk and the experimentation you underwent. We can file you as the appropriate age, and allow you to attend UA as a first year student. There, you can establish new connections, complete your education, and find the security you need to protect you from Chisaki without having to lock yourself in one of All Might's guest rooms..."
She blinked. "But haven't the entrance exams already been finished?"
He grinned. "Not the recommended exams. With the increased number of hero course students we have this year, we're going to have room for more recommended students as well.. Why as far as I'm concerned, you're practically a shoe in. You were a U.A. student after all, even if it was in a past life. Your attendance will simply be a formality in order to maintain appearances. What do you say? You can't hide forever."
She looked down for a moment then looked back up to him, her eyes hardening with resolve. "Under one condition, Nezu-san."
"And that would be...?"
"Put me in Izuku's class," she demanded, "I want to do everything I can to help him succeed."
Nezu felt himself smirk. "Plus Ultra then?"
She nodded. "Plus Ultra."
He began to chuckle. "Very well, Eri-san. Welcome back... to your Hero Academia."