Chapter 114 - 38-39

Chapter 38: The Tilting of the World

In a certain apartment...

"Are you sure about this Gentle?" asked La Brava as she closed her laptop. "You haven't tried a crime in some time."

Her idol, Gentle Criminal, merely tugged at his vest before pinching his moustache, "I am more than sure! In fact, I believe today shall be the day of the return of Gentle Criminal!" he proclaimed before doing a small bow, the sight making La Brava clap.

"Wonderful! That's my Gentle!" La Brava gushed before blinking as she added, "Though...is this because of what you made me make for the Tinkerer?"

"Indeed." Gentle pulled out a small rectangle-shaped device, "This should help us with our Spider-Man problem. After all, unlike the usual hero riffraff, he caused us quite a problem last time."

"Yeah..." La Brava admitted as she crossed her arms, "And he keeps getting more and more popular online."

"I know. You showed me." Gentle replied, only to let out a laugh, "But I will not be dismayed! I will have myself known in history, even if I have to fight the world!"

La Brava's eyes turned into hearts, "That's my Gentle!"

Gentle then snapped his fingers, "Now, let us take our leave. We must first get a cup of tea as always. I do not think our endeavor today requires something exquisite, but we still must drink a tea of the...finer quality."

"Got it!" La Brava responded as she took out a small camera. "I'm ready to see Gentle Criminal's next chapter in history!"

Aizawa was not happy. Granted, it was rare for him to be happy, but he definitely felt not happy today. He had spent all yesterday evening at the second FEAST location, where he blended in too well. When he went into that building and saw it was basically a giant homeless shelter, the staff instantly believed he had been living on the streets for years, and he felt he almost had to blow his cover just to get a word in. It didn't help that they were way too friendly, and he found out it was actually a respectable place where people were trying to get better...and not a place secretly creating villain minions.

Despite this, he spent a whole day gathering bits of info, only to get nothing. Nobody remotely Spider-Man's age showed up, which wasn't necessarily bad information, as it meant this could just be a dead end that he could confirm...only to get a phone call a few hours later saying Spider-Man had found and fought Tombstone. An A-Rank Villain, one that the police had been trying to find since he escaped months ago. A vigilante that according to Nezu, is the age of his students, somehow found an A-Rank Villain before the heroes.

It was a headache and a half. It was cases like these that made the man question his existence as a teacher at UA. He still blames Nemuri for half of this...and Yamada for the other half.

"Ugh..." he muttered as he rolled up in his sleeping bag in the teacher's lounge. He had sent Thirteen to teach today's class, the hero gladly talking to the students about the ethics in doing rescues. And as Aizawa closed his eyes, eating a tiny gummy, the door of the lounge opened. His barely open eyes glanced over, only to see the trifecta of his misery: Nezu.

"Good morning Aizawa!" the stoat exclaimed, giving him a small wave. There was a tiny mutter in response from Aizawa, making the principal chuckle before adding, "I suppose that is your way of saying you hit a dead end yesterday?"

Aizawa let out a long sigh, "Yeah."

"I had a feeling. Especially considering what Naomasa told us." Nezu cackled as he walked over to one of the lounge's chairs and hopped onto it. He then somehow conjured a folder, opening it as he shined a giant grin, "I must say, our prey is utterly fascinating. To think Spider-Man would be able to find Tombstone, an A-rank villain!"

"Are we really having this conversation here in the teacher's lounge?" Aizawa moaned.

"Indeed we are. After all, I suspect you don't want to slug yourself over to my office. That and I don't have much to add." Nezu flipped through a few pages, "I mainly just wanted to give you your next orders."

"Which are?"

"I want you to delay your investigation of the other FEAST location till tomorrow."

Aizawa slightly raised an eyebrow at that, "Okay...why?"

"I suspect Spider-Man will not be appearing for a bit." Nezu remarked as he closed the folder, "Based on what I could gather, Spider-Man did not win his fight with Tombstone. And since he's a vigilante, he will not have superior medical help without it giving away who he is."

Aizawa did a small hum at this, "Eh, good point. Even I wouldn't go all out everyday like that. Its just illogical."

"I doubt that considering the complaints I get about you from Recovery Girl."

"Well, unlike most heroes, I actually do my job." Aizawa growled, "What do you want Nezu? I'm sleepy."

"So depressing. You really need to have a more positive outlook." Nezu commented as he put the folder away, the file vanishing just like how it had appeared. "Either way, I suspect he will still try to go out in public, though under his civilian identity. That is why I want you to start investigating tomorrow." He chuckled at his own words, "I must say, I can't wait to meet this Spider-Man for real. A vigilante that can evade even my intellect." He shined his usual grin at him, "Aren't you curious?"

"No." Aizawa mumbled before eating another gummy. "Leave me alone, I need a nap."

Naomasa held in a breath as he parked his car in front of a row of apartments. His mind was slightly muddled, mainly due to just how much had been happening recently. He didn't want to admit it, but he really felt like he was becoming more like Aizawa...and like All Might, now that he thought about it. That man would work himself to death so easily. Even now, the detective felt bad for his friend.

As for why Naomasa was tired, one was that Martin Li had somehow escaped police custody. He didn't know how it was possible, but after examining the footage of Li's room, a female officer no one on the force recognized just waltzed into his room multiple times over the past few days and just...unlocked his cuffs and led him through the back of the station like it was nothing. Not only that, according to security footage, this officer appeared on the day Li was arrested. She had never been there before. Must be some kind of special quirk, something that didn't add up.

In other words, it was another headache. One that Aizawa would comment as 'illogical', and it meant that the enemy he was now facing was beyond crafty. To have the ability to just walk into a police station and get someone out with ease was a scary thought, only for it to be made real.

However, that wasn't what he was doing today. The man glanced over to his almost empty passenger seat at this, which had a folder with a certain name on it: Himiko Toga. He had heard about this case, as it had been heavily publicized for a week after the girl had attacked her first victim. According to the report, she had attacked a boy with a boxcutter and sucked his blood out with a straw...and looked like she enjoyed every second of it. The news about the attack quickly circulated, mainly showing interviews with her parents, the couple saying the girl was always a demon, a monster, and she was destined to attack the boy at her school. It was honestly disgusting to the detective, as his instincts told him there was another side to the story. Though to be fair, that was just part of the detective training, to look at all sides of a situation.

But that was all the case had. The girl known as Himiko Toga vanished after her first attack, and stayed missing for months. It was like she didn't exist after that moment, as if she transformed into something else. That fact alone made Naomasa skeptical. After all, the file said her quirk was a minor cat-like quirk, something that wouldn't be related to blood or the ability to suddenly evade the police and heroes. That meant the quirk file was wrong, just another issue in this case.

However, that didn't really matter to Naomasa. He hadn't been assigned the case, and it was honestly forgotten soon after, as the parents never really demanded that the police find the girl. That should be another red flag, but the public had shown they only cared about demonizing her as a villain. And honestly, Naomasa viewed it the same way. She did a crime, and that's a fact. It wasn't a nice thought, but that was the work of the police. You do the case you're doing now, complete it, and move on to the next one.

That is, till now. Now he cared, as Inko Midoriya, someone he would have never guessed to even call him right now, would suddenly bring this case to him. Apparently, and he made sure he had used his quirk while talking to her on the phone, her son had accidentally run into Himiko Toga and had brought her home. Inko had helped her, and after she revealed who she was, Inko called Naomasa up. And there were no lies there. The very thought told Naomasa why he did this job. That there were people out there that would pick up the slack that the police and heroes sometimes didn't do: Acts of kindness.

As such, he took the folder and closed the car door. Releasing a breath, he walked up to the apartment, ringing the doorbell a second later. The sound of footsteps rang out, the front door opening up to reveal Inko Midoriya. The woman shined a small smile at him, "Good morning detective."

"Morning. May I come in?"

"Absolutely." She stepped aside, the detective doing a tiny bow before walking in.

"Thank you for having me." He replied as he went in, his eyes instantly darting around. The front door went straight to the living room, which only had three doors and the entrance to the kitchen. All the doors were closed, but his eyes soon switched to a different sight, as he saw a certain blonde girl sitting on a couch. The girl flinched at the sight of him, fear in her eyes as he stared at her. He knew that expression. It was the one that suspects wore when that even if they were innocent, they had no idea how to react or what to say. In other words, it was when someone was going to lie to defend themselves, regardless if they were good or bad.

And that meant this was going to take a while. Thank goodness Nezu had agreed to respond to the chief and the commission president. That was a headache he did not need.

The detective sat down at a small table, Inko walking in with three cups of tea. She put them down on the table, the lady sitting to the side of the man, "Thank you for coming detective."

"It's no problem." he replied as he adjusted himself, keeping his eyes down at the teacup. He took it and put it up to his mouth, taking a sip as he closed his eyes. As he did this, Inko turned to Himiko and nodded to her, the girl tensing up, only to slowly walk over to the table, soon sitting across from the detective.

And as he put the cup down, Naomasa opened his eyes to see the girl now sitting there. She was slightly shaking, her cat-like pupils quivering. That is, till Inko put a hand on her shoulder, Toga glancing over to her. The detective saw the kind smile on the lady's face, one that he was very impressed by. It wasn't forced or fake, but a true, kind and warm smile. And as this happened, Himiko seemed to calm down a bit before looking back at Naomasa.

Seeing this, Naomasa took a second before speaking up, "Hello there. My name is Tsukauchi Naomasa, and I am a detective. If you don't mind, I need to ask you a few questions." He reached into his briefcase he had placed beside the chair he was sitting in, pulling out a folder and placing it on the table. "You are Himiko Toga, is that correct?"

The girl flinched at her name, only to slowly nod and say, "Yes. That's me."

He glanced back at her, only to show a small smile, "I apologize. I don't mean to sound intimidating. I have a habit of being...too informal at times. Especially when it comes to scenarios like this." He saw the girl still squirm despite this, the detective taking another second.

But as another moment passed, the girl glancing back at Inko, Himiko did a small nod. "Sorry. I'm okay."

Naomasa showed another smile, "Its fine. I understand." He opened the folder, which showed a paper displaying a profile of the girl in front of her. It had a picture of Toga, though it was her last year school photo. The rest was basic information, such as height, age, and quirk, which was registered as a minor cat-like quirk. The other papers were over the attack she was known for, along with interviews with her parents and classmates.

Toga's eyes darted over to the papers, both shrinking as she saw the pictures on it. The sight made her gulp, her vision slowly going back up to the detective...only to see a look of calmness. Not hatred or fear, disgust or worry. Only calm. The very sight confused her, making the girl's worries slightly go away.

She watched as he put his hands together, showing a small smile as he said, "Now, let's begin. I apologize for being blunt, but I wish to ask you about the incident on these photos and your relationship to both the victim and your parents." Himiko opened her mouth at this, only for him to add, "And before you ask, the reason as to why I want to know about both relationships is because..." Naomasa let out a huff, "I was reviewing this information and I saw that nothing was from your perspective, and everything against you is negative. I am a firm believer of seeing multiple sides of a situation, even if others believe it is a waste of time or morally wrong. That, and I owe Mrs. Midoriya a favor."

Inko giggled at this as Himiko closed her mouth, blinking at the man. "Um...okay." Her eyes slightly glanced away at this, "Thank you."

Naomasa shook his head, "No problem." He then pulled out a small recorder and clicked a button, "Now, shall we begin?"

Himiko nodded, and with another gulp and Inko reaching over to grab one of her hands, the girl began. She told him all about the incident that put her all over the media. Next was about her parents, their hatred of her and trying to not make her use her quirk. Naomasa had his quirk on the entire time, making sure to not tell her, and he was horrified that it never once went off. The detective made sure to not show much emotion, but on the inside, he was disgusted.

And as an hour passed, Inko refilled their drinks as Himiko said she didn't want to talk about it anymore. Naomasa was fine with that, turning off the recorder as he leaned back in the chair. The two sat in silence until Inko walked back in, both thanking her for the tea before taking a sip.

After this, the detective pulled out his phone and placed it on the table. Seeing this, Inko spoke up, "So...what do you think? Can you help her?"

"I...think I can." Naomasa replied as he closed the folder filled with pictures. "Its gonna be a lot of work." He glanced back up at the girl, seeing the sadness and fear on her face, the sight making him nod, "But if its to help her after hearing all that, its worth it. No one deserves to go what you went through."

Himiko went wide-eyed at that, tears about to appear as she responded, "Thank you."

"No problem." Naomasa grabbed the recorder and put it in his pocket. "Now, let's discuss your living situation. You obviously can't stay on the run as you have been." Himiko flinched again at that, both detective and Inko seeing that as he added, "But, I suspect Midoriya here can help with that more than me."

"I'll need some legal help." Inko replied, "I don't mind her staying, but its ultimately up to her." Himiko glanced over to Inko, seeing the warm smile on her face, "Well? What would you like?"

"I...I..." she muttered out, only to shrink into her seat, "Why?"

Naomasa tilted his head at that, "Why?"

"Why...why are you helping me?" she whispered out, "D-d-don't you think I'm a monster after hearing all that?"

The two frowned at this, seeing that she still didn't believe anyone should help her. He felt his heart sink at that, Naomasa biting his lip before replying, "We'd never think that after we heard that story. And of course we'd help you. Its what we do."

Himiko felt herself tear up again, only for Inko to add, "He's right dear. That's why we're asking you what you want."

Himiko blinked at this, tears falling now. She had never been asked that before. As such, one thing entered her head as her eyes went up to Inko, "Um...could I stay here?"

Inko nodded back, "Of course." She giggled, only to cross her arms, "Though...we'll have to figure out a few things." She shined a big grin at the girl, "But we'll figure it out."

"T-t-thank you so much."

"Of course." Inko repeated before turning to Naomasa, "So, where do you think we should start?"

"Good question." Naomasa replied while crossing his arms. He bit his lip as he began to say his next words, "We'll have to have her come down to the station."

Toga went wide-eyed at this, flinching as well as Inko put a hand on her shoulder. The girl turned to the woman, Inko showing another warm smile. "Don't worry." Inko said as she kept showing her that smile.

"But-"

"She's right." Naomasa chimed in, Toga turning to him and seeing a calm smile on his face. "Don't worry, you aren't in trouble, just...there's a lot here. You'll be put on probation, as you do have a recorded assault, but as long as you don't have any more...issues, we'll be able to fix your record."

"R-r-really?!"

Naomasa nodded, "Absolutely. We just..." He took a second to form the correct words, "We'll need to get approval to have you stay here. We'll also probably need to setup some therapy as well and...we'll need to start a court case. And I know just the person." He then took out his phone and tapped it a few times before putting it up to his ear, waiting a few seconds before responding, "Hey Murdock, its me. I got a case for ya."

Somewhere unknown...

"Filthy." spat a pale, slightly-darkish brown haired man as he walked into the room. He was wearing a long black beak over his mouth, his eyes showing a dead looking stare. Following him was a man also wearing a beak-like mask, this one covering his full face and was wearing a black cape along with a bowler hat. To his right was a third masked man, this one wearing a beak mask with a gold lining on it and goggles, along with a white coat over most of his body.

"You shouldn't insult the living place of your future partners." replied a certain white suited man wearing a purple mask standing behind a bar, the man taking out two bottles, "Drink?"

The first beak-masked man glanced around, growling before walking up to the bar and sitting down, his two companions soon sitting beside him. "Don't insult me."

"I'm not. I am merely saying an observation." The purple masked man responded, "Drink?"

The first man waved his hand, "No."

The one beak with a gold lining took off his mask at this, showing white hair and pointed eyebrows as he said, "Gimme a scotch."

"Understood." The purple masked man replied as he spun around and took another bottle off a rack before beginning to pour a shot. As he gave it to him, he glanced over to other that was wearing a bowler, "And you?"

"Do you have bourbon?"

"I do." He took another bottle off the rack and soon began to pour another shot. And as the bowler hat man took off his mask to take the drink, the purple masked man glanced back to the first beaked man. "Now, shall we begin? And what should I call you during this meeting?"

"Just call me Chisaki." the beaked man growled back.

"And you two?"

They didn't respond, Chisaki waving his hand instead, "Don't worry about them. Let's just do this so I can leave this filthy place."

"Very well." the purple masked man responded, slightly shaking his head, "So, you said that the prototype is ready, correct? I suspect it is since you tried to sell it to Tombstone." Chisaki's eyes twitched at that, the man behind the bar almost chuckling at the reaction, "You shouldn't get angry. Tombstone worked for us until...circumstances changed."

"I know." Chisaki hissed, his fingers tensing up, "That's why you want to deal with us now."

"Indeed." the purple mask replied, "So, shall we begin?" He reached back behind the bar and yanked up a briefcase. He opened it and showed it was full of money. "As you can see, this is what we're offering for your...experiments. And we'll offer more depending on how negotiations work out."

Chisaki glared at the money, hiding a look of disgust behind his mask. He wanted to say 'disgusting' but he refrained as he said, "Yes." He snapped his fingers, the bowler hat wearer pulling up another briefcase, which he opened to show a set of bullets.

"Ah. These are the prototypes?" the purple mask commented as he reached over and took one of the bullets in his fingers, twiddling with it, "Interesting. How potent are they?"

"Six hours."

"I see. The boss will be pleased." He put the bullet back in the case, "Now, let's talk business."

Sansa Tamakawa had seen a lot of things on the job as a police officer, but this was definitely one of the more...stranger ones. He had never really looked into the Himiko Toga case, as he wasn't assigned to it, just like Naomasa. However, the cat-headed man was now watching Naomasa escort the girl into the building, along with a green-haired woman. He helped Naomasa get an interrogation room, the three entering in as Naomasa told him to wait for Murdock. Sansa had met Murdock several times. An ex-hero turned lawyer, he was infamous for his literal blind brand of justice, and the officers of the department had great respect for the man.

A minute later, the blind man walked in, Sansa walking up to him and guiding him to the interrogation room before both went into the room. And as they walked inside, Inko and Toga glanced up at the lawyer, both surprised to the sunglasses wearing man. They then saw his walking stick as he stumbled around the table in the room and sat down beside Naomasa.

Toga and Inko blinking at the sight, Naomasa turned to the man, "Hello Murdock."

"Naomasa." he replied before turning to the others, "Is this the one?"

"She is." Naomasa replied as the duo just stared at the blind man, only for the detective to pull out his recorder from earlier.

As he did this, Murdock nodded to Inko and Toga, "Hello. My name is Matt Murdock, and I'm a lawyer. And yes, before you ask, I am blind." The two girls tensed at this, the man chuckling at their reactions.

"Don't worry about that part." Naomasa added, "Being blind means nothing to Murdock here. He's one of the best lawyers around. If there's someone that can make a case against her parents, its him."

"I...I see." Inko replied, only to flinch at her own words, "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"No offense taken." Murdock replied before turning to Naomasa, "So, what's the case here? I looked up Miss Toga here-" He turned to the girl, "My apologies, may I call you that?"

"Um...sure." she responded while doing a small nod.

"Right." Murdock glanced back at Naomasa, "I looked up what I could about Miss Toga, and I will admit the case is...lacking in information. Everything I found was more emotion than fact."

"I will agree with that." Naomasa grit his teeth at this before glancing up at Sansa, giving him a gesture that said 'Either stay and get involved in the case, or leave'. The cat man responded with a nod and stood still, showing he was gonna help. After that, Naomasa put his finger over the play button. "We'll start with this."

One group session of listening to a recorded interrogation that happened earlier in the chapter later...

It was always hard to tell what expression Sansa was showing on his face due to his animal-like features, but not today. After hearing the hour-long interrogation between Naomasa and Toga, his face showed a combination of horror and disgust. Despite what his job is, he always found that somewhere, somehow, he could always find a new low in terms of humanity. He couldn't believe how cruel those parents could be to this girl.

Murdock was the same, though showing less emotion on his face with the exception of a frown. This was mainly because he just didn't show emotion most of the time, his blindness covering up a lot of his expressions. But his heart sank as he heard the girl's story. As such, he closed his eyes for a bit before sighing. And when he reopened them, he 'stared' at Toga as he asked, "Was all that true?"

The girl stared back at him, seeing the frown on his face. She could fully see it despite his mostly emotionless look. He was pitying her, he felt sorry for her...but there was also the face of one who wanted to help. Something she had seen a lot recently. As such, she did a small nod, "Yes."

He stared at her for a second longer before nodding, "Okay. I'll take your case."

Seeing this, Naomasa turned to Toga and said, "If you're wondering, Murdock's quirk here can be used to work like mine. Its not Lie Detection, but rather...he can read people in a way. If he says that he'll take your case though, you're in good hands."

Murdock shook his head, "I wouldn't say that, but...I believe that this case is definitely worth going into."

And as he said that, Toga felt tears appear in her eyes, Inko doing the same as she put a hand on the girl's shoulder. She turned to the woman at this, seeing the calm smile on her face, and for the first time since being led into the station, the girl also began to smile.

Meanwhile...

"I must say La Brava, today was a resounding success!" Gentle declared as hopped over a few buildings with his quirk, La Brava right beside him.

His partner giggled at this before glancing down at the camera in her hand, "I know Gentle! We got so much footage today!"

They then landed on a rooftop with a small boing, the two soon walking over to a door on the rooftop and entering. The duo quickly went down some stairs and into an apartment, smiles on both their faces. But as they walked in, Gentle's smile vanished as La Brava walked in at a leisurely pace and said, "Say Gentle, I was thinking that this next video should-"

Her words came to a stop as she felt the man grab her shoulder, the girl soon looking up to see a serious expression on his face. That alone made her go silent as he whispered, "We're not alone." He then reached back and pushed the apartment front door, shutting it as he glared into his living space, "Who's there?"

"Ahahaha!" exclaimed a voice, one that made La Brava go wide-eyed, only for her expression to also change into a glare once she recognized the voice. A second later, a puff of smoke appeared in the middle of the apartment, revealing a certain fishbowl-headed man. "You always know when I'm in the room, don't you Gentle Criminal! As always, I, Mysterio, the Master of Arcane Arts, am impressed!"

"Beck..." Gentle growled as he gestured to La Brava, his partner nodding before stepping behind him. "What do you want?!" the villain grumbled, a full piercing glare on his face.

Mysterio waved his hand at this, "Now now, I'm not here to pick a fight or go over our...past interactions. After all, I am here with a proposal!"

"I highly doubt that." Gentle replied, "I'm no fool Beck. I know exactly what kind of person you are." He pointed at the illusionist, "You are just a thief! You have no respect for the arts or performance!"

"What?! I am not just a-" Mysterio yelled, stomping a foot before stopping himself. He let out a small growl, "Grrr...if I didn't have to do this, I'd-"

"Leave Beck. I have no need for your trickery."

Mysterio clenched his hands at this, balling them into fists before taking a deep breath. Releasing it a second later, he pointed at Gentle, "At least hear me out! I have a proposal that I believe will benefit us both!"

Gentle just glared at him, a deadpan expression now appearing on his face, only to let out a long sigh, "Fine. I know this is the only way to make you leave." He crossed his arms, "What do you want?"

"Simple!" Mysterio exclaimed with a cackle, "I propose a team-up against a certain enemy I know you also faced. One that made you have to go into hiding for a bit." Gentle and La Brava both raised an eyebrow at this, only for Mysterio to add, "For you see, I have concocted my greatest performance yet! I call it: The Death of the Spider-Man!"

Chapter 39: Pulling the Thread

"No."

"But-"

"No, Beck." Gentle repeated, his arms crossed as his partner La Brava now stood beside him while imitating him, no longer afraid of the fishbowl-headed man in front of pair. "I will not help you fight that vigilante."

"Come now Gentle, there is no need for hostilities." Mysterio replied while waving his hands, "I only wish for us to team up to defeat a common enemy." He pointed at Gentle, "I know that you had your encounter with him as well." He pointed back at himself, "He humiliated me, and I will not stand for it! I too wish to become one of the greatest performers of all, a true illusionist thief just like you wish to become the modern chivalrous thief!"

Gentle shook his head at this, "Don't be absurd. You know that I care not for fighting, and I know you do not want me." He gestured to his partner, "All you want is La Brava!"

"Yeah!" La Brava added while stomping her feet, "And I'll never help you!" She put a hand over her heart, "I exist only to help Gentle and his crusade to change the world!"

"Bah!" Mysterio spat, his fishbowl head glowing as he continued to speak, "Your talents are wasted here! With your hacking abilities, we could-"

"Leave Beck." Gentle interrupted, giving the man the fiercest glare he could do, "We will not help you. I am no murderer, and I will not allow you to use La Brava." he pointed at the Mysterio, "You are a disgrace to all performers, wanting to do violence. I will not allow myself or La Brava to stoop to your lowly standards."

"You..." Mysterio shook his fist at him, only to see Gentle glance away, La Brava doing the same.

"Leave. Now."

Mysterio let out a low growl at this, only to sigh as smoke began to appear around the man. "You will regret this." He pointed at Gentle one last time, "After I have destroyed Spider-Man, I will make you see that you have made a truly grave mistake!"

And as the smoke covered the man, a second later it vanished. Nothing remained, making Gentle sigh before turning to his partner, "My apologies about that La Brava. Beck is rather...difficult at times."

"Yeah, I can see that." La Brava replied as she walked up to where Mysterio had been standing. "How'd he vanish like that?"

"Its part of his quirk. All we saw was an illusion." Gentle responded as he walked over and sat down on a chair, "Come La Brava, let us upload our video and have a cup of tea."

"Of course!" La Brava saluted before running off into their kitchen, quickly making the drink.

Izuku had never slept this much. Granted, he had been sleeping in a lot more recently, but nothing like this. To be fair, his body had told him to sleep, as it was in so much pain. He was pretty sure a few bones were cracked after that fight with Tombstone, and his mind kept telling him one thing: 'Don't get into that kind of fight ever again.'

As such, he glanced up from his pillow and reached for his phone, taking it and turning on the screen. He then went wide-eyed, now seeing he had slept for over a day essentially. He knew he had woken up a few times yesterday, but it wasn't much. Seeing that, he let out a long yawn before putting away the phone and getting up. Pain surged through his body, aches and cricks making him wince up as he walked into the bathroom.

But as he walked in and stared at the bathroom mirror, he saw the bruises his body now wore from Tombstone's blows. Granted, most were hidden from the old starburst scars from Bakugo's explosions, back when he didn't have powers and spent every day as his punching bag, but he could feel these new bruises. They hurt a lot, something that made Izuku slump over and whisper out, "I lost again, didn't I? I lost to Stain that first time, I failed to save Mister Li...and now I lost to Tombstone."

He put a hand to his face and rubbed it down to his chin, 'I'm such a failure. Why did I try to fight an A-rank villain when I'm not even worthy of being a F-rank hero sidekick?! How could I have been so stupid?! Why can't I get this right?!' He felt a crick of pain at this, making him flinch, 'Dang it...mom's gonna tell me to not be Spider-Man again, isn't she?'

Sucking up the pain and doing his morning routine, a few minutes passed before he left the room, only to see his mother standing outside with crossed arms. He opened his mouth to respond, only for her to say, "You slept for over a day! You went overboard again, didn't you?!"

"Uh..." Izuku muttered out, soon glancing away, "Sorry." Inko let out a long sigh at this, only for Izuku to add, "Wait! I'm sorry, I really am!"

"I know you are." Inko replied, uncrossing her arms. "What happened? The injuries you have would have broken a normal human's ribs."

"I...well, let's just say you were right, and I needed other heroes' help." Izuku responded, his eyes darting away from her.

The woman shook her head, "I'm not angry Izuku. I just...want you to be more careful, okay?"

Izuku glanced back at her, "Okay. Sorry mom."

"Its fine." She grabbed his shoulder at this, "No Spider-Man today, alright? I'll let you go out later, but none of that today. Got it?"

Izuku slightly flinched at her touch, only to nod, "Sure."

"Good." She responded before pointing behind herself, "I've made breakfast, and then we're going to FEAST today. Oh, we're going shopping first, and Himiko's joining us for both, as I think it'll do her some good."

"Um...okay."

Inko then leaned up to him, "Don't bring your costume or web shooters or...any of your other gadgets. You're just Izuku Midoriya today, okay?"

"Got it." Izuku replied as they both left his room, soon joining Himiko as she was drooling at the sight of the breakfast Inko had made. The sight made him chuckle before sitting beside her, the two soon chowing down. As they ate, Inko brought her own plate and began to talk to Himiko, asking what her likes and dislikes were. The girl didn't really respond at the start, both realizing she still hadn't fully opened up. But that was what today was for. The silently exchanged a glance, mother and son nodding to each other as they soon prepared themselves for the rest of the day.

Two hours or so later...

Slouched between two bunk beds at FEAST, Shouta Aizawa believed his current mission was a wash. He had found he didn't like FEAST. He understood its purpose, as charity is important, but he had found himself despising the people running the place. Granted, he wasn't one to like anybody, but he did not like the boss here. Gloria was something all underground heroes feared to see, one that can see through any disguise or motive. That alone was bad enough, but this place, unlike the second FEAST location, had retired heroes. One of which that was currently glaring at him.

Aizawa had been having a staring contest with him for a while, only to slouch back into a chair. The pro hero grumbled as he pulled out a gummy pack out of his pocket and ate one of them. 'I need some coffee.' he thought as his eyes turned to the entrance of the main floor of FEAST, waiting for what he had been told was 'younger help' for FEAST's soup kitchen today.

'I hate this.' he mentally groaned as he saw Gloria walk into the kitchen, 'How did this happen?'

One hour ago...

Aizawa slowly walked up to the front stairs of FEAST, the man staring up at the building. He was in casual clothes, his usual scarf weapon not on his person due to him not needing it. At least, that was what he believed, as his last encounter with FEAST's second location had made him realize he needed a different look. Despite being an underground hero, which by the very nature of the job made him almost anonymous, his capture weapon made him look like a hobo a little too much. That FEAST location was convinced due to his looks along with the scarf that Aizawa was twenty years older than he actually was, and had led a life of misery that needed desperate help.

It was humiliating on all levels, and Aizawa was pretty sure he would kill Nemuri or Hizashi if they ever found out.

Thankfully, they hadn't, which meant he could keep his job at UA and do today's investigation. As such, he was wearing a basic yet semi-dirty shirt and jeans, his stubble and long hair being the only things that made him look a little like a hobo. He hoped that would be enough as he walked through the main doors into FEAST.

His eyes darted around, seeing a few people walk by. They were all what he expected, all either old or looked like they had been on hard times. As such, he closed the doors behind himself before walking into the main center, only for a voice to speak up, "Hey!" Aizawa turned to the noise, only to see a lady with a snake for a face walk up to him, "Haven't seen you here before." She commented as she stopped right in front of him.

The underground hero stared at her for a second, watching her slitted eyes glare at him before her tongue came out for a second as he responded, "I'm here for a...place to stay for the day."

The snake lady's tongue retracted back into her mouth as she blinked at him, "I see." She muttered before glancing down at his jeans, then back up at his shirt. Her fangs showed themselves for a second as she added, "Well, welcome to FEAST. I'm Gloria, and I run the place. Who are you?"

"Oboro." Aizawa responded as he watched Gloria glance him over again. 'Don't get irritated.' he mentally told himself as he watched her continue to scan him, 'She's just doing her job. I just need to get in here and wait for Spider-Man to appear...hopefully.'

But as he thought that, she stuck out her forked tongue again before saying, "Alright. We'll get you set up. Follow me." She walked past him and to some nearby stairs, gesturing him to follow. The hero met her at half her pace, his eyes darting around as he tried to see if anyone young was here. As they reached the second floor, he stared out at the place, only to still see the same as he had walked into the place.

That is, till Gloria pointed to a few people on the second floor, gesturing to them before opening a door. "Come on in." Aizawa glanced back at her, now seeing she was walking into an office before looking back at the others she had gestured too. They were elderly men, one sporting a long beard while the other two had deep glares on their faces. Those stares alone made Aizawa feel a tiny bit of tension. There was strength behind those eyes, ones that were way past their prime, but still had something left in the tank.

And as he entered the office, the trio followed, closing the door behind them as Aizawa saw Gloria sit behind a well-made desk. "This is the true boss of FEAST's office, but since I'm the current boss, I try to find uses for the place. No need for it to collect dust." Gloria commented as she gestured Aizawa to sit in front of the desk.

The underground hero sat down at this, only for Gloria to lean over the desk and immediately ask, "Now, why don't you tell me why you're really here."

The question instantly quieted the room. Aizawa had just sat down as she said it, the man just staring at her. He didn't flinch or make any sudden movements except a single blink. That alone was not enough for a tell, but he knew this wasn't going to go well. "What do you mean?" he instantly responded.

Gloria let out a sigh at that, "Seriously?" She snapped her fingers, the three men behind Aizawa grabbing his shoulders as her forked tongue slithered out, "I'll ask you one more time. Why are you really here?"

Aizawa felt the three hands gripping him, the hero still not flinching or showing any odd movement. 'What is this? Does she know who I am? I just walked in here, and I made sure the other FEAST location didn't figure out who I am.'

But after a few seconds of no response, Gloria spoke up again as she crossed her arms, "Not talking, huh? Alright, I'll ask a different question. Are you a villain or a cop?"

That made Aizawa almost flinch, the man now slightly glaring at her, "What are you talking about?"

Gloria's slit eyes slightly rolled at this, "Oh please, don't try to trick to me. I've told the police a dozen times now that there's nothing here. We've had them search this place over multiple times, and you're obviously one of them, or you're a villain. You think you're dressed as a hobo, which I will admit you're close, but you're still somewhat clean looking in certain places. That means you're an undercover cop since they have no idea how to disguise themselves, or you're a villain."

"And we don't take kindly to villains." one of the three behind him added, "Me and the boys here used to hunt your kind all the live long day."

"And even if you can take us, we'll make sure them youngster heroes get here as soon as possible." another added, "Gloria's ready to call them right now."

Aizawa's eyes glanced back at them for a second, his mind telling him what was happening, 'Great. That's why she had these guys come in here. They're all retired heroes.' He looked back at Gloria, seeing the glare on her face, 'This must be a reaction due to the Martin Li situation. How annoying.'

And as the seconds ticked by, the man calculated his options, 'Dang it. What do I do here?' He bit his lip at this, 'Should I show them my license? That might be my only way out of this.'

A minute passed at this, his hand slowly descending into his pants' back pocket. This was seen by one of the retirees, glaring at him as he saw Aizawa put his fingers on his wallet. And as another half minute passed, Aizawa let out a long sigh as he pulled out the wallet, all four staring at him as he put it on the desk before taking out a small card. Groaning, as he presented the object to the snake-headed woman. "I'm a hero."

The trio behind him raised eyebrows as Gloria took the card, her eyes scanning it over as she read aloud, "Shota Aizawa...Pro hero, Eraserhead." Her eyes went back up to him, "Seriously? You?" Aizawa growled at this, only for one of the retirees to take the card. He grunted as he looked the card over, the other two glancing over before giving it back to Aizawa. And as they did this, Gloria glanced up at them, "Think its real?"

One of them shrugged, "Not sure." He looked down at Aizawa, "You spotlight or underground?"

"Underground." Aizawa grumbled, feeling himself slightly sink into the chair.

The four stared at each other, having a mental conversation before Gloria sighed as she gestured to them. They nodded to her, making her cross her arms as she glanced back at Aizawa. "Alright, they believe you." Aizawa just glared at her at that, making her ask, "So, what do you want?"

A minute of silence followed this, Aizawa's eyes darting between Gloria and the others before muttering out, "I'm looking for someone. I believe they may be here." Gloria's tongue slithered out at this, about to reply before Aizawa added, "And before you say anything, what I'm looking for probably won't appear. I just have to make sure."

This was responded with Gloria and the retired heroes all staring at him, the snake lady uncrossing her arms as she put her tongue back in. "Okay." She did one small blink before saying, "I'll let you stay here today, and only today. I'll make sure to tell the rest here that you're just visiting. Got it?"

Aizawa clicked his tongue at this, closing his eyes before sighing. "Got it."

The Present...

'This is so annoying.' he thought as he leaned back into a chair while rubbing his eyes. 'Why is every part of this Spider-Man case so annoying?! Why did I agree to help Naomasa?'

"Stop sneering." The retiree growled, making Aizawa glance up at him.

"What?"

"Stop sneering." the retiree repeated before leaning down to Aizawa's level, "I can tell you're disgusted by everything here. You wouldn't keep that scowl on your face if you didn't. Let me guess, this place not your scene? Prefer jumping into a bunch of fights or stalking people? You did say you were Underground."

"Tch." Aizawa clicked his tongue as he glanced away. 'This is so annoying.' he mentally repeated in his head, only to glance back at the rest of the main floor, only to see several people walking toward the kitchen. "What's going on?"

The retired hero glanced away before replying, "The Midoriyas are probably here."

"Midoriyas?"

The retiree nodded, "Yeah. They're a family that helps out here, especially the son of the family."

'A son? I am looking for a teen. Better confirm their age.' Aizawa bit his lip before asking, "Who is that?"

"Izuku." The retiree glanced back at him, "And don't you dare go near him."

Aizawa faked raising an eyebrow, staring at the anger on the retired hero's face, "May I ask why?"

"Cuz he's our future. He's a kid that wants to be a hero for the right reasons." Aizawa just kept his glare, making the retiree hiss, "You see, he's not like you heroes of today that only do it for the money and fame. He wants to be a hero to help others! To put his life on the line to help and protect the weak." He leaned down in front of Aizawa's face, "I'm guessing you don't know anything about that."

Aizawa fought the urge to roll his eyes at this, "I do. I'm Underground. I actually do a hero's job." He glanced away at this, "I go in and fight villains and recuse civilians. I don't have time for ego or the press."

"Yeah right. And your so-called hero's job makes you investigate a homeless shelter?!" the retiree spat, "Oh please, I know what you are."

"And what's that?"

The old hero pointed at him, "You're just like me before I became a hero. I'm betting you couldn't care less about others until something bad happened to you or someone you cared about, and now you're a hero because of that bad thing that happened to you." Aizawa's head slowly looked back at the retiree, a glare in his eyes as the elder added, "And now, you act like a jerk with his head held up high and mighty, sneering at them as you think you're always right because you've seen the worst humanity has to offer. Am I wrong?"

Aizawa felt himself tense up at this, a bit of anger now rising as he glared at the old man. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, Aizawa's eyes scrunching up at this as his mind yelled at him, 'Don't get into a fight! Remember why you're here!'

"Yeah...that's what I figured." the retiree replied before leaning back. He stared at Aizawa for a bit, seeing the anger on the man's face, only to see it wasn't malicious, but just frustration. "Listen, people like you-"

"I get it." Aizawa interrupted, "Trust me, I do." The Erasure Hero looked back at him, "I get that this place helps others. I'm just...not one for charity. I prefer hard work as a goal."

The elder shrugged at this, "I get that. Still, I don't want you messing with Izuku."

"Why is that?" Aizawa glanced back at the main floor, only to see a green haired teen walk in with a blonde girl that looked slightly familiar to the man, "That him?"

"Yup. And that girl must be the one Gloria told us about."

"Who's that?"

The retiree shrugged again, "No idea. Just that Mrs. Midoriya was bringing in another youngin' to help." He glanced back at the two teens, "Glad to see Izuku's making friends. Poor kid needs them."

'He looks like the age that Spider-Man could be. Around the height too. Is it him?' Aizawa thought before he asked, "He looks like your normal kid. He didn't have any friends before?"

"No." the elder shook his head, "Though considering his circumstances, it unfortunately makes sense."

"What do you mean?" The retiree glared at him at this, making Aizawa raise an eyebrow, "What?"

"Before I say anything, do you promise not to judge?"

Aizawa tilted his head slightly at this, "Why are you asking that?"

"Just agree or don't."

Aizawa rolled his eyes again, "Fine. I agree."

"He's quirkless."

The two words hit Aizawa's ears, his brain taking that information before reflexively letting out a small groan. 'Shoot. Its not him. Spider-Man wouldn't be a quirkless after all. Maybe the rest of the younger help they mentioned earlier is-' His thoughts came to a stop as he saw the retiree glaring at him again, "What?"

"I heard that sigh." The elder got up from his seat at this, "So, you think you can look down on him too?"

"I wasn't-"

"Actions speak louder than words, younin'. And that sigh means you look down on him just like everyone else." He reached down and grabbed Aizawa's collar, the Pro Hero about to retaliate, only for another voice to speak up.

"What's going on over here?" They both turned to see Gloria, her forked tongue sticking out a second later.

"Nothing good." the retiree responded, "I was just telling him about Izuku and...well, you can guess his reaction."

"I didn't mean-"

"Shut it!" The elder hissed, glaring back at Aizawa. "I told you, I know exactly what you are. You think you can just look down on others because you think you've seen the worse. You're nothing but an arrogant-"

Aizawa grabbed the retiree's arm at this, his hair starting to levitate as his quirk was about to activate, "Let go. Now."

"Oh yeah? And what are ya gonna do, huh?" the elder spat, "I'm not afraid of you. I don't even need my quirk to handle a snot-nosed brat like you."

The Underground Hero was about to respond, only for Gloria to grab the retiree's arm. His grip instantly loosened on Aizawa, both looking back at her again. She gave Aizawa a small glare before whispering, "Tell me, have you found what you're looking for yet?"

"No."

"I see." Gloria replied before glancing back at the elder hero, only to give him a key. "Well, you're out of time. Take him out through the back door."

"What?!" Aizawa yelled, only to see the snake lady stare back at him.

"You're insulting my friend and making a ruckus." She pointed at him at this, "I get you straight-laced heroes and cops think you can just waltz in here and run the show, but we're a family in here. We take care of our own, even when you decide to arrest one of us."

"I just asked a question!" Aizawa barked, "Why are you being so hostile over that?!"

"Because you instantly looked down on Izuku as soon as I told you the truth." The retiree instantly countered.

"I didn't do that! It was just a reflex!"

"You reflexively look down on others?" Gloria added, crossing her arms. "Some hero you are."

"What?! No, I didn't mean it like that!"

"Well, it's too late to apologize." The retiree finished, "You heard the lady. You're leaving. Now." He clenched Aizawa's collar again, "If you want to investigate FEAST, you're gonna do it outside. Wait out there so you can stalk your prey or whatever."

He then began to drag the Pro Hero to a door in the back of the main floor, Gloria glaring at the sight. And as this happened, Izuku walked up to Gloria and asked, "What's going on?"

She glanced down at him, "Don't worry about it. It was just an...unruly newcomer. Turns out, they don't need our help."

"Oh."

"Yup." She put her hand on Izuku's shoulder, "Now come on, help me introduce Toga to the people here."

Izuku nodded at this, "Sure!"

Aizawa found himself shoved out of the building a minute later, the man slightly stumbling as the door was closed on him after this. Letting out a long groan, he shook his head, 'Stupid homeless shelters. Stupid Spider-Man. Why are my investigations in places like this?!' He put his hands in his pockets, 'Guess I'll have to find somewere to watch this place with a keen eye. Maybe Spider-Man's civilian identity comes here later in the day.'

He rubbed his chin at this, "Guess my luck's not good today." His other hand fiddled in his pocket, only to feel something. "Hmm?" He pulled something out, only to go wide-eyed at the sight. 'Power-Loader's tracker! I totally forgot about it!' He turned it on, pointing at the building he had just left...only for no signal. Nothing.

'Figures. Still, that doesn't mean Spider-Man will come. I probably gotta wait.' The man thought as he walked away, crossing the street from the building before finding a small alleyway, using some stairs on it to climb to the roof. 'Blasted vigilante. I can't believe I have to do this.'

And as he reached the roof, he stared at the FEAST building...and began to wait.

A few minutes ago...

Himiko shivered as she stared up at the building in front of her. She had just gone shopping with Inko and Izuku, the duo helping her with new clothes (Inko helped her with all that while Izuku got groceries, as they both agreed the teen had no taste) and were now at the front stairs of FEAST. The sight made her heart go into her stomach, fear obvious on her face as Inko turned to her and saw her expression.

The woman put a hand on the girl's shoulder, making her glance up as Inko said, "Don't worry. Everyone in here is super friendly."

"Yeah!" Izuku added, "They're all about helping each other here."

Himiko didn't stop shivering despite hearing that. She didn't exactly like the word 'help', as it usually meant things that weren't 'helpful' if she was honest. But, she knew these two were different. She still didn't fully understand how, but she knew Izuku and Inko were...well, they actually meant help. That alone was something she never expected.

And as she stared at the building, Inko gestured to take her hand, only for the girl to shake her head. Nodding at this, Inko went in front of the two, both following as they went up those steps. They soon reached the double doors, Izuku walking ahead to open them for the two, Inko smiling at him before they went inside.

"Inko!" exclaimed a voice belonging to a certain snake-headed lady. All three turned to see Gloria, Toga's eyes widening just a little. She had been told about Gloria, but the sight was still a tiny bit unnerving just due to the look of the snake head.

"Gloria!" Inko giggled before the two shared a small hug. And as the embrace ended, she gestured to the girl beside her, "This is Himiko Toga, the one I was telling you about before."

"I see." Gloria's mouth slightly curved upward before presenting a hand, "Nice to meet ya. I'm Gloria, I basically run this place."

"H-h-hi." Toga responded as she reached out and shook the hand, noticing it was a calm, firm grip.

"I have a feeling we'll get along just fine." Gloria chuckled before turning to Izuku, "Hey squirt. Bout time you showed your mug around here again. We've been missing you."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Izuku replied, "I uh...I've been busy."

"I figured." Gloria cackled before reaching over and rubbing his hair, the teen slightly flinching. The sight made Toga let out a tiny giggle, only for Gloria to turn and put a hand on her shoulder, "So, wanna see what FEAST is all about? Don't worry, everyone here is super chill."

"I...I guess so."

"Don't worry." Inko chimed in, making Toga turn to her, "I'll be with you. As for Izuku-" She glanced over at Gloria, "Got any work for him to do?"

Izuku glared at his mother as Gloria responded, "Not yet." She turned back to Izuku, "If you don't mind, go check in with Wanze. He's starting up the kitchen right now, but he might need some help. You don't mind, do you?"

"No, I don't mind." Izuku replied before walking away, Toga watching him go.

Seeing this, Gloria's forked tongue slithered out of her mouth for a second before saying, "He's a good kid, isn't he?" Toga glanced back up at her, "I know. He helps bring sunshine in here all the time."

"Really?"

"Yup." Gloria nodded, "Now, let's introduce you to some of our residents."

The snake lady then gestured Toga and Inko to follow her upstairs, as they had a few residents up there at the moment. As this happened, Izuku went to the kitchen and talked to Wanze, helping him move a few boxes around. It wasn't long till he was finished, which was the exact same time Inko and Toga walked into the kitchen. But as they strode in, Gloria turned to the main floor room and saw a certain retired hero having a scuffle with the hero from this morning.

"I'll be right back." Gloria told them as she left the kitchen, Inko introducing Toga to who worked in the kitchen while Izuku decided to slowly follow Gloria. He watched as she talked to one of the elders and some hobo looking person, only to see them kick the guy out. After this, he asked her what was going on, only to be told that it was a newcomer causing problems.

After this, they went back to the kitchen, Izuku now seeing his mom teaching Toga how to cook up some soup. He watched with a smile as he saw Toga be really interested in helping. The sight made Gloria giggle, only to pull out her phone before tapping Izuku's shoulder. He glanced up at her as she said, "Uraraka just texted me. We're about to get some more help."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Mind helping me greet them? I'll need you and the boys she's bringing to move some stuff outside."

"Sure." Izuku nodded before they made their way to the entrance. And as they did this, Izuku thought back to his last encounter with Uraraka, which seemed like a lifetime ago now despite it just being a few days. 'So much has happened and I barely talked to her after asking to be her friend.' He glanced down at this, 'I...I really don't know how to be a good friend, do I? Its been such a long time since I've had one...'

And as that thought went through Izuku's head, his eyes went back to the kitchen, seeing his mother guide Himiko around. The sight made him smile again before looking ahead, the two going through the front of FEAST. As they got outside, the duo instantly saw a group walking up to the building. At the front was Uraraka with Tsuyu and Iida beside her. Right behind them was Mina, who was talking to what looked like a floating tank top and shorts, and behind them was Kirishima talking to a black-haired boy with elbows that had big cylinder-like things on them.

"Guess we're getting plenty of help today." Gloria commented, Izuku blinking at the two newcomers.

'Cool quirks. One is invisible and that other...I wonder what those elbows can do? It looks like some kind of dispenser or-' Izuku thought as stars shined in his eyes, only to shake his head, 'No, don't nerd out! You'll look like some creepy quirk stalker like Kacchan always said you were!'

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes to see Uraraka run up the stairs first, "Hey Gloria, hey Midoriya!"

"Hey girl." Gloria replied, her snake tongue slipping out for a second as she turned to the two newcomers, "Got some new friends with ya, huh?"

"Yup!" Uraraka responded as the rest of the group went up the stairs, the girl waving her hand at them, "We're all here to help!"

"Nice." Gloria chuckled before waving at the new two, "Hey there, I'm Gloria. And before you ask, just call me Gloria. I'm the boss around here. Welcome to FEAST."

"Hiya! I'm Toru Hagakure!" the invisible girl exclaimed, her clothes wiggling around.

The boy with big elbows pointed at himself, "And I'm Hanta Sero."

"Nice to meet ya." Gloria replied before pointing at the teen beside her, "This here is Izuku Midoriya. Despite what he looks like, he's the helpful muscle around here." Izuku giving a short wave at this, the teen seeing the Sero boy look him over, not sure if the other was also doing the same thing due to her being invisible. And as this happened, Gloria sighed and rubbed the back of her head, "Hate to say it, but you're all a bit early, but we also need to get some stuff done."

"That is perfectly fine!" Iida chimed in, chopping the air at the same time, "We understand that you are very busy, just like Mister Li!"

"Who's that?" Sero asked.

"He's the one that created and owns FEAST!" Iida instantly responded. "He is a truly inspiring man!"

"He's also not here today due to...other stuff." Gloria added, the group glancing back at her. Though they didn't notice it, Izuku saw the slight twitch in her eyes, "But don't worry about that." She directed her eyes on Ochako, "Say Uraraka, you don't mind me borrowing the boys here to help us get some stuff ready, do you?"

She glanced over at the three, Iida nodding as Kirishima and Sero both gave thumbs up before looking back at Gloria, "No, I don't think they mind."

"Cool. The rest of you can go inside and introduce yourselves." She turned to the boys, "Ready to help us get this soup kitchen set up?"

"Of course!" Iida exclaimed.

"Sounds manly!" Kirishima added, "Let's do it!"

"Nice. Follow me." Gloria commented as she directed the boys to follow her, the rest going inside the building.

'Great...just great.' Aizawa mentally moaned to himself as he saw a certain group of very familiar teens walk into FEAST. They were led by Ochako Uraraka, which meant Nezu's warning was right on the money. He couldn't get close now, as his own students would blow his cover, especially Iida or Ashido.

As such, he stared at the building as all the teens disappeared inside, the underground hero reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small device. Tapping it a few times, he found it didn't respond.

"No signal. That means Spider-Man's not here." Aizawa muttered as he laid back for a second, rubbing his temple as he growled, "Spider-Man...why does everything involve him?!"

Himiko Toga had never felt like this before. Granted, she had noticed that that had been happening a lot these past few days, but today was a totally different experience. She had been told all her life that her quirk made her a monster, that she wasn't 'normal' and needed to be turned into 'normal'.

But now she was here, surrounded by people that just...accepted her. Like, they didn't ask if she was weird or not normal or flinched at her fangs. There was nothing like that. And she could tell that the people here in FEAST were kinda like her, rejected by society or down on their luck, though they were also much older. Despite that though, she was surprised at how...accepting they were.

And then came in a group of girls her age. That sight made her want to shrink into a corner of the room. And before she could even attempt to do such a thing, Inko put her hand on the girl's shoulder, making her turn and see a giant warm smile on the woman's face. "Don't worry." Inko whispered, "I'm here."

Himiko blinked at her before showing a tiny smile, silently saying thank you before facing the girls walking into the kitchen. Her body tensed a little at the sight, her mind going between fear and calm, only to see a big grin on a chestnut-haired girl's face as she walked up to them. "Hi Miss Midoriya! Who's this?"

"Hello Uraraka. This is Himiko Toga, someone me and Izuku are currently trying to help out." Inko replied with a big smile on her face while patting Toga's shoulder. She then glanced down at the girl, "Don't worry, these girls are as nice as they come. They won't bite." Inko looked back at the group, "Though uh...who's the new girl?"

"Hiya! I'm Toru Hagakure!" the invisible girl replied, her clothes doing several exaggerated motions.

Himiko blinked at the sight, now staring at the girls. They all smiles, well except the invisible one, but considering how she was acting, Toga was pretty sure she was smiling too. And the smiles...they were like the people she had just met. Kind smiles, ones that didn't judge or deceive. The sight made her think only one thing: 'Why couldn't I have met people like them back at my old school?'

Inko could see that was what she was thinking, only to pat her on the shoulder again. Himiko glanced up at her, seeing that usual smile. The sight made her grin back before turning to the girls, "Um...hello. I'm Himiko Toga."

The girls all smiled at this, Uraraka replying, "Hi there! I'm Ochako Uraraka." She presented her hand to be shook, "Nice to meet you!"

Himiko stared at the hand, feeling her whole body shake for just a second, only to take it.

"Whoa." Sero commented as he saw Izuku lift a pile of tables and chairs and balance them with ease.

"I know, right?" Kirishima whispered to him, "And he says he's quirkless."

"Whoa..." Sero repeated as they watched Izuku put the pile down and begin to give Iida the chairs as he quickly unfolded them. As this happened, Sero and Kirishima were moving around the small tables FEAST usually had at their front steps. They had just moved the last one, the duo now staring at Izuku as he quickly setup the tables.

"Alright boys, that's good." Gloria chimed in as she walked up to the four, "Thanks for getting this set up so quickly."

"No problem at all!" Iida responded as he did a chopping motion.

The others chuckled at this, Gloria shaking her head before saying, "I'd say I also need your help bringing in the food supplies, but they haven't arrived yet." She pulled out her phone, "They should be here in the next half hour, so I guess you guys can relax."

"That's cool. We totally understand." Kirishima replied, the other three nodding. He then pointed to the FEAST building, "Come on Sero, let's introduce you to FEAST. They're all cool here."

"Agreed!" Iida exclaimed, "Though it is a shame we cannot introduce you to Mister Li today." Izuku slightly flinched at that, only for Iida to ask Gloria, "Do you know why he is not here today?"

"Uh..." Gloria clicked her tongue at this, "Its...business." She did a small sigh, "Sorry, its not something I can talk about."

"Ah. I see." Iida nodded, the group soon walking back into the building. As they did this, Izuku thought back to that night, that fight between him and Mister Negative. The memory then switched to Tombstone, the villain that he couldn't a thing against. It was as if he was stuck fighting walls or things he didn't want to fight.

'Gran Torino was right. This is some rabbit hole I went into.' he thought as he entered the building, his eyes staring down at the floor, 'And I don't have a thing to show for it but a bunch of beatings and making things worse for FEAST. I'm just a-' His thoughts came to a stop as he glanced back up, only to see Himiko Toga, the girl who was technically a villain a few days ago...smiling. She showed nothing but happiness as he saw her talking to the girls of UA.

He blinked at the sight, only to feel a smile appear on his face. Before him was something he had done. A girl had been saved, something he never thought he would ever be able to do before the spider bite. He thought he was doomed to a life of misery, all because of how he was born. Born without power.

That is, till another thought entered his head.

"You'll never be hero!"

"You're just a worthless pebble!"

Izuku felt his right hand reflexively grab his left arm, making him shiver as he closed his eyes. He shook on the spot, biting his lip as he thought, 'No. I'm...I'm not worthless. I'm not. I'm just...not there yet.' He took a deep breath at this, 'I've got a long way to go.'

As he stood there, Inko watched the group interact with Gloria and Himiko, only to walk out onto the main floor of the building. But as this happened, she glanced back at her son, seeing him just stand there. The sight made her shake her head before walking up to him, grabbing his shoulder. He flinched at the touch, only to glance up at her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I...I um..." He glanced away at this, "Sorry."

"Izuku." Inko replied, putting her other hand on his other shoulder, "What's wrong?"

"I...I was just thinking about Mister Li." She blinked at this, only for him to add, "I mean, it is my fault he's not here today."

"Its not your fault." she instantly responded.

"But-"

"Its not." She interrupted, "You made a choice, and you followed through it. Don't regret that."

"I..." He tried to say, only to bite his lip. He knew she was right, even though his mind kept telling him otherwise. "Okay. Sorry I've been like this."

"Its fine." She chuckled before patting him, "Now come on, let's go have some fun with everyone before the kitchen needs to be setup."

He nodded back, "Okay."

Izuku's face slowly got its smile back as he rejoined the group with his mother. They found that Himiko got along with the girls very quickly, both surprised at the big grin on her face. The two had only known her for a few days, but there was this constant paranoia and nervousness on her face...but not now. She looked happy. It was a soft, small happy, but it was still there. The girls were all giggling at something, the sight making Inko turn to Izuku and whisper to him. She told him she would stay with Himiko while he goes with the boys.

As such, Izuku walked over to Iida, Kirishima and Sero. He found the three were discussing what they thought would think their classes would be doing. Izuku wanted to ask what they were, only to find Kirishima changing the subject and asking Izuku into an arm-wrestling match. He wanted to reject the idea, but then the girls overheard this and Izuku found everyone pushing him into it. This was followed by a few of the residents coming over to help, soon setting up a small table for the two.

And as Izuku sat down with Kirishima on the other side, several residents began making bets, only for Inko and Gloria to make them stop. As such, Izuku stared at the UA student, his mind racing, 'Do I throw this? Then again, I don't know how strong Kirishima is. I mean, he's a UA student. They've probably already helped him become a super strong hero in training.'

HIs took a deep breath at this, soon resting his elbow on the table, Kirishima doing the same. Their hands soon grasped each other's, Izuku's eyes darting around as he saw that everyone was now staring at them. Sweat began to form at this, the teen's eyes slowly going back to Kirishima, only to see a giant grin on his face.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Um...sure." Izuku slowly replied, gulping a second later.

A third hand landed onto of the two, both teens turning to see Gloria, "Keep it clean you two. Ready?" They both nodded back, making her stick her tongue out before lifting her hand, "Then begin!"

"YAH!" Kirishima roared as he instantly pushed against Izuku's hand. The teen quickly felt the pressure, his arm flexing backward. Izuku went wide-eyed at this, his arm tensing up as he felt Kirishima start to push his hand down. And as he felt this, Izuku's hand clenched up, his grip tightening as well. Kirishima felt this and seemed to flinch, his eyes going wide as he saw Izuku's face switch from uncertainty to showing a tiny bit of edge.

And as he felt this, Kirishima grinned back before pushing down even more. But as he tried to do this, he saw he couldn't move Izuku. It was like he was suddenly pushing against a wall. There wasn't even a hint of making Izuku budge, making the UA student go wide-eyed again...only to feel his hand begin to be pushed back.

Everyone watched as Izuku slowly pushed against Kirishima, their hands soon going back to the starting position...only for Kirishima's to start faltering back. The student grit his teeth at this, his face tensing up as he kept trying to push back. But as he did this, Izuku continued to push him, Kirishima finding himself unable to make Izuku budge even a tiny bit.

"Come on, Kiri!" Ashido chimed in, "You can do it!"

"I'm...trying!" Kirishima replied with a grunt, "Gah!" He began to glare at Izuku, "You're...really...strong."

Those words hit Izuku's ears and made him almost flinch. 'Strong? Me?' The thought almost made him stop as he then thought, 'Oh yeah. I still keep forgetting what I can do now.' He stared down at his hand, seeing Kirishima start to push him back before looking up at the UA student. A look of fierce determination was on his face, making Izuku's change to one as well. 'He's trying so hard. I should try too.'

As this happened, Kirishima watched Izuku's expressions, seeing him show a look of confusion when he said Izuku was strong. The sight baffled the hero student, pure shock on his face as he saw an expression that showed Izuku didn't know his own strength. But then it changed, Izuku now showing determination for the first time. And with a push, Kirishima felt the back of his hand hit the table.

BAM!

"Whoa!" Kirishima gasped as he felt his hand hit the table, only for the whole place erupt in cheers. Izuku instantly let go at this, the teen staring at his hand as Kirishima raised his own hand and flex it. "Yow...that was rough."

"Oh...I'm sorry." Izuku whispered out, only to see Kirishima shine a big grin at this.

"Don't apologize. That was super manly!" He then patted Izuku's shoulder, "You win, man! That was awesome!"

"Yeah!" Sero chimed in, "That was great!"

The others began to congratulate Izuku, the teen just sitting there in slight shock. Multiple people caught onto this. There was Tsuyu, who saw the shock on his face, making her put her finger to her chin. She could see it in his expression, one she understood more deeply than others. This was what happened to someone bullied a lot: They didn't believe in themselves at all. That's what she gathered from this.

Another was Uraraka. She saw the shock on Izuku's face and remembered her thoughts about the last time she talked to him. It was before the festival, where she saw him almost have what looked like a panic attack in just trying to ask her to be friends. The sight made her feel nothing but sadness, as she knew she should have tried a bit harder in being his friend. Instead, the festival and internships had distracted her like a whirlwind, one that showed her just how hard things were going to be in her future. 'I...need to do better.' she thought as she watched Izuku, 'I don't want anyone to act like that. I want to be a hero that makes sure everyone smiles.' She then glanced down at her hands, only to see a small bit of what looked like pink lightning appeared on it, making her shove her hands into her pant pockets, her eyes darting around to make sure no one saw that.

And then there was Inko, who just stared at her son sitting there, making her sigh. 'Even now, he's still like this.' Himiko saw it was well before turning to Inko, soon seeing a giant frown on Inko's face as the mother thought, 'Its all my fault. I should have paid more attention to him. Instead, I ignored it for over a decade and now he thinks he can't do anything, even with all that power that spider gave him, all because of that school and that bully. I'm such a horrible mother.' She shook her head at this, 'No. I told him I'd be there for him. I...I need to be stronger. For him.'

Himiko looked back at Izuku, watching him look stunned at all the praise. She just blinked at the sight, now remembering when Izuku revealed himself to her. He had shown her his secret, only to tell her that he was just like her, one rejected by others, even when he got something that would no longer let him be rejected. And now, he was acting just like her, shocked at how others could just...accept him. The whole sight was almost humbling in a way, showing just how much others had done to them.

The sight confirmed it for her. She liked FEAST, and she liked being here. Being around those rejected by society, and yet still trying to do good. 'I want that too. To be able to do good like Izuku.' she thought, 'I wonder...what I could do to get that?'

But as she watched the scene, Gloria looked down at her phone, only to speak up a second later, "Alright everyone, enough games. I just got a text that the main supplies are just a few blocks away. Let's get moving!"

"Yes ma'am!" The group of teens replied, Himiko feeling a hand pat her shoulder. She turned to see Inko, the woman's frown gone as she smiled at the girl.

"Come on. You can help me in the kitchen."

The soup kitchen soon went into full swing. The boys went out of the building and helped bring the supplies in as Inko directed the girls in the kitchen with the exception of Uraraka, who decided to help the boys out thanks to her quirk. As such, they got things moving quickly, soon fixing up the whole area for the kitchen and amassing a small crowd to feed. It wasn't long till a few hours passed, soon reaching lunchtime for the group.

Seeing the time pass, they soon sat down at a table and began to eat. And as they did this, Izuku began to ask them about UA. However, he found that the responses were mixed. Iida would declare that it was a great institution that defied expectations, as everyday was different. Kirishima and Sero said they love the physical classes, though also said that the regular education classes were way too much. Ashido and Hagakure also agreed with them, saying it was too much at times.

However, it was different from Tsuyu and Uraraka. The frog girl bluntly admitted that the classes weren't what she expected, but also questioned why their teacher seemed to disagree with the school at times, Uraraka agreeing. As such, Izuku asked, "What do you mean by your teacher not liking classes?"

"Its not really like that..." Tsuyu replied, "Its more on that Aizawa-sensei seems to think the only thing that matters is the theoretical part. That and he loves to lie to us."

"Lie?" Izuku responded.

"Your teacher lies to you?" Inko added, the woman having only been half paying attention to the conversation.

"Well, I wouldn't say that." Iida chimed in as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "He likes to do what he calls 'logical ruses'."

"Which are basically just lies." Tsuyu bluntly added, "Like, two days ago he had us do a rescue exercise where he had to save ten civilians, only to fail us because the rescue mission actually had fifteen civilians, which he didn't tell us about. He said it was a case of 'there could always be more people in need of help' and then made us do the exercise again, only to fail us again because we weren't fast enough, saying 'we should always be faster because disasters aren't fair'."

Izuku, Inko and Himiko flinched at this, only for Uraraka to add, "And don't forget the first day. He forced us to do a quirk test and expelled the student that came in last just to motivate use to do our best."

"Really?! Your teacher just...got rid of a student on day one?!" Inko gasped.

"Yeah." Uraraka nodded, "I mean, I didn't exactly think the best of the guy, but..." She turned to the others at this, "I don't know. I thought it was overkill."

"No kidding." Kirishima added, "It was not manly."

"Aizawa-sensei acted like he enjoyed doing that though." Tsuyu chimed.

"Oh my...this Aizawa sounds awful." Inko commented.

"Yeah. I mean, if you're gonna do something like that to motivate you, wouldn't it better to just like...offer a reward or something?" Izuku adding, the student group all frowning at this. They weren't sure if he was right, only for Izuku to continue, "Can't believe Eraserhead is like that."

Almost all the students glanced back at him, "Who?" Ashido asked while tilting her head.

"Eraserhead." Izuku repeated before glancing over at Ochako, "Uraraka told me about him before. Your teacher is Eraserhead, an underground hero."

"Really?! Aizawa-sensei is a hero?!" Hagakure gasped.

"You didn't know?" Izuku asked, only to see multiple shaking of heads.

"Not at all." Iida replied while chopping the air. "To be honest, I thought our teacher was the only UA faculty that wasn't a hero. I never suspected he was underground."

"Though it does make sense." Sero added while crossing his arms, "I mean, he does seem to be the type to be an underground hero."

"Oh, he's famous in underground circles." Izuku responded, "Eraserhead is known for multiple arrests with his scarf weapon and quirk-cancelling eyes."

"That sounds like him." Uraraka commented, "Though I can't imagine him making others feel safe."

"Wait...quirk-cancelling eyes?" Himiko asked, her first time speaking up in the conversation.

Izuku nodded back, "Yeah! His quirk allows him to cancel others' quirks. That's why he's called Eraserhead."

Himiko blinked at him, "So...he can just cancel someone's quirk?" Izuku nodded again, only for Himiko to add, "Huh. Sounds like UA doesn't trust you with your quirks then." That made everyone turn to her, some wide-eyed as Himiko saw their reactions, "What? W-w-what did I say?"

"You just...um..." Uraraka tried to reply.

"You just said our school doesn't trust us." Tsuyu bluntly interrupted, only to put her finger to her chin again.

"Well...why would they have a teacher like that if they did trust you with your quirks?" Himiko continued as the students all shared a glance. "How does that help you be heroes if they can just cancel your quirks?" The group stared back at her, making the girl flinch. Before she knew it, she began tripping on her words as she said, "S-s-sorry. I um...I didn't mean to make you all mad."

They all stared at each other again, now seeing the frowns on their faces. Seeing this, Uraraka shook her head before smiling at Himiko, "We're not mad. We were just...surprised. At least, I think most of us were." Her smile widened as she added, "Please don't think we were mad."

"Yeah! We totally weren't!" Ashido chimed, "You just caught us off guard!"

"Oh...okay." Himiko replied, only to glance away, "Sorry. I'm uh...not the biggest fan of heroes." She flinched at her own words, her eyes now staring holes into the table. She could feel the judgmental stares, her ears ready to hear how she shouldn't think that-

"That's perfectly fine!" Iida exclaimed, making Himiko go wide-eyed before glancing up at the group. There she saw nothing but smiles as Iida continued, "I of all people know that not everyone is cut out for heroics, and that includes liking them."

"Yeah!" Kirishima nodded. "There were a ton of students at my old school that didn't care for heroes. I toally get ya."

Himiko blinked at them, shock now on her face. The sight made the students almost flinch, surprised that one little statement would affect her so much. Seeing this, Ashido spoke up, "Let's change subjects!" She pulled out her phone at this, "I've been asking around in our class, and we've decided to do a meet up at the Kiyashi Ward Mall tomorrow!"

She pointed at Izuku and Himiko, "Do you two wanna join?"

"The...mall?" Izuku barely replied.

"Yup!" Ashido giggled, "I've been setting it up because the class totally needs a break, but that doesn't mean it just has to be our class. You two wanna come hang out with us tomorrow?"

Izuku and Himiko shared a glance, only for Inko to chime in, "Sorry to say, but Himiko can't join you tomorrow."

"Huh? Why not?"

Himiko stared at Inko, only for realization to appear on her face. "Oh yeah. I gotta go down to the station tomorrow."

"Yes." Inko sighed, "Sorry to say, but me and her have to fill out a bunch of paperwork over her current living situation. I don't know how long it'll take, but we have to do it tomorrow. If it turns out quicker than we think, I might be able to get Himiko to you."

"That's fine." Ashido responded while waving a hand before turning to Izuku, "How about you?"

"I...um..." Izuku turned to his mother, only to see her nod. He did a slight gulp at this before looking back at Ashido, "Uh...sure. I...I would love to."

"Awesome!" Ashido cheered, the rest all shining smiles before they began to talk about other things. It wasn't long till they finished their lunch and began to clean up the soup kitchen. And as they did this, they continued to do small talk, Inko found she was so happy at the sight of Izuku and Himiko opening up to others their age.

Meanwhile...

The longest groan escaped Aizawa's mouth as he walked back to his apartment. He had decided hours ago that today was a wash. He had wasted hours of his life on nothing, just sitting inside a stupid homeless shelter and then sitting outside of the shelter because of a bunch of elders that decided he wasn't 'hero material'. Then, he saw his students do a bunch of charity, which was a heroic act, but it also irritated him that they were showing more initiative doing that than doing their schoolwork. But it was what the retired heroes said that made him extra angry.

'I'm not a hero...what a joke. Those old farts don't know what they talking about. I bet they spent one day as a hero and nothing else.' he thought as he got to the street just across from the apartment building, 'They're just like my class, a bunch of arrogant snots that think heroics is a game. Maybe I should just expel my class. They all deserve it since they all don't take heroics seriously.' He let out a growl as he pressed a button to walk across the street. 'Yeah. I should expel them. That would give me a break. Then I could finally get some sleep.'

As that thought went through his head, he continued to grumble as a new one entered his mind, 'Who am I kidding?! I'm stuck on this stupid case. Stupid Spider-Man. This is all his fault! I wish we could just catch him and throw him jail already...though knowing the rat, Nezu will want to do something else with him. That's gonna cause me a headache and a half.'

And as he crossed the street, he felt his pocket shake. A second later, he pulled out his phone and sighed at the caller's name. Tapping it, he put the device up to his ear, "Nezu."

"Hello Aizawa. Tell me, how has today been?"

"Awful. I want to quit the case."

There was a two second pause before Nezu replied, "That bad? But you never quit a case. What happened? Did you not find anything?"

"I didn't." Aizawa grumbled, "There's nothing. I wasted an entire day on nothing. Again."

Nezu blinked at this, "I see. No names or anything?"

"No. No suspects at FEAST and Power Loader's device didn't work either. I didn't find anything."

"I see." Aizawa could hear him take a smoke, "Another dead end. A shame, but typical with this case." Another moment passed before Nezu added, "Still, I expect a full report over your endeavors today. Even if you found nothing, I can perhaps find something."

"I know. I'll get it to you tomorrow." Aizawa moaned as he got to his apartment's door and took out a key. "Is that everything?"

"Yes. Though I must ask, did you seriously not meet anyone that had the age or anything we're looking for? The probability is very high. I called in ahead to FEAST, and they told me they were doing an event today."

Aizawa turned the key, but didn't open the door as he thought about today. The face of a certain green haired teen entered his head, only to be reminded he was the reason he got kicked out of the building. The thought made him growl, "Well, I did meet one that could meet the description." he hissed, "But I determined it couldn't be him."

"Oh? What's his name?"

"It doesn't matter." Aizawa replied, "Trust me."

"Oh come now, Aizawa. You of all people know that I can use any information. At least tell me the name."

"I'm serious Nezu, its pointless. The kid has no potential." Aizawa opened the door at this, letting out a groan, "Also, I'm going to expel my entire class. I'm tired of waiting on them to figure out how unfair the world is to a hero."

There was a tiny bit of edge in Nezu's voice as he responded, "Aizawa..."

"Nezu, I'm done. I'm done with this case, I'm done with this class, and I'm-"

"Aizawa, if you don't give me anything, I will take away your expelling privileges."

"You can't do that." Aizawa slammed the door behind himself, "If you do that, I'll quit."

"Then I'll give your class to Present Mic and Midnight."

Aizawa's eyes twitched at this, "You..." He grit his teeth, "Those two morons will get those kids killed!"

"Aizawa...you're not expelling your class because this case is going bad. You're also not off the case until you give me your report. Now, give me something, or else."

The underground hero let out a long sigh, "His name is Izuku Midoriya."