Chapter 3: The Hosu Aftermath
"Look alive, boys. We're going to see your friend!"
Relief washed over Izuku. He quickly jabbed at Shoto's phone to update the chat, then returned it as they both rushed towards the door. "He's ok?" Izuku asked as he approached the little man.
"He's alive and awake. I don't know the specifics yet, but the doctors seemed overall pleased when they said he could have visitors." Torino grunted.
Izuku took solace in the knowledge that Iida had at least woken up. That comfort faded as Torino glared at him over a shoulder.
"Don't get too happy just yet, you're still in the doghouse." Torino smirked grimly in a way Izuku did NOT like. "The Chief of Police wants to talk to the three of you shortly."
Izuku and Shoto exchanged worried glances, then continued onward in silence.
Iida's room was smaller than the one Izuku and Shoto shared, with medical equipment around the head of his bed. Iida had a brace around his torso, his right forearm in a cast, and bandages visible around his left shoulder, but his eyes were open and darted between them. While Izuku and Shoto approached the bed, Torino stepped off to the side and settled into a chair next to an exhausted looking Manual.
"Iida? How are you doing?" Izuku asked, eyes roving the countless wires vanishing into his friend's hospital gown.
"I've certainly been better!" Iida responded with an energy incongruous with his current state of health. After a moment, however, he deflated somewhat and his eyes fell. "I regret that I can't thank you both properly for what you did, even if I wish it hadn't been necessary in the first place. I made a tremendously foolish series of errors, and it nearly got all of us killed."
"Everyone makes mistakes, Iida… though I can't deny that when you go off script, you really go all in." Izuku sighed, then his eyes drifted to the disquietingly still shape of Iida's legs beneath the thin sheet. "Have you… heard anything about…"
"Don't worry, it seems I won't be down for good. Estimates have me back on my feet in under a month, assuming treatment goes as well as they hope." Iida smiled wanly. "The doctors ran a series of tests before I woke up. Apparently, like many mutation Quirks that alter or add to aspects of the human body, the nervous system leading to my Quirk is more advanced and robust. As a result, they have a better chance to recover from damage they sustain. Between that, the quick response to staunch the bleeding, Patchwork's temporary stitches, and some manner of survival Quirk from one Doctor Kinenkō, I was in far better condition than I had any right to be."
Iida frowned slightly for a moment, then shook his head. "On top of that, with Kinenkō's Quirk in effect, the surgeons felt confident enough to try some manual treatment before Recovery Girl arrived for disaster relief. I'm about as ready for her ministrations as the doctors can make me, though even with sedatives and painkillers in my system I'm… a bit… hyper. Midoriya, are you ok?"
Izuku realized his face had fallen, and tried to rally himself. "I'm just tired, don't worry. I'm glad you're going to be ok!"
Iida stared at him.
Despite Izuku's best efforts, he couldn't hold his friend's gaze.
"He seems to react the same way whenever someone mentions the golden blood Quirk, or whatever it is." Shoto said, voice deadpan. "He used it on you, not a doctor."
Iida looked shocked for a moment, which Izuku could understand. He himself certainly hadn't expected such a thing to be possible, and Izuku had probably studied Quirks as a whole just as much as Iida had studied his own. Then, his friend's expression shifted to one of determination.
"I received some advice recently that I dismissed out of hand. I find myself deeply regretful of having done so." Iida continued to stare at Izuku. "While I might not have the right to say this, given the circumstances, I hope you'll heed this advice better than I."
Disbelief all but radiated from Izuku as he met Iida's eyes. 'Oh, this is SO not fair Iida. You can't just-'
"If it ever gets to be too much and you need to talk, just say something." Iida turned Izuku's words against him. "It doesn't have to be me. I'm sure Uraraka would be more than happy to listen to you, and the teachers at UA are there to help us. Don't just try to ignore or hide whatever it is that's bothering you. From my experience…" Iida grimaced. "It doesn't go well."
Izuku managed to keep a straight face for all of a second before a begrudging laugh broke through. "Iida, the sheer audacity… I'm not sure if I should be encouraging that or not."
Iida smirked. "Join the bad decisions club, Midoriya."
Izuku nearly choked on his own spit, while Shoto began tapping his chin in thought. "... You're sure you didn't just happen to find Iida's well-informed doppelganger in that alleyway, right Midoriya?"
"...er…" Iida blanched, then looked away in a fluster. "Sorry, that's something my brother often says. He always tries to get me to loosen up a bit..."
"Heroics is a field that puts its practitioners under an immense amount of stress. Staying completely rigid at all times just means you break under it instead of bending to accommodate." Izuku recited. "Sir Nighteye said that in an interview a few years ago."
Iida seemed to ponder this, brow creased. "The sentiment is nothing I haven't been told before, but… I suppose that seeing what 'breaking' meant for me puts it in perspective. It's something to consider." Iida's eyes sharpened. "Though I won't let it distract me from the matter at hand, if that's what your intent was."
Izuku shrunk into himself slightly. "I… I'll tell you. It's not really something I was going to keep a secret, it's just... I mentioned that I was helping with an evacuation before I found you, right?"
Iida thought for a moment before he nodded. "Yes, I believe so."
"Something, I'm guessing one of the Nomu, had punched through an upscale apartment building not too far away from where I found you. I managed to get some elderly tenets and a mother and daughter family out, but there was another person I'd been asked to look for. I found them in a mostly collapsed section of the first floor while I was trying to evacuate the family." Izuku hissed out a breath at the memory. "That was Dr. Kinenkō."
Iida and Shoto watched him, curious.
"He was trapped underneath the rubble, and most of his lower body was crushed. He… there was no way he should have been alive. Hell, he himself said he was as good as dead, no matter what I did. He'd seen that I hurt myself trying to help the family, and offered to use his Quirk on me so I could keep helping people. Kinenkō said he could boost people's vitality to increase survival and healing, and that it was what had kept him alive. But when he used it… he died immediately. And going by what it felt like when I used it on you, Iida… I think it was actually a vitality transfer."
Iida sucked in a sharp breath as an expression of sympathy and, oddly enough, confusion flashed across his friend's face. He looked like he was about to say something, but Shoto spoke first.
"You think he deliberately didn't tell you that because he wanted to get rid of it." Shoto murmured. "That he wanted to die."
Reluctantly, Izuku nodded. "He said he wanted to use it on me so I could keep helping people, and I had landed badly from a few floors up, so I agreed. If I'd known he would die from it, I definitely wouldn't have. But if I hadn't, he'd have suffered for who knows how much longer, and you…" Izuku looked at Iida, badly injured but nonetheless alive . "So, I don't know how to feel. There was no way he'd have survived the injury, and it had to be horrifyingly painful, but at the same time… it feels like he used me to kill himself. Like I helped him do it."
Iida and Shoto exchanged glances, neither sure how to handle the situation.
"Midoriya-" Iida began with his usual energy, though he cut off with a sharp hiss when he tried to chop with his arm. After a moment, he continued, far more subdued. "You can't hold yourself responsible for someone taking such actions, if things did happen as you believe. In such a horrible situation, I can't imagine how I or any of our classmates would have reacted. Knowing you, you did everything you could."
It didn't make Izuku feel much better, but he appreciated his friend's attempt.
The sound of the door as it slid open startled all three of them, and drew another hiss from Iida as his body tensed up. Izuku spun, but was met with a well dressed chest where he'd expected to see a head. He swept his eyes upwards, but the expected head continued to elude him. Instead, he found the head of a Beagle set atop the gargantuan body that had just ducked into the room, large eyes locked squarely on the three of them.
"My apologies for startling you three. My name is Kenji Tsuragamae, and I'm the Chief of Police. I'm given to understand you've had quite the interesting night, between encountering more of those Nomu and taking down the Hero Killer." The titanic dog-man said. His words ended with a huff that sounded suspiciously like a 'Woof'. "Stain is currently in treatment for a laundry list of severe injuries, most notable among them multiple broken bones and a severe concussion. The man looks like he was hit by a bus."
Izuku winced.
"As I'm sure you're all aware, you've crossed some serious legal lines. Heroes require extensive training for a reason, which you've only just begun. Were Stain not so tenacious, it's quite likely he'd have died from his injuries tonight. Frankly, he's still not in the clear." Tsuragamae crossed his arms, gaze unwavering. "Quirk use to this degree far exceeds the normal parameters for self defense. Had Native not given you permission under his assumption of a disaster event, you'd have just committed a stunning breach of the law."
Izuku's relief at Native keeping his promise was nearly dashed the moment he heard Iida's voice.
"Sir, I feel compelled to admit my shortcomings. I-"
Chief Tsuragamae held up a hand as his gaze fell on Iida like an anvil. Even near immobile as he was, Iida managed to grow even more still. "Young man, think very carefully before you continue. Native has put his career on the line to vouch for the three of you. While I'm sure everyone in the room knows that certain events may not line up perfectly in the timeline, what he did was technically within his purview. The last thing anyone wants is to further muddy this mess of a situation, so I'd recommend accepting it at face value."
An awkward silence followed. Izuku's eyes briefly strayed to Gran Torino as the old man rubbed his brow tiredly, Manual by his side as he watched events unfold with dark-ringed eyes. 'They've probably been trying to settle this all night.'
Having evidently taken Iida's silence as acquiescence, Tsuragamae continued. "Now, while you are officially blameless in the situation, you all are still getting flagged for special attention in the police systems. Though you were given authorization for the combat you partook in, you all still approached a dangerous situation without the proper authority to engage. While this is not a crime in and of itself, such actions are commonly associated with Vigilante behavior, something which the police closely monitor for."
"Hold on a minute." Shoto stepped forward. "You're saying that we shouldn't have even approached the situation to try and help? We should have just all ignored any signs of trouble and stayed away? Iida saved Native. Midoriya saved both of them. I alerted the pros that something was happening, and went to try and gather information. If I hadn't, then all three of them could be dead. Should each of us have just… ignored it? Walked away from people that needed help? Doesn't that go completely against the job description of a hero?"
Tsuragamae snorted, then shifted to loom over Shoto. "Clearly, you've much to learn. There's a fine balance that needs to be maintained. Civilians are encouraged to report situations to heroes, but not to get so involved that they themselves become victims. You could very easily have been killed, had Stain chosen to get serious." He shook his head, large ears flopping. "Whatever Midoriya did to take him down, it must have caught Stain well and truly off his guard to have worked. Without that, all of you might be in Iida's situation at the moment, if not worse off. More than anything, that's what I wanted to get across to all of you today. As messy as the situation is, and even with Iida's injury in mind, your fight with Stain ended far, far better than it had any right to. Putting the legality of it aside, don't do this again for your own sakes, and the sake of your families."
The unexpected plea hit all three of them hard. Shoto almost immediately stepped back and dropped his gaze. Though the movement seemed to catch Iida by surprise, Izuku's newfound insight into the boy had made clear how much he valued his family.
"As the police chief, I'm obligated to ensure you understand how badly this could have gone for you, both legally and for your wellbeing in general. Massive indiscretions such as these Cannot. Be. Repeated." After a moment, the air of authority around the man diminished as Tsuragamae sighed. He slumped slightly, and his crossed arms fell to his sides. "Personally, I just don't want to see the careers of such promising young heroes cut short by good intentions gone wrong. If you turn the drive you displayed last night towards your training and getting your license, you'll be a force to recon with in no time. And, of particular note, ones that work both safely and within the laws we all strive to uphold."
"We'll be sure to go over proper procedure with our interns." Manual stood as he sensed the conversation had drawn to a close. "Our negligence in that regard, as well as losing track of them in the chaos, is the root of the problem."
Iida's eyes dropped. "I'm so very sorry, Manual. I shouldn't have run off as I did."
Manual shook his head, hands planted on his hips. "For now, just focus on recovering. But don't do something this idiotic again."
"At the risk of undermining my point, there is one last thing I'd like to say." Tsuragamae huffed, then bowed. Even bent crisply at the waist, his head was still nearly level with Izuku's. "As someone invested in keeping the peace, thank you for stopping Stain, woof."
With that, the giant straightened, nodded to the pros, and ducked out the door. The silence was thick for a moment, before Manual let out a weary sigh. "All things considered, each and every one of you have experienced an incredible string of good luck these past few hours. Hopefully you survive when the universe returns to equilibrium." Manual ran a hand down his face, then glanced at Iida. "I'm going to go home and sleep. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call. Ok?"
"Thank you, Manual. For everything you've done for me." Iida responded. "Forgive my inability to bow as you deserve."
With a shake of his head and a tired chuckle, Manual waved him off and said his goodbyes. The hero weakly shuffled from the room, which left the students with Gran Torino. Three sets of eyes shifted to the tiny man, unsure if he'd have something to add.
Gran Torino snored. Loudly.
"...Yeah." Izuku grumbled as his shoulders slumped. "That makes sense, I guess."
The three sat in silence for a time as they reeled from the experience they'd just shared. Another encounter with the Nomu. A disaster that spanned a whole ward of Tokyo. A fight with one of the most infamous killers of the decade. A confrontation with the police chief in the aftermath, one that didn't end with their careers up in flames.
Izuku weakly scratched the back of his head. "It is kind of miraculous we're still alive, all things considered."
Shoto nodded as he gingerly prodded at his injured arm. "Everyone's been saying that Stain wasn't taking us seriously. From the way he was wounding us, rather than just taking our heads off and being done with it, I would have been inclined to agree. But…" he glanced at Iida, then looked away. "Thank you for what you did. I froze up, and that's unforgivable."
"Nonsense, Todoroki." Iida said, then winced as his arm twitched. "We were facing someone who far surpassed us in skill and experience. The fact that you managed to avoid falling to his tactics for so long is a phenomenal achievement, true killing intent or not. And…" Iida sucked a breath through grit teeth. "Much as I loathe to admit it, I think they're right. He wasn't really trying to kill either of you. Even at the end when he struck me down, I was the one providing much of the force behind the attack. He seemed genuinely surprised when it hit home."
Izuku thought about it, then slowly nodded. "With as inflexible as his views seemed, it's entirely possible he genuinely didn't see you moving to save us as a possibility. When you did, it caught him completely flat footed."
"He definitely could have gone for my throat when we were falling back. Instead, he cut my arm, and not even that deeply." Shoto nodded in agreement. "He just got enough blood to incapacitate me, then immediately tried to finish off Native. Maybe he would have come back if Midoriya hadn't done… whatever those tendrils were, but maybe he was genuinely finished with us."
Iida blinked. "Tendrils?" Then, slowly, his brow furrowed. "Now that you say it, I vaguely remember something, but I thought they were attacking Midoriya."
Izuku winced. "My Quirk went haywire. I gained better control over it during my internship, but something weird started happening during the fight with Stain. I don't really know what's going on with it."
Shoto nodded, eyes unfocused. "It was… like they had a mind of their own. They stayed away from everyone other than Midoriya and Stain, but it was flinging both all over the place. I'm pretty sure the human body isn't meant to crunch that much."
Izuku rubbed at his neck, both out of soreness and guilt. "Yeah. Having him take down a Nomu with a knife to save me was terrifying enough. But knowing he did it fresh off that was even more crazy. He's freakishly tenacious if nothing else."
"Wait." Iida balked as he stared at Izuku with incomprehension. "Wait, he WHAT?"
Shoto leaned forward and steepled his fingers. "Yes." He said in a tone that concerned Izuku immediately. "Unfortunately, I didn't get to see anything other than the aftermath once Patchwork had me melt the ice. But apparently a wounded Nomu escaped my father, flew in, and snatched Midoriya out of the middle of the heroes so fast nobody could react. Stain used the distraction to escape his bindings, but instead of running, he got some of the Nomu's blood, jumped on its back, and killed it. Endeavor showed up, and Stain faced everyone down, screaming that only a true hero like All Might could kill him. I actually heard that part."
Iida stared at Shoto, goggle-eyed. His gaze shifted to Izuku questioningly, confusion evident on his face.
"Shoto has it more or less right." Izuku shrugged. "It was terrifying. I thought he was working with the league, so when I saw him escaping I expected a bloodbath. Instead he hauled himself something like 30 feet into the air and stabbed it in the brain while ranting his manifesto."
"Clearly" Shoto said, a glimmer of something deep in his eyes that redoubled Izuku's concern. "He saw that Midoriya is All Might's illegitimate lovechild, much as I did at the sports festival. From there, it's easy to see that he's a close follower of All Might's ideals, which likely made him 'A worthy hero' in Stain's worldview."
Once again, Iida's wide eyes turned to Izuku, pleading for him to make Shoto's sudden plunge into conspiracy theory mania make sense.
Izuku sighed, long and deep. "I retract my endorsement of Shoto's version of events."
"You cannot hide the truth forever."
Afterwards, their conversation meandered for a time. It ranged from Izuku's more measured explanation of events after Iida's injury to their experiences at their internships. Both Iida and Shoto had looked at Izuku strangely at his explanation of 'The Taiyaki Breakthrough', but neither could argue with his results.
They also, somewhat belatedly, directed Iida to the HeroNet chat. After a prolonged battle to convince Iida he didn't actually have to read every post in the conversation before he could respond, he finally joined the fray. The influx of messages celebrating his presence brought a smile to Iida's face, something which had been sorely lacking prior.
Before long, however, another interruption arrived with the sound of a door being slammed open.
"TENYA!"
Gran Torino shot upwards with a startled snort, punched through the paneling of the hospital ceiling, and vanished into the space above it with a crash. Izuku, equally as startled but far less mobile, simply fell out of his chair. Shoto took it completely in stride, barely reacting beyond a disinterested glance over his shoulder.
"...Tensei? What on earth are you doing? I thought you wouldn't be allowed in a wheelchair for weeks yet!" Iida looked stunned.
The former Ingenium sat in a wheelchair that looked far too small for his broad physique, his blue hair little more than stubble above eyes ringed with dark bags.
"Well, that's true. But Recovery Girl swung by on her way down the list. I'd recouped enough stamina that she could take nearly a month off my recovery time, which was the perfect amount to finally get into one of these blasted things and come check on my little brother." Tensei said as he wheeled himself over to his brother's bedside with some evident effort. Izuku cleared a path, for which Tensei nodded in appreciation. He raised a shaky hand to grasp his brother's good one and squeezed it tightly. "She should be here soon, from what she said. Which is perfect timing. She can heal whatever damage I do by trying to cram some common sense into your thick skull. What the HELL were you thinking, hunting down Stain?"
"I couldn't just let him go free, after what he did-" Iida's mouth snapped shut as Tensei's eyebrows shot up in challenge, eyes glinting.
"You decided that you, having been at UA for all of a few months , could go after Stain and not just survive, but beat him? I realize my point is pretty badly undermined by the fact that the three of you actually managed to take him down, which is patently absurd and stupidly impressive, but REALLY Tenya?" Tensei's voice cracked as he spoke. The thin veneer of sternness crumbed away to reveal a bottomless well of fear, sorrow, and guilt. "Now look at you. I know you wanted to be like me growing up, but… you really, really shouldn't have emulated me like THIS!"
"I… The doctors said they're optimistic. That I got help soon enough that the damage can be reversed. I should be-"
"But what if you DIDN'T?" Tensei sobbed, head resting on Tenya's good shoulder. "What if he'd killed you, or you didn't get that help and ended up permanently crippled like me?"
Both the Iida brothers were crying now, each the sole focus of the other. Izuku felt like he was intruding on the moment and stepped back. After a not-so-subtle glance in Izuku's direction, Shoto did the same.
"Well isn't that a touching scene." Torino grumbled from above, having stuck his head out from under a ceiling panel. Dust drifted from his hair and beard, along with small pieces of the panel he'd plowed through on his way up. "Let's leave them to their reunion. Besides, I'm pretty sure I saw Chiyo on her way down the hall while I was poking around up here, so you might as well clear out now. If she asks about me, no I'm not here, and yes I'm remembering to take my pills." Torino's head retreated into the darkness, and the panel fell back into place.
Izuku and Shoto stared up at the ceiling. Slowly, Shoto's gaze lowered to Izuku. "I don't think your description of your internship mentor was… entirely adequate."
Izuku could only nod in agreement. He opened the door as silently as he could, then slipped out. As Shoto was about to slide the door closed behind them, a needle-shaped cane poked Izuku in the foot, which drew his attention to its wielder. True to Torino's words, Recovery Girl had arrived. She scrutinized Izuku closely, and for a moment he felt like some kind of animal on a dissection table. "Well I'll be. You look like you're mostly intact!"
Izuku scratched at the back of his head, then shifted absently to scratch at his shoulder blades. "Yup. Worst I did was a minor fracture in my arm and some… extensive bruising, but that's a pretty big improvement!"
"I'll say." Recovery Girl smiled up at him. "You look exhausted though. Go get some rest, and I'll swing by to heal up the both of you once I finish with the requests from the hospital. Though, given that you've all gotten plenty of excitement already, which I'm sure you've already been suitably chastised for…" Her gaze turned piercing for a moment, and a chill ran down Izuku's spine. "Maybe focus a little more on the mundane aspects of hero work for the rest of your internships, hmmm?"
Izuku mumbled something that was somewhere between an apology, an agreement, and a whimper in an attempt to mollify the elderly heroine's ire, and bowed with a frantic edge. With a nod of acceptance, Recovery Girl cocked her head slightly and glanced around. "Speaking of internships, where's that old coot who's supposed to be training you, Midoriya? I'd have expected him to stick around, though if Tensei coming in tipped him off…" She glanced through the door, and her eyes settled on the dust and bits of broken paneling on the floor.
Slowly, and with long suffering exasperation, her eyes trailed upwards as she stepped forward to find the hole in the ceiling. "Ah. Well, I suppose I should have expected as much. Next time you see him, tell him I know damn well he hasn't gotten his prescriptions refilled in four years, and that I'll find him if that doesn't change."
With a click, the door closed. For a time, Izuku and Shoto were left to stare blankly at its surface as staff and patients alike wove around them in the hall.
"I have many questions." Shuto muttered as his hand returned to his chin. "I don't suppose you know…?"
"You're not working on another theory, are you?" Izuku rubbed at his brow.
Shoto's eyes shifted evasively. "...No."
"Well, if you come up with something good, let me know. I'm just as curious as you." Izuku sighed, before he looked around. "...You don't happen to remember how to get back to our room, do you?"
Izuku groaned as he walked down a hallway beside Shoto and a very dusty Torino. He lightly slapped his own cheeks in an effort to keep himself awake. Recovery Girl had stopped in after a little more than an hour, more tired than he'd ever seen her but smiling all the same. After she quickly planted a peck on their cheeks, she'd been happy to share the good news regarding Iida's recovery.
Recovery Girl was extremely pleased with how the procedure had gone. Apparently, the Quirk Iida was affected by worked amazingly well with her own, giving the patient a deeper well of vitality for her Quirk to draw from. She'd had to proceed with caution given the nature of the injury, but by the time Iida's reserves had been mostly drained, he had some feeling in his legs. According to her, another few healing sessions and some physical therapy, and Iida would likely be mostly back to normal within two weeks. The final round had left Iida well and truly exhausted, however, and he'd fallen asleep almost as soon as her lips had left his cheek.
While Izuku was somewhat sad he couldn't check in with Iida again before they left, such a feeling had been trivial compared to the sheer relief. Iida would be fine. After Recovery Girl finished their own healing, albeit somewhat incomplete due to Izuku's lingering exhaustion, she'd wished them well and promised to get their checkout rolling.
A few minutes after she left, Gran Torino had casually dropped from the ceiling in a puff of dust and announced they were free to go. Rather than feed the tiny man's antics, Izuku had just gotten changed into some hospital issued clothing, gathered his belongings, and prayed Shoto wouldn't go too far down the rabbit hole. Luckily, his friend had been studiously working on an update for the class, something he had surprisingly requested Izuku let him do. He was crafting his third iteration, the first two having been highly detailed and overly formal, actually rather reminiscent of Iida.
Izuku shook his head as he pushed the doors open with one thankfully painless hand, while the other stifled a yawn. 'I can't wait to get out of here. Hopefully some rest in a bed that doesn't smell like antiseptic will help me shake off this fatigue.'
The hospital waiting room was, distressingly but unsurprisingly, packed to the brim. Every seat was filled, every wall had people leaning on it, most doubtless waiting to hear news of someone injured in the attack. The sight sent a wave of guilt through Izuku. 'Should I have turned Recovery Girl down? I could have returned to my internship with a stitched up arm and some bruises, so surely she could have helped someone else instead of…'
Izuku's train of thought was cut off by a sharp smack to his shin. With a yelp, he glanced down to see Gran Torino looking up at him, deadpan. "Yer' mumbling again. If there were any other severe injuries left that she could treat, the only way she'd have left was if someone was dragging her." Torino snorted quietly. "And make sure she never hears you say anything remotely accusing her of favoritism. She'll put you right back into that bed, and you'll be there for a good reason."
Shoto glanced down at the diminutive hero, red eyebrow raised. "You sound like you know her awfully well."
Torino smirked. "I used to be a teacher at UA. And we're part of a very exclusive club."
The gleam in Shoto's eyes had returned, and with it was sure to come a headache for Izuku. 'Damn it, Torino, why are you baiting him like that? His theories are crazy enough that he might actually get things right!'
"E-er, Shoto." Izuku tried to get his attention. "Want me to take another look at the update for the group chat?"
The way Shoto looked at him, eyes narrowed and mouth pressed to a thin line, made it extremely clear that Izuku's poor attempt at distraction had been very much noticed. Even so, he quickly typed something, then handed his phone to Izuku.
Shoto: Shoto here. Recovery Girl came through, healed us, and said she expects Iida to make a nearly full recovery within two weeks or so. He's resting now, so we weren't able to talk to him again. We're going to check out, but we'll share anything else we find out. Also, Midoriya's mentour is VERY strange.
"The last part stays." Shoto muttered, resolute.
Izuku sighed as he glared down at Torino, who looked up at him with the single most unconvincing expression of innocence Izuku had ever seen. "The last part stays. The rest of it looks much better, too. Go ahead and send it."
Shoto's expression let just a hint of satisfaction though as he retrieved his phone, then tapped send with a small flourish. Shoto glanced around the room as he slipped it into his pocket, before he stilled as his gaze landed somewhere over Izuku's shoulder. His expression rapidly sunk into its usual disinterested blankness, suddenly cool and collected as ever. "Looks like Endeavor sent Kido to get me. Makes sense, he's one of the least flammable."
With a glance over his shoulder, Izuku saw the bandaged man in question as Kido waved at them. He turned back and gave Shoto a small bow. "Thank you again for your help, Shoto. If you need anything, just say so."
Shoto hesitated, then nodded slightly and bowed in return. "Thank you as well." He glanced down at Torino before he looked back at Izuku. "And likewise." With a bow and a somewhat hesitant "Thank you" to Torino as well, Shoto marched over to Kido, and the two quickly left.
"He's fun." Torino chuckled.
"He's probably trying to research you as we speak." Izuku shot back.
Torino shrugged. "Not like my career is all that interesting. I got into heroics late in life, flew around with someone actually good at it for a while, taught an important guy for a few years, then fucked off into relative obscurity." Torino headed off towards the doors. "Speaking of one of those things, our ride is here."
Izuku trotted after his mentor, scanning the stretch of parking lot visible through the door. He didn't see anything for a moment, then…
With a deep rumble, a navy blue car sprung to life and pulled out of a parking space. It was a solid looking vehicle, though no less sporty for it. Sleek lines lent it an angular look, with red accents and white walled tires. As it pulled up, the passenger seat window rolled down to reveal a sheepish looking All Might, his skeletal features wildly out of place in the extravagant vehicle and marked with even more exhaustion than usual.
"Subtle." Torino snarked, while Izuku just stared.
"...I may have grabbed the wrong keys on my way out of the office, and was in too much of a rush to get here to bother going back for the right ones." All Might scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Luckily, the 2118 model of the Mustang had decent passenger seating, and it wasn't lost with the upgrades." All Might's eyes narrowed as he leaned further forward and looked down at Torino more closely. "Speaking of how nice this car is, what are you covered in?"
"Shotgun?" Torino asked, blithely ignoring the question.
All Might sighed before he set his shoulders and glared at the diminutive man. He drew in a breath-
Torino raised an eyebrow and absently popped his knuckles.
All Might's resolute visage was quickly undermined as he started to sweat bullets. "I got a citation last time?" He squeaked plaintively.
Torino scoffed. "You should've let me kick him."
All Might sighed. "Suggesting a booster seat was a bit much, but the officer had a point. Young Midoriya, you're up front."
Torino grumbled irritably as he opened the back door, and Izuku was pretty sure he heard something along the lines of "Gonna reshape your damn spine" before the door slammed closed. The old man, who'd brought out his most vindictive grin, shuffled over to sit behind an even more nervous All Might. Izuku just smiled at the incongruous sight. He opened his door, limply flopped into the passenger seat… and it took damn near everything he had not to melt as the incredibly comfortable seat cradled him. He had to pinch himself to keep from immediately dozing off.
"Thank you for coming to get us, All Might." Izuku said around what definitely wasn't a stifled yawn. "I really appreciate it. A lot has happened since yesterday, and I don't know what to do about any of it."
All Might flashed him a smile, though kept his eyes on the road as he pulled out. "Gladly, my boy. From what I understand, you definitely had quite the evening. And, might I add, did a…" All Might trailed off as a series of kicks slammed into the back of his seat. His eyes briefly trailed to the mirror before he tensed, then cleared his throat. "Did a very foolish thing that I should not endorse?"
"Make it sound less like a question next time, you damn oaf." Torino grumbled from the back, though he lowered his foot.
"Regardless, I'm glad none of you died in that mess, and that Young Iida is on the mend." His expression turned morose, as did Izuku's. "The fact that the Hero Killer was acting in my name, and nearly killed one of my students doing so… it's sickening. I'm sorry that you had to be the one to face him down. I was hoping you wouldn't have to experience such things for a long time yet, but…" He sighed, the sound ending in a small cough. "It seems far greater threats loom on the horizon."
"Well, that sounds ominous." Izuku forced a small laugh, in the hope the hero was just being melodramatic, as he sometimes was. The resounding silence in the car squashed that hope like a bug. "Ah. Is it because of what's going on with One for All?"
All Might lifted a hand, tilting it side to side. "It's related to One for All, but probably not specifically whatever you're dealing with. Hopefully." The skeletal man glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "We can talk about everything later. Relax for now Young Midoriya, you look exhausted."
Izuku was tempted to refuse, given the sense of foreboding now hanging over them… but then he shifted slightly and remembered just how ridiculously luxurious the seat was. With a small groan, he gave in. "These seats are almost more comfortable than my bed. How aren't you falling asleep at the wheel? You look as tired as I feel."
"They're delightful, aren't they?" All Might smiled, the expression wistful. "The driver's seat was built with a different figure in mind, so I'm not as comfortable as I once would have been. I don't drive it very much anymore, but on the upside it's probably been long enough that nobody will recognize it. I brought it back with me from America after my time there, and it's customized pretty heavily." The smile turned fully nostalgic as he held the wheel. "I'll have to get in touch with David some time soon. Maybe get him to change out the seat. It seems ridiculous to ask of him, but who knows what all he built into this one. The last thing I want is to get some poor soul hurt because they triggered an ejector seat, or lasers, or both."
"David? As in David Shield?" Izuku roused himself, curiosity piqued. "I remember reading about him while I was researching your time in the states. He's the one who developed most of your suits, right? And, now that I think about it, he did make you another vehicle at some point…"
All Might let out a sharp laugh. "Oh! The Allmobile! I haven't thought about that thing in… goodness, I don't know how long. David certainly had a dramatic streak." He paused, then shot a look into the rear view mirror again. "Yes, Torino. I'm aware. Anyway, after about a year using it, he realized it was a bit too much form to go with all the functions, and started working on more discrete models. This isn't one of them, but he did soup it up for me before I returned to Japan as a going away gift. Something about how it needed to be under a certain threshold, otherwise the government would refuse to let it through customs."
"That makes sense." Izuku hummed. "Kind of a shame, though. From what I remember, his support tech was incredible. Even back then, some of his work was as good as modern equipment."
All Might smirked. "And that was only the public facing stuff. Some of his more subtle inventions…" He gave a sharp whistle as he leaned back. "Really superb stuff. My strength outpaced most of the materials he could source about halfway through my time in America, so the equipment I could keep on my person mostly shrunk down to my suit and my phone. Even then, the phones he made usually only last me about a month before I slam into something too hard, or I make a shockwave just a bit too big, and some of the internal components break. It's something you'll have to deal with eventually."
"Given my phone didn't even survive the fight with Stain, I can definitely see how that would be a problem…" Izuku said. "What was some of the old support equipment you used to use? I remember a little about it, but your gear never got as much attention as things like the Allmobile."
"In terms of what I carried on my person? Not much. There were the collapsible handcuffs. Those were the first to go, unfortunately. The mechanisms were too fragile. They were great while they lasted though, I'm still not sure why they didn't catch on for more low level heroics…"
The rest of the drive seemed to fly by. The opportunity to have All Might talk about some of his old gear, which branched out into his perspective on old fights, was like a dream come true for Izuku. It wasn't until they were nearly at their destination that he finally realized what that destination was.
"Wait. Wait wait wait. Are we going to Might Tower?" Izuku asked, exhaustion nearly forgotten in favor of sheer excitement. He pressed his hands and face to the window in a vain attempt to get a better look at the colossal structure and the double ringed planet atop it. "I thought we were going back to Torino's apartment!"
All Might huffed. "No offense to Torino, but I think this will be a much better place for the discussion at hand. Also…" He stifled a yawn of his own. "It's closer, and aside from a power nap while I waited in the car, I've been going for about 28 hours now. I don't think I'd be up to the trip back to Yamanashi by car at this point, and I'm certainly not letting Torino drive."
Torino slammed a foot into the back of All Might's seat, then continued snoring.
"Why on earth have you been awake that long?" Izuku asked, stunned. "You said your time limit was down to 50 minutes, right? Surely you had to rest to recoup some of it at some point."
All Might coughed into his hand. "I've… never been good at resting while people are in trouble. I paced myself most of yesterday, but I was still out of time and back at UA when I heard about what was happening in Hosu. Once I was back in Tokyo, you'd already managed to take down Stain, but the city was still in chaos. I spent the night helping organize a response with my staff, then making appearances with what little time I recovered." All Might sighed, downcast. "It wasn't much, just a few quick takedowns, but at least it made it clear that I was there. That knowledge probably did more to help than the crimes I personally stopped."
Izuku had seen All Might in a funk before, but something about it felt different this time. He could understand some of that sadness, more than he could before. 'Maybe it's because of what I went through last night?' Izuku pondered, guilt swelling up once again. 'That horrible feeling of knowing I had power, and far more of it than I was using, but I still couldn't change anything for Doctor Kinenkō. Waiting for the ambulance to arrive so Iida could get help, and just having to hope Kinenkō's Quirk would be enough.'
Izuku was pulled from his increasingly morose thoughts as All Might reached forward towards the dash, hesitated briefly, then poked a black button. Quickly, the windows of the vehicle dimmed until they were probably at the edge of the legal limits. Moments later, All Might turned the car down a side street next to the tower, then into the parking garage built into one side. The shift in the sound as they entered the structure was enough to wake Torino, much to his displeasure.
"This is bullshit." Torino groaned. "The past 12 hours of being awake drag like nothing else, but the moment I go to sleep? Bam. Half an hour in an eyeblink."
All Might grunted in response as he navigated his way through the lot. Eventually, he stopped in front of a metal door. After a moment, a light flashed green, and the door slid to the side to reveal a cylindrical, metallic room, which the car slowly rolled into before All Might shut it down. With a low hum, the room began to rise.
"A car elevator?" Izuku murmured.
"I may have allowed myself to indulge a bit while I was having this building expanded." All Might agreed. "It ended up coming in very handy, after my injury."
For a short while, the only sound was that of the elevator. Then, with a ding, the walls of the room retreated into the floor, leaving the car in the center of a large room. The space was mostly simple, with comfortable looking furniture, some plants, framed pictures of All Might in various poses and places, and a few closed doors.
Two walls, however, were outliers. The first Izuku noticed was completely dominated by a display case packed with countless objects. While Izuku couldn't pick out many of them at this distance, he could clearly see an american flag, some kind of eagle statue, and a massive gold trimmed cowboy hat. The backdrop of the case seemed to be various magazines, most of which Izuku could identify as having All Might on the cover. The other wall was dominated by a massive metal blast door, with the same crest as appeared on many of All Might's suits.
Izuku blinked. Then blinked again.
"We're behind the Might Gate?" Izuku whispered, awed.
All Might smiled. "Of course! Sure, I don't let too many people back here, but you're my successor. If anyone should have the clearance, it's you." All Might bit back a yawn, then quickly glanced at the time. "I'll go grab us some lunch from the cafeteria. Let me know what you'd like, then go ahead and take a look around. I'm sure you're curious."
He was. Oh, how he was. The moment All Might shuffled off through a side door, which he said connected to the office of 'Secretary Manager Toshinori Yagi', Izuku started exploring. Torino simply chuckled at him from his spot on the couch, valiantly fighting off sleep as he waited for All Might to return with his food.
Izuku found a variety of things. A trophy room that he might have spent a bit too long looking through, a long disused meeting room, a living room with couches and a truly massive tv, bedrooms, servers, and a bathroom bigger than his bedroom at home. The last door, however, was the room Izuku guessed he'd be spending most of his time behind.
To call it a gym would be like calling a primordial rainforest a garden. When he'd first seen the exercise rooms at UA, he'd thought he struck the motherlode. After most of a year exercising and working out by cleaning a beach, access to such a vast number of tools designed to help build up his body had been a godsend. This, however, dwarfed even UA's many options.
'I don't even know half of these things are meant to make me work out. That one just looks like some kind of medevil torture device.' Izuku thought as his eyes drifted over the maze of machines. Part of him was intimidated. Another part grew even more exhausted than he already was. The rest was elated at the prospect of further improving his body, and hopefully with it, his grasp on One for All.
Behind him, he heard a door close, then the smell of food drew his attention from the exercise equipment. 'Food first.' Izuku decided. 'Destroy myself later.'