Chapter 20 I-Isiand dreamers
"Son?" came a voice that echoed around in the darkness that Hisashi floated in. "Son? Are you with us? Is he still breathing?"
Slowly, Hisashi opened his eyes seeing the relieved faces of the paramedics standing above him while the rest of the world seemed to suddenly crash all around him. The sound of sirens blaring, heroes shouting to back away from the building, and the roar of fire as a building fell apart. But, more importantly, it was what he felt on his person: arms. Despite the clothing he was wearing, he could feel just how slender and wrinkled they both were as they wrapped around his chest from both sides.
"Come on, let's get you up," said the paramedic gently, pulling Hisashi to his feet. Swaying on unsteady legs, Hisashi realized he was still in his high school uniform as the other man took him to an ambulance parked in the street. The black, Aldera High uniform was unbuttoned showing off a single word for all to see: killer. As the pair walked, Hisashi's feet kicking against large bottles of sake, beer, and even whisky, he could see that the streets were packed. Classmates he barely recognized due to how rarely he ever went to that place, the people who he bribed to get the alcohol and cigarettes, the slightly older women he partied with, and so much more. But they weren't there to watch the building behind him as it burned. Instead, their eyes were fixed on him with a look of disgust.
When they reached the ambulance, Hisashi could see it was a bit larger than normal. Inside there were three beds with only the middle one being empty. The other two had sheets covering the bodies. The teen wanted to shake his head, not willing to look at the consequences of his actions. But he couldn't, just being led obediently into the vehicle before being positioned to sit down.
"You're going to be alright," said the paramedic, smiling. "You're alive after all."
Before Hisashi could say anything to that, the sheets on the beds next to him began to stir drawing his attention. Rapidly he looked between them over and over as the paramedic seemed to have vanished. In fact, all the heroes and firefighters that had been putting out the flames disappeared as well leaving the flames to spread from building to building, consuming everything while encroaching towards him. But, when the sheet of the person on his right was removed, everything became as silent as the grave. Sitting straight up was a man who, for as long as Hisashi knew him, had a bad hunch. The elderly man was bald with thin eyes and wrinkled skin, wearing a button-up shirt that had several burn marks on it.
"Why Hisashi?" asked his Grandfather, tone dripping with disapproval. "Why did you do this?"
"No," gasped Hisashi. "I didn't…It was…"
"After all we did for you," came another voice, one belonging to an elderly woman. Panting heavily with fear, Hisashi looked around to see a woman who was also sitting straight up when she should have a hunch. There was smoke rising from her grey hair when it shouldn't, and the pleading eyes on her wrinkled and liver-spotted face were looking at him. "Did you really resent us so much that you would kill us?"
"NO!" yelled Hisashi, curling up into a ball as he sat there on the bed with his hands on his head. He could feel the tears running down his face, wishing this would stop. But this was his sin. One of many he had occurred during his lifetime.
Then came the scream of a young boy, one that was familiar to Hisashi. He looked up in time to see it. There in the flames that now surrounded the ambulance was a boy, stumbling towards the vehicle with his arms outstretched. Like doing so would help him reach the safety of an area without any flames sooner. Only, he was too far away. Hisashi could see the flames consuming him like the boy was made of paper. Somehow he managed to fling himself off the bed, reaching out with both hands while hoping he could do it. That he could save this child. However, just as the boy's fingers exited the flames they turned into ash. As did the rest of the boy, screaming one last time for his uncle to save him.
"No, no, no," whispered Hisashi as he tried to find some of the ash. Anything of the little boy that could be salvaged. Oh Kami, how could he face the boy's mother? Or the boy's-
"I was wrong to entrust my son to a worthless screw-up like you!" came a bellowing voice as a figure rose from the flames. Large, muscular, and imposing it looked down at him with the fury of an angry god.
Then, Hisashi heard the sound he dreaded the most as everything else went silent and dark. He didn't want to, but he turned around as he realized he was back in the dark void. While everything else seemed to have vanished, he saw his wife sitting there on an old fold-out chair with a beam of light seeming to focus on her and her alone. She sat there, looking exactly the same as she did when he last saw her with tears in her eyes. Then, she looked at him.
"You ruin everything you touch," cried his wife before a new fit of tears washed over her.
"Inko," cried Hisashi as he spun around, still on all fours. He began to crawl over to her quickly, but before he could move he found something shattered before him. Or, rather, someone. Before Hisashi was a sight that made his blood run cold while all color left his features. It was his four-year-old son, holding the same vacant expression he had on his face back when he had seen him the day he was discovered to be quirkless, laying there shattered into pieces like a broken porcelain doll. With trembling hands, the Hisashi tried to fix his son as the years returned to him. But no matter what the man now did, the pieces just continued to shatter every time he touched them. Breaking his only son more and more.
"Why did you do this to me daddy?" asked Izuku. "Why did I have to suffer because of what you did?"
With a start, Hisashi bolted up from his seat on the plane. He could feel the sweat on his body sticking to the cheap-ass suit he wore, nearly drenching it as he took in large gulps of air to calm himself down. As he did, a trembling hand went up to reach for his hair where his fingers then combed through the messy black locks that, despite being a little damp, were unruly. A moment later, he leaned back into his chair, feeling his ponytail pressing against the back of his neck as well as feeling a familiar pair of annoyed eyes on him
Without turning his head, Hisashi looked over at the woman who was his traveling partner for this trip: Ms. Pan. The woman had long, black braided hair that went down her back with the same amount of volume to it as a certain Disney Princess. Fair-skinned, green-eyed, and with a modest chest hidden underneath her business suit, most people would have been envious that a scruffy man like his was with such an attractive woman. Well, in his opinion, she would have been more attractive without the permanent scowl on her face as well as the look of judgment her eyes always seemed to hold.
"What is with you?" hissed Ms. Pan, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she looked the older man over. "Are you drunk?" Oh, and how could he forget her winning personality. Though to be fair, for most people in their line of work empathy was the first to go. Hisashi had seen it many times, people who started out in the same position as both himself and Ms. Pan doing their best to stay positive, only to have their orders crush them so that the company could make money. The only way you could keep going was to steel your heart. But, even when you left the field and returned to the office, you had to keep it up as you wrote your report before talking to the higher-ups. Day after day, it would continue like this until the barrier around your ability to feel compassion was solid and unbreakable. Some managed to get out of the business before this happened while others somehow managed to drown their sorrows with cheap beer. Hisashi was one of the few people who managed to keep his feelings without the need for liquor.
Ms. Pan, on the other hand, had been like this since the day they met. So he didn't mind screwing up her life nearly as much as he would anyone else.
"I don't drink," said Hisashi as he placed the palms of his hands on his face, running them down slowly. Though he could still feel his hands trembling when they touched his slightly clammy skin. Thankfully, he had enough experience with these nightmares to know that it would pass. "Haven't touched the stuff in years. Just a bad dream."
Ms. Pan looked at him for a moment longer before leaning back onto her seat. "Whatever," she grumbled before focusing her attention on the seat in front of her. "I can't believe this. My first major assignment, a chance to finally prove myself and work my way up, and I got stuck with you as a babysitter."
Hisashi, despite how he was feeling, laughed at that statement which drew the ire of the woman next to him once more. "You really think that they would send a rookie like you to something as big as this alone?" asked Hisashi. "With the amount of money that Abysswell has riding on the line if something goes wrong, he's going to want to cover all his bases. And if something does go wrong, you're going to want all the help you can get. Trust me, the people we are dealing with can put up walls pretty fast so every second will count."
"Dear god," groaned Pan, pressing her head back against the headrest before glaring at the man coldly. "Are you even listening to yourself? You're acting like this is the same as that case in New York where everything was blowing up every five fucking seconds! We are going to the most secure place on the damn planet. Kutless said it himself before we left, it's an easy job. We go in, meet with a few people, and do a once over, and the for the rest of the even we just stand around. Over and done with."
Hisashi frowned at the mention of the man. "Kutless lost the company forty billion two years ago because he wasn't paying attention," said the man, earning an increasingly annoyed look from Ms. Pan. Hisashi and Mike Kutless had never been called friends, despite the amount of time they had been assigned to work together. The two of them knew they were good at what they did for the company, though Kutless was the more aggressive of the two. The man never stepped out of line or done anything that would have gotten the company into trouble, but it was his approach to things that made it difficult for others to work with him save Hisashi. It was for that reason that Kutless had been promoted before Hisashi, getting an office on the top floor of headquarters right across from their boss.
Then it all came crashing down in a single night. On paper, everything had seemed fine. Like Ms. Pan had said, it was supposed to be an easy job. One that both he and Hisashi had done together a dozen or so times at that location without so much of as a hiccup. Because of that, Kutless went through the motions believing again that it would be a walk in the park. Only, less than an hour into the party, disaster struck. Normally, what happened wouldn't have cost Kutless that much. However, when the full investigation was completed, it was discovered that the reason things turned out the way they did was because of some faulty security that Kutless had signed off on. If it hadn't been for that, the company wouldn't have lost all that money. In the end, Kutless was thankful to still be employed though now at a position far lower than Hisashi.
"This is different. We're going to I-Island," countered Ms. Pan. "One of the most secure places on the planet. Not a single incident since its creation."
"There's a first time for everything," stated Hisashi. Ms. Pan, looking annoyed, opened her mouth to speak but Hisashi cut her off. "Look, the higher-ups are getting nervous. Villain attacks are on the rise everywhere. Last week, Miss Drop robbed a maximum security truck while it was en route while also causing a fifty-car pileup."
"I remember," groaned Ms. Pan. "We lost so much money out of that." Hisashi did his best not to glare at her as there were over ninety deaths from that ordeal in Michigan. Including the driver of the truck whom Hisashi knew personally. Just another life that died because he was friends with.
"The point," Hisashi said instead. "Is that Miss Drop is not known for committing that degree of mass murder, intentional or not. Then there was the case in New York that you yourself brought up. Didn't you find it strange that there was that much destruction?"
"Other than the slight headache I got from all the explosions and people screaming, not really," replied Ms. Pan. "I just figured it was a day that ended in 'y'."
"You have a real heart of gold, don't you," said a deadpanned Hisashi.
"If I did, then I would have cut it out of my chest and sold it," replied Ms. Pan.
"Anyways," continued Hisashi as he shook his head briefly. "There have been a lot of incidents lately. Not just in the U.S.A. but around the world. Take the whole U.A. incidents. Not only was their gate destroyed but villains attacked the students on campus grounds. Villains are becoming bolder which means we need to up our game as well." The man then sighed. "Look, odds are nothing is going to happen. You'll be stuck with this middle-aged man for a few days with us sitting on our hands doing nothing and then we can go back to get our next assignment. But if something does happen-"
"Then we can handle it and demand a promotion," interrupted Ms. Pan before licking her lips. "Oh, if something does happen, I hope someone dies. Then, at the very least, we can demand a raise due to the increased risk of death that we face."
"…Right," replied Hisashi slowly, scooting in his seat to put just a little more distance between him and this woman. "Anyways, we'll be there for a couple of days. Hopefully whatever event this is won't be a complete snooze-fest."
Upon hearing that, Ms. Pan turned to look at Hisashi in confusion. "Are you sure you're not drunk?" she asked. "It's the I-Island Expo. I thought that's why you signed up for it."
"No, I'm sure it's not…" began Hisashi before the color began to slowly drain from his face. After a moment or two, all he could do was stare at the seat in front of him with his mouth hanging open while Ms. Pan just shrugged it off. All the man could think of was that he was going to the I-Island Expo. The same place his son was. But…no, he had to have gotten the dates wrong. He had been in a rush, signing up for any job just to give himself a good cover. Maybe there was another Expo or something. There was no way he would have screwed up that badly. From there, Hisashi Midoriya spiraled into a never-ending torrent of denial that there was no way this happening.
-x-
At the same time, Class 1-A found themselves sitting in their classroom over the weekend with the sun just starting to peak over the horizon. Most of the students there looked rather sleepy, some seeming ready to nod off as they sat there in the silence. But none of them dared to do so as Aizawa just stood there, watching them with a silent fury. What made the whole thing worse was that his sleeping bag was nowhere to be seen.
Then, seemingly at random, Aizawa spoke.
"Your grades for the week have been finalized, reviewed not just by myself but Principal Nezu and Kan in 1-B as well," stated the man, his tone icy. "The original plan was to have all of these emailed to you, however, due to your pitiful performance I felt like additional lessons are required before I can send you off to your internships. At least, for the majority of you. Some of you will be allowed to leave once I hand out grades." As he said this last part, Uraraka slowly raised her hand. "Yes, Uraraka?"
"It, ah, feels like a bit of a waste of money," she muttered, slowly lowering her head down. "You know, calling us here and then telling us to leave."
While Aizawa remained stoic on the outside, inwardly he winced as he was aware of the girl's financial situation. And she did bring up a good point which he had not considered in his heated mental state when deciding this.
"To those of you who do not have to be here, in this class, the rest of the facilities will be open to you," Aizawa amended, his voice softer now. "Lunch Rush will be happy to provide you with a free meal as he normally makes far too much for those living on campus. Also, you can make use of the training facilities to get in some additional work before your internships begin. Hopefully, to those this applies to, it will make up for the inconvenience." Hearing that, a few people including Uraraka perked up. No doubt sensing that there would be a few people who would be leaving. And there would be, just not a lot.
"Yaoyorozu, please step up to the desk," began Aizawa, his icy again. He watched as the rich girl gulped before standing up and making her way shakily towards the dark man. Once she was in front of him, Aizawa handed her several sheets containing all the notes from all the heroes who viewed them along with her final grade. "You failed. Zero."
"What?" gasped Yaoyorozu as she stared at the documents still in Aizawa's hand like they were poisonous snakes ready to strike her at any moment. "T-That can't be right. I've never failed before in my life!"
"You will find that it is correct," stated Aizawa as he forced the papers into Yaoyorozu's trembling hands. "It was determined that, based on how you took the role of leader during the planning phase as well as on the field, your 'agency' took the lead in this project. Thus, the majority of the failure falls on your shoulders. You discounted good ideas from others, split your teams up with no check-in schedule, wasted time and your quirk on those earpieces, failed to secure the villains properly, and so forth. Not to mention how you poorly planned out your plan as a villain." Aizawa then paused for a moment, looking at the girl who was about to cry before him before speaking in a softer tone. "They did praise you in one aspect. You managed to get Bakugo to see reason and keep on task. That's something that a leader needs in this situation. However, the fact is that there were too many solo actors and you were unable to keep them in line. Nor did you show that same resolve within that house, just standing there as Bakugo went on a rampage causing property damage as well as assault."
With tears running down her face, Yaoyorozu nodded briefly before hurrying to her desk. "Mineta, come and collect your papers," said Aizawa, his cold tone now a blizzard as he glared at the teen.
"This sucks," said Mineta as he walked over to collect the grade he knew he failed. "I bet I'm the only one getting in trouble for not noticing that Kaminari was really that freaking monster."
"No," replied Aizawa. "She fooled everyone, playing her role well. You are being marked down for sexually harassing your teammates while on a mission as well as fainting when you realized that Toga was standing next to you. Not to mention the fact that you were suspended for sneaking into the girl's locker room." At that, Mineta could feel the hateful glares of all the girls in the room as phantom pains shot through his body. He had not forgotten everything they had done to him, the bloody heap he had become before the nurse finally healed him.
"Bakugo, come up and receive your zero," snapped Aizawa as Mineta rushed back to his seat. The tired man noticed how Bakugo bristled at the comment, clearly upset that he was at the bottom along with the likes of Mineta. Silently he stood up and walked to the desk at the front of the room before snatching the papers out of Aizawa's hands without demanding to know why. He didn't want his failures aired throughout the room. Knowing that he lost to Deku again was more than enough humiliation.
From there, Aizawa continued to call up his students while announcing their low grades. After Bakugo were Ida, Monoma, and Todoroki. None of them looked pleased as they saw their own zeroes for the exercise, but through gritted teeth, they accepted their fates. After that came the students that were receiving D's. This pretty much included a majority of the class who had either gone along with the plans of the leaders of their groups or just made utterly bad calls. Again, no one said anything as they kept their heads down.
"Kaminari, please come up and receive your C-," said Aizawa, watching as the electrical quirk user jumped.
"Hold on," cried Monoma as he got to his feet as Kaminari walked up to the desk looking as shocked as the rest of the class. "Forgive me if I am wrong, but wasn't he the first person who was taken by the lowly students of 1-B when we played the heroes? The one most humiliated as he ran around the forest naked? Why is he getting a higher grade than us?"
"Yeah!" added Sero as he slammed a fist onto his desk. "He barely did anything."
"That is true," said Aizawa with a nod. "Out of everyone in this class, Kaminari did the least. If the first exercise had been real, once news broke out about the incident, then his hero career would have been over leaving him as the butt of many jokes for many years. Had his grade been solely up to me, I would have given his performance a D-." Upon hearing this, Kaminari's head fell. "With that said, the heroes and the other teachers pointed out that, while he wasn't suited for this environment with his team leaving him behind, Kaminari did try to keep up. And, when he did suspect he was about to be ambushed, rather than trying to face it alone he did call for help while giving out vital information about the villains. Information that went wholly ignored by the lot of you. And, when he was playing the part of a drug dealer, his assistance in keeping the city from noticing the rising power consumption was helpful. So he was bumped up a grade."
"Now for the rest of the students who performed…passably," said Aizawa slowly. "Jiro, Shoji, Tokoyami, and Koda. All four of you received C's." As the trio approached the desk, Aizawa continued to talk as he handed out their papers. The three of you, Jiro, Shoji, and Koda, did a respectable job while searching the area you were ordered to do. However, the fact that an entire area of the zone was ignored and none of you, some of the best trackers in the class, didn't voice this hurt your overall grade. Also, for Jiro and Koda, the damages you took were taken into account though the fact that you did little in that final confrontation did not sit well with me. Tokoyami, while you did go off on your own along with the rest of your team, you were the only one to head back for your teammate."
After all the students had been handed their papers, Aizawa cleared his throat. "Everyone whose name I did not call up, please step forward," he said as a foreboding air filled the room. Uraraka was the first to stand, looking terrified as she moved up to the front of the room while hugging herself. At the same time, Ashido stood up seeming nervous but not to the same extent as Uraraka. Just scratching the back of her head and lightly biting her lower lip. There was one other person who hadn't been called, but he didn't rise. That's because Kirishima was not in class, something that bothered Aizawa since All Might had been the one to pull the strings preventing the teen from being here. But, in the end, it wasn't worth getting too angry about.
"Uraraka. Ashido," said Aizawa firmly as the girls stood before him. "Congratulations. You both got the highest score in the class: B." At once, all the tension left the girls as they let out a breath that neither of them had realized they were holding. Nearly falling onto their knees, they looked at each other with happy smiles.
"What the fuck is this?!?" demanded Bakugo, standing while slamming both palms onto his desk. An action that caused dark smoke to escape. "How come the two most useless people in the class, who barely fought anyone, get the highest grade?" The teen then pointed to Uraraka while veins appeared around his temples. "Especially her! She was so useless that she got captured! At least Raccoon Eyes managed to keep herself from being captured in their own prison transport!" This earned a few murmurs of agreement from some of the class, most notably the ones who had also been captured and placed in their own police van.
"I see you don't remember what the heroes said," replied Aizawa flatly, though the tone caused many to flinch. "Very well, I shall explain it once more. Uraraka was the one who suggested that the heroes check the permits, bringing her own background into the discussion. Ashido was one of the few who agreed with her. Had the class followed Uraraka's advice then you could have narrowed your focus in that exercise greatly as you would have been able to save time walking around blindly and guessing. They also insisted on checking in with the rest of the group before entering an unknown area which had the potential of being a villain hideout. Had something gone wrong, like a landslide that trapped them or someone had gotten seriously injured, the rest of the 'heroes' would have known where to look. In short, they took this exercise seriously and did not allow their egos to cloud their judgment. Nor did they passively follow utterly incompetent leadership like others." At that, a few members of the class lowered their heads in shame.
"A prime example of that was when Ashido challenged Yaoyorozu's decision not to send people to look for the missing team," continued Aizawa. "Even going as far as to work with someone she disliked, just to make sure that her allies were ok or to see if they would stumble across the villain's true hideout. While she was, in the end, incorrect with her assessment, this was the correct choice that ended up saving the lives of several heroes. Another happened during the second exercise when you were all playing the villains. Uraraka tried to tell Yaoyorozu that nighttime construction was a bad idea as it would wake up the neighborhood and draw suspicion on them. That as well as pointing out that allowing the one person in class who has a unique accent to answer the door was a bad move."
Hearing that, Bakugo growled as he took his seat while still fuming in rage.
"So, with that said, both Uraraka and Ashido will be allowed to leave and make use of the school's facilities if they desire. That or go home for the rest of the weekend," finished Aizawa. As the girls quickly thanked them, heading back to their desks with the papers to gather their things, the man addressed the rest of the class. "As for the rest of you, this weekend will be dedicated to supplementary lessons that I will be in charge of. We will be going over every single thing you did wrong in great detail. This is the only way most of you will be able to bump your grade up before the finals." Upon hearing this, several students looked like their souls were trying to escape…only to have Aizawa glare at them forcing them to return to their physical bodies.
And, after Uraraka and Ashido left the class, Aizawa began.
-x-
Izuku flew through the air, the light blue wings of Divine Dividing spread somewhat larger than normal. However, the teen barely paid it any mind as he soared through the pillowy valleys of clouds that took on familiar forms. The first he saw was a cloud bust of Itsuka, smiling at him as her ponytail seemed to stretch on far past his field of vision. After passing by clouds shaped like the girl's parents, Izuku flew over the horns of Pony as her cloudy bust looked up at him with a bright and cheerful smile on her face. From there, he could see all his classmates looking excited with their expressions frozen in whites and grays while Vlad King was frozen as he gave Izuku a thumbs up. But the image that caught his attention belonged to Toga, who grinned widely at his showing off her lovely fangs. And he almost laughed when he saw Shinso's cloud, looking at her with a nervous expression as he floated off to the side.
As he came across a cloud with the features belonging to Melissa Shield, looking excited to see him, things began to change. Wind began to pick up, so much so that Izuku felt the need to raise an arm in order to shield his face. With narrowed eyes, he began to search for some danger lurking closer to him. Yet, as the seconds ticked by, nothing seemed to happen, and the warmth he had felt only seemed to increase.
Not wanting to be buffeted by the winds any longer than need be, Izuku shot downward to a city below. In what felt like the blink of an eye he landed in a small street, one that felt…familiar to him. For a moment or two the teen looked around as he tried to figure out where he was and why everything looked so familiar. Then, before he could move too far from where he landed, Izuku saw a sight that caused his eyes to widen.
"Young man, you can become a hero," said All Might from across the street. But the man wasn't looking at him. At least, not really. Instead, the mighty mountain of muscles held his gaze on another Izuku before him. An Izuku Midoriya who was still wearing his old Aldera Middle School uniform, looking like there wasn't a single defined muscle on his skinny frame.
As Dream Midoriya fell to his knees, crying in joy that the person he admired most would say that to him, the current Izuku just stood there while keeping his eyes on his former self. A part of him understood what he was seeing: a former dream. Maybe this was the last one he had before Itsuka encouraged him to stop imitating the man's fighting style. Asking if he really hated himself that much. And, as he looked at the Dream Midoriya, the Divine Divider realized just how far he had come. Honestly, hearing those words where nice but they didn't hold the same weight now. Not after having Mr. Kendo telling him that he deserved a chance. Not after hearing Mellissa telling him that he had become her hero.
Yeah, he had grown up a little.
Then, suddenly, Izuku found himself in place of his former self. Confused, he looked around trying to figure out what was going on…or, at least, he tried to. Yet for some reason, his head refused to move and his eyes would not stop staring at Dream Might. Speaking of the man, Izuku saw him pluck a hair out from his head.
"Now EAT THIS!" said Dream Might so loudly that buildings crumbled, his hand shooting towards the teen's mouth shoving the hair into the back of his throat.
Izuku then opened his eyes, finding himself staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling with the taste of hair still in his mouth. He tried to raise his arms to remove the strand off his tongue, only to realize he couldn't. In fact, now that he was awake, he could feel there was some weight on them. Confused by the waking world, Izuku turned his head to the side. And what he saw caused him to freeze, his eyes bulging while a cold sweat formed across his body.
Instantly, memories of the previous night returned to him. How he and the girls had been asked to share a room that practically screamed 'Love Motel'. Taking up the majority of the room was a large, heart-shaped bed with red sheets. By Izuku's admittedly creepy estimations, you could fit five All Might's on the bed and still have some room to move around! Next to the bed was a hot tub that was fitted into the ground, which had seating only on one side to allow its occupants to stare out the window at the island's city below. Across from the bed was a wall made of glass bricks which, thankfully distorted the images of things happening on the other side making it only possible to detect movement. Which was a good thing because that other side was the bathroom! There was also a dresser which no one except Toga had been brave enough to open. And judging by how red her face became as she slowly closed it, no one would.
Honestly, seeing all this made Izuku glad that he hadn't brought his mother to I-Island because he would have died just standing in this room with her.
Thankfully, after they had finished examining the room, Itsuka clapped her hands to begin taking charge of the situation. Everyone turned to look at the orange-haired girl, Izuku doing his best to focus on her and tune out Albion's constant wail of 'NO!'.
"Ok, I know this situation isn't…ideal," began Itsuka, her cheeks tinting red as she spoke.
"Speak for yourself," said Toga, her face still red from what she saw in the dresser but her smile had returned. And he might have been mistaken, but Izuku thought he saw Toga glance over in his direction as she said that while lightly licking her lips.
"But," continued Itsuka, her blush growing a bit. "This is the hand we have been dealt. We are all mature U.A. students and I believe we can make this work. So, how about we do our best to ignore all…this." At that point, she gestured to the room. "We'll get changed, go to bed, and rise early so we can see everything the expo has to offer."
One by one, everyone nodded. Including Toga. From there, Itsuka laid out how this would work. The girls would go into the bathroom first to get ready for bed while Izuku sat there looking away from the glass wall. This was done to ensure maximum privacy for them. Then, once all the girls had finished, Izuku would get changed and from there they would decide their sleeping arrangements.
So, for several minutes, Izuku sat on his knees while on the massive bed doing his best to ignore everything happening in the room. Though, for some reason, his senses seemed to have heightened all on their own. Especially his hearing. He didn't understand why, but he could hear their clothes sliding off their bodies before landing onto the floor. Or maybe he was just imagining it? Was that the reason why he could almost imagine what was going on, only to then shake his head to chase out the images before they showed him something he wasn't ready to see? Was there something wrong with him?
Because of his newly heightened senses, he could hear someone approaching him from behind. So, when he felt soft hands on his shoulders, he didn't jump like he normally would have. Instead, he turned around to see Toga right behind him wearing something he never really expected of her. All in all, it looked like an oversized red shirt. So much so that she looked like she was practically swimming in it, with long sleeves that went past her fingers. It was also long enough to cover the short shorts she was wearing. That is if she was wearing short-shorts that is thought Izuku feared that might not be the case.
After taking all this in, Izuku noticed that both Pony and Itsuka were coming out of the doorless entrance to the bathroom (adding another reason he was glad his mom was back in Japan). Both girls were wearing sleepwear that Izuku would have expected from them. Pony was wearing a neon blue top with spaghetti straps, leaving her arms and the majority of her shoulders bare. Along with that, she wore a matching pair of short-shorts. As for Itsuka, she was wearing an old t-shirt along with black and white checkered pajama pants.
Now that all the girls were out, and promising to keep Toga in check, Izuku quickly went into the bathroom to get changed. As he slipped into a t-shirt and fresh boxers, he did his best not to stare at some of the more unusual items in the bathroom. Most of them attached to the tub, putting a wrinkle in a plan he had considered. The idea was to have him sleep in the tub, allowing the girls to use the bed. But after seeing items that made him question the sanity of whoever designed this room, he doubted he could sleep knowing they were near him. Maybe he could sleep in the hot tub or on the floor?
Thankfully, Itsuka was still on top of things.
"Izuku, there's no way we are making you sleep anywhere but the bed," said Itsuka firmly as Izuku left the bathroom, cutting him off just as he opened his mouth to make his suggestion. Clearly, she knew him well enough to know what he had been thinking. "This…room, is something you earned. None of us would be here if not for you and, because you have all those events to go to in the morning, you'll need a good night's sleep."
"But what about all of you?" asked Izuku as he gestured to the large amount of area the bed took up. "Where are all of you going to sleep?"
"Well, I have an idea," began Itsuka as a blush dusted her cheeks. "The bed is big enough for all four of us. So, ah, I was thinking that we could just sleep together. And to make sure everyone is comfortable with this arrangement, Izuku will sleep on top of the comforter while the rest of us sleep under. That way there will be some sort of barrier making this less awkward."
"I have no problems with this," said Pony, looking away from Izuku as her cheeks reddened slightly.
"Ah, but I wanted cuddles with Izu!" cried Toga.
Now, back in the present, Izuku trembled at what he saw next to him. Itsuka, who had been sleeping to his right, had somehow during the middle of the night, had moved out from the comforter. Now she lay next to her green-haired friend, wrapping her arms around his upper waist and her legs pinning down one of his with her forehead pressed against his temple. The teen also noted that some of Itsuka's hair had been flung over to his mouth with some of it entering his mouth and, more than likely, influencing his dream at the end. Like this, Izuku could feel two things of note. The first was that her chest was pressing against his arm, making it next to impossible for him not to note how soft and warm it was. The other was that her body was pinning an arm down. The bottom of her shirt had been hiked up and his arm had wrapped itself around her waist as if to keep her as close as possible to him.
But, as Izuku continued to awaken, he took notice of something else. There was hair in his left hand. Turning his head to his other side, Izuku's expression became doubly shocked to the point where he thought his eyes were going to pop out! On his left side was Pony, her arms wrapping around his lower section as she clung to him. Her sleeping blouse had ridden up more than Itsuka's, showing off nearly all of her stomach. However, he quickly came to realize what he held in his hand: Pony's tail! It felt like he had been running his fingers through the locks of her tail hairs during the night, taking in how soft they were.
Movement caught his attention at the foot of the bed. As if fearing how things could get any worse, he turned and saw Toga. Surprisingly, she was up having gotten a bottle of water while looking like she was still doing her best to fully wake up. While in the middle of unscrewing the top, she seemed to have noticed Izuku staring at her and turned to look at the scene she would have otherwise missed. For several long seconds, the two just stared at each other with Izuku sending mental messages at the blonde bloodsucker to help him get out of this mess without waking the others. Then, slowly, a Cheshire grin crept onto Himiko's face before giving him a thumbs up.
"Izuku?" came a whisper right next to him. Slowly, Izuku turned his head to where the whisper came from. There he found Pony, wide awake with her eyes wider than normal and her large blue orbs noticeably smaller while her face was red hot with embarrassment.
'What are you doing?' shouted Albion within Izuku's head, sounding extra panicked now. 'Just don't lie there staring into her eyes like that! You got to get yourself out of this situation before it's too late!'
'But what am I supposed to do Albion?' shouted Izuku in clear panic. 'It's too late to try and pretend none of this happened. I'm pretty sure she can feel my hand on her tail. Oh god, she probably hates it! Just look at her face right now! I can't just pull away.'
'Fine,' said Albion sounding a bit calmer and in control. 'Just say anything.'
'Anything?' Izuku mentally shouted in surprise.
'ANYTHING!' roared Albion, the control he had fading as his words sounded desperate. 'Just say it with confidence.'
'O-Ok,' whispered Izuku as he focused in on Pony, who looked like she was also gathering the courage to say something. However, she did not seem to have any ancient dragon spirits helping her which no doubt made this more difficult. So, after gulping, Izuku said the very first thing that came to mind with all the confidence he could muster.
"You have a nice tail," he said, his voice coming out smoother than he felt. "I've always wondered what it felt like. It's nice and soft." At that, the red on Pony's face reached a new level of red that no man had ever seen before as her eyes rolled to the back of her head.
'YOU FOOL!' screamed Albion as he began to sob. 'YOU'VE DOOMED US BOTH!'
'No!' cried Izuku. 'Did I make it worse? Oh no, she's going to hate me for that! She's going to think I'm some sort of freak and will never speak to me again. I should have thought of something better to say.'
'No,' sobbed Albion as he seemed to retreat further back into Izuku's mind and soul. 'It's far worse than that. You fool. You absolute fool.'
Meanwhile, in Pony's mind…
'He likes my tail,' thought Pony in a dreamy tone as hearts began fluttering around her very soul.
-x-
A short while later found Izuku racing out of the room, all but slamming the door closed before placing his back against it as he began to pant. The events that followed after Pony woke up were nothing but a blur to him at this point. He recalled Itsuka shaking Pony to get her to snap out of it, Himiko asking if she could trade places with Itsuka tonight, and him getting dressed into his hero costume. That's it.
For a moment, Izuku stood there doing his best to catch his breath as he wondered how he was going to patch things up with Pony until a sound caught his attention. It was music coming down the hall, the unmistakable sound of a saxophone playing solo in a sad melody. As Izuku pushed himself off the door, the howl of a wolf was added to the mix. If Midoriya had to give an image to the sound, it was like the wolf was trying to comfort the sadness that filled the air. Maybe even suggesting that the person playing the saxophone was not alone. The melody just seemed to draw Izuku in, causing him to move closer to the sound without really thinking about it.
Eventually, Izuku found a hallway to his left that no doubt led to other, ah, questionable rooms. But when he turned, the U.A. student found that the music wasn't coming from inside one of these rooms. Rather, it belonged to someone sitting there in the hallway. Someone with a rather interesting appearance.
Sitting there on the floor with its back to the wall was a figure who, at first glance, Izuku could only describe as white. The person's costume, judging by the person's figure and build he assumed it was a male, was one of the whitest whites he had ever seen before in his life. However, that was only at the first glance as the longer Izuku took in the sight the more details he would make out. The first was that this might not be his costume, but rather a result of his quirk as the 'costume' had a rather…fleshy appearance to it. What's more, Izuku noticed that there were a few black veins scattered randomly across the guy's form. The person sat there, his clawed hands clutching a thick, tattered book as he trembled while the music came from a small radio/CD player that looked older than the walkie-talkies his class had used during the exercise this week.
As if sensing movement, the person whipped his head around to stare at Midoriya allowing said teen to see his face. The first thing that Izuku saw that shocked him was his lone eye, swelling as a black ring had formed around it nearly blocking out the brown orb. But, it didn't stay that way for long as the red visor that covered his other eye seemed to grow on top making a sickening fleshy noise that caused the hairs on the back of Izuku's neck to stand on end. Once it finished, Midoriya could see that the visor was made of compound eyes that reminded him of a fly's when they studied them in science. The rest of his features were covered in that white flesh, save for what looked like a plate covering his mouth. It was smooth, less fleshy in appearance with a line going right down the middle.
Clearly panicked, this stranger grabbed his music player with one hand while the other continued to hold the tattered book close to his chest before getting up to race down the hallway. As he did, Izuku reached out while noticing the stranger's cape. He could see the four long, very flexible spikes coming out of the other's shoulders, ending in claws with webbing connecting them.
"Wait," Izuku called, reaching out a hand as he did so. But the other person just ignored him, not even bothering to look back. And, as Izuku stared at the slowly disappearing backside of the stranger, he couldn't help but feel a mounting sense of familiarity with this person. That just by looking at him, he could see that despair was carved into his very soul.
-x-
"I'm sorry you had to waste your time listening to that garbage," grumbled Melissa as she stormed out of the first event of the day, a conference panel, seeming to lead the sea of heroes and scientists who were also exiting the massive conference hall. Standing next to her was Izuku with Toga, Itsuka, and Pony directly behind. Each of them had a different expression on their face. Toga was yawning, having fallen back asleep during the long lecture within the conference room. Itsuka had a look on her face that showed she had paid attention and found it interesting…but only a little. Pony, meanwhile, still had her head down.
"Really, I thought it was very interesting," commented Izuku who had focused on everything that was said. Partly because he feared he might have to step up for some demonstration and didn't want to look like a fool. Partly because he was, in fact, intrigued by what they were talking about. And partly because he didn't want to think about what happened this morning with Pony which would cause him to do or say something that might make the situation extra awkward. "Though I'm a little surprised you didn't like it. Making fully body suits of armor that can help complement quirks or even supply equipment that can mimic other quirks is a fascinating concept. Sort of like what you did."
"Well, you're not entirely wrong," amended Melissa, her anger cooling slightly as she looked over at the green-haired boy. "Most of the armament I'm using is pretty standard stuff: lasers, flamethrowers, and so forth. Nothing close to the levels that they were discussing. The only thing that comes close is the strength modification that I included. It was the only way I could have come up with something like that so quickly."
"So then, what was the problem?" asked Itsuka from behind them.
"It," began Melissa before she seemed to pause. Glancing to the side, she watched as a group of other scientists passed her by before heading into the main plaza where many other heroes, convention goers, and heroes were milling about. She waited another minute or two before speaking again, no doubt not wanting to be overheard and offending them. "The problem I have is the data."
"What's wrong with it?" asked Izuku, pursing his lips as he looked at her. The data collected from the prototype had been on display, showing a fight between an unnamed hero going up against Endeavor of all people who was playing the part of the villain. Under normal circumstances, Izuku knew the fight would have been over and done with quickly. However, thanks to the added benefits of the suit, the unknown hero was able to last far longer than anyone, including Endeavor, thought possible. He still lost, but the unknown hero really made Endeavor work hard for that win.
"It's over eight years old!" exclaimed Melissa throwing up her hands in frustration. "The data is outdated! Yes, Endeavor is a powerful hero. He was then and he still is. But since they are going solely on that information then-"
"It's unreliable," stated Izuku and Itsuka at the same time, realizing what Melissa was getting at.
"Quirks are like a muscle, the more you use them and push them, the stronger they have to potential to become," continued Izuku who felt more in his element at this moment as the others watched on. "Now, Endeavor is older meaning that the amount of progress he could make to his quirk is lower. However, that doesn't mean it is completely zero. There could have been a moment where Endeavor learned a new aspect of his quirk or figured out a new way to make improvements. Like figuring out a new attack or way to use his quick to improve its effectiveness. Something like that could make the difference, especially now that he knows there's a suit out there like that. But there is also the chance that age could be catching up with him. So if we take that into account, then there could be a chance he is weaker now."
"Not to mention that it came from a single instance," continued Itsuka as she brought a hand to her chin. "It's like any other fight out there. Two people squaring off on neutral ground will provide basic information about the other so that when they fight again then they have a better idea on what to expect. However, it's not taking environmental factors into consideration. I remember this one time back in middle school when I had a match against an opponent who was used to fighting in more hilly terrain. The first time I fought him I won, but the second time was on his home ground. I nearly lost because fighting uphill was harder, I almost lost my footing, and he could use the downward momentum to give himself additional power behind his attacks. How well could that suit operate in a forested area? Or a city? Those types of things can drastically alter how a person uses their quirk or how powerful they can be."
"Well, you're both on the right track," stated Melissa with a firm nod. "But neither of you are factoring in newer quirks and their potential. Every generation, quirks are getting stronger. So, let's say that during that time period, someone with a superior fire quirk than Endeavor's came along. Maybe it was hotter or could accomplish feats that Hellfire couldn't do." The blond support tech then shook her head. "Overall, I believe that they should have been collecting more data than just that one instance. I know they talked about the cost and that it would take time to develop the technology that they need, but they'll just be flushing all that down the drain if the suit gets totaled in the first fight! It would be a much smarter idea to make a baseline suit and modify it over time, collecting data from multiple instances and analyzing them. Then, once the old suit cannot be upgraded anymore, a newer one should be created."
Melissa looked like she wanted to continue only to pause thanks to a beeping noise on her wrist. When the I-Island resident heard this, her eyes widened before quickly checking the time. Something that caused her to grow even more panicked.
"Oh no, I'm late," she said as she pulled out what appeared to be a compact disk which then turned into…a pogo stick. As she got onto it, she turned to look at the U.A. students. "I'll be back as soon as I can. There's another VIP I need to meet up with. Midoriya, you'll be participating in an event in a couple of hours. So how about you all use this time to see the sights and have some fun. See you later." With that, Melissa left in a hurry.
-x-
"Izu, look at this!" cried Toga, pointing to one of the weapons in a display case as she seemed to bounce from side to side. As Izuku moved away from looking at a prosthetic arm with a scythe where the hand should have gone, a trophy a hero had collected back from the first generation of heroes in England, he had to admit that he was having a good time with it just being him and Himiko.
After Melissa had bounced away, leaving the teens to their own devices, there had been a general discussion on where to go next. Itsuka was dead set on seeing the vehicle show which included motorcycles, using a tone of voice that said she would be 'upset' if she missed it. However, as most of the heroes were still arriving and things needed to be set up, it wouldn't start until later in the afternoon. Pony saw that there would be a meet and greet with international heroes, wanting to go there in case Stars and Stripes made an appearance. As for Toga, she wanted to see the weapons as she wanted to see all the unique ways to make someone bleed. Purely for inspiration for any costume updates, of course.
However, what sparked some issues was that not everyone wanted to go to these exhibits and panels. So, quickly, it was decided that everyone pair up and could cover more ground. To make things fair, they drew lots to see who would be going with who with Toga winning some one one-on-one time with Izuku at the weapons exhibit while a clearly irritated Itsuka, who was glancing at the straws they used suspiciously, would be checking out some of the shops with Pony.
The weapons exhibit was located in a large, circular metal building close to the plaza. Due to the nature of what was being displayed most of the general public would not be allowed inside. Only heroes, hero students, and members of the scientific community would be the only ones even being allowed a shot at entering. Thankfully, due to them both being U.A. students as well as Izuku's special privileges as a guest of honor, they were allowed in. Though that meant that they, like everyone else going in and out, would have to be screened thoroughly with Toga requiring some additional steps in the private room.
Still, it was all worth it in the end. Even Toga, who was once again rubbing her rump, could not hold back her excitement at what was on display. The weapons exhibit was broken down into three different layers. The ground level, which was where they were currently, proudly displayed weapons collected from former heroes and villains since the dawn of quirks. All of them, from an old chain to the arm guns that were used by a resistance hero named Kudo, were housed behind glass cases with data screens right below them explaining who the weapons belonged to and how they were used in conjunction with the person's quirk. Below them were the weapons that had been created here on I-Island using the latest in cutting-edge technology. Both teens knew that what they had put even the best support companies to shame. Of course, that was the stuff that I-Island was ready to sell to the public. The stuff that was still in the testing phase or was simply too dangerous to put on the market was on the bottom floor.
Back in the present, when Izuku stopped next to Toga to see what she was pointing at his jaw dropped. Before him, locked behind a glass case that no doubt had a thousand sensors on it, was a famous pair of gloves that belonged to France's most notorious assassin villains: The Headhunter. This villainous had a quirk that allowed her to create threads of energy from her fingertips, using her homemade support gloves to help refine that energy so that they became razor-shaped. From what Izuku had read about her in international heroing news, The Headhunter had such fine control that she could wrap her treads around more than a dozen people without them ever knowing about it and slicing them into ribbons in a heartbeat. For six years, she killed over a hundred and fifty of her 'official' targets. This number did not include the number of heroes and sidekicks she killed who tried to capture her. Her rein seemed to have ended a year before Izuku discovered Divine Dividing, stopped by the pro hero: Black Knight. According to the hero, The Headhunter had been cornered and decided to take her own life rather than allow her to be interrogated for information and died in an explosion.
"It's a shame," said Izuku as he looked at the gloves, with their long history of bloodshed and death. "With a quirk like hers, she would have made a great hero. I heard she had the ability to slice through bullets going right through the air or cut through safes that weighed a ton. With the right training, she could have used those threads to remove rubble off pinned civilians or learned how to use them to bind things together. Or she could have been a great doctor, able to make incisions without the need of a scalpel."
As he spoke, Izuku noticed Toga's expression change in the reflection. It went from her excitable features to one more neutral as she slowly looked away from both the glove as well as him.
"Somehow, I don't think anyone ever told her that," said Toga with a sigh. "Maybe she did say at one point she wanted to be a hero, only for everyone else around her to laugh while calling her quirk useless. Or maybe they called her a monster with a villainous quirk, pushing her away from everyone else till she was all alone with the only people willing to accept her being other monsters. It's not like we haven't heard those kinds of stories from."
An uncomfortable air seemed to fall on the pair as they stood there, still looking at the glove. Personally, Izuku felt like kicking himself at that moment for speaking without really thinking. He had two friends now who had been treated like villains all because of their quirks. The first was Shinso who had an admittedly powerful quirk that allowed him so much potential to do good. But he had never been encouraged or held to the same standard that Bakugo had been. Instead, everyone just assumed he would become a villain who just took whatever or whoever he wanted. Then, there was Toga.
"I'm sorry," he muttered, recalling what he knew about her past. Mostly about how her parents felt about her quirk. How they saw her as a monster, forcing her to hide who she really was.
"It's fine," replied Toga. Despite the tone she was using sounding forced, he could see a hint of her smile coming back as she looked at him. "Not everyone is lucky to have a friend like you. I mean, when you heard what I could do and how I did it, you didn't see a monster. You just saw all my potential, all the things that I could do with my quirk. The only other person who ever believed there was good in me was my grandpa. Well, him and my aunts but I don't get to see them all that often."
Izuku frowned a little at that as they moved to the next display, though not really paying attention to it. "What about your friends?" he asked. "The ones you had before, well, you know."
Toga just gave out a bitter laugh. "I don't think I ever had any real friends before coming to U.A.," she said. "I mean, I had people who I called 'friends', but they never knew the real me. Just the mask my quirk suppressionist and parents made me wear." She then let out a sigh. "There were a few times I nearly told them before everything went to hell. I honestly believed that, if I did, they would hold me and tell me everything would be alright. That they would accept me and we'd have one of those moments on TV that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy."
"What stopped you?" asked Izuku, genuinely curious.
"A-A lot of things," replied Toga, sounding more than a little choked up at the moment. "Little comments they made here and there about how some quirks made them feel uncomfortable. How some people were gross. Every time they said stuff like that, it made me wonder how they would react to my quirk. Would they think it was gross too before distancing themselves from me? Or would they call me a monster like my parents?"
"I'm sorry," replied Izuku, not knowing how to respond. Honestly, he felt like he was in that same boat right now. He wanted to tell all his friends and the people he cared about the truth about Divine Dividing. That he didn't have a quirk, but an ancient dragon soul that resided within him. However, the fear of how people would react was what kept him from doing so. The fear of having people laughing at him like they did at middle school for not having a real quirk. The looks of betrayal at not tell them the truth. Yes, there was a chance that everyone would understand and they would judge him based on how he used his powers instead of where they came from. But did he want to take that chance when he was finally happy?
Was this how classic superheroes in fiction felt?
"Hey, don't worry about it," laughed Toga, sounding a lot more like her old self. "When my parents stopped me from seeing grandpa, it was like I was all alone in the dark. And I just sat there in that darkness for the longest time. Then, when I accepted the deal to come to U.A., it was like stars began filling up the sky. Everyone who just accepted me, both my quirk and the way I truly am, became these twinkling, sparkling lights. Some of the brightest have been Itsuka and Pony. Even Vlad King is one despite the way he scolds me from time to time is one." She then looked at Izuku, with a blush on her face. "The only one who isn't a star is you Izuku. To me, you became the moon that first brought light to my world."
Upon hearing that, Izuku felt his face burning until smoke escaped his ears. In a different life, he probably would have fainted yet somehow he managed to remain standing as the pair continued to look through the exhibit. Albeit with Toga now noticeably closer to him, pressing her side against his while shooting him a grin that looked like it said something more than normal.
At the same time, Izuku began to realize something. He had always thought that big speeches or grand acts were the best way to help other people feel better. Especially when you were a hero. However, now he was realizing that he could do that, bringing back their smiles, just by being there. Talking to them like a normal person. Listening to what's on their mind.