Hisashi froze up when his son told him All Might would be giving them hero training once a week from now on. This wasn't decided in the school's planning or curriculum... He knew, he checked it. So this was decided last minute... But with what motive..? Izuku had to be careful around him, making sure not to act suspicious or stand out. Of course that had always been the deal but now Hisashi definitely needed to keep a close eye on his son. Or rather, that damn All Might...
He knew it was his fault his son had to suffer like this right now. He was the man who had blood on his hands, who made the world fear his quirk and who made All Might go on a manhunt. It was his fault that Izuku wasn't able to live carefree and look up to the number one hero like all kids did. His villainous background will always overshadow anything he'll ever be able to accomplish for his family, but that didn't mean he wasn't willing to try and give them the world.
"His presence is...distracting" Izuku mumbled, frowning.
"It's like... I-I can't really explain it..."
"You wanna steal his quirk" Katsuki provided, making their eyes turn to the blonde as he sipped from his juice. Izuku's eyes widened, staring at Kacchan in shock.
"That's what you told me when he spied on us on our first day" he shrugged.
"You can feel it was once yours and you wanna take it back, isn't that it?"
"Yeah... It... It itches, sets me on edge" Izuku mumbled, confirming what Katsuki had said. Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked up at his dad with a desperate look.
"I-is it bad that I w-wanna take his quirk..? A-am I a-a bad person..? It's selfish, i-isn't it?"
"Oh son..." Hisashi whispered, pulling the boy in his arms.
"It's a normal reaction. I-I... I had it as well... Wanting to keep an eye out, control it, manipulate it... Steal it..."
He took a shaky breath and pulled back, forcing a smile for his son.
"You'll learn how to behave yourself and push down that itching urge inside you. I'll teach you some methods I used when I was still in the possession of All For One"
Izuku nodded, wiping his tears away as he tried to get a handle on his emotions. Katsuki sighed, putting his glass down and patting the nerd on the back a few times.
"You're gonna get through this Deku. Just another obstacle you have to overcome, no big deal right?"
"R-right..!" Izuku sniffled, giving him the best smile he could muster right now.
"Good. Anyway, I have to get home, see you tomorrow" Katsuki sighed, waving both Izuku and Hisashi goodbye as he walked past Tenko at the front door.
Tenko was a college student yet he still traveled between uni and home a lot. Dabi did have a dorm so he stayed the night with him sometimes too. His studies were funded by the Midoriya family fund, of course.
"I'm ba- What happened?" he asked, noticing the atmosphere.
"Rough day at school" Izuku mumbled, wiping away a stray tear.
"I-I'm gonna go up to my room for a bit"
Tenko frowned, watching Izuku leave before looking at his dad. Hisashi sighed, leaning against the table.
"It's All Might..." he started before explaining everything to his adoptive son. Meanwhile Izuku drowned himself in hero news, taking notes and researching their quirks and possibilities.
He had a natural curiosity for those things due to All For One and it helped distract him from all the things that were plaguing his mind at the moment. He stumbled across Mirko, the rabbit hero. She was the current number 5 hero and someone Kacchan really looked up to. Izuku could understand why, seeing as they had very similar personalities. Yeah... He remembered the first time Kacchan told him about her.
He didn't have a quirk yet, neither of them had. Katsuki had joked around, saying a bunny quirk would fit Izuku perfectly. Izuku hadn't denied it, going along with it like he always agreed to everything Kacchan told him back then. Izuku wondered if, if he took her quirk, whether or not the fur on the rabbit parts would change colour. They matched her hair and skin tone, but would it adapt to him if he were to use it?
Mutations were always a weird case when talking about quirk transfers...
"Izuku, sweetie, dinner is ready" Inko called from the other side of the door. Huh, had it really been that long already? He must've lost track of time.
...
Rescue training! Something Izuku had been looking forward to. Unfortunately it also involved All Might... He had the feeling their homeroom teacher was tired of the other pro hero as well. Aizawa sensei always looked tired though, but even more so when talking to All Might. His dad helped him get used to this feeling of longing over the course of the week and Izuku had a much better control over himself around that man by now. He still felt the itch, but he was able to ignore it without getting distracted.
"Welcome to the USJ!" Thirteen exclaimed as they arrived at the off-campus training site. There were mumbles about it sounding like Universal Studios Japan before the pro hero continued.
"The Unforeseen Situation Joint! Come along, let's go inside"
People gasped as they saw all the different compartments and cool effects spread out throughout the dome.
Thirteen explained that quirks are only useful if you use them correctly. Quirks can be used to help, to save people, but they can also destroy and kill if you're not careful. It was a warning Izuku grew up with. An unstable quirk like his could be lethal really quickly, certainly when combining several powers and using different quirks at once. Focus is key.
After that the class was split into three groups and placed under the supervision of the three teachers on site. Of course Izuku was put in All Might's group... He was separated from Kacchan too! As well as the few friends he made during the first week of school, Uraraka and Iida. They were all in Aizawa's group.
He sighed, glancing aside at Todoroki. Dabi told him he didn't want to hear about his little brother or whatever he did at school. He separated himself from the Todoroki family a long time ago and he'd rather not be reminded, even if it regarded his siblings. Izuku knew that deep down, Dabi was jealous of his little brother. Shoto was the son Endeavor had always wanted, the perfect prodigy.
Izuku had seen him during their first combat training, when he froze the entire building without breaking a sweat. It was spectacular, to say the least, yet Izuku hadn't seen him use his fire side once. Maybe he'd get to catch a glimpse of that today? They started off in the blizzard zone, where a constant snow storm was simulated. All Might split them up into smaller groups that would go in one at the time.
Their goal was to save a victim that had gotten stuck in the blizzard before they froze to death, this victim being a human ragdoll placed somewhere within the zone. Which meant they had to find and retrieve them before the timer ran out. Izuku was put into a team with Todoroki and Asui for this exercise. Asui was a nice girl and Izuku could see himself getting along with her, but she was a frog, an amphibian.
Cold temperatures weren't ideal for her quirk and extreme temperatures like these could be fatal to her much quicker than Shoto or Izuku. They'd have to be extra careful and make sure she wouldn't get unnecessarily injured.
"Alright! In you go! Your timer starts...now!" All Might exclaimed, the door slamming shut behind them, making Izuku flinch.
There were cameras around this giant freezer so they'd be able to follow their movements from the outside and they all had tracking devices on them as well.
"If we spread out, we'll cover more ground faster" Todoroki stated in a monotone voice.
"No, we should stick together! You could use your flames to keep us warm, right? We'll be able to move around a lot faster with a heat source and Asui's quirk isn't suitable for cold weather so..."
"Call me Tsu" she croaked, now looking at Todoroki.
"I think Midoriya is right. It is safer for us to stay in one group and find the victim together"
Todoroki frowned, but complied nonetheless, using his left side to hold fire in his hand as they walked. It wasn't long before something went wrong though. The blizzard was getting worse and worse and Izuku started to doubt it should actually be this bad.
They had entered the small settlement in the middle of the zone and taken shelter in one of the houses. The snow was building up though and soon enough they'll be snowed in. Hopefully the roof would be able to carry the weight of all that snow or it might collapse on top of them. Tsu was shivering, sticking by Todoroki's side as they settled down for a moment.
"I know this is UA, but isn't this a little...extreme..?" Izuku mumbled, sitting down close to his teammates.
"You're right. This snowstorm has been getting worse for a while now, that shouldn't be happening" Todoroki confirmed, having noticed the same thing.
"I've tried contacting All Might with the communication device we've been given, but it's not working"
"So what should we do? Stay here and wait it out, continue the exercise, try to make it out before we all freeze?" Izuku asked, rubbing his arms. Oh how he wished he had a better isolated costume right about now... But no, because his flexibility and weight were important for the use of his telekinesis quirk! Sure, he had a quirk to keep warm, but his skin would turn bright red. Something his teammates will question, he's quite sure.
"Asui is in bad shape, I would advise against going outside for the time being" Todoroki answered. He was right. Tsuyu wasn't awake anymore, leaning against Shoto's side in a state of what seemed like hibernation. Did frogs hibernate? Izuku wasn't sure... He'd have to look it up when he got back home. It was something Tsu had to watch out for. Maybe a heated costume would be-
Before Izuku could react to Todoroki, he heard the building creak and suddenly the ceiling came down. Izuku was quick to push Todoroki and Asui aside, using his telekinesis to stop the debris from crushing him, yet still getting caved in. Oh this was just his luck, wasn't it?!
"Midoriya!"
"I'm okay!" he yelled back.
"Get out of the wind and keep Asui warm! I'll try using my quirk to free myself! I'll catch up with you as soon as I can, okay?!"
Todoroki wanted to argue, but there was no time to stand around and hesitate. Midoriya was right, he had to find a new shelter in order to keep Asui warm. The snow was falling heavily and the wind cut into his skin, yet why was it expected of him to just leave Midoriya behind? He knew his quirk wasn't suitable to get him out, it was way too unstable. Yet Midoriya should be able to keep warm a little better while covered like that. Yes, he'll be fine until he'd be able to get some help. He had to be.
"Okay! Just...be careful! I'll head directly to the entrance so head there if you get out!"
Izuku thanked the Gods Todoroki didn't linger and he was finally able to use his quirk to warm himself, his skin turning red almost instantly. Alright, now to get out of here... He mentally reviewed his quirks, looking for the most efficient one. Haunting Spirit seemed like a good one. It basically made him a ghost, being able to go intangible and invisible but also being drawn to the biggest source of fear nearby. That's where the whole 'haunting' thing comes from.
Izuku was able to control it to some extent though. Besides it wouldn't be for long and he really needed to get out before this thing collapsed on him or he ran out of oxygen. His skin went from red to transparent and he was able to phase right through the pile of debris and snow, which collapsed the moment he lifted his telekinesis. He wanted to shut down the quirk again, but the feeling of fear emerging around him pulled at him.
He could sense some coming from Todoroki, even though he tried to press it down. There was a lot of fear all around the USJ though, not only in this zone. This shouldn't be happening... What the hell was going on?! Izuku glanced in Todoroki's direction and sighed. 'Sorry guys, I'm going to have to leave you on your own for a little bit...' The cameras wouldn't be able to pick him up in this form and he was almost sure his tracker was smashed when he got caved in, so that signal wasn't going through anymore either.
He floated through the barrier of the blizzard zone, being pulled towards the shipwreck zone. The ship was sinking, like the mechanics are supposed to simulate, but there was something off. Kacchan's group was at this zone right now, he could see the ash blonde standing on the sideline. But there was no sign of Aizawa sensei...
"Kacchan? What's happening right now? Why is everyone so scared?"
The ash blonde blinked, glancing around. He knew about the stupid quirk that allowed Deku to talk directly to someone's mind. So fucking annoying... Meanwhile Izuku's had floated down, now standing next to Kacchan as they both stared at the sinking ship.
"The mechanics are broken, the ship is sinking for real and dunce face and round face are still on it" Katsuki whispered, making sure the others didn't hear him. He knew the nerd was around here somewhere and his mental talk only worked one way.
"Aizawa sensei is on there trying to retrieve them before they go down, but it's been a while"
"The blizzard zone is also malfunctioning... Something if off"
"You're gonna get involved, aren't you?" Katsuki groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I'm sorry Kacchan, I promise I'll try to stay hidden!" Izuku exclaimed, making Katsuki hold his head in pain. Damn nerd! Stop shouting into his fucking brain!
Izuku didn't have time to deal with Kacchan's anger though, instantly making his way to the ship. He soon found them. Uraraka was stuck under a pipe. It was broken and bent in the wrong way, creating a rift. Gas was filling the air while the water kept rising. Kaminari was doing what he could to help but he was panicking and lacked the strength to free Uraraka.
"Move aside" Aizawa stated, trying to free his student the moment he got down there. It was no use... They'll never make it out in time... Izuku mentally cursed before using a strength quirk, the same he used to smash the giant zero pointer. It made him visible again. He couldn't control Haunting Spirit in combination with something else and losing control here would be dangerous.
"Everything is going to be alright, I promise" Izuku said with a smile, ripping the pipe off Uraraka's leg like it was nothing. The bruising wasn't pretty... She might've actually broken something. Izuku looked up at Aizawa sensei, Kaminari still in shock as he tried to keep in his electric discharge now that the water came up to their waist.
"I'll explain everything later" the green head said, snapping his fingers, making his classmates faint. It's better if they think this was all a dream, and if he couldn't convince Aizawa to side with him, he could always find a way to make him think none of this was real.
"So AlI Might was right after all... You do have multiple quirks" Shouta whispered as Izuku manipulated the water around them with his Bubble quirk, making a bubble in which they were safe for the time being.
"I-I don't have time to explain right now, please help me get them out of here" Izuku pleaded.
"I only have one question" Aizawa stated as he picked up Kaminari. If this boy was really everything All Might warned him for, he needed to be cautious.
"What's your role in this malfunction?"
"I-I have nothing to do w-with it, I swear! I'm here to help!" Izuku stated, taking Uraraka. Shouta hummed. He was pretty good at reading people, it comes with the job, and Midoriya was telling the truth. At least, he thought so. It earned him the benefit of the doubt, at least.
"I know the fastest way out, please follow me"
"You'll explain everything to me after this, understand?" Eraserhead sighed, running after his student.
"Of course!" Izuku smiled, bending the water to make a way for them to get to the surface. The moment Uraraka was on the shore, he vanished again with his Haunted Spirit quirk, making his way back to the blizzard zone. When releasing the quirk again, he instantly fell to his knees, the exhaustion catching up to him. Before he was even able to yell out for help, his body dropped into the snow, falling into unconsciousness.