Chapter 10: One For All
It didn't take long for All Might and Rias to alter his training regiment, with him able to return to it little more than a week after what happened with Susan the Samurai.
Naturally, both of his teachers were a bit more keen to keep their eyes on him than before, just in case he ended up pushing himself to the point of exhaustion again.
Regardless, Izuku had approached his new regiment with a renewed vigor, the colossal weight that had once been on his shoulders having been lifted after his talk with Ochako.
All Might had concluded that he may be done in little more than a few weeks time with all the progress he had made, sounding incredibly impressed all the while. It was news that elated Izuku even more, though under the watchful eyes of his trainers, he knew better than to try and rush getting done.
Of course, he had also told them both about whether or not he had chosen to tell his fellow peerage members about One For All, the two accepting his decision with hearty grins.
Now they simply had to figure out the best time to reveal it.
The once crisp air of autumn had already begun to fall to a more bitter chill, letting the world know that winter would soon arrive.
The November month was going to be an interesting one, of that Izuku had little doubt.
A lot was going to happen this month, possibly being more important than everything that had happened over the last several months, something he never would have believed just half a year ago.
"Izuku?"
He brushed his thoughts aside as he turned to see Asia's questioning face, the blonde girl walking alongside him on the way back home from school.
Okay. Maybe there were things a bit more important.
Asia had become a welcome part of his life ever since she had moved in with him and his mother, but she was an even more welcome part at school.
Before running into All Might, his school life felt like it had become a repetitive routine. Go there, be ignored by most of the fellow student body, try and avoid Okamoto and his gang of middle school thugs, and then return home feeling slightly empty.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Even after meeting his hero and Okamoto moving away, there was almost nothing for him at Aldera outside of making sure his grades were good enough to make it to U.A.
With Asia around now, he looked forward to his classes in a way he hadn't thought possible since Kacchan had moved away so long ago.
They may not have been seated close to each other, but just the mere presence they both felt from one another brought a level of comfort and joy that they both appreciated. He never had to endure lunch alone now with someone who wanted to be seen next to him, even if they talked about nothing at all.
The two had found themselves just having fun in each other's presence, little smiles on their faces whenever they were by each other.
Asia herself had a more pleasant experience at Aldera than he feared she would, even whenever she was seen with him. People generally seemed to like her for her kind and cheery demeanor, though it had led to more than a few boys, and quite a few girls, asking to go out with her, something that had clearly made her uncomfortable.
It was a kind of attention she simply hadn't become accustomed to yet.
Thankfully, whenever he couldn't step up to help her, Yumi was never far behind, especially with the ones who asked her out. Having dealt with such things before, Yumi had been able to coach Asia in ways to gently let them down, making sure not to hurt their feelings in the process.
Outside of that, she always seemed to take each new day at school with an enthusiasm that Izuku almost envied. She adored learning new things, especially about the country she now called home, and whenever she was having any sort of trouble with her schoolwork, either Izuku or the other peerage members were always willing to lend her a helping hand.
It had led to her getting relatively decent grades so far.
And of course, she had found herself making friends with some of the others at school, though she had broken some of them whenever they had started badmouthing him, letting them know that they were wrong in just about everything they said. She had remembered that Izuku had not been treated well, but never once would have thought that so many in his school would think so little of him. They simply didn't seem to be able to see the real him, not in the way she did.
Kind, smart, and helpful to a fault. Merits that meant far more to her than any actual quirk.
Izuku felt his heart beat just a little bit faster once he learned of that.
There had been one friend she had made that had no issue with him at all though, and she had been more than happy to let them formally meet.
He still felt a small shiver running up his spine when he found out just who she had made friends with.
He could feel his eyes widen as his jaw dropped at who Asia had managed to make friends with. After all, he knew exactly who she was. Everyone in the school knew exactly who she was.
Her messy brunette hair framed her face even with parts of it tied into braids, her golden yellow eyes peeking out behind a pair of pink colored glasses. Her face always seemed to be fixed in a slightly perverse look, which made many of her fellow students feel wary of her.
And she was sitting right next to Asia as the two ate lunch together.
Her name was Kiryuu Aika. And outside of Okamoto, she was the most intimidating student who ever attended Aldera.
At least, as far as Izuku was concerned.
"Oh, Asia, your boyfriend's here," she said casually, her somewhat lewd expression making it seem like a bigger deal than it would have been otherwise.
"B-b-b-b-boyfriend?" Asia had begun trembling at the comment, Izuku joining her almost instantly.
"It wasn't hard to put it together you know," she said as she took another bite of her food, making a show of swallowing it. "You two are together here all the time, and I've seen you together outside of school too. And even then," she began with a grin. "You two tend to hold hands a lot. That pretty much clinches it."
"Wh-wha-what!?" Izuku's shriek had unintentionally grabbed the attention of many of the other students, each of them staring at the trio in bafflement. "W-we-we-we're just friends! I just made sure to help her!"
Asia's face had gone as red as Rias' hair, the poor girl unable to voice any rebuttals against Aika as her mind focused in on that one word.
Boyfriend.
"Is that so?" Aika's grin had grown more sly as she caught a glimpse of Asia's face, her eyes then locking onto Izuku's almost glowing red cheeks. "You two seem so intimate with each other though," she said, putting emphasis on the word 'intimate'. "Constantly being alone together, eating together, those little looks you give each other. You two certainly act like a couple," she said as she took a sip of her drink, not so secretly having fun with the two of them. "And from what Asia has told me, you two are even living under the same roof. You two lovebirds can't fool me."
Whispers danced throughout the room as Aika's words traveled around, spreading like a plague. Before the day's end, everyone would know that Midoriya Izuku and Asia Argento were living together.
"It's certainly a lot farther than the rest of the virgins in this school have gotten," she said with a grin, making more whispers creep around, but these ones more angered.
Kiryuu Aika was not exactly popular with the rest of the student body, mainly for her comments. She never seemed to mind however, speaking her mind as plainly as she pleased, no matter what anyone would say to her.
Because of that, she had been one of the few to stand up to Okamoto when he had still been attending, not being intimidated by him in the slightest.
"You know Asia," she continued, once again paying no mind to the students angrily whispering about her. "You should really let me know how you two met. Make sure not to skip on any of the juicy details. I am absolutely dying to know as much as possible!"
Her words seemed to break Asia out of her self-induced trance, the blonde girl now staring at her friend in confusion.
"Got a bit lost didn't you? It's alright, it happens to everyone. But tell me, was this one about you and Little Midoriya here getting mar-"
Asia had swiftly thrown her hands over the other girl's mouth to try and keep her from speaking any more than she already had.
"A-a-ah! Aika! Please stop!"
Izuku just stood there confused, even with his face still red. Asia was daydreaming about him?
Aika managed to force Asai's hands away from her, her grin having become larger now.
"So this one's more private then? Guess you'll have to tell me more when your boyfriend's not around."
Asia squeaked out as she brought her hands to her burning cheeks, hoping to stop them from getting any redder.
"Um, Asia?" Izuku began, still wondering just what Asia had been daydreaming about with him. "What's she talking abou-"
"Nothing! Nothing! Nothing to talk about!" Asia squeaked out again as she began pushing him away from the table, nearly making him crash into several students behind him, including one with short violet hair.
In spite of her teasing, Asia seemed to treasure her friendship with Aika greatly. He may have felt slightly uneasy around her, but her teasing never came across as malicious, feeling more like the kind of teasing Akeno would do to him.
And he knew that Aika considered Asia a friend as well. On one occasion, after someone else had come forward to ask Asia on a date, he hadn't exactly been happy to be turned down, judging by the way he had already started shouting at her.
The instant he saw tears beginning to leak from her eyes, Izuku had already begun keeping into action, rushing to Asia's side in a heartbeat.
But Aika had already been beside her, telling the boy off for trying to force a date from someone who had already said no.
Her biting tongue had been enough to get the boy to back down, Izuku already by Asia's side to comfort her, something Aika had helped him to do, making sure that Asia could be somewhere safe to calm down.
He was more than willing to put up with a bit of teasing for Asia to have a friend like her.
"Sorry Asia," he said back to her, a small blush on his face as he realized he had accidentally tuned her out. "Did you say something?"
She nodded with a small smile. This hadn't exactly been the first time this had happened after all. "I was asking if you were feeling better after what happened last week, but it looks like you're doing a lot better. You even seem a bit happier."
Izuku smiled at her in response, leading her to smile back with a light flush to her cheeks. "I'm feeling a lot better actually. I had something weighing pretty heavily on me before, but now? I feel as light as a feather."
"That sounds good," she said as they continued making their way back from the train station. "Was it about the…you know. Ddraig?"
Naturally, Izuku had made sure to let both Rias and All Might know about his encounter with the dragon residing in his Sacred Gear sometime after first meeting Susan. Both were naturally surprised by the news, Rias especially, this being the first she had heard of a Sacred Gear hosting another living being. After a lengthy discussion with the two, he had also made sure to let the rest of the peerage know of this discovery. They were already aware that he held the Boosted Gear, so bringing them in on something this big was a no-brainer. As for what he should do next, the three decided to see if he would be able to contact Ddraig himself, which sadly went nowhere. No matter how hard he tried, Izuku was unable to establish any kind of contact.
He knew that Ddraig was still there though. Even without being able to talk to him, he was able to feel a sort of presence within his Sacred Gear.
"No that," he told her as they closed the distance to their home. "Just something that had been bothering me for a little while. You'll find out soon enough."
After a talk, the three of them had decided on letting everyone in on the news by weeks end, only a few days away now. Izuku naturally felt anxious about it all, not being certain of how they'd react to it, but he knew that it needed to be done.
They were his friends. His teammates. They deserved to know just what he was getting himself into.
"Well, if you're really sure," Asia said, not sounding like she fully believed him, but willing to let it be for now. She would still be sure to keep an eye on him just in case.
She didn't want him to collapse from exhaustion again after all.
"I do hope that I'll do well next month though. That's what's bothering me right now," she said, her shoulders slumping ever so slightly.
He knew what she meant right away. Final exams were quickly approaching, and they needed to do well, especially if they both wanted to get to U.A. together.
Much as they worked on building up their power as Devils, their schoolwork was still quite important.
"I know what you mean," he said as they reached the apartment building, making their way to the elevator. "We should probably start doing some study sessions soon. I think I know some good spots we can go to."
Her eyes seemed to sparkle when he said that, a small bit of relief, as well as excitement for being alone with him, flooding through her at the idea.
"Then let's be sure to do our best," she said excitedly as they reached their floor, the two making it home less than a minute later.
"We're home!" They called out in unison as they removed their shoes.
"Welcome back!" Inko had a spark of life in her that glowed brighter than it had back when it was just her and her son. Back then, while the two were close, there was something that felt like a wall between them that had been growing higher and wider, their home feeling like it was losing its luster the longer it went on.
Now with Asia around, keeping both hers and her son's spirits up with her presence alone, she felt like her family was whole again.
Now if only her husband was able to come home.
"You two've been looking after each other I hope," she said with a grin.
She still remembered how worried she felt for Asia on her first day of school, how she could barely concentrate on anything throughout the day until she and Izuku returned home.
She was beyond grateful that her children looked after each other.
Asia, as usual, was quick to gush about her day, happily explaining it all to her adoptive mother as though it was her first day all over again. Inko listened as attentively as she always did, overjoyed at how much her daughter loved her new life.
"Sounds like you had quite the day," she said with a grin. "I suppose I should get dinner ready then. You two had best get cleaned up, we have a guest tonight," she told them, piquing their curiosity as she led them to the kitchen.
"Rias!?"
Sitting there at the table was their King, dressed rather casually in a white sleeveless top and black skirt, her phone held in her hand as she grinned at her servants.
"Did you two have a good day?"
Asia's eyes had widened at the sight of her, her curiosity growing ever higher. "What are you doing here, Rias?"
It hadn't been the first time she had shown up to the apartment out of the blue like this. Right after her first day of school, she had shown up to ask how it all went, sounding pleased that it was going smoothly for her. She had popped by several times after, claiming that she wanted to see how well Asia was acclimating to her new home.
Not that it ever stopped her from staying for dinner.
"Can't I check up on two of my closest friends?" A small pout sprouted on her face as she asked her question to Asia, before quickly being replaced by a wry smirk. "Besides, I still need to make sure Izu's treating you well. I stuck you two lovebirds together, and I don't want things getting out of hand," she said, chuckling lightly as she saw their faces light up.
"Come on Rias, stop teasing us," Izuku whined pitifully, Asia keeping quiet as her mind became awash with images of her and Izuku as a couple once more.
"My apologies, I simply couldn't resist," she said with a slightly apologetic grin as she stood up, making her way to Asia before giving her shoulder a light tap. "If you're really that curious though, I came over for more of Inko's wonderful cooking. I'm starting to think I'm becoming addicted to it," she said with a giggle, surprising the smaller girl before she wrapped her up in a hug. "I envy you, getting the chance to eat her delicious meals every day. Now you two really should get changed, we need to prepare dinner."
"Rias," Inko interrupted, already setting up to make the night's meal. "I've told you before, you're our guest. It wouldn't be right to have you help with the cooking."
"My apologies Inko, but I'm afraid I'll have to insist," Rias said as she released Asia from her grasp, walking into the kitchen before grabbing one of Inko's spare aprons. "You have four mouths to feed tonight, so there should be room for one more cook in the kitchen."
Inko couldn't resist giving her a smile. This hadn't been the first time they'd had this argument, and she was certain it wouldn't be the last. "You really won't take no for an answer then."
It wasn't a question, merely a statement of fact.
"Nope," Rias replied with a wink as she finished tying the apron around herself, making the older woman chuckle good-naturedly.
"Then we'd better get started."
Before long, dinner was ready, Izuku and Asia having freshened up and put on clean clothes as both Inko and Rias handed them their plates with a smile.
As they ate, Asia told Rias about how school had been going for her, her King's full attention on her as she spoke. When she told her of the many admirers she had gotten, Inko looked more than a bit put off, frowning at the thought of all those people putting her on the spot like that, but Rias seemed to take it in stride.
She knew precisely where Asia's heart lay after all.
"This is so good!" Asia happily ate the food in front of her as she told her story, Rias giving her another grin as she likewise dug right in.
"You really are a fantastic cook Rias," Inko said as she took in more of her Miso soup, Izuku diving right in to his katsudon.
"You're too kind Inko," Rias responded, the glee clear on her face at the compliment.
It hadn't been the first time it had been brought up of course, with Inko even asking where Rias had learned to cook so well. She explained that she had been taught by her mother, and expanded her talents after she and her friends had moved to Japan, hoping to be able to cook as many local delicacies as she could. Naturally, as soon as she had begun putting her peerage together, or as she explained to Inko, began making close friendships, she was quick to cook for them at every given opportunity.
"It wasn't long before Akeno asked if I could help her learn to cook," she explained, having begun discussing her close friend group with Inko. "She managed to pick it up incredibly quickly, and we tend to cook together to feed everyone. Koneko in particular is rather fond of her sweets, while Yumi has a fondness for the cakes we bake on occasion."
"Is that so?" Inko seemed interested in hearing as much about Rias', and by extension Izuku's, friends as much as possible, taking in every new thing she learned about them.
"I had no idea Yumi liked cake so much," Asia said as she finished her plate.
"You'd be surprised at some of the stuff she doesn't tell you," Rias said, a small smirk on her face as she leaned over to whisper to her. "Like did you know she's absolutely terrified of spiders?"
"She is?"
Izuku couldn't help but grin as he watched Rias and Asia talk, enjoying the extra bit of light that had been breathed into his home since Asia came into it.
After they finished eating, Rias was quick to offer to help with the dishes, but Inko declined, her foot firmly set down for this. Ultimately, Izuku was asked to help her while Rias and Asia talked amongst themselves.
"Izuku," his mother started as she handed him a dish to rinse and dry. "You've made some pretty interesting friends."
Despite the soft flush to his cheeks from her statement, he couldn't help himself from smiling. His thoughts raced back to everything he had gone through since Rias had saved his life. How supportive everyone had been when he was fully made aware of his new life as a Devil, and how hard they fought beside him to rescue Asia from the Fallen Angels.
It may have sounded odd for a Reincarnated Devil, but he truly felt blessed.
"I wouldn't mind if you invited them all over for dinner sometime," she said suddenly, startling him so much he nearly cracked the plate in his hand.
"Wha-huh?"
"Is that really such a surprise?" She held out another plate for him to grab while holding in a bark of laughter. "I've heard so much about these new friends of yours from Rias and Asia, but I've yet to meet them. Himejima, Kiba, Toujou, and that Uraraka girl."
Izuku stood there looking stunned. He was not expecting her to ask him anything like that.
"I think that sounds wonderful Inko," Rias called out from the living room, Asia sitting across from her looking almost as surprised as he was. "It might take a while to find a day where everyone can come, but I don't think they'd mind at all."
"That sounds fantastic, Rias. I can't wait to meet them all."
Her smile was positively gleaming as she continued handing dishes to her son, who took them robotically as he thought more and more about this new development.
Everyone? All those girls? Here? In his home? Where they could see all his stuff?
If he hadn't been holding onto those dishes with all his might, he likely would have fainted at the very idea.
After the dishes were finished, Rias told them that she needed to go back home, mainly to bring up Inko's request to them all. Before leaving though, she asked Izuku to accompany her outside, which Inko basically agreed for him to do, calling it gentlemanly behavior. Asia seemed to stare at Rias ever so lightly, for reasons unknown to him.
After leaving the apartment building, Rias turned to him, her playful face wiped clean, now being all business.
"You still haven't told me what it was that was so important that you wanted to talk to me Izu," she began, remembering that he had called her earlier wanting to discuss something later. "So tell me, what is it?"
Izuku took in a gulp of air to calm himself down. This had been something that he had wanted to ask her for the past few days, but he never thought he could find the right time. But with the deadline coming up fast, he knew that it was now or never.
He voiced his question to her loud and clear, making her eyes widen.
It didn't take long for Rias to contact everyone with Inko's request. They had all been rather surprised by Inko's request, Ochako in particular, but they all seemed open to the idea, wanting to do it sometime soon.
They just needed to find the right day.
The remainder of the week seemed to pass in a blur, before finally it was time.
The day had come for everyone to learn about One For All.
Naturally, he was anxious about it all. His every nerve made him wonder just how they would react. He remembered how impressed everyone had been when he told them how he was training before meeting them, and how they all reacted when they found out he was quirkless.
None of them thought less of him for it.
But now they would be learning that he was working toward attaining a quirk that wasn't his own. How would they react? Would they think less of him for trying to get something he never had before? He knew that Rias did not think any less of him for it at all, but he knew that they were all different from her, so they'd likely have different feelings about it all.
And of course, they would learn about All Might. He knew that the number one hero had fully approved of this whole idea, but it didn't make his nerves fade away in the slightest.
Even with Asia walking by his side, wearing a light green dress with white stockings, he still felt worried. Though her presence did make him feel just a little bit better about it all.
It was hard to even imagine his life without her anymore, what with how long she had been a part of his life now.
As they finally arrived at the beach, he noticed that Yumi and Koneko had already arrived, the two gazing at what little trash remained before they noticed him and Asia. The two were dressed just as casually as him and Asia, with Yumi dressed in a blue t-shirt with matching jeans, and Koneko in a white blouse, yellow overshirt, and a pair of jeans like Yumi.
"So this is where you've been training," Yumi said with her usual smile as the two approached. "I must say that I'm impressed. I remember seeing this beach when we first arrived here in Mustufau. The difference is like night and day."
He felt a small flush bloom on his face as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, Asia letting out a light giggle at his response.
She had been equally impressed when she first saw the work that he had been doing. She was saddened though by just how much of the beach had been covered, wondering why anyone would let so much garbage pile up in a place like this at all.
"Why are we here?" Koneko was eyeing him right now, curiosity clear in her voice. Izuku gulped as he tried to make up something to say before Rias arrived…
"There you all are!"
…before another voice interrupted him.
Much to the surprise of the three girls already there, Ochako was jogging toward them, dressed in a short-sleeved pink shirt, a white skirt, and black leggings. She also wore a wide grin on her face as she jogged up to Izuku and Asia.
"Didn't know so many of us would be here," she said after greeting everyone. "So what's up Deku? What'd you want us all here for?"
Izuku made to open his mouth again, but was once more interrupted.
"Does this have anything to do with your training?"
This time by Yumi.
She was met by questioning looks, mainly from Ochako and Koneko. "Did you two forget? He told us that he was cleaning this beach as part of his training."
"Well…I um, I forgot. Guess it just kinda slipped my mind over the past couple months," Ochako responded, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly as she sported a light flush to her cheeks.
Koneko, meanwhile, looked away with a small pout and equally flushed cheeks.
She was not about to admit that it had slipped her mind as well.
"I will say this Izuku," Yumi began as she gazed at the beach around her, the crisp sand underneath her shoes. "You've done a remarkable job cleaning this beach as much as you have," she said with a smile.
"It's so cool!" Ochako exclaimed, her previous embarrassment forgotten as she pumped her arms into the air, a grin on her face the entire time. "Helping people and the community? This is essential hero work, Deku!"
Asia lightly giggled at the blush Izuku now had. She had already remarked to him how impressed she was by his efforts whenever she had joined him and Rias in their workouts, but every time she saw just how much he had progressed, she found herself more and more amazed.
"Impressive," Koneko admitted, glad that the attention had been drawn away from her previously. "And you've been doing this since before you met us?" She received a nod in response, causing her eyes to narrow questioningly. "You must have had some sort of trainer then. Where are they?"
Izuku began taking deep breaths. This was the moment of truth. He could feel his anxiety begin to peak, but he couldn't let that stop him. "That's why I asked you all here today. It's…well…about my trainer…"
"What about your trainer?"
Izuku jumped at the sound of Akeno's voice. She had appeared right behind him, sporting a yellow sundress with a red belt at her waist. A light grin was spread across her face, clearly relishing the opportunity to have a small bit of fun at his expense.
Izuku would likely never say it out loud, but he did find those little grins she made on occasion to be rather cute.
"Sorry I'm late. Rias asked me to prepare some soundproof barriers around the beach. Sounds like you've got a big secret for us Deku," she finished with a wink, leaving the boy blushing again.
"Really?" Yumi seemed perplexed at this information, a look that was shared amongst the other girl's around her. She moved her gaze back to Izuku, seeing him begin to sweat nervously, and rather profusely as well.
"Does this have something to do with your trainer Izuku?"
Asia's question led him to taking another huge gulp of air. He didn't trust his voice not to say too much too soon, so he simply nodded in response, leaving the girls around him looking both surprised and confused.
"My my," Akeno said, sounding rather impressed. "Your trainer must be someone rather special indeed then, Deku."
"He certainly is."
Another voice had captured everyone's attention, all of them seeing Rias approaching, wearing a short-sleeved red blouse and black miniskirt with striped leggings, all with a large grin on her face.
But that wasn't what surprised them most.
Walking by her side was Sona, dressed in a short-sleeved white shirt and black shorts, somehow managing to look professional even in casual wear.
Izuku was the only one not surprised. After all, Rias had specifically asked him if she could be there.
"So that's it then," Rias said as she finished hearing Izuku's request. "You want Ochako to know too."
"I'm sorry," he said to her, a determined fire in his eyes. "I feel like she deserves to know though. She's as much my friend as the rest of you all, and she's the one who helped me make my decision. I'm not asking for anything more than this. So please, let me tell her too."
Rias was impressed by his resolve, which became more and more obvious as her grin began to grow.
She had wanted to push him closer to both Ochako and Asia already. Those two clearly cared for him on a deeper level than just friendship, even if Ohako wasn't fully aware of it yet, but this? This was more than she could have hoped for.
But, she had no idea why it felt like her heart began to clench at the idea of him with them.
"You're not going to back down on this, are you?" She decided to brush the feeling aside, her focus entirely on the situation before her. Izuku continued staring at her directly in the eye, not looking at all like he would back down. It reminded her of when he had demanded her to let him save Asia.
"Very well," she told him, much to his clear surprise and glee. She knew there would be no chance of convincing him otherwise even if she wanted to. She couldn't help but smile more as he began to thank her, a sound of relief clear in his voice.
"However," she began, much to his clear confusion. "I have a request of my own. I would like Sona to know about this as well."
His confused look had deepened, his head tilting questioningly in such a way that she couldn't stop herself from thinking how cute he looked like that.
"I know that it sounds a bit strange, but let me explain. You remember how I told you that I had claimed Mustufau as my territory?" She received a nod in response. "Well it isn't just mine. Sona has equal claim to the entire city."
She watched as his eyes widened, clearly taken aback at this new information.
"I know that you probably have questions about that, so I'll let you know now. When I decided to move here to Mustufau, Sona decided to join me, intent on assisting me whenever I needed it. Because of that, each of us has a proper claim to Mustufau as our territory," she explained. She had made sure to let Sona know how much she appreciated that, the knowledge that her oldest friend would have her back no matter what happened, giving her a sense of peace throughout her time here.
"If you don't wish for her to know, I'll understand," she made sure to tell him. "This is merely a request and nothing more. I am perfectly fine with letting Ochako in on this information, I just feel it would be advantageous to bring Sona in as well."
Izuku stopped to think. He didn't know Sona very well, if at all. His only actual interaction with her had been incredibly brief, with most of the time he had seen her had her focused on speaking with Rias.
He was quite sure that Rias knew her well enough to have this be an informed decision. Sona at the very least didn't seem like the kind of person to spread sensitive information out to others. Plus, she was Ochako's King. He was fairly certain that she would notice if Ochako was keeping something like this from her.
Now, the more rational choice would be to let neither of them know, and he knew this. The less people aware of One For All the better, but he knew he couldn't not tell Ochako. Not after what they had already gone through, and not after she had helped him, albeit unknowingly, come to a decision to let everyone else in on it all.
In the end, Izuku agreed with Rias' request. Sona too would know about One For All.
"My apologies for taking so long," Rias said as she finished approaching the group. "Sona and I were having a bit of discussion."
"S-sona!?" Ochako seemed to be the one most surprised by her King's presence. "What're you doing here?"
"I've been asking the same question of Rias for a while now," she replied as she adjusted her glasses, the sun's glare giving them a menacing look as she stared up at her oldest friend. "She refuses to go into detail about Midoriya's mysterious 'trainer'," she explained, sounding slightly annoyed at Rias' secret keeping. "All I know is that, whoever he is, he's very much aware of who we are," she announced, shocking the group once more.
"Hold on! For real!?" Ochako's voice squeaked out as she took in the news. Asia looked every but as surprise, though the only sound she let out was a gasp. Both Yumi and Koneko looked equally surprised, though neither made a sound.
"Will this be a problem?" Akeno was every bit as shocked as the others, but recovered quickly, switching to a more professional demeanor as she asked her King the important question.
"He's been aware of our world for quite some time now, so there's no need to worry, I can assure you," Rias said, doing her best to calm everyone's nerves. "He and I have actually been speaking with each other for quite a while now, ever since Izu introduced us to each other. The two of us helped to come up with a new schedule for him so he would have time for his duties as a Devil. Now, he may have strayed from what we originally laid out for him," she said with a knowing glance to Izuku, who hung his head despondently as the others looked toward him. "He may not be here almost every day like he was before, but that hasn't stopped him from making astounding progress. Wouldn't you agree, Mr Yagi?"
"He certainly has."
The presence of a new voice, one deep and surprisingly powerful, caused the group to turn their attention to its source.
If this man was truly Izuku's trainer as Rias had been implying, he was nothing like the others expected.
After all, how could he when he looked like he was a single sandwich away from starving to death? This skeletal man with windswept blonde hair looked nothing at all like a trainer.
"I'm Yagi Toshinori," the man greeted with a bow. "It's nice to meet you all."
While put off ever so slightly by the man's presence, each girl introduced themselves to him in return.
"Um, excuse me?" Ochako began after everyone finished their introductions. "But…are you really Deku's trainer?" While he seemed a bit confused by the name she gave Izuku, he nodded his head in confirmation. "Are you really sure? You, um…" she paused, wondering how she could say something without offending the man.
"You look like a stiff breeze could take you out," Koneko said bluntly, causing everyone to look at her in shock and horror.
"Koneko!" Izuku had never seen a look like that on Yumi's face before. She looked utterly chastised over what Konkeo had said, much like everybody else. "Please Mr Yagi, accept my full apology for her," she said with a bow.
Toshinori however, didn't seem to mind Koneko's words at all, considering the fact that he had doubled over in laughter. It was clear he found humor in Koneko's words, bluntly and harsh though they may have been. Though they all began to worry when he began coughing up bits of blood.
"Mr Yagi!" Asia was quick to rush to the man's side, her Sacred Gear at the ready. "Are you alright?"
Toshinori smiled at the young girl's response. He had heard much about her from both Izuku and Rias, and it was clear that much of it was indeed true.
"Worry not Young Argento," he told her, wiping away the blood with his arm. "I know that it's not exactly a pretty sight, but I've got it under control these days," he said with a much softer chuckle. As he finished chuckling, his sunken eyes began to widen ever so slightly before a wry grin took over his face. "Besides, you guys aren't exactly alone in seeing me like this," he said as he pointed behind the group.
They all looked at him in confusion before following his finger to where it pointed, before each of them let out another gasp of shock, Izuku, Asia, and Ochako flailing back into the sand at the sight before them.
Somehow, in some way, Amako had managed to summon herself again, smiling and panting with her tongue hanging out as each teen gaped at her in pure surprise.
"How did she…?" Sona seemed to be the most confused. She had been aware of Izuku's Familiar, with Rias having mentioned the white wolf before, but to see her spring up out of nowhere was enough to throw her for a loop.
"Why did you summon her Midoriya?" Koneko had asked from the safety of right behind Yumi.
"I didn't! I swear!" If anything, he looked even more surprised by her appearance than the others. He had yet to have any real reason to summon her since first introducing her to Ochako just the other week.
"You just kinda do your own thing, dontcha Amako?" Ochako recovered from her shock after the Familiar began approaching her, stroking the wolf's fur as she circled around both her and the still downed Asia. While appreciative of the petting she was receiving, she ignored to begin nuzzling Asia with her nose, breaking the girl from her shock as she too began stroking the Familiar's fur.
"She certainly seems to like showing up," Akeno said as she too recovered from her shock, watching happily as Amako began slobbering all over Asia's face, the now giggling girl asking her to stop.
"She really does," Rias said as she turned her attention back to Toshinori, who was still grinning at the group. "Fun and strange as this is, we should really get back to more important matters."
"Are you really sure you're alright sir?" Yumi interrupted, catching everyone's attention. She still looked somewhat embarrassed by Koneko's remark even as she recovered from her own surprise at Amako's sudden appearance. "Coughing up blood the way you did can't be good for you, especially as thin as you are."
"I appreciate your concern Young Kiba," he said to her, much to the surprise of the younger blonde. "My condition may not be the greatest at the moment, but I promise you, I have it handled." The way he spoke of it made it seem like he had made his peace with it already, but both Yumi and Asia couldn't help but look concerned for him anyways.
"I understand your concern Yumi, but we're not here to discuss Mr Yagi's health," Rias stated, giving an apologetic gaze to the girl as she spoke. "We have other matters to discuss."
"That we do," Toshinori said before getting a good long look at the group before him. He had certainly heard much about each of them, mainly from Young Midoriya with Miss Gremory helping to fill in some details, save for the young woman standing directly beside Miss Gremory. He was glad that she had informed him ahead of time of just who Miss Sitri was. And, of course, everything he had heard had let him know that his chosen successor had certainly gotten himself involved in quite the interesting group.
It was more than simply the fact that they were all women, he could just tell, only by looking at them, that many of them had a drive of their own that pushed them forward. He could also see that many of them carried a weight on their shoulders greater than most, he had been in the hero business long enough to recognize that, but of course, he would not pry into their business unless he needed to.
Miss Himejima Akeno, the (apparently) sadistic but still kind-hearted Vice President of their little club. Miss Kiba Yumi, the valiant Knight who fought with all her might by Young Midoriya's side. Miss Toujou Koneko, the quiet but intense young woman with incredible strength. Miss Asia Argento, the sweet and caring type with a Sacred Gear made with the sole intent to help. Miss Uraraka Ochako, another kind young woman with a gravity quirk that unhesitatingly fought by his protégé's side to rescue a friend. And Miss Sona Sitri, King of her own peerage, and another protector of this city from supernatural threats.
Along with Miss Rias Gremory, the flirty but soft-hearted young woman who helped to bring them all together, it was certainly an eclectic group. And one he was looking forward to getting to know as he spoke to them.
Though he wouldn't lie, part of him was looking forward to their eventual reactions to the truth.
"I suppose that I should start with how Young Midoriya and I first met," he began as he sat down, a damaged dishwasher serving as his perch. "Tell me, do any of you remember the incident from about half a year ago, when that sludge villain attacked two young boys?"
He was met mainly with confusion from them, with Young Uraraka looking to scrunch her face as she tried to remember, Young Argento looking to not even know what he was talking about. It made an unfortunate amount of sense. Villain attacks were incredibly common no matter how quickly they were stopped, and it would never be long before another one would take the place of the news of the day, and given that Young Argento was still living in Italy at the time, her not even knowing what he was speaking of made sense as well.
"I believe I do," Sona said, capturing everyone's attention. "That sludge villain had managed to take a young boy hostage, his quirk going out of control as it began to freeze things around him, though why it didn't affect the villain at all is still a mystery," she said as her eyes narrowed at the thought.
Quirks simply made no sense to her at times.
"I remember that too," Akeno spoke up. "There were several heroes at the scene, trying their best to mitigate the damage being done before a young boy rushed…in…" she began trailing off as a look of realization took over her face before turning her head to Izuku.
For his part, Izuku stepped forward, even while swearing even more now as his nerves started to come close to overwhelming him. Judging by how Koneko's, Yumi's, and Sona's eyes had widened, they had managed to connect the dots just as Izuku spoke up. "That was me."
The surprise on each of their faces, save for Rias' of course, was palpable, with Ochako's and Asia's looking the most surprised.
"Izuku!"
At least until Asia cried out with worry.
"Are you okay? You didn't get hurt did you?" Her eyes had begun to water as she stuck to his side like glue, checking to see if he had any wounds on hum.
"Um, Asia? It happened months ago. I'm alright."
He watched as her eyes began to widen in realization before her face began blooming red, stepping away from him as she looked away in embarrassment.
"Between that and the church, you certainly seem to have a habit of rushing in to help someone in need, don't you Izuku?" Yumi's question gave him pause. She did raise a good point. But he knew, regardless of what anyone would say, he would do it again in a heartbeat.
After all, someone needed help.
He felt a light tap on his shoulder before he turned to see Ochako, smiling at him with a knowing glint in her eye. "Hero 101," she said to him, reminding him of when they spoke at the mall so long ago. Beside her, Amako looked up at him with what looked like a smile of her own, her jet black eyes looking at him with pride.
"All that before you even met us? My my Deku, you really are a brave one aren't you?" He found himself blushing heavily under Akeno's question, though he could tell by her tone of voice that she also felt rather proud of him for it.
"I will admit, you certainly have quite a bit of grit," Sona began, sounding impressed, though with a hint of accusation in her tone. "But tell me, did you have any plan when you rushed in? If this all happened before Mr Yagi began training you as he says, then you rushed blindly into a dangerous situation with no quirk, no Devils powers, and not even your Sacred Gear. What did you think you would accomplish?"
He flinched at her words, even as he heard Ochako speak up to try and defend him.
She was right though. He had no real plan to try and save Okamoto. All he really did was throw his backpack at the sludge villain's eye before reaching out to try and pull him away. That was all he had, and it could have gotten them both killed.
"I wasn't thinking," he said, everyone looking at him now. "My body just moved on its own. I saw someone there, someone who looked like they needed help. I couldn't just leave him there, no matter what would have happened to me." He moved his gaze back up to match Sona's, staring her directly in the eye. "If someone needs help, I can't just ignore it. I won't apologize for that."
Sona continued to stare into his eyes as his words echoed in her ears, barely able to hold back a smirk at his words. Rias had certainly gotten herself an interesting Pawn.