Chapter 20: Celebration!
REVIEWS: I know I am spoiling you guys.
It was the following day after the fights, and Izuku was resting in his house. His medal was placed in a spot of honor on the wall of his room, and he felt proud of himself. Today were the events for the 2nd-year students, tomorrow will be the 3rd-year students, and the day after that it'll be those in their final year. Hopefully, they don't have such an eventful final event as they did.
"HELL YEAH!" And currently, Izuku was dealing with his mentor. "You showed them! You showed them all! And you showed them good!" Mirko said, holding a beer in her hands and wearing a loose tank top and shorts. She had taken the day off to celebrate his victory in the final event.
"Mirko, please calm down." Izuku asked, trying to control his mentor's happiness. But who was he kidding? "And please put on something less revealing?"
"No way! Those are my comfy clothes! Plus, after the stunt you pulled with Endeavor, Nezu decided you need someone to watch over you." Mirko said, her tone getting relatively serious. Right, Endeavor did cause quite the scene. "The media is really tearing into that one, and people are whispering about him potentially abusing his son as well. This is not a PR nightmare; it's a real-life PR horror movie with Endeavor as the main star!"
"It's a bit scary how quickly the media moves," Izuku said, keeping their TV turned off due to every channel talking about it. "But don't you want to talk about the other bits of development that happened?"
"You mean the Aldera shit? Who cares right now? I certainly don't!"
"But I care for something else." Suddenly, both Mirko and Izuku jumped as Professor Paradox showed up, and judging from his frown, he was not delighted.
"Professor!" Izuku said, surprised by his appearance. "It's been a while! How have you been?"
"Thanks for asking, Izuku, but I am afraid my visit is not one of leisure." He said, then pointed to the Omnitrix with his cane.
"Did…Did I do something wrong?" Izuku asked worriedly, with Mirko watching in equal confusion.
"No, but I fear your Omnitrix ran into a bit of an error. You remember how you evolved during your final match, correct?" Paradox said.
"Oh yeah! I honestly didn't even know I could do that! I was meaning to head to the gym later today and see who else can evolve and what those evolved forms can do!" Izuku said ecstatically.
"Unfortunately, that won't happen," Paradox said. "Omnitrix, lock away the Evolutionary Function. Motive: Its unlock was caused by an error from unresolved damage sustained in the fight against Michizune Doumou. Enter Repair Mode again, and run in-depth analysis and repairs this time."
The Omnitrix beeped, spinning around. "Understood. The Omnitrix will hereby enter Repair Mode and revoke user access from the Evolutionary Function."
"Hey, what gives?!" Mirko shouted as the Omnitrix turned blue again. "You can't just take away his shit!"
"Relax, Rumi, I am not taking anything away," Paradox said, trying to explain himself. "It's just that you are not yet ready for the evolutionary function, Izuku."
"Can I at least ask about it?" Izuku asked.
"Of course. You see, the evolutionary function, as a concept, was not developed by Azmuth but by an assistant of his named Albedo. Unfortunately, Albedo sought to surpass Azmuth, and to do so, he sought to recreate the Omnitrix. But things went awry for him. Very awry. To keep a long story short, after an initial defeat, Albedo stole an incomplete Omnitrix matrix from Azmuth, which he then used to create a device he named the Ultimatrix." Paradox explained.
"The Ultimatrix, you see, was the first Omnitrix variant capable of evolving alien DNA within it into something Albedo called Ultimate Forms. They were developed based on a worst-case scenario simulation. Survival of the fittest. The most adapted. However, Azmuth always called such a function, to quote, 'begging for trouble'."
"So, that means Izuku's aliens evolve to fight better?" Mirko asked.
"Oh no, not at all! The simulation matrix used by the Ultimatrix was, in the end, deemed inferior when creating Izuku's Omnitrix. Given that his Omnitrix has a higher… How do I explain it in terms you can understand… AH! Just like a gaming PC! In this case, your Omnitrix has more RAM and a way better CPU to handle the complex calculation of the evolutionary matrix it has been equipped with, which is based on the most likely evolutionary path! It takes the most likely scenario that would influence an evolution for the respective race and uses that!"
"I see," Izuku said. "True, such a complex calculation would require large computing and processing power. Wait! Could I switch between evolutionary scenarios?"
"Oh no!" Paradox replied adamantly. "Not only is that taxing on you, Izuku, but the Omnitrix itself couldn't possibly store that many DNA profiles. Sure, it can store billions of DNA samples, and yes, it still has plenty of space—but not that much! If every DNA sample in it had 4-5 evolutions, the Omnitrix's internal storage would be a total mess!"
"Oh…Right."
"By the way, why the long face when you came in?" Mirko asked. "You seemed annoyed by something."
"Annoyed? No. Merely disappointed. And worried," Paradox confessed. "I didn't want to come here now, you two. But my intervention was required to mend this little incident. Rest assured. My negative feelings are in no way meant for you, Izuku. In fact, I believe you are doing a stellar job so far!"
"Then what is bothering you, Professor?" Izuku asked.
"I'm afraid I cannot reveal much. Temporal safety and all that jazz. But one of the things would be your past in Aldera coming back to haunt you. I saw the battle against Michizune."
"Oh."
"Such an ideology is…I dare say rare." Paradox said. "Not even I, in all my years and traveling to so many realities, have encountered an ideology such as this, taken to such extremes, no less. I believe I can count the number of times I did it on my fingers. While that IS a good thing, it worries me that such an ideology took root in this reality."
"So?" Mirko asked. "Got any advice for us?"
"As I said, I cannot say much," Paradox said. "I don't want to alter the timeline more than I did by giving Izuku here the Omnitrix. For the most part, I am merely an observer."
"Great." Mirko sighed, but then her ears stood up. "Hey, wait a minute! What stops me from unlocking the evolutionary thing for him again? You did make me an admin."
"Easy! Responsibility," Paradox said, surprising her. "You must know how too much power at once can be dangerous, Rumi. You are free to unlock the function again, but I also believe you won't unless Izuku is truly prepared."
"Asshole," Mirko said under her breath.
"Well, I guess I will be going. Don't get yourself in any trouble for a few hours, Izuku. The Omnitrix needs the time."
"Very well, Professor." Izuku bowed as if to say goodbye to him, and when he lifted his head, sure enough, he was gone. "Of course."
"That guy is quite something," Mirko said, returning to her drink. However, at that moment, someone knocked on his door. "Hey, kid! See who it is!"
"Coming!" Izuku went to the door, opening it to reveal several people. "Guys! What is it with you here?"
"Hey, Izuku." Ochako said, looking a bit green. "Can we come in? As in, right now? Please?"
"Umm. Are you alright, Ochako?" He asked, seeing how green she was in the face.
"It is why she needs to hurry," Mina added, and Izuku allowed them inside, where it was revealed just why Ochako was feeling unwell. She was using her Quirk, currently, to carry a bunch of stuff.
"What's with all of this?!" Izuku asked, raising his voice slightly. In total, Ochako, Mina, Shoto, and Tokoyami were all there. And they brought what appeared to be alcohol-free beer, snacks, and sodas.
"For celebration, what else?!" Mina stated loudly as Ochako took deep breaths to recover. "You and Todoroki here won first and second place! We have to celebrate it!"
"But shouldn't you be sour that someone not in your class took first place?" Izuku asked, feeling confused.
"So? You're a friend! If anything, not celebrating your victory would have been a real crime!" Mina added strongly, and then Mirko peered from around the corner.
"Oh, shit! This is turning into a real party!"
"Mirko?!" Several of the guests said at once.
"You're here!" Mina pointed out. "And DAMN! You're in great shape!" She added, pointing out Mirko's physique, which was laid bare by her revealing outfit. "How did you get core muscles like that?"
"Ha! Hard training, I tell ya!" She replied, proud of her physique.
Tokoyami cleared his throat. "Is it wise to walk around wearing so little? Or appropriate, for that matter?"
"Who cares?" Mirko shrugged.
"You will find my mentor to be quite free-spirited, guys," Izuku said, pointing out how this was how Mirko usually was. "Hold on, where is Ida?"
"He isn't here. Ribbit." Tsu said as she walked into the house as well. "Sorry for the delay."
"He isn't coming?" Izuku asked, trying to get clarification.
"No, he isn't on UA's campus," Tsu added, drawing everyone's attention. "I caught up with him not long after he left the campus yesterday and tried to get him to tell me what was wrong. Ribbit. I confess that I might have overstepped my boundaries, but what he told me more than explained his reasoning."
"What did he—"
"Ingenium," Mirko suddenly said, her expression growing grim and serious.
"You know? Ribbit." Tsu asked.
"Of course I do. News like that travels lightning fast among us heroes, not to mention the staff were informed during the event." Mirko pointed out, and Izuku did seem to recall something like that. "It's going to appear on the news either today or tomorrow, so I guess there is no harm in telling you. But Tenya Ida's brother, Tensei Ida, also known as the hero Ingenium, was recently attacked and put in the ICU by a vigilante-turned-villain."
"What?!" Ochako gasped as everyone stared at Mirko.
"Ingenium has—" Shoto shook his head. "What else can you tell us?"
"It's bad." She added. "The guy who attacked Tensei struck his spine with a sharp blade. Nerves got severed."
"He's paralyzed. " Tokoyami summarized.
"From the waist down," Mirko added.
"Oh no…" Ochako said, understanding now why Tenya had to run so suddenly. "Then, that means Ida is with his brother right now."
"Correct. He is at the hospital, anxious to hear if his brother will pull through." Tsu added. "He is not out of the woods yet, apparently. Ribbit."
"All in all, it is not anything new," Mirko said, drawing attention to herself again.
"What?! What do you mean by that? And how can you be so calm about it? Isn't Ingenium a fellow hero? Shouldn't you be more invested in his state?" Mina questioned.
"Shut up!" Mirko shouted. "Don't mistake my current attitude for apathy! I feel for Ingenium and his family, but he knew the risks when he became a hero. Like it or not, you lot will get yourselves pretty scars, too, one day. Whether those scars are a career killer, however, is up to you."
"She's… Right." Shoto admitted it first. "Being heroes won't be sunshine and rainbows all the time. More often than not, we will be forced to remember that we can get hurt."
"Wait!" Ochako suddenly said, then looked at Izuku. "Didn't you have a form with healing powers?" She asked. "Maybe you could go and heal Ida's brother!"
"I…" Izuku hesitated to reply.
"What's wrong? Why are you hesitating?" Ochako pressed on.
"He can't do it," Mirko said.
"Why?" Mina asked. "Surely, Ida would be thrilled to have him heal his brother!"
"No mistake there. But the issue is not moral. It's legal." Mirko pointed out, making Tokoyami chime in.
"Midoriya is neither a licensed hero nor a certified medical expert," Tokoyami began. "According to the law, only those two categories may offer medical attention to patients. Legally, there is nothing that can be done, even if we have the means to."
"That's bullshit!" Mina said strongly. "If he can heal him, he should! Who cares about the law?"
"Careful!" Mirko warned. "That is the kind of logic that births vigilantes, not heroes. Regardless of the facts, the law is the law. To go against it, or act without fully respecting it, is to commit vigilantism."
"As much as I want to argue against it, I think I speak for everyone when I say that is a useless argument." Tokoyami replied. "Vigilantism was like today's heroism, but unchecked. Vigilantes acted to protect the population, not the law."
"Which, in a way, worked," Mirko admitted. "That was a dark time in our history. But the early vigilantes brought order back to the streets. However, people wanted accountability. They started wondering why vigilantes are not punished for breaking the law themselves, since breaking and entering, assault, and destruction of property were foremost among the crimes they were committing. Some even killed the villains, and yet, they were not held accountable, simply because of who they killed. But then people started to think they were being given too much freedom. Too much power to do whatever they wanted, especially if it is for the good of the entire population."
"Wait, so that's the reason?!" Mina gasped. "Vigilantes broke some laws, and people started calling out for them to be held accountable for their crimes?"
"Vigilantism was illegal even before the era of Quirks." Mirko pointed out. "Or did you fail history?"
"I—" Mina stuttered.
"My point is, to someone looking at it from a legal standpoint, there was no difference to be had between vigilantes and villains."
"But you said earlier that this vigilante turned into a villain." Shoto pointed out. "How does that work if there is no difference between them in the first place?"
"A good question. I guess it's their own morality." Mirko replied.
"Do you know who did it?" Izuku asked. "Who attacked Ingenium?"
"Stain." She replied, giving a name. "He is a big name in the underground. He was notorious for hunting down the kind of scum that heroes couldn't touch due to legal bullshit. His targets involved what we call white-collar villains. Villains who hide behind the very system built to put them behind bars. They often made evidence vanish and surrounded themselves with expensive, sleazy lawyers. But they couldn't hide from Stain. He made sure they never hurt anyone ever again, and he did that by killing them. And his targets didn't stop there. He also targeted corrupt heroes back in the day as well. Has anyone here heard of a guy named Croc-Rock?"
"I have!" Izuku perked up at once. "He was a hero with a mutation Quirk making him part crocodile!"
"He was also taking bribes to turn a blind eye to crimes," Mirko added, which made everyone flinch. "Stain got to him, and although he didn't kill him, he managed to expose him. When the cops arrived, they found a large amount of money he couldn't explain, and he cracked under questioning."
"And now?" Shoto asked.
"Now? He seems to be killing heroes at his liking." Mirko continued. "He claims they are fakes. But honestly, the police have investigated the ones he attacked as a safety measure, and so far, only two deserved to be thrown behind bars. That being said, the rate of heroes he leaves alive is not high. Ingenium ought to consider himself lucky he is still alive."
"What could have driven a man like that to this? " Tokoyami asked.
"Who knows?" Mirko glanced sideways, a gesture that didn't escape Izuku's attention. "But hey! Let's raise everyone's spirits. What do you all say? Come on, guys! We have snacks, drinks, booze, and women! What else can you ask for?"
"M-Miss Mirko, why mention— "
"She is right!" Mina jumped in. "We should celebrate! This is what we came here to do! We cannot change anything, true, but at least we can celebrate what is still good! Namely, your victories!"
"Ribbit. Sure, I could use a party." Tsuyu added.
"Then let's party!" Mina added strongly.
Sure enough, they had a small party. It wasn't anything loud or flashy, but it was fun. Izuku got especially close to Shoto and realized that, all in all, there was little he knew about what people would call normal. His social awkwardness was even greater than Izuku's! Still, with his relationship with his father shot to hell, he now started to open up more to people. Which was good.
Tokoyami was a 2-in-1 package with Dark Shadow. And although his, dare I say, emo tendencies were a bit off-putting, he proved to be good company as well. Now, while the guys were mostly talking among themselves, the girls were a bit more unhinged, given they had Mina with them.
And she got the guys to loosen up a bit as well… Goodie. Granted, with Mirko there to supervise, Mina didn't get to use her secret weapon. She somehow snuck in a bottle of vodka onto the campus! Mirko confiscated it right away, stating that while beer was ok for students, anything too strong was forbidden. And Vodka was right on there! But in truth, she took the bottle for herself, getting absolutely shit-faced.
It got especially wild when she started waving her top in the air, exposing herself entirely. Almost on instinct, Mina threw a blanket over the guys to shield Mirko's naked bust from their gaze while the girls got her under control.
The party died down slowly, not long after, leaving Izuku to deal with Mirko, who was barely holding on anymore from her drunken state.
"That was… Great!" She said slowly, clearly too wasted to think. She was giggling like a madwoman, too. "You turned red like a tomato when I took my top off!"
"Mirko, that was-"
"Shush!" She shushed him. "None of that shit! I know how inappropriate I was being, but who cared? I was having fun!"
"At the expense of our blood pressure…" Izuku muttered.
"Prude." She whined. "You wanted to see my tits!"
"What?!" He gasped loudly, blushing at her bold words.
"Don't lie! Everyone wants to see knockers! There is nary a man who doesn't!" Mirko added further as Izuku brought her to one of the spare rooms in the house, the one she was using as hers for now.
"S-still! We are not supposed to engage in such behavior! This is UA University!" He argued, but Mirko just laughed as he put her on the bed.
"Is that your reason? Kid, trust me… Being a hero means you are more likely to die young." She added. "If you don't get it in your first year, you will in your second year! Trust me! I actually lost my virginity during my second year after a run-in with some villains while on patrol! I almost bit the dust, and the day after, I just yanked my boyfriend at the time and rocked the bed!" She laughed loudly at the memory. "We got into so much trouble the next day because we kept others awake, but did we care? Fuck no!"
"Ummm. Your point?" He asked, feeling uncomfortable due to the intimate subject of the story she was telling.
"Go have fun!" She added strongly. "The life of a hero is so risky, you might never even see a pair of boobs before you kick the bucket." She added, but then an idea sprang to her mind as she saw Izuku departing. "Hey, Izuku!"
"Yes—MIRKO!" He blushed furiously as she downright flashed him her breasts with a wide grin.
"Ha!" She laughed, too! "You will thank me someday! Now scram!" She let her shirt down, letting a very embarrassed Izuku wander the halls of his house.
"Detected chaotic amounts of epinephrine, cortisol, oxytocin, norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. Chemical indications indicate feelings of embarrassment and arousal. Given the situation, the assessment is accurate." The Omnitrix analyzed his brain again. "Do you require emotional correction to remove those feelings?"
"I…I don't even…Boobs…" He was barely responsive.
"Oh…Oh, I see. Initiating Teenager Protocols. Suggestion: Go to your room, access the internet, and do whatever you need to do. The Omnitrix will not record anything that happens. However, I advise you to strongly consider NOT using this arm."
The new day was here, and Mirko was in the living room, nursing her head. "Sheesh! Ok, no more vodka unless it is diluted with some juice! God, my head is pounding." A white finger touched her forehead, taking a quick diagnosis as Izuku was using Healing Salve.
"I can confirm. It seems your drinking has caused you quite the hangover." Healing Salve said, then began producing some medicine from his body for her. "Here." He held his finger above his palm, where a small ball of bluish resin formed and solidified, falling into his palm as a pill. "This should get rid of your headaches. Drink plenty of water, too. The effects should kick in in ten or so minutes."
"This form is mighty useful, I'll give you that." She said before taking the pill, and Izuku returned to normal. "God, I don't seem to remember yesterday well, either! Did I do anything stupid?"
He froze, not wanting to answer. "N-no! Nothing, Mirko, nothing!"
"Are you sure? You seem a bit too tense for there to have been nothing—Oh God." She paled. "Don't tell me we banged!"
"WHAT?! NO!" Izuku protested strongly. "WE DID NO SUCH THING! OMNITRIX! HELP ME HERE!"
"Affirmative. Admin Usagiyama, I can confirm that there was no copulation between you and Izuku Midoriya of any kind, neither direct, oral, or otherwise." The Omnitrix stated.
"Good. Otherwise, Nezu would have had my ears." She said, relieved.
"You did, however, show your bare mammaries to him." The Omnitrix added, causing Mirko to squeeze the glass cup so hard it shattered.
"OMNITRIX!" Izuku shouted. "Why did you add that?"
"I was being thorough with the informative part of my duties. Was I supposed to lie or withhold information?"
"I-"
"No, there is no need to lie," Mirko said, a dangerous smile on her face. "After all, it's just breasts. Others have seen them before, too! You are not exactly unique in that regard!"
"Umm. Mirko?"
"You have a ten-second head start before I kick your head so hard you lose all memory of yesterday." She was not cool with it in the least!
"Omnitrix, turn me into Accel, stat!" Izuku shouted as he rushed out the door, a green flash enveloping him as he took off at Mach speed.
"Heh." But Mirko simply needed an excuse to get herself alone. She inhaled deeply, then slapped her forehead. "God damn it, Rumi! Ugh! At least there is no way for Nezu to hear of that!"
"Why worry?" She jumped as Paradox appeared. "I mean, it's not like you were against—"
"Do not finish that sentence if you value your teeth!" She warned him dangerously. "Seriously, how do you even know all this? Are you eavesdropping or spying from afar?"
"More or less. I just know things. That night, it was either going to be you or that Ochako girl he saw half-naked." He shrugged. "Guess I owe some money somewhere."
"At least with that girl, he could have banged," Rumi added dryly.
"Now, this is entertaining." Paradox laughed as he talked. "How about the two of us talk, then? Adult to adult."
"What is there to talk about?" She asked.
"Well, your love and sex life, which both ended after your graduation," Paradox said, forcing him to dodge another glass that she threw at him. "Careful! That is two perfectly good glasses you broke already!"
"Fuck you!"
"Not interested."
"You freaking cun—"
"See?" He pressed his cane above her chest, as if to point out a fact. "Your aggressiveness is high. You are usually cool and collected out on the field, but it seems the civilian front is not so thick-skinned."
"Do you know what I said last evening?" She questioned, curious about his knowledge.
"I think you mentioned how many heroes die without experiencing the joys of… Let's say close contact with the opposite sex." Paradox asked, remaining coy and cool about it.
"I wasn't wrong, you know." She added, sitting down again. "And frankly? Good for him! He saw some good knockers before he likely kicked it out in the field! Now he needs to get himself a proper girlfriend, and he can die with no regrets!"
"Now, that is a bit morbid, don't you think?" Paradox stated, giving his opinion. "But a clever way to change the subject from your failing intimate life."
"Fuck! What do you want to get at, anyway?" She asked, growing frustrated with his aloof wording.
"Rumi, have you ever considered that the answer to your issue is closer than you let yourself believe?" He arched an eyebrow, seeing her freeze before slamming her hands on the table.
"Are you out of your damn mind?!" She shouted at him. "There is no way Izuku and I would—" She paused. "Nezu would cut off my ears!"
"I know the rules, Rumi; no need to point them out to me. I am just saying he is an excellent possibility."
"Pff. He likely isn't packing much." She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Ouch. Going there, are we?" Paradox said, admitting to the low blow she was throwing. "Well, I can't say the Asian sub-race of humans is well-known for their size, but are you seriously thinking that still applies to Izuku?"
Her ears perked up. "What are you saying?"
"You see, while your aid in helping him both get in shape and stay in shape is more than welcome and appreciated, the truth is that it was never needed!" Paradox revealed. "The Omnitrix turns the user into aliens belonging to other races, yes. However, when it does, he is always turned into a specimen that is at the peak of said race. Not too fat, not too skinny. Not too abnormally smart, not dumb. You get the idea."
"Wait, does that mean Izuku can—"
"It's a bit more complex," Paradox added. "For humans, the Omnitrix would essentially take the genetic markers of each sub-race, from white to red to black to yellow. After it does that, it will seek out the best traits of each and alter Izuku's genes without changing his physical look on the outside. Much."
"But some things would change." Mirko summarized.
"Over time, yes. For example, it is entirely possible his body would begin a growth spurt all over. This function was turned off by default, but if you wish, it can be turned back on. The changes will apply the moment Izuku turns again." Paradox revealed, which got Mirko thinking.
"It could be a major W for him and his personal life." She said, a grin on her face. "Alright, what do I need to do to give him this genetic cheat?"
"Well, naturally, you'd need to be able to give the order to the Omnitrix to do it. Or, you could speak into my arm." Paradox put his arm forward, confusing her. "I have a long-distance communicator, linked to the Omnitrix. This lets me give it commands from afar."
"No shit!" Mirko said. "In that case, let's begin."
"There!" Accel said, having run quite a lot. He has been running for a good few minutes, making sure Mirko is not following him to deliver punishment. "Now to turn back to normal!"
"Changes detected!" The Omnitrix suddenly beeped. "Changes applied."
"Huh? Something wrong?" He asked.
"Admin Paradox just delivered a change to the configurations of the Omnitrix. Nothing important." The Omnitrix stated, and then Izuku tapped the badge, turning back. However, he felt a bit queasy after doing so. "Administering medical aid to prevent nausea."
"What was that?" Izuku asked, confused as to why he was feeling sick.
"Izuku!" But his confusion was quickly replaced by the face of Shoto, who walked up to him. "Good morning."
"Shoto! Good to see you. How are you? No hangovers?" Izuku asked.
"I'm fine," Shoto replied. "What about you? You seemed a bit green a moment ago."
"I'm fine as well, I think. My quirk sometimes gives me a bit of trouble, but nothing out of the ordinary." Izuku explained, still making up excuses to cover for the Omnitrix. "What about you?"
"I just got some of the first offers in the mail, actually," Shoto said, holding an envelope in his hands. "This one is from my father."
"Endeavor?!" Izuku gasped. "Wait, I thought that after that entire deal during the Sports Festival, he would have been at least suspended!"
"Apparently not, although I hear his reputation took a serious hit. Nothing he won't recover from, though. Still, the fact he still sent me an offer is…" Shoto said slowly. "Frankly, I should have expected this. My father would have the audacity to disregard the events that went down during the Sports Festival and still think I would answer to his offer."
"Good for you, Shoto," Izuku said with a light smile on his lips. Then he saw Shoto burn the offer letter before his eyes, the ash blowing in the wind. "And I see you are using your fire more, too!"
"Thanks to you," Shoto said, giving Izuku the credit. "Thank you for making me realize the truth. This is my fire. Not his. He cannot take it from me. But I've been meaning to ask you about the form you took after I froze you solid."
"Oh, that," Izuku remembered. It was an evolved variant of Fire Hazard, with powers he himself didn't know. He didn't get to check before Professor Paradox locked away the evolutionary function. "I honestly do not know for sure what that was."
"Can you replicate it? Do it again?"
"Not likely. I don't know what happened when I was frozen, but something just…clicked, you know?"
"Would freezing you again trigger it?"
"Please don't freeze me again…" Izuku replied, avoiding a potential cold.
"Alright," Shoto agreed.
"But on that note, who are you going to intern with?" Izuku asked. "Given you took second place, I assume you have plenty of other offers."
"I do, and I am trying to decide," Shoto replied. "Who are you going to intern with?"
"Mirko," Izuku replied calmly. "Don't tell anyone, but she took me out on patrol once. It was quite the experience!"
"Really? She sounds like a fun time."
"Ummm." Izuku went silent for a bit.
"Something the matter?"
"Maybe not phrase it like that?" Izuku suggested, and then Shoto looked back on his words.
"Oh. My apologies, I didn't mean to insult you." He apologized. "But, perhaps, she would extend me an offer as well?"
"I doubt it," Izuku replied carefully. "Mirko is very picky, apparently. She wants to take me along because of my Quirk, since she likes how much I can do."
"Figures." Shoto chuckled briefly. "Your Quirk is even stupider than mine. And I believed being able to wield what is essentially two Quirks was absurd."
"Tell me about it…" Izuku sighed. If only they knew. "How is Ida, by the way? Any news?"
Shoto shook his head. "He returned to campus but went straight for his room. He only comes out to eat, head to class, and so on. But he doesn't talk to us. Not even to scold or correct us, which is very strange given what we've seen so far of his personality."
"It's worrisome," Izuku admitted. "Do you know who he is going to intern with?"
"He said something about a hero named Manual, I think," Shoto replied, and then the Omnitrix did its job.
"Manual is ranked 222 in the official Hero rankings. His Quirk enables him to control pre-existing water in his area. He is one of the Pro Heroes who protect Hosu City."
Izuku's eyes widened slightly. "Hosu? Wait, isn't that- Omnitrix, where was Ingenium attacked by the Hero Killer, Stain?"
"Hosu City. Analyzing facts. Conclusion: Tenya Ida has chosen Manual to be able to go after the Hero Killer."
Izuku bit hard on the inside of his cheek. "Are you alright, Midoriya?"
"Y-yeah, sorry. I think my Quirk is acting up again. I am feeling a bit under the weather."
"Do you want me to take you to Recovery Girl?"
"No, no! I will be fine. I am just going to return to my place and lie down for a bit to recover. And hey! Maybe I will ask Mirko about extending an offer to you as well!" Izuku replied.
"I'd enjoy that." He replied with a smile as Izuku left.
"Alright, see ya later!" And so, he left rushing.
"Hosu? Are you sure?" Mirko replied as she was drinking some water at the table inside the house.
"The fact Ida chose Manual is not a coincidence," Izuku said. "The Omnitrix confirms it."
"Shit, this is not good then," Mirko said, putting the bottle down. "That kid is going to get himself killed fighting against someone like Stain! Seriously, who does he think he is, fucking All Might?"
"What do we do?" Izuku asked. "This is bad! Very bad!"
"What can be done?" Mirko asked back. "And the answer is nothing. We cannot prevent him from interning under the hero he wants, not even if we tell Nezu. Plus, we have no solid evidence he is planning something this stupid."
"If we cannot stop him, then we need to at least look after him!" Izuku added.
"Hold on! You want me to go out of my way and go all the way to Hosu, possibly getting into a fight with the Hero Killer, just so you can take care of your friend?" Mirko asked, lining up the facts. "Good plan. Nezu has no say in where I choose to take my furry tail! But there is an issue…Stain's Quirk is unknown."
"Checking…Checking…No results found. Mirko's words are confirmed by the lack of any records regarding his Quirk. As a matter of fact, his actual identity seems to have been erased from public records as well."
"How is that possible?!" Izuku gasped in sheer shock at the information. "What about private records? Like government ones?"
"It is illegal to hack into government files. You told me so before, if I am not mistaken."
"Right," Izuku replied awkwardly. "But still!"
"Isn't it obvious? It's Stain." Mirko added further. "And this is not unique. When it comes to vigilantes, many of them seek to erase their public identity first. It is not entirely understood how, but it is suspected they rely on back-alley deals with individuals with the technical know-how or some techno-quirk to enter the network and get rid of certain bits of intel."
"So, he erased any mention of his Quirk? What about observations? What IS known about his Quirk?" Izuku asked.
"Not much. All of a sudden, you just lock up, unable to move, and he has his way with you. Accounts are scarce, given how many survive encounters with him." Mirko stated again. "But again, kid, we will get all the answers by next week." She grinned. "After all, you are coming with me to Hosu!"
"Oh! Can you extend an offer to Shoto Todoroki as well?"
"No way! One brat is enough for me!"