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A New Existence: Debut Chapter
🕑 Added 2023-07-26 14:24:18 +0000 UTCIf you're interested in reading this, please start with the first book of the series, it's called Quirkless Existence. You're gonna have to if you want to understand what the hell is going on here. The entire thing is available on Fanfiction.net and Archiveofourown.org.
Hello, my reader, we are back with the second book! Man, it feels good to be here as I’ve never managed this. Sure, I have another story which is technically a sequel to an earlier work but…I have no idea what to do with it as I didn’t plan anything with that story other than having a vague idea of how I wanted things to go. This…this is different, having more solid plans and notes is a huge help to things and with how much people liked the first part, I can’t wait to see if I can’t improve my craft with this chapter as the first book was more set-up, a means to get you all into this world in a fun way as exposition dumps would have been boring, now we can get into the real meat and potatoes and explore not just how the slight changes to the story have effected things, but also see how they snowball into entirely new situations and circumstance.
Chapter 1: Welcome to the MLA
It was a chilled morning, the sun having only risen about an hour prior and while to most, they would still be half-asleep and moody, the assembled group were alert, ready and for the most part, positive as they had their small cliques.
“Jeez, that was intense.” Kaminari smiled as he stretched his arms over his head, having good reason to be in a great mood as he and the rest of the first-year hero course students waited to board their busses back to UA after spending a grueling week in summer camp, though he would forever refer to it was hell with how much they had trained, day dawn till dusk, with little in the way of breaks. They couldn't even slack off as thanks to the fact they came to the Wild Wild Pussycats' domain, Ragdoll kept a constant eye on them, a fact he learned the hard way when she popped out of nowhere on his 3rdday and scared the shit outta him before he was promptly given more work to make up for his decreased effort.
“Well, they did say we’ll improve by breaking ourselves, but man I feel like a million yen right now!” Kirishima cheered, standing alongside the electric quirk user. With them was the rest of their small friend group, though Bakugo and Shinso still acted like house cats in how they were a part of it, but acted all moody, hey, at least Shinso was more sarcastic than loud and temperamental, so that was a plus.
“Right? Like it was super hard in the beginning, but I can totally feel a difference!” Ashido flexed her arms, feeling proud of herself and how far she came.
“Good thing too, since we all thought we wouldn’t make it.” Shinso burst her bubble, as in the beginning, they had been told that those who failed their end-of-semester exam wouldn't be allowed to attend, and she along with Kaminari, Kirishima, Sato and Sero had all failed the practicals. It was a mercy on them that Aizawa later revealed that everyone was to attend, regardless of their exam results which at the time, sounded great…till they got to camp and realized that it was anything but a relaxing summer camp. From the first moment when they were thrown off a damn mountain and made to trek through a forest filled with dirt monsters, to being woken up right as the sun rose, none of it was fun.
Ashido knew that, with the reminder only bringing up the memory of how whenever the rest were given time to goof off and relax after training, she along with those that failed from 1-A and Momona, the only one that failed from 1-B, were forced to attend night classes with either Vlad or Aizawa that would last till 2 in the damn morning! She didn't care that there given an extra two hours of sleep, being forced out of bed at 7 am wasn't 'an appropriate amount of rest' or whatever else Aizawa-sensei called it!
“Don’t remind us!” She yelled back at him, still sore that she missed out on all the fun summertime activities.
“Yeah, and you heard Aizawa-sensei, we needed this more than anyone!” Kaminari nodded along with her.
“You’re not helping your case.” Shinso pointed out, to which the two a second to realize what he meant and get angrier when he flashed an amused grin their way, Lucky bastard, not all of them could luck out with a quirk that could end a fight instantly!
Before she could jump him, Kirishima stepped up and grabbed her. “Calm down, Ashido. He’s trying to rile you up.”
“He doesn’t have to be such a buzz-kill about it…” Ashido bemoaned, pouting as the perpetual sleep-deprived looked teen just shrugged his shoulders, feeling no shame for messing with her.
Having heard the tail end of the conversation, Ojiro added his own two cents. "Still, indeed, Aizawa did kinda trick us with that logical ruse, but it was a good use of our time.” That didn't mean he enjoyed having to beat on Kirishima for a week, he understood why he had to do it, increasing the power and durability of his tail and his strikes with it, but that didn't make smacking a boy that could turn into a moving brick wall any more fun.
“I would agree, though,” Yaoyorozu added before she slumped, depressed. “I wish they could have swapped out the food I ate for training, eating nothing but fat-filled junk food sounds appealing, but after your 40thburger, you yearn for a salad.” What was she to eat with her tea now? Even after brushing her teeth five times and mouth washing three times, she could still feel the crunch of the fries, the taste of the Big Mac.
"Welcome to my world," Sato stated, as at least with her, she could just eat something else, but not him. He was stuck stuffing his face with birthday cakes the entire time.
Watching all this with a raised eyebrow, Tokoyami turned back to his group made up of himself, Asui and Uraraka. “Uraraka, I hope that your time training was as fruitful as my own.” It was… a challenge to spend so much time in a cave with an enraged and emboldened Dark Shadow, but it wasn't without fruits to his labor.
Uraraka nodded, as peppy as ever. “It sure was, even if it wasn’t fun being put into that darn bubble and rolled down the mountain every day.” It wasn't a pretty sight on the first day when she throw up…inside the bubble, but at least no one was in any position to bring it up so that was a memory she happily relegated to the 'forget it ever happened' pile.
“I too didn’t enjoy my time here,” Tokoyami grimaced. “But it was a productive time, as my control over my demon has greatly improved.” Uraraka and Asui looked at him funny, still finding his way of speaking strange but accepting that it was just another quirk of his personality.
"Mine was more general since my training was just more of the same." Asui shrugged, as unlike others who went through some insane training exercises, all she had to do was climb cliffs, using her tongue as much as possible.
Now it was Tokoyami’s turn to give her a look as she might have phased it like it was easy, but she had been committed to a full body exercise. The fact that she was able to still function afterwards when most would feel like their bodies were on fire was impressive in of itself. “You were one of the more well-rounded students before, so that can only mean an improvement.” He would know that better than most as they had been paired together twice. Once during their first hero class, and again during their exam practical. Both times, she had been invaluable to their success.
However, that was all over as they now had the rest of their summer to relax, 2 weeks to do whatever the hell they wanted, and what better way to have fun than as a group? At least, that was Kirishima's logic as he wrapped an arm around Bakugo's shoulders. “Bakugo, you have any plans for the rest of the summer?”
"What, of course, I do. I'm going to train." Of course, he had been expecting that as while loud, and temperamental, Bakugo was a workaholic, more so during the camp as it seemed like he had something pretty big on his mind.
"Come on, dude! We just went through the U.A. gauntlet of training, why don't you take a break before school starts up again." He suggested before he smiled at the boy, who just knew he was going to say something he didn’t like. “In fact, why not a water park?”
Hearing this, Kaminari and Ashido both cheered. “Yes!”
However, Bakugo was far from as he tossed Kirishima’s arm off him and crossed his arms. “No!”
“Sorry, dude, you’re been outvoted.” Kirishima laughed.
“Since when was this a fucking democracy?”
“Since now, don’t worry, Bakugo,” Kaminari stated. “I’m sure you’ll have a fun time; you’ve been way too stressed lately.”
‘For good reason.’ Bakugo thought to himself as for the last few months, he had been on edge. He had heard about the raid of the Yakuza group that they knew had Midoriya two days after the fact when the news had reported it. All Might even confirmed that it was true and that Izuku was safe, but recovering in the hospital as she had…changed, he didn't give details. He had wanted to see her but knew he wouldn't be allowed to, but it was a surprise when even the old hag had been declined visitation. That surprise turned to shock when he heard from her that the Midoriya family was moving, going west to Aichi for a fresh start.
Once she had been cleared to leave the hospital, they were gone the next day, only stopping to say goodbye to his folks while he was at school. After that? Nothing, Auntie didn't speak much with the Old Hag and was busy a lot more than normal so weekend trips to catch up become rare things. Even with her words that Izuku was doing much better and that she was safe, he didn't feel like he could trust them till he saw her with his own eyes. He had been so caught up with this crap that he didn't do as well as I expected on the written portion of the finals and nearly failed the practical.
And if his concerns for that quirkless loser weren't enough, there was the fucking mess with I-Island being attacked by fucking villains, he STILL didn't know how they even got there when it was supposed to be 'the most secure place on earth outside prisons'. Yeah, they managed to take care of the weaker villains and free All Might to handle the big guy, but he still got away. Tintin was upset about that, which made sense as he had All Might's power, but even if he had the most powerful quirk in the fucking world, he had only had it for a couple of weeks and was too inexperienced with it to use it during his practical. The end of that mess was that Wolf-whatever the hell his name was got away with the quirk booster, David and Sam were arrested, and All Might’s time limit was shortened even further.
It was because his time was running out that he hadn't been as available to talk or train with him, having decided to spend most of his time with Tintin to train him up, with Nighteye helping. Because of that, he couldn't head over to either agency to train, and he could only get so far training by himself even if he went and trained at UA. With all that in mind, he reluctantly agreed with Dunce-face.
Line Break
A couple of hours later, the two busses came to a stop right outside UA's main gates, which thankfully didn't have any more reporters waiting for them as they all backed off when both UA and All Might made it clear they wouldn't allow them to harass students for details on Iida's death, a death that had been overshadowed by other new events. Once the last of them got off and collected their luggage, they formed into a large group to be addressed by their teachers. “Alright, we’re all to remain here and leave only when your parents or guardians arrive to pick you up. The school has a list of such but it never hurts to be cautious.” Vlad instructed them.
“Yes, sensei!” Both nodded at that as Aizawa stepped forward to address his students in particular. “Also, to those in 1-A, I have an announcement.” They braced for it, not knowing what it could have been as he could just as easily tell them to get to class for a surprise lecture or give them homework like writing on how they improved or something. “But before that, take this time to relax…you earned it. But know that as soon as you’re back in class, we’re not going to take things slow, quite the opposite.” They breathed a sigh of relief when he finished his sentence, having noticed how he had been mourning Iida just as much as they were, before he came back with a vengeance, upping their training and classes.
A scary time as he seemed to not let up, moving faster than normal through the material, same with Present Mic and Midnight but it had least led to even people like Ashido and Kaminari passing their written portion of their last exam as the three kept those they noticed having problems after school an extra hour to go over the day's material.
"Great…more work," Sero muttered as if Aizawa had still been holding back after all that, he dreaded what the man was like unleashed.
"As to be expected from Aizawa-sensei, man doesn't let up at all," Jiro noted, twirling an earphone jack.
“I don’t,” Clearly, he had heard them, making them wince but he let it go, moving on to the real meat of things, something he had only been informed about the previous day. “One last thing, you’ll be getting a new classmate come the second semester, no, I won’t tell you who, you’ll meet them soon enough. Just be prepared for that.” He had already gone over their transcripts and while he did not put much stock into the conventional approach to education, even he could admit that this was highly unorthodox, both the timing and the student in question.
He wasn’t the only one that thought this was strange. “A new student? This late into the year?” Uraraka wondered.
"Well, they might have been pressured to fill in the vacant seat. U.A. can't just have an incomplete class.” Yaoyorozu noted as while it might come off as harsh, that was the logical situation for them as UA was a highly coveted institution, one which even the recommendation exam had to turn away 90% of its applicants, so, of course, those who just missed the cut-off point might wish to reapply for the spot, though she would have imagined such people would have gotten into other hero programs as if your score was only just below the cut-off, surely you could have easily gotten into another school with relative ease.
“Still, it seems rushed.” Kendo mused, rubbing her chin in thought about the situation.
"Maybe they're transferring from another school, or were homeschooled before this," Kinoko suggested, but that seemed quite strange as homeschooling for say, the other three courses could work as one didn't need a school for that, but for the hero course? Unless they had some serious backing or financing, it just couldn't be done, not even Mirko can be considered to have gone through 'homeschool' when she was their age, as she did go through a hero school…even if she got kicked out of 3 of them before she finally graduated for always going out and picking fights.
“Regardless of the rather unorthodox circumstance, you’re to treat them like you would any other classmate, I don’t want to hear about any bad behavior, is that understood?” Aizawa told them, as he just knew that this was going to be a headache, but the principal had already given his approval so he could only suck it up.
“Yes, sensei!”
“Good, enjoy the rest of your summer.” The two teachers finished before they turned and walked into the school, trusting that their students would be wise enough to follow their instructions and leave with only those they knew.
Line Break
“Mom, I’m heading out!” Far from UA, in another prefecture, Izuku was busy getting ready to leave their new apartment, putting on her shoes.
From the kitchen, Inko called her response. “Is it time for your meeting already?” The woman looked towards the dog-themed clock on the wall and saw that it was only 11 am.
“Not yet, but I want to be early!” Izuku replied as she had to be there by 12:30 and wanted to make a good impression, this was her first meeting with them ever since she had moved here. She had seen Curious once or twice, but that was it as the woman was always busy, always chasing some other new story.
“Be back soon, dinner will be a bit early today!” Inko replied.
“Okay!” Izuku smiled towards the cute head pocking out from the hallway, she knelt and opened her arms, with Eri rushing out to give her a goodbye hug. The girl looked so much better than she had when they were trapped in Kai's grasp. She might still have her scars but they were healing. She was also out of that dirty excuse of a dress that Kai provided for her, as she now a white dress shirt with a frilled collar and a plain red pinafore with two large, golden buttons on either side of her chest which Inko had added to add a bit of personalization to it. Underneath, she wore grey tights, no shoes as she was in the house but her large tan boots were placed by the door for whenever she wanted to go out.
Her hair was the most changed thing about her, as Izuku had always ensured she had straight, neat and well-styled hair even if she had to request books on it but now, 3 months into their new lives, Eri had asked for another change which made her heart skip a beat. In the many strands of grey, Eri now had a dyed dark green bang which was woven into her normal hair, creating a green and grey ponytail. Hugging her girl close, she kissed her forehead and whispered into her hair. "I'm heading out, Blessing. Be good for Grandmomma, alright?"
“I will,” Eri nodded, missing some of that caution and fear that Kai had instilled in her. Breaking off from her hug, she handed Izuku her sunhat with a smile. “Be safe.”
Gently taking it and placing it on her head, she smiled at Eri one last time before she reached for the door. “I will, sweetie.” Waving goodbye, she closed the door behind her and took a deep breath of the summer air, releasing it with a sigh of contentment as she just enjoyed the moment. Their apartment complex was similar to their old one, but smaller and more finely built, which made sense as unlike before when their apartment had been 2 bedrooms, these were 3 bedrooms and built to appeal to a wealthier group, having a much larger and well cared-for playground and picnic area for the many families that lived there.
New skipping, she walked towards the stairs, taking in the sight of children playing in that very same playground, enjoying their summer break in the sun with friends, with a few older kids and a parent or two present to keep an eye on them. Her smile increased as she knew that a few were close friends to Eri, having welcomed her with open arms even if the girl still had her moments when she struggled to be social. Going down the stairs, and walking through the pathway leading the street, she greeted a few of her neighbors, some of which she knew by name as they had welcomed the family with small gifts and recommendations for where to shop.
As she moved past her neighbors, she felt the cool summer breeze on her skin, fluttering her hair and green and white sundress as her sandalled feet carried her out front. Waiting for her was something she once upon a time would have never believed but now accepted as just a norm of Deika. Leaning on the side was a hero, who upon seeing her got up. “Midoriya, shall we?”
She nodded. "Let's." With that, the pro started leading her towards the meeting, the two decided to walk rather than drive to better take in the scenery of the place.
A few minutes into their relaxed silence, he started up a conversation. “How have things been here in Deika? Any issues?”
“Oh! None at all,” She waved that off. “It’s…it’s pretty good, peaceful.” She replied as she hadn't been that connected with her neighbors and community before she left, but here? Here it was a different story as even now, blocks away from her apartment, she still saw people that she recognized and waved towards. In terms of crime, she wanted to laugh at how safe a town of 'villains' could be as she hadn't so much as heard about a purse snatching, never mind an actual villain attack. Most local news was mundane or feel-good stories about how some local child made a science project, or something saving a cat from a tree.
The pro did laugh at her observation. “When 90% of the population is liberated, it tends to keep the crime rate low. Though I do admit that I wouldn't mind some excitement now and then." He didn't mind that he wasn't paid as well as pros in other cities, but he would enjoy something more than just helping people with directions, doing grocery shopping for the sick and helping out with chores from the elderly.
"Tell me about it, I mean, I appreciate how open people are here when it comes to their qu-" He stopped her there.
“Meta Abilities you mean?” He corrected her, getting her to pause for a moment as she awkwardly rubbed the back of her head, being careful to keep her sunhat on.
“Oh yes, sorry about that. Old habits die hard I suppose.” Izuku knew it would take time to start associating their extraordinary powers with the term 'Meta Ability' over the more standard and accepted 'Quirk'. Though she did find the history behind why the latter was adopted as the official term fascinating, even if she had her misgivings over why they made the change as she had never realized just how…restrained society was.
“No hard feelings, took me a while to get used to it.” The pro laughed as they continued to walk, keeping a leisurely pace as they had plenty of time.
"Right, anyway, it's nice that everyone is so friendly and open about their meta-abilities, I've filled up 5 notebooks just from them but I can only do so much with footage of villain fights that happened somewhere else.” Midoriya finished her earlier thought as she had never thought people could be so open about their meta-abilities, as she could walk up to just about anyone and ask them questions, which often left her spending far more time than she had thought unlike before when most people didn't do much with their meta abilities, she found that many people here already had considered alternative avenues when it came to their meta-abilities, which forced her to think outside the box when she was observing them.
She would have spent more time on it, but she was often busy with her schooling as while she mainly completed middle school via online courses, she still had to meet with a tutor twice a week, the memory of the elderly man walking in and seeing that his student was also a mother making her laugh in hindsight as the first thing he covered with her was safe sex practices. The face he made when she explained she was very much still a virgin, she couldn’t help but laugh at it as his mutant meta-ability turned his face into a yellow mouse so he pulled off the surprised Pikachu perfectly.
"Yes, while the peace and boredom do make for an ideal spot for a rising family. Most folks know each other and the worst thing you need to worry about is something stealing something from the local convenience store." The pro explained, waving at a couple that walked on by.
"It is, I was worried about this place, even with a recommendation from someone I respect," Midoriya thanked Curious yet again for this as most didn't know her story, with most that did only knowing that she was the quirkless girl that got in trouble during the slime incident but regardless of that, she hadn't seen anything other than indifference to what they assumed was a typical teenage stunt or concern. "I'm glad to know that my worries were for naught. Eri's been relaxed here, spends time outside, has great teachers and has even made friends. As a mother, I couldn't be happier." That part especially made her heart beat easier as she had been worried that she would need to stay as Eri's primary teacher, which worried her as she wished for the girl to have friends, to be able to play with others, explore the world as she did and learn through experience that people weren't all bad.
She had been so nervous that she would subconsciously activate her meta-ability, bulking up and according to her mom, acting like a hyper-protective momma bear even when there was no danger. She had only stopped when they met with Eri's new teachers at the elementary school she attended and were convinced they were up to the task. And not even 2 weeks in, Eri was asking to go to a friend's house, a FRIEND'S HOUSE! She had been so excited that day that she didn't even notice how her new friend's parents looked at her funny when she introduced herself as Eri's mother. Even better was that the school happily encouraged students to learn all they could about their quirks, but never pressured them into doing it or putting any notions of quirk supremacy into their heads so even though Eri rarely used it outside practice, she wasn't isolated or picked on for it.
Line Break
About an hour later, they finally reached their destination, which was the massive tower that sat in the middle of town. Outside was another person waiting for them, a woman in a suit. Patting her back, the pro bid his farewell. “Here we are. She can guide you from here, nothing may happen but I man gotta stuck to his patrol.” She smiled as she bowed to him.
“Thank you.” The man nodded as he turned and walked away, leaving the two alone.
The woman didn't waste time in this, quickly turning to lead them inside. “Right this way, Midoriya.” Looking at the structure one last time, Izuku took a deep breath, readying herself for the meeting that was to come before she quickly followed the woman inside. The tower's interior wasn't especially grand or expansive, appearing like a typical office space if lacking most of the office equipment. They were people present certainly, but only around a third of what a space this large would normally have.
The two didn't speak with anyone they passed, and they in turn kept themselves occupied with whatever they were doing, whether that being on their computers, paperwork, calls or going to and fro handling other tasks. Reaching the elevator, she did her best to keep her nervousness from showing, though she wasn't sure if the woman even noticed as her face gave away nothing, nor did she speak to her like the pro had done, leaving her with only the bland elevator music as a means to distract herself. The ride itself might have only been less than a minute, but it felt like 10 when she heard the ding, she felt herself starting to sweat as she walked out of the elevator, following her guide as she pulled out some tissues to wipe away her sweat.
That sweat vanished when they turned a corner and saw someone waiting for them, someone whose pale blue skin she would recognize anywhere.
“Curious!” She rushed to the woman, hugging her with a relief laugh, picking up the taller woman and swinging her around, much to the shock of her guide while Curious merely laughed it off, patting her back to get her to let her down.
Realizing what she had done, she immediately moved to back away, but Curious laid a hand on her shoulder, it was gentle and lacked any strength, but it kept her in place as the woman smiled at her. "There's my star player, things have been good since we last spoke?" She asked, to which Izuku nodded her head.
“Yes, it’s just like you said.” Izuku smiled as she replied, with Curious nodding along as she removed her hand from her shoulder.
Instead, getting closer to her and feeling up her arms, getting a yelp of surprise from Izuku who blushed at the contact on her bare skin. "It's great to hear, and I see that you've been working out too, nice to see that the gym could keep up," Curious noted, which wasn’t an incorrect observation as while she had seen a slight permanent height and bulk increase thanks to her taking the subpar Venom, she had spent a considerable time training over these close to being 3 months. Nearly 3 months of hard work, meta-ability training and basic if not intense full body work-outs on everything from the treadmills and exercise bikes to all sorts of weight-lifting machines.
She had to as she knew next to nothing about her powers, from how long she could hold it to how to even activate it just waiting for Eri to be in perceived danger and letting that be the trigger wasn't healthy for her or her daughter. More than that, according to the doctors that helped with her training, relying on such protective instincts was dangerous as it made her hyper-reactive with little in the way of a filter.
When she used it against Overhaul and his cronies, that was fine. But if she used it against regular villains or in training? Yeah, that wasn’t an option.
The result of all that? Well, as Curious pointed out, she was taller, stronger and prettier than ever before, though she always flashed red whenever her idol told her that. She didn't so much care for the many scars that lined her body as she didn't consider herself pretty when she had always been described as 'plain', or 'basic' in comparison to how unique, bold and eye-catching other girls could be just by existing.
“You’re just saying that! That gym could probably handle All Might as a client.” She tried to downplay things as the gym she had joined along with Inko and Eri had been one of those that had been designed to handle all sorts of members, with its owner and chief trainer being a finessed obsessed mutant woman who looked like a cross-between a track athlete and a champion dog. Frankly, Izuku didn't know that someone could be as…dedicated to personal fitness as she, but she was extremely skilled at what she did, being able to handle Eri, herself and Inko's training regiments with ease, plotting dos and don'ts within 30 minutes.
Curious didn’t seem to share her opinion as she looked the girl over with that knowing smile of hers. Taking in how Izuku was much more muscular than most women, but retained an air of femininity to her. She wasn't the curviest but she was only 15 and Curious was sure that given a few years, she'll be a stunner for sure but at the moment, she wouldn’t be surprised if she gained some male attention from boys her age. She had even changed her hair a bit as last they spoke; it reached the small of her back of an untamed mess. Now she had cut her hair to a more manageable shoulder length, though it resembled an unruly bush than a fine waterfall with how fuzzed and crazed it looked, with the darker roots complimenting the lighter portions while the thick strands of bright, shiny white hair, another sign of the trauma from her experience with the Yakuza, added a layer of mystery as they didn’t so much blend with her hair as they did stick out, adding a lack of color which flowed with the rest of the greens and blacks like water down a stream.
Bright honest emerald eyes tied it all together. Eyes that made it clear she didn’t need much make-up, not when she enchanting in the same fashion as a mountainous forested path, one filled with shrubs but also polished white stones that led to some long-forgotten temple, away from the hustle and noise of the city.
But it wasn't just her physical features that her gaze captured, it was her subtle changes in posture, tone, in approach to things from what she could dig up about her, she was a shy introvert that barely stuck out, purposely sticking to the backgrounds and never having much in the way of self-confidence. But now? She was bolder, more extroverted, outgaining and confident. She would need to be to greet her with a hug of all things as even those who she had helped similarly to Izuku were far too intimidated by her to do more than a handshake, gestures she had to initiate. Even now, while under her eye, her back remained straight, there wasn't a lick of fear in her, at least caused by this, and she didn't care one bit for the fact everyone she saw and spoke to coming here would have seen the scars that lined her visible skin from her horrible time under that relic of a man, Chisaki.
All this was done in less than 3 months, proof that just how resilient Izuku was, and why she was there as Curious finally spoke. "And yet you look like you could pose for a workout magazine…" She did take some joy from how red Izuku got at her implication as she started waving her hands about.
“Oh no, I couldn’t, I wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face!” Curious gave her a pat on the back, disregarding what she tried to say.
“Confidence, my dear. Confidence.” She told her, directing her gaze towards the large doors that stood at the end of the hallway, quietly dismissing the third woman. "But enough of the pleasantries. It's been long enough since you arrived. You've proved yourself to the rest of the council." That was a lie, she had proven herself a month into her stay at Deika, but they had wished to see how she interacted with the residents more before they officially did anything.
But Izuku had enough on her plate, so she chose to keep that little detail from her. "I'm a little nervous, honestly. I want to make a good first impression."
“Too late for that, Izuku. Your first impression was when I first brought you up with them.” Izuku looked horrified for a moment as Curious laughed it off. “Don’t worry, they liked you.” Leading her up to the doors, she paused. Even though she could probably rip them clean off their hinges and throw them up a soccer field without much effort, they still seemed…immense. This was what she had agreed to, this was what she had worked for but now that she was here, it felt like she stood at a crossroads. More than when she met with All Might, more than when she left for Deika, she felt like if she went through those doors, there was no turning back.
The question was…did she want to turn back?
She turned to Curious, who gave her an encouraging smile but didn't push her only closer to the doors than she had already done. "Remember, you've earned your place here." Izuku smiled, knowing that she had found her answer. With a deep breath, she walked towards them and with both hands, opened them.
Pleased with her choice, Curious followed after her, closing the doors behind her. “Gentlemen, I present to you the girl of the hour, Izuku Midoriya.” Curious introduced her to the 3 men waiting for them, with Re-Destro at the head of the table, smiling towards her.
Line Break
This chapter was meant to cover more, but I recalled that I'm trying to stick to a word limit range of anything between 6-7K words. However, this chapter did turn out pretty good as I felt like I needed to write something like this, to make it clear why she would change as even with her faith in heroes rocked, Izuku is still someone who built their entire life off that one All Might clip, that is her bedrock and it's only after fighting Gentle that Izuku starts to question what is the difference between hero and villain, as in that fight he meets a 'villain' who doesn't hurt anyone and went out of his way to ensure that his partner wouldn't be punished for their shared actions, showing that alongside a strict moral code, he cared for at least one person.
This contrasts with what he knows about Endeavour from Shoto and how despite being the number 2 hero, he was a garbage father, and husband and generally, was a trash human being. Season 6 rumps this up as while he doesn't learn what Shigaraki's backstory IS, he learns enough to see that he was failed by the system which he believed was perfect as All Might already told him back in season 2, I think that even he can’t save everyone, but he has to pretend like he can, simultaneously ignoring those he can’t for the sake of the majority. This is reinforced by his fight with Nagant as he learns that the system that he once thought perfect if not high maintenance didn’t just ignore those it couldn’t help, but actively eliminated any threats to the status quo, effectively locking out most forms of peaceful reform.
Izuku learns all this but remains a hero, so I figured that I needed to change up the approach to explain how someone like that could switch sides as it's one thing to consider it because Curious helped her, it’s another to see the other side of the fence, to see a town of villains and see how peaceful it can be. Speaking with them on a regular and learning their stories, and their reasons for why they joined. All of it serves the purpose of giving her a good reason to not just switch sides, but to see switching as the greater good.
