Chapter 14: Chapter fourteen: Costs of Might

(Nezu POV - Teacher's lounge)

Toshinori Yagi, also known as All Might, was slumped back in his couch chair. His depressive state was garnered by Izuku's self-entertaining attitude, but that didn't seem to catch him off guard today; No, it was Izuku's hate-filled stare that reminded him and me of the first time they met, that no matter how much time passed, Izuku's psychological scars simply refused to heal.

He left his tea cold on the table between him and me. It was sitting there untampered throughout our meeting, almost entirely untouched.

This meeting is obviously regarding Izuku's antics.

In particular, his class trial. We were discussing potential 'learning experiences' Izuku could use, and how he could grow closer to his classmates. The conversation was moving slowly, it started off regarding the boy's actions during his class trial, which threatened the lives of other students; Not much blame could be put on Izuku for the trial as it was the recklessness of the other students that almost allowed them to dig their own graves.

It seems Izuku had succeeded in making himself popular among his class; At least, popular enough for the other students to go to dangerous extents to beat him in a match.

Momo Yaoyorozu.

Shoto Todoroki.

Bakugo Katsuki.

I'd assume only the latter would have been so reckless in their attack against Izuku, but the fact that Momo, a recommended student from a prestigious school, had been as reckless as she was, only means Izuku made her and the remaining part of the class hesitant.

Afraid they may fall behind him perhaps. I would call them over, but everyone is in the nursing area, receiving rest and treatment. Even Shoto had overdone his part, overusing his quirk; Seems Midoriya has some penchant for triggering other people's flight or fight reaction.

Slowly, but surely, our conversation had diverged onto incoming traffic, moving from today's actions to Izuku's general distain of 'All Might'.

The man himself, was constantly reminded of his 'failure', never really discouraged to try and approach Izuku. He is as much of blame as I am, if any real blame can be attested to; Even heroes can't save everyone, but the public's perception of them to do so is what holds our world together.

"What am I supposed to do?"

Yagi sighed as his creased his stomach forward, leaning towards me, hands touching each other at the fingers as his palm moved in an oscillated technique. If the entire show Izuku displayed was concerning, then the relationship between hero and student is already marked red in my book.

"Izuku... He hates me." Yagi spoke depressively. He truly disliked it; Izuku would disappear whenever All Might approached, and even when they had communicated, Izuku was apprehensive. This never stopped Yagi, no, it fueled him to try and talk to the boy, but any conversation would just fail in a matter of a few sentences, and even when Izuku spoke, he would only give the bare bones of what was needed.

Toshinori was off the mark, though. Izuku didn't hate him... It was honestly more like he was afraid.

He must have felt misled by what All Might stood for, certainly not the first person who would be, but... He was scared of him.

A hero. 

It wasn't something Izuku liked to speak about much. No, he disliked talking about what 'Hero' and 'Villain' meant in society; It was truly like he was scared.

He wasn't entirely truthful in our talks. He could easily dodge any question I sent, but, it was almost like he knew I knew, like he considered only a few of us at UA close. All Might wasn't one of the group, sadly, since Izuku may even loathe him. 

He always spoke about designing drones, combining quirks, weaknesses and strengths of 'heroes' and 'villains' like he was a forensic, but he never said he liked them.

He may even hate the concept of a hero. I've never once seen him talk of heroes in his own opinion, neither in a good light.

The path of a villain often starts in two ways, Society rejecting the weak and pained, or those people rejecting societies hatred.

Izuku has experienced both. And by no means is he weak; rather, it is his strength that lets him march every day.

It's that supposed might of his that carries him forward, I once asked him if the quirks he used gave him backlash, he replied "I just ignore it" and continued training.

Nausea, extreme pain, physical numbness, all of the damage his quirks affected his body in some way and he just ignored it. Like it didn't matter, he kept training as if it was the only thing he cared about. The effects of those quirks aren't something one can shrug off, you can't just shrug that level of pain off.

He must be marching with a pained heart each day. One pained enough for him to go that far.

I want to help him, but we can't do much at all to help... We can't force him to make friends, or stop training forcefully, or do anything that he doesn't want to. He's staying here under medical leave, but that's only disclosed to him, not a legal guardian, like his mother, who believes he decided to stay as a part of a summer learning program.

Even worse, since she doesn't know, we have no legal grounds to keep him here. We can't even track him if he wanted to leave.

...

I've been having immense trouble finding a suitable help for Izuku, one that could help make him seem less pained; A punishment which would move Izuku's heart closer to those around him, possibly gain some emotional connection with UA's staff and students, is difficult to apply in the real world.

All prior punishments were meant to distract Izuku from his own self harming habits.

Those 'Training' routines he did every morning, all day, even at night, would have killed him in due time. He was constantly training for months on end, pushing his quirks day and night with aggressiveness.

It was a suicidal addiction for him, he would only train during the days, even skipping meals and spending nights on end awake, exercising; Shapeshifting, combat training, muscle training, regeneration training, all things that would be fine by their own means, were pushed to the maximum as he had actually began separating his own limbs to attempt regeneration.

I saw it with my own eyes, fingers at a time which he would sever one after the other only to reconnect them back together, seeping the blood back into the wound. He looked almost as bad as when he arrived.

He would shift his skin and flesh time again and again, turning his organs to mush only to return them back to their original form, which was concerning as he certainly wasn't numb to the pain.

He would exercise until his body couldn't deforming back into a pile of red fluid like slime, just so he could be back at it hours later, with heavier weights.

Even with his quirks, he certainly would have spent too much energy and died from over exhaustion. He wouldn't regenerate from starvation.

Even if he somehow survived continuously reforming his body and tearing it apart, training constantly at every waking moment, entirely fueled by his paranoia, he would still never rid himself of the scars which pushed him to that level. 

Which means all his 'progress' is doing is hurting him on a more individualistic level.

The 'Training' I've implemented with Aizawa's help, only served to distract him long enough for him to get rest, if not keep him in check for potential suicidal tendencies, ensuring he doesn't fall into another depressive state.

During our common morning and evening chats, I hadn't spoke of his nightly disappearances once, but the birds I've laid around his dorms and his fight with Katsuki gave me more information on how he's leaving UA.

The only effective way for him to leave UA without me capturing it would be to exceed the 800 kilometer per hour range of the birds sensors. Not on ground either, since the sensors on ground exceed that mark by several times over.

Which case, the fact he can move that fast, as silent as he does, through air by any means, is horrifying. How many calories is he spending? How hasn't he killed himself yet, if not suffered backlash?

He may seem indestructible, but he does get backlash from his quirk. He's starved himself, if not suffered from said starvation for hours on end before. He resembles Fat Gum in a way, but the hero's quirk doesn't leave the user in constant agony after use.

Why would he want to leave UA at nights? Why would he put himself through the pain of vast hunger?

He knows very well he could ask me if he wanted to leave and he'd leave at any time he likes. Even mid class if asked to, I would put him under someone's supervision though.

It wasn't an activity he wanted me to know about, his nightly escapades must be something he wanted a secret; Normally, I would not bar someone from leaving UA unsupervised, but the risk of him harming himself bares weight on us all, a weight which is treaded by our previous inability to protect him.

It has to be something that he can only do at night, something either nefarious in nature or hidden from outside eyes, which would be odd to me. He can easily cloak himself, both in sound and sight using his quirk, so it isn't something that required him to be hidden by the dark.

He can easily gain access to almost any part of Japan, and I doubt he would do anything without thinking it through; Though the possibility exists that he may have become reliant on pleasures like drugs, as some people with extreme chronic depression fall into.

I wouldn't be able to tell if he was using any substances, like the newer releases of 'Venom', 'Catalizer' or 'Antromie'. He would hide it too well, at least, I would be able to hide it well with my quirk. And I can't shift my facial muscles on command, not like he can.

...

It has to be something social to happen at night, an activity common at night for the public, he doesn't need the dark to hide; Though, knowing his obsession with quirks.. Villains, the most likely option.

Rather, this is pointing to one thing, somehow more worrying than potentially nefarious activities.

I worry its vigilantism.

Or worse, some form of 'hunt' and attack against the government members responsible for his assassination attempt.

Which would be very difficult to resolve peacefully with either party, the government wouldn't back down easily from that even with my connections. Izuku wouldn't back down for all the cakes in the world; Aizawa's portrait of how Izuku acted that night is proof he would find their presence... degrading. That and his almost arrogant mannerisms.

Though again, this is all speculation. I have no actual clue on what he's doing, nor for the moment, do I have any actual way to tell; The birds are getting a second version design. If I'm right, the next versions should help with resolving my concerns. That, or I'll have to ask him directly.

"Toshinori, While I admit Izuku is slightly unordinary from us at times, he is trying at the very least to interact with you. He hasn't been chasing the quirks of others nor forcefully taking power from his classmates, even his deviousness is at least a social kind now. Which is progress compared to him avoiding you for 3 months straight. I assure you, Izuku, with enough time, will certainly grow alongside the rest of his class and UA's staff, and you'll have another opportunity to settle any issues between both of you. I'm certain if he actually hated you, he wouldn't have even spoke to you." I lowered my cup, staring him in the eyes.

His eyes are strong, unrelenting.

Careful attention is paid by them, as every word I speak seems to carry some wight on his heart; These are the lenses of someone genuinely worried.

The eyes of a hero, a real hero.

Fully aware of my own concerns for Izuku, they gazed into mine with no shake or stern, almost as keen as ever.

Back when I had started working with All Might, I realized he's not as naïve as everyone would put him to be; He's Idealism is often assuring and concerning, but his experience with politics does match mine to a degree, as his experience in incidents of casualties and villainy.

We both had our views on society, not exactly aligned to the same road, but we both still worked alongside each other for a long while to assist in complicated 'scenarios'. Like events needing 'quiet' influence from a higher portion of the government, like my connections had.

Things that that HSPC best to not know of. After all, it wasn't like all parts of the government was on the same side.

Like scenarios involving UA's students, or potential students for me to assist in the long run. People who had complicated lives.

Almost any event that had children or younger victims and more complicated choices at stake had my influence, as All Might was the main influencer for solutions I planned. We helped many in silence, with barely any governmental touch.

We both did 1000 times more than any politician has done for society; And up till he became a staff of UA, we were colleagues in work, unofficially of course.

Though I realize Toshi overdoes his part constantly, working without rest for several days straight. Not that Izuku's relation hasn't affected both our views on our occupations, it's more apparent as our work moves forward that no amount of heroes seem to be enough to save everyone.

Even I'm concerned on how active 'All Might' has been in the recent months, how much he's pushing his health. I've goaded him into training his new protégé as the new symbol of peace, but his injuries seem to hold him back again and again. Yet even with his injuries and health, he still prevailed in teaching his students and being a hero, it was something that both made me smile and worry; He looks tired though, it must be affecting his sleep.

I'm sure his body's health isn't doing much better either. 

"I see. Maybe you're right.... But, I can't help but remember that stare of his on the day we met. His eyes, they were not that different from a child's, yet he looked at me like he wanted me dead, Nezu. His face was expressionless, his body was torn to pieces with injuries that shouldn't have been plausible for a living person, I thought I would be bringing a corpse back with me that day, yet, he still looked at me like he despised the sight of me. Even at death's door, he looked like he wanted me erased."

A moment of silence interrupts both of our thoughts, he continues a second after.

"The glint in his eyes that day appears every time I speak to him, every time I try to approach him or communicate, it's a constant reminder that I failed him as his Hero. I'm not worried he may hate me, although I would rather make dues with him if possible. I'm worried about him. And... I'm worried we can't reach him." He said visibly upset.

Izuku's situation seemed fine on the outside, but his actions and lack of social interaction was something to be concerned of. He never left his room except for training during the summer. He didn't even sleep for the first few weeks; rather, he worked day and night to master whatever he could, all because of the attempt at his life.

His trauma has scarred him enough to segregate everyone from his life. Even his mother was rarely contacted, maybe once or twice a week; He was always weary around others, especially the staff.

It did change, but not nearly enough for our worries to go away.

We're failing to reel him in closer to us, or anyone for that matter. As time passes, it seems the chance for helping the boy is getting farther away, but we are seeing results. The first week of him being at UA was quiet, he wouldn't even hold a conversation for more than 10 minutes. Now? He's interacting with his classmates for hours.

".. Yagi. Pain like Izuku's cannot be forgotten easily; Maybe Izuku will never forgive you, and perhaps he will never forgive me either, as in some way, I bare the responsibility of his safety, but we have to keep trying to pull him closer to UA. Izuku's circumstances, alongside his quirk, will only bare greater problems later on. Because, if we don't, we'll be the ones hurting him next time. Indirectly. We heroes won't let Izuku get hurt anymore, will we?"

I said, I knew what both of them were feeling, I've felt it before. Pain from being unable to help another, pain from being unable to be helped by another.

It's a scary thing, but we need to at least keep persisting.

Else we fail to save him again.

"Maybe you're right. Perhaps Izuku needs time to heal... I still worry though. At least his classmates seem close to him, he hasn't had much interaction with anyone except you and Aizawa over the summer. But Katsuki... His aggressive behavior and volatile personality could be exacerbating Izuku's issues." He sighed.

"It's a delicate issue. I was worried that Katsuki would have been killed from what I had heard of their relationship. Katsuki himself is just as reckless as Izuku, worst off, his very presence may cause Izuku's scars to open. We should have moved one of them to another class, but Aizawa is the only one who can keep both of them under control. Katsuki's aggression and Izuku's deviousness. "

He spoke as we both sighed. This was more of a complicated issue than we thought, UA cannot simply expel Katsuki, as knowing his aggressive personality, it would be like making a villain intentionally; He could easily fall into villainy, if Izuku could change so much from all of the trauma inflicted on him, so could Bakugo if unchecked.

The worrisome part is that the boy's actions can't be excused either, anger therapy and extra work can be given to Bakugo, but won't repair or even help Izuku at all. Thankfully, Izuku seemed to be numb to most people, though we can't be sure that's a good thing; No, its definitely not good at all, rather, Aizawa is the only real friend he has, one of the only people besides myself and few of the other UA staff who he actually demonstrated care for..

Aizawa had a good relationship with Izuku, in a different way than any of us did. While I meet him the most often, Izuku acted causally around Aizawa the most, probably since he was there that night with him. They had spent several weeks together after the attempt at his life, talking, training, even lunches; It was Aizawa who was the first that showed Izuku any interest for his life, and it was Aizawa who kept him company throughout the summer break.

They thankfully still hang out, though sadly, Izuku is distant to the other teachers in comparison. Still, its sincerely great Izuku has become closer to us within a matter of months, but it took constant pestering to do so, he seemed only motivated by quirks at first.

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If I'm right, his obsessiveness with quirks and change of personality may be fueled by his trauma, on a physiological and psychological level, possibly encouraging him to get stronger both as a side effect of his quirk and as a deeper rooted fear; If it wasn't for Aizawa's help, Izuku would have gone full addiction onto his quirk. Both fear and his quirk are playing a part of his desire to get stronger, which is why we are concerned.

'Quirk Junkies', a popular term in the US for people whose quirks controlled them more than they did, would be an apt description of what Izuku would have been. A junkie for quirks, making him one of the potentially worst villains to exist. That, besides All for One.

He might place himself at risk if we're not careful, both psychologically and physically, he may attempt riskier actions to get stronger, which would either turn him against us, or kill him if he isn't careful.

We need to help him as much as possible, if we aren't already late. We can't stop someone like Izuku from leaving UA, and it would take weeks to hunt him down after; That's why we need to solve this immediately.

His punishment.

The supposed solution for our troubles. Some means to appeal to his humanity and remaining past self, to keep him away from the desire for power, from his internal demons. If we could, we would tell him not to worry, but he wouldn't believe us after last time.

I need to find a way to keep him in check at least. Like his summer training, we need to keep him occupied for days on end, but with others beside him this time. If we need to make him more socially active, then he needs to play a bigger role in UA.

If possible, something that requires other individuals as a base line.

His class, a supervisor, something that'll push him to interact with others, gain more connections. Though I don't think it's interaction that's needed, perhaps something on a more personal level...

...

"All we can do is let the boy heal; It takes a long time for scars to heal as long as his to heal, and his scars move far beyond UA; Once considering his situation with Katsuki, its obvious the damage has been there for a long while before he came to UA, as at his age, it is imperative we give him enough space to heal. We can't ascertain that he won't gain valuable friendships with his classmates in due time like he did with our staff, or that he won't repair his relations with you in due time. He just needs time, Yagi. Trust in my plans."

I said as I took a sip of my tea. It was getting cooler by the second, it lost heat within a few minutes; If I had used thermal cups, I'm sure that I wouldn't need to change it every 10 minutes, but I prefer the classic bamboo and China sets.

"Since, you're so worried. The punishment I'm cooking up will certainly 'help' Izuku experience more connections. I'll make sure to get the kid some social action."

I wink at Toshi to which he visibly softens his posture, chuckling quietly for a moment. A few moments later and he relaxes.

He rests back into his chair, holding his stomach in a flinch of pain. Sudden as his wounds often are.

It happens too frequently, pain medications only serve to numb him, which he aptly refused; I swear, if only people weren't so stubborn, we'd have All Might retire and Izuku lax himself.

Maybe I should find someone to babysit the two.

...

Actually, that could work.

A punishment that will tire Izuku out and keep him in check, someone to babysit him. Aizawa? No. It may strain their relationship.

Then... If Izuku likes flying...

Yes. That could certainly work. I'll pull some strings, the Prime minister should do; If this works, Izuku is going to have the time of his life.

*Evil Chuckling

Toshi suddenly stiffens as he looks over to me. Beads of sweat, raindrops of it run across his cheeks. His expression turns from relaxed to afraid.

I take a sip of my tea. It's cold. It seems the 7 to 10 minutes of heat are up then.

"Hmm. Would you like another cup?" I asked Toshi as he visibly sweated at my elated grin. Seems he knows the gist of it.

Izuku's not getting out of this one easily.

---

(Momo and Bakugo - Nurses office - General POV)

... 'Damn.' Shoto thought, his eyes widened as he sat on one of the vacant nursing beds in the room of his classmates; he stared at Momo and Bakugo, both who laid in their own nursing beds a few feet and a curtain away from each other, oddly; It was like he was surprised they were in one piece at all, especially on how they pushed themselves so far.

Which was surprising, both that they aren't heavily injured, the fact that the wounds on their bodies were healed by a quirk, and the fact that they would do so much for a class trial. He didn't even get to play a part during the entire even, Izuku stole the show, which made him both angry and concerned. Here they were, students who matched him in combat, who gave it their all while he stood at the sidelines, and even in a 2 V 1, they still lost to someone who outmatched his skill in every way; The thought made him clench his fist, he was weak.

He could only sigh though, the after affect of their attempts was something too vivid to be angry at.

The damage was alot, frankly speaking, they overdid it by a mile.

Bakugo's body, before hand, was riddled and damaged with an abundance of bruises.

Each bruise was scattered on his arms and legs in large blackish forms, made by his widespread use of his quirk which affected even him. He was well off compared to the other character; Momo's body was riddled in burn marks, both electric and degrees of third degree burns.

Her waist, chest, and general torso was riddled with electric sears from her attack on Izuku, while the explosions she had suffered from on Bakugo's side had caused the bruises on her body to run across almost all her skin, that along with the sharp grooving injuries across her leg, made for a very painful experience.

She was knocked unconscious and fell into Shoto's grasp only moments after Izuku went after Bakugo. It was a revelational sight for the boy. Shoto was weak. Compared to everyone here, he was weaker; not enough at all, he was outclassed almost entirely, his classmates gave their all.

Shoto was fine for the most part, but as the only person available at the time, he had to accompany the two to the Nurses office. What had shocked him the most wasn't the almost instant healing Bakugo had once he woke up, from the Head Nurse, nor the injuries scattered on Momo's body, but the sheer abundance of staff available.

The medical facilities in UA acted almost independently, with some hired doctors and nurses on schedule for students. Furthermore, It was its own building, most of the facility carried it temperament beneath the ground, acting as bellow earth sized space. UA was much more than it appeared at first glance. He wasn't sure about the remaining buildings, as this was apparently 1 of 35.

Bakugo's eyelids began blinking closed, his murmurs and quiet groans were only unnoticed to Shoto for the first few moments, before catching his attention; Bakugo's body moved slightly, his arms and legs shifted only to slow themselves out of sheer pain. His skin, the sweat glands in his body and his lungs were all in agony. His diaphragm was overused, breathing heavily continuously and rapidly at extreme altitudes would cause such pain, especially at the speed of ascent and decent he moved.

It took the blond a few more groans for him to open his eyes softly, he tried to get up seconds after, but found his ribs and back muscles over worked.

"Recovery Girl said that her healing would cost you Stamina, so it might take more time for you to recover. Try not to move too much. I'll alert the nurse." Shoto said as Bakugo could only listen to his voice, barely seeing him with the angle of his body and the sheet; he only nodded in the smallest way, giving a hum of agreement as he didn't retaliate.

Shot moved and pressed the remove button given by Recovery Girl to alert her on the status of his friends, Shoto refused to leave for whatever reason, so she decided to put him to use.

*Ding

A small noise was heard, all of the three listened quietly as footsteps approached from an office afar; There were countless patients here, many of whom were upper classmen; While expensive, facilities like these, ones made to house hundreds were always useful in any situation. Certainly, if UA was every attacked, it would be no different to an attempt at a government facility, no, the office of the president.

That's how vast the resources at UA were, Nezu seemed to amass so much wealth, that he could afford all of this, yet have more than just 'pocket change' left. How much wealth did he have? Technically, a few billion, theoretically with all his resources and estate properties?

Trillions; That's how much he built over the course of UA's lifetime. A scary amount, which many many had fallen to. Including hundred of once prestigious companies. Anyone who dared challenge him was dismantled sadistically by Nezu's funding, intentionally helping the competitors of each branch under a signed deal.

*Door slides open.

*Ehem

"It seems the patients are awake." The head nurse said as she walked forward, her cane hitting the floor one step at a time, at every half step; Her character, unlike her looks, was a no nonsense type, as she had hesitated to even allow Shoto near them unsupervised. Thankfully, Shoto, in a moment of respite, showed enough conviction to convince her.

"Y'know, these injuries may permanently scar. If you three are roughhousing like this every day, forget being a hero, you'll be in a wheel chair in due time." She said as Bakugo's eyes widened. Then, he looked down in shame.

Shoto himself was conflicted. His classmates pushed themselves to this pint while he had little to no injuries? What a pathetic situation; Why didn't he give it his all?

Momo's eyes fluttered soon, waking from her trance; Unlike Bakugo, her injuries were still there. She groaned in pain as the sudden feeling hit her, only for the head nurse to up the dosage of the non-addictive muscle relaxant and pain medication. The Nurse then sighed at the foolishness of these kids.

"Izuku... Why the hell did that brat have to go so far on a young girl. I understand the firework boy, but this kid? At least he avoided any serious injuries. Good. Next time he can heal you all." Bakugo's eyes widened once more before falling again, lower and more depressed than before. He was not only outclassed by Izuku, he was pitied.

"..." They were silent. The students made no movement; Even Momo was hesitant and confused, not speaking until Todoroki's cough snapped her out of a trance.

...

"So, we lost. I... Hadn't expected much." She said depressingly. Only to receive a hit on the head from the nurse immedietally after.

"LOST?! You're heavily injured and that's what you say? Idiots?! I swear, kids these days are getting more foolish by the generation; It must be genetic!"

*Bonk

"Ow." She cried silently, unable to hold her head due to her injured arms; She simply flinched.

"You kids- Y'know that if that cut was slightly to the left, you would have lost a leg?" She said pointing to Momo's left leg; her eyes widened at the word.

"Why the hell are you talking about now then?! Loosing? You could have died fool!" She uttered, disappointed on how reckless these kids were. "And Izuku! I swear, the next time I see him- I'm going to shove this cane-" She looked back at them staring.

"Ehem. Anyways. You'll be excused for the rest of the day; Their no need for anyone here to continue classes, Nezu gave permission for all of you to take the day off." She kissed Momo suddenly on the forehead, to which her wounds visibly healed, as the patient drifted into another trance driven by her lack of stamina. She quickly closed her eyes, falling back asleep; "Rest. You'll need ointment for the scars when you wake up." 

She spoke as Momo had finally laid down peacefully; "You two, no nonsense, got it?" She said to Bakugo's silence and Shoto's nod. Soon after, her cane clicked the floor as she left the room...

Silence filled it momentarily before Bakugo turned to 'Half and half', tired and bruised; He was tired on various different scales.

He was tired because his wounds were aching; Tired because he could barely stay awake.

He was tired of getting outclassed; Tired of Izuku outmatching him.

He could barely stay awake. But he did say one thing before fainting; "Todoroki." Bakugo said with strength.

The boy's attention was perked up towards the blond - living dynamite; Katsuki looked at Todoroki with a burning power in his eyes. A type of passion and resilience that reinvigorated the image of endeavor in Shoto's mind. The latter's eyes widened.

"I will. Surpass you all." he said before he drifted asleep quietly, now similarly to Momo, dead tired and resting; Shoto's posture turned stiff at the sight. How, how-

...

He glared at Bakugo with surprise, then hatred, before biting teeth and clenching his fist.

Soon after, he left the room to train in UA's private gyms.

He will not be outclassed either. He was more focused than ever.

---

(Izuku Midoriya POV - Outside UA - Fifth period)

Sometimes I sneak out. To get away from everything, I often leave campus to waltz by myself, I take these walks sometimes at night, my usual escapades for example; Sometimes during classes when I shouldn't have left, I do, and I find a comfortable spot to calm down. I needed a break from it all. Some time to rest.

I had troubles in my heart. The kind that never leaves you alone; I felt numb mostly.

But.. Even I needed a break from time to time. The meeting with All Might, Katsuki, everything. It was too much.

My chest hurts.

...

Usually, when I'm in pain, or when I'm tired, I occupy myself, hero analysis, watching heroes fight, reading my notes; Anything to distract me from the thoughts.

But, recently, after that day, I've been going to a place I remembered a while ago; Somewhere I always wanted to see.

A recent beach that had been damaged by littering. Near Takoba Municipality Beach Park is a private view of the ocean, one that at around the time the sun approached the sea, offered a spectacle for any viewers; A sight like no other, of the Ocean and city, all fitted in one canal.

It looked peaceful.

But, I suppose my peace wouldn't last. Would it?

A figure approached my side, his shadow casted backwards vividly, a scene which highlighted every single grain of sand; I couldn't stand it. The sight was beautiful, but the burden on my heart didn't leave. The figures scarf whisked by the winds movements, fluttering back and forth like a makeshift cape; His goggles and long hair apparent with just my peripheral vision. My heart raced in anticipation to what he'd say.

Aizawa stood tall as I gazed at the falling sun, it reflected the water so peacefully in this little spot; While the garbage had polluted much of the ocean, here, it was desolate almost, with little nuisances.

He spoke moments after, his looming form casted a grieving feeling in my heart. One that felt new and all too familiar.

"Izuku. What are you doing here?" He said with little emotion but worry.

I had almost stopped breathing for a second. 

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