Chapter 26: Sports Festival, Part 12
Sometimes—oftentimes—Izuku couldn't believe all the things that had happened to him since the day he'd gotten the ring.
He was attending UA! As a hero student! And he was here, in the Sports Festival! Not only that, but he was about to compete in the final round! He had watched the festival on TV every year since he'd been a young child and his mother had explained to him what it was, but in his heart of hearts, Izuku had never quite believed he'd be in one, even as he'd refused to give up his dream of becoming a pro hero.
On top of all that, he had friends. Not people who pretended to be his friends out of pity. Not even friends who thought of him as the vaguely pathetic tagalong, but ones who viewed him as skilled and valuable, a true member of their group.
And while the idea of a girl ever viewing him in a romantic way still seemed pretty crazy, when he spent time with Yaoyorozu and something excited her enough to cause joy to bubble past the raven-haired beauty's usual self-control and she gave him a dazzling smile that made his heartbeat accelerate and his palms sweat, it seemed a little less crazy.
After having endured ten years of people telling him that he had no hope of becoming a pro hero, that UA would never even look at a Quirkless Deku like himself, that he'd be fortunate to even be able to find a job when he grew up, and that no one would ever want him in any capacity, all of that was more mind blowing than having a practically magic ring created by space aliens choose to grant him incredible powers. Indeed, having his life change so dramatically for the better frequently felt like a dream to him.
If it was, he hoped he didn't wake up any time soon.
"All right all you lovely listeners, are you ready for the final match to determine which amazing first year student walks away the winner of this festival?" The audience's response was thunderous.
"Well, all right then! You've waited enough, so let's get this party started!" the voice hero cheered. "Our first contestant is one classy young lady who can create any object. She's a recommended student and the rep of Class A, was in the top five in the obstacle race, and a member of the first-place team in the cavalry battle, give it up for…Momo Yaoyorozu!"
Watching from the mouth of the entrance to the stadium grounds, Izuku smiled as Yaoyorozu walked onto the ring, waving at the crowd as she went. Izuku was pretty sure she had more poise in her little finger than he had in his whole body. He wondered if it was just the sort of thing you learned when you came from a super-rich family like hers, or if she was naturally like that.
"And her opponent, this fearsome jade lightning bug holds the current record for most points on the UA entrance exam, he cleared the way for his fellow students in the obstacle race and still won first place, was another member of the first place team for the cavalry battle, and is the vice rep of Class A, please welcome back to the ring…Izuku Midoriya!"
Taking a deep breath, he strode out onto the grounds and then into the ring, giving the crowd a stiff wave and trying not to let himself be overwhelmed by how surreal it felt to have so many people cheering for him.
"All right, by this point, you're familiar with the rules, but here they are again," Midnight said. "You fight until your opponent is out of the ring, unconscious, or is unable to move. Don't get too crazy or Cementoss and I will intervene. Understand?"
"Yes, Ms. Kayama," Yaoyorozu agreed.
"Yes," Izuku nodded.
"Very well," the R-Rated heroine said. "Contestants, are you ready?"
Izuku and Yaoyorozu both confirmed that they were.
"Then…begin!" Midnight shouted.
The moment they heard her whip crack, both students wasted no time. Yaoyorozu charged forward, while Izuku funneled willpower into the ring, creating jade copies of the other 18 members of Class 1-A, who immediately rounded on the lone Creation user.
Yaoyorozu didn't even break stride, however. Fearsomely sharp blades burst from her forearms, and she made short work of the constructs of Aoyama and Sato, the two dissipating like so much smoke as she sliced through them.
"You've gotten better since the USJ!" she complimented as she narrowly dodged a sonic blast from the Jirou construct and sidestepped a splash of neon green acid from the Ashido one, spraying the Kaminari construct with glue and causing Izuku to dispel that one.
"So have you!" he replied as he had the Todoroki construct start creating a jade glacier while the Mineta construct began barraging her with emerald orbs.
Yaoyorzu deftly avoided the sticky ball and hurled what was either a very large firecracker or a small stick of dynamic at Mineta's doppelganger, the explosion taking it out instantly.
Shooting out a piece of tape from her palm, she attached it to the green glacier and swung herself up, landing a solid kick to the Todoroki construct as she did and causing it to vanish.
The Kirishima and Asui constructs charged, but despite having hardened itself, Kirishima's emerald twin was cut cleanly in two with little effort on Yaoyorozu's part. The Asui construct's tongue was even easier to slice through.
"Okay, I know that those things aren't really us, and also aren't alive, but watching Yaoyorozu brutally rip through Midoriya's constructs of us like this is disturbing, right?" Kaminari asked from where he was watching in the 1-A spectator's box.
Koda made a noise of agreement, his eyes wide as Yaoyorozu responded to the flock of jade birds his viridian double sent her way with a hail of what looked like grenades.
"I'm pretty sure she smiled when she blew up green-me," Mineta shivered.
"Are you kidding?" Kirishima said, his sharp teeth giving his wide grin a distinctly shark-like appearance. "This is super manly!"
"You serious?" Sero asked, taken aback.
"Of course I am!" Kirishima said, clenching one hand into a fist. "We're seeing what Yaoyorozu can really do when she has no reason to hold back, and it's incredible! I knew she was dangerous, but I didn't know she was that dangerous! She's like a one-woman army out there! It makes me want to get stronger so I don't get left in the dust!"
"I guess that's one way to look at it," Kaminari muttered dubiously.
With most of the 1-A constructs destroyed, Momo created a pair of electrified escrima sticks, zapping the Tokoyami construct and its emerald shadow when they got close, then charged directly at Midoriya.
Her vice rep generated a protective green bubble around himself a second before she was in range, and from the corner of her eye she could see the remaining constructs winking out, no doubt because Midoriya was focused on defending himself now.
She jammed the business ends of her weapons into the side of the force bubble as hard as she could, and electricity crackled over the surface of the barrier.
Momo remembered how much abuse Bakugo had poured onto the similar protective sphere during the cavalry battle. She wasn't sure if she could match that, or even if it was as simple as punishing his defense just as much, but she was certainly going to try.
Jade hands burst out of the bubble, grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her backwards. Momo was quickly able to slice the tendrils connecting the hands to Midoriya and make them vanish, but by the time she had, he had taken to the air and was several meters above her.
Momo immediately created a number of small fireworks and launched them at him. "Don't think you can keep away from me up there!" she called.
She realized suddenly that she was smiling.
This match was incredibly important, with high stakes despite the fact that both would no doubt be showered with attention from civilians and pro heroes alike regardless of who ultimately won. The student who took first place in the festival could always count on the best offers from pro heroes, and such a thing could have a massive impact on their future.
Still, she was having fun, she realized. This felt a lot like the exercises they'd do at her family's training facility, except Midoriya was no longer bound by the rules they'd established to help him learn to think more creatively with his Quirk, rules that massively slanted the odds in her favor during their bouts.
"Who says that's what I'm trying to do?" he called back, grinning.
Then, green light flared around him, and Yaoyorozu's eyes widened as she realized what he was making.
"So, Eraserhead, give me your opinion of this matchup," Present Mic said. "Both these students have been pretty much unstoppable so far. Who do you think is going to win here?"
"Hard to say," Eraserhead admitted. "Their Quirks are powerful, versatile, and quite similar. Most likely it's going to come down to which of them gets more creative, or who manages to exploit the differences in their abilities better."
"An astute analysis, my friend!" Present Mic said. "Oh, it looks like Midoriya's taken to the air after narrowly escaping Yaoyorozu's electric assault! Now he's counterattacking with—oh wow! Am I really seeing this?!"
A jade double of the hero Godzillo now occupied the ring, much larger than the already huge pro was in real life.
"Interesting," Eraserhead remarked as Midoriya flew inside his construct, taking up a position in its chest, as though there was nothing surprising about this turn of events at all.
To be fair, Midoriya had created giant constructs of Godzillo and Mt. Lady during the obstacle race, so it was no shock that he could do this. It was still unexpected to see it during the tournament, however.
"It'll be hard for Yaoyorozu to stay in the ring when Midoriya's construct is taking up most of the space," the underground hero added.
"That's what you're taking away from this turn of events?!" Present Mic sputtered.
Eraserhead just grunted in response.
As they watched, Yaoyorozu was able to shoot out a strand of tape and get the end to the stick to the construct. The raven-haired girl started swinging around its giant form, slashing at it with the blades coming out of her forearms, but this construct was clearly much more durable than the ones that were only as large as ordinary people and was so far standing up to the attacks quite well, despite the deep gashes her blades left in it.
"It looks like Yaoyorzu isn't about to throw in the towel, even in the face of this titanic attack!" Present Mic said.
Eraserhead muted their microphones for a moment. "I'm seriously going to be deaf by the end of this," he complained.
"If you haven't gone deaf around me yet, I don't think it's going to happen!" Mic retorted cheerfully.
"Guys," Kaminari said as she gazed up at Yaoyorozu as she swung around Midoriya's giant construct. "Did this just turn into Attack on Titan?"
Jirou made a face and opened her mouth to scold him for saying something so dumb. However, she hesitated before the words actually got out, looking up again at the raven-haired girl swinging blades at a giant monster while she herself swung around it.
"You know, I…I think it kind of did," she admitted.
Izuku grinned as he watched Yaoyorozu swing around the Godzillo construct he'd created, cutting into it over and over with her blades. The level of skill and courage she was demonstrating was absolutely incredible.
Unfortunately for her, she'd made one significant mistake.
He abruptly dispelled the Godzillo construct, leaving himself floating in midair…and leaving the strand of tape Yaoyorozu had been swinging from with nothing to hold onto.
With a yelp, Yaoyorozu went tumbling back towards the ring. Izuku quickly created a construct of a large cushion directly beneath her, but he surrounded it with one of a cage as well.
Sorry it has to end like this, Yaoyorozu, he thought.
Then there was a series of loud pops, and Yaoyorozu's course changed, until she landed on the ring in a roll, well outside the cage he'd created to trap her in.
He frowned as he descended back to the ground. That had sounded and looked like Kacchan's Quirk, but she'd never been able to use it to propel herself like that without seriously burning her hands.
Yaoyorozu must've guessed at what he was thinking, because she raised her hands. Izuku's eyes widened as he saw the thick gloves she was now wearing.
"Those look like…"
She nodded. "I made them from the same material as the ones Bakugo has as part of his costume. They allow me to use much more powerful explosions without burning my hands," she said. "Of course, not being able to create anything but Bakugo's nitro from my hands is a serious issue, so I don't think I'll make them a part of my own costume. But they'll certainly be useful here."
"You're brilliant," he said, grinning. "I'm still not going to let you win, though."
"I wouldn't want you to," she assured him, smiling back.
He unleashed a quick series of energy blasts, which he followed up with a hail of small grenade and firecracker constructs.
"Going for brute force now, Midoriya?" Yaoyorozu teased as she ran to avoid the barrage.
"Just trying to get the job without getting needlessly fancy," he replied.
Yaoyorozu didn't respond to that, at least not with words. Instead, she activated her Quirk again, smoke billowing from her exposed skin. Combined with the smoke from all the explosive constructs he'd made, it wasn't long before she was totally obscured.
Izuku kept up his assault for a few more seconds but then stopped, not wanting to attack blindly. The last thing he wanted was to seriously hurt her, and in any case, if he was missing by a wide margin, then keeping it up just gave her time to create whatever she wished.
He moved to an unobscured corner of the ring, wanting to change position from where she'd last seen him. He held his breath for a moment, waiting for an attack to shoot through the air at where he'd been.
Izuku was vaguely aware of Present Mic making a remark about how the tension was killing him, but he barely registered it. Even though he knew she didn't have a hearing Quirk, he breathed as quietly as he could, expecting an attack at any moment. He focused his mind, and suddenly he was flanked by several top heroes.
Reinforcements created, he then brought a huge, oscillating fan into existence. You can't hide from me,he thought as he switched it on.
The smoke was blown away in seconds, revealing—
"Uh oh," Izuku said, eyes widening.
Yaoyorozu, wearing infrared goggles and ear protection, fired the cannon she'd created.
Heavy artillery had once been Momo's go-to creations when she'd wanted something really impressive or powerful. She'd made a cannon during Mr. Aizawa's Quirk assessment test, and she'd made one during the recommended students' exam for UA. It wasn't exactly subtle or incredibly imaginative, but there was no denying the effectiveness of it.
More recently, however, she'd been changing tactics and using big guns less frequently.
A high caliber gun was undeniably powerful, but something so large and complex took a great deal of time to create, and it taxed her fat reserves significantly as well.
Midoriya had pointed out in his analysis that efficiency for her meant achieving her objectives with the least massive creations possible.
Why create a big, heavy weapon made of kilos and kilos of steel and other heavy components when a few hundred grams of knockout gas, glue, or perhaps even water would do the job just as well? Certainly, since learning how to duplicate the effects of others' Quirks, she had put that principle into practice to great effect.
Still, there times when there was just no substitute for the sheer brute force of a cannon.
She peeled off the infrared goggles and ear protection she'd made for herself just as the smoke from her cannon's shot cleared.
Midoriya was still standing, no doubt having gotten a protective barrier up in time, though even from the other side of the ring, she could see that he looked visibly dazed.
Perhaps more importantly, several of his constructs remained. Her attack had blown away the constructs of All Might, Edgeshot, Ryukyu, and Wash, but jade versions of Hawks, Best Jeanist, and Mirko remained.
Damn, she thought. Momo had really hoped for better.
Her fat reserves were running low. She could feel in the ache that had accompanied every use of her Quirk in the last couple of minutes and the way her fatigue seemed to be increasing more quickly than it should. She had been using her Quirk heavily all day, and a big lunch hadn't helped to replenish her reserves all that much. Her body was starting to rebel against using it more.
Still, she wasn't about to give up now.
The three hero constructs charged, but Momo could immediately see that Izuku was still too out of it to command them as well as he had when he'd formed constructs of the rest of 1-A, ironically making the pros' doppelgangers less skilled than the ones of their fellow students.
It might just be what saved her.
Activating her Quirk, she pulled a new bo staff from her abdomen and swung at the Mirko construct, which was ahead of the other two. She caught the jade rabbit hero across the torso, staggering the construct. Another strike from her staff and then a blow from her elbow sent the green Mirko collapsing to the ground.
The Best Jeanist construct unleashed what seemed like a million strands of green fibers at her, no doubt hoping to entangle her, but she created a new blade from her forearm, hissing at the discomfort of doing so, which was bordering on pain now. Her ultra-sharp weapon made short work of the green fibers, and then Beast Jeanist himself.
Then she recreated the gloves from before. Abandoning her staff, she launched herself into the air with explosions, leaping onto the back of the Hawks construct. A couple of point-blank explosions was all it took to make it dissipate like so much smoke in the wind.
Momo landed back on the ring in a three-point stance, grabbed her staff again, and sprinted at Midoriya.
She needed to end this quickly.
Momo was mere moments away from landing a fierce blow when a wave of green light and force abruptly erupted from Midoriya, sending her flying. She grunted as she landed on the ground, still mercifully inside the ring, rolling a few times before coming to a stop.
She hadn't known he could do that. She wasn't sure he had known he could do that.
The Creation user sprang to her feet just in time to see Midoriya shaking his head, almost visibly clearing out the cobwebs. Emerald light pulsed around him as he formed a new construct.
"Oh dear…" she breathed.
A construct of Momo herself now stood before her, clad in her hero costume and clutching a jade bo staff. Grimacing, the true Momo held her staff up in a defensive stance.
Yet despite everything, she found herself...quite flattered. There was something about the way the construct held itself; the green Momo seemed to radiate strength and confidence in a way the real hero student felt sure she herself had never managed.
She suspected her emerald double was a little bit taller than she was, too, for that matter.
Is this how he sees me? She wondered.
Then the construct charged.
Momo moved to meet it, and there was a loud clack as their staves met.
She swiped with her blade, but the construct easily dodged out of the way and sent a spray of neon green glue towards her feet, forcing Momo to retreat a couple of steps to avoid it. Then the construct fired a long strand of tape at her, but she was easily able to slice it with her blade.
She was just thinking she could probably take down her double when she felt something like rope wrap around her torso and suddenly pull taut.
"No!" she yelped, belatedly realizing her error.
She had just assumed that Midoriya had gone back to relying almost exclusively on his constructs of pro heroes and his classmates in the heat of the moment and had allowed herself to focus entirely on her jade doppelganger. But apparently he had learned quite well from their training sessions together, and he'd managed to ensnare her with simple constructs of cord.
Momo immediately tried to cut herself free, but the construct took the opportunity to pile on. A sharp smack of a bo staff kept her from getting her blade anywhere near the ropes Midoriya was generating, and the construct was quick to follow up with reams of tape and glue. She collapsed to the ground, rapidly starting to look like a mummy from the neck down.
"Yaoyorozu, can you move?" Midnight asked.
She felt like she could've managed some means of escape, if she hadn't been pushing herself and her Quirk to the limit all day, or if her life had depended on it. Perhaps she could've somehow brute forced her way to freedom with explosives or more blades, or maybe she could've created a flash bang and stunned Midoriya enough to cause him to dispel his constructs.
As it was, she was exhausted, and the idea of using her Quirk to create anything of even moderate size right now was almost unthinkable. She strongly suspected she'd hurt herself if she tried, in fact.
"No," she sighed, smiling ruefully.
"Yaoyorozu is immobilized!" Midnight announced. "Midoriya wins the match and the tournament!"
"And there you have it, folks! After one of the most spectacular finales I've ever seen, Izuku Midoriya manages to win it all!" Present Mic exclaimed. "In fact, he won or was on the winning team in all three rounds! Do we have some special award for a student who manages that hat trick?"
"No," Eraserhead grunted.
"Well, then…hey, wait, Shota, where are you going?!"
"The events are over. I'm done. Find someone else to be your sidekick next year."
"Hey now, don't be like…and he's gone."
Momo noticed a hand reaching down next to her and was suddenly aware that the layers of green restraints on her had vanished. Looking up, she saw Midoriya was offering to help her up. Smiling, she took his hand, allowing him to assist her in getting back to her feet.
"Congratulations on your victory," she said.
"Thanks," he replied. "You were really amazing, too."
Midoriya seemed to realize then that he was still holding her hand, and he abruptly let go, blushing fiercely. Momo giggled, though she felt her cheeks warm somewhat as well.
It had felt very nice. She rather wished he hadn't let go.
"Let's give it up one more time for our first and second place winners: Izuku Midoriya and Momo Yaoyorozu!" Present Mic said, the crowd went wild.
Momo turned and waved to the audience. As much as she would've liked to have attained first place, she definitely didn't feel like any sort of loser.
Chapter 27: Sports Festival - Medal Ceremony
"Well, I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised at how little damage the two of you did to one another out there," Recovery Girl remarked as she planted a wet kiss on first Izuku and then Yaoyorozu.
"Thank you, Recovery Girl," he said, getting up off the examination table and giving her a bow.
"Yes, your help is appreciated," Yaoyorozu agreed.
"I'd praise you two for your restraint in the last match, but I actually watched it," the old heroine remarked, using her syringe cane to point at a small television in her office, which was currently switched off. "It's a wonder I'm not treating at least one of you for a concussion."
Izuku chuckled nervously. "Thank you again for healing us! We should get going, though! Don't want to miss the awards ceremony!"
Recovery Girl shooed them away with a tired wave.
Taking the dismissal for what it was, Izuku was quick to make for the exit, with Yaoyorozu right behind him. However, he slowed for just a brief moment to gaze in the direction of the bed where Kacchan had been deposited following his match with the Creation user.
The privacy curtain was still drawn, but the silence from behind it was ample proof that the explosive blonde was still asleep.
He'd expected that Recovery Girl would've woken him by now, but he wasn't about to complain.
"I don't know how much more restraint we're really could've shown," Yaoyorozu remarked as they made their way through the halls of the stadium. "I know if I'd held back, you would've defeated me immediately."
"She might've been talking about that cannon," he said. "Though I know that you know that wouldn't have really hurt me so long as I had my barrier up."
"Indeed," she agreed with a small smile.
They emerged in the stadium's main grounds a few moments later, and Izuku's breath caught at the sight of the winners' podium standing in the center.
"This kind of thing will never fail to blow my mind," he whispered reverently.
Yaoyorozu giggled softly at that, causing him to flush.
He got the feeling she wasn't quite so awed at the notion of not only having been in the UA Sports Festival but also getting to stand on the podium at the conclusion of it.
Izuku supposed that wasn't exactly shocking. With her amazing Quirk and intelligence, not to mention her wealthy family, this never would've seemed like an impossibility to her the way it once had for him.
They took their spots on the podium, where Uraraka and Honenuki were already standing on the third-place tier together.
"Glad you could two could make it!" the brunette teased playfully.
"Midnight did insist we go to see Recovery Girl," Yaoyorozu replied with a smile. "Congratulations again on your performance, Uraraka. You too, Honenuki."
"Right back at you, Yaomomo!" Uraraka said. "And you, too, Midori!"
"Th-thanks," he managed to get out.
"You're one of the students who stopped the League's Nomu creature?" Honenuki asked, looking skeptical that someone with such stage fright could've managed such a feat.
"Yes, we did that together," Yaoyorozu answered as Izuku descended into embarrassed stammering, just a touch of sharpness in her tone at the implication.
A series of loud pops sounded overhead, cutting off the conversation.
"Oh cool! Fireworks!" Uraraka said, grinning delightedly.
"Now, let's move on to the awards ceremony!" Midnight spoke, voice amplified by some unseen microphone. "As is customary for UA, third place is shared by both students eliminated in the semifinal round!"
Uraraka took that as her cue to wave to the audience. Honenuki just stood there stoically.
"Now for the medals!" Midnight continued. "Presenting them this year…you know who he is!"
All Might came sailing through the air at that moment, landing in front of the podium. "I am here, with the medals!" he proclaimed.
"Everyone's favorite hero, All Might!" Midnight said at the same time.
There was an awkward moment as All Might and Midnight apologized to one another for the flubbed introduction. Fortunately, the crowd seemed to be too awed at the sudden appearance of the number one hero to really take note, though Uraraka giggled at the display.
"Well, no matter," All Might laughed it off, taking one of the bronze medals that Midnight was holding out. He approached the lone member of 1-B on the podium. "Young Honenuki, when faced with an opponent able to easily avoid your Quirk, you refused to give up and used everything you had at your disposal. That kind of persistence will serve you well in the future."
"Thank you, sir," Honenuki said.
All Might then embraced the young man, who stiffened in surprise until the number one hero released him. Taking the other bronze medal from Midnight, he turned his attention to the brunette also standing on the third place podium.
"Young Uraraka, you found yourself at a disadvantage more than once in the tournament but persevered until you reached this point," he said. "Keep displaying that level of grit and ingenuity, and you could be one of the great heroes of tomorrow!"
"Thank you!" she said as she draped the medal around her neck and then also gave her a brief embrace.
All Might then grabbed the silver medal. "Young Yaoyorozu, while it's only been a short time since the start of the school year, I'm already amazed at how far you've come. I can scarcely imagine how strong and formidable a hero you'll be when you graduate!"
"Thank you, All Might, but I wouldn't have come nearly so far without help from Midoriya," she said as he placed the silver medal on her.
"Is that so? Well, no doubt it required significant effort and dedication on your part, something I'm sure he'd agree with!" All Might said, Izuku nodding vigorously as the massive hero also gave Momo a brief hug.
"And last but not least, you, young Midoriya," All Might said, taking the gold medal. He leaned in close so and spoke softly, so only Izuku could hear him. "You keep proving I was wrong on the day we met, and I've never been so happy to have to eat my words." He leaned back and resumed at a more normal volume as he put the medal on him. "You and all of your classmates have indeed shown today that you are here and ready to fight for justice in the future!"
"Thank you!" Izuku said, practically sobbing by this point.
All Might turned to face the crowds. "Well, these are your winners! But let's not forget that all the students here have the potential to be standing up here! The students of today will grow into the heroes of tomorrow! And in that spirit, let's have one final cheer…!"
"PLUS ULTRA!" the audience screamed.
"Thanks for all your hard work!" All Might exclaimed at the exact same time.
It was like the awkward moment from All Might's entrance, except multiplied by about a million.
"Oh my god, the number one hero's a dork!" Uraraka exclaimed as she succumbed to a fit of giggles.
Wiping tears from his eyes, Izuku could only nod, deciding that while this moment may not have gone the way whoever had choreographed it might've wanted, he wouldn't change a thing about it, or any of today.
Hours earlier…
The Hero Killer crept through the alleyways of Hosu, determined not to be spotted by the heroes who were forming a clumsy dragnet looking for him. He feared no hero, trusting in his skills and the righteousness of his cause, but he was no fool who wanted to confront multiple pros at once.
He would wait until he could get his prey alone, then he would strike, wiping out another fake from the world of professional heroics.
Ingenium would make a fine sacrifice on the altar of a purer world of heroes. He knew the young man was widely lauded, but he saw the truth: a fraud who deployed an army of sidekicks to do most of the work for him, swooping in to claim the glory, while caring little about truly saving those who needed it.
A fine sacrifice indeed.
"There you are."
Stain tensed, whirling about and bringing up his katana.
A muscular man of average height stood before him, clad in a black costume he was unfamiliar with, almost entirely in black. A mask covered his head save for his lower face, with a white, upside-down triangle on his chest offering essentially the only embellishment to his ensemble. A short cape hung from his shoulders, and for some reason, he wore a single black glove on his right hand.
"Who are you?" Stain demanded. "A hero?"
He made it his business to know as much as possible about the heroes in whatever area he was operating in, but it was impossible to know every last one in cities of even moderate size, what with the way the government gave away licenses to anyone who was halfway competent with their Quirk. That heroes were also increasingly coming from out of town to any area where he was known to be operating out of as his infamy grew also meant there was no way for him to be familiar with every pro he might cross paths with.
The man in black chuckled, and it was impossible to miss the sinister note. "No."
"Villain!" Stain hissed.
The man laughed again. "Nothing so simple," he said. "Though I suppose to someone like you, it may as well be. You see the world in black and white, don't you? Ironic."
"Silence, fiend!" Stain spat, charging forward.
The villain didn't move, didn't try to dodge. He didn't even flinch as Stain's katana went straight through his shoulder.
"You've made quite a name for yourself, Hero Killer," he remarked, as though he hadn't just been impaled with a sword. "So many people are afraid of you. I wonder how many more people will have strong feelings about you, once the world hears about all the high-minded reasons behind your little crusade?"
Hissing wordlessly, Stain withdrew his blade and retreated several steps. There was blood on his katana, he noted, but not nearly as much as there should've been, given the wound he'd inflicted. It was like he'd stabbed a dead body rather than a living villain.
Nevertheless, he was quick to lick the blade, eager to activate his Quirk and end this villain. He needed to get out of here as soon as possible in case the altercation had drawn the attention of any heroes.
Also, this unexpected foe was unnerving him more than he'd care to admit.
Stain knew something was wrong the moment he tasted the blood. The hero killer recoiled, gagging at the rancid taste of it.
He realized he was on the ground before he registered having fallen. His whole body was suddenly in agony, and he could barely tell which way was up.
"What's the matter?" the man in black asked. "Eat something that didn't agree with you?"
"Please…" Stain gasped.
He wanted to plead that he needed to live, because his mission was yet woefully incomplete. That only All Might was allowed to kill him.
He couldn't get out the words through the pain and dizziness.
"It's okay," the villain whispered in a faux soothing tone. "I'll end your pain, with my black hand."
Later that day, a sidekick of Team Idaten discovered the grisly corpse of the Hero Killer, chest ripped open and heart missing.
A couple of hours after the conclusion of the festival, Recovery Girl sighed as she finished the last of the paperwork she needed to fill out regarding the treatments she'd given the various students who'd come to see her today.
It honestly hadn't been as bad as it usually was, especially for first year students, but she was still eager to be done with it, especially since she'd need to do it again for the second and third years in the next two days.
"Only one thing left," she said as she put her pen away into the desk drawer and turning toward the still unconscious form of Bakugo.
Had she needed to delay waking the explosive blonde until not only after the festival had concluded but also the rest of his classmates had been informed they had the next two days off and been dismissed?
No, she could've woken him hours ago.
But she'd remembered Yaoyorozu coming to her after the battle trials, obviously very shaken despite trying to retain her composure, her hands burned from her desperate escape.
Not being a teacher, Recovery Girl didn't usually review the recordings from things like battle trials, but she had access to them. She had been appalled at Bakugo's actions, and she'd given Toshinori a few smacks of her cane when she'd learned he'd received no punishment for it, at least until he'd told her that he'd discussed the matter with Aizawa and the more seasoned teacher had blithely waved off the incident.
She didn't bother growling to Eraserhead about it, knowing from experience that the man would refuse to budge on the issue; he was always so certain he was right, that one, claiming he always took the most rational course of action.
Not a difficult thing, when your definition of "rational" was "thinks the way I do."
It wasn't a good attitude for a teacher to have, in her opinion, but Nezu had always seemed to like the unconventional types for the sake of it, especially those he felt kept the students on their toes. So long as some of the graduates from Aizawa's classes continued to rank highly in the hero charts, the principal would let the underground hero behave as he wished with few limits.
All of which meant that ensuring that this young man missed the rest of the festival and that his classmates didn't have to deal with him was all she could do.
Moving to his bedside, she administered a quick kiss on the boy's cheek, activating her Quirk.
Bakugo probably would've burned through the rest of the Quirk-created sedative in his system fairly shortly anyway, and he had plenty of stamina from his long nap. His crimson eyes popped open immediately.
"What the fuck?" he muttered, sitting bolt upright. "What the hell happened? Where am I?"
"You're in my office, young man," Recovery Girl said. "You passed out after Yaoyorozu managed to use that knockout gas on you."
His eyes widened. "Who won?" he demanded, his teeth grinding together. "Who won the festival?"
"Midoriya did," she answered. "Yaoyorozu took second place."
The explosive blonde's red eyes bulged, nostrils flaring as he inhaled deeply. Recovery Girl realized too late what was about to happen to smack him with her cane and stop him, and so she instead raised her hands, covering her ears at the last moment.
It was later said that Bakugo's scream was heard for several kilometers all around the stadium.
Chapter 28: A Moment of Peace
"Izuku."
He woke immediately, ending his peaceful slumber in his bed after the Sports Festival. A soft gasp escaped him as he found himself gazing up into the onyx eyes of Yaoyorozu. His curvy classmate was on all fours above him, her knees straddling his torso.
"Yaomomo!" he gasped out, not managing to ask her what she was doing here.
She giggled. "Call me Momo, silly," she said, gently tapping his nose with her fingertip. The chaste bit of contact made him feel like steam was about to shoot out of his ears.
"M-Momo?" He belatedly realized she was in her hero costume for some reason, or at least the leotard. The belt and boots were missing.
"Of course," she smiled, tone silky in a way he'd never heard from her before. "It would be silly for you keep calling me by that nickname, considering what we're about to do."
"Wh-what we're about to do?" Izuku asked. He hated that he was stuttering, but he couldn't have stopped if his life depended on it.
Rather than answer him, she reached down and grabbed one of his hands with hers, his skin tingling at the point of contact.
Izuku's eyes widened when she began guiding his hand towards her chest.
"Momo," he breathed.
She opened her mouth, and…
"A NEW DAY IS HERE! A NEW DAY IS HERE! A NEW DAY IS HERE!"
Izuku jerked awake for real this time, finding that he was indeed in his bed, but that the extremely attractive class rep was entirely absent. Reaching out, he slapped the button on top of his All Might themed alarm clock, silencing it.
Then he flopped over with a groan and buried his face in his pillow. Okay, I guess that just happened,he mused, Mogo's suggestion from many weeks ago now ringing mockingly through his mind.
It wasn't the first time he'd had a dream like that about Yaoyorozu, though it was something that was becoming increasingly common.
He always felt a little guilty when he woke up from these dreams; it seemed like his sleeping mind was trying to use Yaoyorozu like some kind of play thing, discarding her actual personality to instead conjure up someone eager to throw herself at him.
Though…if he was going to be having these kinds of dreams, it would've been nice if they could kiss or…do other things in them before he woke up, but they never did.
Of course! No girl would ever want you, you worthless Deku, not even in your dreams! A voice that sounded suspiciously like Kacchan cackled from his subconscious.
Ignoring it, he reluctantly got out of bed and tracked down his phone. Unlocking it and opening the chat app, he checked on the most recent conversation.
It had been clear by late afternoon the previous day that the celebratory group outing they had planned was going to be smaller than originally intended. Uraraka's parents had made a surprise visit, and so she wanted to spend time with them, especially since they weren't able to come see her often. Iida, too, had later said he couldn't come, also citing family reasons; his brother had apparently managed to get enough of a break from hero work to join his younger brother and their parents for a slightly belated fancy meal together to celebrate Iida's performance at the festival.
Iida had apologized profusely for having to cancel, saying he didn't think his performance merited celebration from his family, but it was clear he didn't want to disappoint them.
Jirou had likewise said she couldn't go, though she was much cagier about her reasons. Judging by the vaguely teasing comments she made in the chat, he suspected it was less that she couldn't attend and more that she wanted to give him and Yaoyorozu time alone together.
Which meant it was just him and Yaoyorozu, going on something that wasn't a date but suddenly looked quite a lot like one.
This is fine, he thought.
Izuku wasn't sure if he wanted to thank Jirou or throttle her.
Sighing, he looked down at the power ring that sat upon his finger. It barely took a thought from him to make it shimmer and then vanish from sight; he was very well practiced at that particular trick by now.
Far be it from him to turn down a chance to spend time with Yaoyorozu, he decided as he gathered a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom to clean up.
In retrospect, Momo realized that it might have been just a tad naïve of them to expect that they could simply spend a day out in the city like normal.
She had rather wanted to go to lunch at that salad bowl place she and Midoriya had visited after their first day at UA, as she had enjoyed it and felt that the enormous growth she'd enjoyed since starting the school year had truly begun there. Midoriya had been a little surprised and perhaps bemused by her selection, but he was certainly willing to go.
The two of them had been instantly recognized as the first and second place winners of the first years' sports festival and fans and onlookers had mobbed them immediately, with people shouting questions or asking to take selfies with them.
They had somehow managed to escape and lose the crowd, eventually ducking into a restaurant where Momo frequently went with her family, where the owner was more than happy to put them in a private room, away from prying eyes.
Izuku looked vaguely intimidated by the establishment, to Momo's mild confusion, but he didn't complain. He could hardly argue that it would be better to venture to a more public venue at the moment.
"Sorry, I never gave a thought to the possibility we might be recognized," Izuku said as they sat down.
Momo shook her head. "Neither did I," she confessed. "I suppose it's just something we'll need to get used to, however, if we're to be pro heroes."
"I didn't think we'd need to get used to it so soon, though," he remarked.
"We did make a rather big splash at the festival," Momo said with a smile.
Midoriya chuckled weakly. "I guess we did."
The meal was pleasant, with the two maintaining easy conversation the whole way through. Midoriya asked her a few things about her performance in the festival, like how she had found out enough about Bakugo's gloves to be able to replicate them, but for the most part, they avoided talking "shop" throughout the meal. After the intensity of the festival and the days of training leading up to it, she was more than happy to focus on unimportant frivolities for a few hours.
Midoriya attempted to pay at the end of the meal, but after seeing the way his face paled under his freckles after he got a look at the check, Momo quickly insisted that since she'd picked the restaurant, she should be the one to pick up the bill.
"That's that taken care of," she said once she'd seen to the check. "Now we just need to be able to get out of here without drawing a mob again."
She lifted up her shirt, suppressing a giggle at the way Midoriya averted his gaze with a blush on his face, as though he hadn't seen her exposed midriff dozens of times already, and activated her Quirk.
She laughed and smiled a lot when she was with Midoriya, she'd noticed.
"These ought to help us avoid detection," Momo said. "We'll need to throw them away after today, however. I don't want to damage the economy, after all."
Midoriya blinked at the items she was holding out before taking the flu mask and the baseball cap. He grinned as he put them on. "Thank you."
She gave him a smile, then donned the large sunglasses she'd created for herself. Reaching up, Momo undid her usual ponytail, using her fingers to smooth out her hair a bit. She would've preferred to change her hairstyle more thoroughly, but this, along with the kerchief she'd created, would have to do.
She was about to put said kerchief on when she noticed Midoriya staring at her. "Do I have something on my face?" she asked.
He blinked, then blushed and turned away. "S-Sorry," he stammered. "I was just thinking you, um, look very nice with your hair down like that. N-Not that you don't look nice with your usual hair style! You totally do! This is just…different nice!" he added rapidly.
Momo turned away herself now. "Thank you," she said softly, bringing a halt to his near panic.
Disguises in place, they exited the restaurant, and thankfully were not accosted the moment they stepped out onto the street.
"That was an amazing meal," Midoriya said. "Thank you again."
She smiled. "Think nothing of it," Momo replied. "Is there anything else you had in mind for this afternoon?"
He blinked. "Oh, um, not really. I'd be up for anything you'd want to do, though."
"Hmm, there's a book shop a couple of blocks from here. We could visit that," she said, a little more timidly than she would've liked.
She wouldn't have suggested this if all the others had come along, but Midoriya struck her as someone who wouldn't view such a trip as an unpleasant chore akin to homework. She was delighted and a bit relieved when she saw his green eyes light up at the prospect.
"Sounds like fun," he said. "Lead the way."
Nodding, she headed in the direction of the bookstore, which was a family-owned establishment she patronized frequently. The store sold used and often hard to find books in addition to new publications.
Once inside, the two of them split up for a bit, searching different sections of the store for a while, eventually reconvening at one of the tables in the store's currently quiet coffee shop, where they each got a cup of tea and looked over their selections.
Midoriya had grabbed a used book on Quirkology, along with what appeared to be…
"I didn't know they sold Western comic books here," she said.
He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck bashfully. "I found them in a back corner," he said. "They're only reproductions, but still pretty old. Did you know a lot of people believe All Might modelled his heroic persona after a combination of Superman and Captain America?"
"I can't say I did," Momo said. "That sort of knowledge will serve you well in Ms. Kayama's class, I'm sure."
"Thanks," he said. "What's that?" he asked, indicating the thick book she'd grabbed.
"Oh, it's an encyclopedia," she said, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Something to study to give you more 'ammo' for your Quirk?" Midoriya asked innocently.
"Ah, no," she admitted, resisting the urge to lie about it. "I mean, I do learn things that I can use for my Quirk, but I read these just because I enjoy it."
"Oh, that's really cool," Midoriya said. "I bet you learn a lot that way!"
"Yes…"
He tilted his head. "Are you okay, Yaomomo? You seem kind of…" he trailed off, apparently lacking the right word.
She nodded. "I'm quite fine. Truthfully, I was made fun of a great deal in elementary and middle school for my reading habits. A lot of the others felt it made me a bookish nerd, not someone who could take action and be a pro hero," she admitted. "I suppose I've become embarrassed about it as a result."
"People made fun of you?" he asked, eyes wide.
She chuckled. His amazement at that notion seemed silly until she remembered the construct of her that he'd made at the end of their match, and how it had radiated indomitable strength. If that was truly how he saw her, she supposed it was no wonder he was surprised that she'd ever been picked on.
"Yes," Momo said. "I have to say, UA has been a big improvement so far."
"Agreed," he said at once.
She frowned, recalling how extraordinarily late his Quirk awakening had been. She was sure that what she'd endured was nothing compared to what he had.
Momo wasn't quite sure how to say that, though, so instead she finished her tea and suggested they take their leave.
Once they were back on the street, she struggled to come up with something else for them to do. It had been a while at this point, and she supposed they could've called it a day, but she found she was reluctant to do so.
"We're close to Dagobah Beach," he spoke up, surprising her slightly. "I know the weather's not exactly great." He gestured up at the slate gray sky. "But would you like to go for a walk there?"
She smiled. "Yes, I'd enjoy that."
"You cleaned up this entire beach?" Yaoyorozu asked, her onyx eyes wide as she looked at the expanse of white sand. "By hand?"
They had gone back to the car that was waiting to pick up Yaoyorozu whenever she was done for the day and dropped off their books in the back seat. Izuku had insisted on carrying her encyclopedia as well as his own purchases, still feeling rather embarrassed about her paying for both their lunches, even if the amount it had cost was clearly nothing to her.
"Um, mostly," he said bashfully. "I wanted to do physical training for UA, rather than just rely on my, um, Quirk. Though I did use my powers at the end to finish the job before the entrance exam."
"Why not go to a gym?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I wanted to do some good while I was at it."
This was true but didn't tell the whole story. Izuku knew if he'd gone to his school's gym he would've been mocked mercilessly. He was sure his mother would've been willing to pay the membership at a commercial gym, but he still would've run the risk of encountering someone from Aldera, and he'd preferred the solitude of the then polluted beach.
She smiled at him. "You really do just want to help people, don't you?"
He chuckled. "I guess so," he said. "What about you? Why do you want to be a hero?"
Yaoyorozu hummed thoughtfully. "I suppose it's because it's more real than most of my other options, if that makes sense," she said. "It's certainly possible I could do good from a boardroom or a corner office, but I'd be so disconnected from the people I was trying to help that I couldn't even be sure that I truly was helping. When you're a pro hero, you know you're doing good because you're right there with the people you're protecting."
"That makes sense," he nodded. "It's…really cool that you're pursuing a career in heroics when I'm sure you could just, um, sit in the lap of luxury all day, if you wanted."
A dusting of red appeared on her cheeks. "Thank you."
She always looked so cute when she blushed just a little like that, he thought helplessly.
They continued walking for a while, eventually reaching a point where most of the city seemed to have faded into the background. It was a deceptive impression; they weren't that far away from the urban core, but between a rocky outcropping and a lone, dark beach house, they seemed far away and isolated.
"Yaomomo, there's something I need to tell you," he blurted out before he could lose his nerve, coming to a halt.
She stopped and looked at him, gesturing for him to go on. He could tell she realized it was something important.
Part of him wanted to tell her he liked her and "begin courtship" as Mogo had put it, but knew he couldn't do that now.
Not just because he didn't think he could muster the nerve at the moment, but also because Yaoyorozu deserved to know the truth about him before he could even think about confessing to her.
He wasn't sure if he could ever get over feeling like a fraud in hero society, but he knew how to stop feeling like he was lying to his new best friend.
"I…wasn't honest with you when I said my Quirk came in just a few months before the entrance exam," he said, removing the flu mask he'd been wearing.
She frowned. "So, it came in earlier than that?"
Part of Izuku could barely believe he was about to do this, knowing he could potentially lose everything. If Yaoyorozu told everyone…
He shook his head. He didn't believe she'd do that, and this was worth the risk.
No fear.
"No," Izuku said. "My Quirk never came in at all. I'm actually Quirkless."
"I don't understand. How could you possibly be Quirkless?" she asked, frown deepening. "The whole world saw you using superhuman abilities at the festival."
Izuku sighed. "This is the part where I sound crazy," he said, allowing the power ring to become visible. "But I swear it's all true, and I can prove it."
"…why don't you start from the beginning?" she suggested.
"Okay," he agreed. "I guess for me, the beginning was during my last year of middle school. I was heading home, and a villain in this yellow armor suddenly grabbed me and started asking me all these weird questions. A hero, All Might actually, showed up and took the villain down, but after he destroyed the villain's armor, it turned out that inside was just a bunch of gray ooze. All Might contained it in a couple of soda bottles, but it later got out."
"I'm surprised All Might let the villain escape," Yaoyorozu remarked.
"Ah, well, I might've been pestering him," Izuku said, embarrassed. "It was really my fault it got away."
"As the pro hero there, All Might was the one responsible for maintaining custody of the villain, but never mind," Yaoyorozu allowed, gesturing for him to go on.
"When the ooze villain got out, he ended up attacking some students from my school," Izuku said. "There were a bunch of pro heroes at the scene, but they were mostly just trying to keep the bystanders back and stuff, not going to save them. They were waiting for another hero with the right Quirk to show up. And I saw some kids like me in trouble and just…ran to help them without thinking."
The raven-haired young woman somehow managed to look exasperated and fond at once. "I can understand why you'd want to act if the heroes weren't, but that was very reckless."
"Yeah, it wasn't my smartest move," he admitted. "The villain grabbed me and soon I was covered in that gunk. But while I was, I felt something metal suddenly slide onto my finger." He twisted the ring as he spoke, not even realizing he was toying with it. "I didn't realize it at the time, but I was later told that it picked me because I have the ability to overcome great fear. Though part of me still thinks it's crazy that I got it when All Might was in the area."
"It certainly sounds like you were the bravest one there, right then," Yaoyorozu said.
"After…everything was over, I was heading home again," Izuku said. "I looked at the ring and asked it what it was, and it…answered. I started flying into the sky and couldn't stop myself. The ring told me that it was taking me to the planet Oa."
"Oa?" Yaoyorozu frowned.
"It's at the very center of universe," Izuku nodded. "There's a group there that call themselves the Guardians of the Universe. Their species is one of the oldest in existence, and they used their advanced technology to create the power rings, which are fueled by the willpower of every living thing in existence. They give the rings out to people all across the universe who have the ability to overcome great fear so they can be part of the Green Lantern Corps, a group that works to bring peace and order to the universe."
"And that's how and why you have powers?" Yaoyorozu asked. "Because you're a member of this Green Lantern Corps, which was created by ancient, hyper advanced aliens who've decided to police the universe, rather than a Quirk?"
It sounded so crazy when someone just said it like that, Izuku mused.
"I know it seems impossible, but it all happened," he said, taking the ring off his finger. "Without this, I don't have any special powers."
Yaoyorozu was silent for a moment before answering. "Forgive me, Midoriya, I don't want to doubt you, but this is…a lot," she said. "You mentioned being able to prove it?"
He nodded. "Probably the most straightforward way is to have you try it," he said, holding out the ring. "If that's not enough for you, we can go from there."
He was pretty sure it would be enough. Trying the ring had been enough to convince All Might, after all, and number one hero had had an alternate possible explanation as to how Izuku had abruptly manifested powers. If Yaoyorozu still remained skeptical afterwards, he might need to take her to space or something.
She looked taken aback. "You'd trust me with that?" the raven-haired young woman asked, looking down at the ring in his open palm. "If this is real, that's the source of all your powers you're handing me. If you lost this…"
"I trust you," he nodded.
Wordlessly, she took the ring and slipped it onto the middle finger of her right hand, eyes widening at the way it changed size slightly to accommodate her.
Emerald flames erupted across her body the moment she had it on, and Yaoyorozu released a yelp of surprise and fright.
"It's okay!" he rushed to reassure her. "I know it's scary, but it won't hurt you!"
True to his words, the flames dissipated and vanished a moment later, but they had done their job. The street clothes she'd been wearing were nowhere to be found, and she was instead clad in a modified version of her hero costume. The normally crimson leotard was a deep green, with black and white accents, and the boots were likewise now emerald in color. The Yaoyorictionary was absent, though the belt was still present. However, it was only about half as wide as normal and was now a pure white rather than the regular tan color, with a large, circular portion where it buckled in the front.
Izuku just knew that was where the Green Lantern emblem would go, if she were to complete training on Oa and get fully sworn in.
That's odd, All Might's clothes didn't change at all when he tried on the ring. Does that mean Yaoyorozu is a more suitable Green Lantern candidate than All Might? He wondered.
Normally Izuku would've viewed the thought as an absurdity and practically a sacrilege, but he considered the young woman before him amazing enough that he didn't discount the idea.
I guess it's possible that learning to use her Quirk is pretty much the best Green Lantern training that someone can do without actually becoming a Lantern, he thought. And I'm sure she can overcome fear. So I suppose it makes sense that—
"Incredible," Yaoyorozu breathed, jarring him from his thoughts.
She held out a hand, frowning in concentration.
A matryoshka doll popped out of her forearm and landed in the sand.
"Uh…"
"Oops," Yaoyorozu said, looking embarrassed. "Let me try again…"
This time, a green bo staff appeared in her grip. She gave it a few experimental swings before allowing it to vanish, then created several matryoshka doll constructs that hung suspended in midair.
"You're a natural," he said, more than a little impressed.
Izuku knew he'd picked up using the ring faster than the other recruits he'd trained with on Oa, but even he hadn't been making constructs that fast. Apparently learning how to use Creation truly wasgreat Green Lantern training.
"It's all true, isn't it?" Yaoyorozu asked him. "Every bit of it."
He nodded. "All of it."
She removed the ring, her outfit immediately reverting to the simple yet elegant blouse and skirt combination she'd had on before, and pressed it back into his hand. "Thank you. For trusting me with this," she said. "The ring and the secret."
"You're not…mad I kept it from you?" he asked. "Or feel like I'm some phony because I'm really Quirkless?"
"Absolutely not," she said, and he was surprised at how firm she sounded, almost stern. "Would have behaved any differently, any better at the USJ if your powers came from a Quirk instead of the ring?"
"I guess not," Izuku said.
"Of course not," she agreed. "If the fact that your powers come from the ring instead of a Quirk makes any difference, it's that you're more deserving of being a hero. You didn't just get a lucky draw on the genetic lottery like the rest of us. These Guardians saw your potential and your desire to help and decided to grant you the ring to allow you to better act on it. They didn't take something worthless and make it look valuable by giving you that ring, they gave you something that would enhance what's already there. And even besides that, the ring had nothing to do with you writing up an analysis of my Quirk that helped me tremendously, and put the ones done by professional Quirk counselors to shame. That was all you."
Izuku's eyes were like a faucet at this point, but he didn't have it in him to care just then. He'd never expected anyone to offer up such a ferocious defense him. "Thank you," he choked out.
"It's only what you deserve," she said, creating a handkerchief, which he gratefully accepted, using it to blow his nose and dry his eyes.
"Who else knows about this, if you don't mind my asking?" she inquired once he'd managed to compose himself.
"Only my mother and All Might," he answered.
She blinked. "All Might?"
Izuku nodded. "Yeah, after he saved me from that villain, we, um, had a brief conversation where I told him I was Quirkless. Then he saw me at the entrance exam and asked how I was able to do what I had."
He left out the part about All Might mentioning a villain with the ability to steal and give out Quirks, as well as the number one hero's injuries. Those didn't feel like his secrets to tell.
"Ah, it would be difficult to explain that," she nodded. "But…why tell me?"
"I…you're important to me, Yaomomo," he said, and though he blushed furiously, he forced himself not to look away from her. "I guess I just…wanted you to know who…what I really am."
"I'm honored that you'd trust me with this information. I promise, I won't betray that trust," she said seriously. "And I swear, I will never think less of you because you're Quirkless."
Every time he thought Yaoyorozu couldn't get any more wonderful, she proved him wrong.
"Thank you," he whispered. "I can't tell you how much that means."
She smiled. "Any time, Midoriya."