MHA Universe, Earth, Japan, Musutafu.
"Hey, is that Midoriya-Kun?" Akatsuki said as she and Sakura stepped onto the beach covered in trash.
Hearing his name, Izuku, who was trying to push a washing machine towards the area designated for cleared trash, stopped and turned in the direction where he heard his name coming from.
"Huh?" Izuku intoned while tilting his head. "Oh, it's Hanekura-San and Matou-San from the class next door.
Izuku was not the only one who turned to look at the newcomers, though. Tatsuo, Alfonzo, and Toshinori also turned to look. And while Toshinori only showed some interest to meet some of Izuku's classmates, he missed Tatsuo's and Alfonzo's eyes lighting up at the sight of the acquaintances.
Though, shortly after seeing Akatsuki's figure, they both tilted their heads with metaphorical questions marks floating above them.
"Hey, is that really Akatsuki?" Alfonzo whispered to Tatsuo.
"I think so...?" Tatsuo replied, his response more of a question than an answer. "I mean, Midoriya did just call them Hanekura and Matou. And that's definitely Sakura... So..."
"Yeah, but why does she look...?" Alfonzo asked bewilderment coloring his tone. "I mean, she's supposed to look like a little kid, right?"
Before Tatsuo could respond, they the conversation was abruptly cut off when they felt Akatsuki shooting a sharp glare in their direction.
"Yeah, it's me." Izuku replied nervously.
"You know these two, Young Midoriya?" Toshinori asked curiously.
"Yeah, they're... Um... kind of the most popular girls in my school." Izuku replied while scratching his head. "From what I know, they both have amazing [Quirks]. But I've never really spoken to them before. I'm actually surprised they recognized me first, especially with Static, the No. 7 Hero here."
In this world, hero is a profession. That is the reason why there are schools like U.A. High School, places where heroes are trained. Because not anyone who puts on a costume can be considered a hero. In fact, if someone fighting crime or saving people has not completed and graduated from a hero course and gotten their Hero License, they are nothing more than vigilantes. And in this society, vigilantism is just another form of criminal activity, no matter how much good they do for the people.
"Oh ho!" Toshinori exclaimed, his interest in the two girls growing. "That's quite interesting. Does that mean that the two of you plan on applying to a hero course after graduating from middle school?"
"Yes, Sir." Sakura replied with a polite bow.
"That's right." Akatsuki added. "We're planning to attend--- Wait, did Midoriya-Kun just say that Static was here?"
Interrupting her own reply, Akatsuki's eyes widened as she looked around. Her eyes then landed on Alfonzo, who had stopped whispering to Tatsuo when she glared at them only a moment ago.
'I can't believe no one else noticed that murderous glare she just sent our way.' Tatsuo and Alfonzo thought simultaneously. 'And now she looks like the world's biggest fan girl.'
At the same time, Tatsuo and Alfonzo could not help their eyebrows from twitching when they saw the convincing look of surprise on Akatsuki's face.
'Women are natural born actresses.' Tatsuo and Alfonzo thought simultaneously. 'At least Sakura's not as bad as Akatsuki.'
Like they thought, Sakura, instead of putting on a convincing act simply lowered her head in embarrassment. To Toshinori and Izuku, it probably looked like she was embarrassed to meet a pro-hero. But to Tatsuo, Alfonzo, and Akatsuki, it was clear she was just experiencing second-hand embarrassment from Akatsuki's act.
A moment later, Akatsuki, still acting excited, grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her towards Tatsuo and Alfonzo, causing Tatsuo to roll his eyes while Alfonzo put on a smile fitting for a hero.
"OMG! It's really Static!" Akatsuki squealed once she was standing in front of Alfonzo.
"Hey, how's it goin'" Alfonzo replied casually. "I've sure been running into a lot of U.A. hopefuls lately. *Sigh* Kinda makes me wish I grew up in this country. But eh... What can ya do."
"I heard about that." Akatsuki said as she clasped her hands in front of her chest. "You came to Japan to take care of your younger cousin after his parents were---"
"Yeah, that's right." Alfonzo said, cutting off Akatsuki while gesturing towards Tatsuo with an awkward smile on his face. "This is my cousin, the one you were just talking about, Soramoto Tatsuo. He plans on applying to U.A., too."
Hearing that, Akatsuki turned to look at Tatsuo and her eyes lit up. However, unlike most girls and women, she did not seem infatuated. Instead, she seemed interested to see a future rival.
Like Akatsuki, Sakura also raised her head to look at Tatsuo. However, the infatuation in her eyes was easy to see. But since it was already a known fact that she was romantically interested in Tatsuo ever since he saved her from the Matou Clan, that was expected.
"Hi, I'm Hanekura Shizuka." Akatsuki said, introducing herself. "And this is my best friend, Matou Sakura. We both go to Aldera Junior High. It's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too." Tatsuo replied casually. "I go to Mustafa Private Middle School. By the way, Midoriya said you two have amazing [Quirks]. So, what are they?"
"Oh, my [Quirk] is called [Sneak]." Akatsuki replied as if it was no big deal. "It lets me lower my presence, move silently, and gives me heightened speed and agility."
"So, you're like a ninja, huh?" Tatsuo replied with a grin. "That's kinda bad ass."
"*Sigh* You're influencing your younger cousin, Alfonzo." Toshinori muttered quietly. "Heroes shouldn't talk with such crass language."
Alfonzo only rolled his eyes at that.
"What about you?" Tatsuo asked with genuine curiosity while turning to look at Sakura.
"OH... Um... My [Quirk] is called [Shadow Space]." Sakura said in a timid tone while stealing glances at Tatsuo. "I can extend my shadow with it and make solid shadow constructs that I can use to attack, defend, or restrain targets."
"Don't forget you can use it to store things, too." Akatsuki added. "*Sigh* It's too bad we're not allowed to use our [Quirks] in public. If we could that would make shopping so much easier."
Sakura nodded in response, a regretful expression on her face, as well. Meanwhile, all the males on the beach shivered at the thought of going shopping with a woman who could store their bags.
"Anyway, what kind of [Quirk] do you have" Akatsuki asked Tatsuo.
"It's called [Void]." Tatsuo replied casually. "[Basic spatial manipulation. Teleportation, spatial storage, spatial cuts, extreme spatial awareness, you know, the usual."
While Alfonzo did not respond to Tatsuo's casual response, Toshinori and Izuku's mouths fell open in shock. As for Akatsuki and Sakura, their jaws also dropped. But it was only an act in their case, for obvious reasons.
"That's incredible!" Izuku shouted. "[Quirks] that can teleport are so rare. Not to mention all the other stuff you can do."
"My [Quirk] is a combination of my parents' [Quirks]." Tatsuo replied. "Mom could teleport. Though, the range was so short that she never tried to be a hero. She called it [Blink]. And my dad had the ability to enhance weapons to cut through anything. But he never wanted to be a hero. Always thought his [Quirk] was only good for hurting people. I'm not sure where the storage ability came from, though."
After answering Izuku's question, Tatsuo turned towards him.
"By the way, what's your [Quirk], Midoriya?" Tatsuo asked in a curious tone.
In response, Izuku tensed up while lowering his head and clenching his fists.
"Oh, he's [Quirkless]." Akatsuki replied casually. A moment later, however, she frowned in disgust. "I really can't stand the way [Quirkless] people are treated, though. So what, if someone can't shoot fire or lift half a ton? Does that mean they aren't people, too?"
Dumbfounded by Akatsuki's words, Izuku, with tears formed in the corners of his eyes, raised his head explosively to look at her with wide, surprised eyes.
"Yeah, there's this one boy at our school, Bakugo-Kun, he always bullies Midoriya-Kun for being [Quirkless]." Sakura added. "If it wasn't against the rules to use our [Quirks], I would have beaten him up a long time ago."
The tears in the corners of Izuku's eyes began to fall when he heard that. For so long, he was treated as less than human by people with [Quirks]. So, to hear two girls with such amazing [Quirks] say stuff like that really touched his heart.
"Wait... You're [Quirkless]?" Tatsuo asked as if he did not already know. "And you're still training this hard? You definitely work harder than anyone I've ever met to make your dreams come true."
Izuku's tears, which were only dripping from his eyes, turned into a torrent of comical anime tears after hearing what Tatsuo said. Meanwhile, Toshinori smiled brightly at what he was hearing. He then walked over to Izuku and patted him on his back.
"See, not everyone thinks the same way, Young Midoriya." Toshinori said warmly. "It's not a [Quirk] that makes a hero. Instead, it's what you have in here."
As he spoke his last sentence, Toshinori placed a finger on Izuku's chest, right above his heart.
In response, Izuku hurriedly wiped his eyes. Then, he smiled while nodding his head emphatically. Meanwhile, Toshinori turned to address the rest of the group with a wide, happy smile on his face.
"By the way, Young Midoriya isn't actually [Quirkless]." Toshinori continued. "He just went through a late awakening. It's just his since he didn't awaken his [Quirk] at the usual time, his body is too weak to handle it. So, we're just trying to toughen him up."
'Nice save.' Tatsuo, Alfonzo, and Izuku thought in unison.
"Uh... So, who is this guy?" Akatsuki asked, this time, with a genuine expression of confusion on her face.
Sakura, also having never read or seen "My Hero Academia" while there wasn't enough time to get a proper description of all the important characters from the rest of the [Chat] before the [Mission] started, also looked at Toshinori with confusion.
"Ah! It seems I've forgotten to introduce myself." Toshinori said, a hint of embarrassment in his expression. He then stepped away from Izuku and propped his fists on his waste. "Well, allow me to rectify that..."
With that, Toshinori's frame started to bulk up, quickly filling out his baggy clothes in the process, as the two long strands of hair that fell in front of his face stood up, looking like a pair of rabbit ears.
By the time Toshinori was done, both Akatsuki and Sakura were looking up at him with their eyes and mouths open wide in surprise.
"You can call me All Might." Toshinori said with a wide, confident smile on his face. "And I am here... to help Young Midoriya grow into his [Quirk]."
"Do you have to work 'I am Here' in to everything you say, Toshinori?" Alfonzo asked in an exasperated tone.
With the sound of a balloon expelling the air inside, Toshinori returned to his skinny state as he raised his right hand to scratch the back of his head.
"It's my catch phrase." Toshinori replied. "What else am I supposed to do?"
"Wait... Wait... Wait... You're telling me this skinny guy who looks like he might get blown over by a particularly strong breeze is the No. 1 Hero, All Might?" Akatsuki asked while rubbing her eyes to make sure there was nothing wrong with them.
"Yeah, I felt the same way when I found out, too." Tatsuo replied with a shrug. He then looked down at his watch and widened his eyes. "Oh crap, it's later than I thought. Hey, Alfonzo, we need to start heading back or I'm gonna be late for school."
"Yeah, I guess we got sidetracked while talking." Alfonzo replied after pulling his lPhone out of his pocket to check the time. He then turned to Toshinori and continued. "Anyway, we need to get out of here. Just bring Midoriya by my place whenever you're free. I should have a training plan ready for him in a day or two."
"Will do." Toshinori replied. "Then, we'll see you later."
"Yeah, see ya." Alfonzo replied as he turned towards Akatsuki and Sakura. "And it was nice meeting both of you, as well. I wish you luck on getting into U.A."
"See ya later." Tatsuo said while waving to everyone as he prepared to start running home.
"Wait!" Akatsuki said loudly, drawing everyone's attention. Then, with a mischievous smile on her face, she pulled Sakura forward. "Sakura has something she wants to ask you, Soramoto-Kun."
"Akatsuki-San~~." Sakura whined in embarrassment.
'Yup! Women are definitely natural actresses.' Tatsuo and Alfonzo thought in unison once again.
It was no surprise to either Tatsuo or Alfonzo when Sakura was unable to ask the question Akatsuki said she wanted to ask. Nor was it a surprise that Akatsuki, after getting fed up with Sakura dragging her feet, asked for Tatsuo's contact details on Sakura's behalf while conveniently storing them in her own phone, as well.
Tatsuo and Alfonzo left shortly after that. Akatsuki and Sakura followed shortly afterwards. Meanwhile, Toshinori and Izuku stayed a bit longer since Izuku lived closer to Takoba Municipal Beach Park than the others.
After sending Izuku off, Toshinori slowly walked through the city of Musutafu. Along the way, he noticed people of all kinds moving to start their day from children heading to school, to adults heading to work, to elders just enjoying their retirements.
Seeing the peaceful scenery on his walk, Toshinori could not help smiling. This was what he had been fighting for, for decades. Even so, despite the peaceful atmosphere, he knew that there was no way to get rid of crime in its entirety. So, he was always ready to become All Might to help anyone in need.
Luckily, there were no crimes needing Toshinori's assistance before reached his destination, a large, walled off campus. And from a distance, if one were to look at the tallest building on the campus, the large, stylized, U.A. would let anyone looking know exactly where they were... U.A. High School.
From where he stood, Toshinori could see the last trickle of students rushing through the school's gates in an attempt to beat the tardy bell. Seeing that, Toshinori could not help but remember his own time as a student at U.A. with a fond smile on his face.
A few minutes later, after he heard the first bell ring, Yoshinori also headed into the campus. He then entered the main building, stepped into an elevator, and pressed the button for the top floor, where the principal's office was located. Then, after a short elevator ride, he stepped out and walked down the hall to the principal's office.
*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*
"Come in." A high-pitched, almost squeaky, voice said from the other side of the door.
With that, Toshinori opened the door and stepped inside. When he did, what he saw was a rather normal looking office with a desk, a high-backed, rolling leather chair behind it, and a coffee table in front of it with a pair of couches on either side. There was also a window behind the desk. And based on the fact that the chair was pointing away from the desk, it was clear that the person sitting in it had been gazing out of the window when Toshinori arrived.
"Good morning, Nezu." Toshinori said as he closed the door behind him. "I wanted to talk to you."
"Ah! If it isn't Toshinori." Nezu, the U.A. High School Principal said as the chair behind the desk slowly turned around. Yet, when the chair was facing the rest of the room, it was not a human sitting in the chair. Instead, a chimeric creature with the features of several animals such as a dog, a mouse, and a bear sitting there.
This creature, Principal Nezu was about 3' tall and covered in white fur with relatively rectangular ears with pink inner ears on the top of his head. He had small, cute, round, black eyes, an elongated snout, a round nose, and a large scar over his right eye. Also, he wore a white, collared dress shirt, a black tie, a black vest, and a black pair of slacks.
And when Nezu finally turned the chair all the way around, he classed his dog paw-like hands in front of him while smiling at Toshinori.
"*Sigh* Why do you say that like you didn't already know I was here from the moment I walked through the school gates." Toshinori asked under his breath.
"Anyway..." Nezu said, having heard Toshinori while deciding to ignore him. "If you've come on your own, does that mean you've made a decision? Will you become a teacher at U.A. High School, Toshinori?"