Discussion

Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia and Dark Souls, both belongs to their respective owners, Kohei Horikoshi and FromSoftware respectively.

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"As far I can tell, you are perfectly healthy… despite your earlier diagnosis." The granny sighed as she continued prodding the teen's leg. "How did your leg regenerate anyway?"

"I think it was something inside me?" Izuku replied, a huge, imaginary question mark hovering over his head. "Really have no idea why. Anyway, we still haven't introduced ourselves. My name is-"

"Midoriya Izuku. Yes, I know. Nezu made sure to give me your information as your… personal nurse…" The granny muttered, her grip tightening around her syringe-shaped walking cane. "If you haven't already realized, my name is Recovery Girl."

"Isn't that just a title?" Izuku made a face.

"Yes. I am still not comfortable sharing my real name with you." Recovery Girl harrumphed. "And that's putting it lightly."

Recovery Girl sighed again, but Izuku focused on the eyes behind the visor.

It looked tired.

"As much as Nezu owes me, his machinations and future plans are a bit too chaotic for my liking." The granny groaned and took a seat in her reclining chair. She then chuckled lightly, a slight grin forming on her face. "I know for a fact that the rat can achieve world domination in his own lifespan. But what he's doing now is telling, no?"

"Nurturing the future generation?" Izuku hummed. A noble goal for those in this life-threatening industry. If only more people were just like him. Minus the chaos, of course. Actually, plus the chaos. It was more fun that way.

"Looks like you're getting it." Recovery Girl smiled. "Underneath all that chaotic fur and fuzz, a heart of gold is all you can find."

She then groaned once more, her palm finding her face. "Still wish that the rat doesn't go and do… whatever the hell he's doing right now…"

At that remark, Izuku could understand. The mock villains were incredibly deadly against fledgling hero students. If he wasn't as strong or experienced as he was today, he was sure he would be nursing a few more injuries than just his formerly dismembered leg.

"Where is he, by the way?" Izuku tilted his head. "Actually, where are the rest of the staff?"

"Doing every teacher's worst nightmare." Recovery Girl snorted. "Grading results."

Izuku raised his right brow. He didn't really get it. It's not like he was a teacher or anything.

"But… isn't that easy?" At Izuku's words, Recovery Girl laughed.

"Take into the fact that there are about a thousand applicants, and all of them have to be heavily scrutinized." Izuku paled. Okay, that was actually a teacher's worst nightmare.

He'll fight Ornstein and Smough any day of the week. Just get him away from that kind of hell.

As the room fell into silence, Izuku lay on the bed, waiting until Recovery Girl signaled that he could leave; that's when the door burst open.

"IZUKU! MY BABY!" The sight of his mother, tears streaming down her face like a waterfall, interrupted Izuku's thoughts. "I WAS SO WORRIED!"

And like the woman had a high grade speed quirk, rushed towards Izuku and placed him in a bear hug of all bear hugs. He was pretty sure if his wasn't strengthened by the souls of those he felled, he would probably be sporting a broken spine right about now.

Appearances can be deceiving…

"M-mom!" Izuku hugged his mother back, a huge smile plastered on his face. "I'm fine! I'm fine, mom!"

"I HEARD WHAT HAPPENED! SAW THE PICTURES!" Inko roared like a dragon protecting its precious. "WHERE'S THAT DAMNED RAT! I'LL BURY HIM AFTER I CHOP HIS RIGHT LEG OFF!"

As funny as it was seeing the Midoriya matriarch threaten the life of her superior, Recovery Girl was still a nurse, and what the mother was doing was striking an imaginary spear through her gut.

"Calm down, Mrs. Midoriya." Recovery Girl said calmly. "Your son is fine. He's as healthy as a person can be, so if you could please release him from your grip to avoid further complications, it would be greatly appreciated."

Inko shot the elderly nurse a glare that promised excruciating pain, but the elderly nurse didn't give a damn. She got worse from the relatives of those who didn't make it. Such was the life of a health worker, much more so if she was a pro hero.

Reluctantly, the Midoriya matriarch let go of her son, her eyes conveying unimaginable pain to whoever made him do that… horrifying stunt.

"Thank you. Now, please, take a seat."

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"Ahh… The sweet embrace of silence." Nezu hummed as he lazily swirled his teaspoon in his teacup, the liquid inside flowing like a tiny whirlpool. "I do hate to delegate my duties to my staff, but it is within my prerogative. I do love being the principal."

Truthfully, Nezu was feeling a bit under the weather, so to speak. The debacle that happened earlier with his new favorite person, Izuku, was a bit too graphic for his tastes.

Sipping from his cup of tea, Nezu perked up slightly, the taste of sweet and bitter blending in wonderfully to create a harmony of succulent delight.

As he relished the deliciousness of the tea, Nezu heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." The door opened and reveal an emaciated All Might, his eyes looking like he had gone through a warzone.

A warzone of pen and paper.

"How do you manage all of this?" All Might grimaced, the memory of searching through video after video and then putting his thoughts onto paper made him gag a little bit.

"Why, through delegation, of course." Nezu smirked, basking in the number one pro hero squirming on the spot. "It was a necessary sacrifice. Your blood, sweat, and tears will never go in vain."

"Oh for crying out loud." All Might facepalmed, already regretting his decision to accept Nezu's proposal. "Anyway, Chiyo asked me to come fetch you."

"Hm? Ah! Is it because the Midoriya matriarch finally arrived and wants to tan my glossy fur?" Nezu chirped, causing All Might to sputter.

"I- Wh- How do you even come to these conclusions?" All Might couldn't form a single thought after what Nezu had declared.

"Simple." Nezu suddenly lost all hints of mischief, his face turning into that of an expressionless statue. All Might gulped, dreading the next words to come out of the principal of U.A. High School. "I'm just smart."

And like somebody flipped a switch, Nezu was back to being the mischievous rat that he was, fully relishing in the dumbfounded state All Might found himself in.

It was a few seconds later that All Might sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Ugh… Maybe I should transfer to Shiketsu?" All Might muttered beneath his breath. "Anyway, yes. It is exactly as you said, however, I do not think Mrs. Midoriya would want to, as you put it, tan your glossy fur."

"Oh, we shall see." Nezu grinned once more, causing All Might to resist the urge to deck the rat in the face.

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"Ah, Mrs. Midoriya, a pleasure to meet you agai-" Nezu greeted casually as he entered the door to the clinic, only to be interrupted by a flying sandal sailing towards his face. Immediately, he took refuge behind the emaciated man following him, the sandal slapping against the face of the gaunt man.

"Oh dear," Recovery Girl groaned as she saw All Might collapse to the floor, blood leaking down his lips and onto the ground. Nezu, meanwhile, was unperturbed as he glanced at the suffering of All Might.

"Oh dear indeed." Nezu chirped as he placed his paws behind his back. In front of him, the malnourished mother of Izuku glared at him balefully, her hands reaching for her other sandal. "Please, Mrs. Midoriya, there is no need for violence in the clinic."

"Violence!?" Inko roared. "Tell that to my son who lost a leg during your practical exam!"

"Mom. It's fine." Izuku remarked. "I grew it back."

"That does not excuse what happened to you, Izuku!" The glare turned to focus on Izuku, who did a good job of hiding his anxiousness.

Not many things managed to make Izuku feel this way. The only time he felt this anxious back in Lordran was when he was first entering Blighttown. After that, any other area with their deadly gimmicks he explored didn't faze him one bit. That includes the Tomb of the Giants.

Can't scare a man who's already dead inside.

Now, this? This made him anxious. His mother's ire was one thing he didn't want, and as much as he respected him, maybe taking the RAT GOD's side in this situation would be incredibly bad for him.

"Shutting up now." Izuku meeped, causing Nezu to tilt his head at the interaction between the Midoriya family.

"You better." Inko growled. She normally wasn't this hard on her son, but if it was about his life and protection, she would do anything.

And that includes maiming the principal of U.A. High School.

"Now, you." Inko took a step forward towards Nezu. "Give me one good reason not to shave you bald right here, right now."

To the side, Recovery Girl snorted as she imagined a bald Nezu. He would be furious if that ever happened.

"Forgive me, Mrs. Midoriya, but it would be such a hassle to remove all of my fur in this instance." Nezu shrugged the threat off, already used to much worse. Inko's response was just an even heated glare at the rat. "Besides that, I assume you want to make demands for the continued safety for your son?"

"If you keep talking in your roundabout way, I will do more than shave you bald, principal." Inko grabbed an electric razor from her purse, the sight causing a slight frown on the normally unflappable rat.

"Alright then." Nezu sighed and took a seat right next to Recovery Girl. "Tell me what your demands are and we'll see what we can do."

Both Recovery Girl and All Might incredulously stared at the rat, the latter slowly recovering from the damage the deadly weapon known as the sandal of an angry mother caused him.

"Nezu, are you out of your damn min-"

"Recovery Girl, if you want to continue your observations on Midoriya Izuku in the future, then I suggest you quiet down for now." Nezu side-eyed the elderly nurse, receiving a grumble from the pro heroine.

"And what was that supposed to mean, principal?" Inko took another step forward.

"Your son has exhibited numerous supernatural abilities including, and not limited to, fire manipulation and regeneration, the latter of which is as clear as day." Nezu motioned towards the silent teen who was still lounging on the bed. "We have also determined that the source is not from a quirk, but from something else. Something more… threatening to our current society."

Inko bit her lip. The rat was stating facts. She knew that the return of her son wasn't natural. She watched her son's body turn to ash in the cremation chamber. She knew her son was gone… And yet here he was. Walking about the earth like his death didn't even happen.

Sure, he had some changes, such as his personality and his appearance, but he was still her son. That said, they still hadn't had the talk about what happened to him, but that was a talk for the future when Izuku was comfortable enough to speak to her about it.

"What do you mean by that?" Inko bit out, more withheld than earlier. Nezu relaxed slightly at the visible change.

"It is as I said." Nezu quipped and stared at All Might, now leaning against the wall next to the closed door. "Our world is currently preserved by the current status quo, that of heroes and villains. If either one were to gain a foothold over the other, then the foundations of our world would surely shake."

"And I intend for the heroes to gain that edge." Nezu growled, alarming everyone in the room. It was uncharacteristic for the principal to show visible hostility, as All Might and Recovery Girl knew. "Izuku here is a huge factor in how the future plays out."

"… Oh, now I know why you don't want me near those… authorities as you put it back in the precinct." Izuku hummed, now fully aware of the reason why the RAT GOD didn't want to hand him over just like that.

"Indeed." Nezu smirked, his playful demeanor back on full display. "The government cannot be trusted, especially those affiliated with the HPSC."

"Then what makes you trustworthy?" Inko glared, still not fully accepting of the rat.

"What makes me trustworthy?" Nezu grinned, a glint forming in his eye. "Why, take it from a victim of prolonged unimaginable torture. The scar over my eye isn't just for show, Mrs. Midoriya."

At his words, Inko went silent. She still didn't trust the rat, but if his words held true, then he too had gone through an experience just like her Izuku did…

"Kindred spirits…" Inko muttered under her breath. None of the occupants in the room were able to hear it, all except for Izuku. "Fine. Fine… You better stay true to your word that you'll protect my baby."

"Cross my heart and hope to die." Nezu swore with his cheerful grin still on his face.

"Good. Now then, Izuku. Let's go home." Inko motioned for his son, to which the teen looked at Recovery Girl first. A nod later and Izuku was on his way out with his mother, the door closing not that long after.