50

Ochako tugged at her new suit as she walked back out into the main room of the rustic gym. While she had hoped for something less skin-tight, she was still unbelievably excited about Miruko's gift. 

"I look so cool!" she chirped, looking over at the approving smirk of Miruko.

The shorter woman laughed. "Of course you do! You look like me, and I look damn cool."

Ochako did a little spin and looked over herself again. Her torso was covered with a high-waisted black jumpsuit, while she wore white tights over her legs. Her chest had a stylized 'U' surrounded by a ring like Saturn, which she supposed was Miruko's attempt at giving her a logo. 

She didn't hate it.

In true Miruko style, her legs were also covered in thigh-highs, which were fairly tough and thick, offering some protection. Her arms were covered in sleeves that left her shoulders and a little more exposed and her large cuffs had been condensed down into tough gloves that left her fingers exposed. Her belt had been shrunk and so had her neck-guard, leaving her with all her pressure-points still covered, but making her look much less… puffy.

On that same note, the biggest change was with her boots. No longer where they big, bulky things, but sleek, high-tech devices that covered most of her calves. The feet and soles were made of tough metal that meant she wouldn't be breaking them anytime soon, like she had at the USJ.

"Are these boots really gonna be able to stop my falls?" she asked, a little concerned. She clanged one of her heels against the other calf, feeling the durable metal.

Miruko smirked. "Not as well as your old things, but they'll get the job done. So, beyond looking badass, what do you think?"

"I feel a lot more… sleek," she finally said. 

"A lot less puffy," Miruko mumbled. "What were you going for with your old costume? A marshmallow?"

"H-hey!" 

Miruko punched her playfully on the arm. "Look, you're gonna be a brawler, kicking ass and taking names. You can't have those big, bulky things on you or you're gonna get caught or something or someone is gonna use them against you. Besides, those boots are gonna leave a serious mark."

Ochako looked down at them again, kicking the ground lightly. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I am!" Miruko exclaimed. "But again, those boots will help you, but they're not the safety net your others were, nor the crutch. I did that on purpose."

"On purpose?" Ochako repeated.

Miruko nodded, looking up at the tall woman as her ears twitched. "A lot of people know how to jump. Anyone with a strength quirk knows how to jump." Miruko poked Ochako's chest firmly. "Very few people know how to land … and you're gonna learn." 

It was less of a statement, and more of a threat.

Riptide was helping to bind Tsuyu's arm while Izuku looked over at his father, who was standing on top of one of the rocks nearby, talking into a phone. He flexed his legs and jumped up to Stormclaw as the man hung up.

"I confirmed with Recovery Girl that you can take her there to get healed up," Hisashi said as he put his phone back in his leg pouch. The pouch was secured to a piece of highly-stretchable material, allowing it to stay on his thigh even when he transformed.

"When am I gonna get one of those?" Izuku asked, gesturing at the strap and trying not to sound nervous.

"Whenever," Hisashi said noncommittally. "Do you want one?"

Izuku knew they weren't cheap, but being able to carry stuff like those cuffs that Tsuyu had—not to mention his phone—would be very useful. "Yes, sir."

Hisashi nodded, but didn't look at him. He was continuing to stare down at the pile of four villains tied up on the ship below them.

There was a silence for several seconds, only making Izuku feel worse.

"What happened?" Hisashi asked softly, still looking down at the boat. "Judging by how subdued you are, as well as Froppy's arm..."

Izuku took a slow, deep breath. "I lost control," he admitted.

"How so?" Hisashi followed up calmly.

"He hurt Tsu." Just thinking about it made his quirk growl in the back of his mind. "I was trying to do what you suggested and talk to him. I thought I had him listening, but then he smashed me into the boat and went after Tsu."

Hisashi's eyes fell over the dent in the side of the ship. "That's from you? Looks like it hurt."

"He's stronger than he looks," Izuku explained. "Before I could recover and get back into the fight, he grabbed Tsu, pinned her down, broke her arm and was getting ready to kill her. I… almost lost it completely. I hadn't felt like that since the USJ; it was all I could do to not transform fully." 

Hisashi nodded, rubbing his chin. "He disrespected you."

"I guess," Izuku mumbled.

"He disrespected you by not listening," Hisashi continued, still not looking at his son, "then disrespected you further by damaging your hoard. It makes sense that your instincts took exception to that." 

Izuku didn't respond, but he knew that his father was right.

"I take it that Miss Asui stopped you?" 

He nodded. "She's just like the others. I couldn't control myself; I was fighting as hard as I could, but my body kept moving, Defiant kept moving. Then she spoke and it was like the storm vanished without a trace." 

Hisashi finally looked over at Izuku, his face very serious. "You keep your hoard close, Izuku. Your classmates, those women, having them so close and—by nature of the career they've chosen—in the line of fire makes them a liability. They are easily your greatest weakness."

Izuku gulped. 

"But they are also your greatest strength," Hisashi mused. "You've been able to do things and push yourself further than I was ever able to at your age because of them. If Terrorflame had attacked my class in my first year at UA, there is no way I would have been able to stand up to him like you did. I didn't do nearly as well as you did in my first Sports Festial, nor would I have had as easy of a time stopping this villain. You've made spectacular strides in a short time, and I believe they can be directly attributed to your hoard."

Izuku looked up at his father, who turned to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Dad, I just… you wouldn't have these issues, you know? You don't need an… escort just to walk around. What if Tsu hadn't been there?"

Hisashi squeezed Izuku's shoulder. "But she was there. You've made no mistakes that can't be fixed, my boy. You're walking a path that nobody has walked before. Don't hold yourself to any other standard but your own. You have a unique struggle with high stakes; don't be ashamed to do what you have to do, because I'm absolutely certain that you have the potential to become one of the greatest heroes of all time, Izuku."

Izuku felt his chest tighten a little as his eyes grew wet. "H-how long have you been sitting on that one?"

Hisashi laughed, but didn't answer. 

"Hey, you two!" called Riptide from below. "She's ready to move!"

"Be right there!" Izuku responded.

Hisashi sighed, then squeezed Izuku's shoulder again. "And about me not having these issues, remember this, Izuku."

He stared right into Izuku's eyes as he spoke with grim seriousness, his own eyes glowing slightly. 

"There is no such thing as a 'nice' dragon."

Izuku looked up into his father's eyes for a moment before he nodded. He slowly grew his wings and jumped down to gently pick up Tsuyu, holding her tightly in his arms before taking off again, heading for UA to get her healed.

"Come on, slow poke!" Nejire called out as she dangled her feet off the edge of the building. Next to her, Ryukyu was chuckling softly as they both watched Ashido jog up the fire escape.

"Not… all of us… can fly!" Ashido retorted as she stumbled onto the roof and leaned on a wall to catch her breath. 

Ryukyu chuckled lightly. "Maybe you should work on that. Flying makes things much easier."

Nejire smiled brightly as her eyes fell over Ashido, taking a moment to appreciate her new outfit again. Her cheongsam fluttered slightly in the wind, reminding her of Ryukyu's own outfit, but unlike the pro's, Ashido's was styled roughly in the colors of her old costume; mostly in green with purple trim. 

Nejire thought that the old paint-splotch design was cute, but a little gaudy. 

Ryukyu had taken the idea of her boots and expanded on them, giving her elbow-length gloves with a spout useful for extending the distance she could shoot her acid, as well as knee-length boots that enhanced her mobility.

Nejire was still giggling from the memory of Ashido power-sliding between a villain's legs earlier that day and punching him in the junk as she slid through. 

All of that was accented by her cute white domino mask, which did little but emphasize her beautiful black and gold eyes. 

Nejire caught herself staring a little as the woman sat down on the edge of the building next to her and Ryukyu, but she felt like she could hardly be blamed for that. While Ashido wasn't as gifted as Nejire in the chest department, she was still a beautiful woman with an exotic allure and a very attractive body, of which she was very aware.

She still blushed a little whenever her mind drifted back to Monday night. Spotting Ashido taking nudes was a total accident, but at least she hadn't seen Nejire quietly backing out of the room in a panic. 

More importantly, her personality was even more attractive than her body, which was impressive. She was perky, energetic, passionate, excitable, and more, much like Nejire herself. She looked forward to getting to know Ashido even further, as she felt like she could become genuine friends with her. 

Even further, she was no slouch when it came to heroics. She was taking all of Nejire and Ryukyu's lessons and advice to heart and giving it her all. Her mastery over her quirk was still rudimentary, but she was very talented with what she did know how to do. She had even impressed Nejire a few times with clever applications of her acid that she hadn't thought of before. Sure, she didn't have the most powerful quirk—Ashido wasn't about to take down the huge villains that Nejire could—but she did a lot with what she had, and Ryukyu thought she had a lot of potential. 

It became clear fairly quickly that she wasn't the smartest person, but she was far from dumb. She seemed to be more of a 'doing' learner, rather than a 'listening' learner, which Nejire could respect, but it also meant that Ryukyu would sometimes have to explain something more than once for Ashido to understand. In the end, she had spirit and drive, which were the most important parts of being a hero. No amount of knowledge would help you when you were staring down the barrel of a villain who wanted you dead.

Ashido had begun to slow down a little the previous afternoon, but the new costume had reinvigorated her. Honestly, Nejire was impressed; she had expected Mina to begin to break much sooner, which was a testament both to her physical fitness and her drive. She expected her to tap out before the end of the week, but she was secretly cheering for her to make it all the way to Friday. 

She attributed her drive, at least in part, to her partners, as she was so eager to tell Nejire when they got to talking the previous day. She was dating Greenhorn and Uraraka and Yaoyorozu, which Nejire was stunned by at first; she had never known anyone in person in a polyarmorous relationship.

She had, of course, then peppered Ashido with a thousand questions, which the woman was more than eager to answer. At first, Nejire was a little concerned that Greenhorn had gotten himself a bit of a harem, but the affectionate way that Ashido talked about Uraraka and Yaoyorozu quashed those fears. It was so endearing to hear Ashido's passion when she talked about them.

Nejire honestly felt closer to her than she did to some people in her own class, and that was only after a couple days of spending time with her. 

She gazed up into the setting sun as Ashido quitely ate the sandwich that Ryukyu had handed her for dinner. There were still a few hours left before they would call it quits and head back to the agency; Ashido would need all the energy she could get.

Ashido saw Nejire staring at her and turned to face her, smiling widely before turning back to her food.

That made Nejire smile, too. 

'Greenhorn, you've picked a good one.'

Izuku opened the door to their bedroom open with his tail as he carried Tsuyu in his arms. Recovery Girl had healed her up quickly, but her quirk had left his friend exhausted. Especially after the long day they had, Recovery Girl told them both that Tsuyu wasn't to do anything the next day except rest.

"You know," Tsuyu spoke up, "there's something romantic about you carrying me across the threshold in a bridal carry." 

Izuku blushed a little and averted his gaze, closing the door behind them. "I-it's not that, Tsu."

She ribbited a little in a rough approximation of a chuckle, exhaustion clear on her face. "I can walk, you know."

"Yeah, it's just…"

Tsuyu leaned into him a little, resting her forehead on his chest. "You're still feeling guilty." 

"Yeah," Izuku admitted as he squeezed her once and then laid her on her bed. "It's my fault that you're like this."

"Probably," she ribbited, causing Izuku's heart to sink. "But that's okay. You're not perfect. Nobody is. One day, I'll mess up and cause you to get hurt. I hope you won't hold it against me when I do."

Izuku stared at Tsuyu for a few moments, his quirk flowing in the back of his head. "I wouldn't, and you're telling me that you're not holding it against me." He smiled softly. "Still, I insist on taking care of you."

"That's fine," Tsuyu said, her tongue reaching out and tapping him on the nose. "I'll insist on taking care of you when you're hurt."

Izuku smiled a little wider as he rubbed his nose. 

"But I think there's something you need to tell me, Izuchan."

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he pulled up a chair and sat down. "I do, yes." 

Tsuyu looked up at him patiently, scooting back a little on the bed so she could sit up against her pillows.

"My quirk is powerful, Tsu," Izuku began, "I don't think anyone would argue that. However, it's not as simple as it seems. My quirk comes with a powerful mental aspect that we call 'instincts'."

Tsuyu perked up a little, her head tilting as she put a finger to her chin.

"The dragon transformation puts an incredible strain on my body," Izuku continued. "As Recovery Girl put it, human brains 'aren't equipped to pilot flying lizards the size of small buildings,' which is where that mental aspect comes in. My quirk essentially powers parts of my brain."

Tsuyu's eyes glinted in recognition. "That's why it hurt so bad when Aizawa shut your quirk off at the USJ."

Izuku paused for a moment, looking down at Tsuyu and smiling. "Exactly right. When I transform, my quirk has to run more of my brain, especially when I get closer to a full transformation. But my instincts aren't just passive bystanders. They control part of my brain, which means they control part of my mind. I have… dark thoughts because of them."

"You have another voice in your mind?" she asked.

Izuku moved his head around weakly. "Yes and no. It's not a second person, but it's not necessarily me. The best way I can describe it is that it's myself, but through a filter; that filter being my quirk."

Tsuyu tilted her head a little more. 

Izuku smiled weakly. "It's confusing, I know. I'm sure if you talk to Mina, Ochako, or Mo, they'd be able to help you understand. Everyone in my family has these instincts, but they vary from person to person, largely based on their quirk. My family can be divided into two categories: metallic and chromatic. Good and evil."

"Evil?" Tsuyu repeated, her brow furrowing the smallest amount. 

Izuku nodded. He wasn't as distraught about his quirk as he used to be; Mina and Ochako and more recently, Momo, had helped him believe in himself, but there was still that deep-seated fear that he didn't think would ever go away. "Metallic dragons include bronze, gold, and copper, like my father, uncle and cousin. Chromatic dragons include blue, red, and green, like Fulgurite, Terrorflame… and myself." 

"What do you mean by evil, though?" Tsuyu asked. "You don't seem evil at all."

Izuku smiled a little. "Thank you. I'd like to think I'm not evil, but my instincts definitely are, at least at their base level. They make me think terrible things and if I'm not careful, they can make me do terrible things."

"Like what you were going to do to that villain?" 

"Yeah," Izuku admitted with a sigh. "To properly use my quirk, I have to become one with my instincts. To be at my peak, Izuku and my instincts cease to be and form something new. A new persona, a new person . His name is Defiant."

Tsuyu was, by all accounts, taking all this rather well. She blinked once, still listening closely. "Your hero name."

"Defiant isn't me, nor is he my instincts. He is both, yet neither. It's confusing, even for me sometimes, but that's how it is. Sometimes… I can't control it. When Defiant saw you get hurt, the only thought on his mind was revenge. I had to punish him for hurting my hoard."

Tsuyu blinked again. "Hoard? Like a big pile of gold coins that you lie on?"

"Not quite," Izuku chuckled. "A big part of our instincts is our drive to constantly grow our hoards. We all love to hoard wealth, but we all have one thing that we hoard above all else. You saw my father's hoard; he loves underwater treasures and historical artifacts, but I hoard something different."

Izuku looked directly into Tsuyu's big, beautiful eyes. "My collection is people. You are a part of my hoard. You and everyone else in our class." 

Then Tsuyu did something that surprised him. She smiled widely. "That's sweet." 

"Sweet?" Izuku repeated, a little confused. 

"That's why you protected us at the USJ, right?" Tsuyu asked. "That's why you pushed yourself so hard at the Sports Festival and why you went around and double checked everyone's internship choices. You're driven to protect us."

Now it was Izuku's turn to blink. "I… yes. How did you…?"

"It makes sense," Tsuyu added. "You're not the only one with 'instincts'."

Izuku's stare became intense. "What do you mean?" 

Tsuyu continued in her normal flat tone. "While they're not the same, nor are they nearly as strong, I completely understand something different in your mind influencing you. I'm sure you've noticed that I'm a little different than most people."

He nodded firmly. 

"When I first saw you in transform at the USJ, my mind was yelling 'predator' at me. You looked like an alligator or something, which made that froggy part of my brain want me to run away."

Izuku felt his heart drop again. "I don't mean to scare you." 

"You don't scare me anymore, Izuchan," she said calmly. "I know you'll protect me and that you're my friend. I just want you to know that I understand what you're going through, at least to a point."

Izuku looked down, but smiled a little. "I hadn't thought about it like that, but it makes sense now. Thank you again, Tsu." 

"But what happened earlier?" she asked suddenly. "With the villain. You said you lost control, but then you seemed to gain it back."

Izuku looked back up at her. "That was you. You saved me."

"Me?" she asked, seemingly a little surprised for the first time.

He nodded again. "As part of my precious hoard, you are incredibly important to me. I want you to be safe, protected, strong, and happy. That gives you… a degree of power over me. When Defiant heard you sound scared and worried, he listened. As soon as he began to attack the villain, I tried to regain control, but my instincts were too strong. It was a terrifying thing, pulling against myself. I felt like my mind was going to break."

He looked over at her, a small glint of wetness in his eyes. "Then you called my name. Defiant heard you and his rage faded. He knocked the villain out and let go, allowing me to take back control."

Tsuyu tilted her head again. "Izuchan?"

"It's the nickname," Izuku mused softly. "It's always the nickname. It's the same thing with Ochako, Mina, and Mo. Deku, Midori, Zu; that's what lets them help me, control me, save me. It's not just any nickname, either. It only works if it comes from someone… special to me."

"I'm special to you?" she asked.

He smiled softly, looking down again. "You are. I admire you for a lot of things, such as your skill with your quirk and your ability in the water. I think you're… a beautiful and attractive woman, but most of all, I admire your ability to stay calm and collected. In fact, my admiration over that is almost at the point of envy. All I've ever wanted is to be able to not worry about my instincts overtaking me. It's a constant struggle that I'm always afraid I'll finally lose."

He looked up at her sadly. "That's the truth, Tsu. I need help from others, or my instincts will win."

"I'll help you," she said immediately. 

"Just like that?"

Her tongue reached out and wrapped around his wrist, pulling it up to her head. Almost without thinking, he began to tussle her newly-shortened hair, causing her to smile widely. 

"I already told you that I'll take care of you. You protect me, I'll protect you." She reached up and grabbed his hand, bringing it down and holding it between her own, rubbing her thumbs gently around the back of it. "That's what heroes do, and that's what friends do. Thank you for sharing your secret with me, Izuchan, I'll be there for you, I promise."

Izuku couldn't take it anymore and moved forward, wrapping his other arm around her and pulling her in for a tight hug. Her arms moved around him, squeezing him as tight as she could and making him feel her affection. His fingers traced over her defined, powerful back muscles and his sensitive nose fully took in the smell of her hair.

"Thank you. I'll be there for you, too."

The television crackled to life, making Tomura jump slightly.

"Tomura Shigaraki."

"Master."

"Are you ready to proceed?"

Tomura scratched at his neck. "I've been ready since Saturday." That was when Giran had told them that everything was in place, after all. Tomura had been going stir-crazy ever since, waiting for the signal. 

A pause. "Watch your tone."

A slip. "I apologize, Master, but I have to ask; why did we wait so long?"

A chuckle. "We will only get one shot at this, as we were only able to move the pieces into place because of the heroes' negligence. After this attack, they will be too vigilant for it to work again, especially on a scale like this, and I would hate to waste the fine doctor's work. We had to wait until a big enough prize fell into our trap."

Tomura's heart rate picked up. "All Might?"

"Unfortunately, no. All Might is too busy parading his new intern around Tokyo, which had far too high of security for us to attempt our plan. However, Stain has proved quite useful in drawing a different fly to Hosu. Endeavor is in the city." 

Tomura scratched a little harder. "The number two, eh? Then I'm going now?"

"No."

He grumbled.

"It is too late in the day for it to be the most effective. Tonight, you will find the Hero Killer and attempt to recruit him to our cause. You will execute our plan tomorrow at noon."

"Recruit him?" Tomura asked. "Why?"

"Figure that out for yourself." 

The television disconnected.

My good friend Matty is to thank for the redesigns.