Chapter 16 Mei IF

It was another day at Aldera Junior High. Izuku had just finished his classes for the day and was now packing up his things. That was until a shadow loomed over him.

"Deku." A loud boisterous voice growled at him. Izuku's eyes looked up at the shadow's owner, Katsuki Bakugo. The red-eyed boy glared at Izuku before throwing the contents on Izuku's desk on the floor. "I heard you still haven't changed your mind about UA." Bakugo sneered. "I thought I told you that I'd be the only one allowed to qualify for the school."

Izuku glanced up at Bakugo. The green-haired teen had the most blank look on his face as he tried to stomach the emotions he was feeling. "That's not for you to decide," Izuku spoke under his breath. "UA decides who they want," Izuku explained.

"And you think they'll want a quirkless nobody like you?" Bakugo hissed. "Don't make me laugh."

"If they don't then I won't be accepted," Izuku answered simply. "It's as simple as that."

"So, you just plan on wasting everyone's time." Bakugo jeered. "Typical Deku."

"Yes," Izuku answered. "There's nothing else for me to do," Izuku noted.

"Hmph." Bakugo got up. "You're a joke Deku, a waste of space," Bakugo said as he got up. He then turned and walked away, his cronies following shortly after. Once they were out of sight, Izuku let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"I can't believe that worked." He said to himself as he glanced up at the ceiling.

"You sucked the joy out of it for him." A soft voice echoed in Izuku's head. He felt a warmth wash over him, similar to the feeling of being hugged. "It became…boring."

Izuku paused for a moment, not saying a word. Unfortunately, the guest living in his head had noticed he had wanted to say something. "Izuku….is something on your mind?" The voice asked. "You know you can ask me anything, right?"

"Mei…were you ever bullied?" Izuku questioned.

"Yes," Mei answered. "I was, but not to the extent you are right now," Mei noted.

"Oh." It was all Izuku could say. He hadn't thought of Mei as being the type who would get bullied. In his eyes, she seemed like it would never be a possibility after all she was Raiden Mei, the Herrscher of Thunder.

They had met around a week ago, Izuku had been at the lowest point after All Might had told him he couldn't be a hero. Needing space to clear his head, he found himself in Dagoba Beach, where he stumbled upon a few surprises, including a real-life dragon. Suffice it to say, when he met the dragon, it was protecting a pulsing purple core, and upon touching it, Izuku became host to the Herrscher.

It was…awkward to say the least. He had been scared to death when he woke up and saw the young woman looming over him. Her eyes pulsed purple with power as red lightning danced along her form. Yet despite her intimidating appearance, she was…polite, and very kind to him.

She explained her situation, how she landed in it, what she knew, what she was, and what was going on. Izuku felt sorry for her. Perhaps it was naïve on his part, he had only just met her, and he didn't know if she was telling the truth or not, but he trusted her. He looked into his eyes, and saw she truly needed help so…

He took a leap of faith…and he was forever grateful he did.

"Either way, let's not dwell on it further for now. I'll tell you more about it some other time." Mei noted as she changed the topic. "Come on let's go. You said you wanted to do some training today. It's best not to stay out too late."

"Oh, right," Izuku answered as he packed his things and hurried out of school.

It didn't take long but he had eventually found himself back at Dagoba Beach where the duo had taken as their training ground. Upon arriving, Izuku put his stuff to the side, and removed his clothes, quickly changing into some workout clothes. Once he was finished, he went to an open space and began to stretch.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Mei asked as she materialized in front of Izuku. She was a ghost in a sense. No one else could see her, hear her or touch her, only Izuku could. That said Mei saw nothing wrong with this situation. She quite liked it all things considered.

Izuku glanced at the girl, noticing how she wore nothing but a sports bar and shorts. His face flushed red, earning a soft giggle from her. He quickly composed himself shortly after. Honestly, he didn't know if she just liked teasing him or was just oblivious to the impact she left on him. Nevertheless, he was able to formulate a response.

"You said you were going to teach me about close-quarters combat." Izuku reminded her. He was still unsure how she'd teach that given the incorporeal nature of their relationship.

"Ah." Mei realized. "I did say that. Very well then." She noted as she got into a stance. "For this training, I'll need your permission to exert control of your body. So will you trust me?" She requested.

Izuku blinked. She wanted to control his body. It was an aspect of their relationship that Mei often tended to avoid, only controlling him when the situation was dangerous or when he told her she could. It was very rare for her to ever ask or request it directly.

That said, Mei had never given him any reason to not trust her. It was arguable she trusted herself far less. "Of course, Mei."

"Alright then." Mei smiled as she held out her palm towards him. "Try and punch it." She smirked.

"What?"

"You heard me. Try and punch my palm." Mei repeated. Seeing he had no other choice, Izuku did his best and punched her. To his surprise, she had caught his hand mid-air.

Izuku gasped. "How did you? Are you?" Izuku stuttered.

"No…I'm still just visible to you." Mei answered. "I merely stopped and stiffened your body when you would have made contact." She explained. That was…impressive, Izuku had to admit. He'd never have considered that would be her method of teaching close combat. He always figured she'd just guide his movements more directly or have him refine his technique.

"Incredible," Izuku muttered.

"Come on, we only just started," Mei said smugly. "Show me what you can do hero."

Izuku and Mei continued to spar till the sun slowly began to set. Once they had finished, Izuku gathered his stuff and they prepared to head to the apartment. "Anything in particular you want for dinner?" Mei wondered as she hovered behind Izuku.

"I saw a new pizza place open down the street," Izuku noted. "I have some money saved up, we could try one."

"Are you sure?" Mei asked. "I could always just cook something for you."

"You've cooked every day for the week. You should take a break." Izuku told her. Tasty as Mei's food was, it felt bad that she had cooked so many times. Even worse was that only Izuku knew she did, meaning she had to listen to his mom praise him instead of her. Izuku felt a little guilty for that.

"Fine." Mei pouted. It was an unusual response; one he hadn't expected. Did she really see making dinner that big of a deal? Izuku didn't get to ponder this further.

"HELP!" A voice screamed. Izuku and Mei's eyes widened as he quickly ran to the source. It led them to an alleyway where the duo found the source. Mei quickly moved Izuku's body to the side.

"Careful…don't want them to spot you." She warned as she glanced at the villains.

"How many do you count?" Izuku questioned.

"Two of them," Mei told him. "Any heroes coming?" She wondered.

"I don't see or hear anyone," Izuku admitted. "How long will you need?"

"Give me 42.3 seconds," Mei smirked. Izuku smiled in turn, his eyes glowing briefly as electricity coursed through his body. Green eyes faded to purple, as purple lightning flashed briefly in the sky. Izuku's body vanished completely in a purple bolt.

Sometime after…..

"Mom. I'm home." Izuku announced as he entered his apartment. "Mom?" He questioned as he looked around. That's when he caught sight of a note on the fridge. It seems his mom had gone early for her shift.

"Looks like it's just you and me," Izuku told his partner as he noticed the Herrscher materialized beside him.

"Sorry, it took so long." Mei apologized. She had underestimated how long the villain situation would have taken. When they had finished the pizza place was closed.

"No worries," Izuku assured. They had saved someone, that was more than enough for him. "Looks like you can cook dinner after all." He sighed.

"How about I make us something simple then?" Mei suggested. "Have you ever tried pizza toast?" She inquired.

Izuku shook his head at her.

"Well go, freshen up, then I'll make it," Mei instructed as she glanced over at the kitchen and Izuku. He flashed her a smile as she waited in the kitchen. Once he had showered and changed his clothes, he returned wearing some baggy shorts and a baggy jersey. "Are you ready?" She questioned him.

"Yeah," Izuku told her as he closed his eyes. Mei vanished before him, or rather she vanished into him. Upon entering his being, Izuku's body began to change. His frame grew taller, but slowly reshaped itself into a more feminine shape. The boy's hair grew longer, changing from dark green to a dark purple hue. His body slowly morphed till it became an exact copy of the Herrscher's.

Mei opened Izuku's eyes, having taken control of his body. She glanced down, noticing how the clothes he wore fit her nicely, if still a little loose in some areas. They had managed to work out a system after a while, so she wouldn't just materialize one of her fully armored outfits.

"So, what's first." Izuku wondered as he now materialized next to Mei. The roles had been swapped, Izuku was now the ghost and Mei was the one in the real world.

"Gather the ingredients," Mei told him as she moved around the kitchen. She had already grown so familiar with it; she knew exactly where everything she needed was.

Izuku had caught her looking at the kitchen a time, that's when she had confessed how she loved to cook. It was something she had greatly enjoyed when she had her own body. So naturally, Izuku had offered to lend her his for whenever she wanted to cook.

Suffice to say, he had quickly grown to adore Mei's food, and as selfish as it was, he loved letting her cook whenever he could, though he did still feel guilt about doing it afterward. Letting Mei cook had been quite the experience, he had never considered she'd transform his body to do it. Though in hindsight he was glad she did. One could only imagine how awkward it felt to move in someone else's skin.

Izuku paid attention as Mei prepared the toast, the sauce, and the different toppings for the dish. It was simple, very easy to do, at least she made it look so. Within seconds they had already placed the dish in the oven. "Now all we need to do is wait." She instructed him. "I'll change back, and you can take it out when it's ready."

"How about you stay in control for now?" Izuku suggested. "It's your dish. Besides you deserve some relaxation."

"Alright." Mei sighed as she walked over to the couch and sat down, resting her feet on the stool. Izuku was insistent at times that she got her turns to herself. No matter how many times she insisted it was his body alone and she was just a passenger, he was content to give her some time outside of fighting. "Let's see what the news has." Mei wondered as she switched on the TV.

"I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count." Izuku chuckled.

On-screen the local news showed none other than Mei in Herrscher form handing over the criminals to police before she quickly fled the scene. The cops and a pro hero or two that just arrived had given chase to her not long after. "Your world has such strict laws on vigilantism," Mei noted.

"Isn't it like that in your world?" Izuku wondered.

"Not really, the power gap is a lot bigger. Not everyone has abilities like quirks and those who gain powers are often recruited to fight the Honkai." Mei explained. "While low-level crime does still exist, it isn't our main concern." It's hard to worry about petty thugs when you have zombies, monsters, and out-of-control mechas roaming around trying to kill humanity.

"Do you think the Honkai will come to this world?" Izuku wondered. Mei paused.

"I'm not sure, but I do hope it doesn't," Mei admitted. "Many people have suffered due to it, me included. It's not a fate I'd wish on any world."

"Surely it wasn't completely hopeless." Izuku wondered.

"It wasn't. Many heroes would dare to challenge it. Dare to defy the Honkai's will." Mei smiled sadly.

"Kiana," Izuku muttered. Mei nodded but her saddened expression remained. "I'm sorry." Izuku apologized. He shouldn't have brought it up.

"No, it's alright," Mei assured him. "Kiana is the first person that comes to my mind when I think about heroes who fought the Honkai."

"What was she like?" Izuku wondered.

"She was like you. Obsessed with helping others, even if it leads to her being reckless. She'd smile and try to reassure others the pain she felt was nothing, but I could have always seen the cracks she tried to hide." Mei noted. "She had a rough life all things considered…yet despite how cruel it all was…she still found it in herself to be a hero, to look for the good in the world." Mei recounted.

"Just like you, Izuku."

"Like me?" Izuku said in disbelief. "She sounds like an amazing person. Meanwhile, I'm…just…nobody special."

"While it is true you two are different…that doesn't change the fact you had that same drive. That desire to want to help people even if they may have wronged you." Mei consoled. She recalled how during the first encounter with Izuku, he had been worried for his bully when he found out the boy had been attacked. Despite it all, he found it within him to care…to forgive.

"It's not the powers that make the hero, it's the hero that makes themselves," Mei told him. "If Kiana didn't have that drive, that love for her friends, family, or the world as a whole, that desire to protect the innocent, to be a hero. She would have been lost a long time ago and the world would have already ended." Mei said firmly. It was through Kiana's own resolve, alongside the help of everyone else was she able to overcome the Herrscher of the Void.

"Never forgot that Izuku," Mei told him. Mei's ears then perked up when she heard the timer finish. "Sounds like it's done."

She moved to take out the pizza toast, leaving Izuku to meditate on her words. Mei never told him the full story, just bits and pieces here and there. It was amazing to hear at times. She always looked so happy to share her world with him. Yet at the same time, he could feel a sadness and longing for her to return.

They hadn't figured out what had led Mei to his world. Quite frankly she herself didn't remember what exactly caused it. Her mind was hazy, she could recall certain events of her past but not what could have led her to this world. With no way of knowing how she came; it was difficult to tell if she could return.

Izuku promised to help…but how they'd do that exactly they didn't know. Mei's power was alien to the world. She wasn't keen on sharing for fear it might get the wrong attention. The arrest warrants on her head for being a vigilante didn't help either.

"Dinner's ready," Mei called as she placed the Pizza toast on the table. Izuku soon joined her. "Ready to dig in?" She smiled.

"Yeah," Izuku answered.

Mei took one of the slices of bread and lifted it up to her mouth. She blew on it gently savouring the scent. Then she opened her mouth and took a bite of it, switching places with Izuku.

Izuku blinked as he found himself suddenly in Mei's seat, with his mouth already full of pizza toast, Mei glanced at him with a mischievous smile. He chewed the toast and swallowed, savoring the taste. "It's delicious." He told her.

"Glad you liked it," Mei answered as she joined him soon after.

They were an interesting duo. The sinner and the hero, a girl who wielded incredible power and a boy who wielded none. Come what may though, they would face the world together.