Well, looks like Izuku was right about it being hell to hide his injury; he groaned as he woke up, his left arm throbbing angrily. Through a half lidded eye, Izuku snuck a look at his arm. It was even more swollen than it was the night before, and the bruises now took the form of a giant handprint, sporting undertones of blue and yellow as his body tried to heal. Thankfully, his arm wasn't swollen enough for his sleeves to show any noticeable difference; small mercies for the vigilante today, apparently. Quickly, Izuku grabbed his things, ate breakfast, and ran out the door, determined to keep his mom unsuspecting of his injuries.
The morning was bright, sunshine filtering through the treetops to cast colorful shadows on the sidewalks Izuku walked on. Waiting at the crosswalk, he could help but overhear the conversation between two college students next to him.
"I'm telling you," one teen began, "Kuroko's a hero, maybe not an official one, but in all the ways that count."
"Except that he's breaking the law," the other argued, "when he's caught, he'll be treated like any other villain. He should have just stopped entirely, he had everyone thinking he was dead, he could have easily lived out his life without anyone being the wiser."
The light turned green, signaling for the pedestrians to walk; Izuku wasted no time hurrying away from the two young adults and their debate. Looking around, his vigilante self seemed to be all over; the newspapers shouted his name on almost every front page, a news anchor was doing a section on him as he walked by the tv station. Everyone now knew of his presence, and were asking one question: "Who is Kuroko?"
He walked past the gates of Yuuei, noting the repaired barriers hiding within them. The halls were abuzz with chatter, mostly being gossip of the day before at the USJ. No one knew the fine details, but they knew enough to know that Villains attacked and the infamous Black Fox appeared. The talking became muffled as he closed the door to 1-C behind him, sighing in relief as his ears were given a reprieve.
He perked up when he heard his name, "Midoriya." Shinshou sat at his desk, slightly lifting a hand in greeting, an even more slight smile on his face. "Hear about yesterday with class 1-A?" He asked as Izuku sat down next to him, letting his bag plop onto the ground with a thud.
"More like who hasn't heard it," Izuku groaned, carefully placing his left arm on the desk in a comfortable position. "The news was covering it a little when I was eating breakfast, was anyone hurt?" He tried to seem interested as his friend told him what he already knew.
"No, but there's rumors going around that Kuroko showed up." Shinshou explained as other students filed in, "Some of the 1-A students were saying that he showed up to help, even working with Aizawa to fight the villains."
He would have continued, but their conversation was interrupted by a classmate stepping up to Izuku. "Hello," she greeted, cocoa skin pulled into a smile as she held her book bag on one shoulder. "we haven't been introduced yet, I'm Kahiro Amaya."
"Midoriya Izuku." he said, sending a confused sidelong glance to Shinshou, who only shrugged.
"I noticed you weren't in class yesterday," Kahiro said, placing her bookbag down to swivel her chair and face him. "Are you okay?"
That was unexpected, all Izuku could manage to say was, "O-oh," he swallowed the rising lump in his throat, "I'm fine, Kahiro, I just caught a stomach bug that was going around my neighborhood."
"That's good," She sighed, relieved. "hearing all of this villain attack stuff had me worried for you."
"Me?" Izuku asked.
"Him?" Shinshou also asked.
"Well yeah," she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Us class 1-C students have to stick together, y'know?"
Any chance at further conversation was ended when the teacher stepped in, barking with authority, "Sit down, sit down. Just because class 1-A got some excitement yesterday doesn't mean you can slack off!"
___________________
Bakugou was seething with rage, and while this wasn't anything new, the cause of it certainly was. He'd been there at the USJ, he'd fought against real life villains, stuff that would scare the living shit out of the spineless cowards in the lower classes. He and Kirishima had been standing amongst a pile of incapacitated villains when Thirteen and a few of his other classmates showed up. Both he and everyone else in his class had seen Kuroko fight the fugly bastard Noumu, get caught by said fugly bastard, then escape right under the heroes noses when the half 'n half bitch decided to help the vigilante escape the villain's grip.
Not once, that fucking vigilante hadn't used his quirk once in the fight against the big villains, and he'd held his own against them. What the hell was the point of having a quirk if you didn't even use it? You might as well be Quirkless!
Quirkless, like that fucking useless Deku. Who did that shit stain think he was? Getting into Yuuei with him, making friends with students in the heroics department; when would the fuckmunch realize that he couldn't be a hero? Yeah, he said that he was applying for the general department, but it was possible for general department students to get into the heroics department if they were deemed qualified. The fucker took the easy way in, and was making himself all cozy with 1-A students so when-- if --he got into the heroics department he'd already have a niche to fit into.
Bakugou felt his blood boil when he spotted the idiot himself, chatting away with the gravity bitch and engine for legs as he walked down the hall to lunch. What set him off was the sight of that brainwashing fucker cracking what seemed to be a joke and Deku laughing.
Fuming, he stomped over, catching the attention of all the students in the hall. Fine, let them watch, that'll teach someone as useless as Deku to try and move up in the ranks.
He grabbed the nerd's left arm, growling, "Hey, Deku, what ar-" his sentence if caustic words was cut off as he felt a hand wrap around his arm and the world became a blur, jarring itself back into place when he slammed into the floor with a loud bang. Immediately, his eyes locked onto the shaking form of Deku, who was holding the arm he'd grabbed, biting his lip and shaking in pain.
Stunned from the impact, all he could say was, "What the fuck?"
Deku froze, noticing just who he had flipped to the ground. The nerd's friends were quick to react, Engine head stepping between him and the green haired idiot while the brown haired bitch and the blue bastard guided Deku out of the silent crowded hallway, the Quirkless idiot still holding his arm like Bakugou had broken it.
"What on earth is going on here?" A teacher, Cementoss, asked, stepping closer and offering a hand to Bakugou, who ignored it in favor of standing up by himself.
Iida was quick to give his side of the story "Bakugou tried to lay a hand on my friend, Cementoss," he adjusted his glasses, shooting a disdainful look towards the blond. "My friend reacted rather harshly and flipped him. He's with my other friends, in classroom 1-A most likely."
The cement based pro hero turned to face Bakugou, "Is this true?" He asked, crossing his bulky arms expectantly.
Bakugou swore under his breath, looking away as he said, "So what if it is?"
"For one, you and me are going to the principal's office." Cementoss said, turning around and making a gesture for the volatile teen to follow him. "As for your friend, Iida, make sure it doesn't happen again, and he won't be in any trouble."
The spectacled boy bowed to the back of the teacher as Bakugou stalked after the teacher, slouched and muttering under his breath. He quickly made his way to his classroom, anxious about the freckled teen.
_________
Great, absolutely fantastic. Izuku sat in a chair that Ochako pulled out for him, staring at his feet while two of his three friends looked at him expectantly. His arm was on fire, practically screaming its protest at the pressure Kacchan had put on it, he bit his lip to contain a hiss as he adjusted the appendage. Ochako and Shinshou both looked up from him as Iida stepped in, quietly closing the door behind him.
"Midoriya's not in trouble, but Bakugou got taken to the principal by Cementoss." Iida explained, taking his place right next to the two standing teenagers. "What was that, Midoriya?"
"Yeah," Shinshou agreed, crossing his arms. "The moment he laid a hand on you, you freaked on him."
"Not that he didn't deserve it," Ochako added, "but you were holding your arm like he hurt you."
"U-uh," Izuku struggled for a believable explanation, "I was training with my martial arts instructor and we got too into the fight."
"What did they do to your arm?" Iida questioned, stepping forward to try and touch his left arm.
Izuku quickly yanked the appendage away from the taller boy's reach. "I wouldn't do that!" Izuku yelped, "It really hurts, especially when someone touches it." He explained, holding his arm close. "I'm fine guys, it'll heal in a few days." Hopefully.
His friends didn't seem to buy it, the furrow in all of their brows deepening. "You should go to the nurse of it hurts that much!" Ochako said.
"That's true," Iida agreed, "Recovery Girl is stationed in the nurse's office, she'd be able to heal you quickly."
Oh man, having a hero look at the obvious hand shaped bruise on his arm, that's just a recipe for disaster; especially if said hero was the nurse to the school of heroes that saw him get injured, that'd practically be a neon tag saying: "I'M KUROKO" slapped onto him. "I-it's fine, really." He tried to pacify, waving his good arm's hand dismissively. "It's just some bruising, Kacchan grabbed it and it surprised me, that's all."
"Show us, then."
Izuku blinked, "What?"
Shinshou leaned forward, slightly in the freckled teen's personal space. "Show us. If it's just a bruise, you wouldn't have a problem with that, right?"
"I-I'd have to take off my shirt." Izuku stuttered, "What would the teachers think is they walked in and saw that?"
"Then you'll show Recovery Girl." Iida stated factually, already going to open the door while Shinshou and Ochako manhandled Izuku, being mindful of his arm.
"G-guys!" He squawked, drawing the attention of some older students as his friends dragged him through the halls. "This is really unnecessary!"
"It is if you're not taking care of yourself." Ochako stated simply, getting many sounds of agreement from the two males helping her carry Izuku. Knocking gently on the nurses door with her foot before kicking it open.
Recovery Girl looked up from her desk, seemingly unfazed by three students literally carrying another in against his will. "Hello, dearies," she greeted kindly, swiveling off of her chair as Izuku's traitorous friends forced him into a chair. "May I ask why you're carrying young Midoriya into my office?"
"He hurt his arm, claimed it was just some bruising." Shinshou stated like he was a spy relating information. "But when someone grabbed it, he flipped them, then wouldn't let go of it."
She gingerly took Izuku's arm into her hand, a slight hiss still escaping him when she out pressure on his forearm. "Oh dear," she said, letting go of his arm and shooing the three other teens out of the room. "You can go to lunch now, I'll make sure Midoriya is healed." Once they were gone, the elderly lady turned to Izuku, her gaze fierce.
"Just how does one fracture both their radius and ulna and claim it's 'just bruising'?" She asked,
"F-fracture?" Oh man, Kuroda would kill him if he found out.
Recovery girl nodded, "Take your shirt off," she instructed, going over to her desk and pulling out some bandages and a sling. "I need to see the damage myself."
Hesitantly, Izuku unbuttoned his jacket, sliding the shirt off carefully as to not aggravate his fractured arm. He could say one thing, it definitely looked worse than it did that morning. The skin was a furious red, throbbing in protest of Kacchan grabbing it. The skin was all kinds of discolored, blacks and blues and yellows mixing with the pale and red on his arm to make a near nauseating mosaic of color on his arm.
If it bothered Recovery Girl, she didn't show it, but she did click her tongue with worry as she gently hold his forearm in her weathered hands. "What did you do to get this?" She asked calmly, her face set in stone as she examined the bruises.
"I was training with my Sensei." Izuku quickly lied, "He has a size modifying quirk, he wanted me to know how to defend myself from people with mutant type quirks." Not a lie, Izuku could still remember the sore spots he'd obtained with that particular month of training.
The elderly woman didn't seem all that convinced but thankfully let it slide, for now. "Your Sensei should be more careful with you," she commented, "but good news: now that I've seen the extent of it, I can say that I can fully heal your arm."
"Thank you, ma'am." Izuku said, watching is fascination as she pressed a kiss to his forearm. The bruises faded at a record speed, and the swelling went away entirely in the span of two seconds. The sensation of his bones resetting and healing was a strange sensation, but before he could marvel at his completely healed arm, a wave of fatigue hit him like a bus.
Recovery Girl smiled knowingly as the freckled teen yawned. "Yes, my healing tends to have that effect on people." She handed him a bag of fruit slices, bright red and fresh. "Eat this, you'll feel better once you get your energy back."
Izuku took the bag eagerly and began to devour the fruit, managing a quick, "Thank you." Before he swallowed yet another slice of apple.
Recovery Girl shook her head, commenting, "Ah, the eagerness of youth. You'd best get to class." She advised as Izuku put his shirt and jacket back on. "Oh, and Midoriya," she said right as he was about to leave, "if you get injured like that from training again, I'll have to take legal action against your mentor. Training is much different from what leads to a fractured arm."
Izuku quickly nodded, trying to ignore the way his heart began to beat frigid. "Understood, Ma'am, thank you!" With that, he bolted through the door, letting it swing quietly shut.
Aizawa sat on one of the couches in the teacher's lounge, nursing a cup of tea along with his plethora of bruises. The fight yesterday had been hard, that much was certain, but the scruffy man's thoughts were elsewhere. More specifically, his thoughts were on a certain vigilante that had shown up near the beginning of the attack. He'd honestly felt a stab of defeat when he saw the black figure dropping from the stairs, fighting a crowd of villains to protect his students he could handle, but a vigilante on top of that? But then Kuroko had drop-kicked a villain that had somehow escaped his notice, and the outlook started to look up a bit.
He was broken from his reverie when the door opened and the large form of All Might stepped in. "Hello, Aizawa," the hero greeted, poofing into his scrawnier form as he took a seat across from him. "Is the tea any good?"
Aizawa simply nodded, placing the cup down in favor of leveling his gaze with the blond before him. "What did you think of the USJ incident yesterday?" He inquired.
All Might let out a sigh, wiping away the small trail of blood that dribbled from his mouth. "It was unexpected," he began, "If Principal Nedzu never received the call from Kuroko, we might not have made it in time." The implication of what that could have meant weighed heavy in the air. "What did you think of him, Aizawa?"
"His fighting method is almost exactly like the first Kuroko; fast, brutally efficient, and never with his Quirk." he commented, leaning back in his seat and letting out an annoyed sigh. "It seems like his claim of being the previous' student holds some truth to it. I've never seen reflexes quite as fast as the old Black Fox's, and this new guy matched his reaction time almost exactly."
"He seemed to be concerned for the students," All Might pointed out, "the students with Thirteen from the start said that he fought Kurogiri to defend them."
Aizawa nodded, "We don't know why though," he said, frowning slightly. "we don't know any of his motives, and that makes him dangerous. What I don't get is the timing of his appearance, it's been five years since his mentor died, why start making his presence known now?"
Toshinori nodded, "That's something only he knows, we'll just have to ask him when he's caught." He pushed off of the couch with a grunt, standing up and transforming into his muscular form. "I must go, my next class is starting soon."
Aizawa didn't reply, merely waving his goodbye as the massive man left the room, leaving him in solitude once again. He sighed, picking up his tea, which was now cold. 'We'll just have to ask him when he's caught', All Might had said, but that's only if he gets caught, Aizawa found himself mentally adding.
Damn, vigilantes never make it easy.
Izuku rushed to his class, silently marveling at the lack of pain from his healed arm as he opened the door to his classroom. He let the door close behind him as he stepped forward to look around, confused. Nobody was in the classroom, the empty seats giving an eerie quiet to the room. He startled as his phone went off in his pocket, taking it out, he read the message. It was from Shinshou.
Received 12:45 pm.
We're at the gym, apparently we have PE class.
Sent 12:47 pm.
Got it, on my way.
He pocketed the phone and exited the room, looking around for some sort of map to lead him to the gym. It took a bit of trial and error, but he did eventually find it. Standing in front of the double doors, he took a breath before opening them and stepping in.
Turns out he needed that breath, because standing in front of his classmates stood All Might. The hero had been explaining something before perking up to the sound of the door closing. With a never fading grin, he turned to Izuku. "Ah, you're here, come and join your class." He said, gesturing to the teenager's classmates. Silently, Izuku walked to Shinshou, who stood at the back of the crowd of admiring All Might fans; Kahiro stood next to him, waving enthusiastically.
"What took you so long?" She asked, hazel eyes lit with curiosity. "Shinshou told me you were at the nurse."
"I was." He replied quietly, trying to tune into what All Might was saying.
"-and that's why I've decided that we'll play a game popular in the United States: Dodgeball!"
Oh no, Kuroda had told Izuku about so many things he saw in the west, but his eyes always gained a particular shine when he started talking about dodgeball. The way he described it, it was a game that revolved around two things: catching and throwing. Dodging was an option too, but Kuroda simply said that that was the path of a coward. Ironic, considering Kuroda spent an entire month teaching how to avoid hits. The entire time All Might was explaining the rules, Izuku was having flashbacks of his mentor animatedly explaining the game in his own terminology. He didn't even notice when All Might dismissed them to get changed until Shinshou grabbed his arm and dragged him, Kahiro giggling as she went to join her group.
The locker room was abuzz with chatter, boys boasting that they were the ones that would win as they undressed. Entering in his locker number, Izuku took out his gym clothes and began to change as well. He was about to put on his shirt when he noticed the silence in the room. He looked up to see all of the boys staring at him. Blinking, he asked, "What?"
"Dude," one student said, "how are you so ripped?" A lot of the other students nodded, continuing to look at Izuku with a mix of fascination and envy.
He looked down on himself, looking at his unclothed torso. The last year of training had certainly changed his physique, baby fat fading as lean muscle took its place, but was it really that impressive? "Uh," he began, hurrying to put on his shirt as he explained, "my martial arts instructor's pretty strict."
"'Pretty strict'?" Shinshou asked, easing an eyebrow skeptically. "you look like you were forced to bench-press a car."
Any other embarrassing comments about Izuku were muffled as the boy darted out of the locker room and back into the gym. Kahiro stood with the group of fully changed students, talking with some of the other classmates that have never bothered to talk to either him or Shinshou. She lit up when she spotted him, waving him over.
Shinshou came up behind him, nudging him forward. "Come on," he said, calmly walking to the girl they'd met only that day. "She's not gonna leave us alone anyways, may as we'll go along with it."
All Might waited for everyone to gather, then began to speak. "I will now pick two team captains! Who would like to volunteer?" Immediately, almost every hand in the room shot up. Amongst the sea of raised hands, the hero picked a buff student, who swaggered confidently to the front; and Kahiro, who let out an excited noise before practically zipping next to the other captain. "Now, begin picking your teams!"
Kahiro was the first one to speak, "I want Midoriya to be on my team!"
The buff boy scoffed as Izuku made his way through the crowd. "A stick as your first choice?" He asked condescendingly, "this's be all too easy."
Oh it was on.
Getting the teams picked out was fairly easy, the arrogant captain picking the mutant type quirk holders while Kahiro picked Shinshou and seemingly weak classmates. One would look at the team and immediately comment on the uneven distribution. All Might didn't comment on it, only saying, "Perfect! Now, go to the end of your respective sides and wait for me to give the signal." Once everyone was in place, he added one last thing, "Also! Usage of your Quirk is allowed within reason! Begin!"
Izuku stood back, watching as his teammates scrambled to get the rubber balls stationed on the middle of the floor. The mutant type Quirk holders were slower, but it went without saying that some of them would be throwing faster. Izuku dodged one such ball with a sidestep, the sphere making an audible smack against the wall behind him. His teammates were taking All Might's words to heart, he could see one flinging the ball with a lizard like tail and another leaping out of the way, going at least ten feet into the air. Despite the usage of their Quirks, the mutant type team eventually wore down his team's numbers to only two people: Kahiro and him. A quick volley of balls knocks that number down to one, Izuku now stood alone in front of a group of victorious teenagers, each one grinning as they grabbed a ball and wound up for a throw.
"Come on, Midoriya!" Kahiro called from the side, "Show them what for! You can't just let them win!"
He had looked away at that moment, and that was when the team threw. What happened next was pure instinctual reaction, he leaped into the air, curling his body into a ball as seven dodgeballs whizzed past him, bouncing harmlessly around him. When he landed, he could see the dumbstruck expressions of the other team while his own cheered.
All Might was watching the scene unfold with a grin. "That's the spirit, Midoriya!"
Izuku felt a familiar burn begin in his stomach, adrenaline pumping through him as he grabbed two rubber balls. He tossed one up, the other team watching it with their eyes as it began its descent; Izuku worked out which one was going to catch it and threw the remaining projectile, getting the boy out before he could catch the ball. Seeing something coming through his peripheral, Izuku dropped flat to the floor, the ball flying harmlessly past him. The cheers were beginning to become near deafening as Izuku quickly whittled the other team down to one player as well.
The opposite team captain looked pissed, but since Izuku had seen actual villains near insanity, it was nothing. The boy had a malicious grin on his face as he wound up the throw. When he let it fly, Izuku anticlimactically reached his hand out and caught it without fumbling, the smack of the ball against his hand echoing throughout the gym. The silence didn't last long, because not two moments later his team was rushing him with yells of victory.
He managed to make his way past the crowd and to the boy he'd just got out. "Good game." He said, holding a hand out to the other student.
The boy stared at the hand, then took it with a grin. "You're good, Midoriya." He complimented, "Name's Tsuyo Eiji. You've gotta teach me some of those moves, man."
All Might watched the interaction, a true smile on his face. Winning may be important to some, but camaraderie was the real prize, as cheesy as that sounded.
The class was still chattering about the dodgeball match into the last class of the day, a lot of Izuku's classmates coming up to congratulate him and comment on his skill, much to his embarrassment and Shinshou's amusement. Kahiro moved from in front of the two to beside them after PE, talking animatedly about pretty much any subject that came to her mind.
The teacher called for silence, "Quiet down, quiet down, I have some information for you all." That shut them all up real quick, the clamor vanishing as fast as it could. "Good. Now as you all know, if you work hard enough, you have a possibility of being moved to the heroics department." He grew irritated when the chatter started up again, he smack his hand against the table. "Quiet! Anyways, the sports festival is coming up in the next month, if you do well then there's a large chance you'd be moved to the heroics department." This time, he let the students talk amongst themselves, adding, "You have a month to prepare, good luck."
The sports festival, Izuku completely forgot about that. A large tournament where the up and coming heroic and general department show off their abilities to prospective agencies. When he was smaller, that was like Christmas had come early, getting to see all of those amazing quirks of the up and coming heroes. Now? Hoho, no way in hell was he gonna compete, he was doing just fine in the general department, thank you very much.
"Oi, Midoriya," Shinshou said, turning in his seat to face him.
Izuku looked to his friend, "Hm?"
"I was wondering if you could, uh," the insomniac seemed almost embarrassed, bringing up a hand to rub against the back of his neck. "I was wondering if you could help me train for the festival. I can't rely on my quirk all the time, y'know?"
Kahiro joined in, "Yeah! You could teach me all of those moves you pulled in gym today!" She started imitating him with exaggerated moves and sounds.
"Me too!" Another student piped up.
"Me three!" Soon, a crowd had gathered around Izuku's desk, everyone asking for his help.
Overwhelmed, Izuku held his hands up in a silent plea for quiet. Once the noise died down, he spoke, "I can't help all of you individually," he heard a groan from several of his classmates before he continued, "but I can design training plans. I wouldn't be helping you one on one, but it'd give you an outline of what you should do to train."
"How long would we have to wait?" Kahiro asked, leaning forward expectantly with wide eyes.
Izuku tapped his chin, humming thoughtfully. "Well," he began, "I'd have to have an understanding of your quirks and how they work, not to mention your current physical level of fitness, if I had those I could design about three plans a day."
"I have everybody's number," Kahiro piped in helpfully, "I can text you all their info if you give me yours."
Without much thought, Izuku took out his phone and handed it to the girl. "Knock yourself out." He honestly wouldn't have been surprised if she actually did so.
The bell rang just as she handed it back, saying, "Thanks, Midoriya!" Then bolting out of the room with the rest of the slowly dispersing crowd.
"I hope you know what you're getting into." Shinshou stated, waiting by the doorway for Izuku. "Don't push yourself to help them, they didn't even acknowledge us until today."
"I know that," Izuku said, "but isn't it better to help where you can?"
"You're going to get taken advantage of one day."
"Hush, I'm doing yours first, don't be jealous." Izuku stated, walking with his friend to the entrance of the school. "I'll hand you both a printed copy and a PDF in case you lose that, see you!" He didn't see Shinshou waving goodbye as he turned around and began his walk to Kuroda and his' hideout.
A deep unease was stirring in Izuku as he stared at the warehouse doors, something was off, the air had an underlying tension to it. It was only after he opened the door that his instinct was proved correct as a knife flew through the air in his direction. Thinking quickly, Izuku grabbed a nearby wooden board and held it out, the blade digging into the wood with a thunk.
"Well well, is this the reason you've decided to show your ugly mug in Japan again, Kuroda?" A rasping voice inquired. Izuku looked to his attacker, a lean man with bandages wrapped around the upper half of his face. The man was leaning his chair back, Kuroda sitting stiffly across from him.
His mentor's face was stony, but Izuku could see the underlying fury. "No, this is my student." He explained curtly, "I don't appreciate you endangering my pupil's life, Stain."
Stain let out a gravelly laugh, "With you teaching him? He probably moved without thinking, you were always about dodging blows instead of taking some." He turned to Izuku, "Am I right?"
This was a test, Izuku was sure of it; Stain's posture was expectant, he wanted to see his reaction. "Kuroda has been an excellent teacher and I don't doubt what he's taught me," he said, trying to keep his body relaxed. "But I think I'll have to agree with him about throwing sharp objects at me without warning."
Kuroda sent Izuku an approving look as Stain let out a surprised laugh. "Looks like you taught him more than how to fight, he's picked up your sass as well."
"You've outstayed your welcome, Stain." Izuku's mentor said, "It's time for you to leave." He stood up from the table to try and loom over the man, but Stain wasn't very effected.
Stain stood up, "Fine, fine, I know when I'm not welcome." He said, walking towards the exit.
"You really don't."
"I can say with confidence that when you were gone I didn't miss the attitude." Stain commented, pausing as he walked by Izuku. "I'd be more careful, Kuroko, the League of Villains isn't something you should challenge half assed." He was gone before Izuku could react, displaced air creating a slight breeze.
The teenager stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say. "Uh,"
"That was another vigilante," Kuroda explained, sitting back down in the chair with a sigh. "The Hero-killer, Stain."
Izuku's eyes widened in horror, his stomach threatening to commit mutiny. "H-hero killer?" The man threw a knife at him the moment he stepped into the hideout, for some reason he couldn't find any reason to doubt Kuroda's knowledge.
He nodded, raising a hand to cover his eyes. "He's new, not as new as you, but he's been making himself known by killing small time heroes. Have you noticed that the police haven't been hounding you lately?" At Izuku's hesitant nod Kuroda continued, "That's because he's been picking up his pace. The news hasn't sent out any warnings to the public just yet, but the police are scrambling to catch him before he attacks one of the bigger heroes."
"Why was he here though?" Izuku couldn't help but ask, taking the seat where Stain had been sitting.
"He was training to become a vigilante when I was Kuroko," Kuroda explained, "I didn't know what he planned to do, so I gave him a few pointers to refine his technique. He stuck around after that."
"Ah."
"Enough about my somewhat over-complicated past," Kuroda leaned forward, "what's up, kid?"
Izuku startled, unexpecting of the sudden change of subject. "W-well, the sports festival is coming up in a month, and I kinda promised I'd make training schedules for all of my classmates."
"You're a mess, Izuku." Kuroda stated, his lips lifting into a crooked grin.
He rolled his eyes. "So you've told me, several times."
"You thinking about competing?" Kuroda asked, getting up and grabbing two bottles of water, handing one to Izuku as he sat back down.
"No," the teen said, taking a sip from the bottle. "Too much of a risk of being recognized."
"Not if you learn a new fighting style." Kuroda said.
Izuku stared at his mentor, "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" He asked with wide eyes.
"Yep." Kuroda stated, popping the 'p' as he leaned back in his chair. "This'd be an ideal learning experience, test your skills against the up and coming heroes."
"But what about getting moved to the heroics department?" Izuku questioned, his mind whirring at the possible pros and cons. "I can't be both a vigilante and a hero. Not to mention I don't even want to be one."
"Then bring that up with the principal," Kuroda advised, "I'm sure they'd keep you in the general department if you requested it."
That.....actually wasn't a bad idea. "That could work, thanks Kuroda."
The man took a faux bow. "I live to serve."
"Hamburgers, maybe." Izuku dodged the incoming water bottle by ducking his head.
"Get out of here, kid, your mom wanted you home early."
He nodded and got out of the chair, it was only as he was opening the door that he realized the implications of what Kuroda said. "How do you know that?"
"You mom put her number into my phone when I wasn't looking." He stated, not even looking in Izuku's direction. "She's about to text you in....." There's a vibration in Izuku's pocket, "Right now."
"You're a smartass,"
"And you're about to be late. Get going."
Izuku tried to hide his amused smile as he turned and left; Kuroda's laugh trailing after him.