(morally grey! Izuku)
(mature!/smart! Shigaraki)
Twelve year old Izuku was about to start his first year of middle school. He'd decided to continue pretending to be weak and timid as he used to be.
Thanks to all the training, he'd gained a lot of confidence in himself.
The only thing he decided not to hide was his intelligence, which was fine as most of his classmates already knew he was a 'nerd.'
The bullying from Kacchan hadn't gotten any better over the years, although he was able to hide that fact from the overprotective males he considered his family.
They'd gotten rather attached to him, but he couldn't really say anything about that since he also felt the same way about them.
Stain was just as dangerously bloodthirsty as he's always been.
Although he still didn't know All For One's true identity as a big-time villain boss, Izuku had gotten used to his extremely intimidating presence (through the screen – yes, he's so powerful that it can be felt through a screen!) and felt more reassured than anything.
He's come to admire both villains' strong wills and murderous nature.
Izuku's fighting style was extremely similar to Stain's considering the man had personally taught him, but he worked hard on making it his own unique style over the course of his first year at middle school.
He'd spent the past two years going against real life villains and pro heroes (yes, he'd been allowed to join Stain a few times on those excursions), studying techniques and exercising regularly, sparring against the Hero Killer of all people, and learning battle strategies and more.
Izuku used this year to create a style suitable for himself that involved everything he's learnt over the years.
Izuku's weekly visits now included him joining either Stain, Tomura or Kurogiri while on a job, either getting rid of a fake hero, small time villain, or looking for suitable recruits for the organisation respectively.
He had run into a tall redhead decked in scars on his way home from school once – Kacchan could be heard following him but the moment the scarred man stepped out dripping in blood from a side street, the blonde had instantly dashed the other way.
The man had been complaining about how he'd gotten blood all over his clothes, and Izuku had calmly stated he could help get rid of them quickly if they went to his place.
Dabi, as he'd later introduced himself, raised a brow at Izuku's unconcerned attitude towards him and followed him purely out of curiosity.
They'd gone to visit Stain.
His brother and mentor was busy redecorating Izuku's room at the hideout but after some harmlessly threatening introductions were made, he helped Dabi remove the blood.
After Tomura and Kurogiri explained their motives, with help from Izuku, Dabi joined the newly dubbed 'League of Villains' that very day.
As it had been a while since their last recruits (Twice and Mr Compress) and as Izuku was officially in middle school, everyone in the base celebrated by having a drinking party late into the night.
Izuku had given his mother the excuse that Mitsuki had invited him for a sleepover that night, having Mr Compress imitate their voices over the phone to assure Inko, and happily spent the night with his friends.
When they woke up in the morning it was clear to see Izuku hated hangovers just as much as the next person.
He also woke up to see Twice snapping pictures of him left and right, apparently because "it's too cute, we have to remember this– NO IT'S NOT, BURN IT!" when asked.
After he'd sobered up and come to his senses, Izuku had left for school and didn't realise just how much of a mess the L.O.V had made until he saw the pictures Twice sent on their group chat.
Somehow he'd ended up sleeping curled up into Dabi's side on the sofa, the older's arms wrapped carefully around him so that he didn't fall off with Stain sprawled on top of them.
It was both hilarious yet embarrassing considering he was a new recruit and they'd just met – Izuku had very obviously avoided visiting the hideout for the following few days until Kurogiri quite literally teleported him there.
Near the end of the year, Izuku was finally able to hold his own against the Hero Killer in his top condition.
It made Izuku feel proud of himself and how far he'd come; besting his teacher was the greatest accomplishment for him and Stain was not stingy with his praise either.
_______
Outside in a forest clearing: Mr Compress, Twice, Tomura, Dabi and finally Kurogiri stepped out of a misty purple portal.
The floor was dusty and the tall dark trees loomed over them, making the sky look darker than it already was at this time in the evening.
Christmas holidays had begun and Izuku was about to have his final exam as Stain's student – to surpass the Hero Killer.
That is to say, Izuku and Stain will be fighting with everything they have in this battle.
Izuku and Stain had already been warped here earlier in the day, familiarising themselves with the terrain and making sure there were no civilians (or heroes) nearby while they fought.
And now the audience they had been waiting for have finally arrived.
As soon as Kurogiri closed the warpgate, the fight commenced.
Not a second had passed but Stain was already about to reach Izuku from where he stood far across from him, his hands raised and gripping his daggers as he grinned viciously.
Izuku wasn't going to stand around and let him have his way, so after jumping back a great distance he immediately fled into the trees and the two disappeared from everyone's sight.
Luckily, All For One had created a sort of holographic screen in the air that showed both Izuku and Stain.
Currently Stain was on the ground running after Izuku, who was jumping through the trees at an incredible speed.
Dabi could feel his heart thumping painfully as with every jump, he imagined Izuku losing his balance and falling from such a great height.
Usually, none of the villains would care much for injuries or brawls or such, not even for Izuku as he did his training.
However they knew the importance of this battle to both teacher and student, and to be honest those trees really were horrifyingly tall, so if Izuku fell from such a height he'd probably break more than just a leg.
"How long are you planning to run?" Stain yelled out, trying to provoke Izuku.
The green-haired boy didn't reply, instead climbing higher until he was up in the leaves and out of sight from Stain.
On the screen, the L.O.V could see Izuku crouched down on a branch, watching Stain with sharply narrowed eyes. His breathing was slow and steady as he prepared to attack.
On the ground, Stain paused.
The moment Izuku disappeared he tried to sense for the boy's presence. However he'd gotten really good at masking it and Stain was left vulnerable in this position.
Only a minute had passed since the exam had started.
With unimaginable speed, Stain continued to move while observing his surroundings carefully.
Barely a moment later, he heard a slight rustle and sharply tilted his head to the left, missing a dagger – that would've lodged itself into his shoulder – by mere millimetres.
It still managed to graze his ear.
The next moment, however, Izuku was jumping out of the tree and aiming at Stain.
His initial momentum was sped up due to using the tree as a spring, which allowed him to get close to Stain before the man was able to move away.
Instead, the Hero Killer turned around and brandished his daggers while crossing his arms, sliding into a defensive stance as he took Izuku's attack head on.
Steel clashed and the sounds rang throughout the air.
Izuku and Stain were locked in a stalemate already, daggers against daggers as they fought.
Izuku spun around by pivoting on his left foot, his elbow raised to smash into Stain's face.
The man dodged swiftly by taking a step back, however the attack still ghosted him. He sped up his movements and swiped his dagger at Izuku's stomach with his right hand, his left going to land a hook along his student's jaw.
Izuku deflected the dagger and twisted out of the way from the punch before quickly backflipping out of reach.
The two stared at each other for a few moments, internally exchanging tens of battles with dozens of movements in their heads at once before they made a move.
They dashed towards each other at the same time and neither managed to land a hit on the other for the next twenty minutes of battle.
Back with the League, Tomura was watching Izuku with a curious glint in his eye.
Dabi had long accustomed himself to the dangers this exam held and no longer worried for Izuku or his safety. In his mind, he knew the brat would be alright.
Kurogiri watched the screen's monitors floating in the air, stunned at the quality of battle he was witnessing at the moment.
Twice was contradicting himself as usual, fanboying over them one moment but dissing them in the next, and Mr Compress was resolutely recording the battle as their resident broccoli had kindly asked him to.
They all gasped when a loud crunch was heard.
A muffled groan followed it soon after.
Izuku had landed the first hit, breaking Stain's nose with a huge swing to the face.
Not a second after that Stain had sweeped Izuku's legs out from under him, causing him to fall on his back with a loud thud.
Quickly, both males got themselves back on their feet and watched each other warily.
Stain made the first move by throwing a dagger at Izuku's left thigh, which the boy deflected with merely a casual glance as he focused on the man that attempted to divert his attention.
A cackle resounding through Tomura's phone chilled the audience as they held their breath. They listened as All For One spoke:
"This battle was decided before it had even begun. With the chance to use everything they have at hand, you only need to look at who has more cards to play."
As the screen turned off, the L.O.V shuddered as they watched Izuku and Stain fighting on the big screen.
At this point, Stain had managed to cut Izuku's cheek and created a deep gash in his abdomen, however the boy had bruised the man's wrist with a harsh kick and stolen the bloodied dagger before the man could use his Quirk.
Now the two of them were fighting barehanded and using the terrain to their advantage, trees giving perfect cover and clearings allowing them to fight face to face without any obstacles.
This continued for another thirty minutes, with the two eventually landing hits on the other now and then.
The fight ended around dawn.
The outcome was a pleasant surprise, and definitely cause for celebration.
Izuku had won.
Although it wasn't exactly in the way they were expecting, it was still a win and Stain was proud of his student – at least, that's what the L.O.V would assume since the man was unconscious the moment the fight ended.
Three hours after the fight had started, a huge explosion had gone off.
Izuku at the time had been swinging from tree to tree while Stain chased him on the ground, throwing daggers along the way.
The audience had realised that the boy was leading Stain to a specific part of the forest, however at the time they were just enthralled by the battle and forgot about tactics and strategies.
It was too dark to see the small mound in the ground compared to the flat surface of the forest floor.
Stain only had enough time to see Izuku's mischievous smirk before the ear-splitting rumble echoed in his ears. He was flung back into the trees, knocking several over before being lodged in one about half a dozen metres away from the site.
Izuku hadn't been able to get away completely, which he'd included into his calculations when planting such a big bomb, but he was unharmed save for a few scratches on his arms and legs.
Since then several explosions would ring from time to time.
Stain had stopped following Izuku after the third time and then it was Izuku chasing Stain, but somehow the boy had influenced Stain's actions and the man had still gotten caught in several explosions while being chased by the green-haired boy.
Not only that, Izuku had gained new weapons along the way, making up for the tools he'd had to throw away at the start along with Stain.
At one point, Stain had directly bitten the boy's shoulder from behind since he was without his tools (a feat only Izuku had managed to accomplish to date), paralyzing him as his Quirk activated.
However it seemed he really was made to be Stain's equal, even his blood was the weakest against Stain's Quirk and the boy was up in no time. But while he was down, Stain hadn't managed to do much except break his left leg.
Stain had trouble balancing himself due to the blood he was losing. Izuku had immobilised his right hand and arm; along with the burnt skin and ripped flesh from the explosions, Stain was barely keeping himself upright.
It really was only due to the power of adrenaline and a strong will that he was still conscious and fighting hard.
Eventually Izuku had gotten back up and smashed Stain's head into a tree, worsening the man's concussion.
Izuku himself had somehow developed a cold fever, and struggled to drag himself back into the trees as Stain slowly got back up.
With a quiet yelp, Izuku managed to find the steel pole he'd hidden somewhere in the forest and tied it to his broken leg, allowing him to move albeit painfully.
The battle ended when the two males clashed again.
Izuku had a dagger on him, one that was coated with Stain's blood.
When the two fought, he'd 'lost' the dagger to an uppercut from Stain and watched with hidden glee as the man activated his Quirk on himself.
Usually the man would be able to tell if he was about to activate his Quirk on himself due to the smell of his blood, however Izuku had mixed a little of his own blood on it too.
With that, the battle was decided.
When Izuku lunged at Stain in an attempt to retrieve the dagger, the man had quickly licked it with no hesitation. Immediately, the two went down together.
But Izuku's blood type was weaker than Stain's to the Quirk, coupled with the fact he was able to land his paralysed self right next to Stain's own paralysed body; Izuku only needed to focus all his strength on the dagger in his hand, which held a quick spreading poison and numbing agent, to stab Stain in the heart.
They really were fighting with their lives on the line here.
With that, Izuku's blurry vision was able to barely make out his screw-up at the last second as he stabbed just beneath the heart.
However Stain could no longer move, and the poison would spread fast enough.
He finally gave out after he saw Stain lose consciousness, meaning Izuku had won.
As soon as they knocked out, Kurogiri warped to their location and took everyone back to the base.
Mr Compress, after ending the recording and placing it safely in Izuku's room, took out an injection filled with clear liquid and emptied it into Stain's body.
Before the fight began, Izuku had told him to give it to Stain afterwards.
It was the antidote to the poison in Stain's body, working twice as fast compared to the poison.
In the end, Stain only wound up suffering from a fever rather than the intended bloody effects that would usually accompany such poison.
All For One had healed any broken bones and internal bleeding, however left the two to suffer from their bruises, fevers and headaches. They were stuck on bed rest for the next few days.
As they only had each other for company, both resting in Izuku's room at the hideout, they talked after waking up.
Stain praised Izuku for his genius at taking advantage of the loopholes – Stain had really only fought with what he had on him, however Izuku truly used the terrain to his advantage and hidden extra weapons and devices to be used at any point during the battle.
Izuku was proud of himself and practically preened under the praise that Stain showered him with, as it was the most he'd heard in one week compared to the past two or three years combined.
As they healed up, the two reviewed the footage of their battle and noted that Izuku barely passed as he lost consciousness right after Stain.
Yet Stain told Izuku that had Stain still won after all that, he would've passed his student anyways due to everything he'd shown in the battle.
They then talked over their mistakes and where they could've done better as the L.O.V prepared the base to celebrate.
After that, Izuku took a break from all the villainous stuff he'd been enjoying lately so that he could spend some time with his mother, who he knew was wondering why Izuku had been spending almost no time with her at home instead of just eating, sleeping and exercising.
He finished his first year of middle school relatively calmly, having perfected his own fighting style, surpassing Stain, and spending more time with his mother.
_______
By the time Izuku started his second year he'd come to call Dabi "Nii-san" too.
He couldn't help it, he reminded him a lot of Stain and they'd gotten close rather quickly.
When Tomura asked him why he didn't call him that either, Izuku cheekily claimed "you look more like an oji-san!" (uncle) which made Tomura reluctantly accept the initial "Mura" nickname instead.
Stain was immensely satisfied with Izuku having another brother, and made a rare effort to get closer to Dabi.
Although Dabi had softened up considerably, it seems that treatment was reserved only for Izuku.
Stain's advancements were just enough for Dabi to consider him a friend, which was a miracle in itself.
It was rather funny when Izuku tried thinking of nicknames for the two of them, after all his naming skills were just as appalling as Stain's.
_______
"Stain... Stain nii-san... Stain-nii... Stainy?" Izuku muttered to himself. Dabi burst out laughing and Tomura cackled whereas Stain himself just sat in the corner of the room sharpening his knives.
Izuku sweatdropped but then pouted and went up to the dangerous man.
"Stainy?"
Stain looked up and really couldn't refute the look on Izuku's face.
The boy had grown up well over the years, his freckles lightly dusting over his cheeks and nose while his fluffy hair laid messily on his head.
His eyes were bright and so very adorable, most of the members in the hideout had silently acknowledged to having a cuteness complex when it comes to Midoriya Izuku.
Stain pinched the bridge of his nose, looked back once more at Izuku, then sighed while closing his eyes.
Izuku in return allowed a small smile to cross his face as he laughed loudly.
He gave a quick hug to Stain, careful of the knives, before turning back to Dabi and Tomura.
Both had managed to get themselves back together, snickering quietly into their hands instead now.
"Dabi..." Izuku started again.
Said teen slowly stiffened, watching Izuku with a cautious gaze.
He really didn't want an embarrassing name, but it's Izuku, his little brother – he honestly wouldn't know whether he'd say yes or no.
"Dabi-nii... Da-nii... Danny..? Dabi... Stabby!" Izuku cheered.
It was hilarious.
He knew that himself.
But he totally wanted to use it.
"You little brat!" Dabi yelled out, chasing Izuku around the bar.
The pair ran up the stairs, behind the bar, around the couches and chairs and continued to do so while everyone else just calmly watched from afar.
They smiled as they heard Izuku shrieking when Dabi finally caught him, hearing the two kids laughing.
It was rare for them to be so free with themselves like that, or rather for anyone other than Izuku.
After they finished wheezing and calmed down, Izuku sat down on the sofa next to Dabi.
"Okay, it was just a joke. I'm sorry~ " Izuku said sweetly. "I'll just call you both Nii-san!" he said.
Dabi just accepted it and patted Izuku on his head.
The boy seemed to like it when they did that, so the L.O.V often did it to show they cared.
It was enough to see Izuku smiling brightly for the rest of the day thereafter.
_______
Izuku spent his second year of middle school learning how to cook from his mother in an effort to spend more meaningful time with her.
She was overjoyed that Izuku was more expressive these days, especially happy when he complimented her cooking, so to see her grown up son still showing his mother that he cared and wanted to spend time with her made her feel quite emotional.
She'd ended up making him say "I love you, Okaa-san" on a daily basis so that he wouldn't, as she believed, forget about her.
Izuku was quick to learn when it came to cooking and the villains at the hideout always begged him to cook for them after the first time they tasted it.
At one point Kurogiri even attempted to kidnap Izuku, who laughed and casually avoided the attack as he made his way home from school.
Izuku was also finally able to control his power and fully use his innate talents to their full potential – along with his naturally high intelligence and analysis skills, Izuku gained quite the skillset from training with Stain, Kurogiri and Tomura.
He had a physically fit body, however it was somehow much more durable than the average person's body, which is amazing due to the fact that he didn't even have some sort of enhancment Quirk yet is able to punch through concrete.
His agility and fast reflexes come with the speed and strength gained from his solid foundations; Izuku is now able to stealthily attack and avoid others while jumping high and landing without issues.
Just seeing how long he could stay in the air made people wonder if he had a Quirk with invisible wings or some sort, that's how free and natural he appeared even in mid-air.
These talents of his were something he'd painstakingly worked hard on everyday for the past decade, he didn't even question half of his abilities and just put it down to living and growing up in a superhuman society.
Stain and Kurogiri often praised Izuku for how far he's come, making sure he knew just how much of a leap he'd made and that it was all due to his own efforts.
Tomura wouldn't say a single word of encouragement to him, thinking he'd get cocky, however Stain not-so-harmlessly threatened him into being honest which made Izuku crack up at the crusty-handed man's attempt to "be nice."
With everyone being so proud of him, Izuku couldn't help feeling pride for himself swell up inside of him.
He was also extremely grateful for this family he's found, he wouldn't give them up even if he had the chance to get a Quirk.
Not only that, Izuku was constantly told that he was just as powerful as anyone with a Quirk.
His physical build made him appear lithe with lean muscles, he looked incredibly handsome from afar but absolutely adorable up close, and he was getting taller with each month that passed.
He had a big appetite, was gaining confidence in himself and his skills, and although he was plenty strong enough to take down several grown adults with their Quirks it seems like he still had room to grow.
His stealthiness had reached that of perfected mastery. Due to this talent that he considered his ace, Izuku was able to read expressions and body language somewhat easily.
His ability to blend into the shadows or mask his presence completely was top-notch and he loved using it to play pranks on the L.O.V from time to time.
The fact that Izuku accepted the L.O.V members wholeheartedly, no matter their story, told them that Izuku was the one person that would definitely understand them no matter what.
Thus they continued to grow larger with more trust, respect and understanding of each other.
_______
...Katsuki knew something was up with Deku.
When they were four, the boy suddenly stopped talking to him.
At five he started smiling again.
From the moment they started kindergarten to when they finished, Deku had ignored everyone and everything unless it was related to schoolwork.
It pissed him off.
Of course, he couldn't really ignore Katsuki when he stole his bag or shoved him against the wall.
However there were no more tears, no more stumbling over his letters, and no more panicky flustered movements from when they were younger. He never spoke up against Katsuki like he used to...
Hell, Katsuki couldn't even remember the last time he saw Deku look him in the eyes!
More than that, he hadn't heard "Kacchan" for years now.
Deku always had that stupid smile on his face.
He always said what was on his mind.
He's gotten taller, obviously because they've gotten older, but instead of being an inch or two shorter than Katsuki like he always used to be they were almost the same height now.
And Katsuki was definitely not short for his age.
He hated that dumb useless nerd but now that he's not following him around anymore, it feels like he's really gone and left Katsuki alone.
lKatsuki didn't know what he wanted, but he knew that Deku had to stay by his side no matter what.
So the other day he'd followed Deku back home, waiting to see if the nerd would sit all lonely in the park like he used to or go straight home.
However he didn't get the chance to find out as a bloody man – obviously a villain, Katsuki thought – came out of nowhere.
Katsuki didn't think before he ran, only to realise after he'd turned the corner that Deku was still back there and probably shivering in terror.
When he turned around, he wasn't expecting to see Deku calmly talking with the man before they started walking together.
'What is that dumb nerd doing? Doesn't he see the blood all over that guy?!' Katsuki thought as he trailed behind them.
Eventually Katsuki had followed them all the way to the hideout, watching from a distance as they went inside.
When he heard loud shouts he'd immediately run over, wondering if Deku had been killed or something.
A small window to the side had been left open and Katsuki peered through to see a bunch of people jumping around and partying, smiling as they laughed and cheered together.
His eyes immediately zoned onto his green-haired friend, the nerd sitting at a bar and clinking glasses with the man he saw earlier.
Katsuki was astonished to see Deku smiling like that, it felt like he was really really happy compared to the usual smile he held. But forget about that.
Deku – clueless, naive, crybaby Deku – was drinking alcohol; it didn't look like it was his first time either!
Not even Katsuki had tasted alcohol at that point!
To think the nerd beat him in something left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He watched them until he saw Deku fall asleep on the sofa, cuddled up to two of the guys with a massive smile on his face.
Katsuki felt slightly salty that, that smile wasn't directed at him like it used to be.
_______
Izuku's second year of middle school had just ended, but things were taking a strange turn.
Kacchan had been acting weird the whole year, barely paying attention to him while in school (not that he minded, he was quite ecstatic really), but at the same time following him home almost every day.
Since he felt Kacchan follow him the day Dabi was also recruited, thirteen year old Izuku had a feeling Kacchan knew where he went.
So during the holidays before their last year of middle school began, Izuku made an emergency visit to the villain's hideout.
When he walked in he saw Tomura sitting at the bar with Kurogiri behind it as usual.
Stain was nowhere to be found, probably on a killing spree eliminating more fake heroes at the moment.
He would come by the hideout now and then to see Izuku, but since Izuku had technically 'graduated' from being his student they'd officially ended their training.
The man was largely infamous now as the media finally took note of his aggressive behaviour and actions.
Dabi was on his phone, sitting on the sofa with Toga – they'd recruited her a month ago – who was playing with her knives.
"Izu-kun~ " Toga purred when she saw him, jumping up, wrapping her arms around his neck and legs around his waist to envelope his taller frame in a tight hug.
He gently hugged his blonde friend back before looking towards the bar counter.
"Mura, I think one of my classmates knows about this place. He's been following me home from school recently and I think it might've started around last year. Usually I wouldn't think it's much of an issue but I know that this guy is planning on becoming a hero no matter what so if he finds out you're villains, we're all screwed."
Izuku was blunt, not feeling alarmed much but still thinking it was better to notify them.
He moved to sit next to the man as Kurogiri pet his fluffy hair.
"Well, it's been roughly ten years since we've been here..." Tomura mumbled, looking towards Kurogiri. "I guess it's about time we relocated, huh, Giri?"
The smoky man nodded as he moved to hand Izuku a glass of champagne.
Toga helpfully climbed down from his lap, placing a sweet kiss to his cheek before returning to play with her knives.
"Once we find another bar with rooms, I can transport everything here directly there so that everything appears almost the same. Nothing will change except for our location."
Izuku brightened up when he heard that.
He really liked the room Kurogiri had made for him, which Stain had also beautifully decorated, so to have everything remain the same was perfect!
Now he just had to find a good enough place, keeping in mind that butler Kurogiri couldn't survive without living in a bar.
Kurogiri looked meaningfully towards Tomura who sighed before he looked at Izuku.
"Brat, sensei can build a headquarters wherever you want if you really can't find a good place, okay? Sensei said he'd do it for you."
Izuku smiled at that and quickly hugged Tomura, who stroked his head in return.
Izuku then turned to pouting at Kurogiri until he opened a portal for Izuku to step into. "I'll open it again in five minutes."
Walking through, Izuku found himself in front of All For One.
This was his second time meeting the man in person, the first being when he'd woken up while the man was healing him after his fight with Stain.
He trembled faintly at the full force of the man's intimidating aura.
"Good afternoon, sir! How are you feeling?" Izuku asked kindly.
AFO smiled as he looked at Izuku's youthful face, the first Quirkless boy he'd met that had also refused him other than his own brother.
"I am quite alright, child. Perhaps you've come to take me up on my offer now?" AFO smirked, hoping the boy accepted.
Even Quirkless he was strong, but with a Quirk just imagine what he could do!
"I- ..." Izuku hesitated suddenly.
He wanted to go to U.A High School as it was one of the best schools near him, but he didn't know what course he should apply for. Stain, Tomura, Kurogiri, Mr Compress and Dabi had also encouraged his choice to go to U.A – although they were villains, they wanted him to get as much experience and training as he could.
He was Quirkless, so he'd always have to try harder than anyone else, but they also respected his decisions.
They knew he wasn't a villain.
They knew he wasn't a hero.
But after all this time they genuinely cared about him and told him to experience both worlds before he made a choice.
Stain had also told him about vigilantes and how he used to be one himself.
In the end, Izuku was still undecided but having spent years with villains, he was leaning far closer to this side.
Izuku knew that most likely he'd need to show off a Quirk to get into U.A.
AFO looked at the child for a moment before a smile graced his mutated lips.
"I don't think there is a course in U.A that will accept you based on the entrance exams without a Quirk, child. As unfair as it is, that is the way the world turns."
Izuku nodded his head, understanding what AFO was talking about. AFO could also give him a Quirk, but...
"I know what you're thinking, but there's no need to worry. You are who you are in your heart, Quirk or no Quirk it won't change the fact that you are Midoriya Izuku," AFO began.
"If you accept a Quirk from me, Izuku, it won't make you any different. You know what it's like to be Quirkless, and you are smart enough to not end up relying completely on your Quirk as you've survived all this time without one. Just know that my offer will always be available – in fact, after we proved that one theory you brought up before, I'm entirely willing to give you a Quirk just like it!"
Before either of them could react to his words, Kurogiri's warp gate reappeared waiting for Izuku to walk through.
Rubbing away the dewy tears at the corner of his eyes, Izuku told AFO that he'll give him an answer soon.