Chapter 221 - My OC Stash #21 - When Time Stands Still by WadetheBadger (MyHeroAcademia)

-Not a SI but an OC with the MC being the new U.A teacher and babysitter of Eri-chan~

*Life really does go on, my teacher forced all of us to do online classes otherwise we're kicked out from the school. Anyways hope all of you guys are doing well with all of this shit going on. Ja ne Gamers!

Sypnosis: Overhaul was defeated the Shie Hissaikia was broken and a single scared child had been rescued. In a bid to save this girl and those around her from her amazing power, one of the professional heroes has called in a favor.

Attrition was a hero by convenience and pragmatism, he wasn't interested in fame or fortune and he liked his privacy. So, to get a phone call from an old colleague, was strange. The request he received was all the stranger.

What follows is the result of that phone call, the good the bad and the bizarre. But that seems to be the norm in a world of superpowers. It is a never-ending battle of right and wrong. That is what they tell you anyway. They are wrong. It isn't about yes or no, good or evil, there is only one battle that matters, the battle against time.

Rated ???

Words: 18K

Posted on: forums.spacebattles.com/threads/when-time-stands-still-my-hero-academia.829638/ (WadetheBadger)

PS: If you're not able to copy/paste the link, you have everything in here to find it, by simply searching the author and the story title. It sucks that you can't copy links on mobile (´ー｀)

-I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)

Chapter 1-3 (exceptional)

"You want me, you're not serious are you?" I asked from my perch atop a local sandwich shop. It was the type of place you only know about if you're friends with a local. It wasn't a chain and tourists wouldn't even give it a second look. But here I was, a sandwich in one hand and a disposable phone in the other. I peered out mindlessly at the streets below. The mass of late-night denizens and bar junkies ambled on, not a one even looked in my direction. That was for the best, I did my finest work when there was no one to note me, to begin with.

The voice on the other line spoke up. "There are only a few people who could handle this. I could do it myself, but with League and my work as a teacher, I'm stretched thin as it is."

Shota Aizawa, a professional hero, Eraserhead was his moniker, not that most people even knew he existed. That was one thing he and I had in common, a disdain for the limelight. Which was all the more ironic since he took up a teacher's job a while back. He called me looking for help. Well, that isn't surprising, heroes turn to each other in a crisis. It wasn't the first time we'd looked to one another for help, but this was just bizarre.

I clucked my tongue and eyed my sandwich warily. "A child, with a time quirk, interesting. I can name the known time quirk users on my hands. That includes me by the way. How old?"

"Six, she hasn't had any training, she spent most of her life as an experiment for a yakuza sc.u.mbag." Aizawa let that hang in the air. It smelled as bad as the refuse in the dumpster behind the sandwich shop. I had no response. My appetite was gone. I tossed my sandwich over my shoulder to the dumpster below. "Attrition, I need your help. She needs your help," Aizawa said with a threadbare wave of humility. He knew how to persuade others when he really needed to.

I sighed and nodded to myself. "Fine, I'll be there in three days to look at what I'm dealing with. I expect to be compensated for this," I said.

"Agreed. I've already discussed this with Nezu and All Might. You'll be allocated the role of a teacher while working with the girl. That includes full benefits and pay," Aizawa said. His voice was back to the tired drawl most knew him for. I suppose it must be a trait amongst people like Aizawa and I. Those who tried hardest to stay in the shadows often cared most of those around them.

"Fine, see you then."

I closed the flip phone and shoved it into a pocket. I hopped across the rooftop and to the building next door. Then to the one after that. With each leap, I felt my mind firing at a thousand watts. It was just another night on the town, another night cleaning the streets of the built-up debauchery and crime. I never saw myself becoming a hero when I was younger. Though when do the fantasies of some kid ever really know what the future holds?

My quirk wasn't all that flashy or powerful, but it was rare. That was what drew people to me, they all thought I was Father Time, that I could turn back the tides of their miserable lives. They were always disappointed. Some even got violent. That was the twisted reason I found myself where I am today. When they started making threats, when they grabbed for their knives or guns or activated their quirks. It was all meaningless, all just a battle of attrition.

I landed on another rooftop and felt the chilly air of early autumn tussle my jacket and the moon bathe me in its pale light. The blissful hold of a waiting tomorrow. The future would come, but it would sweep past me like a stream around a boulder. In time I might erode, but never would I budge.

A puddle on the roof caught my eye. I peered down at myself. My hero attire wasn't fancy, but it did its job. A black jacket, more a cloak than anything, disparaged my form, dark pants, a simple black mask that wrapped around my eyes and the back of my head and contrasted by my dark brown, almost red hair. My eyes a cold blue soaked in my form with disinterest.

After all, I'd seen myself often enough. The white shirt beneath my cloak was the only real thing of note. It was plain, bleached and untouched by any distraction. It was a joke I'd thought up when I was a boy. The white was a warning, no matter how hard you hit me, the only blood that will ever stain my shirt is yours. It wasn't a funny joke, no one was supposed to laugh. But, it was funny all the same.

I cracked my neck, a satisfying sound mirrored the long day I'd had. I looked back to the moon once more. Three days till I started a new mission I had no qualifications for but was the one chosen either way. Perhaps it was just karma weaseling her way back into my life. If it was, well, Karma's a bitch. If not, then some god out there really liked to watch me squirm.

"Eri, huh? Guess she's just as unprepared." I muttered to myself.

I shrugged and continued my patrol from rooftop to rooftop, the streets remained a clock. Sooner or later the small hand of human intention would ring out a new hour. The hour of crime and I would meet said hour with the sweet minutes of justice.

A scream pierced the relative silence of the night. a wail of terror rattled my very bones. That was it. I cleared the next building and halted over the next gap. An alley sat below. Three figures cloaked in the dank shadows of the forgotten city slums. Two of the shadows circled the third. I stepped off the roof ledge and fell like a ghoul in the night. I felt the familiar tingle of my quirk, It was like plunging into cold water, sudden nervous energy. I felt alive, I felt unbreakable. I fell down to the alley floor below. The second my feet landed I pounced forward with the built recoil of gravity.

The first attacker had little time to react as I speared him in a tackle and slammed him into the wall beside the victim. The woman, mid-thirties by the look. Eyes wide, rimmed in cheap mascara, the kind one buys when they want to look expensive but can't afford the real thing looked back at me with a mix of fear and dubious hope.

I stepped back and let the body of the first attacker drop. He was a young man, poor, he was malnourished and ragged. Most likely not homeless, he smelled too nice for that. He smelled more like soap and less like grime and sweat. He landed in a heap coughing, winded but otherwise alive and kicking. Speaking of kicks, the leg of the second attack rolled through the air, he was aiming for my head. His kick landed, he seemed rather pleased or did at first.

I looked up at the man, he was lanky toned, athletic if not awkward. He seemed brazen the thick muscle of his legs were more than human. His quirk clearly, marsupial in nature perhaps. It didn't really matter in the end. His victorious smile faded when I didn't move or yell or well anything at all.

"Was that all?" I asked.

The man stumbled back. "How, what, I--" he asked. His words were cut short when I planted a hand hard into the side of his head. He stumbled back, not in time though. I landed a quick punch to his stomach. He coughed and slouched.

I leaned down and grabbed his shoulder. He sputtered out some vague threat. It would have been sad if I had any patience left. "Don't pick fights you can't win, boy," I said slowly, I let each word sit before I continued.

I stood and turned to the woman. "The cops will be here shortly. I suggest you wait on the street for them." I pulled the phone from my pocket and waved it at her. The small screen read "Police". She nodded and muttered excuses and gratitude. I didn't need or want either.

I noted a pipe running across the span of one of the buildings. I c.o.c.ked a smirk. I turned to the two young men and reached into my utility belt. I pulled two pairs of handcuffs and started to whistle.

The police arrived minutes later. I wasn't there to greet them. The two attackers were cuffed to the pipes and the woman guided the police to the alley and they took custody from there. I stood atop the roof above and watched with idle interest.

"That's enough for tonight," I said. I turned around and whistled to myself as I made my way back home. Another night another patrol finished. The only thing left on my mind was Aizawa and the girl I was now tasked with protecting, not just from others, but from herself and maybe, just maybe, me.

Chapter 2

It was bright, brighter than I'd care. My hand raised high, I tried to block the accursed rays of the rising sun. The gates, the ever-present separation of those that do and do not belong sat wide before me. The massive glass and concrete host of UA a reminder of days past when in my misdirected youth I yearned to call my own. That was then, however, now I am not that child, I took my path and that was one I never regretted.

I was roused from my idle thoughts by the feeling of being watched. I turned and noted a pair of youths, judging by the uniform, students, both female. The first with long dark drooping hair, eyes quizzical, but smarter than one might assume. Her tongue seemed to rest atop her bottom lip even as she held a finger to the opposite corner of her mouth. The second girl was in contrast rather average, short hair with long bangs, a nervous but a practiced smile. The type one who enjoys the joy of others gives for their sake rather than their own.

I tilted my head back and raised a brow. I was to my distress now drawing attention. I cursed under my breath as I pondered what could be taking Aizawa so long. In the meantime, I had two still observant students to deter.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

The girl with droopy hair seemed to croak, like that of a frog or other amphibious creature. It was particular, but not anything beyond the students of such a school. "Um, not to be rude sir, but is there any particular reason you're standing in front of our school gates?" the frog girl asked.

The second girl seemed to waver as my brow rose further. "I'm sorry, my friend isn't trying to assume anything, of course, we just happen to notice you as we were walking by."

"I'm waiting for someone," I said. It was the truth, if not lacking the details these two were no doubt looking for. I watched as the two whispered to each other. A sudden wave of realization struck me. The nervous girl, she was from the Sports Festival. If what I remember was right I'd only caught bits and pieces. She fought an explosive boy and lost. But lost fighting, it was clear she wasn't weak, just inexperienced.

I pointed to the nervous girl, "You were in the Sports Festival right?"

The girl was caught off-guard by the personal question. She nodded a bit too excitedly, humility and embarrassment, it was almost cute. "Yes, yes I was," she said.

"You put up a decent fight," I said with a shrug.

"Asui, Ururaka," the new voice cut the small talk. I thanked whatever amounts to a god in this world for the distraction. Aizawa walked up, his stingy black bangs billowed a bit in the breeze. His eyes were sn.a.k.e.d with veins as his dull gaze mulled over each conversant. I cracked a half-smirk and snorted as he stepped almost protectively close to his students. He'd taken to his new lot better than I'd expected.

"Oh hello Mr. Aizawa, how are you this morning," Asui said, or who I believed was Asui, if Aizawa's gaze upon joining us had matched his greetings. Her greeting was followed by a ribbit either way.

"I'm fine, Asui, thank you," Aizawa said. I'd been right, without Aizawa's visor he was far too easy to track. It was sloppy, I scoffed and he turned his attention to me. "Freid, good to see you made it on time," he smirked back at me. It would seem he had accepted my challenge. Good, I'd hate for my tenure here to be boring.

"You know him, Mr. Aizawa?" Ururaka asked.

"I told you I was waiting for someone," I said.

Aizawa let out a grumble and wiped a hand through his hair. "He's a professional hero, and starting today, the newest teacher at UA."

"A new teacher? That's pretty cool," Asui said tilting her head in contemplation. She stared at me. She was reading me, it was almost refreshing having someone other than myself into the craft. The human body was only the cover for an infinite series of action and drama and mystery. A task few took to. I would need to keep an eye on this one.

"But, I don't think I recognize him though," Ururaka said.

I could nearly taste the amus.e.m.e.nt from Aizawa as Ururaka realized what she said and was in the midst of attempting to escape this perceived faux pas with some level of decorum.

I chuckled and patted my chest in mock pain. "Ouch, my pride. Whatever will I do?" I asked. It was best to take the fangs off the beast as quickly as possible. The psyche of those more extroverted types can be so frail. Like a glass ready to overflow boiling away some of the contents could save a mess. "A hero that lives in the shadows and hates attention isn't renowned amongst the masses, whatever will I do?"

My second remark had a deliberate pause in-between to allow the students a moment to collect their thoughts. Aizawa instead decided the more direct route might be best. Perhaps as a lesson, or to simply follow along, struck my arm with a fairly relaxed punch to the arm. The sting was negligible, but I rubbed the spot all the same.

"I'm sorry," Ururaka said followed by a bow. My plan to defang while not wholly successful seemed to at least keep her from running away or begging for forgiveness. It was a small victory if nothing else. Though, I swear, I'll never understand the Japanese and their obsession with bowing. A decade on this island and it still eludes me.

"It's fine, my hero name is Attrition, by the way, it's nice to meet you," I said.

"That said, Principle Nezu is waiting. We really should get going," Aizawa said.

"Oh, okay professor," Asui said.

"See you in class then," Ururaka said. And just like that Aizawa was off and I was right behind him.

The walk through campus was quiet, a nice reprieve after meeting some of Aizawa's students. Nice enough kids, if not a bit too curious for their own goods. It was important that a hero-in-training was observant, but tact was also important. To be too obvious was to risk disaster, to be devoured by the monsters in the shadows.

"We're here," Aizawa said and pointed to a door at the end of the hall. I felt my body tense. Like any good book, the end was all too soon. I wasn't prepared, and I hated it. I hated it more than the call that got me here, to begin with. I gave Aizawa a sharp glare and let him open the door.

"Ah, you're here, nice to see you made it, Mr. Freid. Oh, or would you prefer Attrition," Nezu said. He sat behind his big desk in his big office. I wondered if he was compensating, or the room was normal sized and it just looked bigger because of his size. The bear-dog-rat that sat there smiling was one of if not the most intelligent beings around. And that made him terrifying.

"Attrition is fine," I said.

I hoped I'd hid my dread well enough. Not that he'd ever tell me. Either way, he nodded and pointed to a chair. "Please have a seat," he said. So, I did.

Aizawa took a place leaning against the wall behind me. I coughed into a sleeve. "So, what can I do for you?" I asked.

"Right to it then," Nezu said with a smile and tossed a file on the desk. "Let's talk about you then shall we?" he asked as he flipped the folder open to a picture of me when I was a lot younger. I felt a prickle on the back of my neck. This was going to be seven colors of fun. I just knew it.

"You're one in a million, you know that?" Nezu asked. That wasn't a real question. It was a prologue. "Being born with such an interesting quirk, nothing like either of your parents. That's rare, but that's not the important part."

"It never is," I said.

"No, I suppose it isn't," Nezu said with a wistful sigh. "It's only as important as what you can do with it, as short-sighted as that is."

And there it was, the truth we all knew but hated to admit. I gripped the edge of the armrest tight. "So, as I said, what is it that I can do for you? But let me add a caveat. What Can I do for you with it?" I asked.

"The only thing I would ask of any hero," Nezu said meeting my hard stare with a nonplussed gaze. "Save lives. But that part is a given. What I want from you is what I'd ask of any of my teachers. To help others save lives."

I had no response to that. Well played, well played. I was the mouse in this maze. The maze of UA, the maze of teaching, the simple mouse under Nezu's complete control. The office didn't feel very large anymore.

"You realize I'm not much for company or have any experience teaching right?" I asked. I knew he knew the answer, but it felt better to ask.

"I do, but Aizawa thought you'd meet the very specific criteria we're looking for. So, I believe you'll flourish in time," Nezu said with a dramatic wave of his paws.

"Why not Aizawa then?" I asked.

"I already have a class and my own career to deal with. Besides, I have to blink sometimes," Aizawa said from his place at the wall. As if to punctuate his point, he took a small dropper from his sleeve and dabbed whatever solution it contained into one of his chronically sore eyes.

"So, what's the job then? Besides babysitting?" I asked.

Nezu spun in his chair. "That would only be one aspect. The larger goal is for you to help young Eri find a way to control her power. As it is, she has almost zero direct will over its activation or scope. It is truly tragic."

"I assume she's on campus?" I asked.

"She is. And once this is settled you'd be living in the same suite as Eri, as to ensure nothing goes awry."

I felt my blood run cold. To teach is one thing, to live with a child is not just out of my comfort zone, but off the cliff and straight to a personal hell.

"Damn," I said.

"Is it really that terrible?" Nezu asked.

"Anything else?" I asked.

"You wouldn't be alone," Aizawa had in my distraction taken the seat beside me. "I'll do what I can, and there are several students Eri has taken a liking to, who are willing to assist if need be."

"Students?" I asked. "Really?"

"They are the ones to rescue young Eri from the Shie Hassaikai in the first place," Nezu said with a laugh.

I blinked, I shouldn't be surprised, it was UA after all, they didn't exactly follow the rules. I slumped in my chair.

"Do I actually have to teach a class?" I asked.

Nezu leaned on one paw and hummed. I felt my stomach churn. "Only if we really need you too. Just think of yourself as a fully paid sub."

It was clear he was loving this. Like a cat playing with fresh prey.

I looked over at Aizawa, he refused to meet my gaze. That was not a good sign.

"So basically It doesn't really matter one way or the other. If I don't do this, who will?" I asked. I didn't want or expect an answer. I got one all the same.

"That's great news," Nezu said. I looked at him like a man in the noose. "You're hired, Mr. Freid, welcome to UA."

Chapter 3

Every single cell in my body begged for a retreat. I could feel my pulse in my ears and my left eye twitched ever so slightly. I wasn't afraid of much, I looked death in the eye and never blinked. So, I had to wonder in the minutes it took for me and Aizawa to trek across UA's campus why was I suddenly more jelly-filled than every cop in the city? The suite I would be calling my home for the time being was tucked away, off the main roads and nestled on the edge of the treeline. It was good real estate, all things considered. It was also the perfect place to teach a traumatized child, out of the way with little chance of someone wandering in and getting hurt.

My eye twitched again as Aizawa stopped at the front door. He turned and gave me a pointed look. "Eri's already here, just so you know. So are your things," Aizawa said, his face grew harder, once brick, now steel, he left little hope of escaping his glower. "She's fragile, keep that in mind."

I nodded, he was worried, hell, I was worried. It was too late though, we would all meet our fate soon enough. At least I had a fighting chance, with any luck when I was done, she would have one too. Aizawa opened the front door and we both entered. The first thing I noted was a voice deeper inside. But it wasn't the voice of a little girl.

Aizawa and I followed the talking to the far end of the living area and to a small hallway. There was a bathroom to one side and a bedroom to the other. The room was a perfect fit for a child. A young man, or old teenage boy, it didn't really matter, danced about the room at impressive speeds. He only stopped between each scamper to look back at a girl seated on the bed against the far wall. "Isn't this exciting, Eri. I mean this is your first real room, isn't it? I mean you probably had a room back at the yakuza bunker, but that was closer to a cell, huh? It doesn't matter now though cause this is all yours," the exuberant boy said. He had dull blonde hair, a large fit body in a set of casual wear and his piercing blue eyes were a direct contrast to my cooler set. His smile was open and toothy, the type that brightens a room, an All Might in the making, if 'I'd ever seen one. Even now the boy was rending the dr.a.p.es wide, the morning sun pouring in and leaving him in a halo almost as dazzling as his personality. I'd need to be careful around this guy, I might go blind if I wasn't careful.

The girl, on the other hand, was almost invisible in his presence. She sat on the edge of the bed, tucked tight into herself. She watched the boy with eyes so wide they might very well consume her face. Her silver hair was well brushed and nestled nicely behind the horn on the right side of her head. Eri, this was my new charge. Like a Lion taking in a house cat, there was a distinction to be made. One that would make or break what happened next. This poor child had seen hell, So a hellblazer like me taking charge might just lead to a path few can or should ever tread. I could, as anyone might with a new job, be blowing things out of proportion. I suppose only time would tell. Time was, of course, the one thing me and this helpless child have in common.

"Lemillion," Eri said. The young man, Lemillion turned and noticed Aizawa and I. He smiled and waved. An interesting name indeed, Mirio Togata, Aizawa mentioned him before. He seemed capable, strange hero name aside.

"Morning, Mr. Aizawa, who's your friend?" Mirio asked, offering me a look that would curdle the hearts of lesser men.

Aizawa nodded and hefted a thumb my way. "You knew Eri would have a caretaker, and a teacher. This is him."

Aizawa sounded about as enthusiastic as a morener asking if a certain body looked familiar to a new arrival. It wasn't a heartfelt introduction, but what was I expecting, candy and flowers?"

I went to wave and decided against it. I instead offered a slight bow, that seemed more appropriate I guess. "My name is Isaac Freid. I'm the professional hero Attrition. Aizawa asked me to assist Eri in her quirk training," I said, my tongue heavier than the concrete shoes of a yakuza rat. The metaphor withered in my mind. No matter how long I stayed in Japan the idioms from home just seemed more natural.

"Oh wow, that's awesome. You hear that Eri, your own personal pro teacher," Mirio had closed the gap between Eri and himself in a blink and on one knee pulled her attention from the floor. She'd given me a single look before withdrawing. It wasn't exactly a great sign, but her caution was smart. I respected that. "I mean, I don't have a clue about any hero named Attrition, but that hardly matters," Mirio said with a laugh.

"Anyway, I expect you and Midoriya to assist Attrition the best you can when you come to visit. That clear?" Aizawa said. Mirio turned and saluted. Aizawa turned his gaze to the child trying very hard to shrink away. "Why don't you introduce yourself, Eri?" Aizawa asked. His voice lowered to a gentle whisper.

Eri managed to shimmy herself off the bed and slowly, like walking through a minefield managed to make it a few paces from me. She gripped her hands tight together and teetering on tears met my gaze. "Nice to meet you, sir," she said with a slight bow of her own.

I knelt, I hoped it lessen the tension a bit. "I've heard a lot about you, Eri. You've had a tough life, all because of something you had no say in. Believe me when I say, I get that, I really do. But I don't plan to let that stop me from ripping that fear out of you, inch by inch. That's a promise."

Several seconds passed, and nothing. Not even a stray breath. When the silence did subside, it wasn't Eri who broke it. Mirio stood over me, his smile gone. "What kind of promise is that?" he asked.

I stood and offered Mirio a confused look. I planted a hand on the back of my head and shrugged. "One I plan to keep, I guess," I said.

"You guess?" Mirio asked. I shrugged again. He grabbed me by my shirt. I didn't resist. "Eri deserves your best, not some half-hearted promise. You say you understand, but how could you, what gives you the right to walk in here and say that?" Mirio's glare met my own lackl.u.s.ter leer. I touched a nerve, or misstepped and hit a mine.

I took a breath and nodded. "A guy who knows a life closer to hers than you have ever known," I said patting Mirio's hand even as it tightened further on my shirt. I saw it coming but chose to stand there. Mirio's fist slammed into my cheek all the same. I deserved it to some degree, I picked a fight with a warhead, and with one punch it detonated. I was really getting good marks for my first day. Aizawa had only taken a single step before a cry pulled everyone's attention.

Eri let forth a rather impressive plea. "Please stop, please don't fight. I'm sorry, I don't want anyone else to be cursed over me," she yelled. It was as if all the built-up tension just evaporated, or the warhead had blown it all away. I bit my lip and staggered to my feet. Mirio had a killer hook. I shook my head and stepped forward. Mirio had dived to his knees and was currently comforting the weeping child.

I suppose it was time for the first lesson, and I didn't mean Eri's. "My quirk," I said. Mirio and Eri looked up. "My quirk has always had others expecting I could fix their problems. They bribed, threatened, screamed, attacked and pleaded. They didn't know me, they didn't know anything other than the fact my quirk affected time. So they assumed all these incredible things about it. I went my whole life with a target on my back. It got so bad, I'd wished I'd been born quirkless, or not at all."

"You can rewind time too?" Mirio asked. He held Eri tight, but the girl had stopped crying, her eyes were glued to me. I shrugged.

"Somedays, somedays I paused it, or fast-forwarded it, or traveled through it. It depended on what people wanted it to be, what they wanted from me. They didn't ask, they told me what my quirk was. My quirk isn't flashy, or powerful, it can't rewrite history or bring back the dead. But that didn't matter to them."

I walked over and knelt in front of the speechless kids. "But, do you know what it can do?" I asked. Eri managed the smallest shake of her head. I sighed and offered a humorless smile. "It can stop your curse."

Eri looked wonderstruck. Mirio looked on the verge of his own tears, or maybe from crushing me in a hug. And Aizawa had vanished in the ruckus. I would destroy him later for that. "Really, It can stop my curse?" Eri asked.

I nodded and watched her eyes light up. "My quirk is called Timeless. In short, I can place myself outside the current stream of time. While activated I become immune from the flow of time, so things that rely on the progression, or regression of time become impossible for me to experience. You can't rewind me, no matter how hard you try. I promise."

"You can't be cursed," Eri said before the room returned to an albeit much more comfortable silence.

I stood back up and looked down at Mirio. "You asked how I could make such a nonchalant promise, simply because I know how it feels for others to try and use you for your quirk, and I know how hard it can be to rise above that."

I offered Mirio a hand and with a more restrained smile he took it and I helped him to his feet. We stood there for a few seconds hand in hand. I don't really know if I liked Mirio, and I doubt he fully trusted me, but if nothing he had my respect.

The standoff was only broken when Eri started pulling on a leg of each of our pants. Mirio and I both looked down. "No more fighting?" Eri asked. A second passed before Miro and I both burst into laughter. Which only led to Eri pouting and glaring up at us.

Our laughter was joined by a new sound. The sound of a booming laugh that seemed to shake the room. I managed to turn and internalize a groan that would make the dead envious. In the doorway stood a new pair of bodies.

The first the massive unmistakable form of the former number one hero, All Might. His smile so iconic they sold shirts emblazoned with its likeness. I'd bash my own head in before I let someone try that on me. "It sounds like everyone is in high spirits," All Might said. He only managed the bravado a few more seconds before his body began to steam and he deflated like a party balloon your cat got its claws in. All Might's deflated form looked almost unrecognizable, though I suppose ever since his last battle with All For One, it's become more well known amongst the masses.

The second form looked like another student, tousled messy hairy, he was mousey with freckles. He looked unassuming, but on the campus of UA, no one is really unassuming. The boy stepped forward and before he even had a chance to speak, he was rushed by a certain six-year-old.

"Deku," she yelled. She even managed a giggle when the boy, Deku, pulled her up onto his shoulders. "Guess what?" she said.

Deku hummed. "What?" he asked.

"He can't be cursed," Eri yelled and pointed to me.

Deku seemed to puzzle over this answer a bit before looking towards Mirio. Mirio offered a wave. "Deku, meet Eri's new private teacher, Attrition." I heaved an internal sigh. I guess I'll have to explain myself all over again. Today couldn't end soon enough. Being a teacher was more exhausting than any crime-fighting.