What Could Have Been (vigilante deku)

40

When they arrived at the office, Jr held the door open for Izuku to go through. Inside the office was quiet as the three teachers inside waited patiently for them to come in.

"Hello there," Nedzu greeted politely, a smile blooming on his face. "It's good to see you two again." He gestured to some chairs. "Please, have a seat."

The two nodded and walked over to sit down.

There was a certain tenseness in the air, and it gave Izuku chills. He kept his face stoic but he could tell something was about to happen. Good or bad, he couldn't tell. He just needed to be prepared.

"It's good to see you too." Izuku mumbled, trying to push his anxiety down.

Izuku and Aizawa made eye contact and for a moment, Izuku forgot all about the betrayal. But the feeling of being stabbed in the back flooded back in and he had to catch his breath before a whine escaped past his lips.

He quickly averted his gaze back to the principal who was about to start speaking again.

"It is a pleasure to have the two of you here at UA, I believe that you're abilities will do our school some good. Perhaps you can even pass on some tips to our other inspiring heroes." His smile was still there, but there was a shift in his voice and gaze that told the two that the conversation was getting serious. "And no matter how grateful I am that you've agreed to come here, I didn't call you to my office to thank you right now."

"Then why are we here?" Jr asked, confusion and curiosity growing.

Izuku couldn't help but admire that about his friend. He didn't have as much anxiety as Izuku did. At times like this, curiosity was the only thing he felt. He wasn't crushed by the worries that something could be wrong, instead he focused on the adrenaline that suspense created.

Izuku hoped that one day he could be strong and courageous like that.

"Because," All Might spoke up, all eyes now on him. "I have something I would like to discuss with you two."

"Just get on with it." Jr whined, not liking how overdramatic these people were. Like that boy with glasses. What was his name again- oh right, Iida. He wasted their time, and now so was these teachers.

If people would just get straight into the point, so much would go faster. Fights would be over, arguments won, plans not being leaked. Like, what was the point? It didn't matter what you said, it mattered what you did.

"There's a mission." Aizawa said. "And we would like for you two to help us out with it.'

"Aizawa!" All Might groaned. "I was supposed to tell them!"

Aizawa rolled his eyes with a shrug of his shoulders, showing he didn't care. "You were taking too long."

"Mission?" Izuku repeated, ignoring their useless bickering. "What kind of mission?"

All Might sighed and focused his attention back on them. "We found some locations that could be proven to be the hideout for the group of villains that attacked UA. We have pros and detectives lurking around the places we've documented and taking notes. Once we know which one is the real one, we plan on gathering pros and sneaking up on them without them knowing, making it a lot easier to catch them. But we need as many people as we can get."

"So.." Jr pondered. "You want to put children to fight a bunch of villains?"

Nedzu chuckled darkly. "But you see, you two aren't regular children. And if I remember correctly, Izuku here has been fighting both pro heroes and villains for years now. This should be nothing out of the ordinary. Besides, you'll be fighting alongside some of the best heroes Japan has to offer. That includes Eraser and All Might. And we've decided that if things do get too dangerous, we'll have someone escort you out and you'll come back here. Easy as that."