Iida(wincing): Right... Hosu...

"Thank you for allowing us to use your resources, Chief Tsuragamae." Nezu said politely as they were led back into a room filled with more monitors than Izuku had ever seen outside of TV stores. Nezu had said that the police normally had access to most cameras in a city and Nezu could help him hack into any others they needed, so this would be a good middle step for Izuku, since three days obviously wasn't enough time to become a master hacker. What Nezu hadn't been clear about, though, was why they were in Hosu rather than Musutafu. Izuku had figured he might as well check on Iida as long as he was here, but so far he hadn't responded to any of his texts.

Todoroki: Well if you're here we might avoid another Cheat Code situation.

Iida: Yes... I would rather not lose any more limbs...

Midoriya: I just hope I can help without One for All...

All Might: Young Midoriya of course you can. You are not just your quirk after all.

Midoriya: Yeah... thanks All Might.

The police chief made sure they were settled before letting himself out, "It's our pleasure. You passed our bullpen on the way in, so just let any of the officers know if you need any help."

Nezu nodded and the chief left them alone. Izuku's curiosity was going crazy because he couldn't decide whether he was more interested in all the technology or in the reason they'd come to Hosu in the first place. The latter eventually won out.

"What are we doing here?" Izuku asked. "Wouldn't it have been easier to practice in Tsukauchi's department?"

Tsukauchi: But you're not just practicing.

"Ah, Midoriya," Nezu smiled, "surely you've noticed by now that none of our practice exercises are simply practice! If I'm going to teach you a useful skill such as tracking and espionage, I'm going to give you a real life villain to track."

Izuku's eyes widened, "Oh..."

Endeavor: Me.

"So, since we need more information for our case against Endeavor," Nezu continued, "let's see if you can find him on the cameras."

Izuku dutifully sat down and started flicking through the camera feeds, focusing on places heroes would frequent, "What makes you think Endeavor is in Hosu today?"

"Hmm," Nezu hummed thoughtfully, "what do you think? What would bring the number two hero to Hosu?"

Dabi: The hero killer.

Izuku continued looking at the cameras as he ran through what he knew of Endeavor, "Well, Hosu isn't that populated, so it doesn't make sense for him to come here if he's hoping to improve public opinion. It also doesn't have a high crime rate, so he isn't hoping to increase his numbers. The only thing interesting that happened here recently is... oh! He's hoping to catch the hero killer."

"Exactly," Nezu said. "So how does that change how we search for him?"

Kaminari(blinking): It does?

Shoji: Mm-hm.

"Well, I suppose it depends on if we believe that he knows what he's looking for." Izuku said. "I would look for the hero killer in secluded alleys, so if Endeavor is smart, that's where he'll be, but he also tends not to listen to analysts, so there's also a chance he's simply planning on his innate skill as a hero to find him."

Todoroki: Both are likely.

"Both are possibilities." Nezu acknowledged. "But even if he doesn't listen to analysts, he would not have gotten as far as he has if he wasn't intelligent."

Dabi: Unfortunately.

Izuku nodded and kept looking, but stopped when he saw Iida trailing behind Manual on a patrol. They stopped and seemed to be talking about something for a minute as Manual smiled apologetically, but when they started walking again, Iida's movements were stiffer for some reason, like he was angry about something. But maybe that was just Iida. It was difficult to tell the difference between a normal stiffness and a bad stiffness when it came to him.

Uraraka: Well it's getting easier now that you're loosening up, Iida.

"Ah, you're looking at Iida, yes?" Nezu asked.

Izuku nodded, "I don't understand why he chose Hosu of all places."

Mitsuki: Revenge.

"He told Aizawa and I that he was hoping to follow in his brother's footsteps." Nezu replied. "We were naturally concerned, but he insisted that he wanted to familiarize himself with his brother's old patrols, since they might become his in a few years." Nezu sighed. "The staff is also hoping that seeing where the attack happened might help him come to terms with everything."

Iida: And it did... just not in the way they expected it to...

Izuku frowned and went back to searching for Endeavor, "That makes sense, and he says he's okay, so I haven't pushed the issue, but I'm still concerned."

"That is because you're his friend." Nezu responded. "Not everyone is so lucky to have people that care about them."

Twice: Yeah... Hey I've got friends!

Izuku flipped through the cameras for a few more minutes, focusing this time on places that the hero killer would be likely to go, "Found him."

"Perfect." Nezu looked over his shoulder. "Now, practice switching cameras as he moves while simultaneously observing his behavior, especially how he interacts with Todoroki. Remote surveillance has many advantages, but there are limitations as well. Today, you'll undoubtedly run into both."

Hitoshi gripped the ends of the capture weapon and tried to hit the empty soda can that Aizawa had set on one of the boxes in the gym. When Aizawa had suggested he learn how to use it, he'd thought that it couldn't possibly be that difficult, right? It was basically a giant ribbon!

Aizawa(smirking): Oh that's what you think.

Aizawa had, of course, warned him that it took a lot of practice to master, but Hitoshi should have been more frightened. He'd been expecting the weapon to be soft and flexible, since that's the way it looked when Aizawa used it, but that was apparently an optical illusion. He supposed it made sense for the weapon to be stiff, considering that it was able to hold struggling villains, but it also made it difficult to work with.

It also was really sensitive, but not in any way that was easy to predict. Hitoshi would try a small movement and nothing would happen, so he'd try a larger movement, but then somehow the two would combine until the weapon was making large jumps that weren't anything like what Hitoshi had been going for. The weapon was also prone to coiling, which would be great if it was around a villain or even around the empty soda can that he was supposed to be knocking off a box.

It was less great when the capture weapon insisted on coiling around his arm.

Mei(giggling): You'll get the hang of it eventually extra-credit-kun.

"Don't worry, Shinso." Aizawa said. "You'll get the hang of it, eventually. I warned you it took a lot of practice."

"How did you even decide to use this weapon in the first place?" Shinso muttered.

"Like most great support items," he said, "it was the brainchild of some mad scientist in the support course. When he showed me how it was designed to move, I agreed to test it, and the rest was history. I liked it better than the more violent alternatives."

Snipe: Nothing wrong with a little violence. Just a little. Like guns.

Recovery Girl: I wouldn't count guns under 'a little'.

"Not that there's anything wrong with a little violence." Joke had shown up sometime after lunch and had spent the entire time laughing at his attempts to use the capture weapon, which Hitoshi thought was extremely unhelpful. "I use brass knuckles and Deku uses guns."

"Yes, but the public tends to be less forgiving of weapon-based injuries than they are of quirk-induced ones." Aizawa said. "But, whatever, it blended well with my fighting style and, once I'd mastered it, my capture weapon became versatile enough that I can use it for offense, defense, and restraint, so I don't plan on giving it up any time soon. Alright, let's try again. Think of the weapon as an extension of yourself, rather than something foreign that you need to tame."

Tamaki: Easier said than done.

Hitoshi nodded and aimed for the can, trying to almost snap the weapon like Midnight did with her weapon. For once, the weapon did exactly what he wanted... except for one little thing. Instead of hitting the can, it hit Hitoshi on the nose. He dropped the weapon to grab his face, but as it fell, one of the ends somehow coiled around his legs and Hitoshi ended up on the ground.

(everyone laughed and Shinso groaned)

Aizawa snorted, "Yeah, that happens. You'll get used to it."

"Somehow, that is the exact opposite of comforting." Hitoshi grumbled.

(everyone giggled)

Aizawa rolled his eyes, "Untangle yourself and keep practicing. I'm going to get a coffee."

Hitoshi groaned and got to work as Aizawa left. He just needed to be patient, he couldn't expect to be as good as Aizawa was with a weapon he'd never touched before this morning. He'd master the stupid thing eventually if he was stubborn enough.

Midoriya: Yeah you definitely will.

Joke was still laughing at him, "You're like a little kitten!"

Joke(giggling): Oh yeah!

Mirko: How?

Hitoshi finally managed to uncoil the weapon from his legs and stand up, "How so?"

"You keep getting tangled up while playing with string!" She squealed.

Mina: Oh I see it now!

Mic(chuckling): Shou was the exact same way when he first started out.

Hitoshi glared at her and tried to wrap her up in the weapon. He didn't know what he'd been expecting to happen, maybe he'd figured that she'd make an easier target because she was so much bigger than a soda can. Whatever he'd been trying to do, it didn't change the fact that the weapon somehow went completely around his body and wrapped his arms in such a way that he lost his grip on it as he stumbled and went crashing through the floor.

Joke(amidst everyone laughing): Thanks for proving my point!

"Thanks for proving my point!" Joke cackled.

"Maybe you should try it!" Hitoshi squirmed as he tried to untangle himself with little success. "You can start by getting me out of this mess."

"You know what? Maybe I should." Joke came up and gripped the ends. "It can't be nearly as difficult as you're making it out to be. You just pull here and then..."

Aizawa(grinning): Oh this will be good.

To Hitoshi's surprise and disgruntlement, the weapon actually seemed to be doing what she wanted... at least until she moved it a little too fast and it jerked in her hand and wrapped around her arm.

She chuckled, "Okay, that was unexpected by I bet if I..."

Within minutes, she had somehow managed to get both herself and Hitoshi hopelessly tangled in the coils of the capture weapon. Whatever success she'd had at the beginning must have been beginner's luck, because whatever it was was long gone now. He would have been tempted to say 'I told you so' if it wasn't for the fact that he was currently more worried about not getting strangled.

(everyone burst into laughter and Joke and Shinso looked at each other)

Joke: ...Well this is a predicament.

Shinso: Ya think?

"Joke, stop pulling, it's too tight!"

"Well how am I supposed to unwrap this without pulling, huh?"

"I can't breathe!"

"Ugh, how is this so difficult? Shouta makes this look easy."

Hagakure(giggling): And here comes the teacher in three, two, one...

Unfortunately, Aizawa chose that exact moment to come back with his coffee. Hitoshi and Joke froze and looked at him with wide eyes. He took one look at them, hopelessly tangled in a heap on the floor and his expression shifted into one that was 100% done before he turned on his heel and started walking back out of the room. Hitoshi looked at Joke in a panic, only to see her looking back at him with a similar expression.

"Wait! Shouta, don't go!"

"Help! Aizawa, come back!"

Aizawa: Oh you two can help yourselves!

He didn't even bother turning around as he replied, "You two got yourselves into this mess, you can get yourselves out!"

Komori(cackling): No mercy!

Mirio stared out the window of the train as it sped toward Shibuya. Gran didn't want him to get any weird habits from fighting just one opponent for too long, so they were going to a more populated area so he could check what he was learning against actual villains. So far, they'd just been refining his control over One for All and trying to blend it seamlessly with Permeation. Gran had been a big help in getting Mirio see it as his quirk, not just All Might's, which was honestly still a little difficult. Yes, One for All was starting to feel more natural, but using Permeation felt like breathing. It had been a part of him his entire life, even if his control had been lacking before he met Sir.

One for All still felt like a hand-me-down sweater.

Midoriya: Yeah... that's what it felt like for me too but... you'll get there soon Togata!

Mirio: Thanks for the faith, Midoriya.

But maybe that was because the quirk came with such high expectations. All Might wanted him to be the next him, the next symbol of peace. He didn't regret accepting the quirk, and he didn't think he ever would, but there were times when the pressure got to him. What if he wasn't good enough? What if people didn't like him? What if, even after he saved a million people, he still wasn't half the symbol of peace that All Might was? What if...

Tamaki: Mirio please don't spiral...

Nejire: Yeah that's my job.

Tamaki: Not like that...

He was knocked out of his thoughts by Gran Torino hitting him over the head, "Stop that. I can practically see you overthinking from here. What's on your mind?"

Mirio sighed, "It's just a lot to live up to..."

He could tell from Gran's face that he understood what Mirio was talking about, but to his surprise he asked, "What?"

Recovery Girl: You're going to give him one of your dementia speeches aren't you? (Gran Torino chuckled)

All Might: Why do you even have to ask?

"You know," He frowned in confusion, "being the next All Might?"

Gran Torino tilted his head, "Who's All Might?"

Tsuburaba: Uh... he's just joking right?

Recovery Girl: Oh most certainly.

Gran Torino: Oh Chiyo don't take the fun out of it!

Okay, at this point Mirio was like 90% sure that Gran Torino was messing with him, so he laughed, "You're one crazy old man."

Gran Torino grinned, "But I'm a crazy old man with a point. If nobody knew who All Might was, would your goals change?"

Midoriya: Huh...

Mirio thought about that. Would he still try to be the symbol of peace? His goal of saving a million people came from before he received One for All, so that wouldn't change, but... would he still want to be a symbol?

"I would still want to save people." Mirio said finally. "That hasn't changed at all, but I don't think I would have thought to be a symbol of peace. If it wasn't for All Might, I think my goal would be to just bring people hope."

All Might: Then you do that.

"Then do that." Gran said simply. "Look, Toshinori is a great man and a wonderful symbol of peace, but you're not him. You are your own person with your own quirk and you will be a powerful symbol in your own right, so stop worrying so much about living up to his legacy and start worrying about the things that actually matter."

"Like saving people?" Mirio asked.

"Like saving people." Gran agreed.

Nejire: Yeah!

Suddenly the brakes squealed and the train came to a stop.

"We apologize for the delay," A voice spoke over the intercom, "but we have come to an emergency stop. We will be on our way as soon as the incident is resolved."

Midoriya: Oh the nomu attack.

Shigaraki: Don't you dare just forget about that!

Mirio frowned and looked at Gran Torino, who looked equally apprehensive. They stood, even though Mirio wasn't quite sure if there was anything they could do. They were heading to the front of the train when there was a loud crash and a pro hero came crashing through the side of the train, followed by the most frightening monster Mirio had ever seen.

Gran lowered himself into a battle stance as he faced down the villain, "What were we just saying about saving people?"

Midoriya(wincing): Does he just crash into the train in every world?

Jana: More or less.

Izuku switched cameras as Endeavor and Todoroki rounded another corner. Watching Todoroki and Endeavor all day had been difficult. Not in terms of skill, compared to some of the hacking exercises Nezu had given him yesterday, using the city's security access was relatively easy, but... well, watching them interact, it was simultaneously easy to see the red flags and easy to see why everyone had missed them for over a decade.

Dabi: Mm-hm.

Endeavor was very good at hiding his true nature. Because of his reputation for being harsh, no one ever got close enough to see the fear in Todoroki's eyes. To them, Endeavor was stern with high expectations for his son, but those were considered admirable traits in parents. Todoroki had a lot of potential, so obviously his father needed to help him reach it. What the people on the street never realized was that the violent persona Endeavor projected to the public wasn't just a persona, and Todoroki himself had long since learned that any emotion had to be hidden under an icy exterior, so he couldn't even ask for help.

Izuku just hoped that their plan to take down Endeavor worked. There were times that it seemed too intimidating, like he had just been put in front of a smooth stone wall and been told to climb it. Endeavor was the number two hero and a master of deception and manipulation, so taking him down was bound to be downright impossible. Izuku took a deep breath to steady himself as he kept watching. He was a quirkless kid in UA's hero course, he was used to doing the impossible.

Midoriya: Yeah... I can do this...

Suddenly, he noticed Endeavor tense and look at something further down the street. Izuku glanced at Nezu for permission before switching cameras to see what he was looking at. Izuku gasped and he was vaguely aware that Nezu had gone stiff beside him.

"T-that's a Nomu..." Izuku stuttered. "What....?"

Shigaraki: Yes finally us and not that stupid hero killer!

Spinner: Shiggy!

"Let's get an overview of the situation." Nezu said calmly. "Let's start by..."

He trailed off as the nomu flung a piece of rubble into the building that had the camera, causing it to crumble and the camera feed turned to static.

Nezu: Well, so much for that.

"They need all hands on deck." Nezu said. "Come, Midoriya, let's go out and help them."

Iida: Wait Principal Nezu is helping?

Todoroki: Apparently.