MHA: Dark Matter

[Izuku Midoriya'S POV]

Everyone in the city that night could see the upper floors of the central tower crumbling and falling. But not everyone could make out the battle happening up there.

Tons of metal floated in the air, swirling around a man with dirty red hair. The villain's red face was twisted into a fierce grimace.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Izuku flew back from the impact of a compressed metal cube and barely managed to stop his body's tumbling. Feeling a strong wind, he looked with shock at the gaping edge just a meter away from him. Then he glanced at his friends, who were trying to give them a chance to get closer to the villain by distracting him with their attacks.

Green lightning covered his body. One step. Second. Third. Running. Compressed metal cubes flew toward him. Don't stop. Dodge. Go around. Smash with a fist. Just keep running forward.

He felt someone's gaze. He turned his head and met his teacher's blue eyes, blazing with power. A silent nod in sync. Run across the pipes bent by the villain's Quirk, feeling One For All pulsing inside him.

Jump.

Dozens of metal cubes compressed into one, hurtling toward him and his teacher. He pulled his right arm back, feeling his shirt finally tear from the unleashed power. A dual cry echoed through the air.

"UNITED STATES SMASH!"

"UNITED STATES SMASH!"

The giant metal cube, ten times their size, exploded into pieces.

Landing on his feet, Izuku watched with relief as the unconscious villain was slammed into the wall.

"*Young Midoriya, we did it!* "

All Might flashed a wide smile and a thumbs up, despite his battered appearance. A similar smile appeared on the boy's face.

"Yeah, we won."

BOOM.

Izuku turned his head in confusion. Strong wind whipped his hair as he stared through the breach at the smoke rising from the other end of the island.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

One after another, distant explosions rang out, and new columns of smoke rose into the air. Watching with a lost expression, feeling the pain of torn muscles, the green-haired boy asked quietly.

"W-what's happening?"

"*I don't know, my boy. But what I do know is that I have to be there. Kkh.* "

Shaking off his stupor, Midoriya looked at All Might with concern.

"*Don't worry, Young Midoriya. I'm fine.* "

Ruffling the boy's hair, the number one hero ran toward the stairs. Izuku clenched his fists, watching his teacher's back. Feeling his body tremble from torn muscles and exhaustion, he could only think of one thing.

"I need to be stronger."

[End POV Izuku Midoriya]

*

*

*

Sitting by the bed where Melissa slept, I waited for her to wake up. Six hours had passed since we defeated the villains. For those six hours, countless heroes on the island had been dealing with the aftermath of dozens of building and facility explosions. I didn't really care, except for three things.

First, those goddamned Deidaras had blown up every research facility, hospital, and hotel, and they'd wanted to hit the airport too, but luckily the security there didn't screw up. Because of that, instead of a hospital, I had to carry Melissa to her house since I knew where it was. And I stayed with her because my hotel had also been blown up. Damn it.

Second, I had to treat the girl's minor cuts and bruises myself. With so many casualties, the doctors had more important things to do than look at her, and I knew how to help a girl anyway. Been there, done that, so to speak. And I wouldn't exactly call that a downside. My friend was a pretty girl... Damn it. I needed Mei.

Third, I could spend a long time wondering how these villains managed to sneak so much explosives onto I-Island with the "best security system in the world" without anyone noticing. Enough to destroy dozens of buildings. And then plant it all without being seen. I'd be wondering, if not for one thing…

"Agnes."

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Agnes, who'd inherited her father's Quirk and become truly omnipresent. What the hell? Did that even make sense? She had to be around seven years old now! A seven-year-old girl terrorist helping turn one of the safest places in the world into a branch office of chaos and fire in just a few hours. Just perfect. Wonderful. I was so "proud" of my relative. And what a trend. Father – hero, son – thief and killer, daughter – into serious pyrotechnics at age seven. Clearly, great parenting. Father of the year, really. Made me want to strangle him again.

Exhale.

I wiped my face with my hand and suppressed my hysterical thoughts. When I got back to Japan, I'd need to contact old sources and find out what happened to Alice Scott and Agnes Scott over the past three years. If what happened was connected to my father's affairs, then this whole mess just got even more complicated and serious…

"Ken?"

I woke up from a touch on my hand and looked with slightly sleepy eyes at the girl now dressed in different clothes. Her blue eyes looked into mine with concern. I'd fallen asleep. Damn it.

"Melissa, how are you feeling?"

I smiled softly at my slightly embarrassed friend, who then looked at me reproachfully a second later.

"That's my question! You're the one who fought the villains, not me."

"Well, guys should be able to stand up for themselves and their loved ones."

I spread my hands with a carefree expression.

"So you're saying you developed the skills to deal with armed villains just for self-defense?"

She raised an eyebrow skeptically, but I could see her struggling not to smile.

"I thought it would be useful."

I said with an independent air.

"Name one person, not a hero or someone from the hero course, who could do what you did."

"Hmm, villains?"

She looked at me reproachfully, with hidden hints of amusement.

"Fine, fine, I just got really into martial arts, and thanks to my trainer, who used to be a mercenary, and his dojo, I have a lot of sparring partners."

"Ken, isn't your Quirk just 'passive physical enhancement'?"

I smiled sourly. She still remembered that moment when I'd used my Quirk at full power. I unconsciously touched my forehead, where strange wounds had inexplicably opened up and then healed quickly without a trace. I'd have to figure out those newly surfaced oddities of using my Quirk at full power as soon as possible. Thankfully, this time my body wasn't injured. I looked at the curious girl and spoke.

"Not exactly. My Quirk does passively enhance my physical abilities. What you saw was a kind of qualitative improvement. Maybe even that semi-scientific 'singularity point' thing."

I grinned at the girl, who just snorted. The theory of the singularity point, proposed by a Japanese scientist fifty years ago, still sparked heated debate in the scientific community. If it were true, then in the near future, all of humanity would face the emergence of Quirks so powerful they'd be uncontrollable. The theory had never been proven, but it still stirred up society.

"Melissa, you can keep this little secret of your friend's, right?"

"Fine, but why would you need that?"

"Let's just say, if you can count to ten, it's better to show that you can only count to five and say you can make it to six."

I grinned slyly at Melissa's suspicious face, steepling my fingers. Soon, the blonde's expression fell.

"What about my father?"

Damn it.

---

*POV from the outside*

"...here are all the documents related to the 'Quirk Amplifier' project. The prototype... hmm... was lost during the battle against the heroes."

Samuel Abraham spoke nervously, looking at the man sitting at the desk. In the richly furnished study of a European mansion, the former I-Island scientist was nervous just from the presence of his new boss. The small figure in white standing behind him didn't make him feel any calmer.

"Don't worry. No one is immune to mistakes. I hope you can develop a new prototype soon. For help, you can contact Akayo Takahashi. He can provide you with materials and assistants. Our agreements remain in force."

A good-natured voice rang through the room, and Samuel smiled weakly.

"I'm curious how you feel knowing that your close friend will soon be in prison."

The blonde man looked down at the floor. A fleeting feeling of guilt in his brown eyes gave way to grim determination.

"That old fool is just paying for his mistakes."

"Well then, I hope you will avoid mistakes whose price you cannot pay."

The owner of the study said cheerfully. Abraham held his breath from the rising tension.

"I won't keep the luminary of science any longer. I wish you future success in your research, Mr. Abraham."

The man waved his hand, and the scientist bowed and left the study with barely concealed relief on his face.

"And now, little Agnes, wouldn't you like to tell me how Mr. Tristesse almost lost his precious life?"

---

*End POV from the outside*

****A/N****

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