31-

Chapter 31: Transformations

Izuku woke up to the chime of his phone alarm and he quickly got out of bed. Today was the first day of internship and he didn't want to risk the wrath of Endeavor of all people. Reaching for his phone, he noticed a rare text message from Bakugo waiting for him. It read:

"Deku, I heard you tricked my braindead classmates. I just want you to know that whatever you did - I wasn't there and I wasn't involved! You haven't outsmarted me, and you never will!"

He frowned. He had hoped that Bakugo would fall for Mei's little goose chase, but maybe it was for the best. Bakugo knew where he lived, after all.

"Never say never, Kacchan. Besides, if you really wanted to beat me, you would have been able to stop your classmates, so I'm counting this as a win. 3" he texted back.

Grabbing his towel, he went to have his shower. He had a big day today and it was essential he make a good first impression. After cleaning himself up and eating a light breakfast, he boarded the subway downtown.

Izuku was barely able to squeeze into the train before it took off. All the cars were packed to bursting with early morning commuters as everyone headed off to work. Pressed shoulder to shoulder with the business people around him, he tried his best to ignore the uncomfortable conditions and focused instead on what he would say to Endeavour when they met each other.

Hello Mr. Todoroki sir, it's a pleasure to meet you, I…Huh? What's that? You saw what I did to your son in the Sports Festival? And you heard I humiliated him the other day too? No, it was all just a harmless joke that's all. Wait. Mr. Todoroki! Restrain yourself! Ah! Ah! AHHHHH!

He couldn't help but chuckle as he imagined being roasted alive by Endeavour. It really had been foolhardy for him to go along with Mei on her prank yesterday. It put innocent people in danger, made him enemies with the hero class, and it drew more attention to himself. All in all, it was a very stupid thing to do. So why'd he do it? Thinking back on it, he couldn't help but remember how she had given him that devious smile when they were walking back from UA. She really did have a few screws loose.

I'll have to control myself around Mei. She's...a bad influence.

After suffering in the cramped confines of the subway, he arrived at the downtown station and joined the deluge of commuters flooding into the street above. Walking along the choked sidewalk to Endeavours office, his route took him right past the Glass Way Tower. The white gloved doormen had been replaced by an army of bustling construction workers and technicians who were pouring in and out like ants. He had heard that the repairs might end up taking over a year and cost upwards of several hundred billion yen once all the insurance claims were processed.

That's a lot of Sports Festival bets. Izuku thought, whistling lowly as a convoy of construction dump trucks came rumbling out of the Glass Way Tower's alley.

Turning his attention away from the Glass Way Tower, he looked at the building beside it: The Endeavour Hero Agency. Though it paled in comparison to the sheer size of the Glass Way Tower, it struck an imposing image nonetheless. Straight, hard lines of white painted steel interlaced with black, reflective glass combined in an elegant architectural marriage of intimidation and beauty. Though there were other impressive hero agencies in Musutafu, Endeavours was undoubtably the most visually striking.

Standing before the huge, double doors of the agency, he felt especially small. He didn't know what was expected of him, but considering how he was personally requested by Endeavour, he figured the next week was going to be rough. Once he had worked up the courage, he pulled open one of the two giant doors and entered into an expansive pillar lined foyer. As the door swung shut behind him the sounds of the busy street were immediately silenced. Standing in the sudden quiet, he found himself reminded of a cathedral or temple. However, rather than feeling comforted he found the stillness unnerving. Almost like he was trespassing in a mausoleum.

Reminds me of Shocker's place if I'm honest.

Shoes softly clicking against the marbled floor, he walked between the looming pillars to the desk of a waiting receptionist. The thin man behind the desk treated him to a small, terse smile before speaking.

'Mr. Izuku Midoriya I trust? You're running a little late. Mr. Endeavour is expecting you.' the receptionist pointed to a golden framed elevator behind him, 'That elevator will take you to Mr. Endeavour's office.'

'Thank you.'

Shuffling away from the receptionist, he approached the golden elevator and tentatively pressed the call button. The doors immediately whooshed open revealing a handsomely carpeted and wood paneled interior. Head bowed, he stepped inside.

If this elevator were an apartment, I bet it'd cost more than Mom's yearly rent.

There were only two buttons on the elevator panel: Up and Down.

Pressing the "Up" button, he took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves as the elevator began to soundlessly ascend.

If I can handle a meeting with the League of Villains, I'm sure I can handle a meeting with Endeavour.

Sooner then he liked, the elevator door opened revealing a long stretch of dimly light hallway flanked with closed doors periodically spaced on both sides. Looking down to the very end of the hallway, there was another set of doors which were adorned by identically manicured bonsai trees.

Deciding that such an impressive doorway surely led to Endeavour's office, he stepped lightly down the hallway towards the doors. The hallway ended into a broader reception area where a professionally dressed woman was seated behind a desk typing at a computer. She was wearing a smart black dress suit with a gray jacket that matched her greyish white hair that was flecked with red splotches.

The woman shifted her attention away from her monitor and towards him. To his relief he saw friendly eyes behind her glasses, and a ready smile formed on the young woman's face.

'Hello! You must be Izuku Midoriya!' she stood and offered her hand, 'My name is Fuyumi Todoroki. Congratulations on your silver at the Sports Festival. From what I understand, you set history! The first quirkless medal winner, well done!'

'Thank you.' Izuku said, as he took her hand and shook it, 'But I got lucky with the match ups.'

'Nonsense. You out skilled everyone there. If there were no restrictions, I bet you would have won easily. Say, have you had a chance to meet my younger brother Shoto?'

'Uh, yeah. We've spoken to each other once or twice.'

'He's been wanting to talk with you for a while. He told me you were offered a spot in the hero class, but you turned it down. If you don't mind me asking, why was that?'

The question caught him off guard. He hadn't realized that was public knowledge.

'Well I figure that I can do more good behind the scenes in support than as a proper hero.' Izuku said tentatively, 'As capable as you may think I was in the Sports Festival, I imagine that once everybody has had a chance to train their quirks they'll be far more powerful than I could ever hope to be.'

'Hmm…maybe so. But I wouldn't consider the work you do in support any less important than the "proper heroes" as you call them.'

Izuku was taken aback by her earnest demeanour. Swallowing, all he could do was awkwardly nod and smile. Ignoring his discomfort, Fuyumi seated herself and turned her attention back to her work.

'You should head in.' she said, gesturing to the door, 'My father is waiting for you, and he's not the most patient man at the best of times.'

'Al-Alright. Thanks.'

He turned back to the office doors. Taking a deep breath, he pushed them open.

Stepping through the doors, Izuku's carefully controlled expression transformed to one of slack jawed amazement at the sheer size of Endeavour's office. The ceiling was doubled in height compared to the hallway outside and the bookshelf lined walls seemed especially distant. Rich blood red rugs were thrown over a rosewood floor which apart from a massive desk at the far end of the room and a pair of chairs before it, was entirely bare. Sitting behind the desk was the number two hero himself, Endeavour. Besides his heavily muscled and imposing frame, crackling on the man's face were the constantly burning fires of his mustache, eyebrows, and hair. The glowing flames coupled with the low light from the smoke tinted windows gave him a menacing appearance. The sight made Izuku feel like he had stepped into some infernal lawyer's office. Before he could say anything, Endeavour spoke.

'Mr. Midoriya.' he said in a deep baritone, 'Come. Sit.'

He gestured towards one of the chairs before him. Clamping his mouth shut and keeping his arms at his sides, he stiffly walked across the dance hall sized space to the offered chair. As he drew near, he couldn't help but glance around. He found himself humbled by the richness of the décor, but like the foyer, it was cold and detached.

I wonder if Shocker and Endeavour hired the same interior decorator? Izuku wondered as his eyes darted over the decorative paintings.

Seating himself in one of the two chairs in front of him, he tried to appear calm as Endeavour evaluated him. Eventually Endeavour spoke.

'So, you are Izuku Midoriya. I have heard great things about you from Power Loader. From what I understand, you are among the most talented students he has ever trained. However, he also tells me that despite your intellectual prowess, you fancy yourself as a bit of a troublemaker.'

Endeavour looked at him sternly as though expecting a response and Izuku hastily swallowed before speaking up.

'I-I suppose so, sir.'

'Well you will soon learn to adopt a more serious attitude. I can tell that you're naturally talented - physically and mentally. Your accomplishments in the Sports Festival say as much. However, I won't be satisfied by mere talent. I require a disciplined work ethic. I may only have you for a week, but during that time I intend to use you to your full potential. Just getting by on talent won't be enough. If at any time you feel as though you're not up to the challenge, just say so and I will return you to your classroom where you can continue to be a big fish in a small pond.'

Izuku felt a bead of sweat form on his face. Something told him that he wasn't going to enjoy this.

'What do you plan on doing with me?'

'As you are probably aware the Glass Way Tower was attacked by Spider-Man last Wednesday evening.' Endeavour's voice lowered ominously, 'This has reflected very poorly on my reputation as he did so practically in the shadow of my headquarters. Many of my benefactors resided in that tower and naturally they have called upon me to head the investigation and capture of Spider-Man. You will be assisting me in this goal.'

'I see.' Izuku said uncertainly, 'What did you have in mind?'

Endeavour leaned back and ran a finger over his flaming mustache.

'I want you to reconstruct the events that occurred in the Glass Way Tower after the break in. We already know how Spider-Man infiltrated, but there are some details about how he escaped that remain unknown. To assist you in this task you will be working under my own support staff who will be able to answer any further questions you might have. They will be reporting to me regularly concerning your progress.'

Izuku opened his mouth to ask a question, but Endeavour continued.

'In addition, I will also take the opportunity to review your physical training. I want to know the extent of your ability. I have a specialist in my employ who is quite adept at evaluating people. He will come collect you this afternoon. Do you have any questions?' Endeavour asked briskly. Izuku got the sense that asking any questions would be seen as wasting Endeavour's time and he quickly shook his head.

'N-No sir. I don't, no.'

'Very well.' he said rising and Izuku quickly followed suit, 'Then come with me, I'll introduce you to my support staff now.'

Endeavour led Izuku back out into the hall.

'When Shoto arrives, instruct him to wait for me in my office.' Endeavour said to Fuyumi without looking over. She bowed her head in assent as he and Izuku passed by.

'I-Is Shoto interning here too?' Izuku asked.

'Of course. It's in his best interest to get stronger after all. Do you know my son?' Endeavour asked and Izuku quickly shook his head.

'No, I don't.'

'Hm.'

Proceeding down the hall, Endeavour went past the golden elevator and instead opened a door leading off the main hallway. Izuku followed him as they went by rows of offices. Peering through a few of the open doors, Izuku noticed the men and women within stiffen slightly and stand up from their chairs as Endeavour walked past.

'These are my sidekicks.' Endeavour said emotionlessly, 'You may have to work with them during your internship here.'

'O-Oh…' Izuku said, practically jogging to keep up with Endeavour's long strides.

Eventually the two reached a decidedly less impressive elevator than the one Izuku had ridden up to Endeavour's office. Entering, he saw Endeavour press the last button on the panel. They were heading to the basement.

Izuku stood as quietly as he could during the ride down. Every few seconds the elevator chimed but that was it. After a while he felt the silence become unbearable and he forced himself to say something.

'So…are there other hero agencies investigating the attack?'

'Yes.' replied Endeavour, still staring straight ahead, 'My sources tell me that all of the other top ten hero agencies are devoting personnel to their own investigations into Spider-Man. Beyond the elite agencies, most of the lesser known pro's in the top one hundred are digging for clues as well. The closer you get to the top, the fiercer the competition, and Spider-Man represents quite the prize for the aspiring hero agency. I do not intend to surrender my position so easily however.'

'What do you mean by "surrender your position"? Isn't it an opportunity for you to advance as well?'

Endeavour frowned, 'No. So long as All Might is alive, he will be considered the number one hero. My position as the number two hero though is much less secure. That's the burden of being on top. If you want to be the best of the best you have to be prepared to constantly deliver, always. To the others Spider-Man is a golden opportunity, but for me it's just a threat to the status quo.'

Izuku fell back to being silent. Several of his fellow classmates had received internships with other members of the top ten heroes. He wondered if they were all being similarly instructed to chase down Spider-Man too.

It's a race. The only question is how do I make it through this internship without giving myself away? I can't not contribute, but I can't exactly help Endeavour find Spider-Man either.

His thoughts were interrupted by the elevator doors sliding open. Exiting, Endeavour led him through a maze of identical looking concrete passages before arriving in a giant central room filled with machinery.

'This is my development studio.' Endeavour said sweeping his arm around the deserted workshop.

It sure looked like one. Scattered pieces of equipment lay strewn about amongst tools, empty coffee cups, and loose stacks of paper. It reminded him of Mei's workbench.

'I have other meetings to attend to so I will leave you here to become acquainted with my support staff. We will talk more later.'

At that Endeavour promptly turned and left, leaving Izuku alone in the workshop. He stood there uncertainly amidst the whirring fabricators and thrumming computers. He knew there was at least one person nearby, he could sense them, but there was nobody to be seen. After waiting in place for a moment, he started getting antsy and he called out.

'Hello? Is there anyone here? I'm the support intern that Endeavour selected from UA.'

There was silence. Just as he was about to call out again, he saw a scaled reptilian face above a white lab coat suddenly appear from one of the open doorways across the room. Its eyes narrowed to slits as it considered him.

'How did you get here?' It asked, tongue flicking the air.

'Uh, I-I was escorted by Endeavour. He said I'm supposed to help with the Glass Way Tower attack?'

Izuku flinched before the harsh yellow glare of the hard scaled reptiloid. He wished Endeavour had stuck around to introduce him.

'Hmmm…I don't know.' rasped the reptile, voice dripping with suspicion, 'It could be ssssome sort of trick…'

Izuku blanched, 'H-Here, I'll go get Endeavour he can-'

'Relax. Ignore Dr. Connors; he's just messing with you.' called out another voice from the room the reptile was in.

Stepping out from around the corner, Izuku saw an auburn-haired woman also in a white lab coat appear beside the reptile man who gave her a reproachful look.

'Hel-' the woman stopped and yawned loudly, 'Ugh, excuse me. Hello, my name is Melati Kusuma. Welcome to our studio. Sorry about the mess. We've practically been living in here since Spider-Man's attack on the tower.'

'Oh, well um, hi. My name is Izuku Midoriya. Pleased to meet you.'

'We know who you are, Midoriya. We watched you compete in the Sports Festival. Congratulations are in order. He sure showed those hero students whose boss, didn't he Dr. Connors?'

'Yesss. Very impressive.' said Dr. Connors as he stepped forward, 'I am an alumni of UA myssself. I was very pleased to see you triumph. One of the first things Endeavour had us do after your match was research the compound you used to defeat his son in the first event.' his tongue flicked out again, 'Yesss. Preparation and forethought. Always nicccee to see.'

'Thanks. It was a collaborative effort though.' Izuku said.

'Well.' Kusuma declared, hopping up on one of the counters, 'Now that you're here, how about we get you caught up to speed on the attack? It all started on Wednesday evening at around seven…'

Izuku listened with fascination as Dr. Connors and Kusuma described the attack on the Glass Way Tower from their perspective. They knew his point of entry, how he cut the power, his rooftop exfiltration, disabling the cameras, flooding the building, and sneaking into the penthouse suite. When it came to the battle itself, they were oddly vague, omitting any details about Shocker (though it could be need-to-know information). Given their level of understanding, it came as a surprise to him that they hadn't yet determined how he escaped the building. When he asked about this Kusuma said:

'It's complicated. We have scattered yet conflicting reports from within the hallways about where Spider-Man was during his last known encounter with the heroes Ingenium and Mt. Lady. We don't have an accurate idea of what he did prior to encountering the heroes or what he did after. We know he defeated them and that he escaped the building, but we are still unsure of how he accomplished that feat. To that end we would like you to investigate his escape.'

'Really?' Izuku said in surprise, 'How can I do that?'

'You may ussseee any meansss at our disposal. We have the reportsss, the witnesss accountsss, ssssecurity footage. Everything you need to construct a plausssible narrative.' Connors hissed.

'Any claims you make will have to make sense, Midoriya. Ideally you will have some substantive evidence to back up your explanation, but if you can't do that, you may rely on your reasoning ability.' Kusuma added and Izuku nodded.

'Right.' Izuku said, 'I'll get started right away. Can I read those witness accounts?'

'Of course, they're right over here…'

She led him to a desk with a thin pile of papers. He flipped through the stack. It seemed as though witness accounts were pretty meagre, but he had a feeling that he would do okay.

'One more thing. Can I borrow your guy's phone? I'm probably going to have to contact Mt. Lady and Ingenium to try and get to the bottom of this.' Izuku said.

Connors and Kusuma looked at each other.

'You can certainly try.' Kusuma said slowly before stifling another yawn, 'But I think you'll find that the other heroes will be trying their best to solve the case themselves and they might not want to share information with you.'

'R-Really?' Izuku said in surprise, 'Endeavour told me things were competitive, but I didn't think that extended to withholding evidence!'

Kusuma chuckled softly, 'Hm. Yes. It is weird, isn't it? I was surprised too when I first learned about how territorial and vicious hero agencies can be. But, that's just the way it is. Short of a subpoena, there's no way to force agencies to relinquish information to each other.'

Izuku let out his breath in a long and low hiss.

Jeez, talk about misplaced priorities! Somehow, I'm sure I'll manage to ask the right people the right questions though. He thought with a small, sly smile.

Bending down, he started to flip through the papers. He knew just where to start.

Izuku spent the morning moving through the reports and arranging them into a suitable timeline of events. Starting with Ingenium - who witnessed him escape through the elevator - he ended his compilation with Ingenium's defeat at his hands before he entered the vents. Once he was satisfied, he picked up Endeavour's office phone and examined the witness report phone numbers.

Alright. Let's get some corroborating evidence!

He dialed Ingenium's number.

'Its been a while since I was last in Hosu City.' Iida remarked cheerfully as he and his brother walked side by side down the sidewalk, 'How're things around here?'

Ingenium shrugged, 'Since All Might announced his semi-retirement its been picking up, same as everywhere really, but it's quieter than Musutafu.'

'I see.' Iida said, nodding. 'How have you-'

Before he could continue, Iida was interrupted by Ingenium's phone. Glancing down at his device, Ingenium came to an abrupt halt. It must have been an important call because he quickly answered.

'Hello, Ingenium speaking.'

While his brother spoke, Iida moved to the far side of the sidewalk so that people could walk past them freely.

'Oh? I see. Very well, how may I help you?'

Iida was silent as the conversation continued. Turning his attention to the street around him, he felt a rising sense of pride to see some people taking photos of his brother. He might not be a top ten hero, but the Ingenium name was well regarded by the people of Hosu City.

I hope I can be as great a hero as my brother one day. Iida thought, smiling under his helmet.

After a few minutes his brother hung up and turned to him.

'Well, you'll never guess who called! It was an intern working for Endeavour! It seems as though they're busy investigating the attack on the Glass Way Tower.'

'Ha! I bet it was Shoto Todoroki.' Iida said, 'He's quite talented. I'm sure he and Endeavour will get to the bottom of things soon enough!'

'No, it wasn't Shoto. Actually, it was the kid who came in second during the Sports Festival, Izuku Midoriya.' Ingenium said, resuming his walk, 'Have you had a chance to meet him?'

Iida scowled, 'Midoriya! I've had a few run ins with him.' he said darkly.

He didn't elaborate. The last thing he wanted was for his brother to hear about his humiliation yesterday. He would never hear the end of it.

'That's good. You should try to get on friendly terms with the support class as soon as possible. Having contacts with capable support heroes can be invaluable. You don't even want to know how much it cost me to repair my suit.'

Iida was silent for a moment before nodding.

'I'll keep that in mind.' he muttered.

Iida quickly changed the subject and the pair continued their patrol.

Izuku grinned with satisfaction as he rearranged his timeline. Now he had a plausible reason to call Mt. Lady.

All I need her to do is mention either Kumui Woods or the basement and then I have an excuse to contact that engineer who opened the sewer grate. Top marks, here I come! 

Looking over the list of contacts, he soon found her number and dialed. The phone on the other end started to ring…

Mineta sat on his knees of the washroom, his head under the sink, staring at the U-pipe in confusion. He had never cleaned one of these before. Hell, he had never done any kind of plumbing before. Hefting a wrench, he carefully started to unfasten the pipe. Just as it began to come loose, he heard the phone ring in the other room.

'Ppphooooone!' called out Mt. Lady.

Mineta flinched and he fumbled with the pipe. Coming loose, it spilled and dirty water sloshed all over the floor. Swearing, he struggled with the clogged pipe while the phone kept ringing.

'Hey! Intern! Helllooo! Snap to!' Mt. Lady shouted angrily.

'P-Pardon ma'am I-I-I am just getting this cleaned up…' Mineta shouted back as he desperately dumped the dirty pipe into the freshly cleaned toilet. Rushing over to the other room, he sprang over to the phone beside where Mt. Lady was lounging with her magazine.

'Hello, Mt. Lady's hero office; intern Mineta speaking.' he said breathlessly.

'If it's Hero Cooking tell them I'm not here!' Mt. Lady whispered.

'Endeavour?' Mineta said confused, 'You're not-'

'Endeavour!' squealed Mt. Lady, jumping out of the couch, 'Give it to me!'

She snatched the phone from him and cleared her throat.

'Hello, this is Mt. Lady, how may I be of service?' she asked in a sultry, breathy voice.

Mineta watched as her hopeful expression wavered before collapsing into one of annoyance.

'Support? Yeah, what? You have my report, it's all there…So…? Yeah, so? Oh, really! Yeah, fine…How'd you get that name?' Mt. Lady asked sharply.

Mineta could only stand there. He thought he had recognized the voice on the other end, but he had only heard it for a second before losing the phone. As he was wracking his brain for who it could be, Mt. Lady continued her conversation.

'Okay. Yes, it's true. Me and Kumui Woods were in communication that evening.' suddenly her eyes widened, 'But I'm not confirming any rumours regarding our relationship!'

'…'

'Ugh, Look.' Mt. Lady, rolled her eyes, and let out a sharp breath of annoyance, 'I told him that I was in pursuit okay? And that he might be heading to the basement.'

Mt. Lady was silent for a moment as the person on the other end of the phone kept talking.

'Alright, listen very carefully.' Mt. Lady said in a cold voice that caused the hairs on the back of Mineta's neck to stand up, 'He used his foot to open the door, I saw there were civilians, so I fell back. That's all. Understood?'

There was a pause.

'I guess that's possible. I mean, yeah. Yeah! Of course. I knew that.'

There was another pause.

'Yes. Okay. Make sure you tell Endeavour he owes me!'

Ending the call, Mt. Lady tossed the phone aside. With an exaggerated stretch and an exhausted sigh, she collapsed back into the sofa. Apparently satisfied with herself, she plucked her magazine back up from the table and resumed flipping through it.

After a moment she glanced over at Mineta.

'Bathrooms don't clean themselves…' she muttered.

'R-Right! Sorry, ma'am.'

Without a backward glance he scurried back to the washroom, his head buzzing.

She said "support" and that voice sounded like Izuku Midoriya! If he's interning for Endeavour, then he's probably investigating the Glass Way Tower attack. I'll have to ask Shoto for details later.

Entering the washroom, he scowled as he looked around the new mess he had made. Sighing, he went beneath the sink and reached into the clogged pipe. After a moments struggle he at last found the obstruction and pulled out a filthy, wet and matted locke of blonde hair. He considered it for a moment before throwing it in the trash. He was creepy, but he wasn't THAT creepy.

Izuku leaned back and grinned to himself. All he needed to do now was speak with the engineer that he had seen by Kamui Woods and he would have everything he needed to finish up the investigation. Browsing through the contacts that Kusuma had given him, he spotted the maintenance engineer's number.

I'll have this all wrapped up before lunch!

An hour later Izuku approached Dr. Connors and Kusuma saying he had finished his timeline. They looked skeptical, but quickly became serious as he launched into his explanation.

'…and so after I spoke with the lead engineer who was on call for that evening, I was able to learn that Kamui Woods had assigned himself to guard the emergency drainage system once he learned from Mt. Lady that Spider-Man might attempt to escape into the municipal sewer grid! It makes sense that Spider-Man would attempt to escape this way, after all he could have entered into the penthouse by other means than climbing through the swimming pool filter. He must have had an ulterior motive to sabotaging the water and power. By instigating the blackout and flooding the building, he ensured there would be enough chaos to cover his escape as well as provide him with a convenient exit strategy. A suitably intricate plan for the dastardly Spider-Man I reckon!' Izuku declared with flourish.

Connors and Kusuma looked at each other.

'Okay.' Connors said slowly, 'But why not attack Kamui Woodssss?'

'Because I believe that Spider-Man was injured!' Izuku declared confidently, 'He never once used his hands! Ingenium describes him as kicking down the elevator as well as defeating him with a kick, but stranger still was what Mt. Lady told me. She said he opened an apartment door to get access to hostages with his foot. Why not use his hands? They must have been injured.'

Izuku felt his confidence falter as both Connors and Kusuma stared at him.

'I mean…it makes sense to me anyway.' he finished lamely.

Connors and Kusuma were silent for a moment before jumping out of their chairs.

'Bravo, Midoriya!' Connors said happily, 'That wasssss exccccellently argued!'

'I'm blown away!' Kusuma said, beaming, 'That is exactly what we figured!'

'O-Oh. You already knew?' he said in surprise.

'Yes, we knew. But it took us a whole day to piece everything together! You got it done in half a day!' Kusuma said, 'Well! What are we going to do now, Connors? He's better than we expected!'

Connors nodded his head ponderously, 'Yessss, very impressive. We had come up with thisss exercise to test you over the course of the week, but now it seems as though we will need to rethink thingssss. Endeavour will be pleasssed.'

Izuku couldn't help but grin at their compliments. Even though he'd cheated, he still felt as though the praise wasn't entirely undeserved. After all, he was sure that if he hadn't known anything about the case, he would have been able to piece it all together. Eventually.

'Well! Now that we have got that all finished, I say we celebrate! Midoriya, how would you like a formal tour of the facilities? Power Loader has an impressive studio to be sure, but I guarantee he doesn't have half the stuff we do!' Kusuma exclaimed proudly, slapping a giant fabricator unit fondly.

'Sure!' Izuku said excitedly, 'A tour sounds great!'

After having the opportunity to examine each piece of equipment in Connor's and Kusuma's workshop, Izuku determined that he was officially jealous of their set up. Though he couldn't imagine anything that they could build that he couldn't also construct in Power Loader's studio per se, they could do so far faster than he could.

After a few hours of drooling in envy, he heard his name being called.

'Hey, intern.'

He turned away from the computer screen. There was a tall, lean man in a bright yellow and orange tracksuit calling to him. He didn't recognize him, but could tell that the man was a fighter. His hair was cut short, and his face hard and lined. He wasn't overly bulky with useless heavy glamour muscles that most heroes seemed to have either. Instead he was wiry, light and fast. Izuku didn't need his thrumming spider-sense to know that this guy was trouble. He remembered Endeavour's words from that morning.

This must be the guy who will test me physically.

Izuku immediately hopped off his chair.

'Yes?'

'Before you're let off for the day, Endeavour asked me to see what you're made of. Come on, were going to the gym. Did you bring a costume?' the man growled.

Izuku gulped. 'N-No sir. My costume is being redesigned.'

'Hmpf.' said the man, shrugging, 'No matter. If that's what you have, then that's what you'll wear. Come on. Let's go.'

The man gestured to the door and Izuku quickly moved to join him. Turning to Connors and Kusuma, he said goodbye before walking with the man back to the elevators.

'So, what sort of training did you have planned? Endeavour wasn't too specific.' Izuku asked as they rode the elevator back up.

'Me and you are going to fight.' he said plainly.

'Oh..'

We're just going to fight each other? Is this going to be like a martial arts evaluation or something? I hope I'm not going to be graded on form or anything.

Before long the elevator stopped and he followed the man down another corridor before arriving in a spacious indoor gymnasium. Large printed banners conveying some long dead warrior's wisdom were framed along the walls and red gym mats covered the waxed hardwood floor. Treadmills, bench presses, leg presses and lifting weights were arranged in stations interspersed with several pieces of martial arts training equipment. A few men and women were scattered around, striking at dummies with their hands and feet as they worked through a series of poses. Izuku frowned.

Muscle memory doesn't lie. If I'm asked about my martial arts experience, I'll have to tell the truth or these guys will catch on straight away.

The man led him to the centre of the room where he stopped and turned to face him.

'Alright, come at me however you want. Try and knock me down.'

'Uh…okay.' Izuku said. This was all quite sudden.

The man kept his posture relaxed, hands at his sides as he cautiously approached him. He stopped just outside arm's reach of the man.

This might be easier if I let him attack me, and counter.

Izuku looked at him expectantly, but the man did nothing. Instead he merely looked back, his eyes alert and focused on Izuku's hands and feet. After a few tense seconds Izuku realized that the other man wasn't going to attack first. Certainly not unprovoked anyway.

'So…' Izuku said as he looked around the gym, 'Quite the place you have here…'

The man was still.

'Nice stuff…*ahem* interesting decor.'

'…'

Izuku looked over at the wall. A large banner simply read "Strength". Facing the poster, he cracked his best sneering grin. As Bakugo had told him many times he had a very punchable face and to his satisfaction the man's impassive expression clouded slightly.

'What's so funny?' he growled over at Izuku, eyes narrowing.

'Oh, nothing.' Izuku replied innocently, turning back to the man so he could fully appreciate his shit-eating grin, 'Just that banner, "strength".' he said, chewing on the word.

'It's a martial maxim. A motivator and a reminder of-'

'A reminder?' Izuku interrupted, raising his eyebrows, 'Of what, how to spell the word? I mean, I realize you mouth breathers aren't exactly rocket scientists, but-'

The man immediately lunged out with a fast jab to Izuku's nose. Izuku let the punch pass by his face as he returned with a punch of his own, but to his surprise the man was able to dodge his strike as well. The man pushed out with his leg in a fast low kick and Izuku was momentarily at a loss. His usual counter would be to jump and attack but that might be too suspicious, instead he retreated to just out of range of the attack and the man's foot came stomping down on the mat.

Izuku speared out with a punch, however the man raised his arms and blocked the blow, Izuku's fist impacting hard against his forearm. Once again Izuku was forced backward.

Damn! At my "normal" speed and strength, I can't get a hit in! He's a lot better at fighting than I am that's for sure. If I didn't have my spider reflexes, I bet this guy could beat me easily!

Izuku regarded the man warily as he considered his next attack. Before he could move however the man spoke.

'Taunting and brawling.' he said, nodding his head slightly, 'About what I would expect from someone with no formal training. You've got a trained body, and fast reflexes but that's about it. In order…'

Izuku kept his mouth shut.

Next time he talks…

'….to beat me…'

…I'll attack!

Izuku sprang out while the man spoke. However, the man was unsurprised by his sudden explosive attack. Raising his arms again he blocked the series of jabs that Izuku sent towards his head and chest. Sweeping out with his leg, Izuku attempted to knock his opponent off balance, but the track suited man deftly stepped back out of the way. Izuku gave chase intending to strike at him again in the stomach but the man anticipated his attack and reached down grabbing his hand!

Twisting around his hips, he threw Izuku over his shoulder sending him flying down towards the mat. Izuku rolled as he hit the hard surface and sprang up to his feet but the man was already pressing forward with a series of punches. Ducking and weaving, Izuku narrowly managed to dodge the attacks as he fell back. Redirecting a punch with his forearm, Izuku intended to go on the offensive, but the man had quickly shifted his feet and was once again ready for him. Izuku paused.

This is embarrassing. He's probably not even using his quirk and he's making me look like a flailing idiot.

Izuku unclenched his teeth and stepped back. The man looked at him from past his raised hands.

'As I was saying.' the man said in a low, measured voice, 'In order to beat me, I'm sure you would prefer to use one of your gadgets, but what if you didn't have any? Or my quirk rendered it ineffective? That is why martial skill is so important for heroes. For you in particular, martial skill is essential. Without a quirk, you'll need every tool you can to keep pace with your peers.'

The man paused and slowly lowered his hands back to their relaxed position.

'You can keep trying to knock me down if you'd like, but I think you've realized how pointless that would be. As I see it, I only have four days to try and give you a martial foundation that you can carry with you back to UA. Interested?'

Izuku nodded eagerly.

'Of course!' Izuku said, 'Uh, by the way. What was you name again?'

'Call me Taskmaster.'

With steady hands Dr. Akatani carefully inserted the large needle into the stopper. The small glass vial was filled with an oddly shimmering green mixture. It was his latest creation. By combining his prized quirk formula - the very same serum he had used to create the spider that had given Spider-Man his powers - with secretions he had isolated from the Nomu's brain, he had developed an entirely new quirk development agent! In theory, it would work on anybody it was injected into, including people who had already manifested quirks.

Once the syringe was filled, Dr. Akatani turned to his subject. Beneath a canopy of bright lights, Stain lay on the operating slab, conscious but heavily restrained. It had taken some doing to get him on the table. Under normal circumstances he would have been sedated in his cell prior to transportation, but Dr. Akatani insisted that his body be kept free of any foreign agents for the experiment. He wanted as few variables as possible for when the reaction took place.

'You may feel some slight discomfort.' Dr. Akatani murmured as he pushed the needle into the IV drip that was connected to Stain's arm. The man said something, but it was muffled by the muzzle he was wearing. Dr. Akatani watched dispassionately as the green liquid slowly travelled down the tube and entered Stain's veins.

Over by a series of blinking panels, Dr. Akatani's assistants were carefully monitoring their sensors and instruments. One of his assistants by the table of surgical tools looked to him.

'Doctor, we have the feeding tube ready. Shall we begin?'

'Not yet. Let's wait until we have some sign of adoption. Then we can-'

Suddenly several of the monitors started to flash red and an alarm began to chime. Stain began violently convulsing on the table, his body vibrating as it struggled vainly against the tight restraints. Several of the aids in the room gasped, but Dr. Akatani wasn't disturbed. He had seen far worse.

'On second thought you may activate the feeding tube.' Dr. Akatani ordered calmly.

The assistant stammered an acknowledgment before activating the pump. Dr. Akatani turned to the sensors.

The spider subjects required an enormous number of calories to completely undergo the transformation. I can only imagine how many calories a fully-grown human will require.

Glancing down from the monitors, he looked back at Stain. His spasms had grown more intense and his eyeballs were now rolling aimlessly in their sockets. His fingers were digging into his now bloody palms as he desperately tried to free himself. Dr. Akatani nodded.

'It's still early, but…things are going well.' he muttered.