Chapter 32 – First Day of Internship

"Aha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" Miruko was laughing as she walked toward an elevator.

"That was some crappy Tarzan-like yell out there, kiddo!" She smirked while turning over her shoulder.

Izuku's tomato face is written all over. He was embarrassed, not finding protest, and instead kept his mouth shut.

"Not to mention, you got smacked to the wall like a fly!" She wheezed.

"(Hello, Darkness, my old friend.)" The boy thought, not minding her comments as he tried to get away from reality.

"(Come and claim my life right now.)"

"Well, jokes aside," The laughter ceased slowly. "I'll show you where you'll sleep for one week."

A ding rang as the elevator door opened.

Walking inside, Miruko pushed the button that leads them to the third floor.

Standing beside each other, Izuku glanced at her ears. It had some kind of magnetism that made him want to pet it but dared not to.

Then, he lowered his vision to the heroine's face. There is some sweat on her cheeks before trailing down to her neck.

Mirko's eyebrows twitched as he looked at Izuku, who was facing forward. Confused, she followed his gesture, but still felt that he was checking her.

The side of her mouth slightly raised.

Before she process what to think, the elevator bell rang and it opened.

Rumi went out and the hero nerd followed.

There were eight doors, four on each side.

She continued to walk until she stopped at the door to the right at the end of the hall.

"Here's your room." Rumi opened the door and lets her intern enter first.

Izuku checks the room. It was all tidy.

White walls, a single bed with a table and chair near it and a lamp. Simple, organized, and clean.

"Take your time to relax." The hero stated. "You have one hour before lunch break. And also, it's a hero's way to become independent. You have to do everything yourself. Alright, I'll see ya later."

She closed the door and Izuku was left inside his room for one week.

Setting his hero outfit bag and backpack on the table, he removes his shoes, socks, and jacket in order.

Chest slightly heaving, the boy sat on the bed. Just this morning, they stop five robberies, and it almost took the hell out of him.

Sounds like he's getting sluggish, and he hated that thought.

But, maybe it's okay for him to rest. Then again, in a harsh reality, he knew that there is no day off for heroes.

He applauds for that. Well, only to some, since he knew corrupted heroes are lurking around while wearing masks that convince the society they're good enough to save them from the villains.

And that is partially true.

Suddenly, he yawns. A lot of things happen, and right now he wanted to take a rest.

Which he did.

Reaching in his backpack, he pulls out his Po-Op phone and sets the alarm to 11:45 AM.

Only an hour left. That's more than enough.

Placing on a table near him, he pulls out a handkerchief and wipes the remaining sweat on his before Shadow helps him by wiping his back.

After that, Izuku covers himself with the large sheet and rested on his side. Staring at the wall for a few minutes before his eyes feel droopy and closed his eyes.

==Time Skip==

The boy's eyes are widened like a plate.

They finished eating and the rabbit heroine dragged him to a beach. Familiar one at that.

It took forty-five minutes to reach the destination along with two people who are with Rumi. They introduce themselves as Yuri and Ken Sawamura.

Both are friends of Rumi Usagiyama. The two met her way back at grade school, and soon they are inseparable.

The two persons are actually childhood friends.

And the rest is history.

"Judging from your expression, you know this place?" The hero said.

"Yes," Izuku answered. "We're in Municipal Takobah Beach."

He stared at the now mountain of junks and trashes.

That's right, it's the same large pile of trash he volunteered to clean months ago without someone asking him.

Now it's back to the way it was before, but more junks this time.

"Tell us why we are here, kid," Rumi demanded.

"We are here for me to clean the beach."

"That's right, but there's more. It's one of the hero's ways to volunteer in any community they can manage. One of them is cleaning unwanted places such as this." She explained.

"It's not always about kicking villains here and there. We have to help the people with these kinds of services as well."

Then she began to walk away. "Alright. Yuri-chan, Ken-kun, I'll leave 'im to you two. I have a business to kick with."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Then she hopped away with one muscular strength from her legs.

It was an awkward silence at first, but Izuku broke it as he said, "So... I'm guessing this is her punishment to me?"

Yuri answered yes.

Okay, he can deal with it.

But before that, he rose his hand, asking for a handshake.

"I'm Izuku Midoriya."

"Yuri Kuroda." The lady shook first followed by the man.

"Ken Sawamura." The man introduced himself.

Izuku blinked. Did he hear that?

"Kuroda-san?" He asks and the lady hummed in curiosity.

"Are you, by any chance, a relative of Sachi Kuroda-san?"

"Ohhhh." She's a relative?

"I watched first-year matches and I happen to hear a person who has the same last name as me. As much as it surprises you, no. I'm not related to her." She elaborated.

"I see," Izuku said, and they both heard his tone. It's as if he's disappointed, but no time for that.

"Hey, Midoriya-kun." Sawamura butted in. "As much as we like to talk more, you have to take out the trashes right now. Rumi doesn't like you slacking off even if she's not here."

Then, he pointed up. "The drone up above is what we're doing. Recording."

"Oh, sorry about that." The boy apologizes before bowing down and told them that they can chat sometime.

"Sure thing, Midoriya-kun. And remember, don't use your Quirk. Well, you can use it whenever you get hurt or in a predicament."

"Noted, Ma'am." Izuku was about to start, but Sawamura stopped him.

"Before you go, here." The man gave the hero nerd a sun block lotion, protection against sun radiation.

Izuku thanked Ken and went straight to the nearest public bathroom to apply the lotion and change clothes.

A few minutes later, he was wearing trunks and a towel covering his upper body.

The two people saw him and asked him if he applied the lotion Sawamura gave him and he answered yes.

After that, Yuri gave him a cap. Worried, the boy asks if it's okay, but the lady paid no mind about spending a little money for him.

After all, both she and Ken are working under Rumi Usagiyama, the No. 6 Hero of Japan.

Thanking with gratitude, Izuku accepted it and wore it immediately before giving the towel to Ken.

They quickly took notice of his scars and needless to say, being shocked is an understatement as he started cleaning the beach.

==Five Hours Later==

"Haa... Haa... Haa..." Slowly regaining his pace, Izuku finished a five-minute break.

Around 3 P.M, he took a thirty-minute break due to the time reaching the highest temperature it can get.

Now, the sun is setting, and Izuku assumed it was past 5:30 P.M.

Shadow, following the instructions, did not help his partner although helped him whenever he was about to get hurt via stab or a cut.

Meanwhile, Miruko landed beside her colleagues, making them slightly jump at her sudden return.

"Any progress?" She asked the two.

"Yes, he's actually pushing heavy loaders as if it's a normal heavy." Yuri while staring at Izuku, who was pushing a destroyed SUV with little effort.

"I'll be damned." Miruko smirked, amused by the strength of the boy before saying to her colleagues that they can go home and prepare dinner.

Seeing them out of sight, she focused her attention on the boy, who's pushing a refrigerator before hopping beside her in an instant.

Izuku felt the ground shakes as Miruko began walking toward him.

He didn't like that sour look on her face.

"Oi." She approached him before ruffling his hair.

He was confused at her actions.

"You brat!" A proud smirk was evident on her face.

"It takes months or years to push a thousand-pound car, but you did it within minutes or hours!"

"You've been pushing yourself all this time, huh?"

"Ye-Yes, Ma'am." He adjusted his body, but his legs trembled in tiredness and fell to the sand.

She expected this to happen, so she pats him on the shoulder and said, "You deserve a rest, Midoriya. Let me handle this right now."

"But what about the kicking villains' ass?"

"Meh, there's a lot of heroes. Bet they can do their job." Miruko shrugged before she gathered some junk and threw them aside.

Feeling guilty, Izuku stared at her effortlessly doing the work.

Seconds turned into minutes and she stopped.

Rumi was silent the whole time before asking if he can stand up.

Izuku said no.

They stayed for another few minutes before Miruko asked him again with the same question.

This time, he said yes.

"Good." Then she guided him on her back while not moving his right leg.

"Bear with it." She hopped into the air and went back.

Along the way, they stopped by at a nearby convenience store and she landed on the building.

The boy had his eyebrows raised, confused before he was set down on the ground.

Suddenly, Miruko leaps off and entered the store with some fans following her.

Good thing the paparazzi aren't there to make her day worse.

A few minutes later, Rumi came back to him with a bundle of bananas and an energy drink.

"Here." She said.

She seems upset with what he did, so he never said anything and accepted the drink and the fruits.

Peeling off one banana, he took a bite while staring at the sky. It's getting darker by the minute.

"You know, kid?" Rumi was still standing.

"It's good that you wanna go that far, but can you handle all the burden at the same time?"

"Yes, Ma'am." No hesitation in his answer.

Miruko turns her head around and gazed at the boy eating a banana.

Both stared for a few seconds before she broke eye contact with a defeated sigh.

"No way I'm gonna convince ya, huh?"

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize. At your age, sometimes you have to have fun moments, but there's no word for fun in your vocabulary, isn't it?"

This time, not a single word was uttered.

"You may have friends, but are you gonna grow up together with 'em?"

She took a breath and exhaled slowly.

"You meet new people and established a friendship with them, but nothing lasts forever, kid. Soon, you'll part with them and vice versa. With you right here, acting like a tsundere, are you gonna ignore the moments you guys have along the way?"

She continued her talk-no-jutsu speech as she sat next to him.

"We all know you kiddos are studying and training to become heroes one day, but life isn't life without memories. They made you who you are and why you're here, interning under me, and wanted to be like All Might."

While receiving a lecture from the No. 6 Hero, Izuku was staring at her while eating another banana.

"As much as we want to have time to chat and give you a kick on the head, we have to move and rest early. Monday's gonna be the start of kicking small fries."

She then told him it was time to move.

Slowly standing up, Izuku wrapped the bottle and the remaining bananas together with his web before stepping onto the end side of the building.

He watched her jumping from one building to the other before wondering how to catch up.

Izuku looked at the road below him before turning his attention to the walls.

Guess he has to do it.

'Thwip'

Aiming at a nearby wall, Izuku hesitated to jump.

Holding it tightly, his heart was racing fast before uttering his last words.

"Taliho."

With a deep inhalation, Izuku jumped off.

He began to swing despite wanting to scream.

Holding it back, once he's up in the air, he frantically aimed at another wall.

And he did it.

He began to swing and grunt as he held on to the web rope tightly, not wanting to let go.

Izuku searched for Miruko, and he saw her, but she was getting away.

He had to think of something.

Looking around, an idea came to his mind.

Webbing at the side of the roof, he pulled himself to it.

He landed on his hands, before tucking his legs and launching into the air.

He was slowly gaining to her, but he knows this logic.

More height means more momentum.

Meanwhile, Miruko was hopping and hopping before she leaped into the air and looked back and was surprised.

Izuku was web-swinging and was closing the distance.

The side of her mouth rises before thinking, "(Well, I'll be. He caught the idea this quick.)"

"(Guess it's time to step it up a notch.)" Then she hopped faster than usual.

And Midoriya saw this.

Both of them are close to the heroine's agency.

He has to catch up or else, something worse can happen.

He tried to swing and web pulls as quick as he can.

And ahead of him, Miruko reached the agency first.

A shocked expression was evident on his face before landing on the wall above the entrance.

Izuku was heaving before he caught eye contact with Miruko, who had that smirk of victory.

"You caught up to it, kid." Rumi said. "By the end of the internship, you have to win a race, no matter how close or far we are from my agency."

"After all," The proud look was switched with a serious one. "A minute passed, there'll be someone who's about to get killed."

"And it's up to us to stop them." After that, she entered the building while Izuku dropped down and went inside while removing the water and bananas wrapped on his chest.

==Gunhead Hero Agency==

Ochako's face was planted on the smooth wooden floor and grunted in pain before hearing the clapping from Gunhead.

"Well done, Itsuka Kendo. It may take a while, but you girls finally did it." Gunhead complimented the progress of his interns.

Itsuka, who practiced close combat against Ochako Uraraka, stood up and offered her hand.

Uravity accepted and was hoisted up before he heard Itsuka saying she can do it.

Thanking her, the two went back together with everyone else who interned or trained under Gunhead.

"Seeing the progress everyone made, I can say that you're all still a novice when encountering a villain. But at this age, they all say that teamwork makes it work."

Then he looked at the two girls.

"Uravity, Battle Fist, tomorrow you'll go with me in patrolling the nearby streets. Everyone else would be assisted by my colleagues. If you are disappointed that you cannot go with me, then you can leave right now."

"Be glad that you all got the opportunities to grow under me or any pro heroes who accepted your letters of the internship. Others are unfortunate, be it Quirkless or not. They struggled because of what they were facing in front of them, rendering them getting left behind. So, it's up to us to help them in any way we can, even if it's out of our reach."

"Yes, sir!" The interns, including Ochako and Itsuka, said in sync.

"Good. Now, let's call it a day. We prepared rooms that have double-deck beds. Choose a partner and approach me if you are paired."

Then they chat within themselves while Ochako asked, "Uhm, Kendo?"

"Yes?"

"Can I pair with you?" She shyly asked.

"Sure. I was about to ask the same thing to you."

"Nice." Others are still asking, but the two immediately approached Gunhead.

The hero expected this and they were told to grab their things and went to the room they freely chose.

==Best Jeanist Agency==

Jeanist hummed while working on the papers. His mind still thinking about a while ago.

Did Ketsubutsu really make a big difference in that boy's attitude?

Maybe, but it might be from something. Or better say, someone.

Even though he lectured him, that boy stayed silent the entire time, and not once did he look away.

Nevertheless, he would continue teaching him a lesson, not by styling his hair but by shaping his attitude.

It's a test for both himself and Katsuki Bakugo.

==Endeavor Agency==

Enji Todoroki was finished teaching Shoto for today and tomorrow, the lessons will continue until the internship ends.

Right now, he's in the office alone. Those who work under him went home a few minutes ago.

He was glad that Shoto chose him and thought that boy is going to go to the path of mighty under his teachings, but Shoto made a clear statement.

He'll make his own path.

Endeavor doesn't mind, though. He's sure that he will surpass All Might in time.

But to surpass All Might is to win a battle against the person who defeated Shoto Todoroki.

Izuku Midoriya.

The only person who aced the U.A High School's Sports Festival, not to mention he did it as a first-year student, and it's a fact that no one can top it. Maybe in the future, there will be, but for now, it's the hero nerd's glory.

"You'll get a taste of your own medicine."

Words echoed in his mind but quickly shook them off as he focused on what was in front of him.

Molding Shoto Todoroki, also known as to become the next number one hero of Japan.

==Somewhere in the streets of Tokyo==

Ryukyu, along with Nejire Hado and the intern Amelia Kawakami, finished patrolling and caught multiple villains in different places.

Needless to say, teaching Kawakami about being a hero is a success. On the other side, Nejire is Nejire. Always the cheerful girl who's always curious about everything. Even then, she still finds ways to help her kouhai.

By how? Becoming Izuku Midoriya, questionably. Asking questions made Amelia realize something she didn't notice earlier.

The night is young, and Ryuko Tatsuma called them to scout one last time before heading back to the agency. The more help, the merrier to finish things quickly.

==Mt. Lady Agency==

"Done cleaning?" Yuu Takeyama questioned the intern.

"Yes, Ma'am." Minoru Mineta answered as he finished packing the cleaning equipment into the storage room.

"Good." She says before telling him that there are other places he has to clean within her agency.

Despite the kid not being the butler or maid stuff, he has to do it. Or else, his grades will be buried six feet under.

So much for Plus Ultra.

But then again, this is the future heroes' opportunity to prove themselves why they study at U.A High School and become role models to the future generation.

The boy has potential, but his perverseness hinders it.

"Yes, Ma'am." He stated.

Receiving an answer, Mount Lady dismissed him, enabling him to rest for the remaining time of the night.

==Tatooine Station==

Two people running in the streets, both are undergoing intense training. They are none other than Death Arms and Kyoka Jiro.

While the pro hero was lecturing the intern about them training every day even if they're on patrol, SoundBlast was having trouble keeping up with him.

"(It's alright, Kyoka Jiro. You can manage this!)" She said, trying her best to motivate herself.

And yet, it's painful! It's much harder than the classes!

Well, that's the thing about having an internship with pro heroes.

As a wise man goes, if you don't feel any pain, then you'll never gain.

==Fatgum Agency==

"Creati, you might as well stay here and learn first about the atomic structure of some things you haven't thought of. I and Suneater will patrol the streets for 4 hours."

"Yes, Sir." Momo complied.

"Don't worry." The pro hero reassured her. "Take each step and around two to three days, and put all your knowledge into every encounter. Of course, I'll have Suneater train you for agility, quick thinking, and most important of all, analyze the movements of your foes."

"Understood."

"Good, then I'll be off. Also, feel free to use the refrigerator." Fatgum waved goodbye as Suneater bowed to her and she returned the favor.

Momo sighed in relief, and soon feel motivated, glad that she was able to use her brain and that she interns with Fatgum.

Later night, she had to message her friends, especially Izuku, for supporting her and suggesting a better agency choice.

She internally thanked the heavens above for having great friends.

That's next, but right now she has to focus in front of her.

Limitless space for improvement.

==Manual Agency==

Tenya Iida removed his helmet and began to wipe the sweat from his face. His face, though, shows an expression that he sank deep into his own thoughts.

Thoughts about what Manual, the Pro Hero he interned to, said to him.

==Flashback==

It was sunset and they were about to head back to Manual's agency, but not before he asked Tenya Iida a question.

"Hey, uhm." With a nervous voice, he pushed forward. "I know this is hard to ask, but you choose me because you want to get Stain, don't you?"

This startled the Ingenium's little brother.

Figures.

Raising his hand on the side of his helmet, he said that he couldn't think of any other reason why the lil' bro of Ingenium would choose his agency.

He backed up with a statement indicating he was glad Tenya chose him. It's just that the boy shouldn't act based on a personal grudge.

In the corner of his eyes, Ingenium's little brother looked away. That gesture is enough for him to know that he's not getting away with the revenge he sets upon.

"You're really going to kill him?" The hero whispered loudly with seriousness in his voice, which made Tenya gasp in his helmet gear.

"What would your family think? And your brother? Do you think you're in the right spot to just go behind the shadows and kill someone who has killed heroes throughout the years because of their selfish desires? Do you really think you can do it alone?"

Tenya hesitated before he answered. "I inherited my brother's name."

All of a sudden, Manual gripped him tightly and dragged him back to his agency.

A lot of emotions are hidden in the pro hero's face.

==Time Skip==

"Tenya Iida. Sit." The little brother of Ingenium did as he was instructed.

"Look at me." The boy bit his mouth.

He knew he fucked up.

Heart beating faster than before, he slowly raised his head and met with a glare from the Normal Hero.

"In what I read from the letter, your hero's name is Tenya. From what I researched, you wanted to avenge your brother Ingenium, who retired due to suffering critical injuries after attempting to fight the Hero Killer." He explained.

"Murder is scarcely a heroic act. Your family, especially your brother, loves you more than anything and the one they don't want you to turn into is a villain. I know I'm not like any other heroes, but I want to you realize what you're doing at this point. There's no turning back, and you got two choices. Remember, if you did it all by yourself or finally killed Stain, think about the consequences after."

"Will the people cheer you for subjugating the Hero Killer? Are you satisfied with it? Is the reward worth it? And I have something to say to you, it's quite the opposite. They will brand you as a villain or even put you in prison because of your actions."

He stopped speaking, but his gaze towards the intern never faltered.

"Don't let revenge take over your mind, Iida-kun." Those are Manual's last words before he went inside his office.

==Flashback End==

The younger Iida stared at his recently removed helmet before he looked at the door where the said hero went in.

There are a lot of things going into his mind.

But one thing is for sure, he did this to himself.

And he has to pay for it.

Whether he understands it or not.

Hatred is one thing, but revenge is another.

==Time Skip; Miruko Agency==

10:00 PM.

Izuku can't sleep. He still has the energy to move around. Miruko's still up, but what can he do this time?

There has to be something he can do.

Something he hasn't tried since he has a Quirk.

Until it hit him.

Luckily, he asked for the Wi-Fi password a while ago and won't have to type it later.

Searching for the location, he found it and decided to track the directions.

Quickly wearing his hero outfit, he left the room and looked for Miruko, who was awake in her room.

He asked permission if can go to the place he found. Doubting at first, but Miruko granted it, with a condition of getting back before midnight or else she's gonna make him experience a living hell.

And of course, he can use his Quirk. If he died along the way, he better knows the consequences for themselves.

Bowing, Izuku left the agency and web zip to the building.

Time's running out and he has to be there as quick as possible.

==Time Skip==

Tokyo Skytree.

Standing 634 meters, it's one of the tallest buildings in Japan. Obviously located in Tokyo, it was a hassle for Izuku really.

Rather than going in, he just went to a secluded place where no one can see him running on the walls.

He was really careful with each step. The wrong move and he can web back, but it will cost more time.

So, what is he doing in the middle of the night, and why is he climbing to the top of the said skytree?

You already know.

Izuku finally reached the top of the building. Exhausted from climbing, he pulled himself up and laid on his back.

"(That's one way to burn fats.)" He thought.

With enough strength, he sat up and went to the other side.

He can finally see the view of Japan.

It was beautiful, especially at night.

The place where he was born, is a place full of heroes and villains.

A place full of unfairness and mistreatment.

A place... where hope can be lit. Then again, he shouldn't expect.

Time will tell for Japan's future.

Right now, he has to take it or else he'll have twice the training for the whole week.

Looking down, his heart dropped in his stomach. Just a quick look and you can tell he's not ready for it.

It's a thousand feet, and...

"(Wait a minute. How much time has passed?)"

Glancing at his phone, his eyes widened.

"30 minutes?! Shit!" He cussed. There's only 15 minutes left 'til 11:00 PM. Knowing the distance, it's now or never.

Izuku took a deep breath and step forward.

A lot of memories rushed into his mind.

Especially that last suicide attempt.

If it weren't for his girlfriend Nejire, he wouldn't be where he is right now.

Looking down below, was like looking at the abyss. Gazing with such intent that makes his spine quiver.

His breathing quickens and closed his eyes.

"Jump off the roof and pray that you'll gain a Quirk in the afterlife."

His face was overwhelmed with that last thought before he literally fell off the tallest building.

He screamed.

The adrenaline went off the roof as he narrowly opened his vision and felt the strong wind brushing against his skin as he pulled to the ground.

Heart pounding, he was flailing in the air, but never shifting his own body.

Is this what it feels like to jump off the building? Attempting suicide because the whole world mistreats them?

Shaking those thoughts aside, Izuku returned his focus to his situation.

It's a good thing the buildings around the Tokyo Skytree are tall.

Falling fast, he can see he was about to crash to the ground.

With his arm stretched outward and pressing his palm with his middle and ring finger, he fired a string of web at the building.

And soon, he swung back up.

Flailing and screaming, he shot a web to another building.

There's some grunting noise as he held on before letting go and web swing again.

Soon, his scream of terror turned to a scream of joy.

Only this moment, that he doesn't care about anything that's happening.

He doesn't care if the people saw him, record him, or heard him.

All he cares about...

Is this one moment that he never knew changed his life for the better.

"Wooooo!!!"