On the morning of the day Izuku knew they'd visit the USJ, he made sure to text All Might to meet up with him at Dagoba Municipal Beach Park before school. They stood on the clean sand, staring out over the glittering waves in a content silence. It had been a while since he had last met up with his mentor in his timeline, and seeing him looking a decade younger brought a smile to his face.

"Not that I don't enjoy spending time with you, Young Midoriya, but might I ask what we're doing here?" Toshinori asked, glancing down at his successor, still looming over the boy even in his emaciated form, with gangly limbs, hollow cheeks, and his blond hair a scraggly mess.

Izuku looked up, stuck with the sudden reminder of how small he used to be as a teenager. "O-oh, um... I just wanted to... uh... Everyone needs some time to relax, don't they? And the beach is always a nice place to go, so- um... I thought it would be... peaceful..."

The Pro Hero was clearly trying not to grin, his mouth twitching and his blue gaze alight with mirth. "Well, you're certainly right about that. You really restored this place to its former glory, my boy."

Although the beach clean was both a distant memory and a recent event, he could still feel a phantom ache in his muscles as he recalled the gruelling training he went through to get to where he was, lugging along tyres and dragging fridges through the sand. "I'm glad. People seem to like it here."

"Hm." Toshinori was silent for a moment, crossing his skinny arms over his baggy white t-shirt. "The way you use your power has changed a lot since the entrance exam: it's remarkable. How did you learn to harness it so quickly?"

"I- I guess, I just, I- well," he stumbled over his words again, making a complete fool of himself, as usual. "Aizawa-sensei got me thinking about things differently, and I guess... I guess something just clicked, and, uh... I just really want to prove to everyone that I can be great, so..."

His mentor's eyes glimmered a proud blue. "You don't need to prove anything to me, my boy."

Tears sprung to Izuku's emerald eyes at the overwhelmingly genuine words that took him off guard. He buried his face in the crook of his elbow, frantically wiping at his damp cheeks with the sleeve of his grey school blazer. Toshinori chuckled lowly, muttering something about a crybaby, before he tangled his fingers in the boy's hair and gently ruffled the curly locks. Izuku found himself leaning into the touch, peeking over his damp sleeve to stare happily up at his idol. It was only a short-lived moment of sweetness, but he already knew he was going to cherish it for as long as he could remember.

On impulse, he slipped his phone from his pocket, leaning against his mentor's bony side and raising the device to take a picture. Toshinori looked confused for a moment before grinning, lifting a skinny hand behind Izuku's head to give him bunny ears, causing the boy to laugh just as he took the picture. He continued to giggle even as they pulled apart, allowing him to skim through his gallery and immediately set the photo as his phone wallpaper.

"Ah, we should go," the man said suddenly, upon seeing the time. "I doubt Aizawa will appreciate you being late."

"Right." Izuku reluctantly nodded in agreement, his smile falling as his tone grew more serious. "Um... All Might-san..." Oh boy, am I really doing this? "Sometimes I might... say or do something strange..." Yep, oh, okay, here we go- "And I just... even if you don't understand why, I'm asking you to just trust me." Wow, that wasn't creepy or ominous at all, way to go.

Toshinori frowned, already appearing immensely concerned. "Are you alright? Did something happen?"

He hesitated, crushing a piece of paper in his fist. "Something... is going to happen. Probably. Unless things have changed, but..." Izuku loosened his fingers, holding out the folded note. "Could you give this to Principal Nedzu-san, please? Tell him not to open it until... 11am."

"I... Of course, but..." His expression was conflicted as he took the crumpled paper. "I trust you, Young Midoriya, but please... Are you in any danger?"

"No," he paused, wincing. "Not yet. Sorry to be so cryptic, but I'm not sure... I'm not sure how this will affect things, so I have to be cautious. I can tell you that we'll be fine, if things go to plan."

"Alright, I believe you. Stay safe, my boy."

*

Izuku could barely focus on Thirteen's inspiring speech, no matter how much he adored the astronaut-themed Pro Hero. It was the same as last time, even though All Might was standing behind them, beaming widely with his hands on his hips and his muscles bulging against his red, white and blue hero costume. The boy kept his gaze locked on to the fountain at the bottom of the expansive stairs, knowing that a purple portal would likely spin into existence and spew out a crowd of villains. On cue, once Thirteen had quieted down, the ring of lights around the massive rescue-training simulation dome fizzed and sparked out, dimming the area a little. Aizawa tensed, glancing over his shoulder, and Izuku stepped forwards, spotting the expected arrival of their enemies.

In some weird way, it was actually relieving.

"Thirteen, protect the students," the teacher ordered, pulling up his yellow goggles.

"All Might-san," Izuku called before he could help himself. "Be careful."

The hero smiled wider, putting up a reassuring thumb. "I will, my-"

"No, I mean it." For a moment, it was the twenty-eight-year-old Pro Hero Deku speaking, his tone assertive and deceptively calm as he stared down his mentor. "Be careful."

His expression changed minutely as he seemed to get the message, clearly wanting to know more but turning and leaping into battle with Eraserhead nonetheless. All of the kids looked terrified, and Izuku wondered if he made the right choice to inform Nedzu so late.

He'd specified 11am deliberately. Although he could've just requested help straight away, he made the decision to leave it for a bit, even though the villains would've separated them to attack. He remembered how important the experience had been for the class, and he didn't want to take that away just in case it led to their downfall later on. It would also be unwise to bring back-up in immediately, since that would alert the villains and possibly cause some issues in the future.

Yes, it was definitely for the best.

Izuku kept telling himself that, even as he watched Aizawa's elbow disintegrate under Shigaraki's touch. He could dive in and help, but that would mean revealing he was a whole lot more powerful than he let on. The Noumu smashed the man's face into the ground with a monstrous, dark hand, shattering his goggles and spilling blood across the dirt.

Tsu and Mineta were both cowering, looking horrified. Izuku reached over to gently squeeze the girl's shoulder, offering a shaky smile that he hoped wouldn't be misinterpreted as him enjoying the grim show. Her dark eyes were wide with horror but her large mouth smoothed into something less of a grimace as she acknowledged his comfort, despite looking almost as green as her costume.

Before it could get any worse, All Might leapt in, tackling the Noumu and aggressively pummelling its bulky torso. Shigaraki was laughing and gloating about how powerful the creature was, lamenting its Quirks as they were revealed. While the villain was distracted, Izuku took his chance, darting forwards as fast as he dared towards his teacher. He wrapped his arms around Eraserhead's torso, leaning him over one shoulder in a fireman's lift before darting back to the water and laying him down on the shoreline.

"Y-you need to-" The man rasped, squinting against the blood coating his pale face.

Izuku placed a gentle hand on his chest, keeping him from moving, and he drew up his courage as Deku to give a bright, reassuring grin. "The Pro Heroes will be here any minute. Don't use your Quirk, I don't know what the damage is."

"M-Midoriya, aren't you scared?" Mineta whimpered, staring in horror as the intense fight progressed.

"Yes, but true courage is pushing past that fear to help and protect," he responded confidently, lightly tapping the teacher's ribs. "Try to stay awake, sensei."

Watching All Might fight the Noumu for the second time was nerve-wracking, but he could breathe a little easier knowing the hero wasn't straining himself beyond his transformation time limit. There wasn't any way to know for sure how long they had left, and knowing what happened last time, Izuku was keeping his eyes on Shigaraki as the impatient villain suddenly realised that Eraserhead was gone. He looked around him, tearing irritated lines across his throat with his nails, only to still when his gaze behind the hand locked onto the small group at the water's edge. It was clear he underestimated them, as he lunged forwards while All Might was occupied, raising one hand with the intention of grabbing Tsu's face-

Izuku waited as long as he dared before snapping a hand around the attacker's wrist, grabbing the other arm to be safe, and then shoved him backwards, only to raise him into the air and throw him over his shoulder and into the water without even needing to activate his Quirk. The villain tumbled, one second away from hitting the surface before a dark portal opened up and dumped him back on land next to Kurogiri. Shigaraki picked himself back up slowly, faintly shaking with irritation as he threw a blazing glare over to the kids with wild, crimson eyes. Izuku puffed up his chest, standing protectively in front of his friends and staring down the villain with his teeth bared in a threatening smile.

A sheet of ice froze half the Noumu, allowing All Might to slip out of its grasp. Kirishima leapt in, attempting to swipe at Shigaraki as Kacchan held down Kurogiri. The three students took defensive stances, ready to assist their teacher.

The Noumu was battered beyond repair, and another powerful punch from All Might sent it shooting through the side of the dome. He stood confidently, raising a large fist to wipe away a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. A moment later, the front doors burst open, revealing a horde of angry teachers who barely spared a moment to assess the situation before diving in to help.

"Game over," Izuku whispered triumphantly, watching as they stepped back through the purple warp gate and vanished.

He let the stress fade from his shoulders, turning back to look at those he protected. Tsu was blatantly relieved at the victory, while Mineta bounced around excitedly. Aizawa was giving Izuku a look he couldn't quite decipher, but considering the circumstances he presumed it was probably suspicion. He ignored it and lifted up his teacher once more, careful not to aggravate any injuries as he stepped out of the water, heading towards the entrance where most of the class were gathered at the top of the many stairs.

All Might was still standing tensely, wisps of steam writhing skyward. While he hadn't pushed beyond his limit this time, the fight had definitely still put a strain on his form, likely knocking off a fair few minutes off his transformation.

"Todoroki-kun! Kirishima-kun! Kacchan!" He called over, deliberately stealing their attention from the teacher. "Aizawa-sensei is injured! Can you help me carry him?"

There wasn't much complaint as they approached with varying levels of enthusiasm. All Might shot him a thankful look through shadowed eyes which he grinned at before focusing on his classmates. Aizawa was barely conscious, but still managed to give a few mumbles of argument as he was jostled between hands.

Izuku exhaled shakily. He had dared to change a few things, yet it hadn't altered the overall outcome, which he figured was a good thing. Knowing the future gave him a valuable advantage he didn't plan on wasting.

*

"Midoriya-kun, could you tell us how you knew this attack was going to happen?" Nedzu asked lightly, a faint smile on his white, furry face as he interlocked his paws over his desk.

Ah, consequences... How he hated them.

Izuku shifted in his seat uncomfortably, sitting between a heavily-bandaged Aizawa and a pallid-looking Toshinori and feeling like he was in a parent-teacher conference. The thought made him choke back a snort of laughter, barely covered with a ragged cough before he regained his composure.

"Oh, um... There are a lot of things I... can't really explain," he began, crossing his arms and leaning back in the chair.

"Can't or won't?" Aizawa cut in gruffly, muffled by the fabric wrapped around his face.

He hesitated. "Shouldn't."

"What can you tell us?" Nedzu seemed unfazed, his tone just as pleasant as ever.

"It's to do with... time," he said finally, tensing his fingers around his biceps. "I know some things... because of something that happened to me... and I'm not sure how much I can change before the future is entirely different, so I'm trying to be careful about it."

"Is that your Quirk? Future-vision?" Nedzu inquired as innocently as a mysterious mouse-bear-creature in a waistcoat could, which is to say, surprisingly so.

Izuku shook his head. "No, it's a result of someone else's Quirk. I'd tell you more, but..."

"Time is a tricky thing." The principal nodded serenely, placing his paws flat on the desk. "I understand your caution with revealing details of things yet to happen, so how about you explain events that are in the past?"

It was weird to think about that question too hard, since the future for them was technically the past for him. He frowned, raising a hand to his face as he quietly muttered his thoughts out, running through the possibilities of doing so. Toshinori observed in amusement while Aizawa merely slumped lower in his chair.

"Right... right, okay. I... returned here on the first day of UA, during the ball throw. It was confusing. There weren't many differences to the original timeline, except last time I focused my Quirk in one finger after Aizawa-sensei stopped me, meaning I only broke the one and I could still move. You were impressed," he added with a short giggle, practically beaming at his homeroom teacher. "This time, I also noticed All Might-san observing the test, and since I knew Kacchan was going to be angry and run at me, I didn't bother moving, because I also knew Aizawa-sensei would restrain him."

"That's why you suddenly improved with your Quirk," Toshinori said with realisation dawning across his gaunt face.

Aizawa barely turned his head. "If that's your power, why aren't you using it to it's full potential?"

"It might change things too much. I want to keep it a secret for as long as possible to have the upper hand against the villains." He exhaled heavily, recalling the events of his previous life. "In the original USJ incident, All Might-san had used up all his time before the lesson, so he wasn't there when the villains attacked. Aizawa-sensei got permanent damage from the Noumu that affected his Quirk. Teny- uh, Iida-kun managed to get past Kurogiri and inform the teachers. All Might-san arrived first and took down the Noumu, but he pushed himself too far over his limit and lost a lot of time for his other form. The teachers came and the villains left, just like this time."

"I presume there was a reason why you didn't inform us sooner?" Nedzu asked; Izuku nodded. "And I also assume you'll continue to meddle with events to give us a better outcome?" Another nod. "Very well. If I may, Midoriya-kun... Would you mind telling us some things that are secrets to most, just to be sure you had nothing to do with the villain attack?"

"That's fine," he said absent-mindedly, glancing around the room for inspiration before settling on his teacher. "Aizawa-sensei likes cats and tends to adopt strays. He went to UA when he was a teenager and Present Mic gave him the name Eraserhead. And... the threat of expulsion he gave us on the first day wasn't a logical ruse, but no-one got expelled because we all have potential."

Eyes turned to Aizawa, who shrugged stiffly. "Alright. None of that would've been too hard to find out."

Izuku grinned, swivelling in his seat to face his mentor instead. "Your name is Yagi Toshinori-san. I know you used to be... be like me, before we met. I know about All for One and Shimura Nana-san. Gran Torino-san mentored you in her stead." He looked away briefly, looking mischievous. "You're afraid of him."

"I- I-" Toshinori shrank in on himself slightly, giving up on trying to defend himself and otherwise appearing a little spooked by his student's sudden omniscience. "Well, you aren't wrong, my boy."

"Principal... Honestly, I don't really know much about you, but I do know that humans experimented on you," Izuku admitted apologetically, dipping his head.

Nedzu's expression flickered momentarily, but it was back to the peaceful smile too quickly to know for sure. "What you've shared with us is sufficient. I suppose that you'll want this secret kept between the four of us, yes? If there is any way we can help you, please feel free to ask."

"Of course." The boy bowed a little in his seat. "Thank you."