Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“It turns out you actually have a Quirk, kiddo.” The Doctor said, stunning Izuku. This was the moment he was waiting for, his own Quirk! The excitement cannot be contained in the little 4 year old. He held up his All Might action figure in the air as a squeal of joy escaped his mouth.

“Well isn’t that nice Izuku?” Inko smiled, seeing her child celebrate. “But what is it about, Doctor?”

“It’s an emitter class Quirk it seems. But it's completely different in relation to your and your husband’s Quirks.” the doctor spoke. “Your son's Quirk appears to manifest through the manipulation of subatomic particles he naturally produces. We're calling them 'Plavsky Particles.' They seem to... animate plastic models.”

“Huh? Really?!” Izuku smiles, he looks at his All Might figurine with even more joy in his bright little eyes. “Can I make All Might move?!”

“Well, give it a shot, kiddo.”

Izuku concentrates, tapping into his dormant Quirk, his arms glowed as azure particles began to dance around his arms and his All Might figure. A moment passed, Izuku sat on the floor with a tired expression on his face, he looked toward his All Might figurine and… no such luck. 

“Aw man…” Izuku moaned in sadness. “It didn’t work…”

“Maybe you need a little bit of training first, sweetie.” She looked at the doctor.

"So… he can make toys move?" Inko asked, hope and concern warring in her voice.

"That appears to be the extent of it, yes," the doctor replied with barely concealed dismissiveness. "It's... unique, certainly. But hardly what one would call a combat-applicable Quirk."

Izuku's green eyes dimmed as he clutched the lifeless All Might toy. Even at four years old, he understood what this meant in a world where heroes were everything. This was when Izuku realized that not all men are born equal.

But he would never give up, the video of All Might rescuing over hundreds civilians on his debut was still burning in his mind. He too, will become a Hero. Over the following months, Izuku discovered the intricate rules governing his Quirk through trial and error. The plastic model had to be built or assembled by his own hands, borrowed or preassembled toys remained stubbornly inanimate. His very first success was a plastic car he managed to assemble with a lot of glue and some help from her mother. He made the car move with his Quirk, but the handling and speed was very poor. 

His mother, ever supportive, bought him model kits from the local toy store. Simple robot figures, hero merchandise, anything plastic that required assembly. Izuku's room slowly filled with his growing army of animated companions, each one responding to his mental commands with some clumsy movements.

"Amazing, Izuku!" Inko would exclaim, watching a small robot carefully stack blocks or a miniature hero pose dramatically. "You're like a general commanding your own force!"

But outside his bedroom walls, the world was less kind.

"Toys?! You make TOYS move?!" Katsuki's explosions crackled around his palms as he cornered Izuku at the park. "That's not a hero Quirk, Deku! That's what babies do; play with dolls!"

The nickname stuck like a curse. Even when Izuku desperately tried to demonstrate his growing skill of making action figures perform complex maneuvers or having model cars execute perfect formations, Katsuki only laughed harder.

"Look everyone! Deku's playing house with his little friends!" The other children joined in, pointing and giggling at Izuku's attempts to prove his worth.

Years passed. But as Izuku's army of animated models grew more sophisticated, so did Katsuki's cruelty. The explosive boy would deliberately target Izuku's creations, reducing carefully assembled figures to melted plastic with bursts of his Quirk.

“Ack! Kachan, no! I really worked hard on that!” Izuku tries to reach toward his Crimson Riot model figure he created, only for it to be turned into ash in the palms of Katsuki’s explosions.

"Heroes don't hide behind toys, Deku," Katsuki would sneer, throwing the scorched pieces at his face. Izuku frantically tried to salvage the unsalavageable remains of yet another destroyed model. "Real heroes fight with their own power!"

Each destroyed figure felt like losing a friend. Izuku would spend hours trying to rebuild, improve, and learn. But his social isolation and sadness only deepened. His classmates saw him as the weird kid who talked to plastic figures instead of people. Eventually, he was on hiatus from building anything, what’s the point of spending the money and effort, when Katsuki would destroy it all? Even the figures that survived Katsuki's torment—mostly being All Might models—their movements were tolerable but still choppy. It felt like Izuku was disrespecting his idol's image and power with these subpar figures, but there was something deeper that bothered him.

As he watched his clumsy All Might figure attempt a Detroit Smash pose, an uncomfortable realization settled in his chest. If he ever became a hero using his Quirk, would he just be... copying? Using someone else's image, someone else's moves, someone else's reputation to fight crime?

"It's… it’s not really me, is it?" he whispered to the plastic All Might, whose painted smile suddenly seemed mocking rather than inspiring. "If I save people with your face, your poses, your attacks... Am I the hero, or are you?"

The thought haunted him. Every hero figure in his collection represented someone else's hard work, someone else's sacrifice, someone else's journey to herodom. What right did he have to animate their likenesses and claim their victories as his own? When people looked at his animated All Might figure saving them, they wouldn't be thinking about Izuku Midoriya—they'd be thinking about All Might.

He stared at his collection with new eyes. Crimson Riot, Endeavor, Best Jeanist... all of them real people with real struggles who'd earned their place in society. Using their plastic forms felt like stealing their identities, like he was just a fraud puppeteering genuine heroes from the shadows.

"...I need to be my own hero," Izuku realized, carefully placing the All Might figure back on his shelf. "But how? I can’t really use plastic model cars and trucks… military vehicles and ships are too extreme… and all the poseable plastic models are Hero merchandise… What can I do?” Izuku mumbled, going down an endless rabbithole until something snapped him out of it.

\\[]//

Everything changed when Izuku turned ten. Inko had been cleaning out the attic when she discovered an old trunk belonging to her great-great-grandfather.

"Izuku, sweetie, come look at this!" she called down.

Inside the dusty trunk were a couple of DVDs, the disks seem to be in a miraculous condition. Even the labels were still readable: "Mobile Suit Gundam," "Zeta Gundam," “ZZ Gundam,” "Char's Counterattack." Izuku had never heard of any of these titles.

"W-what are these, Mom?" Izuku hesitantly asked, it was like touching an ancient relic, a time capsule from a bygone era. “I-is this Pre-Quirk Era stuff?!”

"I... I'm not sure. It could be. They must have belonged to your great-great-great-grandfather, and possibly his father before him. Would you want to watch one, Izuku?"

“S-sure! Don’t we have an old DVD player somewhere as well?”

After connecting the DVD player to the TV and making sure the ancient disks themselves were in a playable condition, which they were, thankfully, Izuku began to watch what he assumed was the first volume of this ‘Gundam’ series. As the DVD played, the footage was a bit fuzzy, but the art style and music definitely had a very ancient Pre-Quirk era vibe that was almost alien. Izuku watched, his interest piqued as the opening song began playing.

“Moeagare! Moeagare! Moeagare! Gundamu!”

The first episode of the original Mobile Suit Gundam changed Izuku's world forever. Here were giant mechanical warriors, not unlike the Pro-Heroes he’s been accustomed to, but piloted by ordinary people who rose to extraordinary circumstances. Amuro Ray, even born with Newtype powers that many would consider a Quirk, was still a teenage boy that was thrusted into conflict and had to learn, struggle, and grow.

What also captivated Izuku most were the ideals. These weren't simple good-versus-evil stories like modern hero media. With each and every member he grew attached to the crew of the White Base, fought against not only the villainous Zeon, but they questioned authority, and sometimes had to stand against the very institutions they served, making their own moral choices. 

And the Mobile Suits, how cool they were! Not only the Federation MSs such as the Gundam, Guncannon, Guntank, and GMs captivated him, but Zeon’s Zaku, Gouf, Dom, Z’gok, Gelgoog captured his interest as well. His analytical mind immediately takes mental notes on their strengths and weaknesses, design philosophy, tactical formations and every other piece of info he could gain. It was almost like studying Heroes and their Quirks.

Even when he finished watching the very first MSG within 3 days, he devoured every tape, taking notes on even more mobile suit designs, and the philosophies driving each pilot. He felt conflicted when watching Zeta Gundam, he smirked when watching ZZ Gundam, and he was met with closure in Char’s Counterattack. But Izuku wanted more, more mobile suits, more glorious war stories of the pilots! Within a month of watching all four DVDs, he knew there was more. So he scoured the internet for more Gundam, only to meet with nothing even when looking it up on different browsers. Izuku sighed, Gundam was a Pre-Quirk franchise afterall, any knowledge surrounding it would be lost to obscurity. But Izuku never gave up, he tried forums, and even surfed the deepest, darkest, oldest parts of the internet no one ever bothered to explore. Once something was on the internet, it stayed there. Pre-Quirk stuff still exists in today's society, he just needed to look at the right place. 

With hours and hours and days worth of internet surfing, he managed to scavenge ancient info on the Gundam franchise and the other shows. He never knew that there were more stories to the One Year War, or there were actually different timelines, or the light novels and manga that have yet to be adapted. He devoured it all, like a gluttonous green nerd, he couldn't get enough of it, he was so absorbed with taking notes on the various Mobile Suits and their pilots that he never knew that Gundam had their own line of plastic models of their Mobile Suits! This fact rocked him to the core, if he could assemble these machines, he wouldn’t have to use a previous Hero’s accomplishments for his Heroics! He looked at his hands, the Plavasky Particles glowing faintly in his palm. This was what his Quirk was meant for: not for simple action Hero figures, but for these complex machines of war and hope.

However, finding actual Gunpla models proved nearly impossible. Toy stores carried nothing but hero merchandise. Online searches turned up empty, not even antique Pre-Quirk stores sell them. The Gundam franchise had been completely eclipsed by the rise of real heroes decades ago.

It was during one of his back-from-school walks through Musutafu's older districts that Izuku encountered him. Izuku takes unusual routes back home to avoid running to Katsuki or any of his lackeys. It was one of these walks that he decided to venture a little out, and that’s where he found a rundown part of the district with buildings that had construction dates dating all the way back to the Pre-Quirk era.

There was an old man sitting outside what seemed to be a closed hobby shop, sitting on an old lawn chair as he stared at a faded poster of the RX-78-2 Gundam in the dusty window. His faded out blue hair rustled softly when the wind blew by.

"E-e-excuse me," Izuku approached hesitantly. "Do you know what that is?"

The old man's weathered eyes widened as he looked up at the green-haired boy. "You... you recognize it?"

"T-the RX-78-2 Gundam," Izuku replied without hesitation. "Amuro Ray's mobile suit from the One Year War."

For a moment, the old man just stared. His eyes widened as if a great burden had been lifted off of his shoulders. Then tears began flowing down his cheeks.

"I thought... I thought I and… Reiji were the only ones left who remembered…" he whispered, clutching his shirt with weathered down hands. "My name is Sei Iori… and this. This is the shop that my family used to own. Iori Hobby Store."

Chapter Text

Izuku's heart raced. "You know about Gunpla?! Do you know where I can find any? I have this Quirk, and I can bring it to life!" Izuku frantically put down his backpack and produced a worn notebook, opening it and revealing the pages filled with mobile suit sketches and tactical diagrams. “I-I’ve been researching about the Gundam franchise, and I really wanted to be a Hero! But my Quirk isn’t really combat applicable, but with Gunpla, I can have a chance at Hero work! So please!” Izuku took a desperate bow.

Sei studied the boy carefully, noting the desperate hope in his eyes. "Come with me, young man. There's something you need to see." He gestures to Izuku somewhere else, away from the hobby store.

“Uh. oh. Okay…” Izuku grabbed his backpack and followed the old man. “I thought we were going into your hobby store?”

“Psh. I wish I could. The bank closed it down years ago, nobody buys Gunpla anymore unfortunately, everybody finds the Hero stuff more interesting…” Sei sighed, his eyes reflected with a nostalgic glint. “Even then Heroes dominated the market. Only me and my friend Reiji were the only ones who even built them.” Sei reminisced as he walked. “Reiji and I built all sorts of Gunpla, heh, I was the better builder of course. We posed them as if they were in battle and made dioramas and displays for them as well. But alas, Reiji had married and moved on from this childish hobby. I lost contact with him, and I assumed that made me the only human left on this planet that remembers Gundam's legacy.”

They walked for what felt like forever through increasingly abandoned parts of the city, past boarded-up shops and empty lots where hero merchandise stores had once thrived and died. Finally, Sei stopped before a massive, rusted warehouse that looked like it hadn't been touched in decades, its windows clouded with decades of grime.

"Here we are," Sei said, producing an old key from his pocket. His hands trembled slightly as he unlocked the rusted door. The heavy door creaked open with a groan that echoed into the darkness beyond. Sei flicked on an old fluorescent light, and Izuku stepped inside and gasped. The warehouse stretched endlessly before them, filled with towering shelves that disappeared into the shadows above. And on every shelf, stacked floor to ceiling, were boxes upon boxes of Gunpla kits. Thousands of them. 

"Welcome to the graveyard of dreams, kid," Sei said, "Vandai's last warehouse before they shifted entirely to hero merchandise. They were just going to throw all this away, but I... Well, I couldn't let that happen."

Izuku's legs gave out. He fell to his knees, staring at box after box of mobile suits he'd only seen in those grainy DVD recordings and pirated internet videos. RX-78-2, Barbatos, Strike Freedom, Wing Zero - all there, waiting. Many boxes were faded and weathered, cardboard brittle and yellowed, corners soft with age, but the plastic runners inside are still pristine. Plastic practically takes an eternity to decompose it seems.

"How... how did you..." Izuku's voice cracked.

"Twenty years of convincing bureaucrats I was running a 'historical preservation project,'" Sei chuckled bitterly. "Cost me everything I had just to keep the lease on this place. But I knew someday, someone like you would come along."

Sei walked over to one of the shelves, and grabbed a certain box. "Now then," Sei said, his voice becoming serious. "If you're going to be a Hero with Gunpla, you need to understand something fundamental. Building isn't just about following instructions - it's about understanding the machine itself, respecting it, and putting your soul into every piece."

He picked up a High Grade RX-78-2 box, its colors faded but still recognizable. "We'll start with the grandfather of all Gundams. But before you even touch a runner, you're going to learn the history, the philosophy, and the proper techniques. Because if you're going to carry this legacy forward..." Sei's eyes gleamed with the fire Izuku recognized from his own passion. "Then you're going to do it right."

"Can... Can I really build all of these?" Izuku's voice was barely a whisper.

"That depends," Sei smiled. "Are you willing to learn? Real Gunpla building isn't just snapping pieces together. It's an art form. Panel lining, custom paint jobs, weathering, modifications - the amount of care you put into a build directly affects its soul."

"Its soul?" Izuku asks, curious.

"Every Gunpla builder knows that the models they create carry a piece of their creator's spirit." Sei's eyes gleamed with possibility. "Let’s see if your Quirk could make that literal."

\\[]//

Over the following week, Izuku split his time between school and the warehouse. Sei proved to be a demanding but patient teacher, starting Izuku with simple construction techniques, such as nub removal and sanding kits and gradually introducing more complex techniques. 

"I see, your Quirk requires the model to be built by your own hands," Sei nodded, "This could directly tie to the quality of the animated model. As I said, the more you put into a Gunpla, the more powerful it is."

“I get it! Where my childhood toys moved with somewhat jerky and awkward motions, it was probably because either I wasn’t experienced enough or I didn’t consider putting more effort into the build. I mean, I guess I would feel like I was desecrating them if I were to weather them, but still… I should have at least considered it on different models like maybe a tank or a plane or warship.”

“Jeez kid, how much are you going to talk?” Sei grumbled, “I only have so much left to live you know!”

“Ack! I-I… I’m so sorry, Mister Iori! I-it’s a bad habit of mine.” Izuku deeply apologized.

“Hmph. It’s alright. It just shows how analytical you are.” Sei nodded, “Just mumble about Gundam, not some silly Quirk.”

“Oh, I actually wanted to know. What’s your Quirk, Mister Iori?”

“My Quirk? Heh, it’s Master Craftsman. When it comes to making something, it’s perfect. Down to the minute detail. Even if it ain’t Gunpla actually.” Iori chuckles. “But just like my body, Quirks can also degrade as you get older. I can still build Gunpla, but my fingers will start to ache.”

“I see, that sounds like a really interesting Quirk!” Izuku’s eyes sparkled.

“Okay, that’s enough Quirk talk. Get back to building!”

"The more care you put into the build, the stronger they become," Sei explained. "Paint jobs, detail work, even the quality of your panel lines - it all matters. These aren't just toys, Izuku. They're vessels for your will, your skill, and your dreams."

And so he did. Izuku put his very heart into the RX-78-2 Gundam, making sure that everything was flawless, putting more and more effort into this build with every hour spent. In the end, his hard work has paid off. He has fully built and painted a HG RX-78-2 Gundam, the very original Mobile Suit that started it all. Sei looked at Izuku with pride, the green-haired boy admiring his handiwork.

“You’ve done well, my student.” Sei smiles. “Even from a total beginner like you, this Gundam looks outstanding! Great work!”

“Heh, t-thanks Mister Iori, really.” Izuku flustered, he wasn’t used to getting compliments aside from his mother of course. “It’s been awhile actually since I’ve built something, I thought I was rusty, but I still had it!”

“Now, time for the real show to begin.” Sei smiled, “I want you to use your Quirk to make the Gundam move. Let’s see if your hard work paid off.”

“O-oh right!” Izuku’s eyes began to shine with anticipation, he carefully grabbed his Gundam model and laid it on a small tray, just inches off the ground.

Sei immediately recognized what Izuku was doing. “That position…! Midoriya, are you trying to recreate the RX-78-2’s first launch?”

“Uh… y-yeah! I thought it would fit the mood you know.” Izuku scratched his head. “This was my first Gunpla build, and I want to make its animation special.” Izuku looked at his hands, his Quirk that has been criticized and disrespected for so long, now it truly had its time to shine.

Izuku’s palms began to glow blue as azure particles circled around his hand. He then faced his hands toward the dormant Gundam and put his Plavasky Particles into it. The RX-78-2 Gundam didn’t do anything at first, but Izuku’s Quirk was taking effect. It started out as a sound: a low, almost subsonic vibration that seemed to emanate from deep within the mobile suit's chest. The sound of a Minovsky fusion reactor stirred to life, its progressive hum building from a barely perceptible whisper to a steady, powerful thrum that resonated through the room. Then, without warning, the cooling vents along the mobile suit's chest erupted in bursts of superheated air. The sudden expulsion of excess thermal energy sent waves of shimmering heat across the table, Izuku could even feel the heat and smell of ozone from the erupted air. It then raised itself upward, the twin sensors in the head unit flickered once, twice, then blazed to life with a steady yellow glow that seemed almost organic in its intensity. The RX-78-2 then took its first step, sliding its left foot off of the tray and onto the table. Its eyes flashed as it finally rose to its full 13 centimeters, standing proudly before Izuku and Sei.

Sei practically fell onto his knees while Izuku stared at his now moving model with wide eyes and mouth agape.

“Gundam’s legacy lives on…” Sei smiles, tears threaten to leak from his eyes. “You’ve done well, Izuku. I’m proud of you.”

“I-I’m proud of myself as well, Master Iori.” Izuku looked at his glowing palms, then at the eyes of the RX-78-2. “With this… I think… I can be a Hero!” Izuku’s eyes gleamed.

The RX-78-2 then began to survey its surroundings, its movements were mechanical yet smooth and fluid, like a well-oiled machine. It looked at hands, inspecting how each finger was moving. Then the RX-78-2 turns back toward Izuku, before speaking in a grizzled voice.

“What are your orders, Captain?” 

Izuku and Sei blinked.

"Did... did it just...?" Izuku's voice came out as a squeak.

A moment of silence passed, before the RX-78-2 broke it with a cough then looked back at Izuku. Yellow sensors focusing on him with unsettling intelligence.

“You alright Captain? I’m still awaiting your call.” RX-78-2 repeated, titling his head in confusion.

Did the Gundam just speak? Izuku’s jaw dropped straight onto the floor. He couldn’t believe what was happening. He has managed to make the Gundam not only move but speak with his Quirk! 

"It spoke." Sei's voice was barely audible. "In all of my years of building, I’ve never seen anything quite like this."

Izuku stared at his glowing palms, then back at the Gundam. His childhood toys had never shown this level of... awareness. They'd followed simple mental commands like remote-controlled vehicles. But this was different, it felt  like he was awakening something that had been sleeping.

"I... I don't know what to tell you," Izuku admitted, his voice shaking. He suddenly felt like a mantle of responsibility just landed on his shoulders. Like being promoted to a higher military rank.  "I-I've never had one talk back before."

The Gundam's head turned to survey the warehouse, taking in the endless shelves of unbuilt kits. When it looked back, something in its stance had changed, less soldier, and more protector.

"They're all still sleeping." RX-78-2 said, his voice carrying a strange mix of and human warmth as he gestured toward the boxes. "What is the mission, Captain? What are we fighting for?"

The silence that followed the Gundam's question hung in the air, heavy and full of unasked burdens. Izuku's mind reeled, not from shock anymore, but from a flood of memories. He saw himself at four years old, clutching his All Might toy, his dreams shattered by a doctor's dismissive words. He saw Katsuki's sneering face, the explosions that melted his creations into nothing but bitter smoke and ash. He remembered his whispered confession to his All Might figure, the gnawing insecurity that he was just a fraud, a copycat, a shadow of the real heroes he adored.

The thought of becoming a hero had always been a distant, almost impossible dream. It was a hope he held onto, but it was a hope riddled with doubt. He wanted to save people with a smile, just like All Might. But how could a "Deku" who made toys move ever be a hero? He was meant to be a sidekick at best, a glorified mascot, not a protector of the people.

But then he found Gundam. Izuku found the same courage and a sense of purpose in the pilots and the machines. These were not just toys; they were vessels of hope, the physical manifestation of a person's will and ideals. And now, thanks to Sei Iori, the old man who saw a light in him where no one else did, he had a chance to build something that was truly his own.

He looked at the RX-78-2 standing before him, its yellow eyes unwavering, its mechanical posture expectant. This wasn't All Might. This wasn't Endeavour or Best Jeanist. This was the result of his own hands, his own effort, and his own heart. The choppy, awkward motions of his childhood toys were gone, replaced by the smooth, fluid grace of a machine built with love and care. He wasn't a puppeteer anymore; he was a creator. The Gundam wasn't just a model; it was a testament to his hard work, and in its soul, he could feel his own spirit.

Izuku's eyes welled up with tears, not of sadness, but of pure, unadulterated resolve. The path ahead was still long, but for the first time, he knew it was a path he could walk with pride. The mockery, the explosions, the dismissals… none of it mattered anymore. He had found his own way in the form of this very Mobile Suit.

"I... I want to save people," Izuku's voice trembled, a mix of emotion and determination. "But I want to save them with a smile. I want to save them in a way that shows them they can be a hero too, even if their Quirk isn't 'combat-applicable.' Even if people tell them they can't do it. My mission is to become the greatest hero, to use my creations to bring hope to others, to be a light in the darkness, and to show the world that a hero is not defined by their Quirk, but by their heart and soul."

The Gundam's head tilted slightly, its yellow sensors seeming to flicker in acknowledgement. Then, it slowly raised its right hand, forming a perfect, miniature fist. “Acknowledged, Captain,” the grizzled voice replied, its tone now filled with a sense of purpose. “Then our mission… is to uphold the peace and be a beacon of hope for all of humanity.”

Sei watched, a wide smile spreading across his face as he looked at Izuku, then at the mobile suit. He had known the boy was special, but this... this was more than he could have ever dreamed of. The way the Gundam moved with such purpose, and the way it spoke with a will of its own, it was as if a part of Izuku’s soul had been transferred to the plastic. It was a beautiful fusion of builder and machine.

"Kid... do you know what this means?" Sei’s voice cracked with emotion. "You can give them... life! You can give them all a purpose!" He gestured to the countless boxes of Gunpla surrounding them, their silent, plastic hearts waiting to be animated. "Look at this, Midoriya. The RX-78-2 is just the beginning. Imagine the possibilities! A whole army of your own design, each one a hero in its own right."

Izuku’s eyes widened, a fiery hope burning in them as he looked from the Gundam to Sei, and then back to the endless shelves. "Y-y-you mean... you'll let me build them? A-all of them?"

Sei chuckled, patting Izuku on the back. "Of course, kiddo! What am I going to do with all of this? I've been waiting for a reason to share them with someone. Reiji's long gone, and the world has forgotten. But you... you're a true Gunpla builder. You understand them. Now, let’s get you a good pair of nippers, because you’re going to need a lot of tools from now on!” Sei Iori gave out a child-like smile full of wonder and excitement. “You wanna get to UA right? We have so much work to do before that school’s Entrance Exam, so let’s get a move on!”

“Yessir! I’ll do my best!” Izuku nodded, then looked back at the RX-78-2 Gundam, even with its emotionless robotic face, it held the same determined look in its eyes as its creator.

“I’ll be looking forward to the reinforcements, Captain!”

\\[]//

Over the next several months, Izuku would occasionally bring back Gunpla kits from the warehouse to his house. He would also spend as much of his free time going to the warehouse to talk with Sei and build his Gunpla models. It didn’t take long for Inko Midoriya to notice the changes. Izuku had started coming home late, his clothes were ruffled, and he'd often fall asleep at the dinner table with a satisfied but exhausted smile on his face. When she finally confronted him, he excitedly explained everything about Sei Iori, the old warehouse, and his newfound purpose. He showed her his newly built Guncannon, and animated it right in the middle of their living room. Inko was speechless as the mobile suit gracefully moved around and flew in the air.

The sight was astounding, but her motherly instincts kicked in. She had to meet this man who was spending so much time with her son in a secluded, abandoned warehouse. With a mixture of concern and curiosity, she asked Izuku to take her there.

The next day, Inko met Sei Iori. She immediately noticed the gentle look in his eyes as he proudly showed her the shelves and shelves of Gunpla. He explained his past, his love for the hobby, and his decision to entrust his life’s work to Izuku. He also assured her that Izuku was completely safe and that he was simply helping him realize his dream.

After seeing the genuine passion in both Sei and Izuku's eyes, and witnessing firsthand the incredible level of skill her son had developed, Inko's worries began to fade. This wasn't just a hobby; it was a calling. She saw how happy Izuku was and how much he'd grown in confidence. She finally understood.

"Thank you, Mr. Iori," she said, her voice filled with gratitude. "For helping my son find his dream. I trust you." With her mother's blessing, Izuku's training intensified. He now had the full support of the two most important people in his life.

The old warehouse became Izuku's second home, a sanctuary from the cruelty of the outside world. He spent every free moment he had, after school, on weekends, in the dusty expanse. Sei was a mentor and a friend, teaching Izuku not only how to build, but how to pour his heart into every single kit.

Izuku started with High Grade, moving up to Real Grade and Master Grade models, his hands working tirelessly to master the art of nub removal, sanding, and panel lining. As his skill grew, so did his small army.

The first addition was the RX-77-2 Guncannon, then the RX-75 Guntank, but that’s not all, Izuku mass produced various other Mobile Suits as well. Multiple RGM-79 GMs and MS-06F Zakus, enough to make a decent sized company with all of them combined. 

But that’s not all. Izuku built nearly every single Mobile Suit within the franchise. Nu Gundam, Wing Gundam Zero EW, Unicorn Gundam, Strike Freedom Gundam, Gundam Barbatos, and Turn A Gundam just to name a few. Each model seemed to develop its own personality. Suddenly, the Midoriya household was a jungle gym of various Mobile Suits. They usually resided in Izuku’s room, which had transformed into a sort of Mobile Suit hangar. Shelves lined every wall, each carefully organized by series and each of them stood in perfect formation on his desk and dresser. There was even an entire stylized hangar in his closet. It is only when Izuku uses his Quirk is where the magic begins, every morning when he wakes up, he uses his Quirk to animate every Mobile Suit in his room.

“Good morning, everyone!” Izuku yawns as he waved his arm in the air, making sure the particles were making contact with every model.

“Good morning, Master/Captain/Commander/Creator!” Was always the response.

This development also brought another question. What were the limits on Izuku's Quirk? He can animate all of his Gunpla that he had built simultaneously, but factors such as the distance, duration, and how many he animated, took a toll on Izuku’s mental endurance. Once he got a headache for animating a hero figure for more than an hour, but now, he could animate all of his growing Gunpla army for about 2 and a half hours. To practise and increase his endurance, Izuku would animate a group of Gunplas at his house and attend school all while his Mobile Suits did whatever. It turns out while studying at school, his Mobile Suits did activities such as: Watching Gundam, patrolling Izuku’s bedroom, practicing in mock drills, playing poker, cleaning Izuku’s All Might merchandise, flying through an array of hanging rings, and even assisting Inko in housework and meal preparation. 

Izuku also learned that the size of his Gunpla was not limited to their scales. It turns out that he can make his plastic models grow into their true size, more or less. He figured this out when he was practising his leadership with a mock battle between mobile suits in a handmade, cardboard city. When fiddling with his Quirk, he accidently managed to make one of his GMs grow up to 6-7 feet. This development was quite the shock, but it also solved the question of using literal children’s toys to fight crime. He managed to grow his Hero figures to their true height, but for Gunplas it was a different story. Due to the true height of Mobile Suits being ridiculously large, it seems that Izuku put a mental barrier to prevent his Gunplas from growing into their true height. The height limit is dependent on the Gunpla itself. The average model will grow to around 7 feet, but if it's something like the Xi Gundam, it grows up to a solid 10 feet.

With this knowledge in hand, Izuku made sure to improve on the various aspects of his Quirk and leadership skills. The following months consisted of him building Gunpla, animating them and having them participate in mock drills, practicing his endurance by consistently keeping his Gunpla animated while at school. But another problem was gnawing at his head. Izuku knew that Mobile Suits were weapons of war, and not exactly the ideal choice at taking down Villains, non-lethally. Izuku looked at the various weapons in Gundam, and thought of a way to make their destructive weapons more tame. Afterall, with his Quirk, anything he could make can turn into a reality. Izuku started to paint small electrical symbols on various beam weaponry, giving them the feature of a non-lethal stun mode. The same thing applied to beam sabers, giving them a taser mode that allowed his Gunpla to electrocute and incapacitate criminals without cutting them in half. For kinetic weapons, such as machine guns and vulcans, Izuku made sure that those weapons fired rubber pellets instead. Bazookas on the other hand are now chambered for a special round that acts as a blast ball, disorienting opponents with a loud sound as if they were shot with a real bazooka. Izuku also developed some other useful tools his Gunpla might use on the field, such as the Utilityhawk, a mutli-purpose tool that not only acts as an axe, but a shovel, pry bar, and a taser on the hilt. Izuku also developed the Medic Haro, the one and only robot mascot of the Gundam Franchise, Izuku painted them white with a red cross on their head to signify their purpose as medical droids. And, he made a few more different Haros just because they were fun to make, they got pretty annoying when he animated them however.

Izuku took every aspect of his Quirk and Gunpla into account. Writing down everything in his 8th “MS Notes For the Future” notebook. 

“Now, what kind of emergency situations might require an aerial extraction, like a sinking ship? No, my amphibious Suits can handle that… What about a burning building? Maybe I could build a helicopter or maybe a Gunperry, that could work… but would I get in trouble with the government if I used fictional military equipment for Hero work? I mean, can I get successfully licensed with this Quirk? Would the concept of animating plastic toys be too childish for Hero work?” Such doubts wracked his brain and clouded his vision, however, he stopped his onslaught of mumbling when a tiny plastic hand touched his finger.

“Captain, you look distressed.” Gundam said, looking up to Izuku’s eyes with concern in his voice. “I need you to calm down, Captain. The UA entrance exam is a few weeks from now, and the last thing you need is to worry about trivial things here.”

“Gundam’s right, Commander Izuku.” A red MS-06S Zaku II Commander Type landed beside the RX-78-2 Gundam. “Worrying will only waste your precious energy, focus on the present, we shall deal with these ordeals in the near future.”

Izuku looked around his desk and room to see the various MSs he had built during the months. Despite not having any way to express their faces, they all held a concerned and supportive gaze for their creator. Izuku sighed, and smiled. They were right, no matter what happens he knew that his Gunpla would be there to help him along the way. 

Chapter Text

Izuku Midoriya stood proudly in front of the entrance of UA, the most prestigious hero academy in the whole world. They produced some of the top ranking heroes, including but not limited to, Endeavour, Best Jeanist, and All Might himself. Izuku readjusts his hold of the bag he was carrying, containing two of his best mobile suits. He talked to his mother and Sei about it, planning for weeks on which of his gunpla would he take. UA permits the usage of ‘Support Items’ if one’s Quirk relies on it, but said examinees need to submit a request before the Entrance Exam. Luckily, his Gunpla was permitted due the nature of Izuku’s Quirk. Izuku had some doubts, but he still held firm at the entrance. He will earn his place here, and show everyone that anybody, even with a Quirk as dismissive as his. He’ll make his Mother, Sei and all of his Gunplas proud. He just had to take the first step-

“Hey! You damn nerd!!!” Katsuki suddenly shouted from behind, causing Izuku to flinch and freeze. 

 “Oh! H-hey K-Kaachan! I didn’t s-see y-you there!” The stammering Izuku was ignored by Bakugo as he simply walked away.

 “I’ll admit, I was expecting you to be here, Deku.” Katsuki cruelly smiled as he turned around. “But good luck actually getting into UA with your little dolls!”

 Izuku grimaced, another one of Katsuki’s unkind remarks, Izuku could only glare and clench his fists, blue particles swirling his fingertips in frustration. But he sighed, this was the day he’ll prove Kacchan wrong. He’s been keeping his Gunplas a secret from Kachan, lest he use them as ‘target practice’ for his Quirk. Maybe at least the blonde will acknowledge Izuku, at least a tiny bit, but Izuku knew deep down that Kachan would never admit to someone being stronger than him. But that didn’t matter at the moment, Izuku needed to focus on the Entrance Exam, such things like rivalries will be worried about in the future. 

“Alright Izuku. This is it! Your first step to becoming the greatest hero!” Izuku thought as he took one step, then having his feet getting caught by the other, causing him to fall. “Or so I thought!!!” 

 Izuku expected to fall face flat on the ground, but he was then suspended midair. Izuku was surprised and confused, as he started flailing around and panicking while floating barely above the ground.

 “Oh, sorry for surprising you there! I used my quirk on you, here.” Said a young girl’s voice. Izuku turned around to see a bubbly looking girl with auburn hair and eyes, her hair was shoulder length with bobbed bangs. She effortlessly grabbed Izuku as if he was weightless, she set him up properly on the ground before touching the pads of her fingertips. “And, release.”

 Izuku finally had his feet on the ground. He was thankful to the girl for saving him from a faceplant, but… he was in front of a girl now! “You’re here for the UA Entrance Exams, right? Well, good luck! I hope you get into UA!” The girl gave Izuku a smile before walking away. Izuku on the other hand, was a blushing stuttering mess, he actually managed to talk to a girl! (No he didn’t, technically.) But Izuku quickly regained his focus, and checked his bag on the side. His Gunpla was safe, Izuku could sigh in relief. He could never forgive himself if he managed to break his Gunpla like falling. Of course, he could repair them, but breaking them right now was something that Izuku cannot afford. That’s why Izuku had them in their specialized styrofoam storage that fit them perfectly to a tee. Izuku then started to walk quickly toward the testing site; he didn’t want to be late after all. 

 “Gooooood morning everybody!” A slim man with long blonde hair announced to the young examinees in the auditorium. This man was none other than Present Mic, Pro-Hero and part of the UA staff. Although his boisterous voice was definitely filled with enthusiasm, the audience has yet to return that level of excitement.

Izuku felt his fanboy senses tingling when he laid his eyes on the Voice Hero. Izuku has listened to this man’s radio show countless times. The Hero was explaining how the Entrance Exam would function. The UA Entrance Exam is divided into two sections, the Written Exam and Practical Exam, both Izuku understood well with just one explanation. He took Present Mic’s explanation as if it were a military briefing, he kind of found it calming on his nerves if he imagined Present Mic as Bright Noa, even if his voice never matched the Captain the slightest.

“You’ll be up against 3 different Faux Villains. Each is worth points depending on the model, and your goal is to rack up as many points as possible within the short span of time.” ‘Bright Noa’ explains, pointing to a wall projecting the exam grounds as he straightens his EFSF uniform. “You’ll be dropped into unknown territory, and the position of these models is unknown as well. Which means you are going to have to utilize what little information you have in a short span of time to the fullest if you wish to pass the Practical Exam, is that clear?”

“Yessir!” Izuku suddenly stood up, saluting as he did so. But he realized that he was saluting to Present Mic rather than Bright, much to his embarrassment. Izuku quickly sat back down, muttering apologies as some students snickered at him.

“Well... I appreciate your enthusiasm, young man.” Bright smiles, “However, are there any questions regarding the operation?”

“Sir! I believe there is an error on the Entrance Exam sheet here!” A spectacle wearing young man with blue hair suddenly stood and spoke up. “You said there were 3 different faux villains in the exam, but the sheet here states that there is a fourth one! Surely a mistake like this is unlikely in this prestigious UA High School!”

“Hmm. You're right, ensign. Allow me to elaborate.” Bright explains. “The fourth faux villain, aka, the “Zero-Pointer” is in simple terms, an obstacle. Courtesy of its name, it provides zero points upon defeat, and therefore, it provides no strategic value. I recommended that you avoid the Zero-Pointer at all costs, as going after it is a waste of precious time. Does that answer your question, ensign?”

“I see, thank you for your clarification. Please excuse me for my rudeness.” The stern young man quietly returns back to his seat, contempt with Bright- I mean Present Mic’s answer.

“If that’s all the questions, then head to the testing grounds that you’ve been assigned my dear listeners!” Present Mic pointed toward the exit. “And remember! Don’t just do your best, go beyond! PLUS ULTRA, BABY!!!”

\\[]//

 The massive gates of UA's testing ground loomed before the assembled examinees, each one buzzing with nervous energy and anticipation, making witty statements of confidence, and preparing for the Practical Exam with a variety of stretches. Izuku Midoriya stood among them, his hands trembling slightly as he clutched two model boxes against his chest - one pristine with a white body with black and gold accents on its torso, arms, and legs, a notable emblem was on the front of its left shoulder. The other’s main color is a menacing rich, dark red, but with a distinctive gold emblem is also visible on its front skirt armor, a menacing spiky head crest with a green mono-eye. Izuku nervously looks around his surroundings, looking worse for wear in his teal colored tracksuit. Izuku’s confidence right now was fluctuating, could he actually do it? What happens if his Quirk messes up or one of his Gunpla had an unexpected malfunction? He tried to snap out of his negative thoughts and tried to focus, he surveys through the crowd and to his luck, finds the brown-haired girl that helped him from his fall earlier! Izuku uses whatever confidence he has left and tries to walk over to her and talk.

 “Hi there!” Izuku blurted stiffly, catching the girl off guard. “I am. Midoriya. Izuku. Nice to meet you.” Izuku introduced himself, but promptly started to die inside.

 “I sound like a robot!!! Why can’t I speak more naturally?!” Izuku internally screams as he crouches down in despair, his social life probably ruined.

 “Oh! I guess we forgot to introduce ourselves, I’m Uraraka Ochako. Nice to meet you, Midroiya!” Ochako gives off another one of her warm smiles.

 “Eep! I-I-I, uh. Y-yeah. Me too!” Izuku chuckles awkwardly. “S-sorry. I’m just r-really nervous right now.”

 “No biggie. To be honest, I am too.” Ochako clenched her fists, raising them up in the air. “But we can’t let anxiety take us over! Let’s do our best to get into UA!”

 “R-right! Plus Ultra!” Izuku stiffly did the same gesture, getting a small chuckle from Ochako as a result.

 “And begin!!!” 

Everybody looks up toward the direction of the loud voice, seeing that the announcer was Present Mic on top of an observation tower. “What are you doing?! There are no warnings in the real world! Now go go go!” Present Mic screamed.

 Seeing that the test had already begun, the students immediately took off and entered the testing area. 

 “Good luck, Midroiya!” Ochako waves as she rushes toward the testing grounds.

 “G-good luck to you too, Uraraka!” Izuku stammered. He was caught off guard by the sudden announcement but he quickly refocuses his thoughts and prepares to show off his Quirk. Talking to Ochako gave him the confidence he needed to get back on track. Izuku remained still for a moment, kneeling down to carefully place his model boxes on the ground. Out from the boxes and finally revealed to the world, were two Gunpla models. The RX-93 Nu Gundam and the MSN-04 Sazabi.

"A-alright, let’s do this thing!" he whispered, pointing his palms out on both mobile suits. Azure particles began to shimmer around his palms, dancing like stardust as they seeped into the plastic models.

The two mobile suits began to grow and animate, their now active generators now humming as they spooled up. The sleek, white Nu Gundam stands tall with its distinctive fin funnels, and beside it, the imposing crimson bulk of the Sazabi, its body gleaming ominously in the sunlight. Both of them stood at roughly 8 feet, but Sazabi was slightly taller than Nu Gundam.

"Nu Gundam, ready for sortie!" The mobile suit announced cheerfully as his psycho-frame began to glow slightly. "Don't worry, Captain! We'll show everyone what we can do! Let's do our best out there!"

Beside them, Sazabi's mono-eye flared to life with cold intensity. "The only fate awaiting those who oppose Master Izuku is destruction," the red mobile suit intoned, flexing its fingers as his voice dripped with disdain. "What is our objective, Master?"

“Okay guys, it’s search and destroy. Go out and eliminate as many of those faux villains you can find!” Izuku explained. “Don’t attack any examinees and avoid the Zero-Pointer, got it?”

“Loud and clear!”

“As you wish.”

The two mobile suits prepared their weapons, both bringing out their beam rifles. Both mobile suits also had their funnel weapons armed and ready to be deployed at a moments notice.

“This is it, Sazabi! We’re the first of Captain Izuku’s mobile suits to be actually deployed in battle! Let’s make a good impression and make Captain proud!” Nu Gundam pumped his fist with excitement. 

Sazabi simply returned a cold, green glare from his mono-eye. “Likewise, but I doubt our opponents are in any way remarkable, their defeat has already been predetermined.”

"Cut some slack, Sazabi! They're trying their best! Haha!" Nu Gundam laughed warmly as its thrusters began roaring as he launched into the air.

"Your optimism is nauseating, Nu.” Sazabi's response was a disgusted groan, but the crimson mobile suit followed suit with Nu Gundam. Flying in the air with thrusters at full power. Izuku followed the two from the ground, watching as his creations soared in the air, pride and confidence swelling in his chest. Izuku’s journey to Heroism starts here and now.

Ochako Uraraka had a mostly flawless strategy to take down these villain bots. These things were pretty slow and clunky, even a toddler who just awakened their Quirk could easily take them out! Ochako simply had to run up to them, touch them and make them float up in the air and release, gravity will do the work and crush the machines. It was challenging work, Ochako was already feeling nauseated after taking down about 10 of those robots. But she couldn’t give up now, after all the sacrifices her parents made so that she could even live here in Musfatu. Ochako was about to take down a nearby 3-pointer that just revealed itself, but before she could, she was caught off guard by a 1-pointer appearing right behind her.

“Take this, Hero!” The robot sneered in its artificial voice, raising its metal claws.

“Crap! I can’t touch it in time! I’m going to get hit!” Ochako braced for the worst, raising her arms to defend herself. But the sound of a rifle cracking and metal being blasted. Ochako slowly opened her eyes, revealing to see a gaping molten hole in the 1-pointer before it collapsed onto the ground. Ochako was surprised by the destroyed one-pointer, but what was an even bigger shock was the giant humanoid robot that landed near here. Ochako, looking up to see Nu Gundam, who has just fired his beam rifle.

“Are you alright, young girl? You better watch out, don’t want to overexert yourself too hard!” Nu Gundam then looked toward the 3-pointer that Ochako was about to destroy. “Sorry, but I’ll be taking that!” He launched himself at the 3-pointer, drawing his beam saber in his left arm and swung. The beam saber slashed through the metal like a hot knife through butter, sparks sprayed across the street as the pink beam of energy moved through the villain bot with ease. The 3-pointer ended up exploding into melted debris, with Nu Gundam putting away his beam saber as the smoke cleared.

“Target destroyed! Searching for a new target!” The Nu Gundam announced as it launched itself in the air. The shockwave caused Ochako to close her eyes.

“W-what was that?” Ochako found herself saying, taken back by the talking robot. As she stood there, she also saw Izuku running toward where Nu Gundam was going.

“Good job, Nu! Keep it up!” Izuku turned to see Ochako as he was running and shot her an embarrassed smile. “H-hey Uraraka!”

“M-Midoriya!?” Ochako stammered, still shocked at Nu Gundam’s presence. “Wait, did he call that thing Nu? Does Izuku know that thing? I have so many questions right now!”

“S-sorry! I-it’s my Quirk! Can’ttalknowseeyoulatergoodluck!” Izuku blurted as he sprinted toward a red and white shape in the sky.

Meanwhile, Nu Gundam just got back to Sazabi, who was taking out villain bots left and right with his beam shot rifle. “Pathetic. Is this all the famous UA High School can muster? I was hoping for more of a challenge, but I suppose I got my hopes too high.”

“These bots are designed to be taken out by an unarmed human, Sazabi. They aren’t even nearly equipped enough to handle beam weaponry." Nu Gundam explains, pointing his beam rifle and firing, his shot landing true on a 2-pointer. “That’s six!”

“Six? Don’t tell you're holding back, Nu. I have already scored twenty-five points.” Sazabi scoffed.

“Holding back huh? Alrighty then, if holding back is your concern, then I won’t hold back!” Nu Gundam remarked, his psycho-frame began to glow more intensely. “Funnels, deploy!” The six fin funnels on his back began to detach and unfold, floating nearby and ready to be directed under Nu Gundam.

“Hmph, ditto.” Sazabi released his own funnels in the air from his backpack. Floating beside Sazabi just like the fin funnels. 

“Funnels, go forth and conquer!”

“Funnels! Go get ‘em!”

The response was immediate. Nu’s fin funnels flew gracefully across the exam area as Sazabi’s funnels were like crimson wasps swarming their prey. Nu Gundam and Sazabi followed their funnel weapons as they surveyed the battlefield.

Tenya Iida, the earlier young man with blue hair, was busy immobilizing as many of the villain bots as he could. Thanks to his Engine Quirk, he is able to traverse quickly across the exam grounds and use it to destroy the bots with powerful kicks. He spotted a 2-pointer and was about to kick it, but he had to stop when he saw two bizarre shapes surrounding the machine. The fin funnels quickly started to fire powerful beams from their strips, quickly switching to a different position as they continued to pelt the two-pointer with beams until it was destroyed. The funnels then returned to Nu Gundam, who was flying nearby and shooting decisive shots with his own beam rifle.

Although shocked, Tenya couldn't deny his amazement. “Incredible…! The tactical coordination and precision… I’ve never seen something like this before!”

The examination grounds had become a warzone unlike anything UA had ever witnessed. Nu Gundam and Sazabi moved through the urban training area like apex predators, their coordination so fluid it despite the two being destined rivals. 

"Targets at two o'clock!" Nu Gundam called out, spotting a cluster of 2-pointers emerging on a street. Without hesitation, he pointed his beam rifle and commanded his funnels to shoot at the bots, pink beams shot out and destroyed each and every one of the villain bots with one shot. “Done! That’s forty-two!”

"Excellent work," Sazabi commented, a rare hint of approval in his voice. The red mobile suit had been busy with his own targets. A 3-pointer charged at him with one of its metal claws extended, but Sazabi sidestepped with surprising grace for such a large machine.

"Too slow," Sazabi sneered, bringing out his beam saber, crackling to life in a brilliant green blade of energy, and stabbed the 3-pointer right on the back. The machine just simply slumped to the ground. "Forty-five. These faux villains lack any semblance of tactical awareness." Sazabi’s mono-eye turned into a group of robots featuring a mix of 1-pointers, 2-pointers and even a 3-pointer.

“Get the traitor!” A faux villain yelled in its electronic voice as it pointed its metal claw at Sazabi.

"You dare challenge me?" Sazabi replied, its mono-eye glaring intensely now. Sazabi stored away his beam shot rifle and reached for his beam tomahawk along with his beam saber, both weapon’s blades crackling to life in a menacing green hue. “By all means, go ahead. The result will always be the same.” Sazabi's approach was brutal, efficient, and overwhelming. His beam axe cleaved through a 2-pointer's torso while his beam saber simultaneously impaled a 1-pointer that had tried to flank him. However, Sazabi was not able to see a duo of 2-pointers attempting to ambush him from his blindspot. 

"Behind you!" Nu Gundam called out, Sazabi turning his head toward the ambushing duo.

"Funnels, intercept!" Sazabi commanded coldly. His four funnels detached from their storage position and zipped through the air like crimson bullets. They positioned themselves around the approaching villain bots and opened fire, their beams creating a deadly crossfire that reduced the machines to molten slag.

Nu Gundam wasn't to be outdone by Sazabi however. "Fin funnels, all-out attack!" His six fin funnels spread out in a wide formation, creating an intricate web of beam fire that systematically dismantled the remaining villain bots and any additional bots that were in the nearby vicinity. In less than thirty seconds, the entire group of villain bots had been eliminated, for a total of 84 in points scored.

"Magnificent!" Nu Gundam pumped his fist in celebration. "That's what I call teamwork!"

"Hmph. Adequate," Sazabi replied, though his tone suggested he was more pleased than he let on. He deactivated his beam weapons and recalled his funnels. "Master Izuku shall be pleased with our performance."

“And…?” Nu Gundam crossed his arms as he recalled his own fin funnels. Although his fin funnels were expendable weapons, Izuku made it so that they could be recalled by Nu Gundam.

“And what?” Sazabi questioned, turning his mono-eye toward Nu.

“Where’s the ‘Thank you?’ I called out on those 2-pointers that were about to ambush you.” Nu Gundam said.

“Hmm? You’re worried about that? I could have dealt with them perfectly without your assistance.” Sazabi coldly declared, crossing his arms.

“C’mon, Sazabi! A little bit of gratitude wouldn’t hurt, you know.”

“When will you cease this pointless chatter?”

“You think everything is pointless!”

From his position on a nearby alleyway, Izuku watched his mobile suits with a mixture of pride and amazement. Even after all their training sessions in the warehouse, seeing them in actual combat was breathtaking.

"Incredible work, you two!" he calls out. The two mobile suits stop their argument to look at Izuku. "You guys are doing great! Keep it up!”

"Thank you, Captain!" Nu Gundam's cheerful response echoed across the battlefield.

"We live to serve, Master," Sazabi added with characteristic formality.

As the smoke cleared from their latest victory, the exam grounds had grown noticeably quieter. Other examinees had begun to take notice of the two massive mobile suits dominating the battlefield, some stopping their own battles to stare in amazement. 

"Hey, are those... robots fighting robots?" One student wondered aloud.

"Who's controlling them? Is there a pilot!" Another called out.

"I think it's that green-haired kid there! Is he doing this? What the heck is his Quirk?"

“He's stealing all the points! How the heck are we supposed to compare to that!”

In the observation room overlooking the testing grounds, the UA faculty watched the monitors with varying degrees of surprise and intrigue. The principal of this fair academy, who is either a bear, dog or mouse: Principal Nezu, sat perched in his chair. His small paws clasped together as his beady eyes tracked the movements of the two mysterious mobile suits dominating the battlefield.

"Most fascinating," Nezu murmured, his voice carrying curiosity. "Aizawa, remind me. What was listed on young Midoriya's support item application?"

Eraserhead adjusted his posture as he flipped through a stack of papers, looking worse for wear even when he dunked a gallon of coffee down his throat this morning. "Let's see here... 'Custom-built plastic models for combat assistance via Quirk activation.' Pretty vague description, but it was approved since his Quirk apparently requires external objects to function."

"Plastic models?" Midnight raised an eyebrow as she rewatched a clip where Sazabi obliterated three villain bots in rapid succession. "Those look more like military weapons than toys." 

"I agree with Midnight. The firepower output is concerning," Cementoss rumbled, his rocky features creasing with worry. "Those laser weapons are capable of melting through reinforced steel as if it were paper. In the wrong hands..."

"But look at the precision!" Power Loader interjected, leaning forward in his chair. His engineering background made him appreciate the technical marvel before him. "There’s not a single missed shot! These are laser weapons we’re talking about, they're meant to be precise! And look at those smaller units, it looks like they have their own balance control systems to fine-tune their own position! And that giant red one! The thrust to weight ratio on that one should be impossible! Not to mention the sheer amount of power to even actually move these machines!”

Vlad King scratched his head, trying to process what he was seeing. "But they're just... plastic models, right? How is plastic generating that kind of energy output?"

"Quirks rarely follow conventional physics," Aizawa spoke, his voice gravelly. "The question isn't how, it's the implications. This student has utilized his Quirk to effectively weaponize what appears to be a simple hobby.”

“That’s some crazy accuracy with those laser guns,” Snipe admits as he was studying the beam weaponry of both mobile suits. “I’ll admit that these things do look pretty cool. No recoil, no bullet drop, instant target acquisition. Even the smaller ones are pretty good at shooting too.”

"The tactical applications are impressive to say the least.” Nezu scratched his chin in earnest. "Mobile weapons with apparent artificial intelligence, weaponry that surpasses military-grade equipment, and even flight capabilities. This single student essentially has his own private army."

On another monitor, they watched as Izuku ran across the battlefield, occasionally shouting orders to his mobile suits. His movements were calculated, staying in cover while maintaining visual contact with his units.

“Izuku Midoriya… you’ve definitely got the potential.” Yagi Toshinori smiles from his seat, his interest growing with every second. One might greatly overestimate Izuku and his Quirk at first glance, but seeing the boy's performance right now can shoot down all doubts. Heck, Yagi feels a bit threatened by Izuku as he’s slowly inching toward his own UA Entrance Exam score. “But, this is simply just the start of the test. Let’s see how the youth of today can fair against adversity?”

At the press of a button, the exam grounds began to rumble, buildings groan under the stain as the sound of bending metal and crushed debris can fill the examinee’s ears. All eyes are turned to the source, a massive robot that stands taller than any of the buildings within the exam grounds. As it moved, any thing that was a hindrance to it was simply crushed under its moving tracks, it truly was an obstacle that one must avoid.

“Oh hell no! I’m out of here!”

“There’s no way we can take that thing down!”

The examinees began to evacuate from the premise, running away from the mechanical monstrosity. Izuku was watching nearby, instead of fear, he was filled with fascination with the Zero-Pointer.

“Wow! That thing is huge! Maybe even as tall as the Psycho Gundam!” Izuku thinks, but cringes as he sees it crush a nearby building with ease. “Yikes… is this what it feels like when the Psycho Gundam attacks?” 

Izuku's mobile suits had stopped mid-air, assessing this new threat.

"Master's orders were to avoid the Zero-Pointer," Sazabi's cold voice cut through the chaos.

"You’re right Sazabi." Nu Gundam agreed, but his tone was filled with concern. "But are the other examinees, should we be worried about them?"

“Not a concern. They seem to be faring well when it comes to running away.” Sazabi looked down on the fleeing examinees. “While they are distracted however, let us take this opportunity to claim more points.”

“Alrighty then… Captain, you heard us, right?”

“Yep, I heard you guys. Let’s keep racking up those points.” Izuku said his Quirk allows him to communicate almost mentally with his Mobile Suits, depending on the distance, he can command and listen to what they have to say. Izuku turns around to begin running away but that’s when he hears a familiar voice from behind him. Looking back, he saw Ochako on the floor, her leg was trapped under a pile of rubble and she was struggling to get out. The zero-pointer was inching closer and closer to the trapped girl, threatening to hurt and outright crush her.

His blood ran cold, but something overtook Izuku’s mind and body at that moment. It was an unexplainable feeling, a feeling that someone needed to be saved! He focused sharpened as his body immediately turned around and ran straight toward the giant robot. The points matter anymore, he needed to save Ochako!

“Nu Gundam! Sazabi!” Izuku urgently screamed, and the mobile suit duo turned toward their creator. “Stop that Zero-Pointer! Do whatever it takes!” His legs were just moving by themselves, Izuku’s mind was racing with thoughts of urgency and duty, he couldn’t stand by when someone needed help!

The response was immediate from the two Mobile Suits, they knew from the tone of voice that there was no time to be fooling around. The two mobile suits rocketed toward the massive robot, beam rifles charging as their funnels deployed in attack formation. A barrage of beam weaponry peppered the Zero-Pointer, not a single metal panel was burned by the attack. But the Zero-Pointer continued moving, inching closer and closer to Izuku and Ochako. Speaking of which, the greenette reached Ochako and immediately began trying to assist her out of the rubble.

“M-Midoriya! What are you doing here?” Ochako blinked, surprised that the boy was here to help her.

Izuku was already trying to lift the piece of rubble off of her leg. “Urgh…! Ochako! It’s just that…” Izuku gave her a weary grin, he was aware of the imminent danger about to befall on both of them, but he thought a smile like All Might’s would be able to reassure her. “It’s just like you needed some help!”

Ochako’s eyes widened, he saw the sheer look of determination in Izuku’s eyes. The greenette never gave up, trying whatever he could and using whatever ounce of strength he had to at least the rubble enough so that Ochako could slide out. Ochako didn’t know what to say, it was the first time she ever met and talked to a boy her age, and he was willing to put his life on the line just to save someone he barely knew? Ochako’s heart swelled, an unknown feeling began to grow and a new appreciation for the green-haired boy.

But it wasn’t enough, Izuku looked up to see the Zero-Pointer just a few meters away from him and Ochako. He screamed out in desperation.

“NU! SAZABI! Stop that thing with all your might!!!”

Despite the brag of beams that was hitting the Zero-Pointer, none of it was slowing it down in the slightest. As a result, combined with the amount of shooting they did against the bot villains, Sazabi and Nu Gundam’s beam rifles were out of energy. “Dammit! Out of energy!” Nu holstered his beam rifle away, instead drawing his beam saber. “Sazabi! We need to directly hit it with the power source! I think I know where it is!” Nu scanned the Zero Pointer, and as if he was hit with a warning, Nu suddenly knew where exactly the power source was. “Sazabi! With me!”

“As If I had a choice here!” Sazabi drew his own beam saber, and charged together with Nu. The duo boosted straight toward the center chest of the Zero Pointer and with all of their power, thrusterd their beam sabers at the exact same time. The sabers instantly punctured through multiple layers of reinforced metal and directly struck the power generator of the Zero-Pointer. With its power source now destroyed, The Zero-Pointer started to stall to a stop, and just in time as well. Izuku just managed to get Ochako out of the rubble. The massive Zero-Pointer groaned as its systems shut down, steam hissing from the puncture wounds left by the beam sabers. Nu Gundam and Sazabi landed gracefully on either side of the now-motionless giant, beam weapons powered down.

Izuku helped Ochako to her feet, both of them breathing heavily from the close call. The brown-haired girl looked up at him with gratitude.

"Midoriya..." Ochako's voice was soft, almost breathless. She bowed deeply, her voice thick with emotion. "Thank you so much! I don't know how I can ever repay you!"

"N-no, it's okay!" Izuku waved his hands frantically, his face turning red. "I just... I couldn't leave you there! Any Hero would have done the same thing!"

"It just means a lot, you know?” Ochako smiled, “And your robots! They're so cool! Did you make them yourself or is it your Quirk?”

“I’ve built them myself.” Izuku replied. “And my Quirk animates them.”

Nu Gundam's head turned toward the duo. "That’s right! He practically created us!" the white mobile suit declared proudly. "We are honored to serve under such a noble commander!"

Sazabi remained characteristically stoic but added, "Master Izuku's tactical decisions were sufficient. He has simply adapted accordingly."

"They can talk too?!" Ochako’s eyes widened even further.

"AND TIME!" Present Mic's voice boomed across the testing grounds, echoing from speakers throughout the area. "That's a wrap on this year's UA Entrance Exam, listeners! Please make your way to the exit in an orderly fashion!" 

The UA faculty sat in contemplative silence as the monitors showed the aftermath of the dramatic finale. Principal Nezu was the first to speak, his small paws steepled in front of him.

"Midoriya Izuku. Final score: eighty-four villain points, plus..." Nezu mused, his voice carrying a mix of intrigue and approval. "Sixty rescue points for his heroic actions in saving Miss Uraraka."

"Sixty rescue points?" Midnight raised an eyebrow. "That's quite generous, even for such a dramatic rescue."

"The boy commanded his... robots... to sacrifice their objectives to save another student," Aizawa observed, his usually stern expression showing a hint of approval. "I wouldn't exactly say it's logical, but he demonstrated exactly the kind of heroic instinct we look for."

"And what power it is," Power Loader whistled low. "Those machines just took down a Zero-Pointer! Do you realize what kind of engineering marvel that represents? I need this kid in my support class! C’mon Nezu!"

"More importantly," All Might interjected, his skeletal form leaning forward with interest, "Young didn't hesitate. When he saw someone in danger, he acted immediately. That's the mark of a true hero."

Vlad King nodded slowly. "His total score puts him at the top of this year's practical exam results. One hundred and forty-four points total."

"The highest score in UA's entrance exam history, even beating your record All Might!" Nezu confirmed with what could only be described as a satisfied smile. "Though I suspect young Midoriya was more concerned with saving his classmate than breaking records. Whatever the case," Nezu concluded, standing up from his chair, "Midoriya Izuku has certainly earned his place at UA. I’m excited about what else he will bring to the table.”

 Then, a door opened revealing some average joe in a suit, he was part of the UA staff. “Uhm… Mister Nezu? You have a phone call.” The man gulps in slight nervousness. “From the HPSC.”

 All eyes turned toward the man, Nezu's eyes slightly twitched in annoyance. He didn’t exactly like the HPSC and their goals of making all Heroes goodie two shoes. By keeping the public image of Heroes clean they made their profit. Although Nezu was opposed to work with the HPSC, they were government backed and he couldn't really argue with as a result.

“Oh? What do want? A certain student of ours catch their interest?" Nezu guessed.

“Well, sort of.” Said the man, “It's actually about one of the examinees.” 

The sun was setting over UA High School as the last of the examinees departed, but for Izuku Midoriya, it felt like his new life was just beginning to dawn. For better of for worse. This would be the starting line for his Vigilante endeavors.

Chapter Text

The letter arrived three weeks later. Izuku's hands shook as he read the brief, official message: "We regret to inform you that your application to UA High School has been rejected. While your performance during the practical examination was noted, concerns have been raised regarding the nature of your Quirk and its potential applications. We wish you luck in your future endeavors."

"That's impossible!" Inko cried, reading over his shoulder. "Your scores must have been incredible! Something’s not right!"

But Izuku stared at the letter with growing confusion. The language was too vague. This wasn't about grades or performance, but rather his own Quirk. What was this truly about? A few hours later while Izuku was contemplating life in his room, his phone buzzed with an unknown number. Izuku raised an eyebrow and decided to answer it.

"Izuku Midoriya?" The voice was professional, cold. "This is Agent Yosoto from the Hero Public Safety Commission. We'd like to schedule a meeting to discuss your future."

"Huh? The HPSC? W-hat kind of meeting?"

"The kind that determines whether you become an asset or a threat, young man. Your Quirk has... drawn attention. The ability to create autonomous weapons systems outside government oversight is concerning to some people. But it could also be very valuable to the right organization."

Izuku's blood ran cold, they were implying that they wanted to use his Quirk as a weapon. There was a pause on the phone. “The Commission occasionally requires individuals with specific skill sets for special operations. Your Quirk could be invaluable for situations requiring... discretion."

"And if I refuse?" 

"Then we'll have to classify you as a potential security risk. Quirks like yours, capable of mass-producing military hardware, require careful monitoring. It would be unfortunate if we had to take preventive measures."

“Y-you’re threatening me!”

"I'm offering you options, Midoriya. Work with us, and you'll have resources beyond your wildest dreams. Unlimited materials, cutting-edge technology, missions that actually matter. Refuse, and... well, let's just say that things won’t play as we all expect them to. This conversation will be happening, whether you like it or not. Don’t tell anybody else about this conversation, we’ll know. We look forward to your favorable response.”

Izuku hung up before he could hear anymore, his hands trembling with rage and fear. They wanted to turn him into a weapon or lock him away as a threat. Either way, his dream of being a Hero. The dream he'd nurtured since childhood, the dream that had sustained him through years of bullying and rejection, was over. He slumped forward in his chair, burying his face in his hands as despair washed over him. The weight of the rejection, the threats, the impossible choice, it all crashed down at once. That night, Izuku silently sobbed from the burdensome feeling of anguish weighing on his chest.

“It's over," Izuku whispered. "They won't let me be a hero. They either want to use me or cage me…"

All of his Gunpla watched in silence. Lifeless plastic just simply stood on the shelves. But that’s when Izuku’s Quirk unconsciously activated itself, the shimmer of azure particles dancing around his room, responding to his emotional distress. Izuku needed somebody to support him, to lift him back up, to get rid of the weight of gravity. One by one, his Gunpla models began to glow and animate, living and moving despite Izuku not consciously activating his Quirk. They stood around him like dozens of silent guardians, all watching their creator with concern.

"Captain..." Nu Gundam's voice was soft, filled with worry. "We felt your distress."

Sazabi's mono-eye glowed with cold fury. "Master, tell us who has caused you such pain. They will answer for this insult."

Although confused, Izuku still sobbed. "It's no use," Izuku whispered without looking up. "They want to control me. Use my Quirk for their own purposes. If I refuse, they'll lock me away or worse. There's no path forward where I get to be a Hero."

The room fell silent for a moment. Then Freedom Gundam stepped forward, its wings catching the light.

"Commander, with respect, you're wrong." The mobile suit's voice carried unwavering conviction. "There is always a path for those who refuse to surrender their dreams."

"But they have all the power," Izuku protested. "The government, the Commission, the Hero schools! They control everything…!"

Gundam Barbatos slammed its mace against the floor. "Then we gotta change the game, Boss! We just don't play by their rules!"

Wing Gundam Zero's angelic wings gleamed as it spoke: "Systems, such as that putrid HPSC, that crush dreams and manipulate the innocent deserve to be challenged."

"You… you want us to fight the government?" Izuku looked up, his eyes red with tears.

"We want to fight for YOU," Nu Gundam declared passionately. "For your dreams, your beliefs, your right to choose your own path!"

One by one, his Gunpla began to speak, their voices rising in a chorus of loyalty and defiance:

"We live and die by your orders, Commander!"

"Let's show them what real heroes look like!"

"They fear your power because they can't control it!"

"What are your orders, Master?"

“Just give the word, sir!”

"We’ll prove them wrong about everything!"

And then, Sazabi stepped forward, his crimson frame towering over the others as his mono-eye blazed with righteous fury. When he spoke, his voice carried conviction.

"Master Izuku, this society claims to celebrate heroes, but what they truly worship are spectacles; flashy Quirks that look good on camera, powers that can be marketed and monetized. They elevate those blessed with 'heroic' abilities while casting aside anyone whose gifts don't fit their narrow definition of acceptable."

The red mobile suit's voice grew more passionate, more filled with contempt for the system that had rejected his creator.

"Those with 'villainous' Quirks are branded as potential threats from birth. Those with initially 'weak' Quirks, such as the very one that’s Master Izuku’s quirk! The very Quirk that brought us all to life, those Quirks are dismissed as worthless, and individuals were told to find other dreams. Those whose power is too complex, too independent for the HPSC’s liking, are seen as dangerous wildcards to be controlled or eliminated."

Sazabi raised his finger toward the ceiling, as if challenging the very heavens.

"Their souls are weighed down by gravity! The gravity of fear, of the desperate need to maintain their stranglehold on power. They cannot conceive of a world where strength comes from conviction rather than certification, where heroism is defined by action rather than one’s biological mutation!"

His mono-eye dimmed slightly as his tone became more personal, more reverent.

"But you, Master Izuku, you have given us life. You have breathed purpose into plastic with nothing but pure will and an unshakeable desire to protect others. We are not bound by their gravity. We soar because you dream of soaring."

Sazabi knelt on one knee before Izuku, his massive form bowing in absolute loyalty.

"I pledge my beam rifle, beam tomahawk, my funnels, my very existence to you and your vision, Master Midoriya. You choose to fight for those they would abandon."

The crimson mobile suit's voice rose to a thunderous declaration:

"I, MSN-04 Sazabi, will serve Izuku Midoriya faithfully until my generator runs cold and my armor falls to rust! SIEG MIDORIYA!"

The chant grew louder and louder as more of his Gunpla joined in the chant. First the Zeonic Mobile Suits, then eventually the Federation suits as well, even suits from different timelines were chanting:

"SIEG MIDORIYA! SIEG MIDORIYA! SIEG MIDORIYA!"

The chant grew louder, more fervent, until Izuku felt something stirring within him. Not despair, but determination and defiance. He stood slowly, wiping his eyes as he looked around at his loyal companions. He cried tears of joy and gratitude to his Gunpla. These weren't just models, they were his partners, his friends, extensions of his own will and dreams.

"You're right," he said quietly, then louder: "You're right! If they won't let me be a Hero through their system, then I'll find another way!" The azure particles swirled more intensely around the room as his resolve solidified. 

Nu Gundam raised its hand triumphantly. "That's the spirit, Captain!"

"But understand this," Izuku continued, his voice growing stronger. "If we do this, there's no going back. We'll be operating outside the law, outside the system. They'll call us vigilantes, criminals, terrorists even."

Sazabi's laugh was cold and bitter. "Let them. We soldiers make history, not their puny puppets they call Heroes."

Izuku felt a smile tugging at his lips for the first time since the phone call. "Then let's give them something to really be afraid of. If they want to treat me like a weapon, I'll show them what this weapon can really do. We’ll save people, protect the innocent, and deliver justice! A shining beacon of hope for everyone whose dreams were rejected because of their Quirks!”

"SIEG MIDORIYA!" His Gunpla cheered again, and this time, Izuku smiled back.

Outside his window, the city lights still twinkled like stars, but now they looked less like distant dreams and more like beacons calling him forward into an uncertain but determined future.

The next morning, Izuku went to the warehouse. Conviction burned in his eyes as he prepared himself to dive into Vigilantism. A good portion of his Gunplas were also on display within the warehouse, as this the place was a second home to him. Izuku opened the crusty door, groaning as he entered the building. He turns on the lights and to his surprise, Sei was waiting for him, leaning on a nearby shelf.

“Ah! Mister Iori! I didn’t see you there I-” Izuku spoke, but Sei stopped him.

“Izuku. Your mother told me everything. I know how you feel right now, I feel ya too.” Sei started, sounding somber.

“Oh… really? But Mister Iori-”

“But you shouldn't give up! I know you feel frustrated, bitter, even depressed! But you can’t give up!” Sei’s voice roared, sounding encouraging. “Who cares if some blasted institution rejects you! Honestly, I think UA is full of shams anyway. You worked too hard for this, you can’t let it all go in vain!”

“N-no it’s alright Mister Iori! I’m-”

“That’s why I think you should take on Vigilantism. Yeah, I know it's illegal, but it’s the only option! I’ll take full responsibility if you get in trouble, saying it was my idea, so please!”

“Mister Iori I am going to be a Vigilante!!!” Izuku yelled, shocking Sei. “Ah! Sorry, I already made up my mind last night Mister Iori, I’m going to use my Gunpla to save people. Even if it’s against the law.”

“Oh. O-oh. Well, I feel stupid now!” Sei chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. “Alright! That’s good! Actually, it’s not but… I’m giving you my full support regardless you know!”

Izuku smiles as he bowed in gratitude. “Thank you so much Mister Iori! I’m going to do my best!”

“That’s the spirit!” Sei smiled, before rustling through a dusty box “Now… take a look at this.” Sei heaved something onto a nearby table, it was a metal box that looked like a radio, with a little antenna on the side of it. One of its dials was missing as well.

“I got this police scanner from the nearby scrapyard! You can use this to respond to emergencies!” A smug and cocky smile on his lips.

“Wow… okay! I-I think we can work with this, Izuku inspects the device. “Thank you so much Mister Iori! But how exactly did you get this?”

“I made an old friend down at the scrap yard. His name’s Kelly, he actually used to be a former Hero!” Sei explains.

“Wait, really?! I should probably meet them sometime! I wonder who they were!” Izuku’s Hero fanboy instincts kicked in instantly. 

“Although he was very generous in giving me this. I doubt it’s gonna actually work. You might have a hard time finding any emergencies.” Sei warns.

“We can’t give up now,” Izuku looked up to Sei, “We’ll make it work. Even if I have to wait hours.”

Sei dusted off his hands after showing Izuku the police scanner, but then he leaned in close, his tone suddenly serious.

 “Alright, listen, Izuku. If you’re going to do this… we need to think this through. Vigilantism isn’t just running out the door with your Gunpla and hoping for the best. You’ll need a disguise, a persona. Something to protect your identity. If the HPSC ever catches wind that you’re behind this… it won’t just be you. Your mom, your friends, even me. We’d all be at risk.”

Izuku froze. The thought of his own mother being targeted made his stomach twist. “You’re right…” he whispered.

“So first things first: a name. Something strong, something that’ll strike fear into villains but give hope to the people.”

Izuku opened his mouth but stopped, biting his lip. He thought about the cruel word Katsuki had spat at him for years: Deku. Worthless. Useless. Someone who’d never be a Hero. His fists clenched. But this was different, he didn’t need that cruel name anymore. No, he needed something different, not for himself, but for his army as a whole.

“Neo Londo Bell.”

Sei blinked. “Huh? Neo Londo Bell? Oh-hoh… That’s… pretty bold. Doesn’t exactly sound like it came from the underground, but it sure sounds serious.”

Izuku’s eyes burned with determination. “Heh, it’s a homage. To something elite. Not for me alone,  for everyone who fights beside me.” Izuku takes a look at his assembled Gunpla.

For a moment, Sei just stared at him. Then he smiled, slow and proud.
“…Alright then. Neo Londo Bell it is. Honestly, I like it. It’s memorable.”

Izuku nodded, feeling a strange strength in claiming the name for his force.

“Next: the look.” Sei rummaged through the shelves, digging out old cosplay helmets and Gunpla runner scraps until he found a half-busted motorcycle helmet and a cracked faceplate. “Aha! Here, I’ll use a little bit of my Quirk here…” With a few adjustments, he slid the pieces together into something angular and menacing.

“Here! This should work for now. It’s no full-body suit, but it’ll hide your face. Kinda reminds me of…” Sei paused, chuckling. “Char Aznable.”

Izuku carefully took the helmet. The front visor was tinted dark red, and it covered his eyes. He pulled it on and turned toward a dusty mirror. His reflection startled him. His face was gone, replaced by the visage of a faceless soldier, sharp and mysterious.

“Heh, it works,” Izuku whispered.

Sei grinned. “Perfect. You look like you belong in one of the Gundam shows!” He gestured dramatically. “The Red Comet of Musutafu!”

Izuku shook his head, embarrassed. “N-not that flashy! Just… something that protects our identities.”

“Alright, alright,” Sei laughed. “But the mask is important. Names and brands matter, you know. Both heroes and villains both have them. If you’re going to stand apart from both, you need something people can remember. Someone saves you from a mugging at night: you don’t just say ‘oh, some vigilante helped me.’ You say ‘Neo Londo Bell’s mobile suits saved me.’ That sticks.”

Izuku held the mask tighter. “Yeah… you’re right.”

Sei leaned forward, resting a hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “Then it’s settled. Neo Londo Bell: your organization of mobile suits. Once you put that mask on and lead them, there’s no turning back. Every action you take will shape how the world sees you: hero, vigilante, or terrorist.”

Izuku nodded slowly, the weight of the words settling on him. But for the first time, instead of fear, he felt something else: conviction.

“I’m going to follow my dream. Even if it means breaking the law, Neo Londo Bell and my Gunpla will be there to save people!” Izuku declared.

Sei smiles. “Alright then! And now… we wait.”

The police scanner crackled faintly when Izuku turned the knob. At first, only static filled the air, hissing like white noise, but Izuku stared at it as if it were a precious relic. His hands trembled with excitement, and for once, it wasn’t out of fear.

“So this… this is the start,” he whispered feeling bored. “It’s going to take a while isn't it?”

“Eh, it’s peaceful these days you know? Heroes and especially All Might brought crime rates down low.” Sei crossed his arms, watching him. “Just don’t overdo it, kid. Vigilantes tend to burn bright and fast. But… if anyone can make this work, it’s you.”

Izuku nodded, determination flashing in his green eyes. “Don’t worry, Mister Iori, I  won't let you down!”

The scanner continued its song of static. Izuku sat in the warehouse with his Gunpla assembled around him like an army waiting for deployment. It was the weekend and Izuku didn’t have any homework to complete, so it was essentially a free day. He closed his eyes, listening, waiting. Hours passed. Sei eventually left, promising to return with more supplies. But Izuku remained, unwavering. The other mobile suits were playing poker to pass the time, it seems to be that a GM Custom was winning. But then it happened, the radio started to buzz and Izuku quickly dialed the knob to fine-tune the frequency. 

BZZZT- “Unit 4, we’ve got reports of an armed bank robbery in progress at the local Mufatu bank. Other units are inbound but still ten minutes out-” BZZZT.

Izuku’s heart skipped a beat. He jumped to his feet, slamming his hand down on the table. “That’s it! That’s our chance!”

The Gunpla stirred at once. Every Mobile Suit bristled with anticipation, their first launch, their maiden voyage. Who gets to be the lucky mobile suit to get deployed on this very first mission?

“Allow me to be your lance, Master Izuku! My speed shall herald your arrival!” OZ-00MS Tallgeese said, raising his arm.

“Hey Captain! Let us GMs handle this!” A RGM-79G GM Command spoke up.

“I’ll get there before the Villains realize it, Commander Izuku! Trust in me!” MS-18E Kampfer spoke up.

“Let me carry the weight of our first battle, Captain Midoriya!” Gundam offers.

“Commander. If you could, please, I will be wholeheartedly honoured if you chose me.” The Red Zaku II Commander Type kneeled to Izuku. 

Izuku was in a rock and a hard place. The first launch was a big deal for a mobile suit, kind of like a birthday. Although his Gunpla was patiently waiting for his decision, he knew that he couldn't waste anymore time. People were in danger, and he needed to be there with his mobile suits. And so he took a deep breath and made his decision.

“Zaku Commander… and two other Zakus.” Izuku spoke. “I’m deploying you three with me.

The Red Zaku Commander Type’s mono-eye flared, glowing like a crimson beacon. “At once, Commander!” it boomed, saluting proudly.

Zaku Commander pointed to two other mass-produced Zakus. “Zaku II Number 3 and 4! You shall accompany Commander Izuku alongside me!” The two Zakus stepped forward, their green armor gleaming under the warehouse lights. They snapped to attention, standing like soldiers before saluting to their commander.
“Number 3, reporting for duty!”
“Number 4, also reporting for duty!”

Izuku’s chest tightened. For all his years of dreaming, for all the pain of rejection, this was real. He was about to save people. He grabbed his helmet and pulled it down over his head, feeling the world narrow into focus. “Alright. Zakus, you’re with me. Our mission is simple, we’ll protect the civilians, and stop the robbers. Non-lethal, understood?”

Both Zakus’ nodded. "Understood, Commander!”

The two of them begin to arm themselves, Zaku #3 was wielding a bazooka while Zaku #4 wielded a machine gun loaded with rubber bullets. Zaku Commander however was wielding both a bazooka and a machine gun. Once they were ready, Izuku used his Quirk to enlarge them. The azure particles shimmered, gathering around the trio of Zakus. The three Zakus stomped forward as they grew, with each step shaking the warehouse floor, growing to around 7 feet. They lined up before Izuku like loyal soldiers.

“We are ready to sortie when you are, Commander!” Zaku Commander saluted with his left hand, the other one preoccupied with the bazooka.

“Perfect! Then let’s-” Izuku stopped for a second before thinking. How was supposed to get there himself? Izuku can’t ride on the Zakus as they flew, he couldn’t handle the wind and he could also be a burden for his Zakus as well. He then looked at the Zaku Commander, and an idea had come to mind.

“Zaku Commander, I need you to be outside for this one.”

“Right away, Commander.”

“Alright, here goes nothing.” Izuku gulped. People were in danger with every delay, Izuku could not afford to wait any longer. He raised his hands out towards Zaku Commander and his Quirk flared to life once more. Izuku strained himself, palms trembling as he put more and more of his Plavasky Particles into Zaku Commander, the mobile suit growing and growing, its form expanding until it was truly at its 1:1 height. Surpassing its model-kit size, the Zaku Commander towered over the warehouse, a war machine reborn from plastic and paint. Its mono-eye blazed like a glowing beacon, staring right at Izuku. Izuku gasped for air, sweat dripping down his brow. Every fiber of his body screamed at the strain, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t. People are in danger. I can’t waste another second.

“Commadner…? This is… my true size?” Zaku Commander looked at himself, then at the other Zakus, they haven’t changed in size one bit.

“I can’t ride on your hull, Zaku Commander. I’ll just get blown away.” Izuku gulped. “I’ll go inside your cockpit. That way I can get to the bank safely.”

Zaku Commander understood, kneeling down for his Commander as the cockpit on his chest began to open, revealing the intricate monitors and control panels inside. “Of course. Cockpit is ready, Commander,” the Zaku intoned.

Izuku climbed inside, his legs shaky but his resolve unshaken. With the help of Zaku Commander, he hoisted Izuku onto his palm and lifted him up to the level of his cockpit. Izuku took a seat, the seat molded perfectly around him, as if it had been waiting all his life. Consoles lit up, holographic displays flickered, and for a heartbeat he felt utterly lost.

“Wait a second. I don’t know how to pilot a mobile suit!” Izuku deadpanned, but there had to be something. Maybe a manual that Izuku could read just like with Amuro and his Gundam? Izuku looked around desperately, staring at the different buttons and panels, but then… something clicked.

He hovered his finger over a set of specific buttons and pushed them. The cockpit closed and the monitor turned on, now Izuku could see what Zaku Commander was seeing. The controls felt natural, like his body already understood. His hands found the twin joysticks. His feet pressed against the pedals. The screens and sensors didn’t confuse him. Somehow, instinctively, he knew exactly what to do.

“Could this be my Quirk? I might have to write it down later!” Izuku smiled, Quirks were truly amazing things. So much to learn about them!

“Commander, is everything alright?” Zaku Commander asked through a monitor, showing a sort of pixelated SD version of him on it.

“Peachy.” Izuku smiled, then asked. “Uhm…Do you trust me with you? I mean, I’m taking control of you afterall.”

“Of course. To be honest, I feel rather honored when you are piloting me.” Zaku Commander confesses.

Outside, two green Zakus saluted, their mono-eyes burning bright. “#3, standing by!” “#4, weapons hot!”

Izuku took a deep breath, and exhaled. He could only hear the hum of a generator and the spooling up of thrusters. The Zaku Commander crouched, engines roaring to life, heat shimmering off its thrusters. Izuku felt the controls one more time before his grip tightened. His voice trembled, but gulped down his nervousness as he announced:

“This is Izuku… Here I go!”

Chapter Text

“AAARARRAGAGAGGHHHHHHH!!!” Izuku yelped as he shot through the urban skies of Musutafu. He had severely underestimated the sheer resistance of the g-forces slamming against his body. His whole frame felt like it was being crushed into the pilot’s seat, his vision tunneling with every violent acceleration.

“How do Gundam pilots make this look so easy?!” he thought in panic, gripping the joysticks tighter than ever.

“Commander! Just remain calm and breathe steadily! Or else you’ll black out.” The SD Zaku Commander advised.

“I-I’m trying!!” Izuku gasped, sucking in air as sweat poured down his forehead. “Oh jeez, I think I’m going to barf!” Izuku gagged, the edge of vision started to darken, and the hum of the thunderous thrusters began to deafen, it wasn’t until Zaku Commander’s sharp voice brought him back to reality.

“Commader! In front of us!” Izuku’s eyes widened as he saw he was heading straight toward a skyscraper. Izuku grunts as he shoves the joysticks downward, forcing Zaku Commander to climb up the skyscraper, just barely avoiding crashing into it. The glass rumbled as Zaku Commander flew across it, Izuku struggling to keep up with the sheer speed at which Zaku Commander was going.

 “I’m not Char Aznable, dammit!” Izuku screamed internally as he finally made it to the top of the skyscraper. Hovering above the roof, Izuku saw the city of Musfatu below him. The sun was setting in the distance, casting an orange glow in the sea in the distance. Lights from the various buildings started to turn on, turning the city into a constellation of lamposts and headlights.

 “Oh… wow…” Izuku gulped, watching the scenery from the lens of Zaku Commander’s mono-eye. The two other Zakus managed to catch up with Izuku.

 “Commander? Are you alright? You almost crashed into that building!” Zaku #4 expressed his concern.

 “Yeah, Sorry guys. I almost blacked out.” Izuku scratched his head, feeling guilty of the damage he could have caused. “I’m not use the g-forces while flying…”

 “Then we could go slower, Commander.” Zaku Commander said, “We’re going plenty faster than any Hero or police response. If you need to get used to the g-forces, we can go much slower.”

 “No. It’s alright. I think I get it now.” Izuku caressed the joysticks and readjusted his footing. “People are in danger right now. We need to get there as fast as possible.”

 The trio of Zakus looked at each other, and all nodded. “Understood. As you command.” Zaku Commander nodded, “Musfatuf Bank is approximately 1.6 kilometers from our position. Marking it now.”

 Izuku saw the display showed a red blinking square toward the right of him. Izuku gulped, they were close, it was time to shine. He slammed on the pedals and Zaku Commander shot out like a rocket. Izuku was managing to get used to the g-forces, gritting his teeth as he focused his breathing, trying not to black out as he swerved through buildings. Although he was struggling with some of the aspects, Izuku couldn’t deny it, piloting a Mobile Suit was exhilarating. There was something intoxicating about piloting a several ton, fusion powered, war machine at extreme speeds. Nothing but you and the sky, and maybe your opponent. Izuku wondered what it would feel like if he was flying in space, the sheer freedom of movement in zero-g was an enticing idea. 

“Gundam… you got me addicted!” Izuku gave a strained smile. He was nearly there now, Izuku thrusted both joysticks and slammed both pedals. It was now time to focus on saving people.

“Target at 0.3 kilometers. I advise you to slow down, Commander.” Zaku Commander warned

Izuku responded by letting off the pedals and adjusting the joysticks. The thrusters on Zaku Commander’s feet began to slow him down as they hovered at a nearby building. The other Zakus arrived just soon after, they were still at 7 feet compared to Zaku Commander’s 1:1 height. Collateral damage was almost guaranteed if Zaku Commander landed on the street.

Izuku began to unbuckle himself quickly. “Zaku Commander, I got to shrink you down so you could fit in the bank.”

“Of course. Right away, Commander.”

Izuku exited out of the Zaku’s cockpit, jumping down with a grunt from the hovering Zaku Commander. Izuku then closed his eyes and focused, pushing with his Quirk. Azure particles shimmered across his hands as Zaku Commander’ began to glow blue. Slowly, the Plavasky Particles on Zaku Commander began to leave and the mobile suit began to shrink as a result. Izuku stopped when Zaku Commander was the same size as his comrades. 

Izuku then fumbled to put on his mask, but clenched his fists. His heart still pounded, but his fear had hardened into resolve. Izuku would be breaking the law, and there would be dire consequences if he got caught. Emphasis on if.

“Alright. This will be simple and quick. Get in and get out. Prioritize the safety of the civilians first.” Izuku brought out something from his backpack, a handheld radio. He can actually talk to the ‘radios’ of his Mobile Suits with this. Izuku crouched behind a parked delivery truck across the street from the Musutafu Bank, the radio trembling slightly in his sweaty hands. The Trio of Zakus prepared to breach, their mono-eyes staring at the mess within the bank’s lobby. The glass windows of the bank shattered as Zaku #4’s bazooka spat two blast-ball rounds that detonated on impact, filling the lobby with a blinding flash and deafening bang! The concussive wave of rubber shrapnel downed a few criminals, but some were still active. That’s when Zaku #3 bursted from the windows, his machine gun already poised at the villains. With the pull of the trigger, a heavy rain of rubber bullets started peppering the remaining Villains, knocking them down on the floor in pain.

“W-What the hell?!” A big, stone-skinned Villain turned toward the mobile suit, he opened fire from a makeshift shotgun in his panic. The pellets bounced off harmlessly on Zaku #3’s metal body, the mobile suit boosted forward with his Utilityhawk in his other hand. With a quick chop of the thermal blade, Zaku #3 cuts the shotgun in half, the molten gun parts falling to the floor, Zaku #3 then stabs the taser hilt into the stone-skinned Villain. The Villain convulsed and slumped to the floor, never even getting to make a significant strike back on the mobile suits. Within a minute, the villains in the lobby were taken down and no civilians were hit by a stray shot.

“Lobby secured, Commander!” Zaku #3 reports, his mono-eye looking at the worried group of civilians. “Don’t fret, civilians! We are Neo Londo Bell, and we’re here to help!”

“L-Londo Bell...? Is that a new Hero agency?” A civilian whispers. “I-I’ve never heard of it before.”

“Could they be Vigilantes?” 

Izuku reached for the radio, his heart swelled with pride. His Mobile suits he has built have saved people. “Zaku #3 good work, both you and Zaku #4 start detaining the knocked out villains.”

 “Undrestood.” Both Zakus entered the bank, grabbing industrial zip ties from the storage compartments and quickly restraining the Villains.

 “Is that all?” Izuku doesn’t want to believe that it was this easy. Where were the leaders? “Zaku Commander, what do you see?”

“Commander, I believe there are still Villains within the vault of the bank.” Zaku Commander enters the bank and analyses his surroundings. “Permmission to go after them?”

“Granted,” Izuku gulps, looking around the street and hearing the distant echo of sirens. “Make it quick! We won’t have much time.”

“Affirmative, I’ll have it down three times as fast!” With a controlled burst from his thrusters, Zaku Commander zoomed across the hallway and to the vault. The metal door was half open and most of it had melted off, hot metal oozing onto the floor.

“Heat? Hmm, of course. They needed some way to breach the vault, the Villain is suspected of utilizing a heat-based Quirk.” Zaku Commander analyzes, raising his bazooka. He should fire one round in the vault, that way anybody in there can be easily taken care of. But a huge burst of heat erupted from the vault. Zaku Commander only had a second before boosting away from the heat, unfortunately, the burst of heat burned and melted the bazooka’s tube, rendering it useless.

“Zaku Commander! Is everything alright? I just heard something!" Izuku's panicked voice crackled through the radio.

"A minor setback, my bazooka has been compromised, Commander. But nothing I can’t handle." Zaku Commander reported calmly, shifting the ruined weapon onto a holster on his back skirt. Zaku Commanders mono-eye flashed at the vault entrance as a figure emerged. A tall man wreathed in distortion from the heat, his skin glowing red like hot coals. 

"A robot?" The Villain's chuckled. "So you're the thing that took out my boys, huh?” He raised both hands into the air and the temperature in the hallway spiked immediately. “I don't wanna have to ruin the money, but I'd rather live to see another day then get locked up!”

Zaku Commander immediately boosted back from the sudden spike in temperature. The wallpaper starts to brown and curl from the heat. This was dangerous, the Villain's Quirk could be hot enough to melt his armor. However, The mobile suit didn't withdraw, instead, he drew the Utilityhawk and his machine gun from his hip mount. The thermal blade activates with a sharp hiss and a warm orange glow. "Unfortunately for you, I will be the one to detain you. I suggest you surrender, and maybe we could consider a less painful and humiliating defeat.”

"Fat chance, tin can!" The Villain yells as he thrust his palms forward, and twin jets of superheated air boost toward Zaku Commander. The mobile suit's thrusters flared as it boosted to the left and evaded the attack but the concentrated heat still caught its right shoulder shield, the armor glowing cherry-red almost instantly.

"Tch! As I feared.” Zaku Commander looked at his shoulder.

“Zaku Commander, what's wrong? Do you need back up?!” Izuku's voice anxiously asked in the comms.

“Commander, the Villain is highly dangerous. The heat output of his Quirk is enough to compromise my own armor.” Zaku Commander grimaced, dodging another jet of superheated air before returning fire from his machine gun. Unfortunately, the rubber bullets all melted before they could even touch the Villain. “As expected, it seems my machine gun is ineffective as well.”

“No way! D-don’t worry, I'll send one of the Zakus to help you! I'll even come down there myself, just hang tight!” Izuku stammered.

“Absolutely not!” Zaku Commander rejected, causing Izuku to stop. “Commander, forgive me for saying this, but you are but a vulnerable target in this situation. In the average confrontation with a Villain, you will be incapacitated immediately.”

“But I can't just stand by and watch!” Izuku protested. “I-I am your guy's Commander! I practically made you guys too! I-I can't let my creations get hurt like this!” His voice cracked slightly. "If you get destroyed because I wasn't good enough to lead…"

“Hmm, hahaha! It sounds like you don't have enough trust in us, Commander.” Zaku Commander chuckled, shocking Izuku.

“Eh? W-what are you saying?” Izuku said, confused and a little hurt.

“I'm saying, have more faith in your soldiers, Commander.” Zaku Commander said as he once more barely dodged a jet of heated air. "Believe in the machine you created. You didn't just assemble plastic, Commander. You poured your heart, your knowledge, your very dreams into every piece of us." The mobile suit fired his thrusters again, zigzagging through the corridor as another heat blast carved a molten dent in the wall behind him. "So tell me, Commander. Do you trust your own work? Do you believe in the machines you've created with such care?"

Izuku felt his throat tighten, his eyes beginning to sting. "I… I do. I do believe in you."

"Then let me show you that your faith is not misplaced," Zaku Commander declared, his mono-eye growing more intense. He holstered his machine gun and prepared his Utilityhawk. “I'll simply have to adjust my tactics.”

“Done giving yourself a pep-talk or something?” The Villain taunted, raising his molten glowing hands once more. “How about you stop moving around and let me kill you!”

Zaku Commander fired his thrusters again, zigzagging through the corridor as another heat blast carved a molten dent in the wall behind him. The mobile suit closed the distance with a burst of speed that caught the Villain off-guard. The Utilityhawk slashed horizontally, but the Villain was able to grab the weapon's thermal blade with his bare hands. 

"You think this can hurt me?!" The Villain laughed, "I AM heat itself!"

“I am aware.” Zaku Commander's mono-eye flashed. "But you’ve already lost."

Without warning, the mobile suit brought something up with his free hand and into the Villain's chest, it was a fire extinguisher, taken from nearby as Zaku Commander was dodging the Villain’s attacks. The fire extinguisher, now exposed to extreme heat, bursted into a cloud of white powder.

"GAH! What the hell?!" The Villain stumbled backward, his aura of heat dimmed as the fire retardant chemicals drastically cooled down his thermal energy. Zaku Commander took the chance with his Utilityhawk, quickly flipping the axe and activating its taser hilt. With a quick stab to the Villain’s chest, thousands of volts coursed through the Villain’s body and within a second, the Villain’s paralyzed body slumped to the ground convulsing. 

"Commander, the hostile has been neutralized." Zaku Commander reports as he detained the Villain with a pair of zip ties. His mono-eye dimmed slightly as it stood over the unconscious Villain. Smoke rose from its damaged shoulder armor. “My first battle against an active Quirk user… that was quite anticlimactic."

Izuku exhaled a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Good... good work, Zaku Commander. Status?"

"Minor heat damage to shoulder armor, and my bazooka. Just a scratch. All systems are functional. The mission is a success."

Down the streets, Izuku could hear the sirens growing louder, much louder. "Alright, everyone out, now! Zaku #3, #4, and Commander make sure there are no injured civilians, we're leaving!"

“All civilians are accounted for, we’re done here!” Zaku #3 exclaimed as he marched out of the bank and into the city streets.

“No other reasons to linger, let’s get going, Commander.” Zaku Commander runs out of the hallway together with Zaku #4 and Izuku. The Zakus and Izuku ran into a dark alleyway just as the police arrived, leaving behind a scene of stunned civilians and restrained Villains. The Zakus followed Izuku with surprising grace for their size, their feet touching down on the cracked pavement with barely a sound. Once Izuku believed he was far away enough, he collapsed against a brick wall in a darkened alley, pulling off his mask as he gasped for air. His body shook, from fear, exhaustion, and the fading rush of adrenaline.

"Commander, are you injured?" Zaku Commander asked as he knelt beside him.

"N-no, I'm fine," Izuku panted, sliding down the wall to sit on the grimy alley floor. A shaky, disbelieving smile spread across his face. "We... we did it. We actually saved them and took out the Villains."

"Yeah, boss!" Zaku #4 added enthusiastically. "We totally crushed those punks! And not a single scratch on the civilians!"

“Shame it was bit short though,” Zaku #3 complained. “I wanted the battle to last a bit longer.”

“What’s done is done. We should feel proud about this, my brethren. We are the first of Commander Izuku’s creations to sortie on this debut mission.” Zaku Commander proclaimed.

Meanwhile, Heroes and news media vans were starting to arrive at the scene. Reporters were covering the event while they also interviewed the witnesses within the bank.

“It seems that our mission will be televised, Commander.” Zaku Commander’s mono-eyed turned back toward the bank. “Word will spread of our victory, we have officially begun our debut as Neo Londo Bell.”

“Now that’s going to be exciting!” Zaku #3 gleamed. “Can’t wait to brag about it to the others!”

“O-oh man…” Izuku gulped, he was getting attention already. This wasn’t good news, although exciting, Izuku knew that the HPSC will trace this incident back to him. He has broken the law, he is a Vigilante now. Instead of despair, Izuku found a wave of conviction flowing through his arms and legs. No government institution is going to prevent him from following his dream.

“I need to shrink you guys back down.” Izuku made the first step. “I’m too tired to grow one of you into your true size so I could fly back. I’ll just have to shrink you guys and walk back to the house.”

“Understood Commander. Take it slow and easy.” Zaku Commander saluted.

“You all did a good job. I'm proud of you guys.” Izuku smiled as he took a deep breath. He focused on Zaku #3 first, carefully pulling the particles away bit by bit. It was like trying to lift weights with sore arms. Zaku #3 finally shrank down to model size, small enough for Izuku to scoop up and place in his backpack. Next was Zaku #4, and then Zaku Commander, all three models were scooped up into his back up along with his mask. It kind of defeats the purpose of having it while commanding from the sidelines, but it was necessary to keep his identity (to the public at least) a secret. He zipped his back pack up and peeked out of the alley. Police cars, Heroes, and news vans were all converging on the bank. 

Izuku walked away from the scene, head low and trying to blend in with any crowds. Acting like he’s just another civilian who heard the commotion. 

\\[]//

By the time Izuku finally reached his neighborhood, the sun had fully set. The streetlights cast long shadows across the familiar sidewalks. His whole body ached with fatigue, and his backpack felt like it weighed a hundred pounds even though the Gunpla inside were relatively light.

"Almost there," he whispered to himself, turning onto his street. "Just a little further..."

His apartment building came into view, and Izuku felt a wave of relief so intense he almost stumbled. Home. He was home. He'd made it. Izuku unlocked the door as quietly as possible, hoping his mother had already gone to bed. His whole body ached, adrenaline long since faded, replaced by exhaustion and the weight of what he'd done.

“I broke the law. I'm officially a criminal now.” Izuku thought, but it didn’t matter, he saved those people and that was enough. Let’s hope that mother wasn’t still awake at this time…

But the apartment lights were on. His mother sat at the kitchen table, hands wrapped around a cup of tea that had long since gone cold. She looked up as he entered, and Izuku's heart sank at the expression on her face. She'd been crying. Izuku opened his mouth, slightly hesitating. There was no maneuvering through this one, he had to tell the truth and face the consequences.  

"Mom, I-"

"Izuku… I-I saw the news." Her voice was small. "They’re saying it was a Vigilante who commands robots." Her eyes met his, red from tears. "Izuku... please tell me it wasn't you."

Izuku stood frozen in the doorway, his backpack heavy with shrunken Gunpla. He could lie. He could make up a story about being at Sei's warehouse, working late. But it wouldn’t help in the slightest, his mother deserved the truth.

"I…I can't tell you that, Mom." He cringed, "...Because it was me."

Inko's hands flew to her mouth, a sob escaping. "Oh, Izuku…!"

"I'm sorry!" The words burst out of him. "I'm so sorry, Mom, but I didn't have a choice! UA rejected me because of the HPSC! They called me, threatened me, said I had to work for them or they'd treat me as a security risk!" Tears streamed down his face. "They wanted to turn me into a weapon! I couldn't…I won't-"

"Wait. Slow down, sweetie, slow down." Inko cupped his face with shaking hands. "The HPSC called you? When? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Er… T-the same night I got the rejection letter." Izuku's voice was barely a whisper. "They told me not to tell anyone. They said they'd know if I did. Mom, I was scared… but I couldn't just give up on being a hero! So I thought... if they won't let me be a hero their way, I'll find another way!"

Inko pulled him into a fierce hug, and Izuku broke down completely, sobbing into her shoulder like he hadn't since he was a child.

"My baby…" she whispered, stroking his hair. "My brave, stupid, wonderful baby."

They stayed like that for a long moment, mother and son holding each other in the quiet apartment. Finally, Inko pulled back, wiping her eyes.

"Izuku, you need to understand something." Her voice was firmer now, more steady. "If the HPSC realizes you were behind tonight... they won't just come after you, but they'll come after me too."

Izuku's blood ran cold. Of course they would. They'd threaten his mother to force his compliance. Sei is already caught in the crossfire as well.

"Then... then I'll stop." The words tasted like ash in his mouth. "I'll turn myself in, say it was all my idea, that you didn't know anything-"

"Absolutely not! Don't give up on your dream because of me!" Inko's shout startled him. Maternal instincts kicking in. "No. If they want to threaten my son, then we'll deal with them together."

"But Mom-"

"No buts!" She stood, pacing now, her mind clearly racing. "We need to be smart about this. If they're watching us, then we need to be ready. You still have your phone, right?"

Izuku blinked. "Yes? But why do we-" Then it clicked in his head.

"Everything the HPSC said to you in the phone call should be in the SIM card, we make sure that it’s safe. It will be the first piece of evidence."

Izuku stared at his mother in awe. "You... you want to blackmail the Hero Public Safety Commission?!"

"I want to protect my son," Inko corrected firmly. "And if that means threatening to expose their illegal intimidation tactics, then yes. We'll blackmail them." She took his hands. "But Izuku, you have to promise me something. Promise me you'll be careful. Promise me you won't take unnecessary risks. Because if I lose you..." Her voice broke. "If I lose you, none of this matters."

"I promise, Mom." Izuku squeezed her hands. "I'll be careful. I won't do anything reckless."

"You broke into an active bank robbery with plastic robot models."

“Please. Have some more faith in us, Lady Inko!” Zaku Commander’s muffled voice came from Izuku’s backpack.

"Eh… I'll be more careful." Izuku scratched the back of his head.

Despite everything, Inko laughed. She pulled him into another hug, and Izuku held her tight, grateful beyond words for her support.

"I should document the call," Izuku said quietly. "Write it down on paper, just in case."

"And we'll give copies to someone trustworthy," Inko added. "Someone outside the HPSC's reach. What about Sei? Does he know?"

"He knows I'm going to be a vigilante. He gave me the police scanner and helped with the mask. But… he doesn't know about the HPSC threats."

"Then we'll tell him tomorrow. He's an adult, he has resources, and most importantly, he believes in you." Inko stood, moving toward the kitchen. "First, though, you need to eat. You look like you're about to collapse."

As if on cue, Izuku's stomach growled loudly. When was the last time he'd eaten? Lunch?

"Mom... thank you." His voice was thick with emotion. "For believing in me. For not being angry."

Inko paused at the refrigerator, looking back at him with eyes full of love and pride and worry all mixed together.

"Izuku, you saved twenty-three people tonight. You risked your freedom, your safety, your future, all to protect strangers. How could I ever be angry at you for that?" She smiled sadly. "I'm terrified. I'm worried sick. But angry? Never. I’m proud of you Izuku, you're exactly the Hero I always knew you'd be."

Izuku felt tears roll down from his eyes, tears full of gratitude. As his mother busied herself making him a late dinner, (luckily it was katsudon) Izuku pulled out his phone and wrote himself a copy on paper of him and the HPSC’s conversation. Now her mother is involved and aware of his vigilante activities, Izuku needs to work harder and more importantly to improve, to keep the people and his mother safe.