The Emperor's Dragon

Hard Truths

Huge news!

Izuku looked down at his phone. The text was from Inasa and given the context he was surprised. Inasa was usually much more calm

News? He texted back after putting down his pen. This was far more interesting than his English homework.

Shadowcrawler agreed to sponsor me!

It took Izuku a moment to remember who Shadowcrawler was. Obviously with a name like that, he or she was a hero but then he remembered that Inasa had caught a pickpocket at one of the quirk use days and Shadowcrawler had been there.

He gave his phone a half smile. Inasa was a friend. A good friend but the other teen was firmly of the view that the world was good. He didn't know Izuku's true position, or what had happened beyond what he'd told him. Izuku's lips quirked. His dad wouldn't even call Inasa a friend. He was an acquaintance. Either way, the knowledge that the other teen was going to be sponsored into heroics didn't cause him much concern.

You are graduating a year early? Izuku focused on the important question.

No, silly! He's going to work with me next year and then sponsor!

He could tell Inasa was excited.

That's fantastic, Izuku told his friend. Though is Shadowcrawler's quirk a good match for yours? He tried to recall the hero. He didn't think their quirk was something that would complement Inasa's and therefore allow the hero to understand the types of challenges the other teen had.

Not really, Inasa admitted. But he can help out in a general sense and he's assigned one of his sidekicks to work with me on general fitness and fighting forms.

Izuku gave his phone a smile. It sounded like Shadowcrawler knew his limitations and was going to do his best by Inasa anyway. That was good to know. A lot of heroes wouldn't even think they were incapable of anything. Which sidekick? He still didn't remember a lot about Shadowcrawler, but that wasn't the point. He could look him up.

You won't know him! He's new, just graduated but it's Spinner, the Tracking Hero.

Inasa was right, Izuku had never heard of him.

He's really good. He can stick to anything and uses a sword!

So will you be able to train hard? Izuku asked.

Physically, yeah, Inasa agreed. But it's easy to get away from him if I use my quirk, he added.

Izuku nodded. Inasa could simply fly away and it didn't sound like Spinner would be able to follow.

Though Magneteé is tough anyway! She usually wacks me out of the sky if I try to fly away!

He did a very quick search for Magneteé and the first information that came up was that her Agency had an alliance with Shadowcrawlers. She was a career hero, ranked consistently in the mid 300s. She seemed to do a mix of rescue and patrol heroics which probably meant her stats weren't too bad.

How does she do that? Izuku asked curiously.

Her quirk is magnetism, Inasa wrote back. Of people! She's only got a limited range, but she's pretty good at making it feel larger. She made Spinner fly at me once with his sword. That was terrifying!

Izuku laughed. He couldn't really see it but having anyone flying at you with a sword would be scary.

Practice hard! I want you to dissipate the trails you make, he added.