A Wolf Among the Sheep

Follow the Trail

Inko awoke to a beautiful morning. Izuku was sleeping still, while she started to make some coffee. On the TV was the weather and news. Sitting down to have a sip of coffee before her son would stir, she watched the news as it went through all of the different major events. The hero killer taking his first victim in Hosu... the single mother shivered, worrying deeply about her son. His career... would involve villains like that. People who would harm him without any qualms about it. Still... Erika's gift... would be perfect to defend against that. And, of course, the new armor was up to his standards.

The next bit of news was about Mt. Lady helping a kid get their kitten back from a tree. A good deed, and a heartwarming story. Smiling, Inko thought about Izuku doing such things. Protecting people, helping them... well, if that was his choice... as much as the greenette didn't like it, personally, she kept Erika's words in mind. Smothering him will only drive him away... Do not emulate this. It was words she tried to live by, and they turned out to do nothing but improve their bond. He told her of everything that had happened at Aldera in due time, because of the trust she placed in him being reciprocated back in kind. Still, she brought the cup to her mouth, sipping, it could be worse...

The next news segment immediately shattered that hope. "In other news, there is a new story about an altercation between a pro hero and a hero student over the contents of Allmight's will. Apparently, Izuku Midoriya, winner of the Sports Festival, had physically altercated with another hero over "minor details", as described in the legal documentation. This story also covers how Midoriya apparently strong-armed a teacher, a different pro-hero of his into forced retirement."

Inko was so enraptured, and paralyzed by fear, that she didn't hear Izuku stumble tiredly into the room. Placing a hand on her shoulder, his mother jumped slightly, dropping the mug onto the floor where it shattered. "Morning... Mom?" His confusion was short lived, as he turned to the TV, and absorbed the information they were providing, his face morphing slightly into a scowl, before a cold, righteous fury. Turning, he quickly got dressed, and went to the door.
"Where are you going?" Inko asked, afraid.

"To have a chat with someone who can do something about this. I know it's the weekend... but this takes priority."

"Wait, make sure you wear a mask, or something! I don't want you to get hurt..."

Pausing, he pulled out a simple surgical mask, and placed it over his mouth. Smiling back, based on the crinkle around his eyes, he called back, "Thanks for the idea. I'll see you later." Closing the door only heightened Inko's anxiety, but she swallowed it, and reminded herself. Izuku is growing up... and he's the only one that even knows what's going on...

"What do we know of Shoowaysha Publishing?" Apollyon asked, convening her war council back at the The Laughing Demon. At this point, Tomura Shigaraki basically followed her advice, even if she didn't directly control him. And in return, he allowed her to use this as her base of operations.

Shoto, surprisingly, gave an answer. "They are one of, if not, the largest media conglomerates in Japan. While they have criticized heroes in the past, they often fall in line with the Hero Public Safety Commission."

"I see..." Rubbing the chin of her armor, she thought about the possible angles here. They could just be going after him because he's a hero student, and the controversy sounded too good to be true. The actual article implied that he was causing problems out of corruption, but that didn't sound like Izuku's character. She knew him a bit too well. For now, she wanted to find out the truth. And that meant going to the heart of the beast. "Where are they located?"