HAPPY 2020!! Wow, a new decade. Holy shit. Well, I hope you all seriously enjoy this chapter, we're nearing the end of the pre-written material for this story, so updates will start to slow down for this story. :( Sorry about that. Oof. Literally, I've only written chapters 9 and 10, and Chapter 11 is sadly blank at this time. Oofers.

Izuku didn't know how he kept finding himself in these sorts of situations. It was the first day back at school. He'd been released from the hospital after two (blissful) days of observation. His Father wasn't home yet, though, so there was that blessing (but he was due home any time, now, and that had Izuku on edge). He felt like the time spent in the hospital with Aizawa (which he'd later learned that their shared room was Hizashi's doing, as a way to make sure neither of them panicked upon waking up) had brought them closer. And now that Hizashi (as Yamada told him he could call him outside of school) and Aizawa knew about his past in the past, things were a lot less strange, somehow. He feared that it would become awkward, but it was actually more comfortable.

And man, did they love hearing about the Old Heroes.

"You met them?" Hizashi had asked as he leaned forward in his hospital visitor's chair, a gleam in his eye that Izuku had only ever really seen in kids who saw their favorite heroes. Even Aizawa had a small gleam!

"Yeah, I know a lot of Old Heroes. Batman was a sort of leader for a lot of them, and I was his foster kid and partner, so of course I met a lot of heroes. Though Batman and Superman did not get along at first." Izuku chuckled, remembering how they blackmailed each other with their secret identities. "Eventually, they warmed up to each other, though. They had a special kind of trust."

"You know, of all the Old Heroes, Flash was my favorite. There was something about the man's style." Hizashi grinned.

"You two would've gotten along, all right. He was just as enthusiastic as you, and he could talk a mile a minute." Izuku laughed to himself. "Kid was the same—oh, Kid Flash. He was my best friend, and we'd constantly go out and cause all sorts of trouble. There was this one time we went around and messed with all the rigged games in the carnival." He laughed, remembering how much fun it'd been. "See, cause I used to live at a circus before Bruce found me, so I knew how all of them worked. Oh, you should've seen the looks on the faces of the stall runners! Eventually, they stopped letting us play, so we started telling the little kids the tricks to beat the games."

"It's nice to see you so happy." Hizashi smiled softly. "You actually look the age you're supposed to be."

"Gotham was dangerous." Izuku's expression darkened. "One of the most dangerous cities in the world. What happened at USJ... was something that wouldn't have been out of place in Gotham. I've handled my fair share of criminals myself in my time in the past."

"Robin, sidekick of the Dark Knight. Your name is known even now. When you first popped up as a vigilante, we thought you were trying to copy the famous Old Hero." Aizawa chuckled lowly, and Izuku found the sound soothing. "We never would've guessed that we were accusing you of impersonating yourself."

Izuku had laughed at that.

Still, it was nice, being out of the hospital. His mother was worried sick, but Izuku skimmed over the major details, and just told her about the attack, and that he was fine. (The hospital stay was glossed over as being overly cautious). But the day before school was due to start, he received a text from the new group chat.

GrumpyCat: You need to come in tomorrow 2 hrs before school starts.

NightBird: Huh? Why?

LoudBird: Because the other teachers need to know about your past. It'll help—trust us.

NightBird: Not that I'm against it necessarily, but why? It's not like Joker's gonna wake up from being dead for 300 years. Though I wouldn't put it past Riddler to have left me some gifts... Mr. Freeze might've survived if he cryogenically froze himself, again... Either way, that's all back in America.

GrumpyCat: All that aside, we can change our teaching methods to better suit your combat experience.

NightBird: Will there be coffee?

LoudBird: What?

NightBird: Will. There. Be. Coffee?

GrumpyCat: Yes, Problem Child. There will be coffee.

NightBird: Death Wish?

GrumpyCat: Yes. I'll buy you Death Wish Coffee, okay? Just show up on time, damnit. I'm getting up for this meeting, too.

LoudBird: That's actually the name of a coffee? Should I b worried?

GrumpyCat: Yes. Yes you should.

LoudBird: Wait... Shouta... You aren't going to be at the meeting tomorrow, because you're STILL ON BEDREST!

GrumpyCat: ...

GrumpyCat: I'm going.

GrumpyCat: Nothing will stop me.

NightBird: I'll spring you if I have to. I feel your pain. Hospitals suck.

GrumpyCat: I'll put something near the window so you can find me without sneaking inside. It'll be easier to just escape out the window. There're no locks on them.

LoudBird: You're on the fifth floor???

NightBird: ...And?

GrumpyCat: Your point?

LoudBird: I swear you 2 are related.

NightBird: I mean, I think Bruce did sleep with Catwoman a few times... Maybe he's their descendant? If so, then he's related to a 300-year-old billionaire.

LoudBird: Wait, The Dark Knight was rich?!

NightBird: Bruce Wayne was rich. Net worth was somewhere around 9.2 billion, I think. He owned a tech company, why do you think we have such cool toys? I'm still working on rebuilding my motorcycle, but Power Loader is stingy with letting Heroics students into his workshop.

GrumpyCat: We can address that at the meeting.

LoudBird: Wait... are you sneaking into Maijima's Support Workshop?! Do you want to die?!

NightBird: Plz. He won't catch me. I've got more than enough experience with sneaking around. Why do you think Aizawa's coffee supply is dwindling?

GrumpyCat: ...

GrumpyCat: ......

GrumpyCat: No Death Wish coffee for you tomorrow.

NightBird: WHAT?! NOooooOOOooOooOOO!!! PLEASE! NOT THE C O F F E E!! T~T

GrumpyCat: You stole my coffee. I'm not even mad that you broke into my apartment, but you took. My. Coffee. Unforgivable.

LoudBird: Hehe. You made him mad.

NightBird: Uncle Zashi?

LoudBird: Since when am I an uncle?

NightBird: Can you make him bring the coffee?

LoudBird: Nope. I'm not stepping into the path of that ire.

NightBird: Aizawaaaaa

GrumpyCat: No.

NightBird: Shoutaaaaaa

GrumpyCat: No.

NightBird: Daaaaad

GrumpyCat: No.

NightBird: Please?

GrumpyCat: No.

NightBird: I'll give you an authentic Robin the Boy Wonder autograph.

GrumpyCat: Are you really trying to bribe me? With your own autograph?

NightBird: An Old Hero autograph.

GrumpyCat: Doesn't count when it's you.

NightBird: I'll leave you in the hospital.

GrumpyCat: ....

GrumpyCat: You wouldn't dare.

LoudBird: Ooooh.

NightBird: Wanna find out?

GrumpyCat: I will expel you.

NightBird: No you won't~ ;)

GrumpyCat: I'll ground you. No patrols for a month.

LoudBird: you shouldn't be doing patrols for a month anyways, Shou. >_<

NightBird: Fine. Bring me the coffee, or...

NightBird: >:3

LoudBird: Uh oh...

NightBird: I'll call Recovery Girl.

LoudBird: *Gasp*

GrumpyCat: ... I hate you.

NightBird: Love you too, Dad~

*GrumpyCat is Offline*

LoudBird: Haha. I'll go make sure he didn't throw his phone against the hospital wall again. See you tomorrow, Little Listener~! Oh, and we're still on for the radio show on Friday/Saturday, if you're up for it. :D

NightBird: Sure thing!!

*LoudBird is Offline*

Izuku smiled down at his phone. It was strange, being so familiar and casual with his teachers, but... He was technically in his early 20's and had a lot of hero experience. So they were more like... coworkers outside of school, right?

But that was ultimately how Izuku found himself tiredly trudging into U.A.'s Staff Meeting Room two hours before school. Most of the teachers were already there, but they didn't seem to know why. Several blinked in surprise when Izuku quietly entered, sitting down at the table between Hizashi and Aizawa—the latter of whom Izuku had sprung from the hospital earlier that morning.

The man looked like a mummy. Izuku counted himself lucky that it was only his left arm and right cheek that was still bandaged—though his arm wasn't broken anymore, and it was just wrapped, not casted.

Izuku now sported a new scar on his neck, a nice deep permanent scar on his right cheek, and new scars on his shoulder and arm. The scar on his shoulder was nasty, and he found that it ached a bit when he got cold. Better than my leg, I guess.

His left knee was a little fucked up, but that was due to the torture Joker put him through years ago. Returning to the future and going back to his nine-year-old form had helped, but it still ached something terrible whenever he got too cold, or when the weather turned wet.

Izuku gratefully took the steaming mug of coffee from Aizawa with a smile. "Thank you." Aizawa responded with a hair ruffle, making Izuku's smile brighter. A few teachers blinked in surprise. After all, Aizawa wasn't an overly touchy person (though he made an exception for Hizashi and now, apparently, Izuku).

"Thank you for coming on time, Problem Child."

"Of course I'd come on time! You bribed me with coffee."

Hizashi snorted.

"Forgive me, but I wasn't aware that a student would be participating in this meeting?" Cementoss spoke up.

"This was on Aizawa and Yamada's request." Nezu grinned, looking at Izuku.

"Did you already tell him?" Izuku accused the two.

"Did you expect us to be able to keep this from him?" Hizashi raised an eyebrow.

"Fair enough."

"Midoriya is here for several reasons." Nezu started when everyone had settled into their seats, most with steaming mugs of coffee or tea. "Firstly, we need to address the USJ Incident. That is one of the reasons he is here. The ringleader of the attack, Shigaraki Tomura, has expressly called out Midoriya Izuku as his target and rival. As such, any further information regarding the League of Villains should be shared with Midoriya, as it will eventually affect him as well."

"W-Wait! You can't mean to encourage a child to fight this League of Villains!" All Might cried out in surprise. Several teachers seemed to agree, and Izuku was pleasantly surprised to see that their reasoning lay in his age rather than his lack of a Quirk (even if he suspected All Might of arguing due to the latter).

"Have you forgotten? Midoriya is also a very well-established vigilante who goes by the name 'Robin'." Nezu pointed out, watching a few gears turn.

"I think they keep forgetting." Hizashi shook his head with a tired shrug.

"But... if you think that even this isn't enough..." Nezu's gleam made a few staff members flinch. "Midoriya? Would you like to explain?"

"You really think they'll believe me?" Izuku raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't believe me."

"First, allow me to say this..." Nezu started, a smirk playing on his expression. "I assure you that what Midoriya is about to explain is 100% true. Not only have I done the research—which I will provide after his explanation—but Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa has ascertained the truth of his story."

A murmur went around the room as the teachers processed what Nezu was saying.

"All right, Midoriya. The time is yours." Nezu chuckled as if he'd made a joke, and Izuku leveled him with a deadpanned expression. He shook his head with a sigh.

"When I was nine, I was caught in a villain attack."

"What a wonderful way to start off." Aizawa muttered under his breath, dodging the swat from Hizashi. "Yeah, hit the injured guy." He hissed quietly, and Izuku fought the twitch of his lips.

"Yeah, well, it's true. Basically I got hit with an unknown Quirk from an unidentified person and it threw me back 300 years into the past." Izuku rolled his eyes, deciding to just throw it out there.

"I'm sorry, what?" Midnight blinked. "Did you just say you were sent over 300 years into the past?" Hizashi snickered at the dumbfounded expressions of his coworkers.

"I was sent back 346 years, to be exact. Though it's been 352 years, now, it was 346 at the time." Izuku explained. "I was sent back to the year 2013, to America. I was found wondering around confused and lost by a traveling circus, and a couple took me in and adopted me. They were acrobats, and taught me their trade. They renamed me Richard Grayson." His eyes misted over a little as he brought up the old memories. The room was quiet, drinking in the words of the student.

"It was strange, living in the Pre-Quirk Era. But as a Quirkless kid, I was treated normally for the first time since I was four. Nobody looked down on me for being born with an extra joint, and suddenly I was normal. And... and things were good. But then, when I was 11, my parents were murdered. I watched them fall to their deaths." He winced, remembering the terrible look of fear on his second mother's face as she felt the bar slip from its hold.

Hizashi put a hand on his shoulder, and Izuku blinked, coming back to himself.

"Sorry. Uh... After that, I was taken in by a man named Bruce Wayne, a local Billionaire playboy who'd also been orphaned as a kid." He smiled fondly. "It didn't take me long before I figured out his secret—he was a vigilante who protected the city. Though I'm not sure vigilante would really apply to him by that point, considering the commissioner would actually call him out to deal with all the criminals in the city." He chuckled under his breath. "And I somehow convinced him to let me help him. I chose my name, Robin, after my mother's nickname for me."

He looked up at the curious and saddened expressions of the heroes around him. "And that's the origin story for Robin the Boy Wonder, second half of the Dynamic Duo: Batman and Robin."

There were a few people who blinked in vague recognition.

"You'll know Batman by his other name." Aizawa smirked. "The Dark Knight, Protector of Gotham City."

Three seconds was all it took for all hell to break loose.

"W-wait a second!!" Snipe gasped. "You mean you were right in the middle of the Old Heroes' prime years?!"

"Yeah. I knew most of them. I was best friends with Kid Flash, Batgirl—I think she later became known as Oracle—Red Arrow..." He trailed off at the awed looks.

"D-doesn't that mean that you are an Old Hero?!" Midnight pointed out in awe, and several others stared at him like he was a god incarnate for a moment. Izuku shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Hold on... Are we really going to just take this at face value?" All Might asked. Ectoplasm seemed skeptical as well.

"And herein is the proof I was talking about." Nezu pulled out his computer and typed a few things before turning on the projector.

It showed some photos. Photos that Izuku recognized. Old photos.

There he was, standing beside Batman, Batgirl by their side as the police were dragging away a tied up Penguin. He felt tears prick his eyes.

"I remember that... Penguin had been pulling his usual bull again, but he'd teamed up with Bane, which is why there's so much damage in the background. Bane was always one to up the collateral."

"How is that proof?" Nezu asked, grinning. "This is to place the year." Izuku realized that this was a scan of an old newspaper. On another page, it showed a photo of Bruce and himself at a charity event. And there was no mistaking those freckles, those bright green eyes... that unruly hair (no matter how much Alfred tried to tame it).

"Holy shit..." All Might breathed as he realized the date was from 2015.

"In 2020, at age 16, I was abruptly pulled back here to my own time. I suppose it was part of the Quirk, but I found myself back at age 9, having only been gone for a week. Though whatever items or scars I had on me came with me." Izuku gently pulled the collar of his shirt down, showing a stylized 'J' branded just below his collarbone. "I got this from a nasty encounter with Joker. Luckily, he only had me for a half an hour that time before Bruce came and sprung me."

"You mean he tortured you?!" Hound Dog growled.

"Wasn't the first time. The man was the most terrifying person I've ever met. Trust me, be glad that you live 350 years too late to meet him." Izuku shuddered. "He still gives me nightmares. Like I said, Shigaraki may be insane, but he's not Joker level insane."

The teachers did not like the sound of that, and resolved to keep a closer eye on the kid's mental state.

"After I came back here, I couldn't just not help people. So I gathered some supplies together and became a vigilante again."

"So!" Nezu clapped his paws together with a cheerful grin. "Midoriya is an Old Hero! These circumstances are truly unique, and I think that his studies should be a little more customized, all things considered."

The room nodded. "No wonder you're so far ahead of your peers." Midnight realized. "And that speech back in USJ... Makes so much more sense, now."

"You should've seen my first fight. I was tripping over my own cape." Izuku chuckled. "I swear I nearly took out the Batmobile's headlight with my grappling hook."

"Oh! Ask Power Loader, now." Hizashi brightened up, causing Izuku and Power Loader to blink at him.

"Oh yeah! Can I use some of your supplies to re-build my gear? You won't believe how difficult it is trying to rebuild my stuff from civilian-level goods." Izuku crossed his arms with a pout.

"So long as you let me supervise, I see no problem with it." He answered, though Izuku caught the excited gleam in his eye.

"Another thing! I think Midoriya, here, should take the next Provisional Hero License Exam!" Nezu announced, making Izuku choke.

"W-What?!"

"Is it really that surprising? You're already an Old Hero." Aizawa noted.

"I... I mean, back then was different... this is... professional! Like, an actual job!" Izuku argued, much to the amusement of the teachers.

"He can look hardened criminals in the eye and tell villains where to shove it, but toss an exam at him and he's just a regular first year." Midnight giggled. "How cute!"

"Don't worry, Midoriya." Cementoss smiled. "We're here to prepare you for the exam. It'll take place right after the Sports Festival, so try not to get hurt too badly."

"Sports...? Oh yeah! Modern Olympics..." He paused for a moment. "Wait... I'M GOING TO BE IN THE SPORTS FESTIVAL!!!" He started to freak out with excitement, making several people laugh.

The meeting dissolved into chatter thereafter, with several people questioning Izuku about the Old Heroes.

"So you knew them?!" Vlad King quirked an eyebrow in interest, and Izuku recognized that gleam.

"Yeah, most of them." Izuku smiled. "I know Batman and The Flash the best, since the two are fairly good friends."

"Who were you close to?" Midnight asked.

"Hm... Well, I was closest to whoever Batman was closest to... So of the Old Heroes... Bruce was close to Auntie Diana—er... Wonder Woman, The Flash, or Uncle Berry, as I called him, Zatanna, and of course, Uncle Clark—Superman."

"You called Superman, Uncle?!" Snipe asked, obviously trying not to sound shocked.

"Yeah, he was the only one who knew our identities. Well, Wally—Kid Flash—knew, but that's because we were out on patrol together in Gotham, and he was not prepared. So when we were placed in a position where we needed to disappear, we had to go civilian."

"Truly, they were not Quirks?" Cementoss inquired. Izuku couldn't blame him. A lot of people had the misconception that the Old Heroes were just extremely early manifestations of Quirks.

"Nope. Superman was an alien from the planet Kryptos, Flash was a chemistry mishap gone wrong... Nobody had Quirks. The very concept wasn't even a thought. A few metahumans existed, but I checked—two joints. Their powers were something else, not Quirks."

"Incredible. That people can have such powers without Quirks. It makes me wonder what caused Quirks to appear in the first place." Cementoss wondered aloud.

Eventually, everyone migrated away from the meeting room. Izuku followed Aizawa, intent on refilling his coffee mug. "So... Sports Festival?"

"Yeah, I'm going to make the announcement in homeroom today." Aizawa grabbed the pot of Death Wish Coffee and poured it into Izuku's cup before pouring the remaining amount into his own thermos. "All else aside, do your best at the festival. You'll be getting your provisional license a lot sooner than your classmates, so this will be especially important for you. While they'll take their internships immediately after the festival, you will be taking your exam. You'll need as much publicity as you can manage." Izuku wrinkled his nose at that. He wasn't as opposed to publicity as Batman had been, but his time in the shadows of Gotham had made him somewhat leery of the limelight.

"You know, as someone who once attended the actual Olympics, I think it's interesting to see the difference."

"I've always wondered what it would've been like to see the Olympics in that time. Like, how would those feats have looked if Quirks hadn't shown up?" Hizashi grinned, having followed them to the staff room.

"They look badass even with Quirks in the world. I dare you to try half that shit Quirkless." Izuku ducked underneath Aizawa's casted swat.

"Language. If you insist on calling me Dad, then I'll act like it."

Izuku couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, Dadzawa!"

Hizashi's laughter could be heard across the building.

Hi,thisisalineandIreallywishIhadsomefoodrightnowcauseI'vegotacold,andcoldsfuckingsuckass,andI'mtoolazytogooutandgrabsomethingtoeat,sothisAuthorwillliveoffofchipsforthetimebeing.

Izuku felt bad. He'd forgotten to text Eijiro and let him know that he wasn't going to meet up at the train.

"Dude, what's up?! You totally left me!" Eijiro pouted. "Good to see you, though." He eyed Izuku's bandages with concern. "You holdin' up okay?"

Izuku was about to answer when Iida came around the corner with Uraraka in tow. "Midoriya!!" Uraraka grinned, running over with speed matched only by Iida. "You're okay!" She wrapped him in a hug that squeezed his sore arm just right.

Iida must've seen the wince, because he started to chastise Uraraka.

"So what'd I miss?" Kaminari and Jiro came around, followed by Shinso.

"Hey, so what the hell happened?" Shinso asked as they walked towards the building. "Us Gen Ed kids don't get told anything. One minute we're in class, and the next all the teachers run like the devil's on their heels. They looked scared, too. And you're hurt, and school was closed for three days due to a security issue?" He raised an eyebrow.

"We went to USJ—the Unforeseen Simulation Joint—for a school field trip. We were supposed to learn how to rescue people, but..." Uraraka trailed off.

"There was a major villain attack." Izuku spoke up. "A guy with a warp Quirk brought a ton of villains into the building, along with a couple of really powerful guys. Communications were blocked and we were scattered. Aizawa-sensei and Thirteen-sensei were hospitalized due to their injuries."

"So were you." Eijiro glared. "And the hell was that?! You just jumped in there and started badmouthing those villains like it was nothing!"

"You did say you'd explain." Iida spoke up.

"Wait, hold on. I'm still trying to process the fact that my only friends nearly died and I had no idea." Shinso was paler than usual.

"You should've seen Izuku!" Eijiro grinned. "He was so kickass! He was fighting off villains like a real pro!!"

"And he got hurt like a real pro." Jiro reminded him.

"Maybe we should exchange contact info?" Izuku suggested. "That way nobody will be left out of the loop."

"Good idea!" Uraraka and Kaminari grinned.

"As for that explanation..." Izuku fidgeted. "Have you ever heard of a vigilante named Robin?"

"Of course I have!" Eijiro beamed. "He's so manly! Though he's on the wrong side of the law, he still protects people!"

"Midoriya, I doubt there's anyone who hasn't heard of the mysterious Robin." Jiro shook her head.

"Er... w-well, I'm Robin. I'm the vigilante." He rubbed the back of his head as they stopped walking.

"Nice try, man." Kaminari's grin faltered when Izuku kept a straight face.

"I'm serious. I'm allowed to tell you now because I've become Aizawa-sensei's apprentice, so I'm not technically a vigilante anymore. That means I can legally go out on patrol so long as Aizawa-sensei is with me. You can seriously go ask him if you want."

"Holy shit, dude. No wonder you can fight so well!" Kaminari grinned.

"You were so calm during the whole thing, I knew you'd done this kind of stuff before!" Eijiro was vibrating with excitement. "I never would've guessed that you were Robin, though!"

"I'm actually not surprised." Shinso stared at Izuku like he'd expected it. "Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you told me you were actually the Robin: Boy Wonder."

Izuku, caught off guard, clammed up and didn't deny his claim. Shinso sighed. The others seemed to take it as a joke (the boy wonder part, not the vigilante part).

"So... time travel?" Shinso raised an eyebrow as the others made idle chatter as they walked the halls of U.A.

"Accidentally hit by a Quirk when I was 9. I just told the teachers this morning, so they all know. I was Batman's sidekick."

"Cool. No wonder you're so multi-talented." He smiled. "You know... The Sports Festival is coming up."

"Yeah. We're gonna get a briefing on it today."

"I heard that if a General Education student does well enough, they'll be considered for the Hero Course." Shinso's eyes shone.

"Really? That's so awesome!" Izuku felt his own excitement flare up, before an idea popped into his mind. "Hey, Shin? Do you want to train with me for the festival?"

"W-what?!"

"I mean, you'll need to learn how to fight Quirkless, right? So who better to train with than a Quirkless kid?"

"I... yeah. I'd like that, Midoriya."

"Izuku. Call me Izuku or Robin."

"All right, then call me Hitoshi."

"I think we're gonna get along just fine, Toshi." Izuku grinned.