Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: The New Symbol of Hope

"You want to work for us?"

"Mh-mh!" Ochako nodded, as she approached her parents. "When I grow up all big and strong, I'll help you and Mommy out any way that I can!"

"Hm," her father smiled, patting her head. "I really appreciate the thought, Ochako. But as your dad, I'd be even happier if you achieved your own dream. That's the way to make us happy. And if you do make money, you can take us to Hawaii, or something!"

"Daddy…"

RIIINGGG!!!

Ochako's mind returned to reality as the school bell rang, signaling the end of their first school day. Even after living in Musutafu for five years, she couldn't wrap her head around it. This place was still in Japan, sure, but it was so different from Mie…

Stepping out of Nabu Middle School, she flashed back to what the teacher said at the beginning of class that day. They had to figure out what careers they wanted, which meant figuring out what high schools they wanted to apply to. A lot of people picked the Hero Course…

…but would she?

She knew that Yui, her best friend, would go that route, and she knew that she wanted to, as well, once upon a time, but now? Did she have to? Ever since what had happened five years ago… she and her family didn't really have to worry about money.

But that raised the question: What would she do?

And an even better question, what did she actually want to do?

She knew a small part of her wanted to still be a Hero, but why?

She vaguely remembered a moment in her past, back when her family still had to struggle with their finances. The first time she ever saw a Hero in action. The thing she remembered most about that moment was the smiles everyone around her had.

She wanted to be like that, and she tried. Every opportunity she got, she used it to help others, and to put smiles on their faces. But she was still one person, which made her realize that even if she decided to become a Pro, she would still be one person.

She could fail. She could fail to make people smile, to make them feel safe.

She could fail to save them, especially from themselves.

Such thoughts kept her up countless nights.

The spring petals fell all around her as she walked towards the overpass, a direct shortcut towards her family's apartment. She sighed, as she really didn't know –

SLOOSH…

"Huh?" the brown-haired girl hummed, as she looked behind her, looking for where the source of that weird noise came from. Once she saw it, however, she screamed.

"AIIEEE!!! A VILLAIN!"

Right in front of her, coming out of the sewered, was a giant monster made of green slime. The creepy sludge looked at her, and smiled. "You'll make a perfect skinsuit for me to hide in!"

Immediately, she tried to make a run for it –

SPLASH!

…only to get tackled by the Sludge Villain. His liquid arms wrapped around her, restraining her movements, while he tried to suffocate her. "Don't worry, I'm just taking over your body. It'll be easier for both of us if you don't fight back. It'll only hurt for a minute. You'll feel better soon!"

I can't breathe… she realized, as she tried to use her Quirk to pry the bastard off of her, but it was no use. She could only touch solids, so Ocahko couldn't do anything to this guy.

"Grab all you want, my body is made of fluid," the Villain sneered.

My body… getting weak… Somebody… HELP!

KLANG!

As soon as Ochako thought of those words, the sewer cap bursted out of the air, causing the Sludge Villain to pause, and look back, only to see…

"I have no fear, you are safe," a deep voice spoke. "Now that I am here, that is."

BAM!

The slime monster tried to strike at the Hero, but he dodged, revving his arm into a fist, and yelling, "TEXAAAS… SMAAAAASH!!!"

FWOOSH!

Is that… All Might?

"Hey! Wake up! Hey!"

Feeling a soft pitter-patter on her cheek, Ochako woke up to see…

"Thought we lost you there!"

…the Symbol of Peace, All Might, slapping her awake.

"Sorry about that back there! I didn't mean to get you caught up back there in my justicing! Usually, I pay more attention to keeping bystanders safe! But it turns out, this city's sewer system is pretty difficult to navigate!" All Might laughed, as he lifted up a bottle of slime. "Anyway, you were a big help back there! I've captured the evil-doer!"

The Mie native was still wrapping her head around the fact that she had encountered the No. 1 Hero, All Might. Sure, he wasn't Thirteen, but he was still something.

"Welp, I've got to get this guy to the police! Stay out of trouble! See you around!"

Hearing that, Ochako's mind immediately snapped out of her fantasies of Thirteen, as she asked, "Wait, you're leaving? Already?"

"Pro Heroes are constantly fighting time, as well as enemies!"

Getting up from where she was laying down, the brown-haired girl looked at the Hero. In the back of her mind, she had a question. She knew that any old Hero could answer her question, but she figured that the Symbol of Peace would have the best answer.

So, she nodded to herself, and made her decision.

Tapping his shoulder, she asked, "Hey, before you leave, I have a question –"

NYOOM – FWOOSH!!!

"AAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" Ochako screamed, as the second she was tapping the Pro's shoulder, the man ended up taking off, accidentally taking her along with her.

"HEY, HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

"I'M SORRY!" she apologized. "I'LL JUST LET GO!"

"NO, DON'T! IF YOU LET GO NOW, YOU'LL DIE!" he yelled back. "Just… keep your eyes and mouth shut until we land on a nearby rooftop, then you can get off safely!"

"O-okay!"

"My whole life just flashed before my eyes…" Ochako whispered to herself.

"I'm sorry about that, young lady," the blond apologized. "I didn't notice that you were trying to get my attention when I was taking off. But… that does raise the question… why?"

"Oh, yeah, I had a question… I wanted to ask you."

"A question?"

Ochako nods, as she opens her mouth to say…

"A part of me still wants to be a Hero, but I don't know why."

"A part of you –" All Might begins, before he feels a jolt of pain, and then begins to internally panic, as the steam comes off his body. Oh, no! Not now, dammit! Not here!

Ochako was looking down at her shoes, didn't notice the steam, and kept talking, "Well, you see, my family owns a construction company, and we used to be poor. I figured that if I became a Hero, I'd be able to use my license to bring costs down a lot. But five years ago, our financial troubles were gone, and even though a part of me wants to be a hero..."

SSSSS…

Looking up, she said, "A part of me still wants to be a Hero. To make people smile, but I don't know why. Worst of all, the fear of not doing it has been eating me up since…"

However, as she looked back at the giant of a man who was All Might, all she saw was… a skinny, shriveled-up, dead-eyed, necromancer-looking dude, surrounded by smoke.

"Uhh… uhh… WHAT THE HELL?! AAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"

In an alleyway, a bottle full of slime opened its eyes, and thought, Where am I? What happened? Oh yeah… that bastard. If it wasn't for him, I'd be out of town already.

In that same alleyway, someone else was walking along, or, more accurately, searching.

They were wearing a middle school gakuran, and they're most defining features were the spiky ash-blonde hair and the piercing red eyes. This was none other than Katsuki Bakugou.

Walking alone, he kept wondering, Where are you, Deku?

It had now been eight years since the one person he could consider an actual "friend" disappeared, and for the last eight years, he didn't give up searching.

All of the other kids in Aldera thought that it was a blessing to be rid of the "creepy nerd", as they kept praising Katsuki. He figured out a long time ago that all of those flatterers were only interested in him because of his flashy Quirk and his drive to be a Hero.

It pissed him off.

"DAMMIT!" he yelled in frustration, as he kicked a bottle.

BAM!

He huffed in frustration. This was going nowhere! Eight years, and nothing changed! Auntie Inko was still in a coma, Deku was still missing, and all of the teachers at Aldera were parasites that kept trying to make him forget about the "future Villain".

"Hm?" Snapping out of his thoughts, he heard something… slimy.

"Perfect! I like a skinsuit with some fire!"

Oh, shit.

"What happened?! You deflated! Where'd All Might go?!"

"I can assure you, young lady, I am A… augh…" the man spoke, only to cough up blood.

"This can't be real," Ochako deadpanned. "You can't really be him. You're just a walking skeleton, and All Might's a Hero who saves everyone with a fearless smile."

"Fearless, huh? There's plenty of fear behind that smile," the skinny man said, before sitting down. "I'm counting on you to keep quiet. Don't post about this online, or tell your friends."

As he lifted up his shirt, all the brown-haired girl could do was recoil in fear.

"Pretty gross, right? I got this in a big fight, five years back," he said, showing off his scar. "My respiratory system was basically destroyed, and I lost my whole stomach. All the surgeries have pretty much worn me out, and it can't be fixed. Right now, I can only do Hero work for about three hours a day. The rest of the time, this is what I look like."

Ochako looked horrified. "Five years ago… you mean… the Deika City Massacre…?!"

"No," All Might corrected her. "My fight happened a week earlier. Whoever was responsible for that incident wasn't the same one who did… this… to me. In fact, because of my injuries, I wasn't able to get to Deika City and save everyone. It's still… one of my biggest regrets."

"I'm supposed to be the guy who's always smiling, right?" He gave a sad laugh. "I'm the Symbol of Peace. People everywhere have to think that I'm never afraid. But honestly, I smile to hide the fear inside. It's just a brave face I put on when the pressure is high. This job… isn't easy."

"I'm sorry, I'm being insensitive," All Might apologized. "Anyway, about your question… It's an interesting one… the motivation to be a Hero… but honestly… I don't have an answer."

"What?"

"I honestly think no one has the right answer. I mean, look at me," he explained. "I wanted to be a Hero because I wanted to inspire change. Back in my day, the streets weren't as peaceful as they are today. I wanted to become a symbol to inspire hope, to say that everything would be all right. Truthfully, the only person who can truly understand your motives is you and you alone."

"Oh… I understand," Ochako said, looking sad.

"In order to be a Hero, you have to be ready for danger and failure, along with several other things" he said, standing up and walking to the door. "But the first thing each and every person needs to do is figure out why they want to be a Hero in the first place."

Walking down the stairs, All Might patted his pocket. "Now, let's get you to the station…"

However, as he felt it a little more, he began to panic. Grabbing the insides of both of his pants pockets in a panic, he turned it inside out, only to find… nothing.

"Not good."

Ochako walked out of the building, feeling… empty.

All Might didn't have an answer to her question, and while she was bummed out, she could understand why. He was a Hero, not a psychiatrist. There were thousands of kids out there who wanted to be Heroes, either for money or for fame, but not every single person had the same motivation as she did. Especially since she didn't even know what iot was herself!

Still… she wished she knew. At least then she'd know what to do…

BOOM!

"Huh?"

An explosion snapped the middle-school girl out of her thoughts, as she saw that a crowd of people were watching something. Walking across the street, she joined the crowd, and recognized the Villain among the fires. Big, green, and slimy…

THAT'S THE GUY WHO ATTACKED ME! Ochako's mind screamed, before shifting in denial. That can't be right. All Might captured him…

The brown-haired girl's memories went back to All Might, in his muscled form, capturing the Villain, and putting him in his pockets. But when her mind flashed back to All Might's skinny from… there was… no…

But the bottle… if he dropped it…

"...that means it's my fault," she whispered, her eyes widened in horror.

"What aren't the Heroes doing anything?" one guy asked.

"It looks like they met their match," the other guy next to him spoke. "Plus, the Villain captured a kid. Things aren't looking good for him."

He caught someone? I wonder how long they've been in there… The Uraraka child's memories flashed back to when she was attacked. How can they survive being suffocated like that? I thought I'd die after a few seconds of struggling! Oh, man…

"Wait, I'm confused. Isn't that the Villain All Might was chasing today?"

"What? All Might?! No way he lost! Where is he?"

"Well, can someone call him or something?"

"Seriously! Why hasn't he shown up to help the Heroes?"

As Ochako was silently blaming herself, he saw the Sludge Villain moving around weirdly, probably the kid trapped in there resisting… but then… she saw it…

The blonde boy. He was looking right at her. His eyes.

She knew exactly what his eyes were trying to convey.

"Save me."

FWOOSH!

All the Heroes in the area were shocked as they saw a teenage girl, one with brown hair that went down to her shoulders, and with beautiful brown eyes, rushing towards the Sludge Villain.

"NO! STOP!" Death Arms cried out. "YOU'RE GONNA GET YOURSELF KILLED!"

"Huh? This little girl again?" the Sludge Villain asked, puzzled.

What am I doing? Why am I running? Why aren't I stopping?! Ochako screamed in his head.

"YOU'RE TOAST, KID!" the Sludge Villain yelled, throwing an arm towards the girl.

Quickly reacting, she saw a random rock near her. She ran towards it, scooped it up, aimed, and threw it right at the slimy bastard's eye. "TAKE THIS!"

"Wha – YOW!" the Sludge Villain howled in pain.

In his pain, he released the pressure on Katsuki, and allowed him to breathe.

"Gasp! Cough, cough!"

The girl kept running, and running, until she reached the Sludge Villain's body, and stuck one of her arms into the green fluid, searching, until she finally grabbed solid muscle.

"What the hell?!" the blond yelled, feeling something grab him. "Get the hell off me!"

"No!" the girl bluntly growled. "I refuse to let you die!"

As she held onto the blond, Ochako activated her Quirk, canceling out the guy's gravity, and making him easier to pull out of the monster's slime body.

"THE GIRL FREED THE HOSTAGE!" one of the Heroes, Slugger, yelled out.

"Come on!" the brown-haired girl yelled, grabbing the red-eyed teen, and still suing her Quirk on him, dragging him away as fast as possible. We can quickly get out of the way –

"I'M DONE PLAYING WITH YOU!" the Villain roared, charing at the duo.

OH, NO! Ochako screamed within her mind, before she quickly decided to throw the floating boy towards the crowd, as she quickly canceled out her Quirk by tapping her fingers.

"SAVE THE GIRL! THIS THING WILL KILL HER!" Death Arms yelled, as he and the other Heroes ran towards them. But it was too late. Ochako knew they wouldn't make it in time.

BOOM!

As the dust cleared, the brown-haired girl waited to see the horrific sight of one of her limbs getting crushed, however… what she saw instead… was…

"I really am pathetic."

Ochako immediately recognized that voice.

"All Might…"

The blonde Hero was currently in his muscle form, holding the Sludge Villain at bay with a single fist. As he kept smiling, he said, "I couldn't even figure out the most obvious motive!"

GRAB!

Grabbing Katsuki's body and revving up to punch the Sludge Villain, All Might shouted, "PROS ARE ALWAYS RISKING THEIR LIVES! THAT'S THE TRUE TEST OF A HERO!"

Ochako was the only one who noticed All Might was spewing blood.

"DAMN YOU, ALL MIGHT!" the living slime screamed, ready to attack.

"DETROOOIIIIT… SMAAASH!!!!!"

BOOM!

FWOOOSH!

In an instant, the green goop was blown away, and the No. 1 Hero saved Ochako. The wind pressure caused by that punch was so powerful, that the only reason the civilians and the other Heroes weren't blown away was because Mount Lady had shown up at the last minute and was now protecting them with her giant arms.

As the winds died down, everyone stared at All Might in amazement. They didn't even notice that the clouds had darkened, and that it started raining, until...

Plip! Plip! Plip!

"Huh? It's raining…"

"Don't tell me all that wind just now was…"

"Look at the clouds! They're moving…"

"Holy crap," Death Arms gawked. "He changed the weather…"

"Did that really just happen?!"

All Might stood up, wiping the blood off his smiling face, as the crowd cheered for him. He steadied himself, and raised his fist up in victory.

"He changed the weather with a single punch like it was nothing!" some random civilian cheered. "All Might saved the day again, he's amazing!"

It was a few hours since the Sludge Villain incident concluded. Ochako really didn't care about how All Might was swarmed by the press, or how the Heroes were praising the random kid that basically made the hostage situation worse by setting off all those explosions.

Nope, she was more worried about how she would explain this to her parents.

At first, she was getting chewed out by the Heroes, something about illegal Quirk usage. Thankfully, this was only her first offense, and with a little persuasion from All Might, she wouldn't have to face charges of Vigilantism.

But now, she was running through the suburbs, as she was definitely late getting home now. Hopefully, none of the reporters caught her on camera rushing into the Villain fight, or else her parents would kill her, bring her back, and then ground her until she was eighty.

But as she was running, she heard, "Oi! Round Cheeks!"

Turning around, Ochako saw that it was none other than the explosive blond.

Gritting his teeth, the blond said, "Thanks for saving me."

Ochako was surprised by that, but she simply smiled, and said, "You're welcome."

Grunting, the boy turned around, and left for home.

"I AM HERE!"

OH, COME ON! The brown-haired girl screamed into her mind, but on the outside, she acted normally. "Oh, All Might! What are you doing here?"

"BECAUSE, I – BLEAAUGHH… Cough, cough!" Immediately, All Might's buff form poofed away revealing his skeletal form, puking blood. "Ugh… anyway, I wanted to thank you, young lady. If you didn't rush in there, I would have just been a worthless bystander. So, thanks for that."

"Oh, no! It was nothing! Anyone could have done that!"

"And yet, it was you," All Might said. "Back when we first talked, you said that you had no idea why you wanted to be a Hero. So, why did you do this? Why did you save him?"

"I…" she paused for a moment, thinking. "I saw his eyes. They were begging for help, even if he didn't act like it. And none of the Heroes were doing anything. I think a small part of me knew that I could fail and make things worse back there… but I think… that an even bigger part of me knew that if I didn't try, there was a good chance that the kid would have died."

"Hm. That's what I like to hear," All Might said, confusing Ochako. "There are stories about every Hero, how they became great. Most have one thing in common: Their bodies moved before they had a chance to think, almost on their own. And today… that's what happened to you."

"I… All Might… thank you…"

"Young lady, I believe that you will make a fine Hero. Because you have the makings for the best kind of Hero: One who wants to save others, and puts smiles on their faces."

And that's when it finally hit Ochako.

She wanted to help people. Becoming a Hero to get rich, that was just her way of helping her parents. Every time she watched a Hero on the streets, those guys were helping people by both keeping them safe and putting smiles on their faces. For the longest time, she had forgotten what she wanted to do, but deep down it was this: Helping others.

As tears of joy streamed down her face, All Might had more to say.

"And thus… I have deemed you worthy of my power. My Quirk is yours to inherit."

And with that, the tears stopped, and the questions began.

"Huh? Wait, what do you mean "inherit"? Inherit what?" the girl asked.

"Hahaha! You should see your face right now! Don't worry, I'm not gonna force this thing on you," All Might laughed, before coughing up more blood. "Listen well, young lady! This is your choice: DO YOU WANT TO ACCEPT MY AWESOME POWER, OR NOT?!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"There are a couple things you should know about my abilities. Journalists always guess my Quirk is super strength or some kind of invulnerability. When people ask in interviews, I always make a joke and dodge the question. That's because the world needs to believe their Symbol of Peace is just a natural-born Hero, like any of them… but I'm not. There's nothing natural about my ability. I wasn't born with this power, it was a sacred torch passed onto me from someone else," the skinny All Might said, as he stretched his arms out dramatically.

"Someone gave you this Quirk?" the girl repeated.

"Yes, that's right, and if you say yes, you'll be the next holder! I can give you my abilities! I can transfer my Quirk to someone else! And that's just one facet of my secret abilities," All Might said, holding out his hand. "The true name of my power… is called One For All."

"One… For… All…" the girl repeated.

"Yes! One person improves the power, then hands it off to another person, and continues to grow as it's passed along. It is this cultivated power that allowed me to save those who are in need of a Hero… the truth behind my strength."

"But… Why me?"

"I was on a long hunt for a worthy successor. And then… I watched you jump into action as the rest of us stood idly by. You didn't know why you wanted to be a Hero, but you tried to save that kid, anyway. You acted like a Hero willing to save everyone and anyone! A true Hero!"

"..."

"And while it is true that there will be times where you can't save everyone, with my power, you will at least get a bigger chance at it! You could be a Hero who would be able to achieve any goal you put your mind to, and make things better! If you could inspire me to act, you can inspire so many other Heroes! Where I can only save people physically, I believe that you save people in more ways! I believe that you can be the good change the Hero world so desperately needs!"

"..."

"So, Ms…?"

"Uraraka," she answered. "Ochako Uraraka."

"Well, young Uraraka: Do you accept?"

He said so much to encourage me… And even if he didn't truly have an answer to my question… he said that I could be the change I wanted to be! He even offered me his power as a means for me to make people happy… How can I turn him down?

Looking right at him, with a face of determination, she said, "Okay, I'll do it."

"No reluctance," All Might smiled. "That's exactly how I figured you'd respond."

Ochako kept smiling at him, before she realized…

Wait, how am I gonna explain this to my parents?!

"Master," the mist man spoke. "We have a problem."

"What is it, Kurogiri?" the master asked.

"One of the lower-level thugs of the Shie Hassaikai has come to us with news. Apparently, the adopted son of the head has usurped his adoptive father and taken his place."

"All right. I guess I should visit the new head and… congratulate him… for his successful coup."

Author's Note: And from here on out, things will start to be different.

I've been developing this story for almost two years now, and I'm finally ready to start publishing. However, I still have to finish writing it, so my publication dates are gonna be a bit… slower than usual. Specifically, once every other week.

So, the next chapter comes out on September 15th, 2023!

In the meantime, this upcoming Friday, the 8th of September, I will be publishing a completely new story, so every other week, one of the two is gonna be updated. I really wanted to do both every week, but I don't have enough of a backlog for that!

For those of you that are new here, this is the second part of a series I have been working on known as "The Other Protagonists," where in each story, the main character will be someone other than our favorite green-haired Midoriya. Sure, he could still be an antagonist, a background character, or something, but not the main hero.

The previous story was "When They See, They'll Understand," starring Katsuki Bakugou in a future where AI and the dead end up mixing. If you're interested in that story, the links are s/14250531/1/When-They-See-They-ll-Understand on , and /works/48272467/chapters/121740241 on ArchiveofOurOwn, respectively.

Also, if you're interested, you can leave a comment. I respond to them in the next chapter in the Author's Note, so if you wanna, go right ahead. Just please be respectful.

If you wanna know more, visit my Discord, the link is  /3PFYSt8Dqz . You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you in the other story's debut next week!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Training and Adoptions

It was early morning at Takoba Beach. Or, Dagoba Beach, as the locals preferred to call it. It was a weekend, so most teenagers would be sleeping in at such an early hour.

Not Ochako Uraraka.

As it turned out, the easy part was getting her parents' blessing to begin training to become a Hero. They were actually happy to see their little girl actually knowing what she wanted to do with her life.

However, the hard part was the actual training.

She was currently trying, and failing, to move a fridge in the middle of this sea's worth of trash. Of course, perhaps the actual problem was the fact that…

"Hey, hey, hey! It's pretty comfy up on this fridge! How are you doing down there?" All Might joked, as Ochako fell into the sand, exhausted. "People move these everyday, you know. And most of them don't have any super-strength."

"There's an extra six hundred pounds with you on top of it."

"Nah, I've lost weight, so I'm down to five hundred and sixty these days. In this form, at least."

"Great, much better. Why do you have me dragging trash across the beach, anyway?" the brown-haired girl asked. "I could easily lift all of this with my Quirk."

"Because you need to train your body, not your Quirk," the No 1 Hero explained. "My Quirk, One For All, is a whole lot to handle. An unprepared body can't fully inherit it."

"Okay, so this whole trash thing is some kind of hard-core gym workout?"

"You got it! But there's another reason, too. I did a little research a few days ago. Turns out, this part of the beach used to be beautiful, but it's been a total mess for the last few years. Heroes these days are all about showing off and catching flashy Villains," All Might said, as he casually crushed the fridge with his bare hands.

CRUNCH…

"Things were different before Quirks: Service was what mattered. Back then, "heroes" were those who helped the community, even if it was a little boring. You will resepte the coastline for this entire section of the beach. That is your first step on becoming a Hero."

"This is insane…" Ochako muttered under her breath.

"The good news is that you do have muscle on your body, so this shouldn't be too hard. But you still need to prepare for your second Quirk within ten months of the UA Entrance Exam. But not to worry! I adjusted the "Aim to Pass: American Dream Plan" to fit in your commute from Mie to here, while also scheduling every single other aspect of your everyday life!"

"Even my sleep is scheduled..." she said, reading the paper.

"If I'm being super honest, this is going to be super-hard. Do you think you're up for it?"

"Yeah, sure I am. I mean, I already told my parents I would be training for UA out here for the next ten months, so I can't back down now, can I? My parents didn't raise a quitter!"

All Might merely nodded at Ochako's shaky smile.

It was a calming day in the Aizawa household. Neither Shouta nor Emi had to teach at UA or Ketsubutsu, since it was a three-day weekend, and they didn't have any patrols until later in the day. So, the married couple decided to enjoy their day free of teaching.

The young couple was currently enjoying the sensation of simply sitting on their couch, drinking some tea and coffee respectively, and reading a good book, and or newspaper.

Honestly, Eraserhead never thought he would get married, not in a million years.

It happened almost ten years ago. Present Mic was sick that day, so like a good friend, Shouta covered his friend's day shift, which included patrolling near a public park.

The problem was, the idiot didn't tell him that his patrol partner would be Ms. Joke.

Both Shouta Aizawa and Emi Fukukado knew each other for a long time. When they were both students, the agencies they were working at were close to each other, so it was only natural that the two of them would help each other out. But good Lord, was it tiring.

She was a Twilight Hero who was always an optimist, while Eraserhead was an Underground Hero who liked to look at things rationally. But for some reason, she thought that the two of them together, outside of the Hero life, would be a good idea. At some point, Emi ended up going so far as to saying that if they stuck together, they would "make a family full of laughter", something which Eraser thought would be an actually goddamn nightmare.

But despite shooting her down like that, the green-haired woman kept persisting, like a roach that refused to die. Every time they met, she would always ask him out, and he would always shoot her down, and that day they went patrolling together was no exception.

However, it would be aggravated due to a single child.

Said child was some eight-year-old with green hair that somehow recognized both him and Emi, bouncing up and down at the fact that he was meeting two Pros. Sure, he could understand how the kid knew Emi, she was kinda popular, but how did he know HE was Eraserhead?

Wouldn't normal kids be more excited to see All Might? Or Endeavor?

Regardless, Emi decided to play along with the little kid, who wanted both her and Shouta's autographs. Shouta refused, until the kid gave him puppy eyes so big that Shouta groaned and took the kid's notebook. Though, he had to admit, he was kinda surprised that the kid had written an entire page dedicated to him, his fighting style, and his Quirk. It was quite thorough.

Eventually, the kid's babysitter, some woman with pink and indigo hair, showed up and scolded the bart for running off to see the first Pro he saw. Called him Izu-something.

Anyway, just when it seemed that it was over, the little shit opened his mouth one last time.

"Bye, Eraserhead! Bye, Ms. Joke!" the kid waved as his guardian carried him away on her shoulders. "You two are really cute together!"

Even after so many years, Eraserhead could still remember that. VIVIDLY.

Because as soon as the kid was gone, Emi kept saying that the kid was a sign from the universe saying that the two of them had to be together and other crap like that, until he finally had enough. He agreed to ONE date, just to get her to shut up.

One hundred and forty-seven dates later, Emi Fukukado was now Emi Aizawa.

Shouta calculated that the kid that caused all of this was probably a teenager by now, and he vowed to himself that if he ever came across that green-haired kid again, he would first thank him, and then slap him. Or, better yet, if he became one of his students, expel him on the spot.

But for now, he would just enjoy his time on the couch with his wife.

Looking over to her husband, Emi smiled. "Hey, Sho?"

"Yes?"

"I want a –"

Knock, knock.

The two Heroes turned their heads towards the entrance of their apartment, where they found the origin of that knock, the knock on their front door. How very suspicious.

"Hizashi and Nemuri aren't coming over today, right?"

"No," Shouta answered. "And neither are Tensei or Mirai."

Knock, knock.

Slowly getting up, the two Pros slowly approached the door. Aside from their friends, no one else knew where they lived. Well, except for maybe Nedzu, but that one was a given.

Knock, knock.

Quickly, the green-haired woman slipped on her brass knuckles, while her husband grabbed his capture weapon and activated his Quirk, taking the lead, and signaling that he would quickly open the door on the count of three.

Quickly opening the door, Eraserhead scanned around the outside of the apartment complex, and found no one. Looking down, however, he saw…

… a small child. Who was looking up at him with fear in her eyes.

It was a little girl, with pale, blue-gray hair, almost white, in Shouta's opinion. Wide, red eyes which appeared innocent, but given the way she looked at him, implied that she had seen some seriously messed up things. Oh, she also had a small horn poking out of the right side of her forehead. And to top it all off, she looked like she was wearing a dirtied hospital gown, with her arms wrapped with bandages. Oh, and absolutely no shoes, whatsoever.

"Emi?" he called out to his wife, who was in as much shock as he was.

"I'm seeing her, too, Sho," his wife answered.

Looking back outside, he looked around and called out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Deciding that no one was there, Shouta looked down at the shaking child, and quietly said, "It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you. Are your parents here?"

Little did Shouta Aizawa know, up on the roof of the building across the apartment complex, someone with curly green hair and freckles was watching him, and smiled as he saw Eraserhead escorting the little girl into his apartment complex.

This was her second day, and Ochako already wanted to die.

She knew she was going to feel sore after the first day of lifting garbage, but she had no idea how it would be THIS bad. But she made a commitment, and she was going to stick by it.

After all, All Might pretty much made the decision of ditching his agency in Tokyo to hang around Musutafu, explicitly to help her out, at least whenever he was available.

Hauling a microwave towards the dumpster, she thought to herself, Okay, so I'm using different muscle groups depending on the size and shape of the trash I'm hauling. I have ten months to finish this, and I have to study to get into UA, while also… working… out…

Ochako's mind stopped as she caught something from the corner of her eye. Turning around, she saw that a girl with black hair and blue eyes was staring at her from behind the trash.

So, naturally, she did what any reasonable person would do.

She screamed.

"AIIEEE!!!!"

While also dropping the microwave on her foot.

SLAM!

"OW! Fuckin' piece o' shit, fuckwit, goddamn, dick-headed, motherfucker –"

"Occhan."

"Huh?" Ochako asked, before she suddenly recognized the girl. "Yui-chan?"

"Mm," the black-haired girl nodded in confirmation. "It's been too long."

Yui Kodai. Back when Ochao first moved to Musutafu, she ended up in the same primary school as Yui. In fact, they were in the same class. As it turned out, kids were cruel, so they would obviously target both the new girl and the fatherless child when it came to their bullying.

So, Ochako and Yui stuck together. The two of them hit it off pretty good. Plus, given their similar Quirks and appearances, it became their inside joke that they were cousins.

It was sad seeing Yui go to Mustafu Private Middle School, while Ochako went to Mabu, but they promised each other that they would call every day and meet up on weekends.

And apparently, she now stumbled across Ochako's cleaning grounds.

"Oh, yeah, it has been a while, hasn't it? I have been meaning to call you," Ochako said, scratching her head. "Sorry for giving you radio silence for the last two weeks."

"Mm, it's okay," she nodded. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, uh, this?!" she said, getting nervous. "Well, uh, my trainer, yeah, he wants me to clean up this beach. It's some basic strength training to help me get into UA!"

"Oh. Well, then I guess I'll do the same thing."

"Wait, here?!"

"It's a public space."

"Yeah, but…"

"There's more than enough trash for everyone."

"That's fair."

"Plus, I also wanna go to UA."

"Well, in that case… welcome aboard, Yui-chan!" Ochako smiled, while she was thinking internally, How the fuck am I gonna explain this to All Might?

"Mm," Yui nodded, as she went to grab some garbage.

Naomasa Tsukauchi was having a… tiresome day.

If he was being honest, he wasn't expecting to see Aizawa at the police station in the early afternoon. Not only that, but his wife was with him, along with some kid. He didn't know if it was odd that she was wearing clothes that were a little bit too big for her. Specifically, Aizawa's.

However, after hearing from Aizawa that she was wearing rags when she appeared at his doorstep yesterday, he decided it was for the best. The scars all over her arms were a bad sign already. At least Ms. Joke knew how to make sure such injuries didn't get infected.

Hearing the door open behind him, Tsukacuhi knew that Nedzu was here, too.

"Good afternoon, Detective!" the white-furred mammal smiled. "How is your sister doing?"

"If you're referring to her recent engagement to Koichi, she's definitely having a better time about it than me," the detective groaned. "I know that O'Clock vouched for him, but still…"

"Yes, I am well-aware of your views on Vigilantism, even former Vigilantism. But you still have to remember that the Crawler and Pop Step are now official Pro Heroes," the principal of UA spoke. "Speaking of Heroes… I heard that one of my employees had an interesting story."

"Ah, right," he said, looking over at the one-way mirror. "Apparently, Shouta and Emi were simply enjoying their day off of Hero work when suddenly, they heard a knock on their door. Opening it, they find a little girl, all by herself, with the only thing she was carrying was this."

Tsukauchi handed the rodent the hand-written note that the girl was carrying along with her.

CONGRATULATIONS ON BECOMING NEW PARENTS!

- L.O.V.

PS: If you hurt her, every Villain I know will have your home address, knowledge of your Quirks, fighting styles, and how to counteract both of them.

"Hmm…" Nedzu hummed. "This is quite troubling. Has she spoken?"

"We have been able to get her to talk a little," the detective answered. "Apparently, whoever sent her to the Aizawas told her that they could be trusted, so they've had to be around her the entire time, but she did tell us a few things, but not much."

"Well, what do we know so far?"

"Her name is Eri, no surname. Her Quirk is suspected to be extremely powerful, powerful enough to cause someone to "disappear," her words, not mine. She was being abused by some small-time criminals, until yesterday, that is. Apparently, some bigger gang showed up, and sent her to the Aizawas, while also giving her that lovely handwritten note to hand to the couple."

"Hmm… any names?"

"She didn't give names, but she did describe one of the criminals who rescued her. He appears to be a male, with green eyes, freckles, and "fluffy green hair," according to her description."

"Well then!" Nedzu clapped his paws. "I have come to a decision! It's clear that the young girl feels most comfortable around the Aizawas, so the two of them will use their Hero licenses to have temporary custody of young Eri! Best case scenario, they become her adoptive parents!"

"And what about the letter?"

"It's clear that whoever sent the letter knows where they live, and who they are. That means that they're both smart, and dangerous," the white-furred mammal said. "The safest bet would be to have them remain at UA, but Ms. Joke works at Ketsubutsu. So…"

"So, what?" Tsukauchi said, looking a little worried.

"How would she like a job at UA?"

It was now the third week of strength training for Ochako Uraraka.

She had explained to All Might how her old childhood friend found her hauling trash by herself on the Sunday morning he left her alone to do official Hero work, so the Symbol of Peace couldn't exactly blame her for being discovered by the black-haired girl.

However, he was slightly upset that the girl insisted on staying and helping.

On the one hand, All Might kinda wanted to keep this place a secret, but on the other hand, Yui Kodai did indeed have a point that the beach was public property and that simply helping someone clean it up was not a crime, so he figured it was fine for her to stay.

Plus, All Might couldn't shake the feeling that Kodai kept staring right into his soul with her "unnerving stare", even though Ochako tried to explain to him that Yui's expressionless face was simply her default state. Still, in All Might's humble opinion, the more Yui Kodai focused on the beach trash instead of drilling a hole in the back of the blond's head with her eyes, the better.

On her third weekend of training, All Might dropped Ochako off a few blocks away from the beach via pickup truck, as he told her he would meet her there after completing a few errands in his deflated form, better known as "Toshinori Yagi".

Enjoying the smell of fresh flowers, Ochako hummed a happy tune, when –

"You're a Villain and that's all you'll ever be!"

The brown-haired girl snapped out of her little world, and saw a trio of kids his age ganging up on some kid with fluffy purple hair, and really tired-looking eyes.

She immediately recognized who that was.

That's Shinso from Class B!

"Why are you even thinking of applying to UA?!"

"Why would a school like UA even think of letting you be a Hero?!"

It's a three-to-one fight, Ochako analyzed. They had him cornered with a wall, keeping him from moving. Picking up a rock from the ground, she smirked, Let's even the odds.

"What are you look – OW!"

"The fuck?!"

Suddenly, the other two bullies stopped picking on the purple-haired kid, and turned their heads, seeing that their buddy was hit in the head with a rock, and was now bleeding.

"What the – YAAA!!!"

"LEAVE HIM ALONE, ASSHOLES!"

When the two other bullies were distracted by their buddy's bleeding head, Ochako ran towards one of them and kicked him in the shin, bringing him down, while punching the other one square in the nose. If she gave them time to prepare, it would make her job harder.

CRACK!

"Guh!"

As Ochako punched the third guy square in the nose, the tired-looking kid suddenly felt his hand getting grabbed, and felt himself getting pulled by the brown-haired kid.

"Come on!" she exclaimed.

The two of them ran through the streets and ducked behind one of the alleway. When they heard the trio of bullies run past them, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew…" Ochako sighed, feeling her adrenaline dying down.

"Why'd you do that?" the purple-haired kid asked.

"'Cause helping people is common sense?" Ochako said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Stretching her hand out to him, she gave him the friendliest smile she had.

"Thanks," he groaned. "I'm Hitoshi Shinso."

"I know. We both go to the same school. Ochako Uraraka," Ochako decided to ask the question. "So, uh… let me guess: Those guys were bothering you because of your Quirk?"

It really was no secret. Everyone in Nabu Middle School knew about Shinso's Brainwashing Quirk, and how it could make him command anyone who responded to him. Most people tended to avoid him because of that, if not outright bullied him.

But for some reason, this girl wasn't scared of Shinso.

It confused him.

"You don't think it's scary? My Quirk, I mean?" he asked.

"What? No! I always thought it was super cool!"

"So… you don't think it's a Villainous Quirk?"

Ochako gave Shinso a look that seemed slightly offensive. "There's no such thing as a Villainous Quirk, only Villains who use their Quirks for evil. And besides, you want to go to UA, don't you? Don't deny it, I heard one of those jerks saying that you wanted to get in."

"Yeah?"

"See? Your Quirk is perfect for a Hero!"

"How?"

"Well, you could save people in a hostage situation, perfect for espionage, and suicide prevention, and that's just a few from the top of my head! But I…" Ochako stopped as she noticed Shinso's build. "Why are you so skinny?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your arms," she pointed. "They look like they've never exercised a day in their life."

"That's because… I haven't?"

There was silence for a moment.

Then there was a scream.

"WHAT?!" Ochako yelled. "How do you expect to get into the Hero Course looking like that?!"

"I mean, try my hardest, and if that fails, make it to the General Department, and then transfer during the Sports Festival?" Shinso answered, but it sounded more like a question.

Ocako decided she needed to do something about that.

Grabbing his hand, she said, "Come with me."

Within the walls of Jaku General Hospital, a woman slept.

She was slim, and her body showed signs that it had been constantly moved by the doctors and nurses, to make sure that her muscles didn't atrophy. Her green hair was long, but not to a ridiculous degree, showing that it was cut every now and then.

And her face seemed at peace, as it had for the last eight years of her life.

But that was all about to change.

She wasn't alone in her room.

Next to her bed, the comatose woman had someone looking over her. He wore a black suit and pants, with a white dress shirt, and had curly hair. However, the one thing anyone who walked in now would notice about him would be the tears falling down his eyes.

Slowly, he placed his hand on the sleeping woman's face.

Then, suddenly, the entire room exploded in blood.

The two of them arrived at trash-infested Dagoba Beach, where Ochako could see Yui from a distance, lifting a microwave without the usage of her Quirk.

"Yui-chan!" Ochako called out. "Is there a free spot over there?"

The black-haired girl looked at the two of them, then nodded. "Mm," she said, pointing at a part of the beach where the trash was mostly gone. "Talk over there."

"Thanks!" Ochako shouted, then proceeded to drag Shinso to the designated area.

"What are we doing here?" Shinso asked, still confused.

"Strength training," Ochako said. "You need to build up muscle if you want a shot at getting in."

"But what about my Quirk?"

"Look, a Quirk is important, yes, but they aren't everything. Quirks are tools, but you need more skills than just that to be a Hero," the girl from Mie explained. "The fact remains that you need muscle. There will be times where your Quirk won't work for the situation, so you can't rely solely on that. The UA Entrance Exam is in less than ten months, so you'll need to build up enough muscle and train if you want a shot at getting in."

"So this beach is like one giant workout…"

"Exactly," Ochako smiled.

Suddenly, Shinso saw a piece of paper stretched out to him.

"Here," the brown-haired girl said. "Take it."

Shinso looked at the paper quizzically before he took it and read it. "Aim to Pass: American Dream Plan?"

"Mm-hm," Ochako nodded. "It's my training plan. I'm also applying for UA."

"Thanks, but are you sure there won't be any problem?"

"Mm-hm," she nodded. "I only have to do my assigned area, while Yui-chan does hers. The rest is yours. So, we'll be splitting the trash beach clean-up by three parts. One third for each of us."

"Whoa, wait, I didn't agree to this," Shinso protested.

"You wanna be a Hero?" Ochako asked.

"Yeah, but…"

"Then shut up, and accept the help," she said, with the most passive-aggressive smile.

Shinso was silent for a few seconds, before saying, "Fuck it, why not?"

And just like that, Ochako had a new beach-cleaning buddy.

But little did Ochako Uraraka know, from the far side of the beach, right where the parking lot met the entrance sign, a small little camera was watching her every movement.

Katsuki Bakugou was eating when the phone call came in.

In reality, he really didn't think much about it. Even if it was the weekend, his parents were major players in the fashion industry, so getting calls outside of designated work hours was nothing new. Especially when it was easy enough for the family to be having breakfast.

He wasn't really a big fan of breakfast. Sure, he understood that it was the most important meal of the day, and that he needed the fuel to train, but he still thought that it ate away at his time. Especially when his parents made him eat and chat with them like a normal family, rather than letting him scarf it all down and then move on with the rest of the day.

So, while his mom was on the phone, and his dad was looking away, he would stuff his face as much as he could as fast as he could without getting caught by his folks.

"Hello, Bakugou residence," his mother answered. "Yes…? Oh…"

She dropped the phone, and nearly faltered.

"Honey…?" He could hear his dad ask.

Mituski looked at both of them, with the widest eyes.

"Inko's awake."

Katsuki proceeded to choke on his breakfast.

Nejire answered the call on her cell phone as soon as she read the caller ID.

"Heeey, Melissa-chan! Hiii!" the blue-haired girl greeted her friend.

"Hey, Nejire," the blonde girl's voice said from the other side. "Something's come up."

That, specifically, got Nejire's full attention. "Oh? What's up?"

"Our trip to the Gunga Mountains is a go. We're leaving as soon as school's out."

Nejire's smile dropped, as she knew what those words meant. "Understood."

Author's Notes: The pieces have already begun moving…

I have to admit, I didn't think there would be so few comments, but whatever. I still have a job to do, and I still have to go through each one, so let's get started.

SixthroughlevelN: Thank you for defending my honor, I suppose. It's good to see someone from one of my old Re: Zero stories checking out one of my new ones, especially since most old readers aren't really big on MHA. Hope to see you soon!

E3roa: On most cases, I would agree with you, I'm not a major fan of the ship (I'm more of an IzuOcha guy), however, when I was writing the story, my buddies suggesting making the ship, and as I kept writing the characters, yeah, I was pretty compelled.

VinHD15: Yeah, nearly two years in the making, one and off writing, and I'm now ready to publish this story, and hopefully, have consistent updates. Thanks again for helping me with several parts of the story, Vin. Both you and Infinite the Celestian helped make this the best story it could be! Hope you like the final product I'll present.

Welp, that's all the comments. Hopefully, there will be more next time.

If you wanna know more, visit my Discord, the link is  /3PFYSt8Dqz . You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Training 'til the Entrance Exam

Toshinori Yagi should have seen Hitoshi Shinso coming.

When his chosen successor showed off her best friend in the form of young Kodai, he was quite surprised. While he was glad she didn't spill anything regarding One For All, he still wasn't excited at the fact that someone else would be with them while cleaning up the beach.

But honestly, he couldn't oppose it. She was young Uraraka's friend, someone she trusted. Plus, he still didn't like Kodai's thousand-yard stare. Especially when directed at him.

Seriously, what'd he do to deserve it? Murder her father, or something?

But when young Shinso arrived, he was just as surprised as last time, but for completely different reasons. On the one hand, it was another person cutting into his time with young Uraraka, but on the other hand, his successor did save the boy from bullies, and even convinced him to work for his dream to become a Hero.

Honestly, All Might couldn't help but smile.

"You're leaving?"

It was now late July, and Ochako's first semester had ended. Starting tomorrow, it would be the first official day of summer break, and starting now, she would work even harder.

Shinso was on board at the idea of doubling their beach cleaning efforts, but…

"Mm," Yui nodded. "I'll be back by the end of August."

"Where are you going?" Shinso asked.

"Camping trip to the mountains," the black-haired girl answered.

Ochako relented. "Alright, we'll save you some trash, I guess."

Yui may not have shown it, but she was smiling on the inside.

"So, is everyone else coming, or not?" Fuyumi Todoroki asked, yawning.

It may have been summer vacation now, but as a teacher, Fuyumi still had plenty of work. Not only did she have to make sure that everything was ready for her students when they came back, but she also had a few more… duties she needed to take care of.

Starting with this little get-together in the Gunga Mountains.

"Or, everyone's coming all right," Melissa said, as she worked on her suit of armor. "Nejire-chan and Yui-chan are almost there. Everyone else will be taking the fast way here."

"Ugh, warp Quirks are such bullshit," she groaned. "Still, the sooner the better."

Honestly speaking, Fuyumi Todoroki could't wait to unleash her flames.

"You need a weapon."

"Hm?"

"I said you need a weapon," Uraraka said. "That, or some sort of support gear."

"Why would I need something like that?" Hitoshi asked, picking up another piece of scrap.

It had been a month since Kodai left, leaving the two of them to pick up garbage in the hot sun. His muscles ached, and he was regretting having such puffy hair right now, it was baking him alive. Still, he was grateful that Uraraka decided to help him train to become a Hero.

He even had muscles now!

"Because your Quirk and bare fists won't be enough! You need tools!" Uraraka exclaimed. "Like, I'm gonna get a helmet with my costume, maybe some gauntlets and springboard-shoes, too!"

"What sort of weapon would I even get?" he asked.

"I dunno, maybe a staff, or a whip? Ooh, maybe even a gun! Look, the point is, you need something to protect yourself. You're my friend, and I don't like seeing my friends get hurt!"

Hitoshi looked at Uraraka with a surprised look.

"What?" she asked.

"You called me your friend."

"Well, we're working together to become Heroes, aren't we? Plus, aside from you, I only have Yui-chan, and she's not always here," the brown-haired girl reasoned.

"Friends…" the purple-haired boy repeated.

A small smile crept up to his mouth.

"Hey, Eri," Shouta spoke in his usual calming tone. The red-eyed girl looked up from her drawing to the two adults, her big eyes full of trust. "We have something very important to ask of you."

"Am I in trouble?" the little horned girl asked.

"No, no. It's something else. Something big. A big decision." Emi paused before she continued, "Eri… how would you feel about us becoming your new mommy and daddy?"

The little girl's expression said it all.

"I'm back."

"Yui-chan!" Ochako exclaimed, hugging her friend.

"Sheesh, your eyebags are almost as bad as mine," Shinsho said.

"Yeah, did you not sleep well?" Ochako asked. "Also… why do you feel so hard?"

Yui pulled up her sleeve to reveal… a bunch of new muscles that weren't there before.

Ochako simply gawked, while Shinso let out a low whistle at the sight.

"So… did you save any trash for me?"

Toshinori had to admit, he was impressed at the sight.

When his successor began to clean up the beach, he expected her to finish maybe a month before the UA Entrance Exam. But instead, she and her little friends did it with three months to spare! There wasn't a single speck of trash when he arrived there that morning!

"Holy… stinking…" All Might got so excited that he buffed up by accident. "SUPER CRAP!!!"

"Like what you see, All Might?" Uraraka asked, smiling.

"Excellent work!" the No. 1 Hero laughed. "So… where are your friends?"

"Oh, I told Yui-chan and Shinso to take the day off, since there was only a little bit of trash left from my area to clean up. But hey, now it's clean! I did it!" she exclaimed.

"You did good, kid. I knew you had it in you."

"I'm just lucky that I had friends to keep me on track…"

"Now, for your reward, Ochako Uraraka!" he said, plucking a hair out of his head.

"Yes, sir!" the brown-haired girl exclaimed, excited as can be.

"Someone told me this once: There's a difference between being lucky and deserving. One's an accident, the other a reward. Never get the two confused! Take that to heart, young man! This gift… you earned it with your own valiant efforts! Now… EAT THIS!!!"

"..."

"..."

"Wha…?"

"To inherit my power, you've got to swallow some of my DNA, that's how it works!"

Uraraka simply stared in horror. "Oh, you've gotta be fucking kidding me…"

"Ugh…" Ochako belched in disgust.

It had been an hour since she swallowed the hair, but she could still taste the damn shampoo All Might used to wash it. It was strawberry flavored, and it did not help improve the flavor.

"I don't feel any different… bleugh…"

"One For All is probably still taking time to adjust to your body," All Might explained. "Tell you what, take the rest of the day off, we'll come back here tomorrow to test it."

"Yeah, sure."

It was a cool Sunday morning when the sun arrived on the beach. The waves were splashing towards the sand, and everything was peaceful and quiet. For now, at least.

"All right, young Uraraka, here's what you're gonna do," Yagi-sensei said. "You're gonna make a fist, and punch it towards the water. In order to summon your newfound power, clench your butt, and from the bottom of your heart, yell "SMASH!" You got all that?"

It was at that moment Ochako Uraraka realized that her mentor may have been the world's greatest Hero, but when it came to instructing, he was, uh… lackluster, to say the least.

"That has got to be the worst analogy I have ever heard."

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you much more. I was pretty much a natural when it came to using the power. Of course, I was twice your size and three times your mass when I first got it, so maybe that'll play into it… Uhh, new plan! Try to adjust the power to where you're comfortable!"

"Wait, so am I going all-out, or am I trying not to hurt myself?!" she asked.

"Uh, the second one, the second one! I don't want to get yelled at by Recovery Girl!"

"Okay…" she whispered to herself, as she tried to feel something, anything.

Uh, hello? One For All? Are you there?

Nothing.

Maybe I gotta summon it? Okay, think Ochako! What does All Might do every time he uses that power? Buff up? Yeah, that works! Okay, just imagine yourself bulking up like him!

She took a deep breath, concentrated, and…

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

…immediately felt her entire body cramp up.

STOP, STOP, STOP, STOP STOP!!!

As soon as she commanded that, her entire body stopped burning up.

"Ugh…" She suddenly felt really sore. Looking towards her mentor, she asked, "How'd I do?"

"Well, you didn't shatter your arms, so I would say that's a start!"

Ochako merely glared at him.

"Okay, but in all seriousness, you sort of started to… glow? Like, at first it seemed like your veins became red, then suddenly, pink lightning was shooting out of your body."

"Alright, so I got something to work… but the question still remains: Where exactly did it go wrong?" After thinking about it some more, Ochako nodded her head. "Let's try this again…"

Heading close to the water once more, Ochako closed her eyes and concentrated on summoning One For All once more, but this time, she did it slowly. She began to feel a small hum, and then consciously began to increase the percentage, one by one, until…

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

Turning off the Quirk, she smiled. "It worked."

Her skeleton of a mentor looked at her. "What worked?"

"Okay, so the first time around, you told me not to go all out, so I went the opposite direction, by starting small. However, it still was too much! So, this time, I just started from zero, and then went up a percentage at a time until it hurt me too much to continue," Ochako explained.

"Alright, how much can you go now?"

"I can power up to four percent comfortably, but once I hit five percent, my muscles cramp up, and it becomes too painful for me to maintain," the brown-haired girl said.

"Hmm… alright, so here's what we're gonna do: You'll spend half of your remaining time working on increasing your percentages, and the rest of it, you'll work on your original Quirk."

"Uhh… what about it?"

"Kid, I'll be real with you: One For All doesn't just increase your physical strength, it'll also increase the power behind your Quirk!" All Might explained. "For all we know, your Zero Gravity Quirk could now increase to full-blown gravity control! So, you'll have to re-learn your Quirk."

"I see… welp, guess I know what I'll be doing for the next three months…"

For the next week, Ochako was cautious with her Quirk. She didn't know exactly what it would be capable of now, so she had to make sure it was still usable for Hero work.

And she would very much prefer to keep her hands intact, thank you very much.

Back on the beach, Ochako picked up a rock with all five of her fingers. Watching it glow, she saw it float upwards. So far, so good. She could still use her original Quirk just fine.

But… Now what?

She still had her original Quirk, and she had All Might's super strength, kinda. But was that it? Inspecting the rock again, she touched it with her five fingers again, when suddenly –

BOOF!

It just rocketed towards the sand.

Ochako stared at the rock a bit dumbfounded, when she touched it again. It felt heavier. Touching it again, it became light again, and touching it once more, it became heavy.

To make sure she wasn't hallucinating, she went and grabbed a can of soda. Leaving it right there in the middle of the sidewalk, she touched it with all five of her fingers, and backed away. Then, instead of willing it to float, she did the exact opposite thing.

CRUNCH!!!

Ochako stared at the crushed can in amazement.

She could now increase and decrease an object's gravity upon touching it.

"So, how are you doing with weapons?" Ochako asked.

"Well, considering that whips seem kinda inappropriate, and due to the fact that guns aren't allowed in the hands of middle schoolers, I have settled with a staff," Shinso said.

"That's a good start," she smiled. "Show me your moves!"

Grabbing his wooden stick, Shinso smiled. "With pleasure."

For the past month, the three friends would always spar with one another on the empty beach, to make sure that they could hold their own against actual Villains. Ochako never used One For All, still trying to figure out how to explain the lightning to her friends, but she was still good.

However, she was still not as good as Yui. Whatever she was doing up in the mountains over the summer had not given her muscles just for show, those things had a purpose.

Her speed had increased phenomenally so, as if she was predicting her sparring opponent's next move, and for someone like Ochako, who needed to touch someone in order to use their Quirk, that speed Yui had gained was making it harder for Ochako to win.

She was still better than Shinso, that was for sure, but as he kept practicing with that staff he got, he was slowly but surely getting better, too. Definitely on par with Ochako.

She knew she needed to figure out One For All, and fast.

About a month later, Ochako was now experimenting with her newfound super strength.

Alright, if I increase it too much it hurts, but if it's too low, it'll be the equivalent of me just hitting something at normal strength, she thought to herself. I gotta find a good middle ground.

Activating that portion of One For All within her, she felt her veins heat up, and then suddenly… pink lightning erupted from all over her body. Keeping it at four percent, she looked over to the stack of rocks she had piled up on one after the other, like a sort of totem pole.

Alright, just… hit the rocks.

Breathing in and out, she let the lightning encircle her. Immediately, she opened her eyes, and launched from where she was at the sand towards the rocks in a massive burst.

BOOM!

Launching herself towards the air, she rocketed towards the rocks, making a fist.

SMMAAASSH!!!!!

POW!

The rocks shattered upon impact, and as Ochako tumbled back into the sand, the lightning still wrapped around her. Turning it off, she stood up, and saw that she had knocked over the rocks.

And my arms aren't in any pain… this is good… this is a start…

"Uh, what the fuck?"

Turning around, she saw that Shinso and Yui had arrived.

Shit. She had completely forgotten that today they were all supposed to spar together, and she had been caught red-handed. She had no idea how she was supposed to explain away the –

"Oh, your Quirk evolved."

Ochako looked at Yui, who still maintained her usual neutral expression, however, it was somehow… different. But she shook her head. Yui just offered her a way out.

"Oh no, you caught me!" she laughed. "Yeah, my Quirk, uh… evolved?"

Shinso looked unconvinced. "And you weren't planning to tell us until…?"

"Uh… it stopped hurting me?"

"What?"

"Alright, so let me get this straight," Shinso groaned, trying to wrap his head around the concept. "Your Quirk is no longer about nullifying gravity, but now a complete control of gravity?"

"Uh, kinda?" Ochako said, scratching the back of her head. "I can now both increase and decrease the amount of gravity on the things I touched, including on myself."

"Makes sense," Yui said. "You decreased your gravity to launch yourself from the ground, and then you increased it in your hand at the right moment, allowing you to crush those rocks."

Ochako was thanking whatever deity made Yui overanalyze the situation, because she herself knew for a fact that she wouldn't be able to bullshit her way out of this on her own.

"Okay… what about the pink lightning?" Shinso asked, somewhat suspicious.

"I honestly have no idea," Ochako said. And that was technically true.

"Girl, I am so jealous of you right now," Shinso smirked.

It was now the day of the UA Entrance Exam.

Toshinori looked down at his successor and her friends. He had to admit, he was full of pride. The three of them had worked their tails off to get into their dream school. Young Uraraka may have been his successor to his Quirk, but all three of them were excellent in their own ways.

"Now, do you have everything you need?" he asked.

"Mm-hm," Uraraka nodded. "Papers, pens, tracksuits, all that jazz. We'll be fine!"

"Yagi-sensei, chill, were good," Shinso smiled. "We're not babies, we'll be fine."

"I know, but I still worry," he said. "Try not to get hurt."

"We won't," Kodai said, her stare still as unnerving as ever.

"Well then, I wish the three of you luck!"

The three students cheered, and headed off to grab their futures.

Staring up at the large, almost skyscraper-like building, Ochako, Yui, and Shinso were silently in awe. They were here. It was finally time to see if their hard work had paid off.

It was the hour of the UA Entrance Exam.

"Uraraka, am I seeing this correctly?" Shinso asked.

"If you aren't, then we're both seeing it wrong."

"Come on," Yui said, grabbing their hands. "We need to get in."

Walking towards the main building, the three of them were quiet, as they were seemingly nervous. Even with the training from Yagi, they still didn't know what to expect.

"Hey, aren't you the guy from the Sludge Villain –"

"SHUT UP!"

Snapping them out of their inner thoughts, the three friends turned around to see that a kind with spiky ash blond hair and piercing eyes was barking at some others to be quiet.

"Wait a minute, I know you!" Ochako exclaimed.

"Huh? Round Cheeks? The fuck you doing here?" he asked.

"I have a name, you know! It's Ochako Uraraka."

The blond growled, before relenting. "Katsuki Bakugou."

Ochako smiled. "Nice to meet you! These are my friends, Yui Kodai and Hitoshi Shinso –"

"I don't care," he interrupted her. "You can tell me once we're all in the Hero Course."

And just like that, he went into the building without saying another word.

"Well, that guy was certainly charming," Shinso said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"Come on," Ochako said. "We'll be late for the exams."

Neither she nor Shinso noticed how Yui was glaring daggers at Bakugou the entire time.

With the written exams out of the way, it was time for the practical portions.

The lights in the auditorium came on, as a voice pierced the silence.

"What's up, UA Candidates?! Thanks for tuning into me, your school DJ!" a Pro Hero with some really tall blond hair and sunglasses announced. "COME ON, LEMME HEAR YA!"

No one said a word.

"Keeping it mellow, huh? That's fine, I'll skip straight to the main show! Let's talk about how this practical exam is gonna go down, okay? ARE YOU READY?! YEAH!!!"

Still nothing.

"Isn't that guy Present Mic?" Shinso asked next to Uraraka.

"Well, all the teachers are supposedly Pros, so it does make sense," she guessed.

"Like I said, today, you boys and girls will be conducting twenty minute mock battles in suburban settings! After I drop the mic here, you will head to your specified battle centers, sound good?"

So quiet, someone could hear a pin drop.

"Okay, okay! Let's check out your targets! There are three types of faux Villains in every battle center! You will earn points based on their level of difficulty, so choose wisely! Your goal in this trial is to use your Quirk to raise your score by shredding these Villains! But check it! Make sure you're keeping things heroic! Attacking other examinees is a UA no-no, ya dig?"

Ochako observed the screen in front of her, seeing the three different silhouettes of robots, with each of them listing a different point value. Pretty self-explanatory, honestly.

"Excuse me, sir but I have a question," a boy with glasses raised his hand.

"HIT ME!"

"On the print-out, you've listed four types of Villains, not three! With all respect, if this is an error on official UA materials, it is shameful! We are exemplary students, we expect the best from Japan's most notable school! A mistake such as this won't do!"

"Alright, alright, Examinee 7111! Thanks for calling in with your request!"

The screen suddenly flashed to show a silhouette of a new robot.

"The fourth Villain type is worth zero points! That guy's just an obstacle we'll be throwing in your way! There's one in every center, think of it as a hurdle you should try to avoid! It's not that it can't be beaten, but there's… kinda no point. I recommend my listeners try to ignore it, and try to focus on the ones at the top of the charts!" Present Mic said.

"Thank you very much," the boy bowed. "Please, continue."

"That's all I got for you today! I'll sign off with a little present, a sample of our school motto! As General Napoleon Bonapart once laid down, "A true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes!" Now that's a tasty soundbyte! You ready to go beyond?"

Ochako smiled. It was showtime.

"LET'S HEAR A PLUS ULTRA!!!"

Still nothing.

"Good luck! Hope you practiced more than just hitting the books!"

The bus finally stopped, releasing the examinees.

As Ochako stepped out, she saw the massive walls that enclose Battle Center B.

Well, this is it, she thought to herself. Time to put this to the test.

She had bid farewell to both Shinso and Yui, who were at separate Battle Centers, to make sure that friends didn't work together, leaving Ochako all alone with strangers.

Ochako scanned around the area, noticing that most of the people there didn't seem worried. Were they that confident? Looking around a bit more, she saw –

Hey, it's Bakugou! Maybe I should go over and say hi!

Before she could, however, she felt someone grab her shoulder.

"He looks like he's trying to focus. What are you going to do? Distract him?"

"No!" she said, sounding offended. "I just wanted to wish him good luck!"

"Oh," the spectacled boy said, bowing. "Forgive me then. My name is Tenya Iida."

"Ochako Uraraka," she smiled. "Anyways, good luck."

"Good luck to you, too, Uraraka," Iida smiled.

As the boy with the dark blue hair left her alone, Ochako went back to wish Bakugou luck, only to see him crouching…? It looked as if he was a racer waiting for the referee to yell start.

Walking up right next to him, she got into a position similar to him, grabbing his attention.

"What are you doing, Round Cheeks?"

"Well, you seem to know something I don't, so I'm following your lead."

The blond grunted, but he let her stay. Calling upon One For All, her veins began to glow red and then the lightning appeared in all its pink glory, and just in time, too.

"RIGHT, LET'S START!" Present Mic's voice boomed from a nearby tower, grabbing everyone's attention. "GET MOVING! THERE ARE NO COUNTDOWNS IN REAL BATTLES! RUN, RUN, RUN, LISTENERS! YOU'RE WASTING AIRTIME HERE!"

And with that, they were off.

Author's Note: Wonder if anyone noticed anything… off.

Anyways, they may not be much, but they're still last week's comments, now answered!

PlayboyK: Thanks for the compliment, and I will be continuing this, indeed.

Emil: Yeah, Midoriya won't be showing up here for a long time. And even when he does, chances are you won't really be expecting it, especially with the role he's been given. Glad to see your heart melted at Eraserhead and Ms. Joke meeting Eri, that means I did something right. Let me know how you like the rest of the story!

But that's all for today! I've got a Discord, the link is  /3PFYSt8Dqz . You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

And until next time, enjoy your lives!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Exploding Robots

"YOU'RE WASTING AIRTIME HERE!"

With that, Ochako ignited One For All within her body and blasted off into the robot-infested faux city, with pink lightning trailing behind her, ready for whatever would be thrown at her.

SMASH!

Immidlety, one of the fake buildings she was heading towards was smashed through by one of the robots. A one-pointer, given the fact that it had a huge "one" on its arm.

Alright, Ochako, moment of truth!

Launching towards the machine, she made a fist, and cried "SMMAAASSH!!!!!"

POW!

The robot crumbled under the power of her fist like cardboard.

No injuries, she realized. Good, that means my training for the last three months have paid off. If I can keep my power down to five percent, I should do just fine.

She blasted off to find some more robots.

The old Hitoshi Shinso would have wanted to die.

Well, not really. To be more accurate, he would have bitched and moaned that fighting against robots was heavily-biased against combat-oriented Quirks. And that was true. However, he had been training his body for the last ten months, giving him an advantage.

Alright, first thing's first, I need a weapon, he thought to himself.

Looking around, he saw a stop sign at one of the crosswalks. Grabbing it, and using a little bit of pressure, he pried it out of the ground. Thank goodness it was fake, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to lift it out of the concrete, much less use it as a weapon.

"Target acquired. Commencing attack."

Turning around, Hitoshi saw that a one-pointer had spotted him, and was rushing over to murk him. Using the stop sign as a baseball bat, he waited until it was in position, and then –

WHACK!

…he hit its wheel, sending it crashing towards the ground.

Alright, it's down, but I still gotta finish it off!

Rushing from its blind spot, he readied himself to crush it with the stop sign, only to see… something big and red on the back of its head. It looked kinda like a button.

Curiosity getting the better of him, the purple-haired boy pressed it, and…

BWOO…

…he heard the robot go silent, and stop moving.

And off-switch? These things have an off-switch?!

Hitoshi didn't know whether to smile or to feel annoyed at that.

Whoo-hoo! This is actually fun!

Ochako was currently having the time of her life.

At first, she was simply using One For All to bounce around the area and smash the robots to pieces, but now, she was getting a bit more creative. She used her original Quirk to launch the bots into the air and then let their gravity return, using the impact of the fall to destroy them. She also used the newest aspect of her Quirk to increase their gravity to crush them.

She even used a One For All-powered kick to crush a bot's head in two!

This was a blast!

"Hey, Iida!" she called out to the spectacled boy. "How many do you have so far?"

"I believe it was forty-five, last time I checked!" he yelled, crushing another bot.

"Nice! I'm pretty sure I'm at forty-one!" she called back, smashing yet another one.

Yep, this was definitely a blast.

Within a darkened room, the UA staff watched the exam take place.

"Clearly, the examinees have no idea how many Villains are present, or their locations," Nedzu said. "They have limited time, must cover a vast area, and hunt down every last target."

"Some use information gathering abilities to plan out strategies…" he said, looking towards one of the screens where a boy with six arms was spreading them across the area.

"...while others use speed to pull ahead of their peers." A blue-haired boy with glasses.

"Of course, remaining calm under pressure can be a huge advantage," the white-furred mammal said, as he watched a blond boy use a laser from his stomach to blast the robots.

"...as can pure power and combat ability." A spiky blond with smoke coming from his hands.

"The most successful students use a combination of all these tactics. They're the ones who rack up the highest scores," the principal said, as the other teachers watched the screens.

"Hmm…" the voice of Midnight could be heard. "I'd say that this year's group looks promising."

"Who's that one over there?" Eraserhead asked, pointing to a purple-haired teen.

"His name is Hitoshi Shinso," Nedzu answered. "He has a mental Quirk that allows him to command others. However, given that it's a combat test, he has a disadvantage."

"Hm, he seems to be using one of the stop signs as a makeshift staff, or even an ax," the black-haired teacher said. "His technique is sloppy, but overall competent. Not only that, but he's already discovered the off-switch on the Villain Bots, so he's clever, too."

"He's not the only one, Aizawa," Vlad King said. "Look at the invisible one."

"Where? I don't see them."

"Check the thermal cameras."

"Oh, okay, now I see her," Eraserhead answered. "She found the off-switches, too?"

"Correct," Nedzu responded. "Her name is Toru Hakagure. Her Quirk is not combat-oriented, but she's using her stealth to sneak up on the robots from behind and turn them off."

"She'll barely pass with that strategy."

"Well, there's still plenty of time before it's over," Snipe said, as he activated something called the Yaruki Switch. "The real test is yet to come. Let's see how they react."

BOOM!

Something big had just erupted from the ground, grabbing everyone's attention. For a moment, everyone was stunned, before their expressions quickly shifted into horror.

KRSSH!

It was gigantic, so colossal that it crushed any buildings it came into contact with. Despite being slow, its massive size made up for it, as it loomed over everyone like an enormous shadow, blocking out the sun itself. As Ochako looked up, she realized what that… thing… was.

It was the zero-pointer.

"There's one in every center, think of it as a hurdle you should try to avoid!" her memory of Present Mic echoed in her mind. "It's not that it can't be beaten, but there's… kinda no point. I recommend my listeners try to ignore it, and try to focus on the ones at the top of the charts!"

She cried in her mind, Isn't this a little extreme?!

"LESS THAN TWO MINUTES REMAINING!!!" Present Mic's voice shouted.

CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!

Ochako started running.

She knew she had to get away from that monstrosity. There was no way in hell she could beast that thing at the power level she was currently at. It was a sure-fire way to get herself injured, or even worse, killed. She would not risk failing the exam because of some giant –

"SON OF A BITCH!!!"

Turning around, she saw that there was someone limping behind her.

Bakugou?

As the zero-pointer approached her, Yui Kodai was not afraid.

She ignored all of the people who were running for their lives in the opposite direction. She ignored all the people who were telling her to run, as she simply walked towards it.

As the debris fell all around her, she simply dodged and weaved through the falling concrete. Compared to her "camping trip" to the mountains, this was nothing.

She walked up to the zero-pointer. It was big, sure, but she had dealt with giants before, ones faster than this hunk of metal. Placing all five of her fingers on the metal, she whispered…

"Die."

…and began to shrink the titanic machine down to a smaller one. Way smaller.

A year earlier, she would never have imagined herself doing something like this. The amount of energy and sheer willpower for her to pull off something like this would be too great.

But that was no longer an issue.

She had faced off against giants before, and the one she witnessed at the Gunga Mountains was far more scary than the overgrown tin can UA had thrown at her today.

Shrinking, shrinking, and shrinking it even further, the zero-pointer in her area went from being a kaiju-sized monstrosity, to the size of a truck, to that of a car, and then to her height.

And now, it was the size of a toy car.

Taking her hand off of it, she lifted one foot, and stomped it down on the mini zero-pointer.

CRUNCH!

As she crushed the now tiny robot underneath her shoe, she had a tiny smile.

Occhan wasn't the only one whose Quirk had "evolved" over the summer.

Katsuki Bakugou was having a bad day.

To be honest, it was more like he was having a bad year.

First, it was that stupid Sludge Villain incident where the media circus tried to praise him for doing the equivalent of what a drowning rat would do, before getting saved by that girl. Worse of all, his face and Quirk were all over TV, which really put a dampen on his goals.

Then, a month later, Auntie Inko woke up. Sure, aside from the fact that he nearly choked to death on his breakfast from the shock, it should have been a great day. But the fact remained, he still felt super fucking guilty. Especially when the two of them saw each other in person.

He was nearly a decade older, meanwhile, she looked like she hadn't aged a day since… it happened… and the look she gave him when she realized what had happened… and how much changed… It hurt him. While he was understanding that she would be staying at their house until she got back on her feet, interacting with her every time they crossed paths…

It was awkward, yeah.

Then, ten months later after the shitty Sludge Villain, people STILL know who he is! Not only that, but he was sharing an exam site with Round Cheeks, who COULDN'T GET THE HINT that he wanted to be left alone. At least he could blow off some steam while killing robots.

And then he got overexcited.

He hadn't realized that there were so many of those mechanical fuckers that they made him go overboard with his Qurik, resulting in his forearms to wanna fall off. And with that giant-ass zero-pointer on his ass, he had no choice but to run. Like a coward.

And then he tripped.

Because his forearms were now out of commission, he couldn't use them to break his fall, resulting in a tumble… which left him with a sprained ankle on his right leg.

And now, the zero-pointer was gaining.

"SON OF A BITCH!!!"

Yep, that was definitely Bakugou.

And for some reason, she was running towards him. And the zero-pointer.

Pink lightning erupted from her body as she zoomed towards the downed blond, activating her Zero Gravity to make him lighter, and then grabbing him and running out of danger.

"Round Cheeks?" he asked, clearly surprised.

"I already told you once, I refuse to let you die!" she answered, still running.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Crap, that thing's gaining on us! Ochako realized. I've gotta get him to safety! Alright, think everyone is already ahead of us, running for their lives, if I can just find –

Suddenly, her prayers were answered, as she saw who was ahead of them.

"IIDA!"

"Huh?" the glasses-wearing boy turned around to see… "URARAKA?!"

"HURRY!" she yelled back, lifting Bakugou. "CATCH HIM!!!"

"No!" Bakugou protested. "Don't you dare, Round Cheeks! Don't you dare throw MEEEEE!!!"

She threw him.

"OOF!" Iida successfully caught Bakugou, and was ready to make a run for it, when –

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The debris from all around the buildings was crashing all over them, not allowing them to escape the zero-pointer. Ochako realized that they were trapped.

If we try to run, the debris will crush us, if we stay here, the zero-pointer will crush us, she thought to herself. There's only one way to get rid of that thing…

"Iida," she called to him. "Take care of Bakugou for me."

"Uhh… of course."

"Wait!" Bakugou yelled from where Iida was holding him. "What are you going to do?!"

"Something crazy. Or something stupid. Or maybe a little bit of both."

With that, she was already gone. One For All was already at five percent, buying her a few seconds to get to the zero-pointer before it crushed the two boys. Now, standing right on top of it, she did the one thing she could think of. She poured all of One For All into her legs.

And then she jumped.

BOOM!

She rocketed towards the zero-pointer, and making a fist, she powered it with the entirety of One For All, while remembering the first thing All Might told her to do once she inherited that power. "You're gonna make a fist, and punch it towards the water. In order to summon your newfound power, clench your butt, and from the bottom of your heart, yell –"

"SMMAAAAAASSH!!!!!"

BOOOOM!!!

Like lightning striking, a huge explosion was heard from the face of the zero-pointer, knocking it back, and causing a chain reaction of explosions that made it all through its body, causing it and the rest of the debris to tumble backwards, safely away from all of the examinees.

"JUST ONE MINUTE LEFT!"

Present Mic's voice snapped her back to reality, and she realized two things.

One, both her legs and her right arm were broken.

Two, she was now falling from a great height.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA–"

If she survived this, she vowed to never go 100% with One For All until she was at least as muscular as All Might. But for now, she had to focus on not becoming a road pancake.

As the wind whooshed past her, Ochako realized that she still had one hand functioning, and that she could use Zero Gravity to slow her fall, and –

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"Huh?"

Before she could even execute her pan into action, a bunch of explosions were launched, and something rocketed towards her, wrapping their arms around her tightly.

"HUH?! BAKUGOU?!"

The spiky blond had somehow managed to launch himself towards where Ochako was falling, and had successfully grabbed her body. Once that was done, he used his one free hand to launch a continuous amount of explosions towards the bottom, slowing their descent.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Realizing what he was doing, Ochako used the last bit of her Zero Gravity on him rather than herself, as she used her one non-broken arm to hold the explosive boy even tighter.

BAM!

While their crash-landing was not comfortable, they were at least alive.

"Ugh…" Opening her eyes, she saw that her face was on… Bakugou's chest.

"Eep!" she squealed, getting red. "I'm sorry! I –"

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" he yelled.

"Ooh, l'amour on the battlefield," a blond boy with a French accent laughed.

Immediately, Ochako used her one good arm to get off of Bakugou's chest, and used it to crawl her way towards her own piece of debris, where she puked to her heart's content.

"TIME'S UP!!!"

"Very nice, good work all around. You're Heroes in my eyes, every one of you," an elderly voice said. "Here, reward yourselves, have some gummies."

"Oh, thank you," a familiar voice said.

"Iida…?" Ochako slurred out.

Appearing in her line of sight, he smiled. "Uraraka! I am relieved to see you alive!"

"What happened…?"

"When we saw you plummet towards the ground after destroying the zero-pointer, this hooligan bit me, forcing me to release him, and then launched himself towards you!"

"Who you calling hooligan?!" Bakugou hissed. "I just saved her ass!"

"Yes, well, be glad I brought Recovery Girl to both of you!" Iida said.

"Oh my goodness. You were hurt this badly by your own Quirk? The old lady, now identified as Recovery Girl, approached them, making a kissy face. "Gimme some sugar!"

"Eww!" Bakugou cringed. "What the fuck is she doing?!"

"You're watching a school nurse in action," the blond Frenchman said. "The Youthful Heroine: Recovery Girl. Her Quirk is a boost of healing power. She's the only reason UA can hold these reckless exams. Look, she's saving her months of recovery time."

As Ochako was glowing green, she could feel her broken bones mend themselves, her scarring disappear, and the pain vanish. However, she did feel extremely tired now.

"Alright, you'll be fine now," Recovery Girl smiled. "Now, your turn."

"Stay the hell away from me, old hag," Bakugou hissed.

Ochako could hear her parents pacing outside of her room.

It had been a full week since the Entrance Exams, and since then she, along with Yui and Shinso, had been waiting patiently for their results to arrive. During the week, she tried calling All Might, but he had given her nothing but radio silence, so there was nothing they could do.

Then, her results arrived via the mail.

She insisted on seeing them by herself, much to her folk's protests, but they relented. Now, in the darkness of her room, she was staring at the letter.

Opening it, she saw a small gray disk, which lit up, revealing –

"BOO-YAH! I AM HERE, AS A PROJECTION NOW!"

"Wait, All Might?!" Ochako looked at the screen, confused.

"I know it's been a while, but with great power comes a great amount of paperwork! Ahem, my apologies, young lady," the projection of All Might said. "The truth is, I didn't come to this city just to fight Villains… you're looking at the newest UA faculty member!"

"You're seriously going to be working at UA?!" she gasped.

"Yes, what's the matter? Who's showboating? Wait, I have to do how many of these things?! Right, so, moving on! You passed the written test with flying colors, and you managed to earn forty-one Villain Points! A very good score, but that alone wouldn't have earned you a spot…"

Ochako's heart sank as she felt tears nearly leave her eyes, when –

"Fortunately, there were other factors!"

Looking up, the brown-haired girl saw as the camera cut to her saving Bakugou. From rushing towards the zero-pointer, to tossing him towards Iida, and then punching the huge robot to make sure everyone would stay safe from its path of destruction, all of it.

"How could a Hero Course reject someone who is committed to saving others, no matter the consequences to himself? After all, that is what makes a Hero. And that's what my alma mater is all about, training those who would risk their lives for the greater good. So, we have Rescue Points! A panel of judges watches, and they award points for heroic acts beyond just fighting Villains! OCHAKO URARAKA, SIXTY RESCUE POINTS! Congratulations, with a total score of one hundred and one points, you've earned second place within the Entrance Exam!"

The projector showed the top ten scores:

No. 1: Katsuki Bakugou Villain Points: 77 Rescue Points: 45 Total Points: 122

No. 2: Ochako Uraraka Villain Points: 41 Rescue Points: 60 Total Points: 101

No. 3: Eijiro Kirishima Villain Points: 39 Rescue Points: 35 Total Points: 74

No. 4: Ibara Shiozaki Villain Points: 36 Rescue Points: 32 Total Points: 68

No. 5: Itsuka Kendo Villain Points: 25 Rescue Points: 40 Total Points: 65

No. 6: Tenya Iida Villain Points: 52 Rescue Points: 9 Total Points: 61

No. 7: Yui Kodai Villain Points: 60 Rescue Points: 0 Total Points: 60

No. 8: Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu Villain Points: 49 Rescue Points: 10 Total Points: 59

No. 9: Fumikage Tokoyami Villain Points: 47 Rescue Points: 10 Total Points: 57

No. 10: Yosetsu Awase Villain Points: 50 Rescue Points: 6 Total Points: 56

As Ochako cried, a large smile crept up on her face.

"Welcome, Ochako. You're now part of the Hero Academia!"

As the projector turned off, she immediately grabbed her cellphone, and texted into the group chat. She, Yui and Shinso had created it a while back, so they could discuss schedules and whatnot whenever they needed to, and tonight, it was gonna be flooded.

Graviton: I PASSED! SECOND PLACE!!! AAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

Rule: We noticed.

Mindblank: Passed by the skin of my teeth. Forty-four points.

Rule: Was the cut-off at forty points?

Mindblank: I think so. Glad that me brainwashing idiots to get out of the line of fire qualified as "rescues." Still, without those twenty points, I'd be in Gen Ed right now.

Rule: What classes are we all in?

Graviton: Mine says Class 1-A!

Rule: Same.

Mindblank: Guess we're all in Class 1-A.

Graviton: AAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

Stepping out of her room, Ochako saw that her mom and dad were staring at her. They must have been waiting in anticipation over her results. Might as well get it done. She gave them a wobbly smile, and simply said, "I got in. I'm gonna be a Hero."

"MY BABY!!!"

As Ochako proceeded to get crushed in a family-styled bear hug, her mother praised her, while her father looked into Ochako's eyes, and said, "You'll do so many great things, kiddo."

Ochako gave her folks a wobbly smile, and said, "Yeah, I will."

"Congrats on getting in," Yagi-sensei smiled, the two of them at the beach.

"I couldn't have done it without your help!"

"Oh, speaking of which, I didn't tell anyone at UA that I had been training you and your friends, or anything," the emaciated form of All Might told his successor. "I wasn't one of the judges, and I didn't pull any strings for the three of you, you all earned those spots all on your own."

"I'm glad to hear that," Ochako said, before she remembered something else. "Oh, yeah, I was really surprised to hear that you were gonna be a teacher at UA this year!"

"The school didn't want me telling anyone about the job until they made an official announcement," the blond skeleton of a man said, looking towards the ocean. "It seemed like fortunate timing. An easy way to find someone knew the inherent One For All."

"But instead, you found me," Ochako said.

"Yeah," he smiled. "The torch I passed on to you is but a small flame right now. In time, it will become a raging inferno. The more powerful you become, the more you will outshine me. And eventually, I will retire, with my job complete. Heh, deep stuff alright."

Ochako looked more determined now than ever. "I'll make you proud, Yagi-sensei."

"You already have, young Uraraka. You already have."

"Is everything set back in Japan?"

"Yes, Papa," Melissa spoke into her phone. "All my luggage came back with me from I-Island. I've also done all my summer work, so I'm all set for my least year at Shiketsu."

"Glad to hear that. Say hi to All Might for me!"

"If I meet up with him, sure," the blonde girl said. "Gotta go, bye."

"Bye, Melissa. I love you."

As the bespectacled girl ended the call, she quickly pulled up another contact. Pressing the button, she waited for the other line to pick up, and… "Hey, hey! Melissa-chan!"

"Hey, Nej. I just got back from I-Island. How were things while I was gone?"

"Oh, things have been going great! The UA Entrance Exam just happened, and Yui-chan told me that she got in! Everything's going – Oh, gotta go, I'm with Mirio and Tamaki!"

Melissa laughed. "All right, talk to you later."

Ending the call, Melissa smiled. This school year was gonna be… interesting.

Author's Notes: No Rescue Points for Yui? Huh, that's weird.

Anyway… comment time!

DragonWhite04: I'm not planning on having Uraraka's lifespan get lowered by One For All. How I'm gonna do that, I have two ideas. One, I go with Mirrond's explanation and say that the Quirk has finally "evolved," or two, I just completely ignore the problem.

BarusuOmega: Glad to see you like it! Hope you enjoy the rest of it!

Anyways, that's all for this week!

If you wanna know more, visit my Discord, the link is  /3PFYSt8Dqz . You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

"Class 1-A… 1-A… come on, where is it?!" Ochako groaned.

Wonderful. First day of school, and she'll most likely be late due to the fact this school is so frickin' huge! Her family may have climbed up the social ladder years ago, but she was still a small fish in the big pond. And that meant getting overwhelmed by big buildings.

"YO, URARAKA!"

Looking towards the end of the hallway, she saw that both Yui-chan and Shinso were waving her down. "We knew you'd get lost, so we figured we'd be stationed outside the class!"

"Mm," Yui-chan nodded. "What he said."

"Come on, you're both making me sound incompetent!" she sighed, as she looked towards the gigantic door. "Huh. I guess they fitted the door for those with Mutant-type Quirks?"

"Guess so," Shinso said.

Ochako proceeded to stare at the door for a few seconds longer.

"Uraraka, it's a door. It's not gonna bite you."

"I know that!" she sputtered. "It's just… the most promising students in the country are waiting behind this door. I just hope everyone is nice. Like, what if we don't have what it takes?"

"You do," Yui gave her best friend a soft smile. "You got this."

"Hmm… you're right! I'm probably worried over nothing…"

Opening up the sliding door, the trio looked inside, to reveal…

"Take your feet off of that desk, now!"

"Huh?"

…Iida and Bakugou arguing over a desk, off all things.

"It's the first day, and you're already disrespecting this academy by scuffing school property, you cretin!" the blue-haired boy shouted, pointing at Bakugou's feet, which were on his desk.

"You're kidding me, right? Your old school put a stick up your ass, or were you born with it?"

"Oh, great, we're stuck with that jackass," Shinso muttered under his breath.

Yui agreed with him. "Just our luck…"

"Let's start over," Iida said. "I'm Tenya Iida from the Somei Private Academy…"

Bakugou looked physically disgusted at that. "Somei, huh? Ugh…"

Iida realized that he wouldn't be getting through to Bakugou, so he decided to interact with someone else. Looking over to the other side of the class, he saw… "Uraraka-san!"

And just like that, the entire class was staring at Ochako and her friends. Yay.

Ochako decided to roll with the punches and smile. "Good morning, Iida!"

"Uraraka… you realized that there was something more to the practical exam, didn't you? You must be very perceptive, and as a student, you're far superior to me!"

"What is he talking about?" Yui whispered to Shinso.

"I think he's referring to the Rescue Points…"

"Uhh, thank you, Iida! I'm glad you're here, too!" Ochako said, trying to move on to the next subject. "So, what do you think we're doing today besides orientation? I can't wait to –"

"If you're just here to make friends, then you can pack up your stuff now."

Shinso's breathing came to a halt, as he looked at something behind Ochako. From her peripheral vision, the brown-haired girl knew that Yui was staring at something behind her, and so was Iida. Slowly turning around, she saw… a giant yellow caterpillar? '

"Welcome to UA's Hero Course," the caterpillar said, slurping down an entire jelly pack.

"WHAT IS THAT THING?!" was the thought going through every single student at the moment.

"It took eight seconds before you all shut up, that's not gonna work," the caterpillar said, as he shed his yellow cocoon and transformed into… a hobo? "Time is precious. Rational students would understand that. Hello, I'm Shouta Aizawa… your teacher."

OUR TEACHER?!

"Right, let's get to it," Aizawa said, grabbing into his sleeping bag and pulling out a UA gym uniform. "Put these on and head outside. You've got ten minutes. Get moving."

Emi Aizawa, known better by her Hero name, Ms. Joke, was pretty nervous.

Sure, she was a teacher before, but that was for Ketsubutsu, and there, she was a Hero Course teacher. But now? She would be a UA teacher for the Department of Management. Sure, she technically held a degree in business, but it would still be her first day teaching.

But she would do it. For Eri.

Over a year ago, she never thought she and her husband would end up taking care of a child together, let alone having a daughter. But it happened, the day she arrived at their doorstep.

A little girl, alone and afraid, who had gone through hardships that no child should have, was right in front of their apartment door. They took her in, and then brought her to Tsukauchi at the station, with Nedzu coming along as well.

The poor child had been hurt by criminals, once they never did catch, but was brought to their doorstep by someone who knew their identities, and their fighting styles.

Nedzu quickly realized that it was a security threat, and offered to move both Shouta and herself to an apartment complex closer to UA, while also providing her with a new job.

But that still left the girl, Eri.

She was told that the two Heroes she was dropped off to would care for her, and whoever her mysterious savior was, they were right. Since Shouta was the only one who could erase her Quirk in case of an emergency, he ended up becoming her de-facto guardian.

Building trust with Eri was difficult, especially when they took her to see Recovery Girl. The process was slow, but it paid off. With Shouta having expelled his entire class that year, he had all the time in the world to care for the little girl. And Emi would always be with Eri every free moment of her time, feeding her, holding her, comforting her when she had nightmares, always.

Then, in late December, Emi and Shouta asked if Eri would like to be officially adopted.

The fact that the paperwork was finalized on her birthday was the icing to the cake.

Now, four months later, in April, Emi breathed deeply to calm her nerves. Since both her parents would be busy, Eri would be in the care of Recovery Girl during school hours. She wished that she could stay with her little girl, but Emi was an adult with responsibilities.

Psyching herself up one last time, she slid open the door to the classroom which housed the First Years of the Business Course, shouting "GOOD MORNING!!!"

She smiled to see that every single student was at attention. "Hi there! My name's Ms. Joke, and I'll be your teacher for the year! I hope we have a year full of laughter!"

Looking over the classroom, they were about what she expected from Business Course students. Some of them wore round glasses and had slick hair, others had more exaggerated hairdos and facial expressions, body types of all varieties, but the one that caught her eye the most was the freckled kid with he black curly hair and the red eyes.

"Alright, now, for roll call! When I call your name, please stand up! Mikumo Akatani!"

The red-eyed kid with the black hair instantly shot up. "Here!"

Emi smiled, as she had a feeling that one student in particular would do some big things.

"""What? A Quirk Assessment Test?""" literally everyone asked.

"But orientation!" Ochako protested. "We're gonna miss it!"

"If you really wanna make the big leagues, you can't waste time on pointless ceremonies. Here at UA, we're not tethered to traditions. That means I get to run my class however I see fit," Aizawa said, holding up what appeared to be a phone-like device. "You've been taking standardized tests most of your lives. But you never got to use your Quirks in physical exams before. The country is still trying to pretend we're all created equal by not letting those with the most power excel. It's not rational. One day, the Ministry of Education will learn."

"Bakugou," Aizawa called out the blond. "You managed to get the most points in the Entrance Exam. What was your farthest distance throw with a softball when you were in junior high?"

"Sixty-seven meters, I think."

"Right, try doing it with your Quirk."

Bakugou nodded, and stepped up towards the small white circle out in the field.

"Anything goes, as long as you stay in the circle. Go on, you're wasting our time."

"All right, man, you asked for it," Bakugou said, stretching a bit, before pulling back, and –

BOOM!

A massive explosion could be seen, as the ball was launched into the air.

"Whoa…" Ochako whispered, impressed.

"All of you need to know your maximum capabilities. It's the most rational way of figuring out your potential as a Pro Hero," Aizawa said, holding up the screen for everyone to see.

"Whoa, seven hundred and five meters, are you kidding me?!" a blond with a black lightning bolt across his hair gasped, while also sweating a bit, as did many others in the group.

"I wanna go! This looks like fun!" a girl with yellow horns, pink skin and hair cheered.

"This is what I'm talking about, using our Quirks as much as we want!" a guy with some really weird-looking elbows cheered, as a spiky redhead with sharp teeth smiled next to him.

"So, this looks fun, huh?" Aizawa whispered, just barely audible to everyone.

Ochako was now worried. "Huh?"

"You have three years here to become a Hero. You think it's gonna be all games and playtime? Idiots," Aizawa said, forming a sadistic smile. "Today, you will compete in eight physical tests to gauge your potential. Whoever comes in last has none, and will be expelled immediately."

"""HUUUH?!""" everyone shouted in disbelief.

"Like I said, I get to decide how this class runs, understand?" Aizawa said, lifting up his hair and showing off an even wider grin. "If that's a problem, you can head home right now."

"You can't send all of us home!" Ochako protested, despite a part of her mind telling her to keep her mouth shut. "I mean, we just got here! Even if it wasn't the first day, that isn't fair!"

"Oh, and you think natural disasters are? Or power-hungry Villains? Or catastrophic accidents that wipe out whole cities?" Aizawa asked. "No! The world is full of unfairness. It's a Hero's job to try and combat that unfairness. If you wanna be a Pro, you're gonna have to push yourself to the brink! For the next three years, UA will throw one terrible hardship after another at you. So go beyond, Plus Ultra-style. Show me it's no mistake that you're here."

Everyone was silent, but ready to take on that challenge.

"Now then, we're just wasting time by talking. Let the games begin."

The first test was the 50-meter dash.

Ochako was paired up with some blond guy that had a giant tail. The two of them took their positions, and the brown-haired girl powered up One For All inside her.

As the pink lightning around her crackled, the robot announced, "Get set…"

BANG!

The shot was fired, and the racers were off. The guy with the tail was using it as a bouncepad, launching himself and gaining speed, but that was nothing compared to just five percent of the power Ochako was using to rush across the field, speeding past him.

"3.31 seconds!"

"5.49 seconds!"

The second test was the grip strength.

Overall, Ochako did pretty well, thanks to One For All…

…but that was nothing compared to Yui.

The black-haired girl used her Quirk to make the device larger, allowing her to use the leverage of both her arms and legs to bring up her score into the triple digits.

After that, there was the standing long jump.

Ochako used five percent once again to launch herself across the sand pit, in a similar manner to what Bakugou did with his explosions, and what the French guy did with his laser.

Yui, meanwhile, didn't use her Quirk to help her on this one. She simply stretched and jumped like a normal person, but somehow managed to fly past the sand trap.

Clearly, despite whatever she was doing over the summer, she didn't skip leg day.

Shinso, meanwhile…

BOOF!

…fell right in the middle of the sand.

"Ow."

"Are you okay?" Ochako called out to him.

"Yeah, I'm good," Shinso answered back. "Just hurt my dignity."

The repeated side steps were good, overall.

Shinso was able to make it into the double-digits with the limited time that was provided, thanks to the physical and combat training he had been doing for the last ten months.

However, Yui had the same type of training as he did, along with whatever the hell she did while on hiatus, so she managed to do a little better than him.

Both their scores were blown out of the water by Ochako's.

Thanks to the power bestowed to her by All Might, the side steps were a breeze. In fact, to some of the students, it looked like a live-action recreation of that one anime scene.

You know, the one featuring the bald guy that was super strong.

Next up was the ball throw.

Ochako smiled. She didn't need One For All for this one. Her own Quirk was good enough to do the job, and it deserved to shine a little. Removing the gravity from the ball, the brown-haired girl simply threw it up with a non-powered arm, and watched it float away.

And float away… and float away… and float away…

As soon as it was out of sight for everyone, Aizawa showed her score to the class.

"""INFINITY?!"""

"That's insane! How is that possible?!" the electric-hair guy protested.

"Shinso, you're up," Aizawa said, as he tossed him a new ball.

The purple-haired boy gulped, as he walked into the circle. He looked over to his teacher, and asked, "So, just to be clear, anything is fine, as long as I stay in the circle right?"

"As long as the ball leaves the circle out of your hand, you're good."

"Okay…" he said, as he turned towards Ochako. "Uraraka, I'm sorry in advance."

"What are you sorry about –?"

Before she could even finish her sentence, she stopped. Ochako felt a jolt through her body, but it was gone as soon as it occurred. She was motionless, and her eyes were in a haze.

"Please enter the circle and throw the ball for me, using your Quirk," Shinso asked politely.

Ochako slowly shuffled towards the circle, her movements robotic. Her vision was foggy, like someone had placed a gradient filter over her vision. The brown-haired girl could think, but not talk. She knew what this was, but she never thought she would experience it firsthand.

This is Shinso-kun's Brainwashing.

As she was entering the circle, Shinso handed her the ball, and then stepped away from her, giving Ochako enough room to throw it, but to not go out of bounds himself.

Ochako knew better than to fight it. Shinso may have improved enough to pass the Entrance Exam, but he was still at risk of being at the bottom of the fitness exam. Her friend needed help, and since Aizawa seemed to be allowing this legal loophole, she would help him.

Revving up her arm, she prepared to use Zero Gravity and throw it, when –

She saw something.

Out of the corner of her eye, she was eight figures looking at her. They were dark and foggy, almost like some sort of ghosts. Their eyes glowed, and they seemed to be watching her from the dark. Suddenly, she saw several colors wrap around her, her body heating up, and –

KRAK-BOOM!!!

She threw the ball.

But she didn't use Zero Gravity.

"Hrrk!"

Pain suddenly entered her mind, and the Brainwashing was gone. Looking around her, she saw that two of her fingers were broken, and that Shinso was on the ground, looking terrified.

"What was that?"

Turning around, Ochako saw that her teacher's hair was now floating, his eyes glowing red, and the scarf around his neck was unfurled, revealing yellow goggles underneath.

"I… I can't feel my Quirk…" Ochako realized.

Shinso's eyes widened, as he whispered, "Holy shit, that's Eraserhead…"

The other students began whispering to themselves about who exactly Eraserhead was, with some of them saying he worked in the down-low, but his voice cut them off.

"Maybe you didn't hear me clearly: What was that?" he asked again, with more emphasis. "I saw what you did to that zero-pointer, how you were holding back the entire time before to make sure you didn't break your body, just like how you have today. So, what happened?"

"I don't know!" Ochako yelped, getting nervous. "I was keeping my Quirk at five percent the entire time! I… I think that I kinda snapped myself out of Shinso's Quirk by accident…"

"Hmm…" Aizawa growled, but relented. "Fine. Make sure it doesn't happen again. But… the good news is that, despite the injuries, the throw was successful."

Pulling up the device, the screen showed the ball had gone 705.3 meters.

"Wait, you're gonna allow that?!" the tailed boy said. "He –"

"Shinso used his Quirk to his advantage, using all the available tools he had," Aizawa cut off the student. "He thought outside the box, and his ingenuity paid off. He earned his score."

As the two students fell back in line, Yui asked, "Is your finger okay?"

"Sure, it's fine," she lied. She would get it healed later.

After that, Ochako had to fight through the pain, as she and the rest of the class finished up the last of their fitness tests. She was exhausted, and thankful that it was finally over.

"Alright, time to give you your results," Aizawa said to the students. "I've ranked you all from best to worst. You should probably already have a good idea of your standing already. I'll just pull up the whole list, it's not worth going over each individual score."

1. Momo Yaoyorozu.

2. Shoto Todoroki.

3. Katsuki Bakugou.

4. Ochako Uraraka.

5. Tenya Iida.

6. Fumikage Tokoyami.

7. Mezo Shoji.

8. Mashirao Ojiro.

9. Eijiro Kirishima.

10. Mina Ashido.

11. Yui Kodai.

12. Koji Koda.

13. Rikido Sato.

14. Tsuyu Asui.

15. Yuga Aoyama.

16. Hanta Sero.

17. Denki Kaminari.

18. Kyoka Jiro.

19. Hitoshi Shinso.

20. Toru Hakagure.

OH, THANK GOD, I'M NOT OUT! Shinso screamed in his mind.

Everyone's cheers about their positions were short-lived, as the invisible girl, Toru Hakagure, began crying. The girl with the earphone jacks, Kyoka Jiro, comforted her, as did a few others, while Ochako stared down Aizawa in her anger.

"And I was lying, no one is going home."

Dead silence.

"That was just a logical ruse to make sure you gave it your all in the tests!" he smiled.

"""WHAAAT?!""" the majority of the class screamed.

"I'm surprised that the rest of you didn't figure that out," the other black-haired girl, Momo Yaoyorozu, said. "I'm sorry, I guess I probably should have said something."

"That was pretty nerve-racking, huh?" Hanta Sero, the guy with the weird elbows, said.

"Nah, I'm always down for a challenge," Eijiro Kirishima, the redhead, smiled.

"That's it, we're done for the day. Pick up a syllabus in the classroom, read it over before tomorrow morning," Aizawa said, as he handed Ochako a piece of paper. "Uraraka, take this and go have the old lady fix you up. Things are gonna be tougher tomorrow when your actual training begins. Make sure you're prepared. That goes for all of you."

"Aizawa, that was a rotten move," a booming voice said.

Shouta didn't have to even look to know who it was.

"All Might… so you were watching. No talk shows today?"

"A logical ruse? That's cute, but you're not exactly known for being light-hearted. I read your file. Last year, you expelled an entire class of freshman students. You have no problem kicking students out, anyone you deem unworthy."

Shouta grinned. "Caught me. This class does not have zero potential, I admit, but if they had none… Well, it's cruel to let a kid keep dreaming of something that'll never come true."

"In your own strange way, you're a kind man, Aizawa. I know that," the Symbol of Peace said. "But, clearly, we are gonna have ourselves a problem in teaching methods."

"Ugh… I'm so tired…" Ochako groaned.

Her fingers were much better now, thanks to Recovery Girl, but every time that Quirk was used on her, Ochako's stamina plummeted. All she wanted to do now was go home and nap.

Iida approached her, asking, "How are the broken fingers doing?"

"Oh, they're doing fine, thanks to Recovery Girl."

"I was a bit concerned by Aizawa-sensei's approach to class, but I trust the school's judgment," Iida continued. "UA is the top program! Even so, lying is downright immoral..."

"Occhan. Glad to see you're still alive."

"Oh, Yui-chan, there you are!" Ochako smiled. "Hey, where's Shinso?"

"He wanted to talk to Aizawa-sensei by himself."

Shouta Aizawa was ready for the day to end.

It seemed that he got complacent when he expelled his entire class last year. That, or all that time taking care of Eri ended up making his teaching skills rusty.

Still, he did his job. And even though All Might criticized him for scaring the brats the way he did, the issues of today had finally been resolved. Sure, the rest of UA still had the whole day, with the orientation, and whatnot, so he couldn't visit Emi while she was still teaching.

Oh, well. He could just visit Eri who was hanging out with Recovery Girl –

"Eraserhead."

"Hm?" Turning around, Shouta saw that one of his students was following him.

"Oh, Shinso," he groaned. "What do you want?"

Pointing at Shouta, Shinso repeated, "You're Eraserhead."

"And do you have a problem with that, or what?"

"What? No!" Shinso denied that claim. "I'm like, your biggest fan! You're basically the No. 1 Underground Hero in Japan, videos and photographic evidence of you are nearly impossible to come by – Do you know how impossible it is to get Hero merch of you?!"

"What do you want?" Shouta growled.

Immediately dropping to his knees, Shinso said, "Teach me."

"What?"

"Look, chances are, you saw my practical exam. It was luck that I passed, and the only reason I didn't fail today was because someone else was physically weaker than me. I won't be able to Brainwash my way out of every scenario. I can use a staff, sure, but no good Hero is a one-trick pony. If I also knew how to use your capture weapon, I could be able to –"

Shouta cut him off. "Shinso, while I appreciate your enthusiasm, the answer is –"

"PAPA!"

No, no, no, no, no, Shouta whispered into his brain. Turning around, his fears were confirmed, as he saw his little girl accompanied by the UA nurse. "Eri, what are you doing here?"

"Granny Chiyo said it's good for me to get sunlight!" she exclaimed.

"Well, it's good to hear that Recovery Girl is looking after your physical well-being," he said, kneeling down. "But Papa is very busy right now. Could you please wait a bit?"

"Hmm… okay! But bring treats!" she smiled,

"Anything for my little princess," he smiled, as Eri left with Recovery Girl.

Now that he was alone again, Shouta turned towards Shinso.

"You have a daughter," Shinso simply stated, his expression blank.

"And you're not gonna tell anyone," Shouta hissed.

"Sure… but only if you train me."

"Deal."

Goddamn problem child…

"So… how was your first day at UA?"

"Pretty uneventful. But we both know that won't last for long… will it?"

Author's Note: And so a new player makes their way into the scene.

But, really? No comments? Unexpected, but I can live with it.

Anyways, you know what comes next! Schilling time!

If you wanna know more, visit my Discord, the link is  /3PFYSt8Dqz . You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: Battle Trials

"I AM HERE… COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A HERO!!!"

"I can't believe it's really All Might!" Kaminari gasped.

"So he is a teacher!" Kirishima smiled. "This year is gonna be totally awesome!"

"Hey, look, is he wearing his Silver Age costume?" Asui asked.

"I'm getting goosebumps, it's so retro…" Ojiro said.

"Welcome to the most important class at UA High! Think of it as Hero-ing 101! Here, you will learn the basics of being a Pro, and what it means to fight in the name of good!" All Might said, pulling out a card. "LET'S GET INTO IT! TODAY'S LESSON… WILL PULL NO PUNCHES!!!"

"Fight training," Yui deadpanned.

"Real combat?" Shinso asked.

"But one of the keys of being is… LOOKING GOOD!" All Might said, pointing at the suitcases coming out of the wall. "These were designed for you based on your Quirk registration forms and the request you sent in before school started!"

Everyone immediately cheered when they realized what those suitcases held.

"Costumes," Ochako smiled.

"Get yourselves suited up, and meet me at Training Ground Beta!"

"""YES, SIR!"""

"They say that clothes make the Pros, young ladies and gentlemen, and behold, you are the proof!" All Might said, as everyone came out of the tunnel, fully dressed. "Take this to heart! From now on, you are all… HEROES IN TRAINING!!!"

Ochako stepped out of the tunnel, happy with what she got. About a month before the Entrance Exam, she updated her Quirk registration from "Zero Gravity" to "Gravity Manipulation," which included being able to manipulate both her body and other objects with either more or less gravity, with the pink lightning being the centrifugal force she's controlling.

Obviously, that was a whole heaping pile of bullshit, but they bought it. And using her new Quirk information from after the Entrance Exam and her body measurements, a company partnered with UA created her sketch to a state-of-the-art costume, just for her.

Her costume had an overall motif of pink, black and white, with a dash of blue stripes on her arms. The main body was black, with a white utility belt. The majority of her arms were covered by these pink "compression sleeves" that would allow her to use a higher percentage without breaking her arms, with the rest of her arms being white, from her pink-and-blue stripes up to the shoulders. From her lower thighs to her feet also came with pink "compression boots," which also came with mini-springs at the soles. They even came with some small yellow buttons!

Overall, not bad for her first try at costume-making.

Seeing everyone fully out of the tunnel, All Might's grin became even wider. "This is getting me all ramped up! YOU LOOK SO COOL!!! Now, shall we get started, you bunch of newbies?"

"Oh, hey, Uraraka."

"Shinso?"

His costume was… interesting. It was a black bodysuit with purple pads all over, with the exception of his silver knuckles, and his some-what white boots. He also had a device over his mouth that allowed him to mimic other people's voices, as well as a metal collapsible staff on his back, and a knife. However, what caught Ochako by surprise was one final surprise addition.

He was wearing a capture scarf, the same one as Aizawa-sensei.

"How'd you get that scarf?" Ochako asked.

"Oh, you know, I pulled some strings," he smiled.

"Nice," Yui said.

Her costume had a red and white motif all over. The base color was red, with the white stripes making patterns all over her body, with the biggest one making a "V" on her chest. She was wearing a capped hat with a fin on it, white wristbands, and came with a belt full of pouches. The most interesting part, however, was the fact that she also had a gemstone on her chest.

"You look like something straight out of an anime," Shinso said.

"Super Sentai," Yui corrected him.

"Now that you're ready, it's time for combat training!" All Might announced.

"Sir!" Iida, whose costume made him look like a robot, raised his hand. "This is the fake city from our Entrance Exam. Does that mean that we'll be conducting urban battles again?"

"Not quite! I'm going to move you two steps ahead!" the Symbol of Peace said, making a peace sign with his fingers. "Most of the Villain fights you see on the news take place outside! However, statistically speaking, run-ins with the most dastardly evil-doers will take place indoors. Think about it: Backroom deals, home invasions, secret underground lairs! Truly intelligent criminals stay hidden in the shadows. For this training exercise, you'll be split into teams of good guys and bad guys, and fight two-on-two indoor battles!"

"Isn't this a little advanced?" Asui, whose costume was a green wetsuit with goggles, asked.

"The best training is what you get on the battlefield!" All Might answered the green-haired girl. "But remember, you can't just punch a robot this time! You're dealing with actual people now!"

"Sir, will you be the one deciding who wins?" Yaoyorozu, in a red leotard, asked.

"How much can we hurt the other team?" Kaminari, in a black jacket, asked.

"Do we need to worry about the losers getting expelled like earlier?" Toru asked.

"Will you be splitting us up based on chance or comparative skill?" Iida asked.

"Isn't this cape incroyable?" Aoyama asked, completely missing the point.

"I wasn't finished talking!" All Might bellowed, pulling out a script. "Listen up! The situation is this: The Villains have hidden a nuclear missile somewhere in their hideout! The Heroes must try to foil their plans! To do that, the good guys must catch the evil-doers, or recover the weapon! Likewise, the bad guys succeed if they protect their payload or capture the Heroes!"

Sounds like a classic action movie set-up, Ochako thought to herself.

"Time's limited, and we'll choose teams by drawing lots!" All Might said, presenting a box.

Somehow, Ochako ended up on a team with… Bakugou.

Looking over towards him, Ochako saw that his costume was… odd.

His costume was covering his entire body, with the exception of his upper head, and even then, he was wearing a mask over his eyes, and his high collar was covering his mouth. The base color was black, with the only other color being orange, which only appeared only on the soles of his shoes, metal knee-pads, parts of his utility belt, and the big "X" over his chest.

The most notable thing about his costume was his gauntlets. They were cylinders with holes in them, which made Ochako think that they looked like the barrel of a machine gun. He also had these two metal curves on the sides, which made her realize that they were supposed to look like flashbangs, not machine gun barrels, along with orange gloves.

"I declare that the first teams to fight will be… THESE GUYS!!!" All Might said, pulling out two balls from two different boxes, both balls with letters on them. "Team A will be the Heroes, Team D will be the Villains! Everyone else can head to the monitoring room to watch."

"""Yes, sir!"""

Ochako looked over to Yui-chan… who was on Team D with Iida.

"Bad guys, you can go on in and get set up," their teacher said. "In five minutes, the good guys will be let loose, and the battle will start! Young Iida, young Kodai. The key to being successful in this challenge is to embody villainy. Think from the perspective of an evil-doer."

"Got it," Iida nodded, entering the building.

"If things go too far, I'll step in."

"We should be on our guard, who knows what they'll pull," Bakugou said.

"ALL RIGHT! LET'S BEGIN THE INDOOR COMBAT TRAINING!" All Might's voice was heard from the projector. "TEAM A, AND TEAM D, YOUR TIME STARTS NOW!!!"

Immediately, Ochako canceled Bakugou's gravity along with hers, allowing the two of them to float up to the first floor, where there was an open window, allowing for easy entry.

"And just like that, we're in," Ochako smiled.

"Careful, there are a lot of blind spots," Bakugou whispered to her.

The two of them silently walked through the corridors, with Bakugou in the lead. Every time there was a corner, he would stop, take a peek, and then gesture to Ochako to keep following him. Ochako realized that Bakugou, though crude, was smarter than he looked.

The two of them made it through the first two floors without incident, until –

GRAB!

"Huh?!"

BOOM!

Bakugou grabbed her with one arm, and then set off an explosion with the other, avoiding –

CRASH!

…a giant nail, which embedded itself into the wall.

"Round Cheeks, you okay?" Bakugou asked, letting her go.

"I'm fine," she said. "But my name is Urakraka!"

Stepping out of the corner, Yui appeared, her expression stone-cold as ever.

"She almost got the jump on them," Shinso commented, watching the feed.

"Sneak attack, Kodai?! Who pulls cheap crap like that?!" Kirishima asked.

"It's a viable strategy. She's playing the part, acting like a true Villain would."

"But it didn't work!" Ashido said. "Bakugou dodged her attack!"

"Look, there she goes!" Kaminari pointed at the screen.

Katsuki watched as the black-haired girl charged towards him. He really needed something to call her, not to confuse her with Ponytail. Dead Eyes? Nah, that goes to that purple-haired loser.

Mute? Yeah, that worked.

Mute charged towards Katsuki without saying a single word. She wanted to get fired? Fine, her choice. Straightening out his right arm, Katsuki prepared to fire off an explosion –

GRAB!

"Huh?!"

Instantly, he could feel her arms around his arm. She twisted her body, turned her back towards him, and then, lifting with all her might… SHE'S FLIPPING ME?!

Using her upper body strength, she sent Katsuki flying through the air, until his back landed on the floor, hard. He groaned in pain, getting up, still trying to figure out how she knew…

"Hm. Still predictable," she whispered.

Huh? But before Katsuki could ask what she meant, Four Eyes' voice was heard.

"Kodai, come in! Give me a status report! Where are you?"

"Found the Heroes on our floor. Be prepared for an attack," she answered.

"Hey, who is Kodai talking to? I'm not hearing anything, can we get some sound with this video?" Kirishima asked, while the others were still watching.

"She's got a radio in his ear, so she can talk to her partner. I gave it to her before the match started, along with a map of the building. Also, this: A roll of capture tape. Wrapping this around your opponent means you've apprehended them, and they're out for the rest of the game."

"So, there's a fifteen minute time-limit, and the good guys have no idea what floor the nuclear weapon is hidden on, right?" Ashido asked, looking a little worried.

"Correct!" All Might smiled.

"Then the Heroes are clearly at a disadvantage here, a big one."

"Real Pros have to outwit Villains on a daily basis. That's life," the Symbol of Peace said, cheering up everyone. "Even when the odds aren't in our favor, WE FIGHT!!!"

"ROUND CHEEKS! GO!" Katsuki yelled.

The brown-haired nodded, flaring up the weird pink shit, and rushing towards the opposite direction of the fight. Now that it was just him and Mute, he could go all out –

WHAM!

Mute jumped at him again, trying to use a flying kick to deck him in the face. Katuski blocked with his arm, and grabbed the capture tape, ready to wrap it around her leg –

POW!

Katuski ducked the punch Mute threw at his face, but he ended up letting go of the capture tape. Dammit. Whatever her issue with him was, he couldn't let it jeopardize the match. Sure, he could technically blast her, but this was an exercise, he needed to play it smart.

So, he ran.

This place is basically a maze, he thought to himself. If I can make Mute lose sight of me, I can get the jump on her with one good blast, and get her out of the match!

Crouching behind a corner, Katsuki peeked at the corridor. Good, she wasn't there. The chances of her sneaking up on him were low. Now he could devise a plan of attack.

Ochako peered around the load-bearing beam, and smiled. Good, I found Iida.

There was one problem, though.

Where's the bomb?

"Kodai certainly has a cold and calculating side, which could work for a Villain. That's exactly what we need to succeed in this mission. Hmm… I need to temporarily devote myself to criminal intent." Iida said to himself. "Yesss… I won't fail this trial and risk bringing shame on the Iida family name. That means… I must now embrace evil, to become a Hero!"

"BEHOLD!!! I AM THE PERSONIFICATION OF VILLAINY!!! BWA-HA-HA-HA!!!"

Ochako let out a laugh that sounded like a hyena high on helium. HE'S SO SERIOUS!

"Hm? Uraraka, is that you?"

She got caught. "Uhh…"

"I knew you would come here alone as soon as Kodai kept Bakugou at bay!" he laughed, his tone sounding… Villainous? "Your Quirk allows you to alter the gravity of anything you touch! But I prepared for that, by hiding every object in this room, so you have nothing to use against me, do-gooder! My dastardly tricks have rendered you helpless! You've blundered, Hero!"

As Iida went off on another maniacal laugh tangent, Ochako simply looked at him with a mix of admiration and pity. "He really is playing the part…"

"Um, Bakugou?"

Katuski came into his radio. "I'm here. What's up?"

"Iida found me, sorry. But right now… he's monologuing?"

Monologuing? Questions for later. "Where are you?"

"I'm in the middle of our current floor."

"Great, Mute is keeping me contained towards the edge."

We probably don't have much time now, Katuski thought to himself. We have to finish this fast, or they win. Alright, I'll capture Mute, and then head over to Round Cheeks.

Getting up from his corner, Katuski peered over the right side of the hallway, once more. The good news is, no one was there, which meant that he could go –

"Ahem."

Turning around, towards his left side, he cursed the second he saw that Mute was there, near the end of the hallway. Great, she caught me off-guard.

Fishing into her pockets, Mute pulled some small junk out. Right, her Quirk lets her alter the size of anything she touches. Which meant that she was probably about to throw a bunch of shit at him that would turn into the size of a car once they got in range.

Running towards the end of the hallway he was in, Katsuki grabbed the pin on the right side of his gauntlet, and prepared to fire it. The second he pulled it, all the stored up sweat in the tank would be released in one monster blast, so he had to be careful.

Mute pulled back her arm, and threw a bunch of tiny junk at high speeds. About three-thirds of the way towards Katsuki, the tiny nuts and bolts suddenly grew to the size of some small motorcycles. HOLY SHIT, is she trying to kill me?!

Releasing the pin –

BOOOOM!!! BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!

The chain reaction of the explosions kept going and going into a single straight attack, like fire rushing through a chimney, sending the super-sized junk back towards the sender –

CRASH!!!

When the smoke cleared, Katsuki looked straight ahead. Good, there was no sign of Mute, and… holy shit, he accidentally created a hole through the building. He honest to God had no idea that his gauntlets would have packed that much of a punch.

"Is that even allowed?"

Looking away from the destruction he caused, Katuski looked towards his right to see that Mute was still standing. Her costume was a bit roughed up, and her hat was blown away, but other than that, she was still standing, and by the look she was giving him, clearly unfazed.

What the fuck is up with this chick?!

"Kodai, come in! What is going on down there? Did Bakugou cause that blast?!"

Now's my chance, Ochako thought to herself, activating One For All and launching herself towards Iida. We may not be able to find the bomb in time, but if I capture Iida, and if Bakugou captures Yui-chan, we can still win this!

"Not so fast, Hero!" Iida laughed, activating the engines in his legs, and –

WHOOSH!

…dashing off before Ochako had a chance to wrap the capture tape around her.

BOOF!

"Oof!"

Hitting the wall, Ochako could hear Iida doing his Villain shtick from behind. "Admirable attempt, but when it comes to speed, my Quirk reigns supreme! Mwahahahahaha!"

Ochako growled. It's not over yet…

"Sir, isn't this getting out of hand?" Kirishima asked All Might. "Both Bakugou and Kodai are acting really crazy, like they're gonna kill each other, or something!"

"Not so," the Symbol of Peace replied to his student.

Despite what's going on, they're not trying to kill each other. Young Bakugou only used that last attack in an attempt to rid himself of those projectiles, and while young Kodai has been attacking him relentlessly, she hasn't caused any serious injuries, yet. But still…

Grabbing the mic, All Might said, "Young Bakugou, don't use that stored-up power for the remainder of the match. Young Kodai, ease up on your attacks towards Bakugou."

The two students looked confused.

"Young Bakugou, using such a strong attack indoors is inviting the destruction of the stronghold. And young Kodai, while trying to stop the Heroes in advance is a good strategy, do not drag out fights. That's a poor strategy, whether you're a Hero or a Villain."

"Fine then," the black-haired girl muttered. "We'll fight hand-to-hand."

Bakugou looked to see if she was being serious right now, but relented. Setting off explosions behind him, he propelled himself towards her. Noticing her ready to throw a punch –

POW! BOOM! POW!

"What was that move?" Kirishima asked.

"He doesn't come off as a guy with a strategy, but he's actually quite intelligent."

Kirishima looked over to Shoto Todoroki. "What are you talking about?"

"He changed his trajectory while in mid-air with a blast that doubled as a smokescreen," the heterochromatic boy said. "Very clever."

Yaoyorozu nodded, and added her thoughts. "A feint attack like that requires an extreme amount of precision. He had to calculate the physics and demonstrate control over his Quirk."

"Ugh, Bakugou is uber-talented," Kaminari groaned. "I hate it."

With Mute now caught off-guard, Katsuki punched her right side, knocking the black-haired girl off her feet. But he wasn't gonna take any more chances.

GRAB!

Grabbing her injured arm, he used his free hand to make an explosive ring, swinging her around, until he used his upper body strength to throw her onto the ground, like she did with him earlier in the match. Karma is a bitch, ain't it?

WHAM!

Before Mute could even react, Katsuki got to work, wrapping the tape around her, and –

"Yui Kodai has been captured by Katsuki Bakugou!"

Katsuki breathed a sigh of relief. Oh, thank God, that's over.

"Yui Kodai has been captured by Katsuki Bakugou!"

"WHAT?!" Iida cried out in disbelief.

Now's my chance, while he's distracted! Ochako realized, kicking her body into high-gear, pink lightning emanating off of her, as she rocketed towards Iida, and delivering –

"What? No! In the name of Villainy, I demand that you to stop this –"

WHAM!

…an uppercut.

Ochako had put just enough power into her punch, that Iida was launched a few inches into the air, and even knocked his helmet off. Pulling out her own capture tape, she wrapped it around Iida, and before he even had a chance to react, much less land on the floor –

"Tenya Iida has been captured by Ochako Uraraka!"

Ochako finally let out a sigh of relief, as the match was beginning to get so stressful for her, she was forgetting how to breathe. Looking down at the captured Iida, she saw…

…a tiny replica of the bomb?

Picking it up, she inspected the trinket, and realized that it was the actual bomb, only shrunken down. "So, that was your plan, huh? Just hide it in your pocket?"

"A true Villain never reveals his secrets!" Iida simply replied.

Ochako laughed at the notion, as she heard All Might's voice over the system.

"THE HERO TEAM WINS!!!"

"Can anyone tell me why the MVP is young Uraraka?" All Might asked.

"Sir, I can tell you why!" Yaoyorzu raised her hand. "Uraraka kept adapting to the situation. I'll explain: When Kodai cornered both her and Bakugou, rather than arguing with him whether to stick together or not, she went on ahead as he requested of her. When she encountered Iida, she knew that if Bakugou managed to capture Kodai, and she Iida, then they could still win the match, even if they were never able to locate the weapon."

Everyone stared at the recommendation student, as she kept explaining.

"Meanwhile, Bakugou and Kodai both were too enamored in their battle. Whether a personal grudge or something else, Kodai kept trying to beat Bakugou down, even to the point of challenging him to hand-to-hand combat, while Bakugou's most powerful attack was a last-ditch effort to throw Kodai off. It is also especially important to note that Bakugou's attack caused major damage to the building, which could have set off the weapon, had this been real life."

She still kept going.

"And as for Iida, while he did have a sound strategy of avoiding Uraraka's attempts to capture him until the time ran out, the fact remains that he stashed the weapon in his pocket. The only reason that he did such a thing was because of Kodia's suggestion. The Villain Team did not treat this as a real-life scenario, and did not respect the spirit of the trial."

This girl really has a good eye on her, All Might thought to himself.

"Well, you did miss a few things… but otherwise, you nailed it!"

"One should always start with the basics, and devote themselves wholeheartedly to learning," Yaoyorozu said. "That's the only real way to become a top Hero."

"Now then, let's blow this stand!" the No. 1 Hero announced. "Let's move on to the next match! Think about everything you saw and discussed when training yourself!"

"""YES, SIR!!!"""

Ugh, this is hard, All Might groaned. I wonder what Aizawa is doing right now…?

"Would you like more tea, Mr. Kitty Cat?" Eri asked, plastic kettle in hand.

"Sure. Thank you, uh, Princess Unicorn," Shouta said, clinking his daughter's glass.

Author's Note: Originally, Bakugou's nickname for Kodia was gonna be "Dead Eyes," due to her thousand-yard stare, but I looked a bit closer and, while her eyes are expressionless, they aren't exactly dead. Plus, Shinso also needed a nickname, so I decided to change it to "Mute," even if Kodai talks here more than she does in canon.

Also, I can't believe I'm saying this, but for the love of all that is holy, please be respectful in the comments. So, nothing trollish, or criminal. I won't even acknowledge them, as I'd rather respond to actually good critiques. Speaking of which…

Knightmare Lord: I think you'll like where this story is heading. Hopefully.

Cherry134: Now that I think about it, if you're referring to the scene where Shinso was relieved at not getting expelled, then yeah, that dialogue was pretty funny.

VinHD15: I have to agree with you on that one, Vin, the profile picture of a tired Uraraka paired with Cherry's comment is pretty funny, now that I think of it.

EmilMobile: Yeah, I always kinda assumed that Shinso knew who Eraserhead was, and while I wouldn't exactly call it a Midoriya fanboying-esque moment, if it makes you happy, then sure, go for it. Also, glad to see everyone still loves Eri.

guest c: Hey, I noticed you left a comment on chapter three, but since it's slim pickings around here, I figured I might as well address it. Yui is Midoriya? An interesting theory, and not far off the mark. But anyways, I'm glad you love this story, and I hope this chapter further cements your belief that Yui is a wildcard. And as for Shinso… well, let's just say that he's gonna be in for a world of pain. Hope you enjoy it!

And now, for the last bit of shilling…

If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is  /3PFYSt8Dqz . You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: The Calm Before the Storm

The rest of the combat matches occurred, but none of them were as interesting as the first one.

After Shoji informed his teammate of their opponents' location, Todoroki managed to freeze the entire building, instantly defeating Hagakure and Ojiro, making that an easy win.

The next match ended in victory for Sero and Kirishima, as they were able to defend the weapon long enough from Asui and Tokoyami, although it was a close match.

Shinso and Yaoyorozu were also on the Villain team, and they were able to use their wits and Quirks to outsmart Jiro and Kaminari, especially after Kaminari got brainwashed by Shinso.

The Hero team that consisted of Aoyama and Ashido also won, even though Sato packed quite the punch, and Ashido freaked out a bit when Koda summoned a bunch of rats.

All in all, not bad for the first day of training.

"THAT'S A WRAP!!!" All Might shouted. "Super work! You really stepped up to the plate, and we didn't have any major injuries! You should be proud! Excellent first day of training all-around!"

"It's nice to hear some encouraging words after our homeroom class. Aizawa-sensei was kind of a buzzkill," Asui said, as the majority of her classmates nodded in agreement.

"I'M HAPPY TO BRING SUCH STAGGERING POSITIVITY TO MY ALMA MATER!!! That's all for now, folks! Now, watch how a Pro exits, LIKE HE'S GOT SOMEWHERE TO BE!!!"

As soon as All Might left, Kaminari smiled. "Okay, you guys, THAT, is a Hero!"

"Aw, I'll never be able to run that fast…" Ojiro groaned.

"TOKOYAMI!!! Stop using that desk as a chair! Get off of it, this instant!" Iida shouted.

"Dude, you need to chill," Jiro said.

"You're carrying a lot of tension," Ojiro nodded along.

"No one understands… I CANNOT CONDONE ACTIONS THAT DISRESPECT THESE DESKS! NOT WHEN GREAT MEN AND WOMEN, OUR UPPERCLASSMEN, USED THEM!!!"

Aside from Iida's shouting, it was a quiet afternoon.

Their classes had all ended for the day, and the majority of the class was now hanging out in the room, talking with one another before they decided to head home for the day.

Despite that, Ochako still has work to do. She had just come back from grabbing a bunch of textbooks with Kaminari, when she noticed that two students were not at their desks."

"Hey, Shinso, have you seen Yui-chan and Bakugou?" Ochako asked.

"Kodai said she had to leave early, and Bakugou just left a minute ago," he answered.

"Oh, I see," she said. "Well, guess, we'll see them tomorrow."

She didn't think much of it, honestly.

"Hm. Still predictable,"

"Fine then. We'll fight hand-to-hand."

The black-hared girl's words kept flashing in Katsuki's thoughts, as they had for the entirety of the day after the first exercise ended. So many things about her felt off.

First off, she talked like she knew him, and Katsuki knew for a fact he had never met that girl in his life, with the exception of their first meeting at the Entrance Exam.

Second, why did she seem to adamant about fighting him? She seemed pretty calm the rest of the time, but the second the two of them fought, boom, she was acting crazy.

Rushing out of the front gate, Katsuki saw her walking toward the front gate.

"Hold it right there, Mute."

Quietly, she stopped, turned around, and hissed, "What?"

Katsuki gulped a little, but he kept going. "Did I do something to offend you? Like, piss in your cereal, or something? 'Cause, to be honest, I have no idea why the fuck you're acting the way you have been for the entirety of the day. If I did something, spit it out."

She was silent for a few moments, before simply saying… "I hate you."

"Yeah, I understand that much," Katsuki deadpanned. "Any specific reason why?"

"You'll find out soon enough," she said, approaching the spiky blond. "Also, my name is not "Mute," it's Yui Kodai. And I'm going to enjoy watching you suffer."

And just like that, she turned around.

Little did Katsuki know, someone was watching them.

But that did not matter for now.

Tomorrow was going to be another day.

The next day had arrived, and it was already off to a bad start.

"Hey, you!" the reporter shouted. "Can you tell us what it's like to work so closely with All Might? Are you one of All Might's students? Tell us, what's the Symbol of Peace like in person?"

"Well… he's super muscly? Yeah…"

Ochako honestly didn't know what the right answer was supposed to be. 'Oh, yeah, he's actually a bit of a cynic with a heart of gold once you get past the fact that he's a walking corpse.'

She had a feeling that wasn't gonna fly.

"How is he faring as a teacher? What are you learning?"

"His leadership and wisdom remind me on a daily basis that I attend the world's most prestigious educational institution," Iida answered to the reporter. "Of course, he's the personification of honor and integrity that one would expect, but he's also not afraid to show his students a more humorous side. It's truly a unique opportunity to be under the direct tutelage of the Pro we all admire, and… hey, why are you leaving?"

"Excuse me, kid, are you in All Might's class? Hold on, aren't you that Sludge Villain kid?"

"Walk away," Bakugou hissed.

"Please sir, can you get All Might for us? Also, you look like a mess. What's your deal?"

"All Might's not on campus today," Eraserhead groaned, as he gestured to the reporters to shoo away. "Now get out of here, you've disturbed my students enough already."

"But my viewers wanna know how he's adjusting to life as a teacher!"

"I feel like I've seen that guy somewhere before. But where?"

"I don't know, but he's a bit scruffy for a Hero…"

How does All Might ever get anything done with this media circus stepping on his cape?

"All right," one female reporter growled. "If you won't bring out All Might, I'll get –"

"NO, HOLD ON!" one of her colleagues tried to stop her, but…

BZZT!

"AAAAA!!!" she screamed. "HEY, WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"

"Don't you know about the school's defenses? This gate is the UA Barrier!"

"Defenses? It practically killed me!"

"Yeah, well, it's designed to stop anyone who doesn't have a student ID or a special pass from entering the campus," the man said, pointing at the wall. "Guess it works."

"Keeping the public out… this school thinks it's untouchable!"

None of the reporters noticed the blue-haired man standing behind them.

"Decent work on yesterday's combat training, you guys," the hobo-looking man grunted to the class. "I saw the video feeds, and went over each of your team's results. Also, Kodai, don't toy with your opponents. That's a good way to get people killed. Got it?"

"Mm," the black-haired girl nodded.

"Let's get down to business," Eraserhead said. "Our first task will decide your future."

Everyone immediately froze up, and thought, IS IT ANOTHER QUIRK TEST?!

"You all need to pick a class representative."

"Pick me, guys!" Kirishima shouted. "I wanna be the class rep!"

"I'll take it!" Kaminari smiled.

"Yeah, you're gonna need me," Jiro said.

Aoyama also readied his hand. "Someone with style –"

"I'M TOTALLY THE RIGHT PICK!" Ashido shouted over him.

"SILENCE! EVERYONE, PLEASE!" Iida shouted, grabbing everyone's attention. "The class representative's duty is to lead others! That's not something just anyone can do! You must first have the trust of every student in the classroom. Therefore, the most logical way to fill this position is democratically! We will hold an election to choose our leader!"

"Is this really the best idea?" Kaminari asked, sweating a bit at the idea.

"We've only known each other for a few days, how do we know who we can trust?" Asui asked.

"Besides, everyone will just vote for themselves," Kirishima added.

"Most people will," Iida agreed. "But that means whoever does receive multiple votes must truly be the most suitable person for the job. It's the best way, right, sir?"

"Do what you want, just decide before my nap's over," Aizawa grunted.

"Thank you for your trust!"

Iida ended up becoming the class rep, with Yaoyorozu being the deputy rep.

Shinso, Yui-chan, Ochako, Koda, Todoroki, Tsu and oddly enough, Bakugou, didn't wish to be class representatives, leaving thirteen other possible candidates.

Iida's prediction about most people voting for themselves ended up becoming true, and by the end of it, Iida had three votes, while Yaoyorozu had two.

And now, it was lunch time.

"Always so crowded here," Yui-chan mumbled.

Their little group was composed of Ochako, Shinso, Yui-chan, and Iida, all of them eating their lunch together at their chosen table. The food was quite amazing, courtesy of Lunch Rush, but the brown-haired girl also valued the people she was eating with, too.

Deciding to make conversation, Shinso asked, "So, Iida, what does your family do?"

The bespectacled boy immediately stuttered. "Uhh… oh, it's nothing."

The other three students simply stared at him, not buying his bullshit.

"Ugh… I was afraid people would treat me differently if they knew about my family…" Iida grumbled. Relenting at their stares, he said, "You see the Iidas have been Pro Heroes for generations, it runs in our blood. Are you familiar with the Turbo Hero: Ingenium?"

"Sixty-five Sidekicks. Agency in Tokyo. Super popular," Yui answered.

"He's my elder brother," Iida smiled in pride. "Ingenium is an unmatched commander who honors the Hero code. As the second oldest Iida son, I strive to be just like him!"

While both Ochako and Shinso stared at Iida in amazement, Yui's phone buzzed, as she read the text message. Right away, she stood up, and said, "Going to the bathroom."

"Oh, okay. Come back soon!" Ochako waved to her friend.

"Mm," the blue-eyed girl nodded.

"OW! This is a total mob!" Uraraka yelled, feeling crushed.

"They're causing a huge panic!" Shinso grunted.

About a minute after Kodai left for the bathroom, the alarms went off, something about a "Level Three Security Breach," which a blue-haired upperclassman explained as someone having managed to get past the school's barriers. Naturally, this caused people to evacuate.

Which meant that Tenya, Shinso, and Ochako were being squished in a crowd.

Pushing through the sea of students, Tenya got to the window, wondering who could have gotten to the school grounds. Taking a look, he saw… It was the press?!

"All you have to do is give us All Might!" the reporter shouted. "He's here somewhere!"

"He said it's his day off," Hizashi said.

"Just give us one good comment, on record, and then we'll leave!"

"I know how you people work. Give you an inch, and you'll want a mile," Shouta said.

"They are trespassing, that means they're kinda like Villains," Hizashi whispered into his best friend's ear. "Why don't we just beat them up?" It was quite the tempting idea.

"Don't you even think about it, unless you want your name dragged through the mud," Shouta whispered back. "Let's wait for the cops."

Turning back to the crowd, he began to shout, "THERE'S NO NEED TO WORRY, EVERYONE! IT WAS THE – OW!!!" Unfortunately, he couldn't get the message across.

"URARAKA!!!" Shinso shouted.

Looking toward the mob, Tenya saw that the brown-haired girl was being swept away by the crowd. As she reached toward Tenya to grab him, the blue-haired boy suddenly got an idea.

"TOUCH MY HAND! MAKE ME FLOAT ABOVE EVERYONE ELSE!!!"

Uraraka activated her Quirk, sending Tenya up into the air. I need a place where I can get everyone's attention! Pulling up his pant legs, he extended his engines, and –

PWOOF!

Tenya launched himself towards the wall, slamming it. Despite the sudden pain, his mind was elsewhere. This is it! Be precise, clear, and confident! MAKE AN IMPACT!!!

"LISTEN UP, EVERYTHING IS OKAY!!! IT'S JUST THE MEDIA OUTSIDE! THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT! EVERYTHING'S FINE!" he shouted, grabbing everyone's attention, and calming down the mob. "WE'RE UA STUDENTS, WE NEED TO REMAIN CALM, AND PROVE THAT WE'RE THE BEST OF THE BEST!!!"

Tenya could hear Kaminari saying, "Look, the police are here!"

Not only that, but Kirishima sighed, "Thank goodness."

He did it. Everyone was now safe.

As the police lights shined, Present Mic smiled.

"That's a wrap!" he yelled. "Get these vultures out of our station!"

As Yui watched the police escort the media out of the UA grounds, she couldn't help but let out a small smile. Stuffing a piece of paper into her pocket, she headed back to class.

The rest of the day should turn out quite interesting, she thought to herself.

"How were ordinary members of the press able to bypass our security systems?" Nedzu asked himself, as he inspected the front gate with Midnight, Thirteen, and Recovery Girl.

The front gate itself was completely gone, tuned to dust.

"Someone else was behind this," Nedzu concluded. "Some Villain actually managed to infiltrate our school. But was this purely a show of power… or a declaration of war?"

Fuyumi watched as her little brother left for UA early in the morning.

Looking over to the landline, she picked it up, and called the primary school she taught in. "Uh, hello? Yes, it's Fuyumi Todoroki. I'm calling today because I won't be able to make it to class today. I… cough, cough… caught something last night. I'm so sorry."

"Understood, Todoroki-san. We'll send a substitute for your class today."

"Thank you, I should be feeling better by tomorrow. Good-bye." As she hung up, she looked around to see that no one was in the house anymore. Shoto was on his way to school, Natsuo was on campus, and dear old dad was at work. She was alone. Perfect

Heading to her room, she pulled out a box from her closet, and opened it, smiling as she saw the black leather jacket and pants, face mask, and a few other accessories. Showtime.

Despite what had happened the previous day, classes stayed the same.

"Today's training will be a little different," Aizawa said. "You'll have three instructors, me, All Might, and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on you."

"Sir, what kind of training is this?" Sero asked.

"Rescue," he answered. "You'll be dealing with natural disasters, shipwrecks, stuff like that."

"Disasters, huh?" Kaminari said. "Sounds like we're in for a big workout."

"Totally!" Ashido agreed with him.

"Real Hero stuff," Kirishima smiled, making himself present in the conversation. "This is what separates the men from the boys. I'm shaking with excitement!"

"Finally, I'll show off how good I am in water, ribbit," Asui croaked.

"Guys, I'm not finished yet. What you wear in this exercise is up to you. I know you're excited about costumes, but keep in mind that you haven't gotten used to them yet, and they might limit your abilities," Aizawa said, pressing the button that brought out the cases. "This special training is at an off-campus facility, so we'll be taking a bus to get there. That's all. Start getting ready."

Emi hoped that whatever bad feeling she was having would pass.

It started yesterday when the alarms went off. Luckily, she was eating her lunch in the nurse's office with Recovery Girl and Eri, and was able to keep her daughter calm.

But knowing for a fact that someone dusted the UA Barrier… upset her.

She and her husband moved to the neighborhood near UA so they could stay closer to the place they deemed as the ultimate safe haven. She even accepted Nedzu's offer to get a job at UA to make the transition easier, all for the sake of their daughter.

But now knowing that UA wasn't as infallible? It was a scary thought.

But she wouldn't give up. She wouldn't be scared due to the fact that the gate was dusted by what could have easily just been a teenage hooligan. She was Ms. Joke, a teacher, a Pro Hero, and a mother goddammit! She married Eraserhead, she doesn't know when to quit!

Walking into the class, she noted that everyone was in their seats, except for…

Oh, right. Mikumo called in sick today. Odd, considering it was the first week of school, but stuff like that happens. She couldn't blame him for being caught off-guard.

She hoped Shouta was having an easy time with his students, as well.

"The bus's open layout ruined my boarding strategy…" Iida grumbled.

"Iida, you really need to chill," Ashido said.

If we're pointing out the obvious, then there's something I wanna say. About you, actually."

"About me?" Ochako asked. "What is it, Asui?"

"Please call me Tsu," the green-haired girl asked.

"Oh, okay!"

"Your power… the part where you can alter your own gravity, it reminds me a lot of All Might."

That caught Ochako off-guard, but she knew she had to play it cool. "What, really? You think so, huh? I never really thought about that…"

"Wait, hold on, Tsu, All Might's power is super strength, while Uraraka's gravity alterations only make it look like she has super strength. That makes a huge difference," Kirishima said. "Still, you can do a lot of flashy stuff with that, which will make you a popular Hero."

"My Navel Laser's got the perfect combination of panache and strength," Aoyama said.

"But it's way lame if it gives you a stomach ache, sweetie," Ashido added.

"Well, if any of our classmates have Pro Quirks, it's Todoroki and Bakugou," Kirishima said.

"Sure, but Bakugou will never be that popular," Asui said.

Bakugou just grunted, and then went back to ignoring everyone.

"Hey, we're here," Aizawa announced.

"Hello, everyone, I've been waiting for you!"

Ochako gasped in amazement, as her eyes grew wide. Next to All Might was a Hero who was wearing a white space suit, which resembles more of a puffy jacket, with yellow sneakers.

This was the Hero she wanted to be like before All Might offered her his Quirk.

"It's the Space Hero: Thirteen!" she squealed. "The chivalrous Pro who's rescued a ton of people from disasters across the world! I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!"

"Aw, that's nice to hear," Thirteen said, as she gestured to the building behind her. "Now I really can't wait to show you what's inside! Everyone, please follow me!"

Walking behind the Pros, Class 1-A marveled as they saw the giant doors open up to, making everyone's eyes widen at the reveal of something akin to an amusement park.

"Holy crap…" Kirishima uttered.

"A shipwreck, a landslide, a fire, a windstorm, etcetera!" Thirteen announced, waving her hands at her masterpiece. "I created this training facility to prepare you to deal with different types of disasters! I call it… the Unforeseen Simulation Joint! But you can call it… the USJ!"

"All Might, you're here," Aizawa deadpanned towards the blond Hero. "I was half-expecting you to have booked an interview instead. Way to surprise me."

All Might whispered to Aizawa, "Actually, I did a lot of Hero work on the way to school this morning. Chances are, I might have to leave here soon."

"You are the height of irresponsibility," Aizawa hissed at the Symbol of Peace.

"Before we begin, let me just say one thing!" Thirteen announced. "Well, maybe two things. Possibly three, four, or five…"

"Get on with it…" All Might grunted, feeling his time limit dwindling.

"Right, sorry, got it," Thirteen apologized. "Listen carefully! I'm sure you're aware that I have a powerful Quirk! It's called "Black Hole." I can use it to suck up anything, and turn it into dust."

"Yeah, you've used Black Hole to save people from all kinds of disasters before, haven't you?" Ochako smiled, her inner fangirl kicking into high-gear.

"That's true, but my Quirk could also very easily be used to kill," she said. "Some of you also have powers that can be dangerous. In our superhuman society, all Quirks are certified and strongly regulated, so we often overlook how unsafe they can actually be. Please don't forget that if you lose focus, or make the wrong move, your powers can be deadly, even if you're trying to do something virtuous, like rescue someone."

Thanks to Aizawa's fitness tests, you have a solid idea of your Quirk's potential. And because of my combat training, you likely experienced how dangerous your powers could be when used against other people," All Might said, as Thirteen continued her part.

"Carry those lessons over to this class. Today, you're going to learn how to use your Quirks to save people's lives! You won't be using your powers to attack enemies or each other, only to help. After all, that's what being a Hero is all about: Ensuring the safety of others."

Ochako smiled as the Hero concluded her speech. Thirteen is so cool!

"That's all I have to say," she bowed. "Thank you so much for listening."

As the class cheered, Aizawa groaned. "Right, now that that's over –"

Suddenly, something felt very wrong.

Within the middle of the plaza, space itself seemed to wobble and distort. A small black and purple hole appeared, growing bigger and bigger, until it exploded in size.

Then, figures started pouring out of it.

"Stay together and don't move!" Eraserhead yelled.

"Thirteen, protect the students!" All Might ordered.

"Wait, has the training started already?" Kirshim asked. "I thought we were rescuing people."

"STAY BACK!" Eraserhead braked, as he put on his goggles. "This is real. Those are Villains."

Ochako's breath stilled, as she looked down toward the Villains that had invaded UA. There were around thirteen of them, by her count, and they all looked intimidating as hell.

One of them was a dude wearing a long, black leather jacket, with a bunch of hands covering his entire body, including his face. She really hoped they were fake.

The weird black portal that brought all of the Villains here suddenly opened its big yellow eyes, and she realized at that moment that the warp gate was also a Villain.

Another one was a woman with short hair, which came in two colors, pink and indigo. Not only that, but she was wearing a long purple dress. She looked oddly familiar.

Two of the Villains were wearing parkas, those long jackets used for the extreme cold. One of them was colored red, while the other one was bright blue, both covering the Villains' faces.

There was also another woman, with black hair in a ponytail, a black facemask, and another long, black leather jacket. The only non-black article of clothing was her white shirt.

Yet another person was wearing a mask, this one covering their entire face, while also sporting a top hat, while wearing an orange shirt and black vest, along with a yellow overcoat.

There was also a blonde girl, one who seems to be around Ochako's age, who was wearing a black-and-red school uniform, with an odd piece of support gear on her face.

There were also three other goons, who were all wearing similar-looking masks, those that made Ochako think, "plague doctor." One of them was a big man with orange hair, another was a blond man with a sword in his hand, and the third had greasy-looking hair, and an odd piece of support gear on his back, which wrapped around the fur jacket he was wearing.

One of the more scary-looking ones, however, was the hulking black mass of muscles. The Villain had a beak-like mouth with sharp teeth, and their brain was exposed. They looked like something straight out of a goddamn horror movie, in Ochako's opinion.

But the most intimidating-looking one was the Villain that came in last.

They were tall, taller than Ochako, wearing a white shirt with a suit, but no tie. However, the most eye-grabbing part about them was the fact they were wearing a mask. A skull-like mask with angular tubes at the top, and a wide, collar-like system all around their neck, with additional pipes connecting in the front and in the back. She couldn't even see their face.

For some reason, Ochako was scared by that Villain, most of all.

Author's Note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Yes, that's right! The day this gets published is my birthday! Yay for me! Oh, and, a bunch of Villains have decided to pounce on Uraraka and friends, I guess that happened, too. But anyways, time for me to read my presents – I mean, the comments!

Knightmare Lord: Yeah, Kodai is keeping a lot of secrets. If I were you, I'd keep an eye out on her, the people she interacts with, and all of her actions.

Cherry314: I didn't think of the WWE theme during the previous chapter. It had more horror movie vibes to me, I guess. But you do you, I'm not gonna stop you.

EmilMobile: I'm glad to see that I've written Shinso in a way people like. And as for the tea party Eri had with her dad, that was actually a last-minute addition that I added to round out the pages. Also, apologies, but none of the other Battle Trials were as interesting as the first one, hence why I sorta skipped them. Though, I hope you did enjoy that cliffhanger! Hope you like what's coming up next!

TheJowlTN1125: Oh, Uraraka is about to have her entire world turned upside down. She may be blazing through her classes, but her nemesis has decided to crash the party, and we all know that this guy is a particular brand of genius. Though, I am glad you enjoyed this so much that you decided to stick around! Hope you like what comes next!

And now, for the last bit of shilling…

If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is  /3PFYSt8Dqz . You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: The League of Villains

"Excellent," the shadowy Villain said. "All Might is here, as well."

"So, you scumbags used the press as a cover and sneaked onto the campus," Aizawa hissed.

"All right," the Villain covered with dismembered hands said. "You all know your parts."

As Aizawa unfurled his scarf and the majority of the Villains left for the surrounding zones, Kirishima was still in disbelief. "What? Real Villains? No way! How'd they get in?"

"Yeah, Thirteen, why aren't the alarms going off?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"Good question," the Hero answered. "I'm not sure…"

"Is the entire campus under attack, or is this their only target? If the alarm sensor isn't being triggered, then one of these Villains must have a Quirk that's masking their presence here," Todoroki analyzed. "They carefully chose this isolated facility as an entry point at a time when a class was being taught. They're fools for trespassing here, but they've thought this out. Whatever their plan, they must have a concrete objective in mind. But what is it?"

"Thirteen, get them out of here, and alert the main campus," All Might said, no longer smiling.

"Actually, if they've got the ability to block our sensors, then they might be jamming our regular communications, too," Aizawa said. "Kaminari, try using your Quirk to contact the school."

"Yes, sir," the electric blond nodded, and did as he was told.

"We'll leave it to you, Thirteen," All Might said. Before anyone could respond –

FWOOSH!

Both Eraserhead and All Might had launched themselves from the stairs, and charged towards the Villains. All Might was rearing for a smash towards the main group, when –

"Nomu."

BOOOM!

The shockwave could be felt even by the students, but when the dust cleared…

"Huh? No effect?"

The big black Villain was standing right in front of All Might, completely unfazed. It roared at him, and tried to grab him, but the Symbol of Peace dodged, before punching him again.

POW!

POW!

POW!

"SKREEE!!!"

"Doesn't even matter where I punch you, does it?" All Might grumbled.

Meanwhile, Eraserhead was having problems of his own right away.

SHINK!

Dodging a blade-like needle tethered to some string, Eraserhead tried to fight two Villains in one-on-one combat. Problem was, they were both experts in Quirkless combat.

"Hi, Eraserhead!" the blonde girl smiled. "Nice to meet you! I'm Carmilla!"

"Wait, a minute, I know you!" Eraserhead realized. "You're Himiko Toga!"

"The one and only! And my friend over here is Tomura Shigaraki!"

Her friend said nothing as he charged Eraserhead, reaching his fingers towards the Underground Hero to try and grab him. Not a good sign.

"We have to go!" Iida yelled, as everyone else followed.

Thirteen, along with the twenty other students ran back the way they came, but before they could make it to the exit, something dark and purple appeared in front of them.

"There is no escape for you!" the living shadow announced.

The students looked up at those yellow eyes in fear.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Kurogiri, of the League of Villains," the Villain, now identified as Kurogiri said. "I know it's impolite, but we decided to invite ourselves into this haven of justice to say hello. And besides, isn't this a fitting place for All Might to be humiliated?"

As Kurogiri kept monologuing, something about his duties, she was half-listening, Thirteen opened up one of her fingers to use her Quirk, but before she had the chance –

""HAAAA!!!""

Bakugou and Kirishima launched themselves towards the mist Villain.

BOOM!

As the smoke from Bakugou's explosion cleared, Kirishima smiled, "Did you really think we were just gonna stand around and let you tear this place to shreds?"

"You live up to your school's reputation."

"Uh-oh," the redhead gasped.

As the black smoke reassembled itself, Kurogiri kept talking, staring at them with those yellow eyes. "But you should be more careful children, otherwise, someone might get hurt."

"You two, get out of the way right now!" Thirteen yelled.

"I'll scatter you across this facility, to meet my comrades, and your defeat!"

In an instant, black smoke escaped from the Villain, engulfing each and every one of the students, sending them to different areas within the Unforeseen Simulation Joint.

The last thing Ochako saw was black.

Toshinori Yagi was panicking.

He had spent the majority of his morning commute helping the good people of Japan, taking down Villains, stipping hostage situations, rescuing cats, all that kind of stuff.

But because of that, he had pretty much eaten through two entire hours of One For All, meaning that he only had enough time to be in his "Hero form" for about an hour. Okay, not a problem.

If he conserved his energy and everything went alright in the USJ for training today, he would be able to stay in his Hero form, teach the kids, and none would be the wiser.

But the second these Villains showed up, shit went sideways instantly.

Contrary to what Gran Torino said, Toshinori wasn't stupid. Okay, he wasn't that stupid. He needed to be at least decent at analysis if he ever wanted to take down some heavy-hitters.

Sometimes, you can't brute force your way through all of life's problems.

And speaking of analysis, All Might was seriously doubting everything that happened today was a coincidence. First, all the incidents that happened around town? Sure, maybe they were all random, the fact of the matter was that they ate through his time limit.

Second, this "Nomu" thing. He kept hitting it and hitting it, but it didn't seem to have any effect. Almost as if they brought this Villain along to make sure to keep him occupied. Sure, that might have also been unrelated, maybe he was the target the whole time, but…

There was one thing that was bugging him. Lots of incidents to tire him out, coupled with a Villain that he's being forced to go all-out on. Why? Why go through all that trouble?

And then it clicked for him.

This thing was trying to get him to power down.

Those incidents ate away at his time, sure, but for two hours, and only two hours. Leaving one hour for him to teach. If it was any more, he would have been forced to remain in the teacher's lounge. That meant that the Villains could have orchestrated those earlier crimes to make sure he couldn't go all out at the USJ, and Nomu was brought here to keep him occupied.

But that made the Symbol of Peace shudder at one fact.

These Villains somehow knew about my time limit.

The first thing Denki Kaminari saw was water.

Specifically, it was rushing towards his face as he fell.

"WAAAAAA–"

SPLASH!

As he swam to the surface for air, his mind was going a hundred miles an hour. The Villains came specifically for All Might, and they managed to teleport him to a different part of the facility.

But the real question was this: Where was everybody else?

GRAB!

The electric boy panicked as he felt something wrap around his waist, screaming underwater. But as he looked down, he saw that it was… Asui's tongue?

In fact, she could see the frog girl carrying her and… Todoroki?

SNAP!

In a flash, Asui used her legs to swim through the water, launching herself like a rocket, and dragging Denki along with her. Thankfully, it wasn't fast enough for whiplash to happen.

BAM!

"Oww…" the blond groaned, as he was dumped on a large ship.

As she dumped Todoroki on the ship as well, Denki said, "You saved my life, Asui."

"I told you all, call me Tsu!" As she climbed up the ship and joined the others, she said, "This is starting to turn out to be a terrible day of class…"

"Yeah," Denki agreed. "I keep thinking about what that Villain said."

"They knew our whole schedule and who would be here," Todoroki said, surprising the other two at the fact that he was conscious. "They must have gotten into the school files while we were all stuck in the cafeteria and the teachers were busy trying to get the media off school grounds. That means they've been waiting for the perfect time to attack."

KRRAKK…

All three students' breaths hitched, as they looked over the side of the ship to see that the water in the Shipwreck Zone was turning into… ice? What the fuck? Denki thought.

"Uh, Todoroki, that's not you, is it?" Asui asked.

"I can only create ice, not turn water into it," the two-toned boy said.

BOOM!

In an instant, the ice was launched into the air, and began spinning all over the ship, and at the heart of the ice storm… were two Villains, floating on top of platforms made of ice.

Denki had seen them along with the rest of the Villains. They were the ones wearing the parkas, the red and blue ones. He couldn't even make out their faces underneath the hoods.

Then, the red one spoke.

"Shoto Todoroki," he said. "Why won't you use your fire?"

What…?

"Shoji, got anything?" Iida asked his multi-armed classmate.

"They've been scattered across the facility, but our classmates are still here."

"What do we do now?" Sero asked, as he, and his remaining classmates stared the Villain down. "The guy's not affected by physical attacks, and can apparently teleport stuff?"

Thirteen was quiet for a moment, before saying, "Class Rep, I have a job for you."

"Huh?" Iida looked towards the Space Hero.

"Run to the school and tell the faculty what's going on here. The alarms aren't sounding, and our phones and radios are useless right now. We need you to run and get help."

"But… it would be disgraceful for me to leave you all behind –"

"Go Iida," Sato said, revving up for a fight. "There are a lot of alarms outside. Right?"

"Use your Quirk to save others! Be a real Hero!" Thirteen urged Iida.

As Iida began to fire up his engines, Kurogiri taunted them. "Even if this is your only option. Are you really foolish enough to strategize in front of your enemy?!"

"It won't matter when I'm done with you! BLACK HOLE!!!"

"Iida, get out of here!" Sato yelled to the bespectacled boy. "Go! Now!"

FWOOSH!

As Kurogiri was distracted by Thirteen, Iida dashed away and headed toward the exit, as fast as his engines could carry him. Reaching the door, he pulled the hinges open, and he could feel the rays of the sun hitting his face. Getting out of the door, he ran, and ran…

"ENGINE… BOOOOOST!!!"

…as fast as he could towards the main campus.

"Ugh…" Hitoshi groaned, getting up. "Kodai, you good?"

"Mm," the black-haired girl nodded.

"Where the hell are we?" the purple-haired teen asked.

"Landslide Zone," Kodai said.

"All right, let me think," he said, rubbing his temples. "The best thing we can do right now is get out of the Landslide Zone and meet up with the others back at the exit."

"Agreed."

"All right," Shinso said, pulling out his staff. "Let's get the fuck out of here."

The two of them kept walking around the Landslide Zone, keeping quiet in order to hear anything troublesome. But the thing is… there was nothing.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

"Kodai, do you hear anything at all?" Hitoshi asked.

No response.

"Kodai?" The purple-haired boy turned around to find… nothing.

She just vanished… from thin air.

"KODAI? KODAI, WHERE ARE YOU?!" he yelled, but no one replied.

Then, he heard them. Footsteps.

Turning around, Hitoshi saw one of the Villains. He was a magician-looking guy, one with a white mask with some black pattern, while also sporting a top hat with a feather in it, and to top it all off, wearing an orange shirt and black vest, along with a yellow overcoat.

"Who are you? Did you do something to Kodai?"

No response.

Does he know my Quirk or something? Shinso thought to himself.

Changing strategies, he asked, "You don't look like a Villain to me. More like a clown."

The masked man simply remained quiet, as he pulled out a card and flicked it towards Hitoshi. Picking it up, the purple-haired boy saw it read, "Mr. Compress: Villainy, Thievery, and Magic."

"A business card? Really?"

The Villain kept quiet as he simply changed his posture. He lifted up two of his fishnets, and his hips twisted, getting into a sort of fighting position. Hitoshi recognized what this was.

The weird magic man was challenging him to a bout of fisticuffs.

"Fine," he growled. "But once I'm done kicking your ass, you tell me where Kodai is."

Little did Hitoshi Shinso know, he was in for the ass-whooping of a lifetime.

Up in the Mountain Zone, Momo Yaoyorozu and Kyoka Jiro were having some difficulties.

Specifically, they were dealing with two of the plague mask-wearing goons, the League members who referred to themselves as "Larceny" and "Punch Drunk."

Larceny was the one in the blue coat and pants, which reminded Momo of an 1800's nobleman, but he was also wearing a mask that just screamed "Word War I aesthetic" on his face, exposing only his blond hair. And to top it all off, he was also armed with a katana. Wonderful.

Punch Drunk, meanwhile, looked like a feral animal. If it wasn't for the fact he was wearing a fur coat and his mask looked like what Kyoka assumed was Mad Max cosplay, his clothes would give him a bit of a pirate aesthetic, but other than that, fairly normal. Well, that would be the case, if it wasn't for the fact he had support gear that gave him mechanized wings on his back.

What the goddamn hell?

"Oi, Setsuno!" Punch Drunk shouted. "Is this th' time we use our secret identities?"

"Dude, what the hell?!" Larceny yelled back. "Stay in character, you drunk idiot!"

"Right, right! Sorry, ma bad!" the Villain said, downing another beer bottle. "Hic!"

"These two can't be serious," Momo deadpanned to herself, as she created a staff from her leg to arm herself, and a machete for Kyoka. Still, it's to our advantage…

"You got a plan, Yaomomo?" Kyoka asked, grabbing the machete.

"Okay, just follow my lead and – Huh?!"

Before Momo could finish her sentence, the staff she created came flying out of her hand and into Larceny's hand. "Sorry, kids," he said. "But we can't let you fight us at this time."

"Oh, yeah, why not?" the purple-haired girl asked, hoping to distract them.

"Hmm… Punch Drunk."

"Yeah, yeah, on it," the other masked-wearing goon said. "Hic!"

Before either of the two girls could react, Momo could feel her equilibrium falter. Her vision became distorted, twisted, as she tumbled down to her knees.

"Momo!" Kyoka yelled, but before she could attack the two Villains –

WHAM!

…she was hit in the side by the drunk Villain, who used his support gear to fly at her. Sensing a loss of balance herself, along with a distortion in her vision, she fell.

"All right, that's much better," Larceny said.

"Huuuh…?" was all Kyoka could slur out.

"We weren't gonna let you attack us while we were doing the whole "evil monologue" thing," the blond Villain explained. "You kids may be talented, but that sort of thing won't work on those with experience. Hell, I'm pretty sure only F-Ranks would fall for something like that."

"But since you asked, I might as well tell you," Larceny continued. "We're not gonna kill you. Hell, we're not even gonna hurt you. Our orders were to bring the two of you to the main plaza. The boss said something about watching All Might be beaten, or something."

"Heh, yeah, the boss' very secretive like tha'," Punch Drunk nodded.

"All right, you grab the one in the black jacket," Larceny said, pointing to Kyoka. "She's lighter, so you can probably fly her to the plaza. I'll fireman carry the black-haired one."

"Sure thing, hic!"

"Alright, upsy-daisy, sorry about that!" Momo could feel herself getting picked up and carried on the man's back, despite the fact that the other's Quirk was still in effect. She felt sick in her stomach. She lost to a few Villains in an instant, without even getting a chance to plan.

Some recommendation student she turned out to be.

If Kurogiri could smile, he would be doing that right about now.

The improvised plan worked. The little brother of Ingenium had left the building, meaning that if everything else went according to plan, he'd be back with the teachers soon enough.

Sure, the original plan didn't survive first contact, but he was good at improvising. The original plan was to keep the students within the USJ to have them watch All Might's fall, but he knew they wouldn't give up on trying to escape the second that Thirteen brought it up.

So, he had to make do with the situation at hand.

Letting one of them slip away to come back with reinforcements might sound bad on paper, but that would only be a problem if said reinforcements ever had a chance to attack first.

But that was a problem for future Kurogiri.

Right now, he had to deal with Thirteen.

"Ahh… Black Hole…" he said, turning back to the Hero. "The Quirk that sucks up matter and turns it into dust. Such an astounding power… However, you're a Rescue Hero, skilled at saving people from disasters. Which means that you have little battlefield awareness."

Quietly opening up a small portal behind her, Kurogiri made sure that it turned the Hero's Quirk against her, destroying the back of her suit, and wounding her in the process.

"I'm sorry… he got me…" she whispered, before passing out.

"THIRTEEN!" the pink one screamed. Understandable, but Thirteen would live. Chances are, the pain she felt was what caused her to pass out, not the injury itself. Not that they needed to know that. No, for now, he needed to make sure none of them moved.

"Now that I have your attention, here's what's going to happen, children…"

"All right, let's hurry up and find the rest of our class," the stupid redhead said. "If we're still in the USJ, then everyone else is, too. We gotta make sure they're safe, especially since we screwed things up for them when we got in the way earlier..."

Katsuki simply stared at the guy as he kept throwing his little pity party. "If Thirteen was able to suck up that Villain, then we never would have been separated like that! We have to find them!"

"You wanna track everyone down, have fun," Katuski said to the red-haired loser, Kiri-something. "But I'm gonna destroy that warping bastard."

"Huh?! Our physical attacks didn't hurt that guy! Come on, don't be an idiot, man!"

"SHUT UP!" Katuski barked. "I'm gonna take him down because he's their way in and out! If I cut off their escape route, they'll be stuck here! We'll just have to figure out his weakness!"

As the two of them left the crumbling building, Katsuki hissed, "Go find the others if you want to."

Looking around, Katsuki could see that they were in the Collapse Zone. The buildings all around them looked like they came from an earthquake disaster, and the –

"Aha! There you are!"

Katsuki looked away from the red-haired idiot to find… a long-haired idiot.

He was wearing some kind of black mask that was covering his face, with some weird gauntlets on his wrists and fists. But other than that, aside from his white shirt and black pants, the only thing of note was the light-blue tunic that was covering his two belts.

But despite that, Katsuki knew that wasn't some low-level thug.

"Call me the Rapper!" the Villain smiled. "So, which one of you is the strongest?"

"This is bad, this is very bad," Tokoyami said.

Mashirao had to agree. The two of them were trapped in the Fire Zone. Not only that, but it turned out the light scared Tokoymai's Dark Shadow, effectively making him Quirkless.

That wouldn't be so bad if they were the only ones here.

However, they weren't.

In front of them was one of the Villains. She was a woman black hair in a ponytail, a black facemask, and another long, black leather jacket. Her blue eyes could be seen through the fires.

But the worst part about her was her Quirk.

She had blue flames coming out of her hands.

"Hello, children," she said, her voice sounding sweet. "I'm Dabi, of the League of Villains."

Yui breathed in and out. She wasn't scared. Far from it.

Quickly hiding behind a few rocks, she pulled out something tiny from her pocket. Given the size and shape, someone could easily mistake it for a Starburst candy. Using her Quirk, however, the tiny something grew… into a whole new set of folded clothes and gear.

A suit that was a similar design to both her normal Hero costume and her father's outfit, alongside some gauntlets that were designed to cause some nice bit of damage, plus her modified hat, elbow joints, and boots that would hurt anyone who got too close.

But the favorite part of this costume was the mask.

A blank white mask, one would consider blank, if it wasn't for the two blue orbs where her eyes would be. Actually, she needed those orbs in order to see out of her mask. Honestly, she had no idea how her father could see with his mask, it literally had no eye holes!

But that matter would have to wait for another time.

Because now, a new player was entering the game.

Megethos had entered the battlefield.

Ochako grunted as she fell through the portal.

Looking around, she saw nothing but rocks, dirt, and –

"Hello, Ochako Uraraka."

Her breath hitched, as she looked up to the one addressing her.

It was him. The man in the suit. The man who wore a dark helmet, in the shape of a skull. Even now, she could hear his breath through the helmet. In and out. In and out.

Even now, she could feel death radiate off him.

"How do you know my name?" she cautiously asked.

"Oh, I did my research," he said, his voice smooth and elegant. "Your Quirk used to be called "Zero Gravity," before changing it "Gravity Manipulation," to you used to go to Nabu Middle School, your blood type is B, you were born on December 27th in the Mie Prefecture to –"

"STOP!" she demanded.

"Well, like I said, I did my research," he said. "But there is one more thing…"

"Huh?"

"I know for a fact that you're the newest wielder of One For All."

Ochako was silent in horror upon that realization. He knew. This Villain knew. This Villain knew about the secret power that was given to her by the Symbol of Peace himself.

She only had one question.

"Who… are you?"

She could hear the Villain chuckle before giving his answer.

"Oh, I'm just your brand-new nemesis… you can call me All For One."

Author's Note: Dun! Dun! Dun! All For One has met the newest wielder of One For All! How will these young Heroes survive? Find out during the next chapter!

But in all seriousness, I'm glad that the last chapter had so many comments! I had been waiting for it to get published to see all of these amazing responses! And now they're here, and I had a blast responding to each and every one of them!

Norisu Ninja: Of course I'm continuing this story! I have a backlog leading up all the way to the Sports Festival, and I'm gonna be writing new chapters all of winter break! Strap in for everything that is about to happen next! And as for Fuyumi… well… yeah…

DragonWhite04: Your theory is actually quite close. Yes, Kodai hates Bakugou for what he did, and forgotten? Who says that they never stayed in touch?

Knightmare Lord: Yep, All For One is here! Well, someone using his name, at least.

NotBurgerKing: Yeah, I guess I might have tipped my hand with that last chapter. Yes, Fuyumi is a Villain, and both Lady Nagant and Himiko Toga are already in the League. But as for an alliance between the Shie Hassaikai and the League? Yeah… not exactly.

EmilMobile: Thank you for the birthday acknowledgement! Also, yes, I know I'm evil thanks to that cliffhanger, but that's the only way I know that you guys are going to come back! But I hope this chapter was worth all the hype you gave it! Cheers!

Well, that's all for this week!

If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is  /3PFYSt8Dqz . You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: One For All and All For One

"All For One?" Ochako repeated the words.

All For One. A complete inversion of One For All. Whoever this person was, he claimed to be her nemesis, and that he knew about her second Quirk. But what exactly was All For One?

"Yes, that is my Villain name," the masked Villain said, "Unlike your Quirk, which allows you to theoretically give this single power to anyone, my Quirk allows me to take any Quirk straight from someone's body, effectively stealing them, and then either using them for myself, or even giving them to someone else. Considering my fascination with Quirks, I don't think I could have asked for a better one. One quirk for all people, and all Quirks for one person."

Ochako heard what this Villain said, and her mind went into overdrive. A Villain like that sounded seemingly unstoppable. Would All Might even be able to stop him?

"I guess you could say that the two of us are "strung together," heh."

"Your corpse may be strung on a tree if you don't GET OUT OF MY LINE OF SIGHT!!!"

Activating One For All, Ochako went straight for a punch, but –

"Stress, plus Strength Enhancer."

GRAB!

In an instant, All For One's left arm became this massive black… thing that grabbed Ochako's arm with ease. Her punch may have landed in the palm of the Villain's fist, but he didn't make any reaction to indicate that it hurt. "Now, that was just rude."

"Says the man who attacked the USJ with his Villains," she growled.

"It was necessary, to get to both All Might and you," the helmeted monster said. "Now, I suggest we talk things out and wait for our cues, rather than simply fight one another. Though, if you do wish to fight me, I must warn you beforehand, I have around one hundred and thirty Quirks currently stockpiled within me, while you haven't even fully mastered One For All yet."

Ochako remained still, as she mulled over her options. Even now, this prick was calm, in control. He was probably right that she couldn't fight him, not at her strength level. All she could do was sit down and listen to what he had to say, and hope that All Might prevailed.

"All right, you wanna talk?" she hissed. "Let's talk."

"Excellent."

The icy winds kept howling and howling, as the water below began to freeze.

Shoto didn't know what was going on with those two Villains. Were they set up by his father? No, not even Endeavor would stoop as low as to hire Villains to attack the school. But that still doesn't explain why they seem to know he refuses to use that bastard's power.

Who were they? Why did they want him to use the fire?

"Shoto Todoroki," the red one said again. "Why won't you use your fire?"

"SHUT UP!" Shoto shouted at the two of them.

"Dude, what's going on?!" Kaminari yelled. "What do these guys want with you?!"

"Shoto Todoroki," the blue one said. "Use your fire."

"NO! I REFUSE!" he shouted, as memories of his past flooded him.

"Please stop pushing him! He's only five years old!"

"Moronic woman… to hurt you at such an important time…"

"I can't raise him anymore… I wanna run away from this life…"

"He can take it! Get out of my way!"

"I REFUSE! I REFUSE TO USE HIS FLAMES!" Shoto shouted, as more and more frost formed over the boat, even going so far as to freeze the entire artificial lake solid.

"DUDE, STOP!" Kaminari shouted. "You're only giving them more ammunition!"

"It's true," the one in the light blue parka said. "My Quirk is the ability to manipulate ice. The more ice you give me, the stronger I become. The only way you can beat us –"

"NO!" Shoto screamed. "I WOULD RATHER DIE THAN USE HIS FLAMES!"

"Perhaps you're fine with that," the red one said. "But are they?"

"What…?" Kaminari asked, before he looked over to his classmate. "Wait, Tsu!"

"Ribbiiit…?" Asui slurred out, before she collapsed.

"Tsu? Hey, Tsu! Tsu, wake up!" Kamiari shouted, as he grabbed her and held her in a tight hug, in an effort to conserve their heat. "Come on, wake up! WAKE UP!!!"

"The amphibian girl had gone into hibernation," the blue-hooded Villain said. "And the electrical boy was completely submerged earlier. He'll catch hypothermia soon enough."

"What…?" Kaminari whispered, the tears on his cheeks solidifying.

"The only way you can save their lives is if you use your flames," the red one said.

"No…" Shoto said, his face turning feral. "NO! I REFUSE!"

"TODOROKI! TSU'S DYING! COME ON, MAN, HELP HER!!!" Kaminari cried out.

"NO! I REFUSE TO USE HIS FLAMES!!!"

"THEY ARE YOUR FLAMES, SHOTO TODOROKI!!!" the red hooded figure shouted. "YOUR FLAMES! THEY ARE NOT HIS! THEY ARE YOURS, AND NO ONE ELSE'S!"

And then, something inside Shoto Todoroki snapped.

A memory of something he had long forgotten…

"Yes, that's right. Children often do develop Quirks from their parents, or develop similar power sets. But the most important thing is that a Quirk is what you make of it! Regardless of your history, you decide how you use it! That's what I mean when I say, "I AM HERE!" Only you can decide to become a Hero, no one else! Take this to heart, kids! You got it!"

As a young Shoto watched All Might smile on the TV in amazement, his mother asked, "Honey… you still wanna be a Hero, don't you? Just remember… stay true to yourself."

First, it was a flicker.

And then… It was an inferno.

Hitoshi gritted his teeth as he kept fighting his opponent.

Hit, parry, dodge. Those three basic moves that Eraserhead taught him were what the purple-haired kid was doing right now to make sure to keep Mr. Compress at arm's length. Using his staff, he blocked the magician's cane, which he was using as a sword.

The tophat-wearing creep was fast alright, but it was clear that he wasn't a built fighter. He relied more on tricks and acrobatics to get the drop on his opponents. Despite that, the fact that Hitoshi was still new to close quarter combat meant that they were evenly matched.

One lacked strength but had experience, and the other had strength back lacked experience.

I could actually win this, Hitoshi thought to himself. If he managed to hold off this guy long enough for reinforcements to arrive, that meant he could be able to save Kodai –

WHAM!

Pain flared up on the back of Hitoshi's head, as he felt the sensation of something fast hitting him hard. And then, he saw a new figure within his peripheral vision.

A new player had entered the game.

WHAM!

POW!

BOOM!

"Oh, yeah! You're a really tricky one, aren't ya?!" the Villain snorted.

Katsuki clicked his tongue as he saw the masked bastard was still standing. Every time he tried to explode the bastard, he would activate his Quirk and send a barrage of fists towards the blond's direction. Both of them were close combatants, and they knew it.

At the moment, Katsuki was trying to use his acrobatics to dodge and wave around the big bastard, in hopes that he could blast him from the back. But this Rapper guy was clearly an experienced fighter. After seeing Katsuki use that trick once, he was ready for it.

Both he and Shitty Hair were trapped.

"You! Red hair!" The masked creep pointed towards Shitty Hair. "What's your Quirk?"

"Uhh… Hardening? I can make my whole body jagged and rock-like?"

"Great! I'm fighting you now!"

As All Might kept hitting that Nomu thing, Shouta was still busy.

As it turned out, both of these Villains he was dealing with were hand-to-hand experts, kind of like him. They weren't typical things who would over-rely on their Quirks, these two knew how to fight like actual Underground Heroes, and this was starting to annoy him.

The biggest problem was this "Tomura Shigaraki" guy (weird Villain name, but whatever). He seemed adamant about grabbing Eraserhead with his fingers, which meant that his Quirk was touch-based, and was most likely the culprit behind the gate's destruction from yesterday.

To make matters worse, Himiko Toga, or Carmilla, as she went now, had some sort of support gear that complimented her fighting style. Those needles of hers, aside from apparently sucking up his blood, were also heavy enough to be thrown like throwing knives.

That meant that she could basically either throw her knives at him for a bigger attack, or use her needles that, while smaller, would always come back to her. Wonderful.

The only thing that could make them worse was if they were rocket-guided.

Ugh, he didn't need to think about that right now. Dodging and weaving the two Villains, Shouta did everything in his power he could to avoid either getting dusted, or stabbed by these two psychos. Thankfully, as long as it was those two, he should be fine –

BOOM!

An explosion?! But from where?!

Shouta looked towards the blast. While it was technically in front of him, he could see the smoke plumes' direction, and following the line of sight… he saw her.

Floating in midair, near the wall of the USJ, and farther away than both Eraserhead and All Might, was a woman. She had short pink-and-purple hair in a dark dress with a serious expression, but what caught Shouta's attention the most was her right arm.

It was in the shape of a rifle.

Hitoshi didn't know what hit him.

Literally.

One minute, he was fighting the acrobatic asshole that called himself Mr. Compress, the next, someone hit him in the back of the head before they flipped over him.

WHAM!

"Ow! What the –?!" he hissed, as he looked up.

Landing next to the tophat-wearing Villain was the newcomer. A girl around his age, judging from the physique, wearing a white mask, but with blue glass around the eye area. Her suit, in terms of colors, was mostly a dark blue and yellow, as opposed to the guy's orange and black. Interestingly enough, she did have some gauntlet-armband hybrids with claws on her hands, as well as a vest jacket instead of the weird coat that Mr. Compress had.

It almost looked like a mix between Kodai's and Mr. Compress' costumes. Weird.

But the most outstanding thing about her costume were the razor-sharp metallic protrusions on her elbows and the baseball cap she was wearing. There were even two tiny spikes on her boots. Like, seriously, was she planning on goring someone with those blades? The hell?

"Ah, my lovely assistant, Megethos!" Mr. Compress said, this also being the first time Hitoshi ever heard something out of the guy. "Glad to see you have decided to join us!"

The masked girl remained silent, simply giving him a thumbs up.

"Hey, isn't that a little unfair?" Hitoshi asked, getting a little concerned.

As soon as he said that, Mr. Compress left. Seems like he still didn't trust the purple-haired boy enough to tell him that he was leaving for the sake of keeping things fair.

"I guess… you're my new opponent?"

"Megethos" nodded, as she got into a fighting position.

"Ugh… this is gonna suck," Hitoshi groaned.

"Don't worry," the female Villain, Dabi, said. "We're not interested in killing children."

"I don't believe you," Fumikage hissed, as Ojiro stayed behind him.

The situation was bad. With Fumikage being in the Fire Zone, he couldn't bring out Dark Shadow due to all of this intense light. Even if he could, his Quirk's size and range would be pitiful at that point, nothing more than a small shadowy bird on his shoulder.

To make matters worse, while Ojiro was an expert in hand-to-hand combat, that woman's flames were blue; clearly hotter than usual. If they even risked trying to fight her, one quick blast from those flames would be enough to reduce them to nothing but bone fragments.

The only thing they had going for them was the fact that the Villain in front of them clearly wasn't interested in a fight. If she was, she would have lit them alight a long time ago.

"What do you want with us?" Ojiro asked.

"Simple," the black-haired woman said. "We want you all to witness All Might's fall. Once the Nomu is done burning through his stamina, you will all watch the grand finale."

"You Villains murdering the Symbol of Peace?" Fumikage asked.

"No, no, no," Dabi said, shaking her head. "We're not going to kill him. In fact, we are not killing anyone. You have my word, no one is going to die here today. Now, shall we go?"

The raven-headed student mulled through his choices. Even if the Villain was telling the truth, could they really defeat All Might? No, they couldn't, right? Even if they went all-out, this was All Might they were talking about. He couldn't be beaten by anyone. He was unstoppable!

Looking towards the woman, he couldn't see much. Her nose and mouth were covered up by that black medical mask of hers. But her blue eyes, they didn't seem cold, but more… reassuring? Reasonable? As if the whole "evil Villain" thing she was doing was an act.

What was her, and the rest of the League's end goal. He had to know.

"Fine, you win," Fumikage said. "We'll go with you."

"Tokoyami, are you sure that this is a good idea?" Ojiro asked.

"We can't fight her," he said. "Our only option is to cooperate."

"Fine…" Ojiro said. "But I don't like this."

"You don't have to like it," Dabi said. "You just have to do it. Oh, and please don't try to escape while on our way there. While I won't kill you, you will end up with some painful burns."

"Alright, alright, we'll go!"

"Great!" Dabi said, her eyes conveying happiness. "To the main plaza!"

Tenya ran as fast as he could.

He still remembered everyone in the class who wasn't scattered, yelling at him to run for the exits, but he still felt like a coward for doing so. Regardless, he was on this path now, and there was no way to change it. All he could do now was reach the main campus and call for help.

Then, out in the distance, he spotted it. One of Ectoplasm's clones.

Skidding to a halt, he yelled, "ECTOPLASM-SENSEI!!!"

The Hero looked over to where the shouting was coming from to notice Tenya. "IIda, what's going on? The outdoor alarms at the USJ were set off suddenly –"

"THERE ARE VILLAINS ATTACKING THE USJ!!!" he shouted with all his voice. "ALL MIGHT IS HOLDING OFF ONE OF THEM, BUT HALF OF THE STUDENTS HAVE BEEN SCATTERED!!!"

"I'll contact Nedzu," the Hero said. "Iida –"

"I'll go back to help my classmates!"

"Wait, kid –"

FWOOSH!!!

It was too late. Tenya had already blasted off back towards the USJ.

He just hoped that everyone was fighting as best as they could.

"We are not here to kill you, or anyone," the shadowy Villain said.

Mina had a hard time believing that, given that she was currently holding Thirteen's body. Sure, the Pro Hero was still alive, but these injuries were still very serious, regardless.

"Yeah, then what the hell are you here for?!" Sero shouted.

"We are here to show you that All Might is not infallible," the Villain said. "He is old, and getting weaker, and if this society keeps acting like he's going to be around forever, then the world as you know it will collapse even harder when the No. 1 Hero eventually does bite it."

No one said anything, as the living warp gate continued to talk.

"So, here's the deal: Either you all come to the main plaza to witness the Symbol of Peace's defeat willingly, or I'm going to drag your beaten bodies there myself. What is your choice?"

F WOOOOOOM!!!

In an instant, a tornado of fire had appeared, engulfing the ship, and turning all the ice that had been created into steam. Kaminari could feel the effects of the cold leaving him as it was replaced by warmth, the white all around him replaced with a bright orange.

The two hooded figures looked at one another, and nodded, signaling that it was –

"YOU ARE NOT LEAVING!!!" Shoto shouted, as he sent a pillar of massive plumes of flames towards the figure in the red hood, knocking them off of their ice platform.

FWOOOOOOM!!!

"GAH!"

"TOUYA!" shouted the blue hooded figure.

Wait… Touya…?

Looking over the ship, Shoto looked down at the red figure, who had been caught by his partner, but their hood was still knocked off thanks to Shotot, to reveal… a face identical to Shoto's father. No, there were differences. The face was slimmer, younger, like a man in their twenties.

But the rest was the same. The same crimson hair color, the same icy blue eyes, and the same spiky hair that his father had. If it wasn't for the lack of white hair, this would be exactly what Shoto would have imagined his brother to look like, had he survived that fire. Wait…

"Todoroki! We have to go, NOW!"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Shoto looked behind him to see that Kaminari was grabbing his arm, and that Asui was now conscious. "Make an ice slide off the ship! We need to go!"

"Hurry, ribbit!" Asui said. "While they're still distracted!"

Shoto stared at them for a few seconds, before making his decision. "I… you're right. Let's make a break for the main plaza," he said, as he made an ice slide off of the ship."

As the three of them ran out of the freezing zone, Shoto looked back to see that the other Villain removed their hood, revealing white hair, and was now assisting "Touya."

For some reason, his supposed brother's lips were saying the word "Geten."

At this point, Shouta was more dodging than fighting.

BOOM!

These bastards were good. They had planned this attack perfectly. They brought two close quarter combatants to take him on, and they added a sniper in the mix to make sure that Shouta would stay put in the event that managed to beat Carmilla and Tomura Shigaraki.

BOOM!

Getting out of the way of another explosive shell, Shouta went over what he knew: The sniper shot regular bullets through her arm, but was also able to detonate them whenever she felt like it, given that not all of them blew up the moment of impact on the ground.

Most of them blew up whenever Shouta got too close to them.

It was now obvious to him that these bastards were trying to keep him boxed in, stuck in this small area of the USJ, unable to help his students for even All Might. If he tried to disengage his two opponents, the sniper would fire. If he tried to stop fighting, the two Villains would jump him.

All he could do was fight until he collapsed from exhaustion.

And to make matters worse, he was now juggling staying out of the line of fire and using his Quirk on both the hand man and the sniper. The problem was, they knew when their Quirks weren't being erased, so the other one would attack when they weren't the one getting their Quirk erased by Shouta. And as for Carmilla? She just fought Quirkless.

BOOM!

Shit, another round just went off next to Shouta, there was a small window for him to blink before the debris cleared and the attacks could resume. He could see this Shigaraki guy, the crazy amount of severed hands he was wearing for his costume gave him away.

Wait a minute, where's –?

BAM!

Feeling his legs giving away, Shouta looked to the side to see that Carmilla had knocked his legs right out from under him with a kick. Before he could even fall to the floor, Shigaraki was already on top of him, with the guy's left hand right on top of his chest.

"Ah, ah, ah, I wouldn't move if I were you, Eraserhead," the creep said, his red eyes staring at Shouta's. "See, my Quirk allows me to decay anything I touch, regardless of how many fingers I place on the body. Hell, with a tap of my pinky, you're as good as dust."

"So why aren't you killing me…?" Shouta asked. Not like he had many options.

"Two reasons," the Villain smiled underneath his hand mask. "The first is that you're Eraserhead. A legendary Underground Hero who lives up to their hype? You actually have my respect… and the second reason I'm not hurting you is that, if I did… well…"

"..."

"...it would make Eri-chan cry, wouldn't it?"

For a few seconds, Eraserhead was motionless.

They knew. They knew about Eri. They knew about his daughter. Which meant they also knew about his wife. They knew about his whole family, and they were using it against him.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" he shouted. "IF YOU LAY YOUR HANDS ON HER, I'LL KILL YOU!!!"

"Oh, calm down, Eraserhead, we are not going to hurt her, we don't do that," Shigaraki said. "And as long as you comply, you'll get to live to see your daughter another day."

Shouta remained silent for a moment, before asking, "What the fuck do you want?"

The way Tomura Shigaraki and Carmilla were smiling did not make him feel any better.

Sato, Sero, and Shoji all decided to fight.

They were all solemnly beaten.

Mina watched as this Kurogiri creep redirected each one of their attacks back to the other, sending Sato's sugar-powered punches towards Shoji's face, sending Shoji to fall through his portal, tackling Sero, and sending Sero's tape towards Sato's body, trapping him.

Aoyama, meanwhile, tried to blast the Villain, only to end up hitting Toru instead, when Kurogiri decided to warp her towards him and use the invisible girl as a human shield.

Mina would have been amazed at the aristary of it, if it wasn't also painful to watch.

"Now… is there anyone else?" the mass of living shadows asked.

Koda wasn't anywhere where he could summon animals to help him, which only left… Mina. She stared at the Villain, internally screaming at her body to move, to help, but…

…all she could see in front of her was that giant from so long ago.

That thing was terrifying, and yet she still rushed forward and helped her classmates. Why couldn't she do it now? She was Mina Ashido, the girl who could diffuse any situation!

Why can't I move?!

Was it because she was holding Thirteen? Was it because she saw five other people try and beat this Villain, and failed? Was this guy somehow even more powerful than the giant?!

Maybe… maybe she wasn't cut out for the Hero Course…

"No?" the smoke Villain said, snapping Mina out of her thoughts. "Good. Let us proceed."

Tenya ran as fast as he could back towards the USJ.

He hated how he had to leave his friends behind, but he had no choice. He was the fastest among them, he had to go get help. And that's exactly what he did.

Now, he was on his way back, faster than the teachers could keep up.

Friends… I'm coming… HELP US ON THE WAY!!!

"So, what is it that you want to talk about?" Ochako asked.

"Tell me, do you know One For All's origins?"

"I know that it's a Quirk that can be passed on from person to person, and that the more the power gets passed around, the stronger the power gets," she said.

"That's it?" All For One asked. "My, my, All Might taught you little…"

"What is that supposed to mean?" the brown-haired girl asked.

"Have you ever wondered how such a Quirk came into existence?"

Ochako slowly shook her head.

"Well… what if I told you it was the result of two Quirks merging together?" the Villain asked. "Two Quirks that were placed inside the same body? Say… the first wielder's body?"

"What? But people can't have more than one Quirk, except –"

Ochako stopped as she realized what he was saying. In front of her was a person capable of giving and taking Quirks. Theoretically, if he wanted to, he could give a person an extra Quirk… but that would mean that the Quirk that belonged to All Might, the Symbol of Peace…

…originated from a Villain. From the Villain in front of her. From All For One.

"Finally figured it out, didn't you, Ochako Uraraka?"

Author's Note: Merry Christmas! And Happy Hanukkah! And Kwanza, Yule, New Year, whatever holidays you guys are celebrating, I'm more than happy to cheer for them!

Anyways, I'm just here to let you know that I won't be taking any breaks during the holidays! That's right! I'm gonna still be posting! That's my gift to you! So, please, keep those comments coming, so I can fill out the end of my chapters! Speaking of…

Norisu Ninja: Yeah, the USJ attack is way more competent this time. Also, the idea of having Yui reveal herself as Megethos was brought on from an empty space on the paper and impatience on my part. Also, Larceny and Punch Drunk aren't OCs, they're former Shir Hassaikia goons. In fact, everyone in the League is a canon character, it's just that a few things about them have changed, whether that would be Quirk or otherwise. Trust me, it'll make sense in the future. And as for if Izuku will take centerstage in the future? Oh, he'll show up, just not as a protagonist. Also, I saw the TV Tropes page you made for my last work, and loved it! Hope you enjoy the rest of the story!

Knightmare Lord: Part of the Shie Hassaikai are with the League, yes, but not Overhaul. That guy has decided to join a different group, and will show up in the future…

VinHD15: I actually watched the music video. It was… meh, to be honest.

EmilMobile: Glad you're back! Hope this ride was worth the wait!

guest c: Ah, I see that you and "guest :D" are the same person, so I'm just gonna do both of your previous comments together. For starters, yes, I responded! I always do! Akatani Mikumo won't make an entrance for a bit, but trust me, he's gonna be popping up soon, and quite often. Also, while I could have Kodai make a bunch of bugs bigger to scare Present Mic during the Final Exams, I have a different idea that will leave an even bigger impact, but who knows? Maybe I will do both ideas, just for the funsies. And as for the legal status of dear old Mikumo… I'll leave that one to your imagination.

And now, for the last bit of shilling…

If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is  /3PFYSt8Dqz . You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy your holidays!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: End of the Nightmare

Emi sighed a breath of relief as she looked over at the clock. The period would be over soon. She just had to wrap up this lesson. "And so, in conclusion, the main –"

SLAM!

The green-haired woman looked over to see that her door was slammed open by Nemuri, whose face was painted with concern. "What's going on?" Emi asked.

"The USJ, it's under attack by Villains," Nemuri said.

Emi's heart dropped as she thought of one person.

Shouta.

My power's declining even faster… Toshinori thought to himself. Even so, I have to stop these Villains… because I am… THE WORLD'S SYMBOL OF PEACE!!!

BOOM!

Blasting ahead, he matched Nomu's punch with his own, creating a shockwave around them. Punch after punch, the two of them traded blows, so fast, normal eyes couldn't see them.

POW! POW! POW! POW!

There's gotta be a limit to what this guy can take!

POW!

"GRRAH!" All Might grunted, as the monstrosity punched him in his old wound. Still, he did not relent, as he kept punching, and punching, until he found the Villain's limit.

Slowly but surely, he saw that his punches were beginning to affect the creature, as it began losing rounds against him. It's working! But I need more! I have to go over my limit!

"RAAAH!!!"

BLAM!

Going over 100% of his power, he successfully sent Nomu flying back towards the pavement. But before the big bastard could get back up, Toshinori already launched himself towards the big guy, kicking the creature square in its tooth beak, and shouting, "A REAL HERO WILL ALWAYS FIND A WAY FOR JUSTICE TO BE SERVED!!!"

Grabbing its arm, he sent it flying back down into the pavement, before falling himself, and shouting, "GO BEYOND!!! PLUUUUUS… UUUUULTRA!!!"

BOOM!

In that one instant, All Might put everything into his punch, hit the Villain square in the abdomen, and then sent the creature flying, string th through the ceiling of the USJ.

KRAAASH!!!

Ochako could feel her stomach flipping over this revelation.

The Villain in front of her created One For All.

But why? And when? Why would a Villain create such a Quirk, much less pass it down to a Hero? And All Might said he was given that power from someone else, which would mean that the Villain in front of her would have to be older than All Might, at least!

KRAAASH!!!

"What was that?!" Ochako shouted, snapping out of her thoughts.

Looking up, she saw that there was now a crater on the ceiling of the USJ.

"Ah, it seems that my Nomu has been launched straight out of the facility," All For One said, standing up. "The Doctor is going to be quite mad at me for losing Nomu. Ah, well…"

"Aha! So, that means you've failed, right?!" she asked, hoping this was over.

"On the contrary," the masked Villain said. "Now that Nomu has sufficiently weakened All Might, it's time for me to go in and deal the final blow. Come along now, One For All."

"No!" Ochako shouted. "I'm not going to let you hurt him –"

GRAB!

Ochako could feel one of All For One's hands wrapped around her neck, not hard enough to choke her, but tight enough to keep her from moving around.

"You're coming, whether you want to or not. It's time for All Might to face… reality."

KRAAASH!!!

Kurogiri watched as the Nomu was sent launching through the air and into the ceiling, and straight into the great outdoors. Good. That meant All Might was all tired now.

Waiting a few more seconds, Kurogiri watched as the door opened, and –

"Everyone! I'be returned!" the boy with the engine legs shouted. "Help is on the way…"

Before he could continue, however, he looked down to see the injured Thirteen and the students who weren't moving. "Perfect, you're here, too," Kurogiri said. "And without any backup."

"The teachers are on their way," the bespectacled boy said. "They'll stop you."

"Oh, I believe you," Kurogiri said. "However, you foolishly rushed in ahead of them to try and help your comrades? Isn't that right? No matter, we need you, too."

"What? For what purpose?"

"To witness history," Kurogiri said. "Now, join your fellow classmates. We depart for the central plaza of the USJ immediately. Don't struggle, or Thirteen shall suffer even more."

All Hitoshi could feel were bruises.

For the last ten minutes, he was being toyed around with by that masked bitch. Oh, sure, Mr. Compress also played dirty, but the most that asshole did was dodge and weave, with the occasional smack of his cane to the leg or an exploding marble full of pocket sand to the eyes.

Megethos was a completely different monster.

She would use her blades to create light cuts all over the purple-haired boy's body, only to punch those same places later on with those metal gauntlets of hers, just to make the sting hurt even more. Add in those roundhouse kicks she was doing, and Hitoshi was screwed.

Her speed was on a whole other level. It was like being punched by an evil genderbent version of Eraserhead, only if you swapped out the scarf for blades, along with the color scheme.

Okay, bad analogy, but Hitoshi might have a concussion, so sue him.

KRAAASH!!!

Yep, he definitely had a concussion. How else could he explain that huge bird-brain Villain flying overhead at the speed of a rocket and getting smashed right out of the USJ?

"Ah, that appears to be our cue to leave," Mr. Compress said. "Megethos, let's go."

"Wait…" Hitoshi said, as he crawled towards the two Villains. "Kodai… give her back…"

The duo looked at the downed boy before nodding to one another. Then, Mr. Compress put down a marble, while Megethos dropped down a flashbang. Wait, flashbang –?!

BANG!

Hitoshi hissed in pain as he heard the ringing in his eardrums. To make matters worse, that thing was thrown point-blank at his face, so it would be a few minutes before his eyes were back to normal, worst case scenario. Best case, it would be under a minute.

Still hurt, though.

"Shinso… Shinso… HITOSHI!"

"Huh…?" he slurred out, as Hitoshi's eyes readjusted to see… "Kodai…?"

"What happened?" she asked, checking him over.

"Two Villains jumped us. One of them had a Quirk that compressed you into a marble, the other had a bunch of blades all over her body. The bitch got me real good," he groaned.

"You're going to be okay," Kodai said, as she gave him a lookover. "None of these cuts seem to have hit any arteries or anything serious. Recovery Girl will fix you right up. You'll be fine."

Getting up, he said, "Thanks for the reassurance, but I still feel like shit."

Kodai gave him a soft smile, and said, "Sorry I couldn't help."

"It's fine… I'll live… Anyways, we need to get out of here."

"Mm," she nodded, as she helped carry him. "Something's happening in the plaza."

Katsuki remained still as he watched someone else fight his battle for him.

For the last ten minutes or so, Shitty Hair – no, Kirishima – had been duking it out with that Rapper guy, but even he knew that it was an uphill battle.

That dude's punches were no joke. Every time they hit Kirishima's hardened body, it would crack, forcing the redhead to re-harden himself, which was starting to drain him.

"ALL RIGHT!" the Rapper shouted. "GIVE ME MORE!"

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

This was wrong. Katsuki had to do something, or else Kirishima would be beaten to hell and back. But what? His explosions couldn't do jack squat to the guy, he needed something stronger… no, what Katsuki needed was something sharper, to take down this guy…

Wait… something sharper? That's it!

This was an insane theory, but he had no other choice. Making a circle with one of his hands, he created an explosion with his other, making it go through the hole. He could see the explosion become smaller, more concentrated, and soon enough, it headed straight for the Rapper –

BOOM!

"AH, DAMN! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" the Villain shouted, before looking towards Katsuki. "INTERFERING WITH A ONE-ON-ONE?! THAT'S SUPER UNMANLY!"

Oh, God, is this prick just an evil Kirishima?!

The Rapper readied his arm, ready to punch Katsuki, but before he could –

KRAAASH!!!

"Aww, dammit. That means our fight's over," the Rapper said, before he pointed towards Kirishima. "You, manly dude with the red hair. What's your name?"

The downed teenager said, "Eijiro… Kirishima…"

"Manly name! Rest assured, we'll fight again! But for now, we've gotta head to the plaza!" the Rapper said as he walked away. Turning back, he asked, "Aren't you coming?"

Katuski could only stare in confusion as he watched the masked Villain just up and leave. Picking up Kirishima, he asked, "Wait, where the fuck are you going?!"

"To watch the reason the League of Villains came here today."

KRAAASH!!!

Momo could see Kyoka wince as the explosion happened. The recommendation student couldn't exactly tell what had happened, but whatever it was, it was big and loud.

"Guess All Might defeated Nomu," Larceny muttered under his breath.

Nomu? Does he mean the big black Villain? Momo wondred.

"Aaaaand… we're here," Punch Drunk said, dropping Kyoka. "Hic!"

"Sorry for the rough trip, ladies," Larceny said, as he put down Momo next to Kyoka. "But we have arrived at the main plaza, and right on time to watch All Might be beaten."

"Enjoy the show! Hehehe!" Punch Drunk laughed, as he and Larceny left.

Kyoka groaned. "Ugh… Momo, do you feel any better?"

"My equilibrium is still shot," the raven-haired girl said. "But my eyesight is indeed getting better. From what I can tell, I can see All Might in the distance, saying something."

"I can hear him," the purple-haired girl said. "He's saying he's getting weaker.

Weaker. Weak. Me. Momo winced as she remembered how and Kyoka were bested by two bickering Villains. She grimaced. No. If she was going to let those two fools escape, then she was going to at least make them fight for their victory a little bit more.

Within her body, she began creating a weapon she was very familiar with how to use…

Shoto noticed that Asui was slowing down in her running, and he immediately scooped her up. "I think you're suffering from a minor temperature shock," he explained. "I'll stabilize you."

"Oh," the frog girl said. "Thank you, ribbit."

"Hey, guys, look!" Kaminari pointed. "It's Shinso and Kodai!"

"Hey, guys," Kodai said, as she carried a half-beate Shinso.

"Dude, you look like shit!" Kamiari yelped.

"I feel like shit," Shinso said. "Any of you heard that explosion?"

"Yeah, it came from over there," Asui said, pointing towards the main plaza.

"All right, then let's go over there," Shinso said.

"I really have gotten weaker," All Might chuckled. "Back in my prime, five hits would have been enough. But today, it took more than three hundred mighty blows to bring this guy down."

Unfortunately, while the students cheered, steam started to appear.

Time's up, All Might realized. Gotta end this fast.

Clap, clap, clap, clap.

Turning his head, All Might saw one of the Villains clapping, all while young Uraraka was just standing there, mortified. What was going on? Why wasn't his successor fighting back?

Why did she look so afraid?

"Well done, All Might," the Villain in a black mask said, as he slowly clapped his hands. "An excellent show. I suppose this is the part where we evil-doers surrender, and let justice prevail?"

However, All Might didn't move. He was too stunned, too afraid. Because…

I recognize that voice…

What was he doing here? Leading a small gang of criminals, invading the school, attacking the students, was that all his idea?! Why does he have young Uraraka?! Why, why, why, why –?!

The Symbol of Peace calmed down a bit. He couldn't move, couldn't show to the world his weakened self, much less his nemesis. And as far as he knew, All For One didn't know that young Uraraka was his successor. All he could do right now was bluff.

"Give it up, now," he growled. "Your plan has failed, the authorities are coming."

"Hmm… tell you what, All Might, if you manage to knock me over, we'll surrender. Come on, one little tap to the cheek," he said, pointing to his mask. "Or is it that… you can't do it?"

All Might's breath hitched, as the students watched in morbid curiosity.

"You can't, can you?" the Villain asked, the glee in his voice obvious. "From the distractions during your commute, to Nomu, you have spent your time limit for the day, haven't you?"

The students around them began whispering, wondering what the Villain meant. Scanning his eyes around, he saw that all twenty of the students were within All Might's line of sight, some of them even being held hostage by the Villains. What was their plan?

That's when it hit Toshinori.

Breaking into UA. The distractions earlier today. The Nomu itself. All of those things were to track him down when he had a class, and drain him of his time, all to expose him to his –

"Let's test that theory, shall we?" All For One asked, as he approached Toshinori when he was too busy freaking out in his own mind. Stretching out one finger, he placed it on his nose –

"Boop."

POOOOOF!!!

Steam erupted from the No. 1 Hero's body, covering the two of them, and then… he was visible.

"What the hell…?"

"Is that… All Might…?"

"No way…"

In front of them was no longer the giant of a man they called the Symbol of Peace, but instead, he was a skeleton, a husk of a person wearing a suit that was too big for him.

All For One did it. He exposed Toshinori's true form to the entire class.

But it wasn't over just yet.

GRAB!

"BEHOLD, CLASS 1-A!" the Villain shouted, as he held the skinny All Might in the air by the collar of his suit. "YOUR SYMBOL OF PEACE! Look at his sunken eyes! His shriveled face!"

Toshinori tried to pry the monster's arms off of his collar, but he couldn't. All he could do was watch as the horrific realization set in for all of his students. Denial, shock, grief, they were experiencing all of it at the hands of the Villains who were forcing them to watch.

SLAM!

"THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PLACE THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD ON ONE MAN, NO MATTER HOW POWERFUL!" All For One shouted, as he slammed Toshinori into the concrete, before lifting him up again. "HE IS NO GOD! HE IS A MAN! A WEAK, FEEBLE MAN!"

Then, All For One was silent, before turning his skull-like helmet towards young Uraraka, pointing towards the girl, and saying, "You. One For All's newest wielder."

"No… please…" Toshinori begged, squirming. "Don't hurt her… please…"

"Don't worry, All Might, I'm not planning on killing your successor," he said, loud enough for all of Class 1-A to hear him. Then, he threw Toshinori, right into Uraraka's arms, sending them both back a few feet. "Make sure to not do things alone, otherwise you'll end up like your master."

Ochako looked back at All For One. "Wait… that's it?"

This was all? These Villains broke into her school, attacked her teachers and classmates, and beat up All Might, all just to tell her to not do things alone, and to rely on others?

"Yep. That's all I came here to do. LEAGUE OF VILLAINS, WE'RE LEAVING!"

"I don't think so."

The Villains, All For One and the members of Class 1-A all turned around to see that, up in the stairs, Nedzu had arrived, with over half of the Pro Hero staff of UA. Ochako could see Midnight, Present Mic, Cementoss, Vlad King, Snipe, Ectoplasm, Ms. Joke, and several others.

"Surrender, Villains," the white-furred mammal softly said. "You have trespassed on my property, attacked my students and staff, and worst of all, have made me a tad bit angry."

Most of the people near the area suddenly got chills. All except…

"Ohh, I'm so scared!" All For One sarcastically said, waving his hands around to exaggerate his "fear" in a comedic fashion. "What's a teeny little mouse going to do to us?"

Nedzu remained carefully blank for a few seconds, before saying, "Snipe, shoot him."

The cowboy-themed Hero nodded, and pulled out his pistol. "Yippee-ki-yay, mother–"

BANG!

"AAAAAAA–"

"""SNIPE!"""

Everyone looked in horror as they saw blood explode out of Snipe's shoulder, making him drop his gun. The purple-haired sniper dropped from her nest, and that's when all hell broke loose.

"TOUYA! GETEN! ICE WALL, NOW!" All For One shouted.

BOOOOM!

In an instant the two hooded Villains erected a giant wall of ice that separated the students from the newly-arrived teachers, while Ochako could hear Present Mic and Cementoss trying to destroy it from the other side. "Well, this has been fun. Kurogiri, time to go."

Ochako looked back to see All For One had ordered the smoke Villain to turn back into a warpgate, with all of the close-ranged Villains going through, as the sniper lady and the one with the blue fires guarded the ice wall from the approaching teachers.

"Hic! It's been fuuu–"

BANG!

"WHAT THE –?! MY WING!!!"

Ochako, and several of the other students, were shocked to see that Momo had made a shotgun and used it on the flying support gear of one of the Villains, sending him falling towards the earth. One of the other Villains yelled, "LEAVE IT BEHIND!"

"But my wings –"

"Hephaestus can make you new ones! We have to go!"

The mask-wearing Villain whimpered, before removing his artificial wings, and ran through the portal along with his comrades, leaving All For One as the only one left.

"Well, it's been a pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face, Ocahko Uraraka," All For One said, as the last of the Villains left behind him. "We'll be seeing more of each other soon enough."

She reached her hand out to try and stop him, shouting, "Hey, wait! STOP!"

"See you soon, One For All," he chuckled, and then, sank through the portal.

And just like that, the League of Villains was gone.

"YEEEAAAAAHHH!!!!!"

Even as Present Mic destroyed the ice wall, and even as the rest of the Pro Heroes checked up on her classmates, Ochako stood still, as she carried her teacher's beaten body.

Even with the most powerful Quirk in the world, Ochako Uraraka felt weak.

"Good, all the remaining students are accounted for," Naomasa Tsukauchi said, as he turned towards one of his subordinates. "Let's get these students to the main campus."

"Detective, what about our friends?" the invisible girl asked.

"Kirishima has several bruises, and a minor concussion. Sero and Shoji were also hit in the head during their fights, so we are making sure they don't have any serious injuries. But in terms of serious injuries, Asui and Todoroki, and possibly Kamiari had it the worst due to the possibility of shock they might have due to the sudden temperature changes. Oh, and Shinso has several cuts and bruises all over his body. Thankfully, they're all being treated right now."

"Um, sir, what about our teachers?" the pink-skinned one asked.

"There's no need to worry there. Despite some lacerations to the back, Thirteen is gonna make a full recovery. Snipe, while he may have had the worst injuries, will be able to use his arm again in the future. And even though All Might was slammed to the floor, he's a tough one. He isn't suffering any life-threatening injuries. They'll all be fine. Now, let's get you back to class."

He heard several kids saying "okay," before heading off to their bus.

Looking over to his second-in-command, Naomasa said, "Sansa, I'll leave this to you."

"Yes, sir," the cat-headed officer said, giving him a salute.

"Tsukauchi, sir!" one of the other officers yelled.

"Report."

"Someone thought to be involved in the attack was just apprehended in a wooded area nearby," the officer said. "He has no apparent injuries and seems to be complying with officer commands, for now. He hasn't said a word, though. We're not sure if he can speak."

"Hmm…" the detective thought to himself, before he saw the principal leaving the building with some Heroes. " Nedzu, I'd like to investigate every inch of this school just to be safe."

"Of course, please do!" Nedzu said. "You'll have full access to the campus! We definitely need your assistance on this matter! I don't care who makes a fuss, you have my blessing."

Naomasa nodded, and yelled, "Teams! Proceed as planned."

Ochako knew that All Might was going to be fine, Recovery Girl had said so. However, a small part of her couldn't help but look at the old man on the bed, and feel the tears leak.

He was out cold at the moment, but Ochako had to say this to him before she left.

"All Might… I'm sorry… I'm so, so, sorry…"

Shoto remained silent as he walked back to her home.

The police decided that today was too stressful for the students to properly give them accounts of what had happened, and decided to let them go home for the evening.

School was canceled tomorrow, allowing all of Class 1-A time to come into the station and give their testimonies, in order to help with the investigation concerning the attack, including the students who had to stay behind and be treated by Recovery Girl.

But Shoto didn't know what to think. Was his older brother truly alive? Was it just some Villain's trick? No, they were trying to conceal their faces, so it had to be an accident. Unless that was what they wanted him to think. But most importantly of all…

What would Endeavor think if he discovered any of this?

Walking through the front gate, Shoto unlocked the door to the house, and –

"SHOTO!!!"

…Fuyumi tackled him into a hug.

"I was so worried about you! The police called and said that there was a Villain attack at your school! Are you okay, you weren't hurt, were you? What about your friends, like that –?"

"I'm okay, sis, I'm okay," Shoto said. "The police called?"

"Yeah, they left a message telling me what happened. Not only that, but the media already got their hands on the story a while ago, they might have blown it out of proportion."

"I see," Shoto said. "Thanks… I'll… I think I need to relax for a bit."

"Okay," Fuyumi smiled at him. "I'll go start dinner."

Shoto nodded, and while his sister disappeared into the kitchen, Shoto went into the living room, plopped himself down in front of the couch, and turned on the TV.

"BREAKING NEWS! There has been an incident at the UA's Unforeseen Simulation Joint, where Hero Course students have been attacked by a gang of Villains. According to on-site journalists, the criminal forces called themselves the "League of Villains," and it's been covered that their leader managed to injure All Might. Out of the thirteen Villains present –"

Huh, that's weird, Shoto thought to himself. Fuyumi said that the news about the incident already broke out, so why are they calling it "breaking news" at this time?

Next to Shoto, the landline phone remained off. Which was odd, considering the fact that any voice messages left on the phone would have lit up on the landline's button,

Maybe Fuyumi already deleted the message? Shoto thought to himself.

As they made it back to the bar, Tenko removed the hands from his body. They may not have been the original ones he was given, but the plastic substitutes were still nice.

Looking over to the leader of the League, he asked, "How do you think it went?"

"I think it went well." Taking off his helmet, Izuku Midoriya smiled. "I think it really went well."

Author's Note: DUN, DUN, DUN! Didn't see that coming, did you?

Before we continue, I want to make an announcement: I have come bearing a gift in the form of a new weekly series, a collaboration between myself and my good friend, Infinite the Celestian. A crossover between Re: Zero, Dark Souls, and the Elder Souls V: Skyrim, that we have dubbed…  the Elder Souls.  The links are here, for both (  s/14313467/1/The-Elder-Souls ) and ArchiveofOurOwn (  /works/52723891/chapters/133355623 )! Now, the comments!

DragonWhite04: Yeah, surprise! Touya Todoroki isn't Dabi this time around! Also, is that all you realized in this chapter, because you kinda cut off, let me know!

Knightmare Lord: Probably the same reason Geten is part of the League now.

And now, for the last bit of shilling…

If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is  /3PFYSt8Dqz . You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

Thanks for reading, and Happy New Year!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 11: Secrets Revealed

RING! RING! RING!

Sorahiko Torino groaned when he heard his phone go off.

He may have been retired these days, but that didn't mean that the telemarketers could interrupt his sleep this early, dammit! Of all times, it had to be one in the afternoon…

Grabbing the landline, he growled, "I'm not interested in whatever yer sellin' –"

"Gran Torino, it's me!"

"Eh? Toshinori? What in the blazes are you –?"

"Please tell me you disposed of All For One's body!"

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?!"

"All For One's body! When I was still unconscious from the surgeries, please tell me that you and Mirai burned it after I passed out from my injuries, I'm begging you!"

"What? There was no corpse when we found you!"

"What?! No, no no, no…"

"There was no corpse! Nighteye and I thought you blew the bastard to smithereens!"

"Oh, no…"

"What's going on, Toshinori?"

"He survived, sir. All For One survived."

Sorahiko could feel herself getting even older the second he heard that.

Mirai Sasaki, better known as Sir Nighteye, ran through the open entrance of UA.

This was a disaster of epic proportions. When the phone call came in from Gran Torino, he immediately thought the worst possible option, that his prediction came true.

It was actually something that was somehow worse.

All For One was alive. Toshinori never destroyed the bastard completely, he just assumed that he and Torino dealt with his body while he was under. And Mirai, the idiot he was, didn't ask Toshinori what happened to the body and instead WENT ALONG WITH HIS ASSUMPTIONS.

And now, six years later, they were paying the price.

Walking through UA's halls, his eyes fell upon the people he was looking for: Toshinori, Gran Torino, Principal Nedzu, and Detective Tsukauchi. Perfect.

"I take it that Recovery Girl won't be joining us?" he asked.

"She has her own matters to attend to," Nedzu said. "However, we will have a few of the UA faculty in attendance for this meeting. They've already been briefed on the existence of the legendary Quirk Bogeyman, but nothing regarding you-know-what."

"Understood," Mirai said.

"All right," Gran Torino huffed. "Let's get this over with."

Mirai couldn't agree more.

"Our investigators are trying to learn everything they can about the League of Villains. We've made some progress, but we can't find anything on Tomura Shigaraki, Kurogiri, Dabi, Megethos and the Icemen duo. We've searched our records for individuals within their age groups with the appropriate types of Quirks, but so far, we've come up empty. So either they're not citizens of Japan, or took extra steps to keep their identities hidden. Hard to find, either way."

Nedzu listened quietly as Tsukacuhi finished up the "official" police investigation. Sure, they may have been slightly helpful, but the truth was that politics could always get in the way.

Don't get him wrong, the police were an essential ally, especially Tsukauchi himself, but there was always pressure from the Hero Public Safety Commission to focus more on Heroes rather than the other emergency services. Hence, budget cuts and so-so investigations.

Both Nedzu and Tsukauchi knew that it was bullshit, but they had to play it safe. After all, it would only be a matter of time before the old bitch of a President either keeled over or was removed by some scandal, and when that happened, there was a good chance that someone who was more friendly to Nedzu's ideas would take her seat.

But for now, all they could do was suck it up, and make do with what they had.

"So, what you're really saying is we don't know anything," Vlad King grunted.

"We've gotta track them down," Snipe said, his shoulder still bandaged.

"There was only one Villain arrested in the aftermath of the USJ attack, that Nomu character," Tsukauchi continued. "So far, they haven't said a thing, much less talked, or even blinked."

"And with that out of the way, we should now focus on my part," Nedzu said, as he walked over to the whiteboard, and pulled up a PowerPoint slide. Most of the UA staff was already familiar with his little rivalry with the HPSC, so they were already expecting his own investigation.

"Thanks to the testimonies of both the teachers and the students who were at the USJ, I have been able to figure out a couple of the identities of the League of Villains, or at the very least, have a good guess for most of them," the white-furred mammal said.

"For the sniper that was distracting Eraserhead, and then shot at Snipe, given her description and how her Quirk would work…" Nedzu said, as he pulled up the first mugshot. "I can safely say that her real identity is Kaina Tsutsumi, the former Pro Hero, Lady Nagant."

The principal didn't say anything, but the way he saw Eraserhaead's eyes slightly widen at the photograph was more than enough for Nedzu to confirm his little theory.

"Isn't she the one that was locked up in Tartarus for killing another Pro?" Midnight asked.

"As far as we know in terms of official statements, yes," Nedzu said. "The HPSC has a tendency to cover things up, and this could be no exception. However, the end result was the same: She was locked up in Tartarus, and was said to have died there nearly eleven years ago."

"Then explain the dead woman shooting at my husband," Ms. Joke grumbled.

"The official statement was that she died from food poisoning, and her body was shipped off Tartarus to be cremated," Nedzu said. "Chances are, All For One faked her death by either bribing or threatening the guards and cooks, and then helped her escape."

"That would certainly explain the multiple Quirks…" All Might grumbled.

"Moving on, we also have two other cases," Nedzu said, as he revealed two images of a blond man and a man with long greasy hair. "These two are Toya Setsuno and Deidoro Sakaki. I believe these two to be Larceny and Punch Drunk, respectively."

"How do you figure?" Sir Nighteye asked.

"Punch Drunk called out Larceny by his last name during the USJ, with both Yaoyorozu and Jiro confirming it," the white-furred mammal said. "Aside from that, their Quirks registrations match the ones for their civilian identities, as they do for most average civilians."

"I see…" Gran Torino murmured. "Any other punks we know of?"

"One more," Nedzu said, as he pulled up a photo of a girl in a middle school uniform. "This is Himiko Toga now called Carmila. Eraserhead was investigating the case of her disappearance over a year ago before the trail went cold, and instantly recognized her at the USJ. She confirmed his suspicions, and then proceeded to attack him alongside Shigaraki."

"What did you find?" All Might asked.

"The official report says that she attacked a fellow student and sucked his blood with a straw, before fleeing the scene. Several minor new channels caught wind of this and interviewed the locals, saying that she was a perfectly normal girl before she snapped. Frankly, I have my suspicions," Nedzu said. "Tsukauchi, mind investigating this one for me?"

"Sure thing, Nedzu," the detective agreed.

"What else do we know?" Midnight asked.

"One more thing," Nedzu said, as he pulled up a photo of a broken wing. "Punch Drunk had this wing-like support gear on his back, allowing him to fly around like a giant house fly. Fortunately, Yaoyorozu created a shotgun and fired a bullet into the support gear, breaking a part of it off. And before you ask, yes, she had trained with firearms extensively before UA."

"We should still probably get her registered…" Snipe grumbled.

"Indeed. Anyway, Punch Drunk seemed distraught over his destroyed toy, before Larceny told him that "Hephaestus" would make Punch Drunk a new pair," Nedzu said. "Forensics inspected the missing piece, and found this logo on part of it, taking the photograph I'm now showing."

The Pro Heroes in the room all looked closer, to see that the logo was one of a hammer, with a capital "H" in the middle, which most likely stood for "Hephaestus".

"So, we also have an unknown individual responsible for supplying the League of Villains with top-of-the-line support items," Eraserhead groaned. "How wonderful."

"If my theory is correct, then this individual is also responsible for deactivating the alarms inside the USJ," Nedzu said. "None of the other Villains could do that, with the exception of All For One, but he would have to have an extremely powerful Quirk to pull that off."

"Is there anything else we know about?" Sir Nighteye asked.

"I currently believe that Nomu is an artificial being," Nedzu said. "Uraraka heard All For One say that "the Doctor" would be mad at him for losing Nomu after All Might defeated them, implying that the creature was man-made, and that it took an awful amount of time to make it."

"Anything else?" Gran Torino asked.

"One thing, and I hate to say it, but… I believe there's a traitor among us."

Nedzu waited for the cacophony of denials and outrage to the idea to subside before he continued speaking. "I know it is an awful thing to think about, but it's the only thing that makes sense. How the Villains knew when the trip to the USJ would occur because they stole the schedule during the break-in is one thing, but everything else? No."

"They knew the Quirks of each individual student. They sent Asui to the Flood Zone to freeze her and to prevent Kaminari from using his Quirk. They knew how to avoid falling for Shinso's Quirk. They sent Tokoyami to the Fire Zone because that's where his Quirk would be the weakest. There was now way for them to know all that UNLESS there was a traitor."

"They knew about Eri," Eraserhead spoke up.

Ms. Joke turned her head immediately towards him. "What?"

"Emi, they knew about our daughter. Shigaraki used that information to keep me in line, saying that he didn't want to see her cry just because I got killed by him. He knew."

As the green-haired woman stared, mortified, Nedzu continued speaking.

"I'm not saying it was someone in this room. All I'm saying is that someone, whether they be a teacher or a student, in UA High is a traitor. We can't investigate it now, lest we alert the League of Villains. All we can do right now is maintain our vigilance. That is all. Meeting adjourned."

The majority of the teachers began to leave, All Might included, before he was stopped.

"Yagi, wait a moment, please."

The skeleton-looking man turned around. "Nedzu?"

"I think you should tell the children the truth."

Walking up the steps, the brown-haired girl turned the key, opened the door, and –

""OCHAKO!!!""

…was grabbed into a massive bear hug by her parents.

"We were so worried about you!" her mother cried.

"Don't ever scare us like that again!" her father yelled.

As she was wrapped around by this bear hug, she thought back to why she even became a Hero in the first place. Not the new reason All Might gave her with One For All, but her very first reason: To make lots of money and give her parents an easy life.

She would have been able to do it, no problem. She would have become a Rescue Hero, and made lots of money for them. But that was before what happened in Deika. Before, as grim as it was, her parents were now drawing in money, and she lost her reasoning.

But with All Might, she now knew she wanted to save others, with a smile like All Might's. But now that she thought about it, was this the right way to go? To now have to deal with some arch-nemesis that managed to throw All Might into the concrete. Was it worth it?

Would it be worth it to die a Hero, even if it would hurt those she left behind?

She didn't know, and for the first time in a while, she was scared.

And so, she cried into her parents' arms, without them ever knowing the real reason why. Ochako walked silently into the classroom this morning.

Ochako suppressed the memory as she sat down at her desk.

After spending her weekend crying her eyes out with her parents, she spent most of it in her room, thinking over what All For One said back at the USJ. That their two Quirks, and thus, each other, were linked. How All Might's current state was because of society.

How… She had to rely on others.

Everyone else was silent as well. There were no conversations to be had, except minor ones, but even those lacked the usual joy from the week earlier. At least everyone fully recovered over the weekend. She sat down at her desk, as Iida told everyone that the day was about to begin.

Opening the door was Aizawa-sensei and… All Might.

He was in his buff mode, smiling like always, but… all of the students in 1-A now knew that it was nothing more than a facade. Ochako wondered, Why is he still wearing it?

"Good, you're all here," Aizawa-sensei said before he looked over to his colleague. "Before we begin, we have something to tell you all, something that has to be kept secret… All Might?"

The Symbol of Peace nodded, before steam erupted from his body.

Less than a minute later, he was the skeleton they all saw at the USJ.

"Six years ago, I fought against that Villain from the USJ," he said, lifting his shirt to show everyone his injury. "I lost my stomach and one of my lungs in the process. Ever since then, my power has been on a time limit. One that decreases each time I overuse it."

No one said a single word.

"The truth is, kids, that I'm probably gonna be forced to retire by the end of this year. I wanted to pass on the knowledge I had accumulated, and to make sure that you would all be ready to stand up for justice when I no longer couldn't. That's the real reason why I joined the UA faculty," he continued, before bowing. "I apologize for my deception."

"All Might, you don't have to bow!" Iida broke the silence.

"Yeah," Kirihsima agreed with the spectacled boy. "You've been keeping the country safe while in that state, and for the last six years?! THAT'S SUPER MANLY!"

"Not to mention, you protected us at the USJ," Shinso added.

"Even if you've gotten old, you're still our Hero!" Kaminari said.

"Yeah, you're still All Might!" Sero said.

Thank you for still having faith in me." The old man smiled, as he stood up. "Now, Principal Nedzu has decided to hire on my civilian identity, Toshinori Yagi, as a member of the UA Staff, so, whenever I'm in this form, call me

Tsu raised her hand. "All Might… er, I mean, Yagi-sensei… I have a question, ribbit."

"Yes, young Asui?"

"Tha Villain that exposed you said something about "One For All," and he also called Ochako-chan your successor," the frog girl said. "What was that about?"

The shriveled-up All Might stiffened. "Uh, well, you see, um, that was –"

"All Might."

Ochako looked directly at her mentor, her expression serious. "No more secrets."

Her mentor was silent for a few moments, as he gazed into his successor's eyes. Seeing that she wasn't backing down, he sighed. "This never leaves this room. Understood?"

The entirety of Class 1-A slowly nodded.

"Very well then," he said, as he turned back to the students. "One For All is a transferable Quirk, one that stockpiles power, and becomes stronger with every new user. It originated back during the Dawn of Quirks, and has been passed nine times in the last two hundred years. I… was born Qurikless. Everything you ever saw me do as All Might was with One For All's help."

The room was quiet for about ten seconds, before everyone exploded.

"WHAT?!"

"YOU WERE QUIRKLESS?!"

"HOLY HELL!"

"THAT'S SO MANLY DUDE!"

"Alright, calm down, you brats," Eraserhead-sensei hissed, activating his Quirk.

"But wait, what does that have to do with Uraraka?" Hagakure asked.

Yagi gave them a soft chuckle. "Over ten months ago, I came to Musutafu, and stumbled across a young woman who rushed in to save a stranger her age from a Villain, risking her own life. I made her my successor. I was the eight user of One For All. Young Uraraka… is the ninth."

Everyone stared at Ochako, who ended up blushing a bit. "Eheh…"

"Wait, does that mean, you're gonna be as strong as All Might?!" Sato asked.

"No way, didn't you hear Yagi-sensei? She's gonna be even stronger!" Sero said.

"I'M SO JEALOUS!" Mina squealed.

"So… I take it that your "Quirk evolution" was just a lie?" Shinso asked.

"Yeah… sorry about lying to you," Ochako said. "Same to you, Yui-chan."

"Mm." Yui simply nodded her head, and said, "It was understandable."

Bakugou and Todoroki said nothing. They just stared at Ochako.

"All right, if we're done, let me make this very clear: If any of you spill the beans about ANY of this, from All Might's state, to Uraraka's second Quirk, you will not only be expelled, but also face criminal charges," Aizawa-senei said, his eyes glowing again. "Do I make myself clear?"

"""YES, AIZAWA-SENSEI!!!"""

"Great," he said, immediately dropping the scary act. "Now that All Might is done sharing national secrets, it's time to tell you that the Sports Festival is two weeks away."

And just like that, the class resumed acting like cheering children.

"LET'S GO KICK SOME ASS!!!" Kirishima shouted.

"Is it really such a good idea to hold the Sports Festival so soon after the Villains snuck inside?"

Ojiro agreed with Jiro. "They could attack once were all in the same place."

"Apparently, the administration thinks that this is a good way to show that the threat has been handled and our school is safer than ever," Aizawa said. "Plus, they're beefing up security compared to past years. This event is a huge opportunity for all students at UA. It's not something we can cancel just because of a few Villains."

"Aizawa's right," Yagi said. "The Sports Festival is one of the most watched events in the entire world. If you wanna go Pro one day, then this event could open a path for you. One chance in a year, three chances in a lifetime, no aspiring Hero can afford to miss this Festival!"

"That means you better not slack off on your training," Aizawa-sensei hissed.

""""YES, SIR!!!""""

"Young Uraraka," Yagi whispered. "Meet me in the Teacher's Lounge after school."

Ochako couldn't say anything before her mentor puffed back up and left the room.

"Oh, by the way, before I forget, we'll be going back to the USJ tomorrow to finish up your rescue training," Aizawa added. "That's all for homeroom. Hope you enjoy English class."

"HEY, KIDS!" Present Mic shouted, walking into the class. "Hope you're ready!"

With All Might's confession and One For All's reveal out of the way, the majority of the school day went on as normal. Well, as normal as it could be for a class that learned that the greatest Hero ever was on a time limit and had already passed on his Quirk to his successor.

But those were minor details, and everything else went perfectly fine!

Well… except for the one thing that happened at the end of the day.

"Uhh… why the hell are you all here?" Shinso asked.

Outside the door of Class 1-A was an ocean of students, the majority of them from other classes in the same grade. "Do you students have some sort of business with our class?" Iida asked.

"Why are they blocking our doorway?" Uraraka asked.

"They're scouting out the competition, idiots," Bakugou stated. "We're the class that survived a real Villain attack. They wanna see us with their own eyes. Now, move it, extras."

"BAKUGOU, YOU CAN'T WALK AROUND CALLING PEOPLE EXTRAS JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE!!!" Iida yelled, as everyone else stared in shock.

"So this is Class 1-A," an unfamiliar voice said.

Getting up towards the front of the crowd was a student with messy black hair, large red eyes, and freckles. "I was told you were impressive, but seeing you up close is even better!"

"Who are you?" Kirishima asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the kid apologized, flashing them all a smile. "I'm Mikumo Akatani, from Class 1-J of the Department of Management! It's nice to meet all of you face-to-face!"

"Oh, so someone from the Business Course…" Kaminari said.

"Yeah, exactly!" Akatani answered. "I've always been a big fan of Heroes, and while I'm not interested in declaring war, I still can't wait to face off against you at the Sports Festival!"

"WELL, I'M NOT!"

Everyone turned around to see a kid with silver hair and long eyelashes shouting. "I'M FROM CLASS 1-B! WE HEARD YOU FOUGHT SOME VILLAINS, SO I CAME HERE TO SEE IF IT WAS TRUE! I CAN'T WAIT TO KNOCK YA OUT OF THE FESTIVAL!!!"

Bakuogu merely ignored both of them, along with the rest of the crowd.

"Hey, aren't you gonna say anything, Bakugou?" Kirishima asked.

"These people don't matter," the blond simply said. Remember your goal…

"HEY! DON'T IGNORE ME! I'M TALKING TO YOU!!!"

As Bakugou left the class, everyone else was still discussing matters regarding the Sports Festival. "Well, you heard Aizawa-sensei. Better get training," Tokyoyami said.

"Yeah, good call," Sato agreed with him.

It was now late in the afternoon, when most of UA's students would be going home right now, but not Ochako. She had business to attend to at the Teacher's Lounge.

"It's me," she said, opening the door, to find her mentor on the couch.

"Come have a seat," he said, quietly.

Ochako noticed that he seemed a bit… different. Sure, he looked all sad and depressed back when he revealed his true form to the class earlier today, but this was… something else.

"I'm sorry for not being able to defend you back at the USJ."

"Oh, no, you don't need to apologize for that!" Ochako said. "More importantly, you said that you wanted to see me after class. Something concerning One For All, I'm guessing?"

"You should know its origin," All Might said. "One For All was derived from another odd Quirk, a power that is very old. The name of that Quirk is… All For One. It allowed its user to take Quirks from others, and the user could keep the Quirks, or give them to someone else."

"I know about that part," Ochako said. "Back at the USJ, he told me about it."

"I figured as much, but he didn't tell you everything, did he? Well, I'm going to," All Might said. "Back when Quirks were starting to show up, and before society knew how to deal with the newly powered among them, it was impossible to say what it meant to be a normal person. Laws and human rights were hotly debated, civilization stalled, and society decayed."

"Yeah, we were taught all that in middle school," Ochako said.

"Yes, but not all of it," All Might said. "During that chaotic period of change, there was one person who managed to rally many people together. He went by the name of his power, All For One. He stole Quirks from others, and then, with his overwhelming abilities, he spread his influence across the country. He manipulated people, and committed evil acts with little resistance. In the blink of an eye, he became the leader of Villains and ruled over Japan."

"What does this have to do with One For All?" she asked.

"I'm getting to that part," All Might said. "This evil man had a Quirkless younger brother. He was small and sickly, but he had a strong sense of justice. They couldn't have been more different. It pained the brother to see All For One's deeds, so he kept resisting. And then, All For One transferred a Quirk to his sibling, one that would allow him to stockpile power. We don't know if it was a gift he was giving his brother, or if he just wanted to force him to submit."

Ochako's eyes widened at the realization. "Don't tell me…"

"Yes! Even though everyone thought he was Qurikless, it turns out the brother did have a Quirk, though even he hadn't realized this to be the case. He had a useless power that only allowed him to pass on Quirks! And so, the stockpiling ability merged with the younger brother's power!" All Might said, spreading his arms dramatically. "And that is how One For All came to be!"

Ochako was silent, as she suddenly realized that the Villain back at the USJ was aware of One For All, or even about what it was to begin with, or how it worked. He wasn't insane, he was actually there, he was the one responsible for creating that Quirk in the first place.

"I've always found it ironic that justice so often spawns from evil…"

"Wait, hold on!" Ochako said. "I understand how it happened, but All For One is still alive! He was there at the USJ, how is that possible?! How is he not long dead?!"

"One who steals Quirks has no limits. Anything is possible," the No. 1 Hero said. "There are Quirks that halt aging, he probably has something like that. The Symbol of Evil seemed pretty much immortal. With the state of the world at the time, and the huge differences between their combat abilities. The younger brother decided to entrust this Quirk to future generations. Even though he couldn't defeat All For One, he hoped that One For All would continue to grow in power, until it was strong enough to stop his older brother. And then, it was my turn."

"So… now you know. The entire purpose of One For All is to defeat All For One. As its holder, you may have to fight against this great evil… because I failed," All Might said, as he stood up. "I don't have much time left as the world's Symbol of Peace, soon I'll have to put that title to bed. And All For One has noticed that. Someone has to step up and keep the people safe."

Looking out the window, he said, "I gave you my power for one reason, because you will be the Hero who will take my place! This Sports Festival is something that the Pros… no… the entire country will be watching very closely… I want you to think of this Sports Festival as your debut! Ochako Uraraka, I want you to introduce yourself to the world, and proudly say: I AM HERE!"

Young Uraraka left the room shortly after, to head home.

Toshinori sighed as he watched her leave the UA gates through the window. It wasn't fair to put this sort of pressure on a child, but time was running out, and he had no choice.

"You didn't tell her everything."

Toshinori turned to see his old mentor was in the room with her.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"You've always been predictable, trying to shield people from the ugly truth," Gran Troino said. "But my previous point still stands: You didn't tell her everything about All For One."

"I couldn't burden her even further…" Toshinori whispered.

"I know," Gran Torino said. "What we discovered that dreadful day six years ago will probably stay in the back of our heads for a long while. Speaking of which, anything?"

"You too, huh?" Toshinri said. "No, I still haven't found anything on the poor kid..."

"A shame," Gran Torino huffed. "A real damn shame."

Toshinori nodded in agreement. That memory of what transpired shortly after he bashed that monster's skull in would continue haunting him for the rest of his life. All For One was an evil bastard, yes, and he deserved what happened to him, but…

No child should be shaking their father's unmoving body, begging them to wake up.

Not even that poor, green-haired child from all those years ago…

Author's Note: Things have just gotten more interesting, haven't they?

As everyone is now heading back to classes for the semester, I would like everyone to know that weekly publications will still be happening, so no need to worry! Now that this is out of the way, let's see what everyone's been commenting on in the last chapter…

Norisu Ninja: Correct on that prediction, Class 1-A now knows everything… mostly! And don't worry, you're gonna see more of Midoriya without even knowing it!

Knightmare Lord: That's a surprise twist for later!

DragonWhite04: Alright, enjoy your short-term victory.

EmilMobile: Don't worry, I'm sure Shoto is gonna be too busy with the reveal that Touya is alive to even focus on his older sister. And I think I kinda knew about Geten and Touya being the Ice Climbers in my subconscious, but it never came into my active mind until you brought it up. Hope you enjoy this chapter and all the future ones!

VinHD15: Gadl you agree, I'm gonna now add this joke into a future chapter.

Hoshi_Rosethorn: Welp, now you know how Uraraka's two closest friends reacted. Shinso is somewhat bitter, I guess, but Yui is as stone-cold as ever. And you were also right about Eraserhead and Ms. Joke now being more protective of Eri! Anyways, I hope you look forward to what happens next, because it's gonna be a doozy!

That's all the comments for this chapter, now for the closing remarks…

If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is  /3PFYSt8Dqz . You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

That's all for today, thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 12: Counting Down From Two Weeks

The engine-legged kid runned, while shouting, "KODAI! JIRO!"

"Huh? Wasn't he one of the injured?" the purple-haired girl asked.

Too late, though.

WHAM!

A quick jet towards Ingenium's younger brother was enough to send him to the ground, altering everyone else. Oh, that, and him shouting, "It's a Villain!"

Well, it was time for Sorahiko to make his appearance.

"What is he doing here?!" the black-haired girl asked.

"Whas he hiding?" the other whippersnapper wondered.

"It can't be! Impossible!"

Impossible? Sorahiko wanted to laugh at that. Less than a week ago, the literal Symbol of Evil crashed their school outing and no one died. At this point, nothing was impossible.

"Todoroki! The strongest in our class…"

This kid is the strongest in your class? Sorahiko looked down at the "unconscious" boy he was dragging behind him. Looks like he was right to choose Endeavor's kid as an accomplice.

Soon enough, the rest of the Class 1-A brats circled around Sorahiko. Though the old man had to admit, Toshinori sure did a number to the place during his fight with that Nomu bastard. Their entire arena was now a flat surface, with only destroyed buildings surrounding them.

"It can't be!"

"Are you kidding me?!"

"For real?!"

Jesus Christ, if those kids spent half the time they did talking training, or doing literally anything else Hero-related, they'd be goddamn Pros already! Sorahiko thought to himself.

At least the tailed one was somewhat proactive, as he alerted Aizawa and Thirteen to the fact that there was a "Villain" at the USJ. Course, that didn't do them any good.

"All right!" the gray-haired man shouted, grabbing the rest of the brats' attention. "No –

BOOM!

Sorahiko managed to dodge out of the way of that explosion at the last second, but the fact that one of the kids nearly managed to get a hit on him was somewhat impressive. Oh, it was that mean-looking blondie covered in black and orange… Bakugou, or something like that.

"You've got guts, kid!" Sorahoki shouted, giving him a wild smile.

The blond didn't respond, as he just went back in for the kill. Guess the little shit's smart enough to know that Heroes can't let fights drag on… but let's see how fast he is.

The explosive brat and Gran Torino proceeded to do an elegant dance of explosions of jetstreams, where one of them was trying to hit and or dodge the other. Sure, Katsuki Bakugou had raw power and battle prowess, but Sorahiko Torinio had speed and experience.

Plus, there was also the fact that the old man was sandbagging for these kids, but whatever.

Eventually, the explosion brat managed to land one on the old man's back, but then proceeded to back away and say something to the Iida kid… Gran Troino couldn't exactly hear what it was, but it was definitely something about "worrying about others and "weaklings."

"Hey, Bakubro," some shirtless redhead called out. "Who're you calling wealkings?"

"We're the twenty students of Class 1-A," a pony-tailed girl said.

Even Toshinori's successor joined in. "We'll all be Heroes one day!"

Wait a fucking minute… is this class having a moment?!

Sorahiko couldn't help but laugh at that. "Hehehe… how precious."

The old man decided to educate these brats on the fact that the world, and especially Villains, didn't wait for them to do their whole "power of friendship" speeches, and decided to launch himself towards the kids and deliver that message to them via his boot.

"I'll take care of it!"

ZAAAP!!!

Good God, that almost fried me! Sorahiko cursed. All right, so the Frenchie was out, maybe someone more close quarter-based… redhead? No, that kid's hardened himself.

Sorahiko decided to go for the big guy in the banana suit, but the purple-haired punk blasted him with her soundwaves. Getting back on his feet from that, he was now busy dodging tape from one of these brats, and… IS THAT A GODDAMN CANNON?!

Oh, thank goodness, it just fired a net. Sorahiko quickly dodged it, but he was starting to understand now. These weren't the same snot-nosed brats that got their asses handed to them during their first trip to the USJ. These little monsters were now prepared.

"NOW!" the cannon-making lady shouted.

""""LET'S GO, CLASS 1-A!!!""""

Oh, great, now four of them were rushing him, including Yagi's successor.

Jumping to the air, Gran Torino went and knocked a few of them out, but deep down, he was somewhat impressed. "I didn't think you'd all come to attack me… It's –"

Wait a minute… where's the explosive – SHIT!!!

BOOOOOM!!!

If Gran Torino was a second slower, he would have needed hearing aids for the rest of his life. Dodgng to the right, he tried to kick Bakugou off of him, but the blond did some sort of fancy acrobatics with his explosions, getting out of Sorahiko's kicking range.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

And now that brat was trying to do some sort of… fancy ninjutsu? Sure, a kick to the head propelled by his Quirk was an interesting concept, but why do that? It didn't matter, as soon enough, he stopped, and began panting. "It seems that you're tired. Shall we end this?"

"Yeah, let's." The explosive teen smiled, and then charged at him.

Okay, now it was suspicious. A single point-blank explosion to his face? Really? All he needed to do was use his jets to back away from it, why the hell would he do that –?

BOOM!

Turning around, Gran Torino saw another explosion, but not one caused by Bakugou. The dirt behind him was upheaved, like a massive force just detonated from it. And sure enough, something did, as Sorahiko saw a pink comet launching itself towards him!

TOSHINORI'S SUCCESSOR?!

Before he even knew it, the brown-haired girl grabbed Todoroki from underneath Sorahiko, and continued to rocket her way to safety, the lightning created by One For All blazing behind her. She launched herself while Bakugou attacked! Did they coordinate this?!

Sorahiko ignored the cheers of the other brats, as the gravity girl put down Todoroki, and then proceeded to use her original Quirk on some stray rocks. They proceeded to float around her, but then she pointed them towards him, and… "Heavy Gravity… METEOR SHOWER!!!"

Uh-oh.

The rocks instantly launched themselves towards Sorahiko, and now he was pretty much forced to dodge an improvised bullet hell. Not a problem, he could work with this. Using his Quirk to rapidly dodge the rocks, things were going well. "Ha! Is this the best you can do?!"

"DIIIE!!!"

Godammit, spoke too soon.

The very second the improvised meteor shower ended, that Bakugou brat showed up behind the last of the rocks and proceeded to launch one hell of an explosion. The only thing that Sorahiko could think as he was launched into the air was that this couldn't have been planned.

What is it with those two, are they psychically linked?!

SLAM!

"Ugh…" Sorahiko groaned, as he felt his tongue taste concrete.

"Need a hand, old timer?"

"Huh?" the old man looked up, to see a purple-haired boy in a mask, and –

"Do not move."

For some reason, Sorahiko could feel his mind fall into a haze. Did the kid have some sort of mind controlling Quirk? Whatever it was, the old man knew one thing for sure:

Sorahiko Torino was successfully caught by a group of whippersnappers.

""""GRAN TORINO?!""""

"That's right," Yagi said. "This is Gran Torino, my homeroom teacher when I was attending UA. We decided to call him over and pretend to be a Villain to surprise you kids. I wanted to make sure that you would be prepared for… um… why are you all staring at me like that?"

"Uncool, Yagi-sensei." Yui-chan glared at him. "Super uncool."

"You won't overboard with the old man, ya moron!" Sero shouted.

"IcyHot!" Bakugou shouted. "Were you an accomplice in this shit?!"

The half-and-half boy looked down and whispered, "Sorry."

"Don't ever do it again!" Ashido shouted.

"Don't worry, kids. The next time you see Gran Torino, it'll be in class, as the rat has decided to pull him out of retirement," Aizawa-sensei said. "Anyway, that concludes today's training. All your remaining Hero classes until the Sports Festival are open for training. Don't waste them. Get back to class, put away your costumes, and we'll see you all tomorrow."

Ochako breathed a sigh of relief as the day was finally over. Now she could –

"Hold up a second there, whippersnapper."

The brown-haired girl looked back to see Gran Torino wanted to still talk to her. "So, you're the girl Toshinori chose as One For All's newest wielder. Cut my work cut out for me…"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I'm saying that you need to master One For All! I saw the files, too much power and your bones shatter. But you also have the problem of not using the damn Quirk until the last second, like you did today. And with All For One back, you're gonna need all the help you can get!"

"So… you're saying that you'll train me?"

"You bet I am! Every day of the week until the Sports Festival, I'll be beating every lesson into you, until using One For All comes to you as naturally as breathing!" the crotchety old man shouted, waving his cane around. "So, you think you're up to the challenge?"

Ochako stared back at the old man with determination. "Bring it on."

Little did Ochako know what world of pain she just entered herself into.

Yui stepped off the metro as the doors closed behind her.

It had been a few days since All Might gave Class 1-A the full story about his shared Quirk with Occhan, and while there wasn't as much fanfare as expected, things still had to be done. Especially now that Gran Torino had joined the UA Faculty after his rampage at the USJ.

Mainly, the Sports Festival.

The event was a week and a half from now, and Aizawa-sensei had given the class time to train their bodies and Quirks, but Yui wasn't worried. Her training over the summer may have been hell, but it was worth it. She'd do as well as she was required to.

So for now, she spent her free time heading west via the bullet train, even farther than Osaka. She didn't worry about how long she was out, she'd be home soon enough.

But for now, she kept walking towards her destination: Shiketsu High.

On the surface, a UA student like her shouldn't want anything to do with them, but she knew better. They were on par with her school, both in terms of students, and in powerful Quirks.

Reaching her destination, she looked up to see the building. Overall, meh.

"Yui-chan!"

Turning around, the black-haired girl found who she was looking for. Blonde hair, blue eyes behind her glasses, and wearing the Shiketsu uniform, hat and everything.

"Melissa-chan."

"It's good to see you again," the American girl said, smiling. "Don't worry, I'm free at the moment, so we can head over to a nearby park bench and chat things out."

Yui nodded, as the two of them walked over and sat down at said bench.

"How is Shiketsu treating you?" Yui asked.

"Same as it has been for the last two years," Melissa answered honestly. "I have to admit, getting out of I-Island was a good call, especially for what's to come."

Yui silently nodded in agreement on that part.

"Anything else of note?"

"One of the first-years is extremely powerful," Melissa said, earning Yui's attention. "Inasa Yoarashi. His Quirk allows him to manipulate the air itself, and he was good enough with it to earn him a recommendation spot to UA, but he turned it down, apparently."

"I might have a few ideas as to why," the black-haired girl said.

"Is that so…? Well, anyways, he's a very loud and energetic person, and while he may have talent, his social skills could use some work. He's so loud, it's almost obnoxious."

"Understood. And the others?"

"The three second-years from before are still my best recommendations," Melissa said. "But enough about me, how are things going over on your side of the country?"

"Everything has gone according to plan," Yui said. "Nejire-chan says hi, by the way. The Sports Festival will occur in less than two weeks, so you better get ready. I heard Aizawa-sensei say that they'll amp up security, which means there's a good chance that it will be Heroes."

"Heroes that they'll need to call in from elsewhere…"

Yui nodded, as Melissa understood what she meant. "Exactly."

"Well then…" Melissa stood up. "I guess I better head back inside. The Support Department will be wondering where their star student is, and I still have repairs to make."

"Mm," Yui hummed, getting up. "I'll leave you to it."

Hitoshi finally found the door he was looking for, and opened it.

"Yo, Aizawa-sensei, I'm here for my extra training –"

During his first after-school meet-up with his teacher, he expected a lot of things when opening that door: A normal greeting, a surprise attack, some sort of observation lesson…

"Ah, Shinso, come in."

…but not his teacher playing "tea party" with his daughter. In a dress.

"Umm… did I come in at a bad time?" Hitoshi asked.

"No," Aizawa-sensei said, as he "refilled" his daughter's cup. "It's just that Emi has a bit more work to do before she can take Eri home, so I have to keep her busy."

"You! I know you!" Eri pointed at Hitoshi. "You're Papa's… um… love child!"

The purple-haired boy could audibly hear his teacher choking on imaginary tea. Despite that, he managed to retain a somewhat calm face. "Eri… where did you learn that?"

"Uncle Hizashi! He said that the two of you looked alike!" Eri answered, innocently.

"We share lifestyle choices, not genes!" Hitoshi interjected.

The purple-haired boy could hear his mentor cursing under his breath, and something about "murdering Mic," but nothing his easily-impressionable daughter could hear. "Alright, my wife should be here to get Eri soon, and then we'll be able to start with your extra training."

"Okaaay… so… what do I do while we wait?" Hitoshi asked.

"Grab yourself a seat, and pour yourself a cup," Aizawa-sensei answered with a grin.

For the next two weeks, everyone trained for the UA Sports Festival. Their teacher emphasized how important this was going to be, so they were all giving it their all.

Ochako mostly spent her time at UA, exercising her muscles so that they could take in more of One For All's power, while also avoiding Gran Torino's boots of death.

Iida also spent his early mornings at UA, running around the fields with his engines.

Asui, meanwhile, spent her time at the local swimming pool.

Shoji and Hagakure worked on muscle training at the gym, while Ojiro and Sero practiced with their Quirks in one of UA's mock cities, with Ashido and Aoyama going back to the USJ to also level up their powers. Actually, UA was a pretty good place to train.

Koda and Sato trained their animal speech and sweets intake, respectively.

Kirishima hardened himself further by jumping off buildings.

Kaminari let loose with his electricity in the middle of an empty field.

Tokoyami trained Dark Shadow to tolerate brighter lights.

Jiro, Yaoyorozu, Todoriki, they all also showed up at one point or another at UA to further train as well, whether it was Quirks, brainpower, or their muscles.

Interestingly enough, the only person who never showed up was Kodai.

But before everyone knew it, it was the morning of the Festival…

As Katsuki tied his shoes at the front door, his folks were saying their good-byes.

"Katsuki, please be careful, and don't get hurt," his old man asked.

"I won't…" the ash-blond teen groaned.

"We'll record the whole thing in HD!" the old hag added.

"Yeah, thanks," he said, as he got up and made his way to the front door.

"Katsuki…"

The red-eyed teen turned around to see Auntie Inko. She looked a lot healthier than she did a year ago. She was able to walk again now, and she had been eating enough that she now wasn't completely skin and bones. But her eyes… they still looked so tired…

"Do your best," she said, giving him a weak smile.

Katsuki nodded, saying, "Okay."

And with that, he was off.

Ochako wondered if her body stopped feeling sore just to let her mind torment her for a change.

For the last week and a half, she had felt so many imprints of Gran Torino's boots all over her body that she now understood why All Might flinched at the mention of the old man's name. Still, the last day she felt sore was yesterday… and now, her body felt more powerful. It might have been the fact that she jumped up to ten percent on One For All's power.

Gran Torino might have been a monster, but he did produce results.

Inside the waiting rooms, everyone in Class 1-A was… anxious, to say the least.

"Aww, man… I was totally hoping to wear my costume," Ashido wined.

"At least everyone will be in uniform," Ojiro said. "That'll keep things fair, right?"

"I wonder what they have in store for us…" Sato wondered.

"Whatever they've prepared, we must persevere," Tokoyami said.

"Right," Shoji agreed.

Iida slammed open the door and shouted, "EVERYONE! GET YOUR GAME FACES ON! WERE ENTERING THE ARENA SOON!" Everyone was calming themselves for the big moment now.

"Uraraka."

The brown-haired girl turned to look at Todoroki, who called her out.

"Hey… what's up?"

"From an objective standpoint, I'd say that we're somewhat equal in strength."

Ochako didn't like where this was going. "Yeah…?"

"However, even if we are equal at the moment, you've got All Might's Quirk, which will only make you grow faster. Know this, Uraraka: Today, I will beat you."

"What's the big deal?" Kirishima asked. "Why are ya picking a fight all of a sudden?"

"We're not here to be each other's friends," Todoroki hissed, before walking away. Ochako, meanwhile, decided that if she was gonna say anything, now was her chance.

"Wait a sec, Todoroki. I don't know what's going through your head, or why you think you need to tell me that. But it's true that all the other classes are coming for us, too. So all of us are gonna have to fight to stand out. And I'll be aiming for the top, too."

Todoroki remained silent for a moment, before nodding. "Fine."

Toshinori looked out over the cheering stadium, snapping out of his thoughts the second his old mentor whacked with his cane. "Stop frowning! This is supposed to be a Festival!"

"Sorry, it's just… I hope I'm not putting too much pressure on young Uraraka."

"Well, you can't do anything about it now!" Gran Torino huffed, as the other faculty members made their way to their seats. "All you can do now is cheer her on."

"Yeah, you're right…"

"Can you see good from here, Eri?"

"Mm-hm! I can!" the horned girl said, smiling at her mother.

Emi smiled at that. Even if Shouta couldn't be here with them physically due to his prior duties announcing the events alongside Yamada, this was her daughter's first Sports Festival. She would make sure that it was a fun one… while also keeping her safe.

After all, what Villain would be dumb enough to attack a stadium full of Heroes?

"Hey! Make some noise, all you rabid sports fans! Get those cameras prepped, media hordes! This year, we're bringing you some of the hottest performances in Sports Festival history, guaranteed! I've only got one question before we start: ARE YOU READY?!"

Even while still in the tunnel, Ochako could hear Present Mic's voice loud and clear.

"Let me hear you scream as our students make their way to the base stage!"

"This first class are no strangers to the spotlight, you know them for withstanding the Villain attack, the dazzling students lining-up your TVs with solid-gold skills! THE HERO COURSE STUDENTS OF CLASS 1-A! They haven't been getting nearly as much screen-time, but this next group is chock-full of talent! WELCOME HERO COURSE OF CLASS 1-B!"

Ochako took a quick glance towards their sister class, who looked somewhat annoyed that the cheering from the crowd was significantly less than for 1-A. She could understand that feeling, but she also knew that she herself was getting a bit of stage fright.

"Next up, General Classes C, D, and E! Support Classes F, G, and H! And finally, Business Classes I, J, and K! GIVE IT UP FOR ALL OF UA'S FIRST YEAR CONTESTANTS!"

With all of the students assembled, the chief umpire for the year, Midnight, shouted, "NOW, THE INTRODUCTORY SPEECH! For the student pledge, we have… KATSUKI BAKUGOU!!!"

"He's the first-year rep?" Shinso asked.

"I guess…" Sero answered back.

Ochako was somewhat surprised by that as well. She really wasn't sure what to make of Bakugou's attitude, much less him giving a speech. Sometimes, he was quiet, but other times, he was just plain rude. Hopefully, he wouldn't say anything nasty in front of all these cameras.

Bakugou made his way to the stage, leaned into the mic, and spoke.

"I want you all to picture a world where All Might is gone."

Immediately, the entire stadium was silenced.

"If he retired, died of old age, or was killed fighting a Villain, doesn't matter. I want you to picture a world where he's no longer the Symbol of Peace. I know that some of you can't imagine a world without him, but I can. And what do I see? I see rampaging Villains with no one able to stop them, I see disasters waiting to happen, and I see Heroes who can't save anyone."

"Sounds pretty scary, right? Well, we're not gonna let that happen."

"Someone within the Hero Course has what it takes to pick up the mantle that All Might will leave behind. We in Class 1-A managed to survive an attack against the League of Villains, and I know for a fact that if Class 1-B was there, they would have done even better than us. We are the Heroes of tomorrow, and we'll need to pick up the slack when All Might is gone."

"But we don't have to do it alone. The Support Course will be there to make sure we can be the best Heroes we can be, and the Business Course will be there to make sure we actually keep our agencies afloat. And the General Course are our future doctors, politicians, teachers, and so much more, who are needed for a functional society way more than just Heroes."

"Each and every single student here is needed to make sure that, when All Might is gone, his message will remain, and that his Era of Peace will continue to prosper. So, as a UA Hero Course student, I pledge to do my very best in this Sports Festival, and I expect the rest of you to do the same. Thank you for listening to me, and now… Go Beyond, Plus Ultra."

As Bakugou walked down the stage, the crowd cheered. Ochako herself was impressed with what he said. "That was… actually a pretty good speech, Bakugou-kun…"

"Whatever," he grumbled to himself.

"Without further ado, it's time for us to get started!" Midnight announced. "This is where you begin to feel the pain, the first fateful game of the Festival! What could it be?"

The screen behind her kept sliding around like it was a display case at a casino, until it eventually stopped at an image of the words "OBSTACLE COURSE."

"All eleven classes will participate in this treacherous contest! The track is four kilometers outside the stadium! I don't want to restrain anyone, at least in this game, so! As long as you don't leave the course, you're free to do whatever your heart desires!"

"NOW THEN, TAKE YOUR PLACES, CONTESTANTS!"

Ochako gritted her teeth. It was time to tell the world that she was here.

Tokyo. The capital of Japan. It also happened to be the home to Might Tower, All Might's very own Hero Agency, and also home to the main building of the Hero Public Safety Commission.

The two of them just so happened to be on opposite sides of Minato City, Tokyo.

Officially, that was simply deemed a coincidence. However, the truth was more… sour. Basically, the HPSC didn't like the idea of someone so powerful not being under their thumb, so when the organization was established, they set up shop right across Might Tower.

In fact, it was rumored that if someone had super eyesight and went to the window of one of the two buildings, they would be able to see the other in a straight line ahead of them.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that All Might was busy attending the Sports Festival this fine day meant that no Top Hero would be around to keep an eye on the Commission building. Which meant no one saw the dark portal opened up on one of the nearby rooftops.

The dark portal, which out of it, came none other than Tomura Shigaraki and Carmilla.

"All right," Shigaraki said. "The target should be here… now."

Looking down, the two Villains saw a fat man with a balding hairline walking down the street beneath them. One of the higher-ranking HPSC goons. In fact, the third-highest one. And right around their neck was a security card, doubling as both an ID and clearance.

"Welp, you know what to do, Carmilla," the hand-wearing Villain said. "Play dress up, enter the building, grab the MacGuffin, take out the trash, and get out, without getting caught."

"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill. Wish me luck, Tomura!" With that said, she then leapt down to the streets, making sure no one spotted her, and got to work.

Meanwhile, Tomura turned back to the black portal. "Kurogiri, bring in the others."

Author's Note: The Sports Festival has finally arrived! I hope it's interesting for all of you, because it took me a good long time to finish writing it. But now it's time…

Only one comment? Seriously? Fine, I've still got a job to do.

Knightmare Lord: Originally, I was planning on having the reveal of Izuku being the new All For One to happen in Kamino, but I decided to do it earlier. Hope ya still like it.

Anyways, that's sadly all for this week. Hope it's better next time…

If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is  /3PFYSt8Dqz . You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

That's all for today, thanks for reading, and we'll see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 13: The Race and the First Phase

The lights flashed green in front of the massive doors.

As several other students, Ochako included, waitred for the sign to start, the brown-haired girl weighed her options. Sure, she might have gotten stronger thanks to Gran Torino, but she still had to do better. Otherwise, All For One would beat her again.

I have to Go Beyond…

And as the final green light faded –

"BEGIN!!!" Midnight shouted.

–everyone ran for the door.

"And we're off to a racing start! How about some color commentary, Eraserhead?"

"How did you talk me into this?"

"What should we be paying attention to in the early stages of the race?"

"The doorway," the Underground Hero deadpanned.

Sure enough, Aizawa-sensei was right. Everyone was packed into the small corridor like sardines in a can, all of them bumping into one another. Ochako figured that this was the first test and immediately used her own Quirk to begin floating above everyone else.

BOOM!

And right on time, apparently, since Todoroki decided to freeze everyone ahead of him, making him the first (and so far, the only) contestant to make it past the doorway.

"Apologies," he said, as he ran past everyone else.

I honestly can't tell if he was being sarcastic or not, Ochako thought.

But she didn't have time to think about that. Using One For All, she boosted her own speed, and launched herself out of the doorway. Soon enough, she also saw Aoyama blasting himself out, Bakugou using his explosions, Yaoyorozu pole-vaulting, and…

"AAAHHHHH!!! HERE I COME!"

…Kirishima jumping? She decided not to question that one.

She even saw Ojiro using his tail like some kind of kangaroo, and Tokoyami using Dark Shadow's claws to leap from place to place. Meanwhile, Ashido was… slipping?

Didn't she have holes in her shoes to use her acid?

"I am so sorry!"

Taking a quick glance behind her, Ochako saw Akatani running up beside Ashido, saying, "That's my Quirk! Sorry! Yours will come back once I'm out of range!"

A deactivation-type Quirk? Like Aizawa-sensei's?

"Get out of range NOW!" the pink girl shouted.

"Right! Sorry!" Akatani said, as he ran past her.

As Shoto watched Shinso be carried around by a group of people he managed to brainwash, the white-and-red boy had to admit, he was somewhat impressed.

"I didn't expect so many people to dodge that first attack I did," he muttered to himself. "Especially those from other classes… Wait, is that the Business Course guy?"

Before Shoto could grab a second glance, something from behind was approaching even faster. A small kid with purple balls for hair, was detaching them and placing them all over the ice. Not only that, but it seemed like he could use them as bounce pads to hop around.

Clever. Very clever.

"YOU THINK YOU'RE SO COOL, BUT I'VE OUTSMARTED YOU! HA, HOW PATHETIC, CLASS A SCUM!" the short guy shouted. "EAT THIS! MY SPECIAL ATTACK! GRAPE –"

BAM!

Before the Class B kid could even finish shouting out his special attack, something swiped him out of the sky, launching him straight into the ground. Shoto looked up to see…

"Oooh! Enemies have shown up out of nowhere! I bet we're in for a treat here!" Present Mic's voice could be heard. "A test of strength and cunning… IT'S THE ROBO INFERNO!!!"

"Are those the Zero Point Villains from the practical test?!" Kaminari shouted.

"Where does the school even get the funding for these things?" Yaoyorozu wondered.

That's actually a good question, Shoto thought to himself. But now wasn't the time to think about that, especially given how one of the giant robot's arms was heading straight for him… uh-oh…

FWOOSH!

With a quick wave from his arms, he managed to summon enough ice to freeze the giant bastard. Once again, too easy. Did he even need his old man's fire for any of this?

"Dude, he stopped the robots!"

"Between their legs! We can get through!"

"Careful now," Shoto called out to the others, as he kept running. "I froze them while they were off their balance… on purpose." Okay, so he was in a pissy mood, sue him.

BOOOOOM!!!

"That's Todoroki from Class 1-A pulling into an early lead with a devastating display! AMAZING! HE'S ONE WE SHOULD WATCH! IT ALMOST SEEMS UNFAIR!!! Thoughts?"

"His attack was both offensive and defensive," Eraserhead added.

"NO WONDER HE WAS LET IN ON RECOMMENDATIONS! HE NEVER EVEN FOUGHT THOSE ROBOTS BEFORE, BUT THEY DIDN'T STAND A CHANCE AGAINST HIS MOVES!"

Meanwhile, back where Todoroki had frozen the Zero Pointer…

BOOM!

"I'M ALIIIIIVE!!!" Eijiro shouted, as he busted through the robot.

"KIRISHIMA OF CLASS 1-A! WHAT A HARDCORE DEBUT FOR A ROOKIE!"

"Todoroki, I can't believe you'd pull something like that… geez, anyone else but me would have been killed… huh? My Quirk's fading out? But I didn't turn it off…"

"Sorry, that's my bad!"

"Huh? Oh, Mikumbro! I'd recognize that messy black hair anywhere!" Eijiro said,

BOOM!

""Huh?!""

"CLASS 1-A REALLY IS FULL OF JERKS!" a steel-covered kid shouted, as he busted his way through the robot's metal. "I'LL SMASH THAT ICE GUY ONCE I GET MY HANDS ON HIM!!!"

"WHOO! TETSUTETSU FROM CLASS 1-B WAS ALSO STUCK UNDERNEATH!"

"You know anyone other than me would have been killed… Hey, my Quirk!"

"SORRY!" Mikumo shouted, as he ran away. "They'll be back when I'm out of range!"

While the Business Course student ran away from the two of them, Eijiro sighed, "Our Quirks are basically the same! How am I supposed to stand out now?!"

"You're the damn copycat!" Tetsutstsu shouted back.

Katsuki ignored all of the extras' bellyaching as he launched himself up towards the Zero Pointer. He couldn't let Todoroki or anyone else beat him. He needed to get stronger.

"CLASS 1-A'S BAKUGOU IS ROCKETING OVER THE OBSTACLES! CLEVER!"

"I figured you'd just try to blast your way through these things with your Quirk!" Sero said, as he used his tape to swing up to where Katsuki was. "I'm impressed!"

If that impresses you, you've seen nothing yet, Soy Sauce…

As Shouta watched Iida, Jiro and Kaminari take down various bots with their Quirks, he realized something. Class 1-A has learned not to hesitate.

Shouta remembered what his class was like a few weeks ago. Sure, they all had potential, but they were still teenagers. They didn't expect to fight Villains, so of course several of them would have lost to them. But despite that fact… They learned something from it.

They've seen what the real world is like. They felt the fear of facing Villains, yet they fight on, trying to overcome that fear. They've grown, all of them.

With that, Shouta Aizawa gained a soft smile.

And they know they have to act quickly if they want to stay alive…

As the Erasure Hero watched Yaoyorozu take down several Zero Pointers with a cannon, while Uraraka used One For All to dodge and weave them, he nodded in approval.

They may still be brats, but they're on their way to become great Heroes.

"You're better off dodging those big fellas most of the time, but if you gotta take 'em down, they're just slow dumb hunks of metal. They're pretty easy to hit," Snipe said, as the other teachers listened to him. "Long as you land a smart shot, that is."

Yagi, meanwhile, was more interested in what was on the screen.

As he watched young Uraraka, he remembered what he told her weeks ago, after he told her about One For All's true origins. Hindsight was twenty-twenty, but he was now hitting himself over telling the clearly stressed-out teenager to introduce herself to the world.

I've asked so much of you, young Uraraka…

"For those of you who thought the first obstacle was easy… LET'S SEE HOW YA FEEL ABOUT THE SECOND ONE!" Present Mic announced. "IF THEY SLIP, THEY'RE OUT! IF THEY WANNA PASS THIS TEST, THEY'LL HAVE TO GET CREATIVE! IT'S THE FALL!"

"When did they even have time to build something like this?" Ochako wondered.

"What are you doing?" Mina asked Tsu.

"RIBBIT!" The frog girl replied by jumping and landing on one of the ropes. "Easy-peasy!"

"Huh, she's fast," Mina deadpanned.

"Hehehe… yes, finally, this is my chance to show off what I can do… My support items are gonna steal the spotlight from these wannabe Heroes…" a pink-haired girl said, getting the others' attention. "EVERYONE! OBSERVE WHAT MY BRILLIANT GADGETS CAN DO!"

"Oh, you're from the Support Department!" Ochako realized.

"Hey, how come you got to bring all of that stuff?" Mina asked.

"Students in the Hero Course get all kinds of combat training for their Quirks. In order to keep things fair and give us a fighting chance, we're allowed to bring whatever costumes and gadgets we want into the game, so long as we developed them ourselves! SO SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE SHOW!" the pink-haired girl said, as she shot out a harpoon from her waist.

"For those of us in the Support Course, this is the perfect obstacle to show off our ingenious ideas and creations to any companies out there who might wanna recruit us!" she said, as she threw herself into the chasm. "HA-HA! I HOPE EMPLOYERS ARE WATCHING! MY SUPER CUTE BABIES ARE SURE TO MAKE A SPLASH! AHAHA!"

"Wow… talk about annoying," Mina said, as she watched the crazy gadget girl swing from pillar to pillar, like some sort of cross between a genderbent Iron Man and Spider-Man.

"Mmm… I won't lose!" Ochako said, as she fired off One For All once more.

"LOOKS LIKE TODOROKI IS STILL SKATING BY EASILY!"

Hilarious, Shoto thought to himself. Present Mic was annoying, but he was at least potentially helpful when it came to announcing whatever obstacles came next.

BOOM! BOOM!

Hm? Shoto glanced behind him to see that Bakugou was flying through the air like a rocket, and was right on his tail. He's finally catching up. Took him long enough. Wait… is that a sign?

Shoto stopped for a second to look at the massive billboard right next to him. The color was atrocious, but the skull and words "DANGER: MINES" were worth paying attention to.

"And now, we're finally approaching the last obstacle! Everyone had better tread carefully… YOU'RE STEPPING ONTO A MINEFIELD!" Present Mic's voice announced.

Sometimes, it pays to listen, Shoto thought to himself.

"If you look carefully, you can see where the bombs are buried, so keep your eyes on the ground, folks! By the way, those landmines were designed for the game, so they might be loud and flashy, but they're not all that powerful. JUST ENOUGH TO WET YOUR PANTS!!!"

"Get a hold of yourself," Eraserhead groaned.

Couldn't have said it better myself, Aizawa-sensei, Shoto thought to himself.

As Ochako raced past her competitors, with pink lightning following behind her, she thought about what Present Mic said. So, someone's made it to the final obstacle.

BOOM!

"AHHH!"

Snapping out of her thoughts, she looked up ahead to see some other student flying through the air in a puff of pink smoke, screaming for their life. Must have set off a landmine…

BOOM!

"AUGH!"

At least I'm getting close…

Very clever… those in the lead have an actual disadvantage here…

BOOM!

"WAHH!"

Guess it makes for good entertainment, too, Shoto thought to himself. He slowly walked his way through the field, ignoring the cries of everyone who was getting blasted around him, when –

BOOM! BOOM!

That doesn't sound like a landmine explosion.

Turning around, Shoto saw that Bakugou was flying towards him. Looking around again, he also saw Iida running through the field, with several members of Class 1-B also running.

They've all caught up to me, Shoto realized. He decided to first handle his biggest problem at the moment. Bakugou will pass me soon enough. He may come off as abrasive, but he's not the type of person to fight someone else without a reason. I have to give him one!

BOOM! BOOM!

As soon as the explosive blond flew next to Shoto, the peppermint-haired boy reached out with his left hand, and grabbed the blond's forearm, before freezing the two of them together.

"OI, WHAT THE HELL?!" Bakugou shouted.

"Sorry, but I can't let you take the lead!" Shoto said.

"WHAT'S THIS? BAKUGOU AND TODOROKI ARE BOTH STUCK TOGETHER?! CAN OUR TWO LEADERS FIGHT AND STAY AHEAD OF THE OTHERS AT THE SAME TIME?!"

Ochako made it to the front of the minefield, as she saw Bakugou and Todoroki having completed three-fourths of it already, while also being… stuck to each other?

She shook her head. That doesn't matter. What matters is that they're already that far ahead. How can I catch up? I don't have enough power to just jump across the field, even if I removed my own weight. Gah! If only I could do what I did back in the Entrance Exam…

BOOM!

"WHY?!"

As Ochako watched one of the other competitors get blasted through the air by the minefield, she suddenly gained an idea. Immediately, she began to dig into the dirt.

If I direct them correctly, I can use the landmines' explosions to launch me forward, and remove my own gravity to gain even more speed! Then, once I begin to slow down, I'll increase my gravity and drop faster, while also reinforcing my body to set off even more explosions! If I keep doing that, I should be able to jump across the field, like some kind of grasshopper on crack!

Eyeballing it, Ochako figured that she had dug up enough landmines. Piling them on one another, she went to the front, and kicked them from behind like a donkey.

BOOOOOM!!!

The next thing Ochako saw was a lot of pink, but as the smoke slowly receded, she saw that she was actually high above everyone else, with her Quirks working in tandem to not only keep her safe, but to also make her float even higher and faster.

"WHAT'S WITH THAT HUGE EXPLOSION IN THE BACK?! THAT LOOKS WAY MORE POWERFUL THAN IT SHOULD BE! WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! WHATEVER IT WAS, CLASS 1-A'S OCHAKO URARAKA IS SUDDENLY FLYING THROUGH THE AIR LIKE A ROCKET!!!"

Shoto stared dumbfounded as he watched Uraraka fly through the air like some sort of rocket. It didn't help that the pink lightning around her made him think of afterburners.

"AMAZING! OCHAKO URARKA HAS BLASTED HER WAY TO FIRST PLACE!!!"

BOOM!

Shoto got stunned for a second, as Bakugou had caused a small explosion to melt the ice keeping them together, before launching himself towards Uraraka.

The peppermint-haired boy knew that he had to hurry. Creating more ice on the ground, he made a break for it. Sure, the path would allow others to keep going without the risk of getting blown up, but he had to continue, he had to catch up to the other two.

"LOOK AT THAT PLOT TWIST! THOSE TWO AREN'T FIGHTING ANYMORE, THEY'RE CHASING URARAKA! THAT'S WHAT HAVING A COMMON ENEMY WILL DO IN THIS COMPETITION! THIS IS STILL FAR FROM OVER, THOUGH!"

As Ochako kept flying through the air, she smiled. My plan worked! I'm flying through the air! It's like I'm flying through the air to save Bakugou again, only this time, my legs aren't broken! Okay, I'm about to get too high, so I gotta land again! One For All… GRAVITY INCREASE!!!

Soon enough, the brown-haired girl began to fall back down to the earth, her body being completely reinforced by her power. Okay, I'm about to crash down into the ground. I gotta set off the mines again, but I can't be too heavy. Gotta decrease it… NOW!

BOOOOOM!!!

The second explosion wasn't anywhere near as powerful as the first one, but it was more than enough to get her going again. Lowering her gravity again, she rocketed through the air, fast enough to look like a rocket, but still low enough to the ground to…

There! The minefield is clear! RELEASE!

In an instant, she turned off her Zero Gravity, and was now running, backed with ten percent of One For All's power, she was zipping through the dirt road like some sort of land missile.

"URARAKA HAS PASSED HER CLASSMATES IN CLASS 1-A! ERASERHEAD, YOUR STUDENTS ARE AMAZING! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TEACHING THEM?!"

"This has nothing to do with me. Each of them is powered by their own drive to succeed."

"THERE YOU HAVE IT! ERASERHEAD IS A TERRIBLE TEACHER!"

"I'M WHAT?!" Eraserhead's angry voice was picked up by the hot mic.

"WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE RACE THAT THE CLIMAX WOULD BE A NON-STOP MEGAMIX OF SURPRISES?!" Present Mic shouted. "The first to make it back to the stadium and our first place winner is… OCHAKO URARAKA!!!"

Out of Kurogir's portal, Tenko saw the rest of his team arrive.

Stepping out of the gate were several now well-known Villains, while also being accompanied by not only Nomus, but also by two brand-new faces. "Well then, guess we're all here."

"Everyone who could make it, you mean," Dabi replied.

"Right, right," the blue-haired Villain said. "Hephaestus, give us a report."

One of the newest Villains pulled up a holographic screen. They were wearing large, mechanical armor, with the legs being colored blue and white, the midsection as green, the torso and elbows were yellow, the gloves red, and the joints, along with everything else, were black.

In Tenko's opinion, it somewhat resembled a bulkier version of Samus.

"Carmilla has successfully infiltrated the building, and has swiped an access card," the newcomer said, watching over a holographic screen. "Everyone get ready to be warped to your positions. Once the Heroes are occupied with the Nomus, we're good to go inside."

"And now we wait…" Geten sighed.

"Anywho…" Dabi turned her head around. "How does the costume feel, Waverider?"

The other new Villain answered with, "Fits like a glove." She was wearing a black costume with bright blue highlights on the sides, chest, gauntlets, and her fingertips. Not only that, but she was also wearing a hood and concealing her face with a motorcycle face mask.

"Glad to hear that," the black-haired woman said. "This is gonna be fun."

On that part, Tenko Shimura, better known as Tomura Shigaraki, agreed wholeheartedly.

This was gonna be one fun fucking bloodbath.

Ochako panted as the confetti kept falling around her. The triumphant music and the sounds of the cheering audience also didn't help her heart rate slow down one bit.

Still, though, she couldn't help but smile at the fact that she did it. She did exactly as All Might asked of her, she told the world that she was here. Well, for the first round, at least.

She still had two more to go.

"Uraraka, that was fucking insane!"

Ochako turned to see that Shinso was talking to her. "Oh, thanks."

"I can't believe that you launched yourself like some kind of goddamn rocket!"

"I know… there was so much that could have gone wrong…"

"The first game for the First Years is finally over, and what a game it was!" Midnight announced. "Only the top forty-two will advance to the next round, but don't be too let down if you didn't make the cut. We prepared other opportunities for you to shine. Now the real fun is about to begin. The chance to fully move yourselves into the limelight! Give it your best! Let's see what we have in store for you next! Will your wildest dreams come true?" As Midnight finished, the hologram behind her began spinning again, and then… the words appeared.

"Prepare yourselves… FOR THIS!"

"CAVALRY BATTLE."

"Cavalry battle?" Kaminari said. "I'm terrible at those."

"I wonder how they'll split us up," Asui said.

"Allow me to explain: The participants will form teams of two to four people, as they see fit. Each player has been assigned a point value based on the results from the obstacle course."

"I get it, a point-based system, like the Entrance Exams," Sato said.

"So that means, each team will have a different point value based on which students are on it," Ojiro realized. "That seems pretty simple, yeah?"

"Will you all please be quiet?!" Iida asked.

"Now then, the point assignments go up by increments of five, starting from the bottom. For example, the forty-second place is worth five points, and forty-first is worth ten. And the point value assigned for the first place contestant is… TEN MILLION!"

"Ten million…?" Ochako muttered, her eyes as wide as a fish.

"That's right," Midnight said, her smile somehow both smug and seductive. "It's survival of the fittest, with a chance for those at the bottom to overthrow the top!"

Ochako was now regretting several decisions she had made.

Himiko Toga felt sick as she walked through the halls of the HPSC.

And no, it wasn't because it was the Hero Public Safety Commission.

Her problem was with the blood she had to ingest to get in.

A long time ago, if she were to drink any blood, she would have been content. Human or animal, child or adult, it didn't matter to her. Blood was blood, and she couldn't get enough of it.

As it turned out, she only perceived it that way because the monsters she used to call her parents had starved her to the point that she'd take anything, regardless of quality.

But after being taken in by her super cool leader, she discovered that, once she had enough blood to function as a normal human being, she could actually taste some differences between them. It was the same logic as giving a starving person food: They would eat anything if it meant survival, while well-fed people would be able to tell the difference between good and bad food.

She didn't know if this Quirk-based taste was unique to her. She once asked if different Quirks had different tastes when stolen, and after that, the League hadn't heard from their mastermind for a week as he spent the next week or so researching the subject.

As it turned out, the answer was "kinda."

The same sort of answer could be applied to Himiko's Quirk. For the average person, their blood would taste the same to her: Coppery as blood should be, and yet somehow sweet.

But then there were certain people whose blood tasted differently. Geten's blood was cold, like a mint. Meanwhile, Kaina's blood had more of a plastic-like taste, but it wasn't necessarily bad. But Tenko's tasted like some sort of cross between Red Bull and Gatorade, which was yucky.

But compared to this HPSC goon's blood she had to drink in order to sneak into the building, Tenko's might as well have been a cold drink in the middle of a goddamn desert.

This goon's blood tasted like how the fat bastard looked. Greasy, full of saturated fat, and overall, probably not good for your health. But, he was at the right place at the right time, and the mission required her to get into the building disguised, so it was what it was.

Walking through the hallway, Himiko went through the plan again: Go into the control room, find the access key, kill any witnesses, and then give everyone the signal.

Oh, and while she was at it, kill the President of the HPSC, too.

Simple enough.

Feeling the knives in her pocket, she smiled.

This was gonna be fun.

Author's Note: Is it just me, or is Akatani kinda suspect? Wait, who am I kidding, I've obviously foreshadowed him, of course he's gonna be a little suspect!

While everyone is distracted with the Sports Festival, the League of Villains is bust enacting their plans. From infiltrating one Hero organization to another (if either one could technically qualify). Anyways, now it's time for the comments.

Knightmare Lord: The HPSC is gonna have several bad days from now on…

Cherry314: I do hope that you enjoy my version of the Sports Festival, it took me a while to write! And yeah, Gran Torino is now gonna be making all of these kids' lives even worse. And Inko… yeah… that plot point is gonna show up again.

EmilMobile: I guess the beginning would feel a bit disjointed to someone who never watched the OVAs, but I'm glad you at least enjoyed the Aizawa tea party. And yeah, just like Vin explained, I cross-post on . Also, I never considered running up the word count, but that's probably because I've never written that much, like, ever.

VinHD15: Thanks for giving him the explanation for me, dude.

Gweyir: Thanks for the support! And to answer your questions, one, Mikumo Akatani is gonna play an interesting role in the Sports Festival (as shown by this chapter), Yui being Megethos is pretty much a given, and Fuyumi being Dabi is also a given. Melissa or Mei being Hepheastus? I'll give you a hint, it's definitely one of them. Also, glads you lok this idea so much of Nejire being a Villain. Speaking of which, do you know any Villain Nejire stories? If so, please give me the links! And yeah, it's pretty obvious from the context clues that the Shie Hassaikai (but Overhaul is not dead, unfortunately) has been split and the Meta Liberation Army is gone. Lovely Ted Talk, see you next time!

If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is  /3PFYSt8Dqz . You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

That's all for today, thanks for reading, and we'll see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 14: Mini-Eraserhead and Pineapple on Pizza

"Hey, Uraraka!" Hitoshi called out to his friend. "Let's team up!"

"Are you sure? Everyone will be after me and my ten million points!"

"Yeah, but you've got… you-know-what…" Hitoshi whispered, national secrets and all that. "And besides, I still wanted a way to thank you for… helping me get into the Hero Course."

"Shinso-kun, all that effort was yours and yours alone –"

"Bullshit, if you didn't tell me to actually put in the work, I'd probably be in the General Course, spiteful of all Class 1-A… like that guy from 1-B, but even less of a Hero," Hitoshi said. "And besides, whether it be your Quirk or your points, there will always be a target on your back."

"Uhh… where were you going with this again?" Uraraka asked.

"I mean that having friends to rely on is not a bad thing and… I wanna be relied on."

He couldn't exactly tell if Uraraka was blushing or not due to the fact her face always looked flushed, but that determined smile she gave him said it all. "You're right, Shinso. Whether it be this game or the real world, having friends is a smart move! Welcome aboard!"

The purple-haired boy smiled. "Great. So… who else are we adding?"

"Hey, you should team up with us!"

"Yeah, you'd want us by your side."

"Please… um… Mr. Bakugou?"

Katsuki was trying to wrap his head around why three different girls, strangers, were currently surrounding him. "Wait, what are your Quirks? And more importantly, your names?"

"Oh, right!" the green-haired girl laughed. "My name's Setsuna Tokage! My Quirk is Lizard Tail Splitter! I can split my body up into little pieces and control each part telekinetically! Not only that, but each part that has some kind of organ can also use said organ."

"Reiko Yanagi," the gray-haired girl said. "My Quirk is Poltergeist. I can telekinetically move objects all around me, provided that they don't go over my weight limit."

"And I'm Pony Tsunotori!" the horned girl said. "My Quirk is Horn Cannon! I can shoot my horns out, and even control four of them at a time, plus, they regenerate insanity on top of my head!"

"Uh-huh… and why do you wanna work with me, exactly?" Katuski asked.

"Well, Monoma actually wanted all of us to screw over everyone in Class A with some master plan of his, but we figured that was a dick move, so we figured this was a good "fuck you" to him," Tokage said. "Plus, with your Quirk, we could actually win."

Katuski thought about it for a second. Looking around, he saw that pretty much everyone else was already on a team, so he said, "Sure, why not? I've got some ideas on how to win…"

"Hey, Yui-chan!" Ochako called out to her best friend. "Team up with us!"

The black-haired girl looked at them with curiosity. "Mm?"

"Yeah, the two of us can be horses, with me in the front, since I have the best offensive capabilities. Meanwhile, Shinso's the rider, since he's the lightest of the three –"

"I'm gonna stop you right there. I'm not joining you guys."

"Wait, you're not?" Shinso looked dumbfounded. "Who are you joining?"

"My boyfriend."

""YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND?!""

"Mm-hm," Yui-chan nodded. "It's him."

Ochako and Shinso turned to see where Yui-chan was pointing, and found…

"Hi there! It's good to see you again!"

…Mikumo Akatani.

Shinso sputtered. "Hold up, the kid that visited us from the Business Course?"

"Yes," Yui answered, her expression as blank as ever. "He's my boyfriend."

"How… How long have you two been dating…?" Ochako slowly asked.

The red-eyed boy blushed a bit, before saying, "Around two years now."

"TWO YEARS?! Yui-chan, why didn't you ever tell me?!" Ocahko asked.

"We hadn't really talked since before we started training together, so there was no point in telling you," the blue-eyed girl said. "And besides, I have a life outside of you, Occhan. Not everything I do revolves around you and your everyday Hero-related shenanigans."

Ochako could hear Shinso whisper, "Oof, that's rough."

"Anyways, the two of us have a strategy to devise, so good-bye," she said.

"Wait, it's only the two of you?" Ochako asked. "Who's the rider?"

Yui-chan pointed to Akatani. "He is. He's lighter than me."

"Don't say it like that!" Akatani shouted, embarrassed. "It makes it sound like I'm a twig!"

Yui simply responded by lifting Akatani, and fireman carrying him away.

"THIS ISN'T HELPING MY CASE!!!" Akatani shouted, as he was carried off.

"Yeah, Kodai's totally the pants in their relationship," Shinso deadpanned.

Meanwhile, aside from reeling from the fact that Ochako's best friend had a boyfriend (that she never told Ochako about), she needed to come up with a new plan. But everyone else was already in teams, who would be desperate enough to join her and Shinso –?

"Hehehe… oh, perfect, you're still alone! And you're the star…"

"Huh?" Both Ochako and Shinso turned around to see –

"TEAM UP WITH ME, PERSON IN FIRST PLACE!"

"JESUS CHRIST!" Shinso shouted, clearly startled. "Who the fuck are you?!"

"I'm a student in the Support Course," the pink-haired girl said. "Name's Mei Hatsume!"

"Oh, you're that weirdo from the last round!" Ochako realized.

"Yep, and I'd like to use your current fame to my personal advantage!" Getting up close and personal, Hatsume continued, "If I team up with you, then I'll be in the spotlight, part of the team that everyone is keeping their eyes on! That means my super-cute babies will inevitably be seen by the big company CEOs who are tuning in to the Sports Festival! And following that line of reasoning, this is the best way for me and my marvelous gadgets to get recruited!"

"Whoa, slow down a minute…" Shinso said, but was completely ignored.

"The Support Course specializes in equipment that helps Heroes deal with their Quirks and enhances their skills! I packed a ton of babies to bring with me, so I'm sure you'll find something you like floating around my arsenal!" she continued, pulling out a massive chest.

Opening it up, both Ochako and Shinso looked at the massive amounts of support items in there, ranging from a jetpack to some sort of cables, to…

"Wait… is that a fucking gun?" Shinso asked.

"No, this is a Projectile Launching Multifunctional Support Item," Hatsume said.

Ochako was pretty sure that she was looking at a gun.

"Almost everyone in the audience is foaming at the mouth for Class 1-A. Why is that? They're so full of themselves, just like Tetsutetsu said earlier. Why are they stars? The only difference between us and them is that they fought a couple of Villains. Just because we're Class 1-B doesn't mean we're second-rate or can't win this whole thing. So let's step it up and show those jerks what we can do," Monoma spoke to his classmates. "Are you with me?"

While most of her teammates, especially the boys, agreed with the blond, Itsuka merely shook her head in disapproval. That sort of thinking was twisted. Sure, the part about 1-B being as capable as 1-A had some merit to it, but the rest of it was simply wrong.

Sure, 1-A fought some Villains, but they didn't have a choice in the matter. And sure, the media may have given them attention, but that didn't mean they were full of themselves. After all, Tetsutetsu only got a base impression of one person, that Bakugou guy.

And now, Tokage, Yanagi, and Tsunotori are working with him!

So, clearly, there was more than meets the eye with those Class 1-A kids, and Itsuka was gonna prove that they weren't the egomaniacs that Monoma was making them out to be.

Looking around, she tried to see if there was any spot left available. Most of the other Class A guys stuck with each other, one of them paired up with that Akatani kid, and then… bingo. Two Class A students, teaming up with that pink-haired chick from the Support Course.

Placing her hand on the brown-haired girl's shoulder, she asked, "May I join you?"

"Hey, hey! Look alive!" Hizashi said, as he woke Shouta up from his nap.

"Hm?" Shouta opened his eyes, disappointed that he was once again awake. Hopefully, Emi and Eri were having a better time during the Sports Festival than he was.

Kneeling into the mic, Hizashi began to announce. "After fifteen minutes to pick teams and talk strategy, twelve cavalry teams are prepared to go head-to-head!"

"I see some unexpected student combinations…" Shouta mumbled.

"COME ON! EVERYONE, GET YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR! IT'S TIME FOR AN ARENA-PUMPING UA BATTLE ROYALE! LET ME HEAR YOU SCREEEAM!!!"

"You're gonna scream if you don't tune it down," Shouta thought to himself.

"I chose the three of you because you're the best options I had with the limited time I was offered," Shoto said. He really wanted Yaoyorozu and Kaminari, but those two were already snatched by Jiro and Hagakure earlier on, so he had to make do.

Specifically, he ended up with Asui, Iida, and Shoji.

He could work with this.

"Asui is our left wing, she can use her Quirk to keep enemies at bay, and provide mobility. Iida, you'll take the right wing, you'll be doing the same job as Asui, but to an even higher degree. Shoji, you'll take the front. We'll rely on you for physical defense and to scout ahead."

"And you'll be attacking and creating diversions of ice and fire, is that right?" Iida asked.

The peppermint-haired boy wanted to immediately refute that, to say that he'd never use his left side in battle, but something stopped him. Looking over to Asui, he remembered what happened at the USJ. The ghost of his brother said it was his power, right?

He still wasn't too sure about that.

"If the need arises to, yes," Shoto decided to say. "I'll use both sides."

"Are you ready, guys?" Hitoshi asked, while being on the top of the girl pile.

Actually, now that he thought about it, that sounded horrible out of context.

Regardless, due to the fact that he was the least physically mobile of the four, he was chosen to be the rider for this game. Meanwhile, Uraraka was their center horse, while Hatsume and the newcomer, Kendo, were on the right and left, respectively.

All in all, a good combination. Uraraka's overpowered Quirk would allow her to act as both a sword and shield, while also helping with movement. Meanwhile, the other two girls were able to swat away anyone who attacks them from the sides via their Quirks and gadgets.

He was still convinced that thing Hatsume had was a gun, though.

Still, with him at the top, he'd be able to use Aizawa-sensei's extra lessons to make sure no one would sneak up on them, and if need be, use his Quirk at its maximum potential.

"LET'S DO THIS!" Uraraka shouted.

Damn, her charisma was infectious. Hitoshi was smiling already.

"Okay, all you First Years, I hope you're happy with your choice of teams! Let's get this party started! One final countdown before the game starts! THREE… TWO… ONE…"

"BEGIN!!!" Midnight shouted, taking over for Present Mic.

And just like that, everyone began charging Uraraka's team.

Of course, Katsuki was no exception.

He, at least, was smart enough not to try and grab her team's headband the second this began, like every other idiot in this game did. He waited for the right opportunity, and…

There you are.

Round Cheeks just used her supercharged Quirk to send herself and the rest of her team flying through the air, with the help of whatever insane support gear they got themselves.

Good thing that Katsuki had someone on his team who could fly.

Looking up at his rider, he shouted, "GREEN HAIR, ELEVEN O'CLOCK!"

"My name is Tokage!" she said, as she launched her hands out towards the air.

Ochako looked down, to see that everyone was as small as ants.

Was this how All Might felt every time he flew over a city? Probably not.

"Uh, guys?" Shinso said. "Flying hands, five o' clock."

Wait, WHAT?! Ochako looked down at where Shinso was pointing, to see that two disembodied hands were launching themselves towards her team. Definitely someone's Quirk.

"I've got this!" Kendo said, as she suddenly expanded her fist, and –

SNATCH!

The orange-haired girl smiled. "Gotcha! Nice try, Tokage!"

"WHAAAAT?!" Present Mic shouted. "Tokage just launched her hands towards a different group! A part of her body just left her team behind! IS THAT EVEN ALLOWED?!"

"Her actual body never touched the ground, so yes!" Midnight announced.

"Shit!" the green-haired girl cursed.

"What happened?" Katsuki asked.

"Kendo saw me coming! She expanded her fist and is now holding my hands hostage!"

SNATCH!

Before the two of them could continue, Bakugou saw their headband suddenly slip away from her green hair. It was like looking at something in slow motion, as his eyes trailed over to the bastard responsible for that, and… oh, wow, that is one smug face.

"You were too focused on the big prize, Tokage," the blond bitch boy said.

"MR. MONOMA?!" Tsunotori shouted, before delving into… American swear words?

Katsuki would be impressed if he wasn't busy with the whole "stolen headband" thing.

"Come back here, you bastard!" Yanagi shouted.

Looks like they were following the smug-looking prick.

If Shoto wasn't as emotionally dead as he was, he'd be smiling right now.

Uraraka's team had just landed near them. Perfect timing.

Ordering his classmates to head towards them, he looked directly at All Might's successor. Despite not being the rider, he knew fully well she was basically in command.

"I'll be taking that headband now, please," he said. He still had some manners.

"Does this guy have it out for you, or…?" the orange-haired girl asked.

"I mean, kinda?" Uraraka said. "Wait, that's not the point right now!"

Wow, are they serious? Shoto wondered to himself. Were they really having a conversation while his team was right in front of them? At least Uraraka was decent enough to remember that they were in the middle of a cavalry battle, but it was too late by then.

Shoto brought out his right hand, and before they could even defend themselves –

Nothing happened.

Shoto waved his hand again. Still nothing. Everyone was looking at him, as he kept trying to make ice come out. Then, in an act of desperation, he tried his fire, and… nothing.

What's going on? What happened to my Quirk?!

"What the –?! MY ENGINES!"

Shoto immediately turned his head to the side, to see that the engines on Iida's legs were just… gone. Sweating, he looked towards Asui who… suddenly looked very human. She was clearly distressed, but she wasn't even ribbiting. "Wait a second, Shoji –?!"

"Rrrgh…" the large boy grunted. "Most of my arms suddenly disappeared…"

What the fuck was going on?! Everyone's Quirks just suddenly disappeared. Looking over towards Uraraka's team, they were all looking at themselves in complete confusion.

"Guuuys…" Shinso said. "I just checked, Quirk isn't working on Hatsume!"

Wait, they're also having problems?

"MY EYES!" the pink-haired girl shouted. "I CAN'T ZOOM INTO ANYTHING!"

"I can't expand my fists!" the orange-haired girl said. "What the hell is going on?!"

Ochako had no idea what the fuck was going on.

Out of the two teams, she was the only one whose Quirk was still there, everyone else's just up and vanished. And to make matters worse, several other teams were approaching them.

"Temporary truce?" she called out to Todoroki.

"Accepted!" the red-and-white boy shouted.

"WHEEEE!!!" Both teams looked towards the newcomer, to see that it was Yui-chan and Akatani. "That was amazing! Yui, your speed is incredible! They didn't even notice!"

The black-haired girl smiled at the praise. "Mm."

"Wait… did you cause this?!" Todoroki asked. "Answer me!"

"Got it in one!" the red-eyed boy said. "My Quirk deactivates all other Quirks in the vicinity completely! Emitter, Transformation, Mutant, doesn't matter, they're all gone!"

"He's like an overpowered version of Eraserhead!" Shinso realized.

"Yep yep!" the black-haired boy said. "And without your Quirks, your advantage has been completely negated! Yui, my love, could you please grab their headbands?"

"Anything for you, darling," Yui said, approaching Ochako's group.

The brown-haired girl's brain was going into overdrive. Both her Quirks were designed for close quarters combat. She didn't have any long range attacks that didn't involve grabbing some rock and throwing it. She didn't have anything that would prevent Yui and her boyfriend from getting up next to them and manhandling the headband away from Shinso.

She needed to get rid of them now.

Then, looking at her hands, she remembered something from the Sludge Villain attack. All Might was able to change the weather with a single punch. The wind pressure required for something like that was nothing short of insane. So… what if she created a mini-version of that?

Pink lightning erupting from her body, she grabbed one of her hands, and, using five percent of One For All's power, she aimed at the ground where Akatani was, and flicked her finger.

BOOM!

"Whoa!"

The wind pressure was nowhere near Team Akatani, but still Yui jumped back. The two of them realized what happened, and now the three teams were starting down one another.

Todorki's team won't move as long as they don't have their Quirks. Meanwhile, I still have One For All, which gives my team the advantage. The best I can hope for right now is that Yui-chan and her boyfriend back off. Once they do, everyone's Quirks should come back…

She knew that it meant facing Todoroki, but she had no other options.

Akatani, meanwhile, was scoping around the area, to see if any other teams would be arriving any time shortly. Pretty soon, though, he, along with Ochako, both heard a small amount of explosions. Turning around, both of them saw that Bakugou was using his Quirk, as his team was chasing around some blond guy's team, who had multiple headbands.

"Yui, we have to go. Now," Akatani said.

"Mm."

Turning back towards the others, the black-haired boy said, "Well I guess I won't be getting your headbands! Oh, well! You can all have your Quirks back now. See you later!"

As Yui ran off with Akatani on her back, she breathed a sigh of relief. Pretty soon, she could hear her teammates saying that their Quirks were back, and she noticed that those who have physical mutations on Todokroki's team had them pop back up on their bodies.

Which was right on time, as the team that was being chased by Bakugou's team was rushing towards the two of them, followed closely by the explosive blond himself.

Katsuki ran as fast as the other two girls on his team could.

That blond prick on top was apparently called Monoma, and was the head of the anti-Class A malarkey going on, according to Tokage. So, that meant he actively targeted his team due to either the fact that he was on it, or because he was intermingling with Class B students.

In all honesty, that guy was an idiot. Heroes had to work together with others in order to save the day. This sort of "us versus them" mentality would get innocent people killed.

Luckily, they had a plan. Using Tsunotori's horns, she'd pilot them all around the area to make sure that both Round Cheeks and Icy-Hot's teams wouldn't get any bright ideas and try to nab any of Monoma's headbands. The guy may have been a prick, but he was smart. Smart enough to use his team to get even more headbands than just his.

After the distraction, they would use Yanagi's Quirk to grab the headbands, and snatch up as many as they could, before getting the fuck out of there. Thesen three girls may have had useful Quirks, but Katsuki and Tsunotori's could be the only ones considered best-suited for combat.

Meaning that unless they wanted to deal with the ice monster and All Might's successor, they could just hope that the two teams got the message and decided to fuck off.

Shoto Todoroki decided that he would not fuck off.

Sure, his team technically had enough headbands to make it to the top, but that wasn't enough for him. As long as Uraraka was All Might's hand-picked successor, he would do everything in his power to beat her. Which meant also stealing her headband.

The chaos that was caused by Akatani deactivating everyone's Quirks was still fresh in everyone's minds, and with two more teams entering their area, it was clear that Uraraka's team was somewhat distracted from all the noise. A perfect opportunity to go in.

"Iida, Asui, now!"

The two students beneath him nodded, and using their Quirks, made their way towards where Uraraka's team was in no time flat. He could see the ten million headband on top of Shino's head. He could almost grab it. He reached out his hand, and –

Uraraka lunged at him.

She was trying to block him from grabbing the headband Shinso was wearing. But the way she was moving, it was so slow… was he just seeing things? Wait, that lightning… that's definitely Uraraka's Quirk… she was so close to him… that power… All Might's power…

Suddenly, Shoto felt a chill run up his spine as he witnessed something even more powerful than All Might. That was what Uraraka was, wasn't she? That would explain his fear.

But fear made people do reckless things.

In Shoto Todoroki's case, it made him ignite his left side.

Fire. Ochako saw it, clear as day, Todoroki's hand was on fire.

"KENDO!!!"

"Right!" the orange-haired girl shouted, as she expanded her fist, and created air pressure, quickly snuffing out those flames. Hatsume also decided to be proactive and used her hover boots to send the group flying backwards, still under Ochako's influence.

"We've gotta get the fuck out of here," Shinso said. "NOW!"

Her teammates nodded in agreement. Between whatever Bakugou was doing with those boys from Class 1-B, along with Todoroki trying to gun them down, there was too much going on. "All right, everyone!" the brown-haired girl shouted. "HANG ON TIGHT!"

Using One For All, she launched herself and her teammates out of the area. It was a short burst, but enough to get them out of the area… and into new trouble.

"Oh, what fresh hell is this?" Shinso groaned.

In front of their team, every single other team was now heading straight for them. It seemed like since time was almost up, they all decided to rush Ochako's team instead.

Ochako was panicking, they were all speeding towards her team, and would be there in less than ten seconds. Then, she realized they still had one more thing left.

Shinso.

"THE GAME IS ALMOST OVER!" Present Mic shouted. "IT'S TIME FOR A COUNTDOWN!"

"Shinso! Use our trump card!" Ochako shouted. "NOW!"

"TEN… NINE… EIGHT… SEVEN…"

"Right!" Shinso nodded. "PINEAPPLE IS THE WORLD'S BEST PIZZA TOPPING!!!"

"SIX… FIVE… FOUR…"

"What?!"

"Are you –"

"Huh?!"

"THREE… TWO… ONE…"

"ALL OF YOU STOP MOVING!!! STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!!!"

"TIME'S UP!!! AND WITH THAT, THE SECOND ROUND IS OFFICIALLY OVER!"

"Pineapple on pizza! Ha!" Gran Torino laughed. "That's a good one!"

Toshinori had to agree, that one was pretty funny. "It's good to see that young Uraraka's friends are resourceful like that. Such imagination will be useful while on the field."

"I guess that's true, to an extent," the old man said. "Still, these kids will have to get a whole lot stronger. The Sports Festival is still nothing compared to the real world."

Toshinori nodded grimly at that. "I know, sir. I know."

Young Uraraka still had a long way to go.

Author's Note: I hate pineapples on pizza.

Anyways, the second round of the Sports Festival is over now! Up next, the third and final round! But before we can do the next chapter, we have to do the comments!

Knightmare Lord: That is a good question. When it comes to how so many people ended up as Villains in this universe… there will be chapters diving into that.

alejandrooo: Glad you found the last chapter to be a ten out of ten!

VinHD15: I didn't think of Toga's excitement as a Prequel reference, but now, I'm kinda tempted to write one somewhere in one of the future chapters. Thanks for that.

And now, for the last bit of shilling…

I also drew a piece of art depicting Uwabami as a medusa back when I originally wrote this chapter a few months back, and it'll be on my Discord, along with some of the MHA subreddits (I still don't know how to paste images into AO3), so check it out!

If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is  /3PFYSt8Dqz . You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 15: Tragic Backstories and Suspicious Characters

In the end, Ochako's team managed to keep their ten million points.

Given that nearly everyone who responded to Shinso's blasphemous take on pizza, it was pretty clear that no one would be able to stop them once they were under his control.

And given that all of Class 1-B only experienced Shinso's Quirk once, it also meant that they wouldn't be able to figure out how to counteract it just yet, so he'd be safe during the finals. Hopefully. They still didn't know what the final round would consist of.

"NOW, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT WHO OUR TOP FOUR TEAMS ARE!" Present Mic shouted once more. "IN FIRST PLACE, WE HAVE… TEAM SHINSOOOOO!"

"Yeesh. We ended in first place, but it was too close for comfort," Kendo said.

"Sorry for keeping our trump card secret for so long," Shinso apologized.

"Eh, I can understand it," Kendo said. "And hey, it helped us win, so… it's cool!"

"IN SECOND PLACE… TEAM TODOROKI!"

"We were so close to first place!" Tsu complained.

"Sure, but we're moving on, so it's all good," Shoji said.

"I don't know if Todoroki would agree with us…" Iida said.

"IN THIRD PLACE IS… TEAM TOKAGE!"

"Thanks for your help," Bakugou said. "You girls are alright."

Tokage, Yanagi, and Tsunotori all smiled at that.

"AND IN FOUR PLACE IS… TEAM MONOMA!"

""""YEEEAAAHHH! CLASS B! CLASS B! CLASS B! CLASS B!""""

"THESE FOUR VALIANT TEAMS WILL ADVANCE ON TO THE FINAL ROUND! NOW, LET'S TAKE AN OUR LUNCH BREAK, BEFORE WE START THE AFTERNOON FESTIVITIES!" Present Mic said. "Hey, Eraserhead, let's grab some food."

"I'm taking a nap. Also, the mic's still hot."

"Oops."

Ochako was grown up enough to know not to trust strangers.

But for some reason, she kept doing it. From All Might offering her a Quirk, to All For One simply wanting to chat to the USJ, she thought she would have learned her lesson by now. But no.

Because even if they were classmates, Todoroki was effectively a stranger to her.

And for some reason, she followed him when he wanted to talk with her. Alone.

Ochako stood on the other side of the wall, as Todoroki kept glaring daggers at her. He hadn't said anything yet, and it was starting to make the brown-haired girl uncomfortable.

Risking it, she decided to start the conversation.

"We should probably eat soon… the cafeteria is gonna be busy… don't you think…?"

Still no response. He just kept… staring at her.

This was so different. Unlike the sheer paralyzing fear she felt when confronted by All For One, Todoroki's intimidation was cold, making her freeze far less than when she did with… him.

But the way he kept staring at her made up for it.

Then, he opened his mouth.

"Two times since coming to UA, I've broken my promise."

Ochako immediately understood what he meant. His left side, where that fire came from. It would have given him such an advantage… but he rarely ever used it.

"The others, they didn't feel it, but I did. The sheer power you have with One For All… It truly is All Might's Quirk. And added with your original Quirk… it felt even more powerful."

"Oh, yeah… is that all you wanted to say?" Ochako asked.

"My father is the Hero known as Endeavor. Everyone knows him, the No. 2 Hero. And since you share the same Quirk as All Might… that would mean I have even more of a reason to beat you. The man is ambitious, he aims for the top. He used his power to make a name for himself as a Hero. But he was never able to best All Might, so the Symbol of Peace is living proof of his failure. He's still at it, though, trying to take down All Might, one way or another."

"I'm not sure what you're getting at… what are you trying to tell me, Todoroki?"

The boy stared at her and simply asked, "Have you ever heard of… Quirk Marriages?"

In that instant, Ochako Urarka's stomach dropped.

"My father has not only a rich history of accomplishments, but plenty of money to throw at his problems. He bought my mother to get his hands on her Quirk, and now he's raising me to usurp All Might," Todoroki continued. "In almost every memory of my mother, I see her crying. I remember she called my left side unbearable, before she poured boiling water on my face."

Ochako simply stared, as Todoroki continued.

"I refused to be a tool for that scumbag… I wanted to show my old man what I was capable of doing without having to rely on his damned Quirk. I wanted to reject his power… that I could take first place without using it… but I already failed twice," he said.

"Twice?"

The peppermint-haired boy nodded. "Twice. The first time was at the USJ. I was in the Flood Zone with Asui and Kaminari. We were all soaking wet, so Kaminari was unable to use his Quirk. Meanwhile, the two Villains there manipulated the water around us into becoming an ice storm. They goaded me into using my fire side, to prevent Asui from succumbing to hypothermia. And as for the second time… it was during our confrontation at the Cavalry Battle."

"Wait… the Villains knew about you?"

"I wasn't Endeavor's first child, I have older siblings," Todoroki explained. "My oldest brother… he was my father's first attempt. He manifested fire that was even hotter than Endeavor's. However, he inherited my mother's resistance to ice, making him burn up easily. My father dropped him the second that weakness became apparent, but he continued to train in secret. Then, one day, all of the forest he was training in, Sekoto Peak, caught fire. The only thing that was ever recovered were a couple of his teeth and a bit of his jawbone. We all thought he was dead. I had a few memories of him, but most of them are just the pictures of him at his shrine."

"But you don't think he's dead… do you?" Ochako realized.

The half-and-half boy nodded. "When I first used the bastard's fire, the heat was so intense that it knocked the hood off the red Villain, and the face I saw… he resembled my father if he was twenty years younger… or if my older brother managed to live up to today. But then, when the other Villain called out his name in concern… Touya… that was the final nail in the coffin."

"That was your brother's name? Touya?"

"Yeah… I don't know how he survived that fire, or why the hell he came back from the dead with a Quirk that allowed him to make ice, but he did. When the detectives questioned all of us, I left out anything that could imply that the two of us were related, his name, his features, everything. I need to figure out for myself why he and his partner, I think he called him Geten, forced me to use my Quirk." Then, Todorki whispered, "Did they know how I was referring to it…?"

However, Ochako heard it. "Referring to what?"

Todoroki looked at her for a second before continuing. "For the longest time, I would refer to my left side as "his power," as Endeavor's. But back at the USJ, Touya shouted at me that it was mine, and mine alone. It made me remember something from a long time ago… a memory of my mother, one where we were both watching an All Might interview about using the power given to you for good. And now… I don't know what I should do…"

"You don't want to see Endeavor win, but you also don't know whether or not using his flames is the right thing to do?" Ochako asked, earning her a nod from Todoroki.

"That's right. If I didn't use my flames that day, Asui and Kaminari would probably be dead. What if I ever find myself in another situation like that, where my hesitance could get someone killed? I don't even know if I'm doing the right thing anymore…"

Ochako was silent for a moment, before she decided to say something.

"You know, I was at a similar crossroads once," she said, gaining Todoroki's attention. "Back when I was a kid, I only wanted to be a Pro Hero because my parents were struggling financially. My plan was to make a lot of money and give them an easy life."

"Then what happened?" he asked.

"My parents own a construction company, and the Deika City Massacre happened," she said. "So, when the rubble and corpses were cleared out, our construction company was one of the many that was contracted for the rebuilding efforts. My family now had a steady source of income, and I lost my reason to become a Hero. Despite that, I still wanted to be one."

The half-and-half boy gave her a funny look and asked, "Why?"

"For the longest time, I didn't know why," she admitted. "It took meeting All Might and saving Bakugou from a Villain to make me realize that I just liked helping people, and seeing them happy. Ever since I was a little girl, I loved seeing people smile. And I guess me wanting to make as much money for my parents was just my way of wanting to help them."

"And I'm guessing that saving Bakugou was what made All Might deem you worthy enough for his Quirk?" Todoorki asked. "So you can help as many people as you can?"

"Yeah. Even if he never offered me his Quirk, I'd probably still be at UA today, training my butt off to be a Rescue Hero. Heh, now that I think about it, that's probably the reason why I idolize Thirteen so much. She uses her Quirk to primarily save others," Ochako said. "But enough about me! This is about you. Todoroki, why did you want to be a Hero?"

"You mean aside from my old man basically creating me for that purpose?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah."

"I guess because of All Might," Todoroki said. "When I was a kid, I used to watch him on TV with my mother, before she went crazy. And I guess… seeing him smile was the coolest thing ever. I wanted to be like him. And I guess… I still do. I don't want to be anything like Endeavor."

"You mean a person with a cold exterior, dead eyes, stubborn to a fault, and basically declaring one-sided rivalries to All Might-esque people?" Ochako sarcastically asked.

That threw Todoroki for a loop. "Wait… do I seriously act like that?!"

"Todoroki-kun, let me be honest with you: Before you told me about your backstory, I was pretty sure that you were gonna try and murder me where no one could see us."

"Oh… uh… I apologize for that…" Todoroki scratched his head.

"Well, given what you've told me, I seriously doubt Endeavor has ever genuinely apologized in his life," Ochako said. "What I'm saying is that, sure, you may be acting like him, but there are still parts that are different. Maybe you got your sense of human decency from your mom?"

Hearing that, Todoroki let out a small snort, "Yeah, probably."

"See? You may be Endeavor's kid, but you're as much his as you are your mom's, just like that fire side of you is as much his as the ice side of you is as much your mom's. But who do I see right in front of me? Shoto Todoroki, and no one else. Not Endeavor, not your mom, YOU."

"You… you've given me a lot to think about…"

"Glad to hear it," Ochako said, smiling. "But just so you know, even if we're still rivals, that doesn't mean we can't be friends. I had plenty of people supporting me to become a Hero. My parents, All Might, Yui-chan, Shinso. I think you could use someone in your corner, too!"

Todoroki stood still for a moment, before flashing a ghost of a smile. "Thanks."

One hour later, the lunch break was over, and it was time for the main event.

The one-on-one battles.

"Oh, yeah. Finally getting the chance to show what we're made of," Kamakiri said, his blades twitching beneath his skin. "I watch these finals every year, and now I'm actually in them!"

"So, wait, is it always a tournament?" Rin asked.

"The finals are always a one-on-one competition, but they switch it up every time," the pitch-black boy, Kurorio, said. "Last year, it was a foam sword fighting match."

"Come closer and draw lots to see who you're up against," Midnight said, holding up a box. "Then enjoy the pleasure of the recreational games before we start. The sixteen finalists have the option of participating in those activities, or sitting out to prepare for battle. I'm sure you all want to conserve your stamina. I'll start with the first place team…"

Midnight continued listing off people from the top four spots (since all four of them had four members each), with the end result for the first rounds looking something like this:

Uraraka vs Kendo

Tokage vs Shinso

Bakugou vs Kurorio

Shoji vs Monoma

Todoroki vs Kamakiri

Tsunotori vs Asui

Yanagi vs Rin

Iida vs Hatsume

"Kurorio? Who the hell is that?" Baukugou wondered.

Tenya, meanwhile, read the brackets closely. Judging by everyone's powers that he had seen so far, if he beat this Hatsume character, he would be up against Yanagi provided she beat Rin, and then followed by Todoroki, provided he beat Asui, with his final match being Uraraka.

Assuming that they all won their matches as well, of course.

"Hey, Legs, you're Iida, right?"

"Hm?" Tenya turned around to look at the pink-haired girl. "Correct, I am Tenya Iida."

She smiled. "Ohh, that's perfect! I have something nice for you!"

Why did he suddenly have a bad feeling about this?

For the next hour or so, it was recreational time, with everyone playing some other games while the teachers set up the arena for the final match. Well, almost everyone. As Midnight stated earlier, those in the final round could choose whether or not they wanted to participate.

Ochako decided to play. It was probably the best way for her to relax after… everything.

The scavenger hunt was interesting. They had a bunch of cards with words on them, and everyone had to scramble around the arena to find said words. Sero needed a bag, Koda fished a cat out of a dumpster, and a few of these cards were even more bizarre than that.

Seriously, back fat?

Ochako also saw Shoji rolling around a giant ball during the next game, some sort of race, so it seemed like the brown-haired girl wasn't the only one who had the idea of using the games as a form of relaxation. Everyone else in the final round though… not so much.

Sure, Kendo and Monoma were also seen playing some of the games alongside Class 1-B, but Bakugou was sulking near one of the walls, Iida was chugging down orange juice, and Todoroki was nowhere to be found. To each their own, the One For All user figured…

But soon enough, the real game was about to begin.

Cementoss was finishing up adding the final touches to the platform, as Present Mic announced, "HEY, SPORTS FANS! ARE YA READY?! After all the action you have witnessed, it's time for the real battle to begin! CAN YOU FEEL THE EXCITEMENT?! Our competitors are on their own now… sometimes, Heroes only have themselves to rely on. Heart, skill, strength, wisdom, courage, they'll have to use all of these things to rise to the top!"

Showtime.

Ochako knew she was up first. She was waiting in the darkness of the hallway, waiting for Present Mic to yell out her name, so she could come out. To the eyes of millions.

Yeah, no pressure.

"Hey!" Ochako turned around to see that Yagi-sensei was waving at her. "Sorry I haven't said hi! You've been great! You used the limited power of One For All in some really creative ways!"

"Thanks," Ochako said. "I knew that this power was fast, but it wouldn't be fast enough for me to get into first place just yet, so I had to improvise. I still have to remain under ten percent, even with the help that Gran Torino has given me over the last two weeks. Sorry."

"Hey, it's fine, just do your best! Listen, whenever you're scared or nervous about a fight…" Yagi-sensei said, as he transformed into All Might, "Just try dealing with it by smiling! You've made it this far, kid! Even if you're worried, YOU MUST STAND TALL!"

Ochako nervously smiled, as she looked over to the stadium.

"ALL RIGHT, AUDIENCE! It's time to cut to the good stuff, and not delay these finals any longer! Welcome our first fighters! The girl with the bubbly smile, it's Ochako Uraraka from Class 1-A, versus Itsuka Kendo from Class 1-B, the karate queen! The rules are simple: IMMOBILIZE YOUR OPPONENT OR FORCE THEM OUT OF THE RING! You can also win by getting the other person to cry out uncle! Of course, no life-threatening crap, folks, it's not allowed. Real Heroes use their powers to throw Villains in jail, not kill them!"

"I'll stop anybody who tries to get too rough," Cementoss announced from the sidelines.

"I hope you're not planning on holding back or giving me an easy win just because we were on the same cavalry team," Kendo said, smiling. "In a way, this is a test of how strong your spirit is. SO BE SURE TO GIVE ME EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT, URARAKA!"

"READY?!" Present Mic shouted.

Ochako smiled. "You bet."

"BEGIN!"

The first thing everyone saw was pink lightning.

"Go, Kendo!" Tetsutetsu shouted. "You can do it!"

Neito had to admit, it was somewhat enjoyable watching Kendo fight the Class A scum from so high up. One minute, the two of them were working together in the cavalry battle, the next, they're now fistfighting one another with their Quirks. Delicious irony.

Of course, he was still rooting for Kendo, but still.

"Hey, is it cool if I hang out with you guys?"

The blond turned around to see… a Business Course student? He had red eyes, freckles, some seriously messy black hair, and he was carrying… a notebook with him? What?

"Hey, wait a minute!" Awase shouted. "You're the guy that deleted our Quirks!"

Quirk deletion? Netio's eyebrows were now raised in interest.

"Actually, I only deactivated them, not deleted them," the black-haired newcomer said. "Deletion would imply that they were gone from existence, but what I did was deactivation, which means that you simply were unable to use them. And I am sorry for that, I can't control it…"

"Darling, you're mumbling again," the blue-eyed girl next to him said.

"Oh! I am? Thank you, Yui, my love."

"What?! That guy has a girlfriend?! I'm so jealous!" Mineta shouted.

"Now just wait one minute!" Neito said. "Who exactly are you two? The girl I recognize, she's with those Class A tramps, but you? I've only seen you in passing. Names, please?"

"Oh, right! Of course! I'm Mikumo Akatani, from Class 1-J, and this is my girlfriend, Yui Kodai," he said. "I just came over here to analyze all of your Quirks! They're so cool!"

"And what's she doing here?" Kaibara asked.

"She's just overprotective," Akatani said. "Just wanted to be sure that I wouldn't get you all upset over deactivating your Quirks. And it's only temporary, I assure you! I have to get close to someone to deactivate them, and once I'm gone, they're back for good, I guarantee it!"

"Hmm… So what I'm understanding is that your Quirk is a Mutant-type Quirk that allows you to deactivate all types of Quirks around you from a certain distance, but is rendered useless once you're out of range, due to the fact that they're only deactivated once?" Neito asked.

Akatani's eyes widened. "Yeah! How'd you know?"

Neito smiled smugly. "I'm something of a Quirk analyst myself. And I suppose I can let you hang out with us and talk about Quirks, provided that your girlfriend doesn't spill anything compromising to her class. We still want to win the final round, you see."

"My lips are sealed," Kodai said.

"Great!" Neito said, as he grabbed Akatani. "Everyone, this is Mikumo Akatani from the Business Course! He'll be hanging out with us for a bit to talk about Quirks! Please don't freak out when he deactivates yours, it's only temporary, and… wait, I can't feel mine."

"Well, you are right next to me, sooo…"

"I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

Shoto walked around his designated hallway as he waited for his turn.

He had no doubts that Uraraka would win the current match. A gravity-defying girl with All Might's power versus, what? Bigger fists? It was only a matter of time, really.

All Shoto had to do was wait for his number to be called up, and – fuck.

As he turned around the hallway, he saw his sperm donor leaning on one of the walls, like some wanna-be edgelord. At least Tokoyami makes that shit look cool. "What do you want?"

He knew he wasn't going to get out of talking with Endeavor. The asshat even went as far as to make his way into the "students only" section of the building, not talking to him wasn't an option.

"You're acting disgracefully, Shoto," the old bastard said. "If you had simply used the power in your left side, you would have had an overwhelming victory in both of the first rounds. It's time to stop this childish rebellion of yours. You have a duty to surpass that imbecile, All Might."

Shoto simply ignored him, as he kept walking by.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?" Endeavor called out. "You're different from your siblings."

Right, I'm somehow better than the one that tried to freeze me to death at the USJ.

"You're my greatest masterpiece."

Okay, now that, pissed off Shoto.

"Is that all you have to say to me, you bastard? I'll win this match and advance only using… my right side. I won't give you the pleasure of seeing me use my left."

"Even if that works for you in this tournament, you'll soon find the limits of that power."

Shoto hated to admit it, but his old man was right. He already learned its limits when he almost got Kaminari and Asui killed. He was more than willing to use his fire now, thanks to Uraraka, but… that was something that his dear old father didn't need to know.

Not yet anyways. For now, he needed to blow off some steam.

"KENDO IS OUT OF BOUNDS! URARAKA ADVANCES TO THE NEXT MATCH!"

As the crowd cheered for her, Ochako huffed her chest. That was tough. She realized now that, despite the Quirk she had gained, she had no idea how to fight. Apply it with her original Quirk? Sure. Use it to enhance her physical abilities? No problem. But fight? Ehh…

Kendo, on the other hand, actually knew how to fight hand-to-hand.

Ochako made a silent note to herself to figure out how to properly fight, because she now knew she couldn't always rely on moves like "smash" and "smash harder."

"AND WITH THAT, WE HAVE OUR FIRST VICTIM OF THE FINALS! CLASS 1-A'S OCHAKO URARAKA IS THE WINNER!" Present Mic shouted into the speakers. "BOTH OF YOU KIDS FOUGHT BRAVELY! NOW SHOW THEM SOME LOVE, EVERYONE!"

Ochako bowed to Kendo, and the orange-haired girl did the same thing. With that, the two of them headed over to the hallway, as they breathed sighs of relief.

The brown-haired girl smiled. "You were awesome out there, Kendo."

"Well, I'm proud of you, too, Uraraka," Kendo said, walking up the stairs.

The two of them made it to their floor, to see that… Yui-chan was with Akatani, talking to Monoma and the rest of the Class B students about their Quirks.

"Huh, I guess Monoma wasn't really serious about the rivalry," Kendo said.

"Yeah… I guess since they're cool… wanna sit with my class?" Ochako offered.

"Sure," the orange-haired girl said. "I'd like that."

The two of them walked over to the other side of the walled seats, and…

"There you are, Uraraka!" Shinso waved at her. "You did good!"

"Come on down here," Iida said. "We saved a seat for you."

"Thanks, guys," Ochako said, as she sat down, alongside Kendo.

As she was introducing her to the rest of the class, however…

"We're gonna charge right along to the fifth match…" Present Mic said, now having control of the microphone once again. "No, her teeth aren't part of her Quirk, it's Setsuna Tokage from Class 1-B! Versus, Eraserhead's secret love child… Shinso Hitoshi from Class 1-A!"

"HIZASHI YAMADA!" Eraserhead shouted.

"What?! Look at him! He has the same sleep-deprived eyes as you!"

"We look nothing alike!" the co-host hissed. "If anything, I have more in common with Akatani from the Business Course! At least our appearances and Quirks are similar!"

"They are? Let me see… black hair, red eyes, Quirk that deactivates other people's powers… HOLY CRAP, YOU'RE RIGHT! How many children do you have, dude?!"

"WILL YOU STOP THAT?!"

Hitoshi cringed as he listened to his mentor argue that the two of them weren't related. Yeah, it was painful to listen to, all right, but he still had a job to do. Mainly, win this round.

Currently, he was doing various random exercises. Jumping in one place, clapping his hands, stuff like that. The reason behind it was for people to be unable to tell what exactly was the trigger to his brainwashing, namely, him talking to his opponent.

Live by the logical ruse, die by the logical ruse.

"Sorry you had to hear that!" Hitoshi called out to his opponent.

"It's cool. Hey, between the two of us, is he actually your dad?" Tokage asked.

"What?! No! I have actual parents!" Hitoshi defended himself.

But deep down, he was smiling. She fell for his trap.

"NOW… LET'S GET STARTED! FIFTH MATCH… BEGIN!"

Before Tokage even had a chance to activate her Quirk, Shinso snapped his fingers. It was one last way for people to be misdirected; do something obvious and then activate his Quirk, so everyone assumes that snapping his fingers is the trigger rather than his voice.

His two weeks of lessons with Aizawa-sensei were paying off.

"Moonwalk out of bounds," he commanded her.

Okay, now, he might have been being a little bit of a troll.

Ochako let out a small laugh at Shino's shenanigans.

"Did he really have to make her moonwalk out?" Kendo asked.

"No, but it was still funny to watch," Ochako said, with a smile on her face.

The two girls laughed a bit, before the next match was announced.

Mikumo couldn't help but lick his lips, as Monoma kept rambling on about his Quirk.

The ability to copy other Quirks was nifty, but compared to what his power could do, it was a weak imitation. Still, it couldn't hurt to have it. But it wouldn't just be Monoma's Quirk.

He would have a taste of every single Quirk these students had.

Author's Note: Uh-oh. Anyways, we're moving on to the comments right away!

Guest: Creo que podrías estar en la plataforma equivocada, amigo.

James Birdsong: There will be more good chapters in the future, trust me.

Knightmare: Monoma's comments are a bit reprehensible, yeah, but not expulsion-worthy. But he will be getting a bit of an attitude check. Also, I didn't know about Leech until you brought him up, so thanks for that, I guess.

EmilMobile: And I also choose to respect your opinion about pineapple on pizza, but I'm just going to cite any time I have ever bit into a pizza without knowing there was fruit on it, leaving the taste to linger in my mouth as I did everything I could to get rid of it, to no avail. Moving on, I've been planning for Class 1-B to join the main cast, and this was the first place I could introduce them properly. Hope you enjoy what comes next!

VinHD15: I'm pretty sure I was reading "False Love Academia" when I was writing this chapter, hence the reference, but I can't be too sure, it was months ago.

And now, for the last bit of shilling…

If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is  /3PFYSt8Dqz . You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

Thanks for reading, and once again, see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 16: Onto the Second Round

"Offense and defense in one! With a face only a mother could love… Class 1-A's Katsuki Bakugou! Versus! The dark shadow who sneaks up on you… from Class 1-B, Shihai Kurorio!"

"Okay, that's just unfair," Katsuki said.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" the pitch-black kid asked.

"From what Present Mic said, along with your overall appearance, it's safe to say that your Quirk has something to do with darkness, either by creating it, or manipulating it in some way," the blond said. "If it's the second one, then you might be in for a bad time."

Kurorio looked around himself for a second, before he realized that Katsuki was right. "Okay, you're right. Then how about we make it fair? No Quirks, just physical strength?"

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"Do you think real Villains will play fair because you asked them nicely? You have to use every advantage you have, even if it means fighting dirty," Katsuki simply said. "And as for me? I already told you during my speech, punk, I'm gonna do my very best!"

"THIRD MATCH… BEGIN!!!"

To call the third match a fight would be a disservice.

It was a one-sided massacre.

Without any shadows to merge with Kurorio was out in the open, with Bakugou, a person whose hands also double as flashbangs. It was already decided who the victor was.

As Bakugou carried a downed Kurorio to Recovery Girl's temporary clinic, Present Mic continued his announcements, with the next two competitors appearing in the arena.

Mezo Shoji watched the fight from the sidelines, and could feel the wind impact from the part of the hallway he was in. Bakugou had skills, he had to admit it. But now, it was his turn.

Walking towards the arena, Mezo saw his opponent do the same.

"LET'S SEE WHO WE GOT FOR YOU NEXT!" Present Mic shouted. "We've got two completely different Quirks! On the one hand, we have a versatile Mutant… MEZO SHOJI OF CLASS 1-A! Versus, a versatile Emitter… NEITO MONOMA OF CLASS 1-B! BEGIN!!!"

Mezo immediately charged towards Monoma, his arms ready to punch, when –

SLAM!

"Oh, what's the matter?" Monoma smiled. "Didn't see that coming?"

Mezo had no idea what just happened. He felt the space around him, only to notice that the air around him was… solid? Monoma must have made it solid while he was charging in –

SLAM!

Mezo felt spit stick to the inside of his mask, as something extremely hard hit his gut. Looking down, he saw that Monoma's fist was now one of steel, and –

"Twin Impact!"

BOOM!

Pain exploded once again on Mezo's abdominal region, as Monoma did something to cause the first strike to now feel even worse. Were all of these Quirks? How many did he have?!

Mezo needed to be faster than this. Creating several new arms, he struck Monoma, who morphed more of his body into steel. Then, he opened his mouth, and the air coming out of it started to take shape. So that's how those solid air walls came to be.

One defense, one offense, and one Quirk that's both. Smart.

Using one of his arms as an uppercut, Mezo hit the bottom of Monoma's chin. The blond boy jumped up from the impact, but he also tapped Mezo's wrist. "Twin Impact!"

BOOM!

It doesn't hurt as much as the metal punch to the gut? That's when the Dupli-Arms user realized something. I see… that attack only doubles the initial impact, no more, no less. By that logic, a light tap would feel like a slap, and a punch would be even worse.

Still, Mezo didn't understand Monoma's angle. Was he trying to wear Mezo down? It would take a while, and he didn't seem to have that sort of endurance. He seemed to be more of a trickster rather than a fighter, using misdirection rather than brute force to beat his opponent.

Kind of like Aizawa-sensei, now that Mezo thought about it.

Another dodge, another weave, another hit. The two of them kept going at it, until… Mezo saw an opening. He rushed towards his steel-covered opponent, who had created another air wall, but that wouldn't stop him. He used his body to break through it, and –

Monoma sidestepped. NO –

"MEZO SHOJI IS OUT OF BOUNDS! NEITO MONOMA ADVANCES!"

Mezo had to admit, that was indeed clever. Tricking him into running towards the barrier? Not bad. Getting up, Mezo headed over to where Monoma was. "Hey, good match."

Monoma looked at the hand Mezo extended. "Hm? What's this?"

"It's my hand… I'm extending it to you. You're supposed to shake it."

"Oh! I see. Well, I suppose it's appropriate, even if you are from Class A," Monoma said, grabbing the hand. "Still though, I never had anyone offer me their hand before. Most people who figured out what my Quirk was were afraid of touching me."

"I understand that feeling completely," Mezo said. "Of others being afraid of you."

For a slight second, Mezo could have sworn that a new emotion creeped up on Monoma's face, before he reverted to his usual smile. "Hmm… I suppose that between you, the Kodai girl, and the blond brute, you Class A vagabonds are not that bad yourselves."

"You know, that's the nicest thing I've heard you say all day. Mezo Shoji."

"Oh… Neito Monoma. Wait, you heard everything I've said?"

"Only when I changed my arms into ears. They're pretty versatile."

"Oh. Could I try copying them? Your Quirk, I mean."

"Sure," Mezo said. "You're free to try."

"NOW, LET'S WELCOME TO THE RING… OUR NEXT PLAYERS!" Present Mic announced. "His blades are as sharp as his attitude, from Class 1-B, IT'S TOGARU KAMAKIRI!!! Versus, someone who got into Class 1-A on recommendations, IT'S SHOTO TODOROKI!!!"

"This is gonna be fun," Kamakiri said, licking his lips.

"AND NOW, FOR THE SECOND MATCH OF THE FINALS! READY?! BEGIN!!!"

"Get ready to lose, Class A scum!" Immediately, Kamakiri rushed towards Todoroki, several sharp blades already erupting from his arms, preparing to slice and dice him.

"An intense opening from our underdog! WAY TO SHOW OFF, KAMAKIRI!!!"

"AHAHAHA!" Kamakiri laughed. "I'M GONNA ENJOY CHOPPING YOU TO BITS!"

"Apologies," Todoorki simply said.

"Eh?"

SHINK!

BOOOOOM!!!

The ground itself seemed to rumble from what suddenly happened, as confused watchers suddenly had their jaws dropped at the… mountain of ice in front of them.

Everyone could feel the cold radiating off of it. No one could move or speak, either due to how cold it was, or due to the shock they were experiencing.

"Umm…" Kamakiri shivered in his ice prison. "Don't you think you went overboard?"

"Tell the truth, Kamakiri," Midnight spoke through her mic, despite being half-frozen herself (talk about mental fortitude) in ice. "Can you even move at all?"

"ARE YOU K-K-KIDDING?! O-O-OBVIOUSLY NOT! MY B-B-BODY IS FREEZING!!!"

"KAMAKIRI HAS BEEN IMMOBILIZED! TODOROKRI ADVANCES TO THE SECOND ROUND!!!" Midnight announced, to the very-much shocked audience.

As the audience slowly began to accept what they saw with their eyes and began to cheer, Todokri went up to the frozen Kamakiri and began to melt him.

"Sorry, it was a bit much," he apologized. "I just was angry, that's all."

As Ochako watched Todoroki melt Kamakiri (she learned his name from Kendo), from the ice prison the peppermint-haired boy created, Ochako couldn't help but feel sad.

She had a feeling she knew what sparked this sort of reaction from him.

And from who it came from.

"WELCOME BACK TO THE FINALS, EVERTONE! SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT!" Present Mic shouted once again. "The insane amount of ice from the fifth match has been cleared, though, so it's time to welcome new competitors!"

The two newest competitors made their way to the stage. On one side, there was a blonde girl with blue eyes and horns, and on the other, a green-haired girl with a very large mouth.

"Our very own transfer student from the United States… from Class 1-B, PONY TSUNOTORI!!! Versus, the one I'm personally rooting for… from Class 1-A, TSUYU ASUI!!!"

Tsunotori launched two of her horns towards Asui like rockets, but the frog girl was quicker. Using her hind legs, she leaped forward before the horns could pin her down, and headed straight for the horned girl, her tongue extended.

Tsunotori dodged the long tongue, and proceeded to launch two more of her horns to the dodging frog gilr, all while shouting, "I'm gonna beat your meat!"

"Ribbit? I think you mean you'll beat me into meat."

"Yes, that is what I said!"

Asui decided to ignore that for now, as she continued jumping around the arena, trying to wrap her tongue around the horned girl without getting nailed by one of her flying projectiles.

Eventually, however…

BAM!

"WHOA! Tsuyu Asui decided to forgo the tongue and just went straight for the legs!" Present Mic shouted. "Pony Tsunotori has been knocked back by Asui's powerful legs!"

The blond American tried to regain her footing, but it was too late. Asui kicked her again, and again, until eventually, she was knocked out of bounds. Not even her horns saved her.

"PONY TSUNOTORI IS OUT! TSUYU ASUI AVENCES TO THE NEXT ROUND!!!"

As the crowd cheered, Asui went and offered a hand to the downed student. If she could smile, she would be doing it right now. "You did great out there, ribbit."

The American girl took Asui's hand. "Thanks, you were also bad."

"Ribbit. I think you meant that I was not bad."

"Sorry, sorry," she said. "English is my native language."

"It's okay, I can help you learn Japanese, if you want."

"Really? Thank you so much, nice Kermit lady!"

"Ribbit?!"

On the two different sides of the area, a girl with gray hair and blue eyes appeared, while on the other side was a boy with dark hair tied into a braid, with their introductions being, "The spooky girls are sometimes the deadliest, it's Class 1-B's REIKO YANAGI!!! VERSUS! The boy with the personality of a dragon, another member of Class 1-B… HIRYU RIN!!!"

Rin smiled. "Oh, yeah, this is gonna be over in two seconds."

"Anyways… BEGIN!!!"

"SPROUTING SCALES!" Rin shouted. The Chinese student activated the scales on his arms, which began to fire at Yanagi at rapid speeds, almost like bullets. Ha! Too easy –

They didn't hit her.

Rin had to do a double-take, but he soon realized that none of his scales landed on Yanagi. In fact, they just stood there, in mid-air, covered in some sort of purple aura… ohhh…

It was at that moment that Hiryu Rin knew he fucked up. Big time.

"You're right, this will be over in two seconds," the usually quiet girl of 1-B said, as she used her Quirk to redirect the scales towards Rin, shooting him down. "For you, I mean."

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!"

As Rin kept getting pelted by his own scales, he didn't realize that –

"HE'S OUT OF BOUNDS!!! THAT'S ALL, FOLKS!!! IT WAS OVER IN AN INSTANT!!!"

Yanagi let out a ghost of a smile, as she knew she'd advance to the next round.

"LET'S KEEP PUMPING OUT THESE HITS AND MOVE ON!!! TIME FOR THE FOURTH MATCH! GET READY TO WATCH TWO NEW PLAYERS DUKE IT OUT!!!"

Nemuri Kayama, better known as Midnight, was excited for this next round. After all, Tensei's baby brother was up next! He exited from his part of the hallway and into the arena, and…

"He's the kid with engines in his legs, Tenya Iida from the Hero Course! Versus… a fully-equipped gadget dynamo! MEI HATSUME OF THE SUPPORT COURSE!!!"

…what the hell was he wearing?

Baby Tenya was decked out in a bunch of support gear. Something didn't add up with Nemuri. She knew for a fact that Tensei's little brother didn't file the proper paperwork for all of that.

She may have loved him like a little brother but she had a job to do.

"Hero Course students can't use support gear unless they have to," she called out, grabbing his attention. "And you didn't fill out any of the proper paperwork for that."

"I apologize, ma'am! It's just… I was so moved by my opponent's sportsmanship. Even though she's from the Support Course, she wanted this to be as even a match as possible since she made it this far," Tenya explained. "So, she offered to give me this equipment. I respect her integrity! That's why I'd like to honor her by wearing this gear!"

Wait… was this… a crush?!

Oh my gosh! Baby Tenya has his first crush! I have to support it! Which means…

"I'll allow it!" Nemuri quickly said. Tensei's gonna love this!

Mei smiled as she listened to Iida discuss why he was wearing her support items. Sure, it was a gamble, but Midnight loved his little speech. She didn't expect it, but it helped.

"LET'S BEGIN THE EIGHTH AND FINAL MATCH!!!"

The blue-haired boy began running towards her, but Mei kept her calm face. "Bet you love how fast that gear makes you, huh, Iida? Do your legs feel lighter than usual? That's to be expected! I designed those leg parts to increase the user's speed and mobility!"

As Iida approached her, she quickly clicked a button.

This nightmare went on for ten minutes.

Ochako and the others had to watch as Iida was used as a walking advertisement by Hatsume. It was like watching puppies drown or Santa getting shot: Horrible, but you couldn't look away.

Hydraulic tentacles, omni-directional sensors, course-correction auto-balancers, electromagnetic shoes, a net-shooting gun (she was using Shinso's terminology, sue her), all of those insane products and more were displayed by the pink-haired maniac.

To the displeasure of Iida, and for some reason, Midnight.

Eventually, she stepped out of bounds on purpose, sweaty, but with a clear smile on her face. It seemed like she had shown off everything she had, and let Iida take an easy win.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I LET YOU TRICK ME!!!"

Wow, even I could hear his scream from here, Ochako thought to herself.

"Wow, that was cold," Kendo deadpanned.

The brown-haired girl had to agree: Their former cavalry battle teammate was vicious.

"IIDA ADVANCES TO THE NEXT ROUND! WITH THAT, THE FIRST ROUND IS COMPLETE! AFTER A LITTLE BREAK, AND THEN WE'RE COMING BACK WITH MORE MATCHES!!!"

As soon as Present Mic announced that, the black-haired boy got up from his seat. "Yui, head back with your friends in 1-A, if you'd like. I'm gonna go lurk around the hallways."

"Mm." The blue-eyed girl nodded. "Sure thing."

"You're leaving already?" Komori asked, somewhat disappointed.

Akatani nodded. "Yeah, sorry. It was fun analyzing all of your Quirks, but I gotta go. If Ms. Joke saw me hanging out with non-Business Course students, I might get in trouble."

"Oooh, a bad boy!" Tokage teased.

"It's been fun, though! I do hope we get to hang out again some more!"

As the red-eyed boy waved good-bye to Class 1-B, he headed over to the hallways, thinking to himself, Over twenty Quirks down, less than nineteen more to go…

Ochako walked down the hallways of the waiting areas, preparing for her next fight. Honestly, she didn't wanna fight Shinso. They were friends. Friends shouldn't fight.

But she also knew that they were rivals for the Sports Festival. There could only be one winner, after all. And All Might told her to show the world that she was here.

She was sure Shinso-kun could understand that.

Suddenly, she heard loud footsteps turn the corner towards her.

"Ah, I was looking for you," a deep and commanding voice said. In front of her was now a body of nearly two meters tall, covered in dark blue spandex, with flames all around it.

It was the Number Two Hero, Endeavor. Yippee.

"What are you doing back here?" Ochako asked, cautiously.

"I watched your fight against the girl with the large hands. Your power is pretty impressive. The speed, not to mention your strength. And to top it all off, the way you jumped around the obstacle course, almost like you were flying," he said, narrowing his eyes at her. "It reminds me of another Quirk. You seem to have much in common with All Might."

"O-oh, well, I guess I never thought about it that way…" she said, trying to act as calm as possible. All For One already knew about the power she had, along with all of Class 1-A, and Aizawa-sensei. She really wasn't interested in expanding that circle, even by accident.

Especially for power-hungry "Heroes" like Endeavor.

"Sorry, I should really get going –"

"It's my Shoto's duty to surpass All Might as the No. 1 Hero. And I really do hope you fight him in the final round," Endeavor said. "His match with you should be a good testing ground to see how much training he has left. So… hit him hard. Don't disgrace yourself or him by holding back. That's all I wanted to say. I apologize for bothering you."

He was leaving. Ochako could hear his footsteps getting smaller. All she had to do was keep her mouth shut, and she could proceed, without incident. But… she couldn't.

She remembered what she told Todoroki when he talked to her. That neither his left or right side belonged to either one of his parents. Looks like it was time to practice her belief.

"Endeavor," she called out to him. "I am not All Might."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"And the same thing goes for Todoroki," she said, turning back around. "He may be your son, but he for sure is not you. Each one of us is our own person. Sure, our parents and mentors may influence us to a degree, but at the end of the day, we are still ourselves."

Endeavor narrowed her eyes at her, when… suddenly, his flames went out.

"Oh, dear. I seem to have walked in on something."

The two of them turned around, to see a smiling black-haired boy that Ochako recognized. "Endeavor, what are you doing here? Don't you know this area is for students and faculty only?"

"Who are you?" he asked. "Did you do something with my Quirk?"

"Oh, yeah, that was me. You won't be able to use it as long as I'm around you," Akatani said. "I suggest you head back to your box. Uraraka, you have a match to win, don't you?"

Ochako slowly nodded, as she left.

For some odd reason, she felt like Akatani had this covered.

"IT'S THE FIRST MATCH OF THE SECOND ROUND!!! IT'S THE QUEEN OF GRAVITY, OCHAKO URARAKA, VERSUS THE MASTER OF PUPPETS, HITOSHI SHINSO!!!"

I can't let him talk to me, Ochako thought to herself, as she stared at her friend on the other side of the arena. If I answer any of his questions, I'm probably done for.

She used the term "probably" because the alternative was what happened last time, where Ochako saw a bunch of shadowy figures, and she really didn't want to do that again.

"BUT WHO OF THESE TWO WILL ADVANCE TO THE NEXT ROUND?!"

"Hey, Uraraka!" Shinso called out to her. "I know you won't answer anything I say to you, and for good reason! But before we begin, just listen to what I have to say, all right?!"

The brown-haired girl nodded slowly, gesturing for him to continue.

"I know you can walk right through me with that awesome power of yours! But I still want to show the world what I can do, show them I'm more than my Quirk! I haven't told anyone, but I've been secretly training with Aizawa-sensei, learning how to actually fight!"

Wait, does he mean…?

"I want to show that to everyone. So, here's what I'm thinking: No Quirks. Just a normal brawl, with only our skills and bodies, no powers. Please nod if you accept!"

"ARE THE FIGHTERS READY?!"

Ochako was amazed by what she heard. Shinso wanted to show what he had learned to her. As equals. As friends. Who was she to reject that? She nodded instantly.

Shinso smiled. "I'm glad to hear that!"

"BEGIN!!!"

Ochako charged straight towards Shinso. To everyone's confusion, her familiar pink streaks of lightning were nowhere to be seen, as she prepared a normal punch straight for Shinso. However, Shinso blocked the obviously telegraphed punch, and hit her straight in the gut.

"WHAT?! NEITHER URARAKA NOR SHINSO ARE USING THEIR QUIRKS?!"

"It appears that this is a contest of physical strength," Eraserhead cut in. "And just to be clear to the audience, there are no rules against this. Students can or can't use any means of theirs to choose to win. These two simply wanted to fight more on fair grounds."

Shinso continued pummeling Ochako's stomach, but she wasn't letting go. Both her hands were gripping Shinso's body with a death grip, with the only exceptions being her pinkies.

She didn't want to accidentally activate her Quirk, after all.

Ochako knew that she couldn't beat Shinso if she let go. If what he said was true, then that meant he amped up his fighting skills after the USJ, while all Ochako did was train to take in greater bits of One For All's power. In Quirkless close quarters combat, he'd win.

Which meant she needed to make sure he didn't move!

Using all of her natural strength, she held onto Shinso, and rushed straight for the border of the arena. She spent ten months alongside him and Yui-chan hauling garbage, but she still did the brunt of the work. She needed to, in order to make sure her body was ready.

That meant, she was technically stronger than Shinso right now!

She could feel her purple-haired friend squirming to get out, and he did. Shinso managed to use his free hand to sock her in the face, freeing a bit more of him, before he proceeded to jump above Ochako with some improvised acrobatics, knocking her down to the floor.

He tried to overtake her, but Ochako slammed her shoe into his stomach, knocking him over. Shinso scrambled to get back up, and looked to see if he was still within bounds.

Ochako smiled. That was just the distraction she needed.

She ran forward, high on adrenaline, and socked Shinso straight in the chin.

BAM!

"SHINSO IS OUT OF BOUNDS!!! URARAKA MOVED ON TO THE NEXT ROUND!!!"

Ochako immediately collapsed, right next to Shinso. That boy knew how to throw his punches. "Owee…" she groaned. "You know, ugh… you almost got me…"

"I know," Shinso heaved. "If I had an extra week of training with Aizawa-sensei, I probably would have beaten you. Too bad the USJ cut my first week of extra training in half…"

"You're gonna be an amazing Hero when we graduate…"

"Same to you," he said, getting up. "Come on, let's go to Recovery Girl…"

"Sure," she said, grabbing his hand. "I feel like you might have cracked a rib…"

"And I feel like you might have cracked two of mine…"

The two of them proceeded to laugh all the way to Recovery Girl's clinic.

"Hi, there!" Akatani waved at Class 1-A. "Can I sit with you guys?"

"Huh?" Iida looked towards the black-haired student. "Well, I suppose –"

"Great!" Akatani cut him off, sitting down. Now, let's see what Quirks you all have…

"This is Carmilla. The snake is in the nest. Repeat, the snake is in the nest."

"Roger that, Carmilla," Tenko spoke into the radio. Switching channels, he said, "Kurogiri, it's Tomura. Carmilla's got what we needed. Time to warp in the distractions."

"Understood," the deep voice on the walkie-talkie said.

Soon enough, in several parts of the city, Kurogiri opened up warp gates, and a bunch of Nomu walked out. Three, specifically. The skinny four-eyed one, the tan one with the wings, and the creepy eyeless bastard, who kinda reminded Tomura of their Nomu from the USJ.

"Everyone, this is Tomura Shigaraki," the blue-haired teen spoke into his radio. "Kurogiri has warped the Nomu. Once they've drawn enough attention, we enter the building.

"Read you loud and clear," Hephausteus said.

"Yep yep!" Waverider responded.

As the rest of the League's members responded from wherever Kurogiri warped them, Tenko placed one of his fake hands on his face. The world couldn't know who he was, after all.

After all, Tenko Shimura supposedly died a long time ago.

Author's Note: Things are getting more intense, aren't they?

Even if most of the fights were kinda skippable, there's still plenty of meat on this story, from Endeavor interacting with Uraraka and Akatani, to Shinso's match with a One For All user, to whatever schemes Akatani is cooking up, we've got lots of stuff for you to talk about! But that's for the next chapter! Right now, we've got some comments!

Knightmare Lord: That's a pretty safe assumption to make, yeah.

EmilMobile: Okay, so I didn't see my laptop registering the first chapter, so I re-submitted it, hence the two chapters. Anyways, now that that's fixed, let's actually talk about it. One of the things I want to do with this series is, while making it follow canon, not to the letter. Hence, the Sports Festival, Hosu, and Final Exam will be similar, but the entire story will get completely derailed by the time Kamino rolls around. Todoroki is a bit more, I guess understanding, in this story due to the fact his beliefs almost got people killed, so I added a bit more nuance, I guess. Monoma is still Monoma no matter where he is, I suppose. Also, the whole joke with Aizawa and his multiple potential love children might have been due to my headcanon that he's a top bachelor within the Hero community, with Ms. Joke and Thirteen usually being the two people gunning for him the most.

And now, for the last bit of shilling…

If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is /3PFYSt8Dqz. You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

Thanks for reading, and once again, see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 17: The Green-Haired Child

Ochako and Shinso walked out of Recovery Girl's office, both somewhat sore. The two of them really did a number on each other, and they were starting to feel tired.

However, Ochako knew she had to keep going.

Walking back towards their spots, they noticed two things right away: One was that Bakugou was nowhere to be found, and the second, that Akatani was sitting with them.

"Hey there! Glad to see you're both still good!" Akatani waved at them.

"Oh, Akatani," Ochako said. "You're here? What about Endeavor –"

"Oh, yeah! The two of us came to a bit of an… understanding."

The brown-haired girl decided not to comment on that.

"Hey," Shinso greeted him. "Here to deactivate our Quirks again?"

"Nah, I already did that," the black-haired boy chuckled. "I'm actually here analyzing our Quirks. I already did Class 1-B's and I gotta say, yours are way more super cool!"

"Analysis, huh? That's pretty neat," Ochako said. "Have you done everyone?"

"Well, everyone except for the two of you, and Ka– er, I mean, Bakugou!" Akatani quickly said. "He already left for his next round by the time I came here for everyone else."

"Guess you'll just have to wait for him," Ochako said, sitting down.

Akatani scratched his hair. "Yeah, I guess you're right…"

"AND ON ONE SIDE, WE HAVE THE EXPLOSIVE POMERANIAN, KATSUKI BAKUGOU!!! AND ON THE OTHER, THE CHAOTIC TRICKSTER, NEITO MONOMA!!!"

Ochako smiled, as she sat down. "This should be interesting…"

Katsuki tuned out Present Mic's ramblings, as he focused on his opponent.

It was the smug-looking blond bastard from Class 1-B, Monoma. Katsuki never actually got to see what his Quirk was, since he was too busy trying to recover the points they lost to him during the second round. Plus, he was too busy hauling that pitch-black kid to Recovery Girl to see his match between Shoji, but given that he was here, meant that he won.

Which meant that he must have some really strong Quirk.

This was bad. Not only did Katsuki know what this guy's Quirk was, but the smug-looking bitch probably knew what Katsuki's was. He needed to end this quickly.

Tuning back in to what Present Mic was saying, he heard –

"BEGIN!!!"

BOOM!

Katsuki immediately launched himself towards the smug bitch with his explosions, before turning his arm towards Monoma's face and blowing him with a point-blank attack.

BOOOM!

"Man, are you really that mad over me stealing your points?"

Huh? The smoke cleared, and Katsuki could see that the prick had erected some sort of wall of solid air in time. So, his Quirk allowed him to use solid air. He could beat that.

"I mean, I know that you vowed to win the whole game, but this might be a bit overkill," Monoma continued. "Or are you just so hell-bent on getting revenge for your teammates?"

Katsuki simply said, "You talk too much."

"I suppose, that's true," he replied. "I mean, I know I can be wrong. The big guy I beat earlier showed me not everyone in Class A is an ass… but still… at least I'm right about you."

The explosive teen growed. "Huh? Whaddya talking about?"

"You have something to prove, don't you?"

Katsuki clicked his tongue at that. He didn't have time to be psychoanalyzed by some asshat, he had a Sports Festival to win. Launching himself with his explosions, he flew through the air again and tried to circumvent Monoma's air walls, and –

WHAM!

Katsuki grabbed his chin in pain. What the hell? Was he punched?! How –

"Or, right. You were too busy sending Kurorio to Recovery Girl to see my match, which means you don't know what my actual Quirk is, do you?" Monoma smiled, with his metal arm…

Wait… metal?

Katsuki stared in horror at what he saw in front of him. Green hair –

BOOOM!!!

Katsuki jolted in pain. That explosion, that was his…

"Wow, your Quirk is amazing," Monoma said, as he inspected his own hand, in which sparkes were crackling. "It's loud and flashy. Perfect for Hero work, wouldn't you agree?"

Katsuki could half-hear what the bastard was saying. He couldn't see Monoma in front of him. All he could see in front of him was a small kid with green curly hair and freckles.

"You're so lucky!"

He could hear his voice, the praise. Just like that of his teachers'.

"Impressive. I bet that's going to grow into an amazing Quirk."

"Definitely. A flashy Quirk for a future Hero! It's perfect!"

No. No, no, no, don't do that. You'll just give him an ego –

"Wow! You're so awesome!"

"Whatever! This is nothing!"

Playing ball? Skipping stones? He was great at everything.

"Geez, Izuku! You really can't do anything right, can you?"

No, NO! You had no right to make fun of him!

"Look, you can read the last part of Izuku's name as Deku!"

"Whoa, so you can read that?"

"Well, obviously. Deku… that must be what you call a helpless loser who's completely useless."

"Why are you being so mean, Kacchan?"

Katsuki couldn't focus. His mind wasn't on the match with Monoma, it was back in the past. Multiple Quirks? That could only mean one thing…

"Hey, did you hear? Deku doesn't have a Quirk! Like, none!"

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, it's called being Qurikless!"

You're a total failure, Deku…

SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH! If he could go back in time and scream that to his younger self, he would, but he couldn't. All he could do was watch his failures in front of him.

"Why are you being so mean? You're making him cry, Kacchan!"

He wasn't a Hero. He was a goddamn bully.

"If you keep on hurting him… I'll stop you myself!"

"You wanna pretend to be a Hero? You don't stand a chance without a Quirk… Deku."

His mind went back to the river he fell in, that fateful day. The others weren't really worried for him. He was Bakugou! He was invincible! And yet…

"Are you all right? Are you hurt? I was worried you might have hit your head, or something."

He offered his hand to him, and Katsuki took that as an act of aggression. He pounced, his arms grabbing him, and then… his Quirk was gone. Sparks crackled in his hands.

"What…?"

"Deku… GIVE ME BACK MY QUIRK!!!"

A late bloomer. One that could –

"RUN! HE'LL STEAL YOUR QUIRKS!"

"VILLAIN!!!"

NO, NO, NO! THEY WERE WRONG! HE WOULD NEVER! Never…

And then the news came in. Villain attack at the mall. Aunty was in a coma. And Deku… he was nowhere to be found. Gone for the next ten years. And deep down, Katsuki knew…

It was all his fault.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!"

Ochako knew something was wrong the moment Bakugou stopped firing off his explosions.

He wasn't fighting Monoma anymore. He was just standing there, taking the hits, his expression blank. No one knew what was going on. Even Present Mic was confused.

And then, he fell to the floor, and screamed.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!"

"Something's wrong," Ochako whispered, as she activated One For All.

"Wait, what are you –?!"

Too late. Before Shinso could even finish his sentence, the brown-haired girl leaped off the bleachers and fell into the arena, rushing towards her downed classmate.

She could hear Cementoss shouting to stop the match, and Monoma standing with a mix of confusion and worry in his face. Ochako ran into the arena, and kneeled down towards Bakugou. He was convulsing, like he was having some sort of panic attack.

And he was… repeating the word "Deku" over and over again.

"Stand clear!" Midnight commanded, as she ripped a small bit of her fabric, and let the gas spread on Bakugou's face, causing him to close his eyes. "Good, he's out cold."

"What happened?" Ochako asked.

"I don't know, maybe seeing Monoma triggered something. Please take him to Recovery Girl,'' Midnight said, standing up. "Ahem… MONOMA ADVANCES TO THE NEXT ROUND!!!"

Ochako nodded. They needed to make the crowd think that everything was fine. Using her Quirk, she lifted Bakugou and carried him towards the temporary infirmary.

Hopefully, he'll wake up soon.

"Ugh…" Katsuki goraned, as he woke up, only to see… Round Cheeks.

"Hey there," she said, in a quiet voice. "Don't worry, you're safe. You're in Recovery Girl's office. Could you please slowly breathe in and out for me through your nose?"

"I'm calm," he said. "I just… the prick triggered some old memories."

"I see… if you want to talk about it, I'm here. But if you don't want to, that's fine, too."

"Grrr… is the old hag anywhere within earshot?" the ash-blond asked.

"She's gone out for a bathroom break," Round Cheeks said. "It's just us."

Katsuki thought it over. His therapist said that talking about it could help. And well… "I guess it's fair. You had your secret spilled unwillingly, I guess I could at least tell you mine."

"You don't have to if you don't want to! That's perfectly fine –"

"Round Cheeks," he hissed. "Just… please, listen."

She was quiet for a few seconds, before nodding. "Okay."

"I'm…" Katsuki began. "I'm not a good person."

"What? What are you talking about? You're in the Hero Course –"

"Just let me finish. Please," he said. "Look… when I was younger… I had a childhood friend. Our moms were friends growing up, so it made sense that they'd have the two of us meet up, and… we were kinda inseparable. But then… my Quirk came in… and his didn't."

He could see her face shift in realization. "You bullied him."

Katsuki simply looked down in shame. "Yeah, I did. I thought that he was weak, and pathetic. For nearly a year, I laughed at his misfortune, called him a useless Deku, and beat him up. Just for not having something most of us take for granted. And then…"

"And then?"

"And then one day, I fell into a river. The others with me were laughing about it, but he… he went in and reached out his hand. Even after all the terrible shit I did to him, he still… wanted to help me. And my stupid self thought that he was looking down on me. So… I jumped him."

Round Cheeks didn't say anything.

"I grabbed him and… next thing I know, his Quirk activated. Turns out, he was a late bloomer. But… it just became worse. Everyone went from mocking him to being scared of him and his Quirk, that he was a Villain in the making. All because of me."

"One day, he and his mom went out shopping at the mall. A giant Villain ended up rampage there with some Trigger, the ceilings collapsed, and… Auntie was hit in the head with concrete. She was in a coma up until last year. Doctors don't even know how she woke up."

"And… What about your friend?" Round Cheeks asked. "Deku?"

"Dissappaeared off the face of the fucking earth," Katsuki said. "No one knows what happened to him. I've spent the last decade looking around for him on the streets, training to get into UA, to become a Hero, just to find him and tell him how sorry I am for everything, and –"

Before Katsuki could keep rambling, he felt Round Cheeks wrap around him.

She was giving him a hug.

"Wha… what are you doing…?" he asked, confused.

"You're not a bad person," she whispered.

"What?"

"I said you're not a bad person," she said, letting go. "Would a bad person feel bad for what they did? Would they keep searching for their old friend? Work their way into UA, to become a Hero, all to find their childhood friend and apologize to them?! No, they wouldn't!"

"But I… hurt him…"

"There's no denying that. Yes, you fucked up, and you hurt him, but you were a stupid kid, and clearly, you learned from it. So, in my book, you're not a bad person."

"Heh." Katsuki couldn't help but chuckle. "All Might really picked a good successor…"

"This isn't about me," she said. "This is about you. Do you… do you feel better?"

"A bit," Katsuki admitted. "Kinda sucks that I'm out of the game now, but… thanks for hearing me. Do me a favor and beat that blond prick for me, all right, Round Cheeks?"

"Ochako," she said. "Call me Ochako. Or if you prefer, Occhan."

"I… I'll consider it." Katsuki said, with a soft smile.

The brown-haired girl gave him a smile, as she walked out the door.

Hosu was in chaos. At least, the Heroes that were patrolling there.

Everyone had heard of what was happening on the other side of Tokyo, over at the main HPSC headquarters. Several Nomus, and possible sightings from the League of Villains.

Several of the faster Heroes went there as soon as they could.

Tensei Iida, better known as Ingenium, certainly tried.

"Squad A, head north! Squad B, huh –?!"

Running as fast as he could, he dashed through the streets, ordering his squads to make their ways towards the Commission building, before he noticed something in an alleyway.

A dark figure with a hunch, but the shape… he recognized him immediately.

Rushing back to where he saw him, Tensei grimaced underneath his mask. Several dozen other Heroes were heading to the Commission building, but he was the only one who saw him. Jumping over the buildings, Tensei made his decision. He had to stop him!

As he jumped down into the alleyway, Tensei did a quick one-over. Black and gray combat suit, red scarf and mask, lots of swords and knives. "No doubt about it. It's him!"

Landing in front of the Villain, Tensei Iida shouted, "I FOUND YOU, HERO KILLER!"

Akatani smiled, as he hid behind the corner of the hallway next to the clinic.

He made sure that Uraraka was gone before he headed back to the stadium himself. The matches were continuing without them, so she'd only show up when she was needed.

Still, their conversation was… something to hear, alright.

Earphone Jack was such an amazing Quirk! Even without the ability to blast soundwaves, the enhanced hearing alone was well worth stockpiling it! He was sure that it would come useful, and it had already proven itself now with the conversation between Uraraka and Kacchan!

And what a conversation he heard…

Kacchan… Akatani had to admit, it was nice to see that he matured, even if it was at a great cost. Still, the blond had the resolve to become a Hero and find his Deku.

And find his Deku, Katsuki Bakugou will. Just not in the way he expects.

All For One will make sure of that.

As Ochako was with Bakugou, the matches continued without them.

The next two rounds of the quarter-finals ended quickly.

Asui forfeited in her match against Todoroki due to his ability to generate ice, while Iida was easily able to beat Yanagi, due to her lacking anything for her Quirk to use.

With the quarterfinals out of the way, that now left only four people left for the semi-finals: Ochako Uraraka, Neito Monoma, Shoto Todoroki, and Tenya Iida.

When her fight was announced, Ochako headed out into the arena. It was her turn now.

"ON ONE SIDE, WE HAVE THE QUEEN OF GRAVITY, OCHAKO URARAKA! AND ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE HAVE THE LORD OF SMUG, NEITO MONOMA!!!"

"Hey, no hard feelings, right?" Monoma asked.

"Well, you did trigger some of my friend's bad memories, so I can't exactly do that," Ochako said, her face stone cold. "I'm going to beat the shit out of you and avenge him."

"Oh, well, I wish you luck with that!" Monoma smiled.

"BEGIN!!!"

Ochako's pink lightning flashed up as she ran towards Monoma, with the blond boy pulling up green scales from his arms and firing them, forcing the brown-haired girl to dodge.

He has the ability to copy other people's Quirks, Ochako thought to herself. But is there a time limit? I could try to keep him busy until his time runs up, but I'll need to be quick!

Ochako shook her head as she dodged even more scales. She had no idea if Monoma had a time limit, she needed to take him down right away! Rushing towards him, she dodged even more scales, before powering up her legs and jumping over the attacks.

"WHOA! URARAKA IS JUMPING OVER TO MONOMA!!!"

"GRAVITY… HAMMER!"

Ochako slammed her powered-up fist towards where Monoma was, but the blond boy dodged it beforehand, causing Ochako to only crack the arena beneath her. Using her legs, she kicked up towards Monoma, trying to use One For All to knock him out of the arena –

CRACK!

…only to hit glass floating in the middle of the air.

Monoma smiled. "Heh, I'll have to thank Tsuburaba and Rin after this!"

"LOOK AT THAT POWER AND SPEED!"

Before Ochako could react, Monoma had charged her, and touched her bare arm, her eyes widening in realization. He's copied my Quirk! No, no, no, this is bad!

"HAHA! NOW I HAVE YOUR OH-SO POWERFUL QUIRK! HOW DOES IT FEEL TO KNOW WHAT – Wait, what? Padded fingers?" Monoma stopped gloating as he examined his hands. "Hey, where's the super strength?! WHERE THE HELL IS THE SUPER STRENGTH?!"

Ochako's eyes widened as she realized what just happened. He copied Zero Gravity, but he couldn't copy One For All! I have to use this opening now!

"I don't get it… HUH?!"

Monoma felt himself get grabbed by the collar, as Ochako revved up her arm, used her Quirk, and flung the blond out of the arena, all while he screamed all the way to the earth.

"MONOMA IS OUT OF BOUNDS! URARAKA MOVES ON TO THE FINALS!!!"

In an alleyway in Hosu, Ingenium laid still, bleeding on the floor.

"Fame… money… That's what all of you that call yourselves "Heroes" are really after… but you bastards are no Heroes! Except him… the only one with permission to kill me…"

The Hero Killer, Stain, smiled, as he licked the blood of his blade.

"All Might is worthy."

"IIDA HAS BEEN IMMOBILIZED! TODOROKI ADVANCES TO THE FINALS!!!"

As Todoroki moved to melt the ice of Tenya, the glasses-wearing boy couldn't help but apologize to his older brother in his head. He wanted to do better than… this!

Tenya's plan was a solid one. Dodge the ice that Todoroki would make, and then rush him when there was an opening. Once that happened, stun him with a kick, and then drag the red-and-white boy out of bounds before the engines on Tenya's legs stalled.

Unfortunately, Tenya made the mistake of forgetting about Todoroki's own close-range attacks. His classmate had been doing so many ranged attacks during the Sports Festival, that it slipped Tenya's mind that Todoroki could cover things in ice simply by touching them.

Which happened to include the engine's on Tenya's legs, followed by his whole body.

Shaking off the last bit of ice from his body, Tenya gave Todoroki a respectful bow. He may have lost, but sportsmanship was still sportsmanship.

"OUR FINAL FIGHT WILL BE BETWEEN URARAKA AND TODOROKI!!!"

On his way back to his seat, he wondered what he'd do now. Maybe give Uraraka some encouragement before fighting Todoroki? Then again, she had One For All, if anyone in their class would be able to win against Todoroki, it would be her.

Still, it was somewhat hard to believe that such a Quirk existed. A power that can be passed down from person to person? It was fascinating that anyone could have been given such power. Still though, it was probably best that it was given to Uraraka, she certainly was worthy –

Tenya's thoughts stopped as he felt the phone in his pocket vibrate.

Mother?

Shaking his head, he pressed the call button.

"Hello, Mom? I hate to tell you this, but I lost."

"No, son. I'm not calling about that," his mother said. "I mean, I'm sorry, but Tenya… please listen carefully. It's your brother. A Villain got Tensei. Tenya? Are you still there?"

Tenya Iida said nothing, as his phone fell from his hands.

"WELCOME TO THE FINAL BATTLE OF THE UA HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS FESTIVAL!!! IN JUST A MOMENT HERE, WE'LL SEE WHICH STUDENT COMES OUT ON TOP!!!"

Ochako gulped, as she walked up to the arena, while Present Mic continued.

"YES, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS, FOLKS! FROM THE HERO COURSE OF CLASS 1-A, THE WOMAN OF STEEL, THE QUEEN OF GRAVITY, OCHAKO URARAKA!!! VERSUS, HER FELLOW CLASSMATE, THE FROZEN EMPEROR, SHOTO TODOROKI!!!"

As the crowds kept cheering, Ochako looked over to Todoroki.

"You know, I've been thinking about what you've said," the half-and-half haired boy said. "And I think that you were right. About me being my own person and whatnot."

"I'm glad to hear it." Ochako gave Todoroki a soft smile. "You don't have to use your fire just yet, if you don't want to. Endeavor tried to tell me to force them out of you, but I won't."

"He really went looking for you?" Todoroki sighed. "Talk about a waste of time."

Ochako lifted an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean?"

"He still wants me to use my flames, not knowing that I've already done it twice already," the peppermint-haired boy said. "But still, you have All Might's Quirk inside of you. If there was ever a time to use my full power, now would be pretty appropriate, I guess."

"AND… BEGIN!!!"

"Wait… are you serious –?!"

FWOOM!

Before Ochako could even finish her sentence, Shoto's right side erupted in flames. They were bright, they were colorful, and even with distance, Ochako could feel their heat.

"Yes, Uraraka," Todoroki said, smiling. "Yes, I am."

The city of Tokyo was quiet during the early mornings.

BOOOM!!!

Now? Not so much.

Several of the local Heroes right now were running around like headless chickens, trying to figure out what to do. Everyone was expecting some sort of attack, sure, but not here. They were expecting one at UA, hence why all of the security upgrades.

No one thought an attack would occur anywhere near the Hero Public Safety Commission.

"SKREEE–"

SHUNK!

Hawks grunted as he stabbed another feather inside of the Nomus. These bastards were tough. They could take down the average Pro, easily, but for someone like him? All he needed to do was figure out where their weakness was, and then take care of them.

Still, he couldn't help but feel that something was off.

As if… this was some sort of distraction.

Suddenly, Hawks realized something. Turning around, the No. 3 Hero looked around to see where they were. This was Tokyo. There were several things that could be targeted by the League of Villains. Might Tower, the Skytree, the National Diet Building, and the –

BOOOOOM!!!!!

The Hero Public Safety Commission.

Using his wings, Hawks flew as fast as he could to where the loudest of the explosions went off, ignoring the fires and Nomus raging around him. The other Heroes were professionals, they could take care of those things while he was gone. He kept flying, and flying, until…

…he arrived at the HPSC building.

The one that now had ice bursting out of it from the inside.

Author's Note: Yep. So, now you all know about Bakugou's backstory, and how Midoriya has gone missing. Meanwhile, all around them, massive things are happening!

In some real life news, I've created a Twitter for myself (my first one, actually). I'm gonna be posting some art of mine every now and then, so if you feel like following me, please head on over to ErnaloreProf. And now, for the comments!

Knightmare Lord: If you're referring to overall plans, then the last scene is what Tomura is working on. If you're referring to personal stuff, then I'm not sure how to answer that.

EmilMobile: Glad to see that I can still write random quotes that send people dying of laughter. I hope this new chapter has been as action-packed as you hoped. And I stand by you as another Eraserhead x Thirteen supporter!

Anyways, for the last bit of shilling! If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is /3PFYSt8Dqz. You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

Thanks for reading, and once again, see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 18: Clash of the Titans

There was once a boy who was born with an amazing gift.

"Honey… you still wanna be a Hero, don't you?"

A gift that he wished to reject, due to where he believed it came from.

"Please stop pushing him! He's only five years old!"

"Moronic woman… to hurt you at such an important time…"

"He can take it! Get out of my way!"

However, there were other people in his life, who showed him…

"THEY ARE YOUR FLAMES, SHOTO TODOROKI!!!"

"Maybe you got your sense of human decency from your mom?"

" I think you could use someone in your corner, too!"

…that he didn't have to wallow in his misery by himself. That he could choose to forge his own path; acknowledge both the good and the bad in his life, and simply be himself.

FWOOM!

"Yes, Uraraka," Todoroki said, smiling. "Yes, I am."

That boy's name… was Shoto Todoroki.

"HOLY HELL!!! FIRE RIGHT OUT THE GATE?! THIS IS AMAZING!!!"

Ochako had to admit, Present Mic was right about that part. The way Todorki's flames erupted from his body… it was like they painted the entire sky red. She was pretty surprised when she saw those flames, yeah, but what gave them a bigger impact was his smile.

Todoroki was smiling like a maniac. A really happy maniac.

"Wait, why aren't either of them moving?"

"They're both wary of each other," Eraserhead answered. "My guess is that Uraraka has been momentarily stunned by Todoroki's flames, while Todoroki is waiting to counteract Uraraka's first move. Both of them are acknowledging the other's power, and don't wanna risk anything."

Wow, Aizawa-sensei really had that much faith in her? Yeah, no. If she was being completely honest, she had no idea why she was frozen. Maybe she really was mesmerized by Todoroki's flames? Maybe she was trying to think of a strategy? She really had no idea.

However, she did snap out of whatever trance she was in when –

"SHOOOTOOOOO!!!!!"

– yeah, that happened.

"Have you finally accepted yourself?!" Endeavor shouted. "That's it! Good! It all starts from here for you! With my blood, you will surpass me… YOU WILL FULFILL MY DESIRE!!!"

"Endeavor suddenly shouts words of encouragement…? Such a doting father."

No, no, that's not what this is, Ochako thought to herself. Looking back towards Todoroki, she could see that his flames were diminishing. Endeavor was unwittingly putting them out!

She had to do something!

WHAM!

Activating One For All, she erupted in pink lightning and dashed to the other side of the arena, revving her fist and slamming it into Todoroki's gut, knocking him to the floor.

He skidded across the floor in pain, but wasn't thrown far enough to be out of bounds. He tried to gather his bearings. There were the people cheering, Present Mic, Endeavor –

"TODOROKI!!!"

The peppermint-haired boy looked up to see Ochako, her face serious.

"Focus on me."

"Wh-what…?"

"Focus on me," she said. "You want to truly go all out? Then you ignore the people, ignore the announcer, ignore your shitty father, AND YOU FOCUS ON ME!!!"

Ochako prayed that her strategy worked. If it didn't, then there was a good chance Todoroki would retreat back into his shell. But as the boy remained silent, he stood up, despite the pain to his stomach, as he looked straight at Ochako and said, "As you wish."

And that was when both the fire and ice erupted out of him.

BOOOOOM!!!

"Ugh… What the hell is going on?"

"Easy there, sonny," Recovery Girl said, as Katsuki laid on the bed. "You ended up dozing off while the young lady left. You might have a bit of a headache due to dehydration –"

"What?!" Katsuki shouted, getting up. "When did she leave?!"

"Calm down, boy!" the old lady said. "She left for her final round! It's happening right now!"

The ash-blond couldn't believe what he was hearing. Round Cheeks – no, Ochako had made it all the way to the final match… AND HE WASN'T THERE TO WITNESS IT?!?!

Hell no.

"Wait, what are you –?!"

Getting up from the bed, he ignored Recovery Girl's shouts about being unbalanced, blah, blah, blah, he had a mental breakdown, he wasn't physically injured. Which meant that he was going to see the final match, even if the old lady tried to kick his shins in!

Thankfully, it didn't come to that. She just kept shouting at him from the end of the hallway as he kept running off. Turning a few corridors, he made his way to the floor everyone else was seated at, made his way to the entrance and… saw the girl in the center of a sun.

Ochako wasn't thinking. No, now, she was… feeling.

She didn't know what happened. Maybe it was her survival instincts kicking in, maybe it was her desire to win, to make All Might proud, to… show her parents that everything would be okay… but whatever it was, it made One For All kick into high gear.

She was now using One For All at twenty percent.

She could feel her bones creaking, her muscles screaming at her, but she couldn't stop. Her mind was barely registering the pain, registering anything… all she could think was two words:

Keep going.

As Todoroki turned himself into a tornado of fire and ice, letting debris fly all around the stadium, she acted on instinct. Ochako didn't know how to explain it, but she could "feel" all the debris, like they… like they were in her orbit. Acting on impulse, she increased the gravity in her left arm, bringing all of the flying debris towards her, before suddenly launching it.

BOOOOOM!!!

A new move? Cool.

Todoroki, on the other end, switched his tactics, from becoming a tornado, to simply throwing his ice and fire at her, like projectiles. Decreasing her weight, Ochako began to zip and zoom between his elemental missiles, trying to kick Todoroki out of the ring.

The peppermint-haired boy dodged, as Ochako ended up having to redirect herself. Falling back down onto the platform, she dug her fingers into the cement, and using both One For All and Zero Gravity, she ripped the earth out from underneath her.

She launched the massive debris straight towards Todoroki, who erected a massive iceberg to save himself. It worked, but the iceberg itself shattered from the sheer impact.

Just the distraction Ochako needed.

The brown-haired girl ran as fast as her power would allow her, as she leapt across the arena, almost as if flying through the air, heading straight towards Todoroki like a pink missile.

As the son of Endeavor erected a second iceberg, it came into contact with the ninth wielder of One For All, the pink lighting having now engulfed her entirely. She no longer looked human. She now looked like a being made of pure light. Like a living goddess.

Neither of them could hear Midnight or Cementoss shouting at them to stop the match. They were too invested into their battle. The unstoppable force versus the immovable object.

And then, there was white.

It was official: These kids were insane.

Nemuri made that judgment call the second the two of them ignored her and she was blown away by the wind and debris. Thankfully, it seemed that no one was injured.

Well, minus herself. The back of her head was probably bruised now.

Hopefully, Hisashi and Shouta could explain what the hell happened.

"What happened just now…? What the heck is up with your students?!"

"The air around the ring had been cooled down and then rapidly expanded when heated up," Shouta explained. "Plus, that super-powered gravity didn't help."

"Wait, that's what caused the explosion?!" Hisashi shouted, getting back up. "How hot did that fire get?! Geez, I can't see a thing! IS THE MATCH STILL GOING ON, OR WHAT, HUH?!"

Oh, right, the match. Nemuri could see that there was smoke still coming off of the arena. She honestly hoped that those two kids didn't have any more fight left in them.

With the smoke now gone, Nemuri could see… that Todoroki was out of bounds. He had been knocked all the way to the wall, and collapsed unconscious. And as for Uraraka…

She was still in the arena. She somehow looked worse than Todoroki, her arms would need some care from Recovery Girl, but she was standing, within bounds.

And that's when she moved.

Slowly, Uraraka lifted up her left arm, and made it into a fist.

Nemuri, along with anyone else seeing this, was silent. She was silent at the testament of this girl's iron will. Silent at this girl, who did something that hadn't been done since All Might.

She raised her fist. She told the world she was here.

Shaking her head, the dark-haired woman knew she still had a job to do.

"TODOROKI IS OUT OF BOUNDS! THAT MEANS… URARAKA IS THE WINNER!!!"

As the crowds cheered, she could hear Hisashi take over once again.

"AND WITH THAT, THE FINAL MATCH IS OFFICIALLY OVER!!! THE FIRST YEARS CHAMPION OF THE UA SPORTS FESTIVAL IS… OCHAKO URARAKA!!!"

Ochako stayed in place, as she looked at the other runner-ups.

It had been around half an hour since both she and Todoroki were sent to Recovery Girl, with the old lady scolding both of them for going all-out as they did.

And now, they were underground, waiting for Midnight to call them out.

"All of the first year events for this year's UA Sports Festival have been completed!" Midnight announced, smiling. "And now, we will begin the award ceremony!"

Ah, good timing.

Everyone in the stands was in awe of the fireworks going off, along with the cheerful music and the confetti. But then again, it was the Sports Festival, so it was bound to make people excited, even if it was the ending. Even the Hero Course students were in a giddy move.

Everyone watched in a mix of awe as the podiums rose up from the floors, revealing the winners: Neito Monoma, Shoto Todoroki, and Ochako Uraraka.

"Cool…" Yui murmured.

"You're right about that one," Akatani said.

"They don't seem all that happy to be on stage," Tokoyami said.

"Maybe it's just stage fright?" Kendo suggested.

As Ochako overheard her classmates, she had to admit, Kendo's idea was pretty solid right now. She had just won. In front of the entire television world. Wow. She actually did what All Might asked of her, and let the entire world know that she was here.

So… Now what?

"In addition to Monoma, Iida is also in third place, but he left early for family reasons. Thank you for understanding!" Present Mic announced, as Midnight took over.

"Now, we will award the medals! The presentation will, of course, be by this man –"

"HAHAHAHAHA!!!"

As the shadow of a familiar musculature figure with two iconic tufts popped up from the edge of the stadium, the crowd went wild. The Symbol of Peace jumped down, shouting –

"I… HAVE BROUGHT THE MEDALS HERE!!!"

"- our very own No. 1 Hero, All Might! Oh… I talked over you…"

Regardless, the crowd ate it up.

"This year's kids are so lucky!"

"They've got All Might watching over them!"

Deciding to just ignore her previous blunder, Midnight brought the tray with the medals towards her colleague. "Now then, All Might, please present the medals, starting with third place."

"Hahaha!" As he laughed, All Might took the bronze medal and hung it over the third place winner. "Young Monoma, congratulations! Your Quirk is pretty strong!"

"Oh, thank you, All Might." The blond smiled smugly at that. "You are too kind."

As the Symbol of Peace hugged Monoma, he continued. "However, in order to fight well in different scenarios, you must not rely solely on your Quirk. If you train your own strength more, then you'll have more options when you fight. Do you understand?"

"Uh, yes, sir?"

Moving on to Todoroki, All Might placed the silver medal on the boy, and said, "Young Todoroki, congratulations. I'm assuming there was a reason for going all out in the final match?"

"It was my match with Uraraka, someone who… helped me figure something out," the peppermint-haired boy said. "I think I understand why you chose her. I wanted to be a Hero like you when I was younger, but… until I figure the rest of me out, she'll be there. Always."

Smiling a little more genuinely now, All Might noticed something about Todoroki's appearance before hugging him. "The look on your face is completely different from before. I won't ask you for details, but I'm sure you'll be able to do what you need to do."

"Yes, sir."

"Now then, young Uraraka!"

Ochako looked up to the man that had been her mentor for the last year now. Even if he was wearing his unusual trademarked smile, she could tell that he was truly happy.

"I'm so proud of how far you've come."

Ochako couldn't help but tear up. "Thank you, Yagi-sensei."

Nodding approvingly, All Might placed the golden medal around her neck, and hugged her. "No, thank you, young Uraraka. I can now rest easy knowing that when the time comes for me to leave, you will be there, young Uraraka. Shining brighter than I ever could."

Ochako couldn't say anything as she began to cry. There were so many emotions in there. Tears of sadness, knowing that All Might would be gone, tears of fear, wondering if she would have to do it all alone, and tears of joy, for her sense of accomplishment.

But as she was in her own little world, the show continued on.

"HERE THEY ARE, THE WINNERS OF THIS YEAR'S SPORTS FESTIVAL!!!" All Might boomed into the microphone. "But listen closely! Any of you first years could have ended up standing on these podiums! Think about what you've done today! You've challenged each other, learned, and climbed even closer towards your goals of being Pros! I think the next generation of Heroes is proving to be the most promising one yet! So I have one more thing to say!"

As All Might lifted his finger into the air, the entire stadium was getting excited, knowing what was coming. "EVERYONE, SAY IT WITH ME! YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS!!!"

"""PLUS ULTRA!!!!!"""

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK!!!"

The entire stadium was silent… for about five seconds.

Then the booing began.

"Nice work," Eraserhead told his students, smiling on the inside. "You have the next two days of school off to recuperate. I'm sure the Pros who watched the Festival will want to recruit some of you. We'll look over the draft forms and update you when we return. Get some rest."

"""Yes, sir."""

Shouta nodded in approval. Good. With that, he dismissed his class, and left for the hallways. He may have been more tired than usual, but he still needed to meet up with Emi. Something told him that her looking after Eri in the stadium all day by herself made her –

"Eraserhead."

The Underground Hero turned around to see that Nedzu was walking up to him, his face grim. That was a bad sign. A very bad sign. "Is there something wrong, sir?"

"Indeed, there is," the rat said. "The League of Villains attacked the HPSC building."

Welp. Looks like this night just got longer. Way longer.

As Shoto walked out of the UA grounds, he stopped in his tracks.

His father was here. Wonderful.

"What's the matter? Not gonna tell me to get lost?" Endeavor asked, with an uncharacteristic smile. He looked… almost decent. "You need to learn to control your left side. It's dangerous to release so much energy like that. But I'm glad you're finally seeing reason. Now that you've abandoned your childish rebellion, we can get back to what's important."

Seeing reason? Shoto wondered. I guess that's one way to put it.

Sticking his hand out, as if expecting to be shook, Endeavor continued, "After you graduate, you'll work by my side. I'll lead you down the path of the mighty, Shoto."

The mighty? Alright. Shoto figured that now was as good a time as ever to tell his dear old dad a couple of truth bombs about what actually happened. Might be fun to watch.

"I've actually used my flames before my fight with Uraraka. Twice, actually."

"Really?" Endeavor asked, somewhat caught off-guard. "That's, uh, that's great –"

"I wasn't done," the peppermint-haired boy cut him off. "The first time was at the USJ, under force. If I didn't, there was a good chance my classmates would have died. By Touya."

That threw his father for a loop. "What? What are you talking about –"

"Touya's alive, father. He's alive, and he's sided with the Villains. Oh, and he also has an ice Quirk. He and his partner were using it to try and freeze us to death."

Shoto could watch as the gears in his father's head turned, his face trying to go through the five stages of grief, only to be stuck in denial. In fact, now that he imagined it, it looked like his father's brain was making that dial-up sound. This was actually quality entertainment.

Eventually, Endeavor rubbed the temples of his head, trying to make sense of what the fuck he just heard. "Okay, I'm calm. Shoto, is there a reason why you didn't tell anyone?"

"I wanted to find out the truth of what happened by myself, but I've realized now that I have no idea where to start looking. So, I've decided to make it your problem, too."

Shoto watched as his father went slack-jaw. He really wished he had some popcorn.

"I see…" Endeavor said, regaining his composure. "So, to recap… Touya is alive, he was with the Villains at the USJ, he has an ice Quirk, and he attempted to murder you…?"

"Actually, I don't think he was actively trying to kill me," Shoto corrected him. "I would have been fine if I used my flames sooner, but it took a shouting match between the two of us, and him telling me that my flames are mine and not yours, to actually get anything done."

"Your flames…?"

"Yep. My flames. And seeing that Touya swapped out his old Quirk for his new one, I guess he was right. Meaning that you had nothing to do with me using my flames. Like, at all."

Endeavor remained silent, as Shoto walked away.

"I'm gonna take the bus home. Later."

As Shoto left, he smiled. Perhaps he should have done this sooner.

Walking towards home, Ochako couldn't help but examine her medal.

Solid gold. Wow.

It was nice, sure, but a part of her wondered if… if this whole Sports Festival was a good idea. Having all of the students compete with each other just to get a place on the podium, it… sounded an awful lot like the Hero Rankings. And sure, All Might was always first, but…

"Make sure to not do things alone, otherwise you'll end up like your master."

She still remembered All For One's words. How that man was able to throw All Might of all people into the pavement. Sure, her mentor was out of time, but that was because All For One planned for it. He staged the entire USJ just to prove a point.

She couldn't do things alone.

But how could she not do things alone, when only one of the events within the Sports Festival had to do with teams. And even then, they were still fighting other teams!

Couldn't everyone see that they were all on the same team?

Unlocking her front door, she couldn't help but think that –

""OCHAKOOOOO!!!!!""

WHAM!

As her parents tackled her into a bear hug (again), Ochako figured that she deserved some celebration. She won the Sports Festival. And sure, there was still the looming threat of All For One, but she was still a kid! She had at least some time before graduation, right?

Right?

Tenya had finally arrived at the Hosu General Hospital.

Rushing through the hallways and up the flights of stairs as fast as he could without his Quirk, he could see his mother in one of the corridors, sitting by herself. "Mom? Mom!"

"Oh, Tenya…"

"How is Tensei doing?!" When his mother didn't respond, he decided to go into the room to see for himself. Opening the door, what he saw was… heartbreaking.

Tensei didn't look like the Hero he was supposed to be. He looked like a patient at death's door, covered in scars and bandages, with a mask helping him breathe. Even with his physique, all of these machines and tubes stuck to his body, it made him seem so… vulnerable.

"The anesthesia has worn off, but he's still in and out," the nurse explained to the family. "If the surgery had happened any later, I don't think he would have made it."

That's when Tensei opened his eyes.

"Little brother… is that you…?"

It was gut-wrenching to hear his mother fall to the floor, crying. But Tenya had to be strong. "Tensei, you're gonna be fine!" he said, approaching his brother's bed.

"Sorry… I'm supposed to be someone you can look up to… and respect…" Tensei said, through his raspy breath. "But look at me… Tenya… little brother… I'm so sorry… I failed you…"

"TENSEI!!!"

He couldn't do it. He couldn't be strong. In that one moment of weakness, his entire worldview was shattered. All Tenya Iida could do now was cry.

All while the Hero Killer roamed free.

It had now been twenty-four hours since the Sports Festival.

The majority of the news was split between two stories: The first was obviously about the Sports Festival, but the second had to do with something about the HSPC headquarters. No one really knew what, since the government had placed a gag order on the press.

Still, Shoto didn't really care. There were more important things to do.

"Shoto, where are you going?" Fuyumi asked.

"The hospital."

"What? All of a sudden? Why? Wait, Shoto, is it okay not to tell Dad?"

"Yeah, he's… busy."

Busy trying to figure out where Touya has been hiding all these years.

"Why do you want to see Mom now, after all this time?" his sister asked.

Shoto… didn't have an answer for Fuyumi. At least, not one he could put in words. What could he tell her? Eventually, he decided to go with, "I'll be back," and left.

As he walked through the suburbs of his neighborhood, his mind couldn't help but wander back to the day his mother lost it. Crossing the busy street, he remembered how she said he and his siblings looked more and more like Endeavor. But then, arriving at the hospital…

Back then, when she was first sent here, he thought that his presence would be bad for her, mentally speaking. That's why he never visited her. But now?

As he spoke with the front desk and made his way towards her door, he kept thinking about why he wanted to be a Hero. Was it really just one reason? Or was it many?

Uraraka had multiple reasons to be a Hero. She wanted to both make people smile and provide an easy life for her parents. Who's to say Shoto couldn't have multiple reasons, too?

"It's okay for you to become who you want to be."

As he opened the door to his mother's room, Shoto Todoroki knew he still had a lot to figure out about himself. It wouldn't all be resolved with just one fight with Uraraka.

But at least now… he knew he was in the right direction.

"Hi… Mom."

As he watched his mother turn around and give him a soft smile, he knew, somewhere deep down… that everything would be okay now. Why? Because he was here.

For the first time in a decade, he was with his mother.

As Katsuki brushed his teeth in his bathroom, he thought about what he told Uraraka.

Not a bad person, huh? Guess I'll make sure that's true… Ochako…

Author's Note: And with that, the Sports Festival is officially over!

Uraraka has won, Endeavor has a lot to think about, and Iida is gonna do something reckless! But for now, it's time for the comments! Let's go see them!

Knightmare Lord: While that would totally be something canon All For One would do, this time around, it was just a series of unfortunate events. Still, a good theory.

DevilJoker: I swear I've seen this comment before.

MrMateusz: Ah, a new commentator! Excellent! I'm glad you're seeing the unintended actions of our little mastermind's actions. And don't worry, everything gets explained in the future, including Kodai's intense hatred for Bakugou, given that she only knew whatever interactions Izuku told her about, mostly due to the fact that Izuku was a late-bloomer (around the age of six or so), which gets explained later on.

Babadaddy: I might actually add that tag, but only reluctantly, because what Izuku has might actually be wor4se than All For One. Still, glad you're enjoying my work.

EmilMobile: Yeah, the last chapter was pretty bloated. I've started sprinkling the seeds of the upcoming relationships, Todoroki is gonna be getting lots of fun character development, and Hosu is gonna go down similar to canon, with two glaring exceptions, and one of them has to do with your favorite UA spy! See you then!

VinHD15: I didn't mean to do that, but I'm glad I did, anyway.

StopIt GetSomeHelp (Guest): Yes, most of this is cross-posting from my side, but I don't believe it's that big of a problem, I've been doing it like this for over two years, and I'm too ingrained to change it now. And besides, I've seen people place their Author's Note in the beginning of their chapters, in their main body, so it's fine.

And now, for the last bit of shilling…

If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is /3PFYSt8Dqz. You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

Thanks for reading, and once again, see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 19: Hero Names and Internships

"Hey, you! Excuse me! You're Uraraka from Class 1-A!" Ochako looked to see a businessman giving her a thumbs-up. "Great job in the Sports Festival! I rooted for you!"

The weirdest thing about going to school two days later, in Ochako Uraraka's opinion, was the fact that everyone now knew who she was, thanks to the Sports Festival.

Especially those on her subway commute to school.

"You were in first place, right?"

"That's so impressive!"

"She's shorter than I imagined…"

"Yeah, I can tell you really wanna be a Pro one day!"

"KEEP TRYING FOR IT, HERO!!!"

"I will!" she said, blushing nervously. "Thanks!"

"Ugh… I barely feel like I'm awake…"

As Ochako walked up the rainy street to reach UA, she thought back over what happened during the last two days. After her parents threw her a massive party, she just wanted to relax. Sleep in, stuff her face, maybe text her Yui-chan and Shinso, stuff like that.

Instead, her dreams decided to take a wild turn.

She remembered waking up in some sort of black void, with the only things there besides herself were eight other figures. She recognized them as the ones from back during the Quirk Assessment Test when Shinso was controlling her, but now, they were more clear.

She couldn't exactly make out the details on all of them, but the two that were the easiest to see were the black-haired woman in the white cape, and the white-haired guy with green eyes.

They were saying something, but… she couldn't remember what.

Then, when she woke up, everything in her room was floating.

And aside from the fact that sleeping was now possibly causing these oddly stressful scenarios, she had people all around her chatting her up about the Sports Festival victory.

So, yeah, feeling barely awake was probably an appropriate feeling.

Maybe I should tell All Might about this…?

"Good morning, Uraraka!"

Turning around, Ochako saw that Iida was running up the hill in a green poncho and knee-high boots. "Whoa, Iida! You really went all-out with the rain gear!"

"Why on Earth are you walking so slowly?!" he asked. "You'll be late!"

"Late? But there's still five minutes until the first bell!"

"UA students should always arrive ten minutes early, don't you think?!"

Getting inside the building, Ochako shaked the rain off of her umbrella, as she watched her bespectacled classmate put away his boots in his locker. "So, Iida –"

"If it's about my brother, don't be concerned. Everything will be fine."

It was no secret that Ingenium was attacked by the Hero Killer during the Sports Festival. Hell, it was no secret that there was some sort of Villain attack on the HSPC building at the same time, an attack that the organization itself was causing a media blackout about.

Ochako wanted to believe Iida, but she couldn't.

His smile, it was too fake… like All Might's.

As the last of the students walked in, they could hear their classmates talking about the one thing that had been on everyone's mind for the entire weekend: The Sports Festival.

"It's different when they broadcast the matches on TV after all, huh?" Class 1-A's resident pink girl, Mina Ashido, said. "So many people talked to me on my way here!"

"Yeah, me, too!" Kirishima agreed.

"People were staring at me, too. It was kind of embarrassing!"

"Isn't that normal for you, Hagakure?" Ojiro asked.

"After just one day, we've suddenly been thrust into the spotlight, huh?"

Kodai had to agree with Kaminiari. "Mm. UA is pretty amazing."

"Morning." Opening the door, Eraserhead could see everyone scrambling to their desks. Huh, less than three seconds. They were actually improving. "We have a big class today on Hero Informatics. You need code names. Time to pick your Hero identities."

The entire class cheered at the mention of Hero names. Gone was the creeping horror that it might have been a quiz, now replaced with something totally awesome.

Their teacher gave them a glare to silence the cheers, before continuing, "This is related to the Pro Hero draft picks that I mentioned the last time we were in class together. Normally, students don't have to worry about the draft yet, not until their second or third year, actually, but your class is different. In fact, by extending offers to you, Pros are investing in your potential. Any offers can be rescinded if their interest in you dies down before graduation, though."

"So, what you're saying is we'll still have to prove ourselves after we've gotten recruited?" Hagakure asked, her visible form still throwing the others for a loop.

Aizawa-sensei, however, didn't seem fazed.

"Correct. Now, here are the totals for those of you who got offers," Aizawa-sensei said, as he showed a list on the board. "Despite these results, you'll all be interning with Pros, got it? Even the ones who didn't get any offers."

"Oh, so we're all interning?"

"Yes. You've already experienced combat with real Villains during the attack on the USJ facility, but it'll still be helpful to see Pros at work. Up close, on the field, first-hand.

"And for that, we need Hero names!" Sato cheered.

"These Hero names will likely be temporary, but take them seriously, or –"

SLAM!

"YOU'LL HAVE HELL TO PAY LATER!!! What you pick today could be your codename for life! You better be careful, or you'll be stuck with something utterly indecent!"

Huh, I guess Midnight is helping us with these names.

"Yeah, she's got a good point. Midnight is going to have final approval over your names. It's not my forte," Aizawa-sensei said, grabbing his sleeping bag. "The name you give yourself is important. It helps reinforce your image, and shows what kind of Hero you wanna be in the future. A codename tells people exactly what you represent. Take "All Might" for example."

All Might, huh? Ochako wondered as she grabbed the board that was passed to her. I guess that's true. His name does embody everything he is… but as for me…?

Five minutes later, Eraserhead was already asleep. Leaving Midnight with complete control of the classroom. "Now, students, who among you is ready to share?"

Kirishima's jaw dropped. WE'RE PRESENTING THESE?!

Oh, great, who's got the balls to go first?! Sero wondered.

Evidently enough, it was Aoyama.

"Hold your breath…" the blond said, as he raised his board into the air. "The Shining Hero: My name is "I Can Not Stop Twinkling"! Mon ami, you can't deny my sparke."

If looks could kill, all of Class 1-A would have been charged with Aoyama's murder.

"It'll be better this way," Midnight said, grabbing the board and scribbling on it. "Take out the I and and shorten the "can not" to "can't." There, "Can't Stop Twinkling"! Much better!"

"It's stunning, mademoiselle."

"Okie-dokie, let me go next!" Ashido said. "My code name: Alien Queen!"

"Hold on! Like that horrible monster with acidic blood?! I don't think so!"

The pink-skinned girl pouted. "Dang it…"

Jiro, along with a few others, felt the sweat dripping from their skin. Since the first two were so weird, now I feel like I have to come up with something really clever now…

"Ribbit, I think I've got one," Asui said, raising her hand. "Okay if I got next?"

"Come on up!" Midnight pointed at her.

On the podium, Asui presented her name, her face as neutral as ever. "I've had this name in mind since grade school. The Rainy Season Hero: Froppy."

"That's delightful!" the R-Rated Hero cheered, clapping her hands. "It makes you sound approachable! What a great example of a name everyone will love!"

That made the rest of the class smile.

"""FROPPY! FROPPY! FROPPY! FROPPY! FROPPY! FROPPY! FROPPY!"""

Finally, a normal one… Thanks, Froppy.

"I've got mine, too!" Kirishima said, as he slammed his card down onto the podium, wearing a semi-confident smile. "The Sturdy Hero: My name is Red Riot!"

"Red Riot? Interesting, you're paying homage to the Chivalrous Hero: Crimson Riot, yes?"

"That's right," the spiky red-haired student said, scratching his head. "He may be kind of old-school, but someday I wanna be just like he was, Crimson Riot is my idol."

"If you're bearing the name of someone you admire, you have that much more to live up to."

"I accept the challenge."

Kaminari sighed. "Man, I still haven't thought of anything that's cool enough."

"Hey, I've got one," Jiro said. "How does "Jamming-Yay" sound to you?"

"Oh! It's like Hemmingway who wrote A Farewell to Arms, right? You're clever! I like it!"

"No," the purple-haired girl corrected him, holding her mouth from letting out a laugh. "It's because, even though you're powerful… you always… jam your brain!"

"OH, COME ON, JIRO!" Kaminari barked. "QUIT MESSING WITH ME!"

She just ignored him with a smile, as Jiro walked up to the podium and presented her name. "The Hearing Hero: I'm Earphone Jack."

"Now that's a good one!" Midnight said.

The rest of them went by pretty quickly.

"The Tentacle Hero: Tentacole," Shoji said.

"Oh, I like what you're doing with that, a nice portmanteau!" Midnight said.

"The Taping Hero: Cellophane!" Sero smiled.

"That's on the nose! Good work!"

Ojiro was next with, "Martial Arts Hero: Tailman!"

"There's no surprise with that one, I guess!"

Then came Sato. "I'm the Sweets Hero: Sugarman!"

"Perfect!"

"PINKY!!!" Ashido shouted, her fist in the air.

"Make those looks work for you, girl!"

After that, it was Kaminari. "Stun Gun Hero: I am Chargebolt! Electric, don't ya think?"

"Makes me all tingly!"

Then Hagakure. "The Stealth Hero: Invisible Girl!"

"That really suits you! Now come on, who's gonna step up next?!"

"I hope that I can live up to this name," Yaoyorozu said. "The Everything Hero: I'm Creati!"

"Creative!"

"Shoto."

"Just your name?" Midnight gave Todoroki a questioning look. "Is that it?"

"Uh-huh," Todoroki said. "Trust me, it's an inside joke with one of my family members."

After that was Tokoyami. "Jet-Black Hero: Tsukuyomi!"

"Ah, god of the night!"

"I'm the Size Hero: Rule," Kodai said, her face as expressionless as ever.

"Very catchy!"

Koda didn't say anything, but his name, Petting Hero: Anima, said it all.

"Yep!" Midnight smiled, giving her thumbs-up. "All about it!"

"The Hypnosis Hero: Mindblank," Shinso said.

Midnight gave it a questioning look. "I'm gonna say that one is –"

"Perfect," Eraserhead cut her off. "It's absolutely perfect."

The purple-haired boy smirked at that. "Thanks, sensei."

"Okay, my turn," Bakugou said, standing up. "This is the name I chose…"

Ochako did a double-take as she read Bakugou's Hero name.

Kacchan.

"It's a lovely name," Midnight said. "But… what's its origin?"

The explosive blond was quiet for a second, before saying, "It's a name someone gave me when I was younger. I'm gonna be an Underground Hero, so it makes sense to use it."

"Dissappaeared off the face of the fucking earth," Katsuki said. "No one knows what happened to him. I've spent the last decade looking around for him on the streets, training to get into UA, to become a Hero, just to find him and tell him how sorry I am for everything, and –"

Ochako remembered what Bakugou told her back during the Sports Festival. He was still looking for his friend, for this… Deku. And he would use that nickname to find him.

And that made her smile.

To be honest, choosing names is going faster than I thought it would," Midnight said. "All we have left are Iida and… oh, yes! Uraraka, too!"

Tenya didn't hear his teacher, as he kept staring at his paper.

His mind was elsewhere. In the recent past.

"Tenya… I wasn't sure if I wanted to say anything yesterday…" Tensei said, as he laid there on the bed, machines beeping around him. "But I… I can't feel my legs… they're useless…"

"What?! No way!"

"Yeah… I think the Hero Ingenium is finished, at least for me."

"No! You still have so many people you need to help and inspire, brother! This can't be true!"

"I'm sorry… I'm afraid it is…" Tensai said, opening his eyes, and looking right at his younger brother. "That's why… I want you to take the name… Will you do that… for me, Tenya?"

Tenya shook his head out of his thoughts, as he started writing his brother's Hero name on the whiteboard. But as he was finishing the first syllable, he… stopped.

No… I'm still…

Shaking, he closed his eyes and erased the letters in shame.

He couldn't do this. Not yet. He couldn't live up to his brother's expectations, not until he did something to make this right. Walking up to the podium, he placed his board down.

"You're using your real name, too?" Midnight asked.

Tenya didn't have the heart to reply.

Ochako silently watched as Iida walked back towards his desk.

"Well, Uraraka, are you ready?" Midnight asked.

"Oh, yes!"

She knew couldn't think about Iida now. Right now, it was her turn.

Walking up to the podium, she wondered if she was doing the right thing with her name choice. Looking towards her classmates, she said, "When I was a little girl, I had a bunch of Hero names based on my Quirk, "Gravity Girl," and stuff like that. I wanted to keep that part in my name, but… there's more to me now that just the Quirk I was born with."

Flipping her board, she revealed her name to the others.

"Whoa, are you sure about that?" Kaminari asked nervously.

"Yeah," Kirishima agreed. "I mean, trying to be just like All Might –"

"I'm not trying to be just like All Might," Ochako corrected them. "Yes, I have his Quirk, and I am his successor, but… I'm going to be better than him. Surpass him. All Might was a symbol for the times when we couldn't rely on Heroes. I want to be a symbol for now, to show the world that the likes of All For One won't fill our world with despair. Not as long as I'm around."

"You didn't know why you wanted to be a Hero, but you tried to save that kid, anyway. You acted like a Hero willing to save everyone and anyone! A true Hero!"

"And while it is true that there will be times where you can't save everyone, with my power, you will at least get a bigger chance at it! You could be a Hero who would be able to achieve any goal you put your mind to, and make things better! If you could inspire me to act, you can inspire so many other Heroes! Where I can only save people physically, I believe that you save people in more ways! I believe that you can be the good change the Hero world so desperately needs!"

As she remembered All Might's words the day they met each other, she gave her class a determined smile and said, "I'm the Symbol of Hope: Uravity. That's my Hero name."

"Now that everyone has decided on their Hero names, we can go back to talking about your upcoming internships," Aizawa-sensei said, getting out of his sleeping bag. "They'll last for one week, and as for who you'll be working with, those of you who were on the board will choose from among your offers, everyone else will have a different list."

Grabbing the papers, he continued, "You have a lot to think about, there are around forty agencies from around the country who have agreed to take on interns from your class. Each agency has a different specialty that the Heroes focus on. Keep that in mind."

"Imagine if you were Thirteen," Midnight said, cutting in with an example. "You'd want to pick a place that focuses on rescuing people, not fighting Villains. Understand?"

"Think carefully before you decide," Eraserhead told his class.

"""YES, SIR!!!"""

As the papers were passed to each of the students, they were already talking among one another. "I wanna fight crime and bad guys in a big city," Kirishima said.

"I just hope I can intern somewhere where there's a lot of flooding. Or maybe a lake."

"Turn in your choices before the weekend," Aizawa-sensei added.

"We've only got two days?!" Sero asked.

"Yeah. So you should start now. You're dismissed."

Two days later, it was the day of the internships.

At the major train station within the district, Class A's mentor was making sure that everything was in order before he sent off his brats to their Hero Agencies for the week.

"Everyone has their costumes, right? Remember, you don't have permission to wear them out in public yet," Eraserhead reminded his students. "And don't lose them or anything."

"Gotcha!"

"Speak properly! It's "yes, sir," Ashido."

"Yes, sir…"

"Make sure you mind your manners with the other Heroes during your internships," the Underground Hero said, as he walked away. "Now get to it."

"""YES, SIR!!!"""

As everyone split up, Ochako looked back at Iida, before running up to him.

"Iida, wait!" she called out to him. As the bespectacled boy stopped, Ochako said, "Hey, if you ever wanna talk or anything, just let me know. We're friends, right?"

"Yes," was all he said, before walking off.

As soon as Aizawa made sure that the others were gone, he sighed, before asking, "Bakugou, is there any reason in particular that you chose to do your internship with me?"

"Because you're the best Underground Hero there is."

"Logical enough, I suppose," he grunted. "Any other reasons?"

Bakugou merely turned his head, and said, "It's personal."

"Ugh, fine. I won't pry. But remember this, my internship is going to be far worse than anything we've ever done in class. If you wanna back out, now's your chance."

"Hell naw. Give me everything ya got, old man."

This was definitely going to be an interesting week for Shouta.

"So, Ms. Joke…" Hitoshi said. "What are we going to be doing?"

"Mostly? Babysitting my daughter," Ms. Joke answered.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Recovery Girl has a few more errands to run before she can take Eri with her, so for the first few hours of your internship, you're gonna learn how to paint your nails."

Hitoshi sighed. This was not what he signed up for.

Making her way to the south part of Tokyo, Ochako double-checked the address of the building she would be spending her week in. I'm almost there…

Walking a few more blocks, she looked up to find the building she was looking for. It was tall, with a mix of brown and gray materials for its construction, and lots of windows. Like so many windows that Ochako was somewhat worried about the building's load bearing.

But the biggest thing smacked right on top of the front of the building itself was a billboard of Ryuko Tatsuma, wearing all-black, with the Dragoir logo in front of her.

Ochako had arrived at the Ryukyu Hero Agency.

Walking in, Ochako was amazed at the interior design of the lobby. Large, spacious walls with red all over them, Chinese decorations ranging from golden dragons on the poles to guardian lions sitting in the corner, and a massive TV was on the other end of the lobby.

This place seemed like a palace.

"Ochako Uraraka?"

Turning around, the One For All wielder came face-to-face with a woman with short blonde hair, part of it covering her right eye. She wore a red dress with golden patterns, with a black headband that resembled dragon-like wings, with a silver part covering her eye again.

Ochako was staring at the Dragoon Hero: Ryukyu herself.

"Oh! Yes, that's me! I mean, I'm Ochako Uraraka, yes, uhh… hi."

"Heh," Ryukyu let out a small chuckle, as Ochako's face turned red. "Don't worry, no need to feel embarrassed. You're still green, you'll get the hang of this soon enough."

"Thanks for extending me the offer," Ochako said, bowing.

"You're welcome," the Pro Hero said, as the two of them walked up the stairs. "However, you should know that, while I was impressed by your power at the Sports Festival, it wasn't the reason why I extended an invitation. In fact, I doubt I would have if it wasn't for…"

As the two of them made it to the top of the first floor, the brown-haired girl looked up towards Ryukyu. She trailed off from her explanation. "If it wasn't for what?"

"Not what," she said, opening the door. "Who."

WHAM!

In an instant, Ochako felt something rocket straight for her as soon as the door opened, sending both her and her unknown assailant flying through the air and onto the floor.

"Oh my gosh, she's even cuter in person! Hey, hey! How did you perform that all-encompassing gravity attack during your final move? I thought you could only alter the gravity of things that you touched, or your own body! Wait, did your Quirk evolve? Can that even happen twice? Oh, I –"

Ochako had no idea who this was. Some blue-haired girl wearing a skin-tight bright costume just showed up, tackled her, and was now rambling about… Ochako's Quirk?

"Nejire, that's enough," Ryukyu said. "Uraraka, this is the girl who recommended me to you; Nejire Hado. She's actually a third year at UA, and a member of the Big Three."

"That's right!" the blue-haired girl said. "I saw you at the Sports Festival, and begged Ryukyu to invite you! And now, you're here! We're gonna have so much fun together!"

Well, Ochako certainly didn't see that coming.

Author's Note: And so, the hell that is internships has begun!

Not much happened here that strays too far from canon, aside from a couple of Hero names and internship picks, the real derailment will happen in a few chapters from now, so stay tuned for that. Now, it's time for all of the comments!

Dezverix: I'm glad you like the portrayals of pretty much everyone in the story, I wanted to be faithful to the source material. Don't worry about Monoma, he's gonna wise up by the time summer rolls around. Can't wait for you to comment next time!

Knightmare Lord: You might see what happened to Deika City in a future chapter, but trust me, Overhaul is gonna appear sooner than you'd imagine…

Emil_Mobile: Yeah, I'm gonna try and speedrun Endeavor's redemption, starting with him trying to bribe answers about Touya's status from Shoto, before realizing what exactly happened to have multiple of his children become Villains. Also, I'm gonna try and make Shoto more, well, more, whether via jokes, appearances, or actually being helpful, I want him to stick around, but it's a hassle. And yeah, Ochako won, and has now brought the attention of all of Japan to her. Things are gonna be pretty interesting from now on.

Terraman60: Finally, someone figured it out! Unfortunately, not the way I wanted it discovered, but it's long past overdue, I'll take whatever win I can get.

MrMateusz: I see that you've commented on both my previous series and this one. Let;s start with "When They See, They'll Understand." It was directly inspired by "Age of Ultron," so, yeah, it pretty much follows it word-for-word. Okay, so the USB thing was kind of a Deus ex Machina, because I didn't know how to have Deku lose his internet connection, but I'm glad you found it funny. Moving on to "Megethos," Izuku is playing the super long game, but not with the Aizawas, that was just a coincidence he decided to capitalize on. Kodai is indeed angry at Bakugou for bullying Izuku, because it did happen, just not to the degree that it happened in canon. Despite that, she still holds quite the grudge. However, you won't know that until reading chapter eighteen, which if you have, would explain why you are reading this now, despite the fact it's not kinda useless.

And now, for the last bit of shilling…

If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is /3PFYSt8Dqz. You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

Thanks for reading, and once again, see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 20: Something's Up With Nejire-Chan

As Ochako settled down her things onto her bed within her temporary room, she looked back at her new bunkmate. "So, you were the one who recommended me to Ryukyu?"

"That's right, that's right!" the blue-haired girl, Nejire, replied. "I saw what you did to the Todoroki boy! You were like, boom! Bam! Zoom! It was like watching a pink Zeus laying the smackdown on a walking peppermint, only this time, Zeus is a girl, and that girl is you!"

If there was one thing Ochako could tell right away from her internship buddy, it was that she talked a lot, and tended to go on super long tangents. Still, it was kinda nice of her senpai to beg Ryukyu to send out an invitation to Ochako, so she would probably have to thank her.

"So, how did you pull off that final move back during the Sports Festival? You know the whole all-encompassing gravity attack?" Nejire asked. "Remember? Remember when you did that?"

"Oh, that? It was just a, uhh… spur-of-the-moment thing," the brown-haired girl confessed.

"Aww, phooey!" the older girl pouted, before her face returned to a smile. "Well, in that case, we'll just have to train you super-duper hard so you can do it on command! Yay!"

Ochako had to admit, this internship would be interesting, if not anything else.

"So… you invited me here to ask more about Touya?" Shoto asked.

When he saw that his father was one of the people who sent out an invitation to Shoto, he was under the assumption that it was because the old man wanted to make sure that the peppermint-haired boy would learn how to use his flames correctly.

Instead, he finds his father with eyebags worse than Aizawa's and Shinso's combined, with patches of whiskers actually forming on his face, and probably on his third cup of coffee.

Scratch that, his fourth.

"Yes, that's exactly right," his father replied, still trying to look cool.

"Well, too bad. I accepted to get better with my fire. Start training me, Dad."

"Shoto, please –"

"Look, old man, there were two reasons for me to spill about Touya's existence: One, to troll you into running yourself ragged. Two, because I knew that I, as a teenager, don't have jack when it comes to investigative resources," Shoto explains. "Hence, why I told you."

"Unfortunately, Shoto, aside from you and your two classmates, no one else saw Touya's face during the attack on the USJ," his old man explained. "And due to the fact that you didn't tell Detective Tsukauchi anything, there is no actual police evidence for me to use."

"So, you're starting from square one?"

"Correction, we're starting from square one," Endeavor said. "Let's make a compromise: We're going to do the most classic form of investigating; searching the streets and asking every low-life out there if they know anything. And while I'm at it, I'll train you on your fire."

"Actual on-site training? Against potentially dangerous Villains?"

"You've done it before and on UA grounds, no less," his father said.

"You know what? Sure, why not? Lead the way… Endeavor."

Stepping out of the changing room in her costume, Ochako could see that both Ryukyu and Nejire-senpai were waiting for her. "Good, you're ready. Let's head out."

"Where are we going?" Ochako asked her mentor.

"It's basically an open secret amongst the Hero community that during the Sports Festival, the League of Villains attacked the main headquarters of the Hero Public Safety Commission. The HPSC may have successfully prevented it from hitting the press, but it still happened."

That got Ochako's attention. "The League of Villains?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Nejire-senpai nodded rapidly. "They even brought out two new Villains! Hephaestus, a lady in giant mecha armor and Waverider, another lady in a black-hooded suit!"

"Not only that, but the Villain attack that did make it on the news, Ingenium's injuries at the hands of the Hero Killer, also happened in Hosu, meaning that crime around that place will be rising," Ryukyu explained. "We'll be going to Hosu to discourage any further attacks."

"And we'll be looking for the Hero Killer, while we're at it!" Nejire-senpai added.

"However, do please remember that you are still a first year, Uravity," the golden-haired woman said. "That means that you don't engage in any fights unless given permission. Got it?"

"Right!" Ochako said, nodding.

"On a normal day, I would just be waiting for client calls to come in. Not really exciting," Masaki Mizusjima, better known as the Normal Hero: Manual, said, as he walked along the streets of Hosu, alongside his intern. "But things have been hectic here lately."

"So, you're using street patrols to suppress crime," Iida summarized.

"Yeah, exactly. Man, I kinda can't believe Ingenium's little brother is interning at my agency. I'm sure you had offers from Pros with followings much bigger than mine…"

Tenya remained silent, as he kept walking down the street alongside his mentor. His thoughts were still on the Hero Killer. Someone so elusive that he has managed to avoid capture for his deplorable crimes. I know that I might not find him, but still…

As his mind flashed back to how broken Tensei looked on his hospital bed, it made Tenya's blood boil. I have to try and track the Villain down. I can't forgive him for what he's done!

Yuu Takeyama had to admit, she liked having an intern.

Okay, granted, she may have been a little vain when it came to picking her intern. After all, Kodai happened to have a Quirk that also altered the size of something, but c'mon!

Aside from that, the black-haired girl also did whatever she was told to do.

"You know what's a useful skill?" Yuu said, as she took a bite out of a chip. "Knowing how to pass the time while you're waiting to be called out to rescue someone. Got that?"

"Mm," Kodai said, as she finished vacuuming. "What's next?"

"Now? Basic physical training," the blonde woman said, getting up from her couch. "I may not look it, but underneath my costume is the body of an athlete. All Pros know that they need above-average athletic skills if they ever want to be successful. Quirks aren't enough."

"Understood," Kodai said, short and to the point. Yuu could respect that.

"I'm gonna gauge how far you've come in terms of physical prowess, and then give you a workout based on your needs," Yuu explained. "Don't worry, it won't be anything too intense. But anyways, after that, you're off to bed. We've got patrolling to do tomorrow. In Hosu."

"Mm."

"But enough about that! Get over here, it's selfie time!" Yuu said, as she grabbed her phone and snapped a picture. "Oh, man! I hope Kamui sees us, I'm sure it'll make his day!"

"Don't forget all of your other fans," Kodai added.

"Oh, yeah. Them as well, I guess."

"Well, today was a bust," Ryukyu groaned.

Searching in Hosu didn't pan out. Whether it was because they did it during the daytime or because seemingly every single Hero was in the prefecture, she didn't know.

"Aw, don't worry about it, Ryukyu!" Nejire-chan consoled her. "We still have tomorrow to try again! And the day after tomorrow, and then the day after that, and then –"

"Yes, I get it, Nejire-chan," the blonde chuckled. "Anyways, the sun might be setting and our patrol may be over, but there's still stuff we can do. Such as training Uravity."

"Me?" the brown-haired girl asked, pointing at herself.

"Yes, you," the Dragoon Hero said. "Nejire-chan told me about that final move you did against Endeavor's kid during the last part of the Sports Festival. I figured that we could head back to my agency and see if we can figure out how to recreate it. If you want to, that is…"

"No! I mean, yes! Augh, I mean… I would be honored to learn from you."

Ryukyu snorted, as she was somewhat amused by the younger girl's youthful inexperience. "Glad to hear it. Also, you can drop the fancy talk. Talk to me like you do your friends."

"Really? Okay, if you say so…"

"Great. Let's head back to our Agency, girls."

"The basic goal of Heroes is to control crime," Eraserhead explained. "When a crime occurs, police will contact us. These requests come in all at once, filtered by district. We file reports on the services we provided, assisting in arrests, rescuing people, etcetera, then a special agency looks at our work and decides how much we should be paid. Sounds simple, right?"

"I'm guessing there's more to it than that," Bakugou said.

"When it comes to Underground Heroes, yeah. There's more for us to do, from investigating disappearances, tracking down drug smugglers and raiding hideouts, Underground Heroes are more responsible for the darker parts of Heroics the public usually never sees."

"Got it," the blond said. "Is that why we're out here in the middle of the night?"

"It's part of it, yeah," Eraserhead said. "Smarter criminals don't commit their crimes in broad daylight, despite how TV makes it look like. They'll do them where they can't be seen. All Might already provided you with an example of such a thing during the Battle Trials, yeah?"

"Mm-hm. Backdoor dealings and shit," the explosive teen said.

"Right. The basic gist of it is that while the Spotlight Heroes take care of surface-level crimes during the day, we take care of the nastier ones that happen when all of the cameras are off."

"AIIIEEEEE!!!!!"

Both the mentor and mentee snapped into attention as they heard a scream coming from an alleyway a few blocks away from them. "Someone's in trouble."

Jumping up, Eraserhead leapt from rooftop to rooftop, as his intern followed behind him.

"I'm right behind you, old man!" Bakugou exclaimed.

Eraserhead merely smirked. "Alright, Kacchan, let's see what you're made of."

CLANG!

"Do it again."

Ochako groaned in frustration as she collapsed to the floor, panting. It had been two hours since they came back to Ryukyu's headquarters, and in that time, Nejire-senpai stayed with her in the training room to see if she could move all of the weights without touching them.

So far? Nothing.

She was getting tired. She wanted to stop, crawl into bed, and go to sleep. But her senior wouldn't allow her. Not until they got it right. And she was starting to get frustrated.

"Why are you so invested in this…?" Ochako asked, her anger rising.

"Because I can see your potential," the blue-haired girl said. "Now, again."

"Why?" Ochako asked again, as she turned towards her senior. "What kind of potential do you see in me?! Are you saying that just because you only saw me win the Sports Festival?!"

"And what if that is the case?"

Now Ochako was mad. She knew there were some teachers out there that played different roles, like Eraserhead and Gran Torino, always switching between decent folks to drill sergeants from Hell, but Hado took it to a whole different level, AND OCAHKO STILL DIDN'T KNOW HER REASONING! WAS THIS HOW TODOROKI FELT WITH ENDEAVOR?! SHE WAS SO MAD –

"Ah. There it is."

What? The brown-haired girl had no idea what Hado was talking about, until she looked behind her… to see every single weight in the training room floating. "I… I did that…?"

"Yep," Nejire-senpai said. "It appears that your expanded gravity field is only activating when you're mad or in high-stress scenarios. We'll have to work on that, but it's a start."

"Wait… were you trying to get me angry? On purpose?"

"Yeah, sorry for not telling you, but I needed it to be genuine. For science!"

Ochako simply stared at the blue-haired girl, as all of the weights behind her dropped. She couldn't tell if Hado was either a genius or evil. Or both. "You… you…"

"Yeah, I know, it was a bit of a bitch move, you can blame Aizawa for influencing my first year self on that one, but hey, it worked!" she said. "So, you can go to bed now!"

Ochako was too tired to even argue with her at that point.

Eri was finally asleep.

Hitoshi knew he probably wasn't supposed to be glad to be rid of the kid, but c'mon! She was eating away at his internship time. Plus, he knew Recovery Girl would be nice to her.

"Thanks again for doing this, Chiyo," Ms. Joke thanked the old lady.

"Not a problem, dearie," Recovery Girl said. "Now, go. I'm sure your colleagues miss you."

With a final nod, the green-haired woman headed out, followed by her intern for the week. Closing the door behind them and walking down the stairs of the apartment, Hitoshi couldn't help but wonder how Eraserhead and Ms. Joke of all people came together to raise a kid.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did." Ms. Joke laughed at her own, well, joke, before she calmed down a bit. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself! But yeah, I'm your teacher, you can ask me anything."

"Okay… so… what's up with Eri? Where'd she come from?"

Hitoshi's mentor for the week was silent for a few moments, making the purple-haired boy wonder if he touched an open nerve, before she said something.

"It was over a year ago by now," she started. "Shouta and I were just chilling in our apartment, when a knock came at the door. We knew it wasn't any of our friends, but the knocking just kept persisting. We had raised our guards, thinking at the time it was some Villains that found out where we lived. Armed with our gear, we opened the door… only to a scared little girl."

"Eri," the purple-haired boy said.

"Yeah. She was dirty, wearing nothing more than rags, with bandages all over her arms. We took her in right away, gave her some clean clothes, then brought her to the police station. As it turned out, she had a note with her from whoever it was that rescued her, basically telling us that we were her parents now, and that if we even hurt a single hair of her's, every single Villain in the area would know our home address and how to counteract our Quirks."

"Yikes," Hitoshi cringed, before he realized something. "Wait, she was rescued?"

"Yeah, but not by any Heroes," Ms. Joke said. "According to her, some bad people wanted to use her Quirk, only to get bossed around by an even bigger gang, with their leader bringing Eri to us. She described him with freckles and "green fluffy hair", her words, not mine."

"I see…"

"Anyways, we should get going! Crime doesn't wait for anyone!"

"Right!" Hitoshi said, as he followed Ms. Joke, and began running after her.

Ochako sighed, as she drifted off to sleep.

Ryukyu's patrols were one thing, but the training regiment Nejire-senpai put her through before they went to bed was absolutely exhausting. She had no idea why her senior was so adamant to have Ochako master her Quirk, but she didn't stop until Ochako finally made some progress.

The brown-haired girl suspected that not even Ryukyu was aware of Nejire-senpai's training methods. But… that would be tomorrow Ochako's problems. Right now, bed time.

Ochako could feel herself drift off, lose consciousness, so… why?

Why did her eyes suddenly open?

Looking around, she saw that she was in that dark void again, with all of those people from her last dream. There was that black-haired woman, and she wasn't alone this time! There was a bald guy with goggles, a short dude who kinda reminded Ochako of Best Jeanist, some man with a scar, and a few others she couldn't make out. But where was…?

"Dear foolish brother. Why do you resist me?"

Ochako turned to see two people staring down at one another. One of them was the guy with green eyes from her other dream. But the other… she recognized his voice… from the USJ… he may be taller in her dream, but now she knew the man behind that mask.

All For One.

The world around Ochako suddenly shifted as she was now following behind All For One, the walking between the crowds of people. "I will give you everything you want, if you agree to join me. You have my word. Choice to those without power. Mercy to those who have sinned."

The city around Ochako crumbled, as it reformed into a massive, empty room. It reminded Ochako more of a vault than a room. But inside the center of it… was that guy again. The one who looked like a skinnier version of All For One, but with longer, and wavier hair.

"You've stopped eating again. You're disintegrating into nothing."

Ochako watched as All For One walked into the vault, as the other man spoke between his coughs. "Brother, I refuse to become the man you want me to be."

Brother… wait, then that means that this guy is –

"Ahh!"

Ochako's thoughts stopped as she saw All For One's hand grab his younger brother's face, and his Quirk activated. "Reality doesn't follow stock plots. I believe it's finally time you bent to my cause. I'll rewrite your story, as well. Because you are dear to me, brother."

"LET ME GO!"

"I've found a Meta Ability for you. Even your pathetic body can utilize it. You will join me."

"PLEASE, BROTHER!!!"

Ochako tried to reach out to help him, but she couldn't. She could feel herself being pulled back, being dragged back to the white void, as suddenly… it was all over.

"You're the ninth wielder, right?"

Ochako's head snapped up in attention, as she saw the white-haired man, no, the first One For All wielder, approach her. "I'm sorry, I wanted to show you more, but you're barely using twenty percent of the power yet. Be careful, we're long past the Singularity point."

As the First stretched out his hand, the Ninth copied him.

"Don't be afraid… you are not alone."

CRACK!!!

"Kohai!"

The sound of glass shattering could be heard as Ochako's eyes opened, only to see Nejire-senpai staring right at her. Literally. She was right on top of her bed.

"Umm… Nejire-senpai? What are you doing in my bed?"

"Your body was freaking out like crazy!" the blue-haired girl said. "Your veins were glowing, and you blew out the window with just one hand! What the heck did you dream of?"

"Nothing!" Ochako quickly said. "I mean… nothing you could understand."

"Bullshit." The brown-haired girl did a double-take at what she heard. She never imagined her senior would use such language, or look so mad. "Tell me or I'm getting Ryukyu over here."

"Too late."

Both girls looked towards their now-open door, to see the Dragoon Hero in her nightgown. "I was woken up by the sound of shattering glass. So, what's going on?"

Ochako remained silent for a bit, before she said, "Just a nightmare that set off my Quirk."

"I see," Ryukyu said. "Alright, gather your things and head to the next room over, you'll catch a cold in there. I'll call someone to clear up the glass. You should get some sleep."

"Thank you, Ryukyu-san."

The blonde woman acknowledged them, and left. As the two Hero students grabbed their things and went to the other room, Ochako kept wondering about the dream she had.

What the heck is the Singularity…?

Tensei Iida tried to drift off to sleep, but he couldn't.

He didn't know whether it was because of the beeping of machines in his room, or because he could still see the hallway lights leaking through the crack beneath his room's door, but for whatever reason, sleep wouldn't come until his body absolutely needed it.

Maybe it was just the pain he was feeling. Nothing too severe, just aches from laying in bed for nearly a week now. And he'd be sitting in a chair for the rest of his life. Yippee.

A flash of light appeared in the corner of his eye, as he saw his door open. It was probably some nurse coming in to check up on him. Only now that he thought about it… didn't nurses usually wear those short-sleeved blue outfits? Why was this guy's so long… and dark?

The second red flag in Tensei's head was the fact that the newcomer didn't turn on the lights in the room. Sure, that would probably be rude for any sleeping patients, but maybe they would have a tiny flashlight with them to make sure where they were going?

But then came the third and final nail in the coffin, when the figure spoke.

"It's truly a shame what happened to you, Ingenium." The voice was young sounding, like someone that was supposed to be in Tenya's grade, but… sinister. "Stain crossed a line with you. But don't worry, by this time tomorrow, he won't be in the picture any longer."

Tensei willed himself to say something, anything. "Who… are… you…?"

"Who I am is not important, at least not yet. What is important is what I'm about to do now," the figure said, placing his hand on Tensei's face. "Don't worry, the pain will be over soon."

"What –?"

Before Tensei could even finish his sentence, all of his nerves exploded in flames. The pain was horrible, far worse than anything Stain ever did to him. It hurt. It hurt so badly. And then –

And then it was over.

And Tensei could feel his legs again.

Ochako was now feeling much better than she was earlier in the morning.

It was probably due to the fact that instead of physical training, the majority of the day was spent with Ryukyu explaining the other aspects of being a Hero. More specifically, having to deal with paperwork and the HPSC, media appearances, sponsorships, that sort of thing.

In fact, it was late afternoon when Ochako did any physical training. And even then, it wasn't anything as intense as what happened yesterday. Just some quick physical exercises.

"Alright, that's enough for now. Any later, and we'll be missing our train," Ryukyu said, prompting Ochako to stop. "Nejire-chan, Uravity, get ready to head out to Hosu. It's time."

""RIGHT!!!""

Endeavor looked over the city of Hosu. So far, it was quiet. Too quiet.

"The Hero Killer usually has a pattern of attacking four Heroes in every city he visits," he explained to Shoto. "Ingenium was his third victim. That leaves us with one more."

"So he's still out there, somewhere," Shoto surmised.

"Exactly. We… what the hell?" Endeavor did a double-take at what he was looking at. Out in the distance, one of the buildings was… on fire. "Oh, that's not good. We need to go, NOW!"

Katsuki finished tying up the last mugger when Aizawa-sensei's phone went off.

"Hello? Emi?" Katsuki overheard his teacher talking. "Wait, where?! How many?! Okay, I'll get there as fast as I can, I'll let you know when the situation is resolved. Stay safe."

When the Pro Hero ended the call, Katsuki asked, "What happened?"

"Multiple explosions have just gone off in Hosu. We're going there now."

"What about these assholes?" Katsuki gestured to the downed muggers.

"I've already called the cops, they'll be here in a few minutes," Eraserhead said. "They can handle a few crooks, we've got a responsibility to take on the bigger fights they can't."

The explosive blond slowly nodded. "Okay… how do we get to Hosu?"

"Nedzu's got that covered."

Katsuki wasn't sure if he should be impressed or terrified when he heard the sounds of helicopter blades rotating in the distance. He just hoped that the pilot wasn't the rat.

Stain witnessed the explosion with curiosity, but not with interest.

It was probably those maniacs from the League of Villains blowing up a building. First, they attacked UA for some unknown reason, and then, they launched an even bigger assault on the HPSC headquarters during the Sports Festival. What the hell was their goal, anyways?

The Hero Killer shook his head. It didn't matter. As long as they didn't interfere in his work, he could care less. All Might would weed them out in no time. He always did.

And besides, Stain was somewhat thankful to them. If it wasn't for their attack on the HPSC headquarters, Ingenium wouldn't have found his way towards Stain's blade.

If they agreed with his ideals, he would thank them for such a generous gift. But that was for later. Right now… he had a fake to cull. Speaking of… ah, right on time.

Tonight, Native would die. That, the Hero Killer guaranteed.

From the bowels of his lab, Kai Chisaki re-watched the First Year's Sports Festival.

Normally, he wouldn't dare even think of watching something so disgusting, such as the glorification of having a bunch of disease-ridden children fight each other for glory and attention.

However, this year was an exception for one reason.

He recognized one of the participants. The black-haired girl.

He remembered the day she arrived at his old lair, alongside her boyfriend and his minions. It was all because of him that he no longer had Eri, nor his Quirk, or all of his Eight Bullets!

The day the old man kicked him out of his home, Kai Chisaki vowed to take his revenge, and now, he had the perfect lead. If this Kodai girl was still on All For One's side, then that meant she knew where Eri was. Chisaki's new… partner… would like to know, too.

Grabbing his phone, he checked all the Hero social media platforms to see where that bitch currently was. Interning with Mount Lady? She really was deep undercover.

Once he had that information, Chisaki called one of his newer associates.

"Chimera, it's Overhaul. Get Leviathan, Siphon, and anyone else who's itching to start some trouble, and fly straight to Hosu. We found her. Yes… we finally found Megethos."

Author's Note: THAT'S RIGHT, OVERHAUL IS THE STORY'S BIG BAD!!!

Okay, so I've just dropped another few pieces of the puzzle. Between Nejire's weird actions and Overhaul making his appearance, things are gonna be picking up speed. Also, in case you're wondering, that Siphon guy that was ju st mentioned is Rikiya Katsukame from the Shie Hassaikai, you know, that big guy that was being a creep towards Ryukyu and her interns. But the others… you should know who they are, and why all of them together is trouble. Anyways, here are this chapter's comments!

Dezverix: I'm gonna assume that "tickling your brain" is a good thi ng, so yeah, I'm glad you enjoy Bakugou's new Hero name. I've heard that plenty of people aren't fans of the whole Villain Deku thing, so I am indeed glad that I'm slowly changing your mind.

Knightmare Lord: The whole Stain thing is gonna be… interesting, to say the least. I also promise it won't take more than five chapters to get the matter resolved.

EmilMobile: I didn't change a lot of names, but I'm glad that you enjoyed the ones that I did change. I was seriously hoping for heartstrings to be pulled with the whole "Kacchan" thing, so I'm glad that my plan worked out. I'm not sure if you're referring to Shinso's name or the bit involving his name that you found funny, but yeah, Dadzawa for the win. And as for Iida and Ingenium… well… you did see what I just did. I will always try to make time for Eri in this story, and of course Bakugoiu chose to intern with the best Underground Hero the country has ever seen. Underground Heroes constantly work with dark stuff that the public never sees, which can definitely involve missing persons and runaway children. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the ones to come!

And now for the last bit of shilling…

If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is /3PFYSt8Dqz. You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

Thanks for reading, and once again, see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 21: Chaos in Hosu

"A child wearing a suit…" Stain hissed. "Who are you?"

Tenya honestly couldn't believe his luck.

It all began less than half an hour ago, when chaos erupted within Hosu. Nomus, and lots of them had invaded the city and had begun wrecking things, causing all of the Heroes in the area to go after them immediately, both himself and Manual included.

The damage was pretty severe. Fires and ruined buildings everywhere, all while the lower-ranked Heroes were doing their best to not become Nomu kibble.

Manual had immediately told Tenya to get out of the impromptu warzone and search around the area for citizens to evacuate. The bespectacled teen agreed, but it was for his own personal benefit. Instead of going around searching for the injured, he searched for the Hero Killer.

And a few alleyways later, lo and behold, Tenya found the bastard.

The cretin was about to plunge their sword into another downed Hero, Native if Tenya identified him correctly. He immediately acted on instinct, speeding down towards the alley and kicking Stain squarely in the head. Unfortunately, Tenya didn't account for the fact that Stain would react quickly enough to also throw off the teen's helmet, or to knock him into the concrete.

And now, the Hero Killer had one of his katanas pointed towards Tenya's direction, all while asking the boy who he was. He didn't even recognize a costume similar to Tensei's?!

Was Tensei just another Tuesday to this monster?

Shaking his head, Tenya swallowed his fear and looked the Hero Killer straight in the eyes. He was going to show this maniac who he was and why he shouldn't mess with the Iidas.

"I am the brother of an incredible Hero who you attacked," Tenya said, standing up. "He's the best older brother anyone could hope for. I have come to stop you… because he can't anymore.

"I want you to take the name… Will you do that… for me, Tenya?"

"You're going to remember my name for as long as you live…" Fueled by that memory, Tenya glared right at the Hero Killer, and said, "I am Ingenium, and I will defeat you! That, I promise!"

"Then so be it," the Hero Killer said, his red eyes staring at the boy. "Die."

"FOR TENSEI!!!"

Ochako ran through the city of Hosu, alone.

She didn't come alone, not originally. She came alongside Ryukyu and Nejire-chan in hopes of finding the Hero Killer, only for things to suddenly go to shit when those Nomus appeared.

Both the Pro Hero and her senior immediately got to work taking down those monstrosities, while Ochako ran off to assist Manual. But she couldn't see Iida. Heck, Manual said that he couldn't even get into contact with his student, which meant only two things: Either Iida was ignoring the comms, or he was unable to respond, meaning he was in trouble.

The brown-haired girl could feel her stomach sinking as she slowly began connecting the dots. The whole reason for coming to Hosu was to find the Hero Killer… the very same man who hurt Iida's big brother… and if Iida was currently out there… shit.

Powering up One For All to its highest capabilities, she immediately ran off to where the least amount of damage was being caused by the Nomus. She may have not been the biggest Hero nerd, but Ochako still understood the concepts of common sense and patterns.

All of the reported cases with Stain's victims indicated that his preferred method of hunting was in alleyways where no one could see him coming, like some kind of ambush predator. That meant that even if he was somehow involved with the League of Villains, he still wouldn't be out in the open where every single Hero could see him. It didn't fit with his modus operandi.

Wow, Yaoyorozu's vocabulary is really affecting me…

Anyways, it made sense. For every single one of his attacks, it happened where there were no other Heroes to help the victim. If she applied that knowledge to the current situation, it meant that Stain (and Iida) would be as far away from the attacks as possible.

Running and jumping through the alleys and buildings, Ochako kept searching the dark streets of Hosu, when she turned to look at a corner… and found who she was looking for.

Well, actually, she found both Stain and Iida, because the former was right about to plunge their katana straight into the latter, all while muttering something about "a better world".

She immediately rocketed towards the two of them, angry. Angry at Stain for doing something so horrendous, and angry at Iida for doing something so stupid.

"SMAAAAASH!!!"

SLAM!

Her fist immediately connected with the Hero Killer's face, and she even added a bit of extra heavy gravity for good measure, sending the man flying backwards.

"Who's… there…?"

Ochako looked back at her friend. He was a wreck, but honestly it could have been worse. He may have been bleeding from his shoulder, but he was still alive.

"Uraraka…? How…?"

Ochako wanted to yell at him for doing something as insane as going after the man who killed multiple Pros with absolutely no backup, but she knew she needed to say something else at the moment. If she was going to be a Hero, she needed to act the part.

"Don't you worry, Iida… I'm gonna save you!"

"I can't move my body…" Iida grunted. "It must be his Quirk… since he cut me, I'm paralyzed…"

"So, cutting somehow activates his power, huh?" Ochako gathered, as she looked towards where Stain was, only to see… that there was another injured Hero.

"Uraraka, please… don't get involved! This doesn't have anything to do with you!"

Ochako stared at her friend in apprehension. "What are you saying…?"

"You showed up to save your friend's life," the Hero Killer said, grabbing the brown-haired girl's attention. "You even made a big entrance. But I have a duty to kill him and this so-called Pro. When your friend chose to fight me… it guaranteed that the weaker of us would be culled."

The ninth One For All wielder felt her skin crawl as she stared at the Hero Killer. Those eyes of his… they were almost as terrifying as All For One's faceless mask. Almost.

"So, what will you do?"

Rikiya Katsumake, better known as Siphon, observed the Nomu attacks from above. He wasn't alone, though, as he was with both Chojuro Kon, aka Chimera, and Leviathan.

All three of them could see the target from their vantage point. Standing up, Chimera said, "Okay, we go in, we grab the Kodai girl amidst the distraction, and we get out."

Seemed like an easy plan. The second the three of them jumped down from the rooftops and down to the streets, their plan immediately went to shit as the Nomus jumped them.

"SKREEEEE!!!"

"SHE'S GETTING AWAY!!!" Chimera shouted, as he crushed a Nomu's head in.

"FUCK!" Rikiya shouted. "OKAY, NEW PLAN: KILL THE NOMUS, AND RUN FOR IT!!!"

Now Rikiya understood why Overhaul hated the League of Villains so fucking much.

"Picked a fine time to patrol," Ryukuy said, as she used her massive arm to swat away several of the Nomus in her dragon form. "THAT'S RIGHT, BRING IT ON, UGLY!!!"

FWOOM!!!

In a matter of seconds, several of the grouped-up Nomus were burned alive, as Endeavor had crashed the party. "I was looking for the elusive Hero Killer… but this will have to do."

Shoto could only stare at his father. Was this really the time for jokes?

"Thanks, Ryukyu, but I can handle this from here on out."

Burning this? Yeah, that checks out.

As several more civilians ran, Shoto decided to head out on his own. His father knew what he was doing, plus, the old man gave him permission to act if someone needed saving.

Turning towards another street, Shoto looked around to see –

BOOOOOM!!!

Shoto covered his eyes from the explosion, as he looked out to see flames everywhere. It looked like someone had thrown a bus over before lighting it on fire or something.

But the weirdest part were the ones who were fighting the Nomus in the area.

One big Nomu that resembled the one from the USJ (minus the lack of eyes) was currently being fought off by a giant wolf guy with talon-like hands and a lizard tail. A second Nomu with wings was being tossed around by a giant white guy with red appendages. Meanwhile, several other Nomu were being beaten down by a massive man wearing a plague doctor mask.

Shoto looked around to see that several of the Pro Heroes in the area were also looking at the scene dumbfounded. These guys don't look like Pros… maybe they're Vigilantes…?

"Manual, stop the fire!"

"Yeah, got it!"

Shoto looked over his shoulder to see a normal-looking dude with a fin on his helmet controlling the water bursting out from a broken fire hydrant towards the flames, all while the rest of the Pros in the vicinity were trying to figure out how to deal with the newcomers.

"Why'd you run off by yourself?! Where the hell are you, Tenya?! Dammit!"

Wait, Iida went off alone? Despite what's happening? That doesn't sound like something he would do, Shoto thought to himself. Then again, this was Hosu…

"You're in the way, kid!" Mount Lady shouted. "Get out of here!"

Shoto was about to respond, before he suddenly felt himself get dragged away. Looking back, he saw that it was Kodai. "We'll evacuate! You take on these things!"

"Right!" Mount Lady said, as she grew bigger and went into the fray.

As the two Heroes-in-training headed away from the heat of the flames, Shoto asked, "Kodai, I know Hosu is big, but do you think that Iida would get himself lost like that?"

The black-haired girl didn't give him a straight answer. She just said, "Follow me."

Guess I don't have much of a choice…

One graze was all it took.

Ochako had decided to fight off the Hero Killer, and frankly, for the start of the fight, she was doing pretty well. She couldn't use Zero Gravity on the account that there wasn't much she could use as ammunition. One For All-based combat was all she had.

The brown-haired girl figured that she would just need to touch the Hero Killer once, and then she would be able to increase his gravity to the point that he'd collapse to the floor, buuut…

Stain had managed to nick her in the arm before she could even touch him.

Even with the world's greatest Quirk within her, Ochako Uraraka was still a child with less than two months of actual Hero training. When put up against an adult with far more experience, it didn't matter how much raw talent someone had, experience would win.

Ochako collapsed down to the floor as if she was under the effects of her own evolved Quirk, as Stain said, "You're not powerful enough. It's not that you predicted my movements, but I saw through your plan. There are countless false Heroes around here who are all talk, but I think that you're worthy of staying alive. You're different from these two…"

"Wait… don't… STOP IT!"

Stain approached Iida, katana poised to stab him, when –

FWOOOOOM!!!

A massive plume of fire was launched towards the armed maniac, causing him to dodge. All three of them looked towards the direction of the flames to see… Todoroki.

"Someone else to get in my way," Stain growled. "Today's been full of distractions."

"Got here just in time," Todoroki said. "Still, I was almost too late to stop this guy."

"You, too, Todoroki…?" Iida slurred out.

"Hold on, how did you get here?" Ochako asked.

"How did I get here? Good question," the peppermint-haired boy said. "I guess Kodai knew what she was talking about. She led me here, but already left to go get more help."

SHHKKK!!!

"Everything's okay!" Ice erupted from Todoroki's right foot, causing the Hero Killer to leap away, as the scarred boy continued. "Kodai will bring the Pro Heroes here any minute!"

FWOOOOOM!!!

More flames launched out of Todoroki's arm, as the ice melted, sliding the injured behind him. "You're just as they said you were. But you won't be taking any more lives, Hero Killer."

"Todoroki!" the brown-haired girl shouted at her classmate. "You can't let that guy get your blood! I think he controls his enemy's actions by swallowing it! That's how he got us!"

"He ingests blood to keep people from moving… that explains the blades," the teen with the red-and-white surmised. "All I gotta do is keep my distance –"

SHINK!

Todoroki was caught off-guard as a blade went flying and scratched his face, allowing the masked maniac to lunge at him. "You have good friends, Ingenium, or you did –"

SHHKKK!!!

On instinct, Todoroki launched a pillar of ice upwards to where the Hero Killer was, stopping the secondary blade, only to suddenly get grabbed by the creep, who had his tongue extended, ready to lick his blood. He immediately activated his fire, and not a second sooner.

The two of them continued their back-and-forth, with the armed psycho dodging every elemental attack Todoroki shot out, and with Endeavor's son trying to burn and freeze the psycho.

Iida could only look on in confusion. "Why are you… doing this…? This fight is with me… I inherited my brother's name… I'm the one that should stop him… the Hero Killer is mine!"

"You're Ingenium now?" Todoroki said, as if he had heard some bad joke. "Strage… the Ingenium I knew before never had that look on his face!"

As Stain sliced apart an entire iceberg and fell towards his target, he said, "You blocked your own field of vision against an opponent who's faster than you. Rookie mistake!"

"Come get me, then!" Todoroki growled, activating his flames, and –

SHUNK!

Todoroki grunted in pain as two of Stain's knives hit him in the arm, stopping him.

"You're good, kid!" the Hero Killer said, leaping down. "Unlike him!"

"WATCH OUT!"

As Todoroki yelled that out, the whole world seemed to slow down for Uraraka. It was like she could see Stain leap down and prepare to stab Native in slow motion.

Come on, Ochako… MOVE!!!

She still couldn't move. Todoroki would be fast enough to block the attack, but only if his left side hadn't just been disabled. Nobody could do anything, and Native was about to die.

They had failed. They had failed to protect Native, and as things were going, they were gonna fail to protect themselves, too. This would be where their Hero careers would end: Being another statistic for the Hero Killer. Todoroki would never be able to become whatever person he wished to be. Iida would never be able to carry on his family's legacy. And Ochako…

She would never be able to take care of her parents. Even if they no longer needed the money, she still wanted to treat them, to thank them for everything they had done for her. But now, they would just be mourning her. And All Might… he entrusted his Quirk with her… and now it was going to die alongside her, leaving All For One alone to wreak havoc on the world…

She hated it. She had failed, and it made her angry…

IT. MADE. HER. ANGRY.

BA-DUMP!

Ochako suddenly felt weird, as the world around her first changed to a shade of red… then green… then black. Everyone was still there, but… it was like they were frozen.

Looking down, she was now that… she could move her arm? No, it didn't feel like she was the one moving it. Regardless, her arm moved, directed towards the Hero Killer, and then…

…out came the black stuff.

Enji Todoroki had no idea what to make of the situation.

When he heard that there were several possible Vigilantes taking on the Nomus, he immediately headed over with Ryukyu, only for the party to have seemingly ended already.

"Yeah, the second we managed to put out the fires, they were gone," Manual said.

Enji nodded. It's what Mount Lady and the other Heroes at the site said, too.

"GUYS!"

Speaking of Mount Lady, he and Ryukyu turned around to see said Hero alongside her student, the one that could give Shoto a run for his money when it came to their expressions.

"What is it?" Ryukyu's blue-haired intern asked.

"Kodai said that her classmates are engaging the Hero Killer."

WHAT?!

That was all Ochako could think of right now.

Just a few seconds ago, she was watching everything in slow-mo: Stain was leaping down to finish Natvie, both she and Iida were down, Todoroki couldn't move in time…

And then all of a sudden a bunch of dark tentacle things erupted from her arm, sending the Hero Killer jumping back in surprise, as everyone stared at the One For All user in shock.

"SERIOUSLY?!" Todoroki shouted.

"A new power…?" Iida wondered aloud.

I don't understand… What's going on?! Ochako gritted her teeth in pain. Whatever the fuck this was, it wasn't done escaping, and she was pretty sure it was just acting on impulse.

"RUN!!!"

Unfortunately, before Todoroki could even react, he, along with everyone else (Hero Killer included), were grabbed by the black-and-green tendrils, launching them all to the walls.

BOOM!

Ochako's arm spasmed as she tried to fight off whatever the hell this thing was, but it was no use. It was too much. She couldn't hold back this power. She couldn't even tell the others to get out of here anymore; they were all pinned to the wall, looking at her in fear.

It's like… IT'S EXPLODING OUT OF ME!!!

Several more of these energy whips shout out of her arm, and immediately went to the skies above the alleyway, wrecking any bricks they came into contact with.

BOOOOOM!!!

Nejire couldn't help but gawk at what she was witnessing.

If she thought that the Nomus were the most exciting thing she was gonna see tonight, she was dead wrong, because the giant black tentacles spreading over Hosu took that cake.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Endeavor asked.

"I don't recognize it…" Mount Lady said.

"It's Occhan."

Nejire turned around to see Yui-chan. "That power… it's Occhan's."

The blue-haired girl immediately understood what that meant.

The black whips shot up into the air, before spawning even more versions of themselves, every strand of them wreaking havoc across any building they could find, all while dragging Iida, Todoroki, Native, Stain, and Ochako along for the ride.

This isn't my power! How is this happening?! It hurts! WHY?!

Those were the questions that were going on through Ochako's head, as the whips slammed her to the walls, dropping her, before swinging her again, as if they were children.

In fact, that analogy worked for everyone. If these dark tentacles were children, then everyone, Hero or Villain, was just a ragdoll that the tendrils were merely tossing around.

One For All… GET IT TOGETHER!!!

"URARAKA! PLEASE CALM DOWN!"

Ochako looked up to see that, despite the fact everyone was now mid-air, Stain was still trying to reach Iida with his blades. Todoroki was right, she needed to stop herself!

Eyeing a rooftop they were right above, it was the perfect place to set everyone down! Close enough that their fall wouldn't hurt, and with enough space to both continue the fight and to regain control of her power. There was only one foolproof way down, however…

Struggling against her arm, Ochako used all of her willpower to move it. She creeped slowly, but surely, until her fingers touched her body, until… HEAVY GRAVITY!!!

Her body plummeted down to the rooftop, taking everyone with her.

BOOOM!!!

Tenya felt his body go all tingly as he hit the rooftop. But the pain he felt from that was mild compared to the emotional pain of everything that had happened tonight.

Stain called him out as a fake. While he normally wouldn't listen to the ramblings of a madman, the Hero Killer called out the fact that he decided to pursue vengeance over helping save Native. And being down for the majority of the battle didn't help either.

It wasn't right. Todoroki and Uraraka were the ones who were cleaning up his mess, and now Uraraka herself was hurting because of this new power! He slammed the roof in anger, and…

Wait a minute. He slammed the roof. He could move again!

Looking around, he saw that Uraraka was still bust dealing with the tendrils, but thankfully winning. Todoroki, meanwhile, was checking to make sure Native was still alive, which only left Stain. Tenya quickly checked the area to see that the Hero Killer was still conscious.

This was bad. He needed to act now!

"RECIRPO… BUUURST!!!"

Rocketing straight towards the Hero Killer, Tenya used his legs to destroy his katana and kick him in the head. The armed maniac skidded away, but Tenya knew this Villain wouldn't give up that easily. He needed to go further! He needed to protect his friends!

HE NEEDED TO BE INGENIUM!!!

"RECIPRO… EXTEEEEEND!!!"

The blue-haired teen could feel his legs burning with this move, but it didn't matter. As the masked psycho launched himself towards Tenya, the young man launched forward. If he was a rocket before, he was now a goodman missile. Faster, and faster, until…

KRAAAK!!!

…he managed to kick Stain in the face.

Tenya could feel his legs collapse underneath him. He had done it. With the help of his friends, he ensured that the Hero Killer would never hurt anyone else ever again. Wait…

"Uraraka!"

"She's unconscious," Todoroki said. "She was able to get those weird tentacle things under control while you were taking on Stain, but she passed out afterwards."

"That's… good," Tenya said, between breaths. "What about Native?"

"Passed out as well, but he'll live," the peppermint-haired teenager said. "Now, come on, we gotta figure out a way to detain Stain before the Heroes arrive, or worse, if he wakes up."

"Right, of course –"

Tenya stopped as he turned back to check on the Hero Killer. Todoroki looked in his direction, as well, only for his breath to hitch as well. Stain was gone. Like he vanished from thin air.

Unfortunately for Katsuki, the goodman rat was the helicopter pilot.

"Nedzu, can you see anything?" Aizawa-sensei asked.

"There are multiple flames being put out below us as we speak," the white-furred mammal said. Honestly, Katsuki had no idea how his principal could even look out the window.

Seriously, was there a booster seat up there?!

"Hang on," the Erasure Hero said. "I see our Uraraka, Iida, and Todoroki. Ryukyu and Endeavor are with them. I can see Kodai and Mount Lady heading towards their direction, too."

"Then at least we know our students are safe," Nedzu said. "That's good to hear."

The explosive blond wholeheartedly agreed with that sentiment.

Ochako found herself back in the same place she dreamed of the night before. The dark void. None of the others from her last dream were with her. Well, none but one of them…

"Crap, kid! Ya got it wrong!" the bald man with goggles shouted. "Dang it! Didn't we tell you?! You're not alone out there, ya got that?! It's manifesting! Now's the time, so shape up! Ya gotta start thinking more! From now on, ya can't use your power casually, it's something bigger."

Ochako couldn't help but stare at the man in shock. His choice of fashion was odd at best, and his figure of speech made him sound drunk. He's one of the past users of One For All…?

"Whoa, where's your mouth kid?! That's freaky! Whatever, don't sweat it!" the weird dude said, before looking at himself. "Feels like my time is running out, that was fast. One more thing, kid, the power you just shout out of ya was originally my Quirk! Earlier, you were dead set on stopping that Stain dude from killing anyone, it was all you could think about!"

Ochako nodded along with that.

"It just so happened that the best Quirk for that was Blackwhip, which belonged to me! So, you get to meet yours truly first! But be careful, this Quirk has evolved. Blackwhip's got the might of One For All swirling within it, which means it's much stronger now than when it was mine."

The brown-haired girl listened closely as her predecessor continued. "If you use One For All in anger, the power will react to that feeling. What's important… is keeping tabs on your heart. It's fine to get mad; rage can be the source of incredible strength. But you need control, and not just over your body, but over your emotions, as well! After being passed down from eight people, One For All has become an awesome force! Prepare yourself… you'll have six more Quirks manifest as you improve! Control your heart and master those who live in this power!"

And with that, the bald man began to fade away, as Ochako started to wake up.

"Good luck. We're with ya, kid. You're the one who will complete One For All!"

Ochako opened her eyes to see that… Ryukyu was carrying her. "Hey there, Uravity. I know you're worried, but don't be. Both your friends and Native are alive and well."

Ochako looked around to see that everyone was now down on street level, with Manual chewing out Iida and Endeavor hugging Todoroki. Even Yui-chan was there with Mount Lady.

"That's good. Where's Stain…?"

"We don't know," the blonde Hero said. "He disappeared after Iida kicked his face in. But what I'm more interested in right now are those weird tendrils you suddenly manifested –"

"Hey, hey!" Nejire-senpai shouted. "Everyone! Look at the billboards!"

Ochako, along with everyone else, looked up to see that all the giant screens in the area were glitching out. But soon enough… there was a new picture. A live video.

The Hero Killer was on the screen, tied up, but… he wasn't alone.

"Hello, Heroes."

All For One and the League of Villains were right behind him.

Author's Note: The Hosu finale is coming up in the next chapter!

Yeah, so Blackwhip has shown up. Thanks to Ochako's natural Quirk, One For All's evolution has been sped up. Expect more Quikrs in the future. Also, we've got a new Villain group hunting for Kodai, that's pretty big. Now, for our weekly comment!

Knightmare Lord: Yup! Overhaul is here, and he's here to wreck stuff up!

As a special announcement, I have also made a Twitter account to post my art, so if anyone is interested in checking it out, /ErnaloreProf is the link.

So! If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is /3PFYSt8Dqz. You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

Thanks for reading, and once again, see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 22: Secrets Are Out, School's Back In

Ochako Uraraka knew that this night was just going to get worse.

Aside from the fact that she had to save Iida from getting murderized by Stain, there was also the fact that Nomus had decided to crash Hosu, and the fact that after their fight, which somehow included a new Quirk from One For All, Stain was gone.

Only to now appear on every jumbo screen in the country, beaten up and tied up, with All For One and the League of Villains right behind him. Wonderful.

"Hello, Heroes," All For One said, his voice being filtered through his mask. "Before we begin, I must thank you for luring out the Hero Killer for us. It's always so hard to flush out rats from where they're hiding. As evidenced by what happened tonight in Hosu, the combined efforts of the League's Nomus and the Heroes was just the thing we needed. Thank you for your help."

"Is he… taunting us?" Iida asked.

"I wouldn't put it past him," Todoroki hissed.

Endeavor and Ryukyu, meanwhile, kept their eyes fixed on the video.

"And now, the Hero Killer, Stain," All For One said, as he turned towards the captured Villain. "I've been doing quite the digging on you, and what I've found so far is interesting. Your real name is Chizome Akaguro, and you were so infatuated with Heroes in your younger years, you even enrolled in a Hero school as a teenager! Too bad you became so disillusioned…"

Ochako, alongside everyone else, was shocked to hear that. Stain used to be… a Hero hopeful? He was just like herself, or Bakugou, Shinso, Yui-chan… any of them?

"A shame, too. Imagine what could have happened if you stuck to your guns and became a Hero! I'm sure someone like you would have made many allies! Oh, well," the masked Villain continued. "Anyways, after realizing how the system skewed your understanding of what it meant to be a Hero, you advocated for the return of the early days of Heroes, but when nobody listened, you decided to spend the next decade of your life training to become a weapon."

"He spent ten years of his life doing that?" Manual gawked.

"Talk about dedication…" Yui-chan murmured.

"He's a monster…" Native whispered.

"Your focus is a return to the old days, when Heroes did not seek out compensation. You believed that today's Heroes were frauds, and that through your violent purges, society would side with you," the Quirk Thief said. "And to an extent, I agree with you."

That threw everyone who was listening to the broadcast for a loop.

"What," Endeavor deadpanned.

"I agree with the ideals, not the execution. I want a world where Heroes are Heroes and Villains are Villains, but killing Heroes won't solve that," All For One said. "I would have left you alone to figure that out on your own, but you did something that crossed the line…"

"You hurt Ingenium."

Ochako's heart froze when she heard that. It sounded so… wrong. A Villain that genuinely admired a Hero? And to go as far as to track down that Hero's assailant?

Looking around, she saw that everyone was staring at the screen with various degrees of shock, but the one who was affected the most… was Iida.

And honestly, who could blame him?

This entire thing sounded like some kind of sick joke, like something a prankster would come up with. This was All For One they were talking about, the same person who sicked a monster on All Might just to weaken him and then curbstomp the Hero into submission.

But… this was also the same person who told Ochako not to turn out like All Might, to rely on other people. Someone who, despite being called the literal Symbol of Evil, seemed to care an awful lot about Heroes, if this and the USJ was anything to go off of.

But why?

"Tensei Iida was a good Hero, a true Hero, and thanks to you, his career could have been cut short forever, all because he didn't live up to your standards," All For One said, his tone far less playful now. "Because of your actions, several Heroes who had the potential to do good things are now dead, all because they couldn't live up to All Might's capabilities and hype."

"What?!" Ryukyu shouted.

"This man is speaking nonsense…" Endeavor said.

"No," Todoroki disagreed. "I think he's onto something…"

"Oh, I know about your little schoolgirl crush on All Might, and how he's the only one worthy of killing you! But I know something about All Might that you don't…" the masked Villain said, in a sing-song tone. "He's an exception, not the norm. This society sees him as some sort of unshakable pillar, and they don't even know how close to retirement he truly is!"

"All Might… retiring…?" Manual gasped.

"Well, he is pretty old…" Nejire-senpai said.

The students of Class 1-A all looked at each other. They knew. They knew that it was only a matter of time before All Might retired, either due to his injuries, or his time limit.

And the Quirk Thief was this close to spilling the secret to the entire world.

"All Might comes in with that smile of his, reassuring the public that everything would be okay because he was here… I have to admit, it was effective back in the old days, when Villains ran rampant and society had no one to look up to. But so many decades later, and his desire for peace had gone awry. Complacency by other Heroes who are thinking, "Hey, All Might is doing all the work, why don't I just sit back and ride his coattails?" And the very few Heroes and government agencies who do try to reach All Might's level go about it in the wrong way."

Ochako didn't say anything, as she noticed Endeavor flinching, all while Todoroki sparing a glance at his father. Mount Lady also flinched, but for different reasons.

"The sad reality is, All Might will retire one of these days, and no one person will be able to fill the void he leaves. It'll take so many more Heroes to do so…" All For One said. "But that can't happen if you kill everyone who is not All Might, can it, Stain? Hmmm?"

"The truth of the matter is, Japan is a ticking time bomb. This era of peace has led to complacency, that complacency has created corruption, and that corruption is a means of control. When All Might is gone, this carefully stacked tower of bricks will come crashing down! And even if you managed to eliminate the right targets, Hero Killer, there would still be far too many false Heroes out there. While you have been out there nipping at the fingers of this titan, the League of Villains has gone straight for the head! The Hero Public Safety Commission!"

"The hell is he talking about?" Bakugou asked, staring at the billboard.

Shouta could already feel his phone vibrating in his pocket.

"I'm sure the HPSC did their best to cover it up, but the Heroes who were there know exactly what I'm referring to! During the UA Sports Festival, when everyone was watching these students be pitted against each other in obstacle races and cavalry battles, and so many of the highest-ranking Heroes were there to watch and guard the place, I orchestrated a plan for my League of Villains to infiltrate the HPSC headquarters and escape with something valuable: A hard drive containing every single dirty little secret of that little organization!"

"He can't be serious, right?" Shinso asked.

Emi wanted to say yes, but… she honestly had no idea.

"That's right! While Stain was busy paralyzing poor Ingenium from the waist down, my comrades laid siege on one of the best-guarded buildings in the entire Japanese government, escaping with the most delicious of rewards! A reward that I will be more than happy to share!"

"By the end of this transmission, every single bad policy, every single crime that they signed off on or ignored "for the greater good," and every single politician and journalist that was in bed with the Commission will be available to the public, right there on the internet!" All For One said, as he looked towards the Hero Killer. "And that, my friend, is how you change society!"

Stain remained motionless in front of the screen.

"Oh? Not listening, are we? Dabi, could you please snap him out of his funk?"

The black-haired woman nodded, as her palms ignited in blue flames, and –

"AAAAAIIIIIEEEEE!"

Ochako looked away, as did thousands of other people all over Japan. She didn't need her eyes to see what was going on. The screams were enough. But others, others watched.

Endeavor, Ryukyu, and several of the other Heroes in Hosu watched in silent horror as Dabi placed her lit hands on the Hero Killer's biceps, slowly burning them.

Iida and Todoroki watched as a man was essentially tortured in front of the entire world, his body squirming around, before they decided they had seen enough and turned away.

Nejire and Yui simply stared at the screen, neither of them showing any emotion.

By the time the screaming stopped, Ochako looked back to see that several parts of the Hero Killer's body were now black char, as the man that less than an hour ago was trying to kill her friends, had his eyes darting around the darkened room in terror now.

"Originally, I was planning on having Dabi simply burn your face off until you stopped squirming, but I think I'll be merciful and make this quick and painless on you," All For One said. "After I steal your Quirk, that is. I must say, it is quite the fascinating specimen."

Ochako and the rest of her classmates' jaws dropped at that. All For One seriously mentioned his ability to steal other peoples' Quirks like it was nothing?! Just how cocky was he?!

"He can steal other people's Quirks…?" Ryukyu whispered.

Endeavor's eyes widened. "He's the Boogeyman… of the Underworld…"

The One For All user watched in both horror and disgust as the Quirk Thief placed their hand on Stain's face, and let the power flow through him. "Done. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"He's gotta be lying… he has to be!" Mount Lady shouted.

"No," Yui simply said. "He's not lying."

"Now then… for the final verdict."

"Hero Killer, Stain…" the masked Villain began. "Your goals were admirable, but your methods were heavily flawed. The only Hero you ever deemed "worthy" was All Might, a man whose time is running short. You tried to fix this broken society, yes, but you went about it the wrong way, killing random Heroes, and worse than that… hurting Ingenium. Don't worry, your goals shall live on through me, but you… you have been found guilty, and are sentenced to death."

SNAP!

The entirety of Japan flinched in shock and horror as they saw All For One place their hands on Stain's neck, and then twist. He made it look so easy… like opening a water bottle.

And with that, the ropes on Chizome Akaguro's body were let loose by the on-screen Kurogiri, with the corpse of the man once regarded as the Hero Killer slid down to the floor.

"Now with that done… it's time to move on to other business."

There was more?!

Ochako didn't want to fathom what else there could be.

"PEOPLE OF JAPAN!" All For One announced, his arms outstretched on the screen. "Have you been rejected by society? Discriminated against? Forced to be put in those little boxes based on who you are? Then join me! The League of Villains is now open for recruitment!"

"Whether you're someone who wishes to find a place to belong, have a desire to remake this rotten society, or simply think being a Villain is cool, we have a place for you! We shall be holding auditions for the best of the best Japan has to offer! So, come on down!"

"I am All For One of the League of Villains… signing off. Good night, Japan!"

As the video cut off, and all the screens in the area went back to normal, Ochako felt like throwing up. The only reason she didn't was due to still being carried by Ryukyu.

All For One had just played them. Again.

He had let loose his Nomus just to flush out Stain, letting the brown-haired girl and her classmates weaken him just enough so the League could capture and kill him.

This was just like the USJ all over again. He had won.

As Ochako felt herself lose consciousness again, she cursed her own weakness.

Toru Hagakure felt sick to her stomach.

She was hanging around in the main lounge of the Edgeshot's agency after a patrol (the Hero found her stealth skills impressive), when she saw Stain getting executed on live TV. She could feel her dinner coming back up, and immediately ran to the bathroom, letting it all out.

Ugh. Wonderful. Now, she had to go back to her room and brush her teeth, and get whatever vomit that might have touched her hair out of there. It was always a hassle to take care of her body, because she couldn't even fucking see it. Getting out of the stall, she saw…

…she saw a girl.

There was a naked girl in the bathroom with her. After a few seconds of freaking out, Toru noticed that she was only in the mirror. Braving a closer look, she saw that the girl had some weirdly-colored hair, with most of it being a light green, but there were also patches of blue, pink, yellow, and maybe a couple of other colors. But that wasn't even the weirdest thing.

Her eyes were even weirder than her hair. They were a mix of blue and yellow and green, almost like she had multiple irises within a single eye. She tried to touch the girl… only to end up touching the mirror… and now realizing that Toru could see her own skin.

Oh my God, she realized. That's my reflection.

"Okay… let's see if we can somehow make a play with the cards we've been given."

Nedzu wouldn't have told anyone, but honestly, he could really use a cigarette right about now. Tea wasn't going to cut it, especially after the recent shitshow.

Across every single channel, on every jumbo billboard, and on every screen, the message the League of Villains had sent after their attack on Hosu had appeared. Millions of people watched as All For One basically announced the world that he was real and that he returned.

Despite the government's best efforts, every time they attempted to take down the video, someone kept reuploading the recording onto the internet. Whether it was the League themselves or just some edgy asshole, it was anyone's guess, Nedzu included.

The bigger problems at the moment were threefold: One, the League had exposed the cracks within Heroics, as they did as promised, and posted every single dirty little secret the HPSC had after their stream. If it was in any other circumstance, Nedzu would have been overjoyed.

Two, they called out both Stain and All Might. While calling out the extreme fundamentalist wouldn't have been that big of a problem, All For One went and said that Stain's ideals had some merit to them, even if the way he went about them was wrong. And to top it off, he just went and insinuated that All Might was getting old and would soon retire.

Even if that was untrue (as much as Nedzu wished it was untrue), the issue wasn't whether or not All For One told the truth, but whether or not the public believed him. And given that he delivered on his promise to show the figurative HSPC black book, it meant that everything else he said couldn't simply be ignored as flat-out lies. Which included the idea of the "Era of Peace" now being a festering ground due to complacency and general corruption.

And three, and the biggest issue of them all… All For One had now given the Villains a symbol to unite under once more. He showed up out of the shadows, claiming responsibility for several massive attacks, murdered the feared Hero Killer on screen after taking the man's ideology for himself, and then announced to the world that he was now hiring. Essentially, he removed his competition, and told the rest of the Villain world it was either his way or the highway.

At the moment, all Nedzu could do now was call a meeting with every personnel he had available to him to discuss how to move forward after this. Those included the UA faculty, including both the Aizawas, All Might, Gran Torino, and even Sir Nighteye.

"Nighteye, give it to us straight…" Ms. Joke said. "How bad is it with the HPSC?"

The thin man nodded at the green-haired woman's request, and began reading through the files. "It all but confirmed that Lady Nagant was used by the HPSC as a hitman before she grew conscious. She also killed the last President of the organization, and the murder of a fellow Hero was their way to cover it up. And from the looks of it, Hawks has the potential to be another Nagant, given that the HPSC essentially bought him as a child from his mother."

"This is all kinds of fucked…" Present Mic whispered.

"Unlawful detainment and torture, political murder, covering up Hero sandals…" Nighteye listed off. "We even have a list of every single Hero that the HPSC ever contacted for anything."

"So… how many Heroes are completely clean?" Eraserhead asked.

"The term "clean" is a bit of a generalization. It's more like multiple shades of gray, getting progressively more dark with every deed done. But if you're asking how many current Heroes are completely "white," excluding everyone in this room, it would be… around two hundred."

Fuck.

"I know I wasn't here for long, but still… thank you."

Ochako was standing outside of Ryukyu's building, with the Dragoon Hero standing across from her. Her costume was in her suitcase, her uniform on her, ready to head out.

The good news was that, after being taken to the nearby hospital, the doctors confirmed that neither her nor Todoroki suffered anything too serious. Iida had the most damage, but a few minor surgeries would be able to repair his arms, something he was grateful for.

Another thing her spectacled friend was grateful for was his older brother's recovery.

As it turned out, the night before Hosu went up in flames, Tensei Iida somehow had a miraculous recovery, able to both feel and move his legs again. The morning after All For One's broadcast, he was released from the hospital, but not after visiting Tenya.

The older one scolded the younger one, but both were glad the other was alright. Tensei even let Tenya keep the "Ingenium" name, which caused the younger Iida to cry.

Ochako couldn't help but smile at the sight, even if she had a sneaking suspicion that All For One was behind it. He had mentioned Tensei in his broadcast, and the older Iida's miracle recovery couldn't have just been a coincidence. Speaking of All For One…

The released files on the HPSC ended up causing all of the Hero industry to grind to a halt. The agency responsible for overseeing the Heroes was now attacked from all sides, from the public, to even the Prime Minister, and every other group in between.

Despite it happening less than twenty-four hours ago, Principal Nedzu had called back every student back to UA amidst the chaos, as the adults tried to sort this all out.

Their internships were over, even if the week itself wasn't done.

"I don't think you have any reason to thank me," Ryukyu said honestly. "Even if the public can't know about it, you and your friends managed to hold your own against Stain."

"Yeah, but that's only because you and Nejire-senpai pushed me!"

"She's got a point there, you know," the blue-haired girl said, surprising Ochako.

"WHERE THE HECK DID YOU COME FROM?!"

"Oh, I was patrolling around the area," she said. "Even if your internships are canceled, my work studies are still going on. But, I'll definitely be seeing you at UA again soon!"

"Great," Ochako said, gritting her teeth. "I can't wait for that..."

Ryukyu chuckled at that, before she said, "Uravity. You'll always be welcomed here."

Ochako gave her mentor a soft smile and bowed. "Thank you."

Coming back to UA was greeted with far less fanfare than there should have been.

Internships were called off earlier due to what happened in Hosu with All For One's message, and everybody in the Hero Course was back in class by the end of the week.

Of course, there were some interactions between everyone, but it wasn't anything really major. The most was Asui talking about what she did during her internship with Selkie.

Well, that was the case, until…

"Hey, guys! Glad to see you're all safe!"

Ochako, along with everyone else in the class, turned to see a girl their age, wearing a UA uniform. Short, light-green hair with some extra colors added into the mix, like pink and yellow, with her eyes looking even more bizarre, a mix of blue, green and yellow.

"Uhh, who are you?" Kirishima asked.

"What?! You don't recognize me? It's me, Toru!"

"What?! Hagakure?!" Sero gawked. "That can't be right!"

"Indeed," Tokoyami agreed. "Who are you truly?"

"No, seriously, it's me! Watch!" Suddenly, the girl disappeared, leaving only a floating uniform, before coming back again. "See? I figured out how to turn on and off my Quirk!"

"Seriously? That's great!" Ojiro exclaimed.

"Wow, your Quirk's got a new feature?" Sato asked. "That's neat."

"She isn't the only one."

Everyone looked towards the resident quiet girl.

"Did your Quirk also improve, Kodai?" Jiro asked.

Yui quietly shook her head, before pointing towards… "Occhan."

"Seriously?!" Ashido shouted. "What is it, what is it?!"

"Oh, you mean those weird tentacles?" Todoroki said.

"Tentacles?" Sero repeated. "Is that some new feature of One For All?"

"Uhh, I think so?" the brown-haired girl said, as she felt everyone's eyes on her. "I did have some weird dreams about the past wielders and their Quirks, so…"

"Oh. So, your Quirk's haunted," Shinso summarized.

"Shinso! Do not make light of such a subject!" Iida chastised him.

"On behalf of UA, we're sorry that your internships had to be cut short," Yagi-sensei said, as he bowed towards the class, before softly smiling. "That being said, it's time to return to basic training. For today, we're going to be conducting a little race. Take everything you've learned from your limited time at your internships and apply it to this rescue training."

Even while not All Might, Yagi-sensei makes me feel at ease…

As Ochako smiled fondly at the sight of her mentor after a hellish week of not being at UA, Iida was busy raising his hand. "If it's rescue training, shouldn't we be at the USJ?"

Everyone else shuddered at the memories of Gran Torino lurking there last time.

Yagi, meanwhile, ignored that as he said, "Ah, that facility specializes in disasters. As I said earlier, this is a race. You're about to step into Field Gamma. Inside is an area of factories that form an intricate labyrinth. You'll be competing in groups of five. Each person starts in a different location on the outskirts of the model city. I'll send a distress signal, and you do what you must to rescue me! Whoever reaches me first, wins. Alright, the first group is…"

Ochako didn't know how she would go about this race.

Originally, just using One For All to jump around and Zero Gravity to make herself lighter would have been a perfectly viable strategy to make it to Yagi-sense, but now…?

"Prepare yourself… you'll have six more Quirks manifest as you improve!"

Six Quirks. She needed to figure out how to use Blackwhip without that thing going haywire now, if she didn't want to get overwhelmed by the rest of these powers. She needed to be able to use each and every one of them if she wanted to stand a chance against All For One.

BWAAA!

The alarm suddenly went off, as the brown-haired girl snapped into attention and blasted off with a nice fifteen percent from One For All. As the pink lightning followed behind her. On her left, she could see glimpses of Sero and Shinso, and on her right, Bakugou and Asui.

She could easily win this if she just did what she was doing now, but… she couldn't.

This was a chance for her to use her new Quirk, and she had to take it.

"...you were dead set on stopping that Stain dude from killing anyone, it was all you could think about! It just so happened that the best Quirk for that was Blackwhip, which belonged to me!"

She knew what triggered Blackwhip's activation. She needed to see something, and grab it. Seeing a nearby pipe, Ochako lifted up her arm, concentrated, and –

WRAP!

Blackwhip came out of her hand, reaching all the way through the air, and sticking onto the pipe, dragging her along with it! She did it. She actually figured out how to use this power –

BAM!

As Ochako slid down from the wall, she reminded herself that, next time she used this power, she would make sure to let go before she slammed herself into a building.

In the end, first place went to Katsuki, with Sero coming in a close second.

"Congratulations!" Yagi-sensei said, giving him a reward sash.

"Uh, thanks," the ash blond said, reluctantly putting it on.

"Uraraka, are you all right?" Shinso asked.

"Just a bruised nose. Nothing Recovery Girl can't fix."

"Young Bakugou may have come in first, but compared to the start of the year, you've all shown me some incredible improvements," Yagi said, his thin smile still on his face. "Keep working and preparing for your upcoming Final Exams, and I'm sure you'll all do great!"

""SIR!"" they all shouted, before heading out. Even when not in his buff form, All Might managed to make Class A feel grateful he was their teacher.

Maybe I can ask Sero for some advice? Ochako thought to herself as she began to walk away. His tape does seem to work the same way as Blackwhip…

"Ah, young Uraraka… please come see me after today's class."

Whispering All Might? That meant it was serious.

"So… it's a previous wielder's Quirk," Yagi-sensei said, as he made himself some tea. "You've been having strange dreams… and One For All itself is evolving…?"

"Yeah, I was quite surprised," Ochako admitted, as she drank from her cup. The last time the two of them were in this room was back before the Sports Festival. "Back during the first day of UA, I thought it was just something I saw while under Shinso's mind control."

That wasn't so long ago, but given everything that has happened… It felt ancient.

"Did you know about this? About the dark energy and the person I spoke to?"

"I never heard of either of them before. The person who held the Quirk before my master was a young man with black hair. I don't think she knew about the other Quirks living inside One For All either…" Yagi admitted. "I can safely say this is uncharted territory for everyone."

"The man I talked to said that "now was the time," so… maybe it has something to do with what's going on in the world?" Ochako theorized. "Maybe about All For One coming back?"

"It's something I've thought of. At any rate, we have to know more about this power," Yagi said. "I'll look through some old records, you make sure you can control it. You've still got the Final Exams coming up, so you'll need to work hard to make sure you're ready for anything."

"Right!"

"She escaped from you?"

"Rrr… she spotted us and ran towards some Nomus. Used them as living shields. By the time we were done with them, the Heroes had arrived, and we needed to retreat."

Kai Chisaki sighed in exasperation. He should have known that Megethos was smart enough to use her surroundings to her advantage. She was one of All For One's closest confidants.

"So, what are we gonna do about it?" Chimera asked.

"We're going to try… a different approach."

Author's Note: Next time, we've got zombies! No, seriously.

So! A lot has happened in this arc! Uraraka has access to Blackwhip, the League has bumped off both Stain and the Hero Commission, and our real big bads have officially made their first semi-official appearance! Let's see how the comments like all this…

KnightmareLord: Sorry for cutting it off when it was getting good for you, I gotta keep a consistent chapter rate! Anyways, I hope you liked this conclusion! Until next time!

VinHD15: I think I vaguely remember seeing something about the Phantom Thieves appearing on a billboard, but if they did, it would be in a completely different context then why Stain was up there. Though, I guess the joke you made was kinda funny? I dunno.

threeque: Okay, small mistake. The "Chimera" I was referring to in the last two chapters was actually referring to monstrous Chojuro Kon, the Villain that was working for Nine during the  Heroes Rising  movie. Anyways, I'm super happy to see you bringing this. I do hope you read up on Dungeon Crawlers after this (maybe you'll be able to comment in time for the next chapter), or any of the other several stories I have written!

Anyways, as you probably know, I have also made a Twitter account to post my art, so if anyone is interested in checking it out, /ErnaloreProf is the link.

If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is /3PFYSt8Dqz. You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules.

Thanks for reading, and once again, see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 23: Zombies and the Start of the Finals

In Tsuyu Asui's humble opinion, it was somewhat saddening that their internships were cut short. She was actually doing some excellent work with Selkie, and then Hosu happened. All For One was starting to get on her nerves, which was impressive, as Tsu was pretty well known for being chill. So, congrats to the big bad Villain for making the frog girl upset.

Hope he was feeling proud of himself right now.

Regardless, what happened, happened. It was time to move on and return to the relative normalcy of Class 1-A… or so she thought. Because honestly, neither Tsu, or anyone else in her class was expecting a couple of guests from a whole different Hero school to show up.

"It's a little sudden," Aizawa-sensei admitted to the class, "But for our next Hero exercise, four Hero students from Isami High School will be joining us as special guests."

"We'll be running the exercise with you today," the white-haired girl in the blue uniform spoke up, her odd-looking eyes behind those glasses of hers scanning the room. "I'm Kashiko Senkigai."

"Dadan Tadan," the large, sweaty boy said. "Pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Fujimi," the other boy, the one with the bluish-gray hair, grunted.

The final student poked their head out from behind Senkigai, and Tsu's heart immediately stopped. She had the head of a snake, along with massive curls of red hair on top.

Suddenly, this day became a whole lot better for Tsuyu Asui.

Shouta Aizawa gave his class a quick look over before he began talking. Everyone was accounted for, including the four extra guests from Isamu Academy.

Even after All For One's little internet rampage during Hosu, one of the few groups least affected were Hero schools themselves. Unlike Pros and the Agencies, those Heroes-in-training were still minors, and few, if any, had any sort of problematic history.

So, while the majority of the Heroes in Japan ended up now being dragged through the mud either due incompetence or malice, the next generation was still relatively safe.

Small mercies.

So, before Nedzu decided to traumatize this year's Hero students with the souped-up version of the Final Exams, Class 1-A would first be doing a joint exercise with Isamu Academy.

Why them? Shouta wasn't actually sure. His first theory was that it was due to practicality. Isamu was located in Aichi, while UA was in Shizuoka. Pretty close to one another. Then again, the rat wasn't the sort of person to do something so surface-leveled. There had to be more.

Maybe it was the four students that were selected? Habuko Mongoose was indeed best friends with Tsuyu Asui (a surprise to both Shouta and everyone else), but that seemed more like a coincidence. A secret mission to adjust Romero Fujimi's attitude? Unlikely.

Which left only Kashiko Senkigai and Dadan Tadan.

There didn't seem to be anything off with Senkigai, she just seemed like a white-haired Yaoyorozu to Shouta. Courteous, smart, a good class representative overall.

And Tadan was just a big bag of nerves. Kind of like a more vocal Koda.

His costume was definitely an odd one. Seemed like quite the tall order. UA usually tried to go for the most straight methods when it came to costumes. Even Hagakure's new suit, DNA-infused and all, just had the purpose of "going invisible when the wearer does."

Why did that kid even need a giant walking shell of armor?

Shaking his head, Shouta decided to figure this puzzle out later.

"Good to see that everyone arrived on time," Shouta announced to the class and guests. "Today's exercise will be observed by me and one other person…"

"I HAVE ARRIVED!"

BOOM!

Shouta ignored the shock waves that All Might caused while landing on the ground. Honestly, the one perk of the USJ attack was that Yagi could now just show up in his regular form while hanging around his class. But given that there were guests today…

Might as well let him enjoy this while he still can…

"All Might!"

"In the flesh!"

"Such power!"

"I'm so jealous of UA!"

While the Isamu kids actibley fanboyed over the appearance of the Symbol of Peace, Shouta's kids merely smiled. Guess seeing a powered-up All Might was still a small treat to them. Sure, they still saw Yagi every other day, but this showboating was still cool to watch.

"So! About this little exercise…" All Might began. "We're going to be doing a little bit of Survival Training! Four students per team will start at predetermined positions! There is but one objective! To survive! Run or fight, anything goes! Victory goes to the last surviving team!"

"If you run into another team, manage to bind them with the capture tape," Shouta added.

"Now! Let us announce the teams!"

Katsuki, along with the rest of his teammates, stayed extremely still.

After the teams were announced, Shoji, Kirishima, and Yaoyorozu (yes, he finally remembered their names, sue him) and himself all went to their little corner of the forest.

The original goal was pretty straightforward: Take down the other teams.

Unfortunately, the newcomers from Isamu had the same idea as Katsuki's team, except instead of going against one team at a time, they decided to blanket-wide attacks. Which definitely explained the sudden bombings of Flash Bang Sweat missiles all over the forest.

The good news was that Yaoyorozu was clever enough to cover everyone in a camo sheet to make sure that when the Isamu shits showed up, they didn't notice 'em. Which was now.

"This is odd," the white-haired girl said. "I'm not reading any life forms."

"They didn't escape, did they?" the nervous fat one asked.

"I'm sure you got them…" the snake girl said.

The white-haired chick sighed. "They should be unconscious around here…"

"Ha! Guess we should have used real missiles!" the creep said.

Aight, that does it.

"HEY! You're really annoying, you know?" Katsuki said, as Yaoyorozu dropped the camo. Seemed like that managed to piss off the jackass. "Hope you're ready…"

"Leave it to me!" the snake girl shouted, as her eyes flashed a bunch of yellow.

During his internship with Eraserhead, Katsuki did pick up on a few things. One was that Villains who suddenly couldn't use their Quirks would get sloppy, same for Villains who lost their cool. They'd make mistakes from mistiming attacks to overlooking minor details.

The same logic applied to Hero students. They were still green in the gills, still having trouble controlling their adrenaline during exercises, and very much prone to mistakes.

Case in point, the snake girl was just a bit too slow to activate her Quirk.

Whatever her Quirk was, it caused the rest of Katsuki's teammates to collapse onto the forest floor. So, some sort of paralysis. Unfortunately, while the rest of his comrades stood while getting stared at, Katsuki jumped, letting himself get paralyzed while in midair.

Why did that benefit him? Because, one, it bought his team an extra few seconds of not getting wrapped up in capture tape as the opposing team looked around for the flying Katsuki, and two, because once gravity began to take hold of him, the paralysis wore off.

"Just three seconds, huh? Might wanna work on extending your time."

BOOM!

Katsuki launched himself quickly towards the Isamu bastards. Hopefully, he'd be able to buy his team enough time to get back on their feet and take care of some of these clowns –

"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE US!"

Cute. The shifty-eyed bastard decided to shoot out his pink –

"FUJIMI, NO!"

Uh-oh. That changed things. If their class rep was telling the guy not to use his Quirk, that usually meant that the end result would be bad for everyone involved, allies included.

FWOOSH!

In an instant, everyone in the area was engulfed in pink smoke.

"FUJIMI, YOU IDIOT!"

The second Ochako saw the pink mist, she knew something was wrong.

After arriving at her predetermined position with the rest of her team, which consisted of Yui-chan, Tsu, and Ashido (who insisted on being called Mina), the exercise officially began.

All that was between them and the other teams was the forest.

The brown-haired girl decided that they'd play it strategically this time around, given that the Isamu students had unfamiliar Quirks, and that none of the four of them really didn't have any stealth or scouting capabilities. In other words, stay put right where they were.

As it turned out, that was the right call.

She wasn't sure if it was Katsuki or one of the Isamu kids, but the first thing the four of them heard after exercise began was explosions. Lots of them. Like, a deafening amount. Ochako seriously doubted Katsuki was capable of doing that, especially right now.

Which meant that it had to be one of Senkigai's classmates. Or her. Maybe.

Then the pink gas clouds appeared.

It looked kind of like Midnight's Quirk, but instead it had a lighter coloration, and the shape and texture made it slowly move in as a fog, rather than smoke coming from a burning source.

"What is it?" Mina asked.

"I don't know," Tsu replied. "But we should stay away from it."

Yui nodded along to that logic. "Let's head to a safer place."

The four of them ran up the mountainside of the forest, they spotted Todoroki's team, which had Ojiro, the now-visible Hagakure, and Koda doing the exact same thing.

Before anyone could do anything, Todoroki said, "Don't attack! I know this is an exercise, but now isn't the time to fight! That gas is a Quirk from one of the Isamu students! It –"

Slowly, everyone turned around, as they heard footsteps. Weak shuffles coming from the base of the mountain. More students that ran from the gas? Why did they look so… pale…?

""ZOMBIES!"" Mina and Hagakure screamed.

Down in front of them, Ochako watched as the rest of their classmates had been turned into shouting, possibly indestructible zombies (if Shoji bashing his head against a tree was any indication), that were shooting off their Quirks for no rhyme or reason.

"HAHAHAHA!" Everyone turned to see that Fujimi, the Isamu student with the bad attitude, was laughing. "What do you think of my Quirk? UA isn't all that much – OH MY GOD!"

CHOMP!

"Wow, Bakugou," Yui simply said. "Wow."

Ochako had to admit, it was kinda cathartic to see Fujimi get bit by a zombie of his own creation, but that kind of dissolved when she saw Fujimi rise as a zombie, as well.

Todoroki quickly made some ice to encapsulate the legs of all the zombies in the vicinity, only for them to bust out. Wonderful, that theory on enhanced durability was proven correct. Oh, and Koda, Ojiro, and Hagakure just got bitten while no one was looking. Fantastic.

"Hey! What do we do?" Mina asked.

"I say run!" Yui said, as she began sliding off the mountain slope.

The others followed suit, trying to keep their balance, but Tsu… not so much.

"Come on, get up!" Todoroki shouted at her. "We need to go!"

Ochako tried to reach her downed classmate, but heart plummeted as she saw one of the zombies quickly approach the fallen Tsu, only for it to… help the green-haired girl up?

"Habuko-chan…" Tsu smiled. "You remember me even as a zombie!"

Huh, that's actually kind of heartwarming, Ochako thought to herself. She kinda wished she had a friendship that would be able to transcend zombieism. Maybe with Yui?

"Thank you, Habuko-chan!" Tsu continued. "We'll always be – AHHH!"

CHOMP!

Goddammit, Aoyama.

"Still friends as zombies," Yui deadpanned. "Cute."

"We have more important things right now!" Mina shouted.

The pink-skinned girl was right. Ochako tried to think of a plan. Blackwhip? Still having trouble controlling that. One For All in general? That could work, but –

"HAHAHA! EVERYTHING'S ALL RIGHT! WHY, YOU ASK?!"

"Right on fucking time!" Todoroki shouted.

The ninth One For All user completely agreed with that. All Might showing up would at the very least buy them some time to think of something while he dealt with the zombies, right?

BOOM!

"Because I am here!"

The four remaining students did a double-take, as in the place of All Might they saw… Yagi-sensei. In fact, Yagi looked down to check on himself, and… yeah.

"Shiiiiiiiiiit."

"Time to run?" Todoroki asked.

Ochako nodded. "Time to run."

Grabbing All Might with Blackwhip, Ochako and the others made a run for it. Five minutes later, they managed to find themselves in a cave, with Todoroki freezing the entrance shut.

Mina collapsed in a sigh of relief. "I'm so tired…"

"How long do you think that zombie-making Quirk will last?" Todoroki asked.

"It should go away eventually," Yui said. "But how long…?"

"Don't worry!" All Might tried to assure them. "I promise to keep you all safe!"

Ochako, and the others, simply stared at the blond skeleton. With his time limit up, the only thing he could realistically do was pretend to be a zombie to blend in.

They needed an actual plan.

KRASH!

Looks like they had no time to make an actual plan.

"They're breaking through the ice!" Todoroki hissed. He quickly reapplied ice anywhere the zombies broke through, but he knew that was only a temporary solution.

"Todoroki, get ready to use your flames!" Ochako ordered. "Everyone else, stay behind me! If we can't move back, we'll have to go forward! I'll make us an escape route!"

"But how?!" Mina asked.

Ochako powered up One For All, as she said, "The zombies can't be hurt! So, if I blast them away with the ice, we can escape! Todoroki, start melting it, but slowly!"

The peppermint-haired boy nodded, as he activated his flames.

FWOOSH!

One For All… twenty percent…

"Get ready, Uraraka…" Todoroki said, as he kept melting the ice. "NOW!"

"GRAVITY AMPLIFIED… SMAAAAASH!"

BOOOOOM!

The ice exploded out of the cave, and into the open, just as Ochako had predicted. Making a run for it outside, she yelled out to the others, "EVERYONE! LET'S GET OUT OF –"

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

Turning around, Ochako saw that all the zombies… were gone? No, wait, everyone had turned back to normal, and… they were now falling off the mountainside. Uh-oh.

"WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" Aoyama shouted, plummeting.

"I'M SO SORRY!" Ochako shouted.

"Well, that was a huge mess," Eraserhead grumbled. At the very least, no one ended up in a full-body cast. "Anyways, that's all we have for class today. There's only one week left before your Final Exams begin. I'm sure you're all studying constantly… right?"

Everyone remained silent. Whether it was because of the various aches they had from today's disaster of an exercise or because they didn't study, Eraserhead truthfully didn't know.

"Anyways, don't forget to keep training. The written exam has only one element. There's also the practical portion to worry about," he said, before exerting the class. "Good luck."

And with the sound of the closing door, everyone relaxed.

Well, almost everyone.

""I'VE BARELY EVEN TAKEN NOTES THIS SEMESTER!""

"Well, we barely learned anything when we took our midterms, so they didn't seem all that hard," Sato reluctantly agreed. "But I'm worried. They probably won't pull any punches with the tests."

"I'm not that concerned," Shinso said. "After all, I am in the top ten."

"We've still got time to study," Kodai said.

"Yes!" Iida fully agreed. "I have high hopes that we'll make UA proud!"

"It's pretty hard to fail if you just pay attention in class, isn't it?" Todoroki asked.

"Wow, way to cut me down," Kaminari deadpanned.

"Hey, don't worry about it, I can catch you up to speed on the important topics, if you want."

""YOU'RE THE BEST, YAOMOMO!""

"I've been studying, but I've been having some trouble. Could you help me out, too?" Jiro asked Yaoyorozu. "I've been having some trouble understanding quadratic functions."

"Really?"

"Tutor me, please!" Sero begged. "Classical Japanese is killing me!"

"Is there room for one more?" Ojiro asked. "I'm afraid I'm falling behind a little…"

Yaoyorozu stood up. "Okay, then. We can hold a study session at my residence over the weekend. Oh, I must call Mother and have her prepare the great hall for us to set up, it'll be the perfect spot! What kind of tea does everyone like? I'll make sure we're stocked!"

Great hall? Tea? Uraraka overheard. Sounds fancy as hell.

"Guess I should be studying with her…" Kirishima said.

"Heh, everyone's panicking right now," Aoyama said, his classic smile still resting on his pretty face. "But it won't do them any good to be cramming this far into the game."

"Shouldn't you be more concerned? You didn't do very well in the midterms."

Shoji slightly flinched at how quickly the Frenchman turned around and faced him. Seriously, that was some uncanny valley shit. "Are you talking about moi? I did just fine, thank you."

"So, Aizawa, what did you think?"

"If you're referring to the exercise with Isamu Academy, I think it was a disaster," Shouta answered honestly. "But it was kind of nice to see Asui having friends outside of UA."

"I wasn't referring to that, I was referring to Dadan Tadan's costume."

His costume? Shouta took a quick look over Tadan's costume in one of the file photos. Robot-like, with multiple pieces of metal plating, in various colors. It somewhat resembled some old mechas from pre-Quirk era shows, but… it also somehow looked familiar.

"Why do I feel like I've seen this costume before?" Shouta asked.

Nedzu simply stayed silent as he pulled out another photo. It was a person wearing a similar costume. Slimmer armor, designed to close first the human form, but the pieces, colors, and joints were all the same. So that's where I've seen it before, but…

That second costume belonged to Hephaestus.

Of the League of Villains.

"How is this possible…?"

"Dadan Tadan's costume was manufactured on I-Island," Nedzu said. "We already knew from the USJ that Hephaestus was a master of support, given their inventions, but this…"

"This means that they're playing both sides," Shouta realized.

"This year's I-Expo is coming up soon," Nedzu said. "I think we should attend it."

The next day, everyone is finalizing their plans for the weekend.

Specifically, what sort of study method they were gonna be using for next week.

"I'm kinda scared about the practical," Shinso admitted, as he bit into his food.

Everyone else sitting at the table eyed him, and for good reason. "It would be somewhat hard to believe that the teachers would give us something too crazy," Iida said.

"Yeah, the written exam questions are all gonna be stuff from class," the purple-haired boy answered honestly, as he took another bite of his lunch. "So I should be able to do those."

"Do you really think it'll be that simple, Iida?" Yui-chan asked.

"Yeah, it's driving me nuts. I just wanna know what they'll have us doing."

"It's a comprehensive test of everything we learned this year," Ochako explained.

"Yep, and that's about all we can get Aizawa-sensei to tell us," Todoroki said.

"Okay, so it'll cover combat, rescue, and basic training..."

"Hey, guys!"

The group looked up to see a familiar orange-haired girl waving at them.

"Oh, Kendo!" Ochako smiled. "What brings you to our table?"

"I heard you're all worried about what's going to be on the big final practical, and I heard that it's gonna be combat against robots like in the Entrance Exam," Kendo said. "One of the upperclassmen, Togata, filled me in. I know it sounds like cheating, but whatever."

"All right!" Kaminari cheered. "This will be super easy if it's just robots!"

"Why do you sound so happy?" Shoji asked.

"Because we can just let loose with our Quirks!" Mina happily explained.

"Yeah, now all you need is Yaoyorozu to help you'll be all set!" Sero said.

Looks like they had everything they could to prepare.

The next week felt like a blur. Or a montage.

Everyone studied in their own way. For example, Yaoyorozu tutored the likes of Kaminari, Ashido, Jiro, Sero and Ojiro at her estate, tea and all kinds of snacks on hand.

Uraraka meanwhile, did her own studying while working out in her room. As it turned out, Iida had the same idea, except he used his entire neighborhood as his own track field.

Bakugou was even spotted helping out Kirishima in a nearby diner.

And absolutely no one knows what the hell Kodai was doing.

But when they all came back on Monday, the first day of written exams began. People like Tokoyami and Todoroki were hard to read while they were doing their exams.

Bakugou honestly looked kind of bored.

And Kaminari and Ashido looked like they were walking to the gallows.

Everyone kept wearing the same expressions on their faces for the next three days, until…

"Alright, put your pencils down," Aizawa called out the class, signaling the end of the testing period. "The last person in each row, bring the answer sheets to me."

"Thanks so much for all your help, Yaomomo!" Ashido cheered.

Kaminari was also celebrating. "I didn't leave anything blank!"

And with that, the easy part of the exams were over.

"Now, then," Eraserhead said. "Let's begin the last test. Remember, it's possible to fail this Final. If you wanna go to camp, don't make any stupid mistakes."

"Uhh, why are the teachers here?" Jiro asked.

Ochako had to agree, that was a bit… odd. Present Mic, Midnight, Thirteen, Cemetoss, Ectoplasm, Snipe, and Power Loader were all here. But… why?

"That will be relevant in a few seconds," the Underground Hero said. "Anyways, I expect many of you have gathered information and have some idea of what you'll be faced with today."

"We're fighting those big old metal robots!" Kaminari cheered.

"Actually, this year's test will be completely different!" Nedzu exclaimed, popping out of Aizawa-sensei's scarf. "The tests now have a new focus! There will be Hero work, of course, but also teamwork and actual combat between actual people! So, what does that mean for you?"

"I'm assuming something bad?" Shinso asked.

"Close! You students will be working in pairs, and your opponents will be one of our UA teachers!" Nedzu announced. "Isn't that fabulous?"

Everyone's gaped mouths spoke for themselves.

"Additionally, your partners and your opponents have already been chosen. They were determined at my discretion, based on various factors including fighting styles, grades, and interpersonal relationships," Aizawa-sensei said. "First, Todoroki and Ojiro, you're with me."

"Sato and Ashido, I shall be your opponent," Cemetnoss said next.

"Asui and Shoji, you're up against me," Ectoplasm spoke up.

Power Loader smiled, saying, "I've got Iida and Kodai!"

"Aoyama and Kirishima have me!" Thirteen said, cheerfully.

"Yaoyorozu and Kaminari are against me!" Nedzu smiled.

"Whoo!" Present Mic whooped. "I've got Shinso and Jiro! Oh, yeah!"

"Hagakure, Tokoyami, I'm callin' ya out," Snipe siad.

Midnight licked her lips. "Koda and Sero will be having me…"

Aizawa smiled. "And that leaves Uraraka paired with Bakugou…"

The two students looked at each other. Made sense. They were the only ones left. But who was their opponent? Ms. Joke? Hound Dog? Vlad King? Surely not Gran Torino, right?

BOOM!

"I AM HERE… TO FIGHT!"

Author's Note: Bet you weren't expecting the zombies, were you?

So, I did switch around the students with which teachers they're gonna go up against, a bit. I was originally planning to switch them all up completely, but I couldn't make them all mesh well, so I just decided to do one half of the teams. But that's for later.

Knightmare Lord: The two of them are definitely gonna have to work together, but when the final battle happens, our dear big bad is gonna be the one to face Overhaul.

Roundboi24: One of your favorites, huh? I expect you to leave some more kudos!

alejandrooo: I do love me some thumbs up emojis…

EmilMobile: These things will actually show up again later in the story, but your overall predictions for the moment are correct. Hope you enjoy these next few chapters!

VinHD15: I've seen the anime, but thank you for the explanations, regardless.

Anyways, back to the regular old shilling…

I'm pretty sure as you all know now, I have also made a Twitter account to post my art, so if anyone is interested in checking it out, /ErnaloreProf is the link.

If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is /3PFYSt8Dqz. You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules.

Thanks for reading, and once again, see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 24: Pass, Pass, Pass!

Mina always wanted to be a Hero. But what kind?

Well, obviously, the kind that protected people; she had been doing that ever since middle school. But that was what every Hero was supposed to do. She needed more. Present Mic was cool, Eraserhead was scary, even All Might was more than just saving people, right?

She decided to follow in Present Mic's path of being a cool Hero.

Which meant capturing the Villains in style.

"So, whaddya think?" the pink-skinned girl asked Sato, as the two of them ran through the city. "We'll definitely get a higher score for capturing instead of running, you agree?"

"Yeah, that makes sense –"

FWOOM!

Sato got cut off as the two of them leapt away from the sudden concrete explosion in front of them. Mina could see their target a little bit ahead of them: Cementoss.

"He can't move around very fast," the black-scleraed teenager said, letting her acid begin to leak. "Let's break through from the front and shoot for a high score!

"Aw, yeah!" Sato cheered, gulping down his sugar.

And with that, the two of them charged.

"So, you've decided on a full-frontal assault," their teacher said, shifting the terrain around him. Soon enough, there were dozens of slabs of concrete all around him.

"THIS IS IT, SATO!!!"

"LET'S GO!!!"

Eijiro Kirishima considered himself to be a man of action… probably. He did go out of his way to make sure he'd live his life without any regrets after what happened back in middle school, but with what has been happening during his time at UA… was it really working?

He got beaten up by the big maniac back at the USJ, and really didn't advance much in the Sports Festival. His internship was alright, but it felt like he could do more.

Would capturing a teacher qualify as more? Probably.

The only problem was… that Hero was Thirteen.

Her Quirk was sucking up everything in her path, and all he and Aoyama could do was hold on for dear life on one of the railings. Man, he was supposed to be better than this!

No! No time for a pity party or for any memories from the past!

How can I protect others if I'm being weighed down… wait a second…

Eijiro Kirishima had a plan. A really, really, stupid plan that just might work.

He let go of the railing, and let Black Hole pull him in.

Thirteen immediately freaked out and turned off her Quirk. But the momentum had already carried Eijiro straight towards her. Once he was close enough, he activated his Quirk…

WHAM!

…and tackled her straight into the ground, cuffing her.

"I must admit, that was a brilliant strategy, monsieur Kirishima," Aoyama said.

"You didn't even do anything!"

"They're starting us off in the middle of the stage," Shoji figured.

This place looked like a tower. Multiple floors, supported by columns that seemed sculpted to fit an ancient Greek thing. Weird choice, but whatever.

"In order to escape, we have to pass through the designated gate, right?" Asui… err, Tsu, asked. "Which means the teacher is probably there… waiting for us."

The multi-armed boy nodded at the logic, as the second the exam began, he saw multiple clones of Cementoss just rise up from the ground, surrounding them.

"Steel your nerves, and show me your resolve," one of the Ectoplasm clones said, before it, and the rest of them, lunged towards the two students. Time to put their plan into action.

Shoji sprouted his tentacles and grabbed the frog girl, who he tossed into the air, letting her reach one of the other floors. Good. That meant the clones had to divide.

While half of them went after the frog girl, the rest of them stayed at the bottom of the floor with Shoji, allowing him to push through them. They weren't very durable, one good hit was enough to make them dissipate, but he needed to hurry. They'd reform soon enough.

Luckily, the frog girl had a plan.

The two of them had started out so strong.

Ashido and Sato had been demolishing concrete wall after concrete wall for what felt like a few minutes now, and Cementoss had just been replacing them.

"ARRGH! This is never-ending! He keeps making more of them!"

As Ashido melted another hole into a concrete wall, she didn't notice that Sato was slowing down. Slow enough that the concrete around the sugar-lover was surrounding him.

"Huh? SATO, LOOK OUT!!!"

Too late. The concrete struck towards him like snakes, and then –

CRACK!

…it broke?

Ashido rubbed her eyes to make sure that she wasn't being punk'd, but sure enough, the concrete slabs shattered from Sato's… crystal… arm… wait –

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

"WHAT IS THIS?!"

Out from Sato's arm was a bunch of translucent crystals, the kind that resembled what fictional diamonds in the movies looked like. They had sprouted from Sato's arm, ripping the spandex off from his costume, and then covering his limb entirely, almost like some kind of gauntlet.

"A Quirk Awakening?" Cemetoss wondered to himself, before shaking his head. That could wait after the exam. Right now, he needed to make sure that they finished this up.

Even if he was stuped by whatever the hell Sato just pulled, Ashdio still noticed the massive concrete snake gunning for her. Shit, her Quirk was still on cool-down, he needed –

TSSS!!!

"Huh?"

She had no idea how it happened, but somehow, some of the acid she had spilled on the floor earlier just… leaped up and melted the cement snake that was about to grab her.

What?!

Questions for later. They had an exam to win!

Tenya Iida didn't really know what to make of Yui Kodai.

She was supposedly Uraraka's childhood friend, but she really didn't interact with her. She didn't really interact with anyone. She simply stood there, in silence, watching as everyone else did the talking, with her only adding her own input every now and then.

Maybe that was just the way she liked it; not being the center of attention. Regardless, she seemed to be taking Hero work quite seriously, if the Battle Trial was anything to go off of. So, he was fine with being partnered up with her for their exam.

Still, he didn't know how exactly the two of them would be able to make it across the field. It was completely made of dirt, something Power Loader was adept in traversing through, like some sort of land shark. Tenya honestly didn't know his teacher could do this!

"What now, Class Rep?" Kodai asked.

Tenya thought it over. With all the traps Power Loader left around the area, the best they could do with the situation they were given was to get out as soon as possible. The only problem was, they didn't know where either him or his explosives were hidden underneath.

Which meant that they had to run fast, and they had to run together.

"Hop on my back."

Kodai did as instructed, and Tenya ran like the Devil himself was on his heels. And then, he jumped, spinning as fast as he could. "RECIPRO… EXTEEEND!!!"

Tenya watched as Kodai was launched forward, and like a rocket, landed on Power Loader. Technically, her boots landed on Power Loader's face, toppling him over.

BOOM!

Before the Pro even had a chance to move, Kodai handcuffed him.

"Tenya Iida and Yui Kodai have passed!"

Dirty, but effective.

Ectoplasm had no idea how the handcuffs were placed on him.

The captured teacher looked up at his two opponents. "How…?"

"Don't question it," Shoji said. "Asui's got some crazy moves."

"I told you to call me Tsu, ribbit."

"Is that what your plan is?" Shouta asked.

He didn't know whether to sigh in disappointment or not. Apparently, Todoroki's big plan was to act as bait, all while Ojiro made a run for it. This was disappointing. Especially considering that at least Ojiro would have been a better opponent for Shouta, given his training.

No, seriously. Even if up against someone like Eraserhead, at least Ojiro would survive at least a few more seconds compared to the kid who, one, had a Quirk that could be erased by Shouta, and two, had little to no martial arts training. "This is gonna be simple –"

"POCKET ICE!!!"

Shouta was in the midst of wrapping Todoroki with his capture scarf, when the peppermint-haired kid decided to do something unexpected. When most Villains lost their Quirks, they immediately tried to charge at Eraserhead, or do something else physical, like trying to throw a bunch or hit him. Looks like Todoroki relied on that notion.

Because instead of doing any of those things, the kid's first instinct was to reach into his pocket, and throw a bunch of powdery snow straight into his teacher's goggles. And since said goggles had slits for Shouta to see, it meant that a tiny portion of that cold snow hit Shouta's eyes.

Those few seconds when Shouta rapidly blinked to get the ice out of his eyes were enough time for Todoroki to perform the next step of his big plan. "PROMINENCE… KICK!!!"

WHAM!!!

Shouta immediately doubled over in pain, as he gripped his nether region. He didn't know whether he should be proud of Todoroki learning to fight dirty, or expel the brat on the spot for doing something like this. Welp, so much for Eri getting a little sibling.

Suddenly, the Underground Hero felt his entire body cool down. He couldn't move. He was glued to the pavement, thanks to Todoroki freezing him to the neck and below.

Shouta groaned, "This was your plan, wasn't it?"

"Yep." Even without looking, Shouta could tell the little shit was smiling. "I kept making ice and snow in my pocket to make sure that the second I couldn't do it anymore, I'd know you were staring at me. The plan after that was to make sure I took you down right away, and if I failed, to distract you long enough to give Ojiro enough of a head start at finding the exit."

"Smart," Shouta grumbled. "But did you really have to hit me where it hurts?"

"You're the one who told us that Hero work isn't fun and games," Todoroki pointed out. "I just used everything I had to take down an opponent who had handicapped me."

"Fair enough."

Hitoshi had a plan. Okay, not entirely true. He had part of a plan.

Present Mic was literally gatekeeping them from the exit, all while shouting every now and then. Unfortunately, said shouting was doing a seriously bad number to Jiro's ears.

And given that the overgrown cockatoo was still a distance away from them, Hitoshi wouldn't be able to use any of his gear on him. They needed to stay hidden behind the trees of this forest, while also not getting blasted by screams every ten seconds. They needed range…

The only thing that the purple-haired teen had that could work at the moment was his bo staff. But the second they used that, Present Mic would know exactly where they were.

Still, it was better than nothing. Grabbing Jiro, the two of them went the long way around, hoping they'd avoid Mic's sonic blasts. Hiding through the shrubbery was nerve-racking and all that Hitoshi could do to calm himself down was quietly hum to himself, but…

"LET'S MAKE SOME NOIIISEEEEE!!!!!"

"Huh? What happened?!"

The purple-haired teen did a double-take as he looked towards Jiro. "Uh, we're in the middle of our exam? We're currently hiding behind a couple of giant boulders. Are you good?"

"I don't remember hiding behind the boulders. The last few minutes were a blur…"

Hitoshi raised an eyebrow at that. Did his Quirk work on people while he was humming? Those were questions for later. Right now, they were at the final stretch of the forest.

"Okay, I think I might have an idea… but I don't think you're gonna like it."

Toru Hagakure wasn't always the biggest fan of her Quirk.

She never knew what she looked like. Plus, in order for anyone to ever notice her, she would always need to be loud and use wild body expressions to ever get her point across.

Despite that, she knew her Quirk was good for Heroics, and, well… it was a part of who she was. She didn't want to trade it, she just… wanted more control over it.

And then she got her wish.

It just happened so suddenly. She was in her temporary room for her internship, looking at the bathroom mirror, wishing she could just turn off her invisibility… and it just happened.

She had to admit, it was quite a surprise to everyone when her real face was shown. Her green hair, with other splotches in there, her super bizarre eyes, that skin… If she threw off 1-A to the point they didn't recognize her, they should have seen everyone else prior to them.

There was even a new version of her Hero costume ready by the time their joint training with Isamu rolled around. She didn't know how Hatsume knew, or even if it was her, but she was still pretty grateful at that DNA-bound suit. It could even go invisible with her!

Which happened to be a massive boon when it came to this exam. Currently, Tokoyami and Dark Shadow were busy dealing with Snipe, leaving her to sneak up from behind, and…

CLANK!

"GOT HIM!!!"

Sometimes, Toru Hagakure really loved her Quirk.

The first thing Ochako noticed was the wind.

When she and Katsuki arrived at their testing ground, it was dead quiet. But as soon as their exam began, the wind picked up. Faster and louder, until…

BOOM!

…it blew them and everything around them away.

Right. All Might can change the weather. Should have seen that coming.

"Who really cares if I destroy this city?" All Might asked. "If you think of this as an exam and not a fight, you'll be sorry! I'm a Villain, so you better come at me with everything you've got!"

Time to run.

Katsuki shot a flash of light towards the big man, and… nope, All Might already caught his face. He didn't even give the teen a chance to run. The explosive blonde fired off some actually damaging shots to All Might's face, but the big guy didn't register them. He just…

WHAM!

…slammed Katsuki into the ground.

"Weak. Hardly more than a sting."

Ochako could feel her stomach drop to her feet the second her mentor turned around and stared at her. "Don't think I've already forgotten about you, young Uraraka!"

She couldn't tell if it was a reflex or just plain fear, but the brown-haired girl immediately activated One For All, jumping high into the air, hoping that would save her –

GRAB!

Nope. He already tackled her out of the sky.

Ochako didn't even hear the explosion when she impacted the ground. Between falling face-first into the dirt, and with how powerful that drop must have been, she was pretty sure that her ears were out of commission for the moment. All she could see was All Might talking…

"Novice… potential… room to grow… stronger…"

Was he trying to give her a pep talk? Kinda hard to do that when she couldn't exactly read lips. However, given that she could see that he stopped talking, it seemed like he was about to put Ochako out of her misery, if the fist he was winding up meant anything.

Welp, looks like it's game over for me.

BOOOOOM!!!

Suddenly, the brown-haired girl could no longer feel her face in the dirt. In fact, all she could feel was the wind blowing on her face, as the rest of her body was being held by –

"Huh?! Katsuki?!"

"DON'T YOU DARE PASS OUT! WE'RE GONNA WIN THIS!!!"

The explosive blond kept propelling himself through the buildings with one hand, while using his other to carry his downed teammate, until they made it far enough away that All Might wouldn't immediately catch them. Dropping her down, he caught his breath.

Ochako, meanwhile, had a killer headache. She wasn't sure if it was because she had her face planted into the ground, but for some reason, it wasn't going away. It was big, and heavy. As if something in her brain was trying to warn her. Trying to tell her that…

"He's coming."

"All Might?" Katsuki asked. "Yeah, I figured as much."

"No, I mean, he's coming here. Like, down this street, right now."

The blond narrowed his eyes at her. "How do you know that?"

"Not exactly sure," she answered. "All I know is that he's gonna be on top of us pretty soon. We need a plan to get away from him. I'm open to any suggestions."

Koda needed to save Sero. That much was obvious.

When the exam began, Midnight had immediately gone on the offensive, sending out her Quirk as far out as she could. Sero had used his tape to pull them both out, but he inhaled some of the mist himself. He was starting to get lethargic, and soon would pass out.

The two of them needed to get out of here beforehand.

Luckily, they were outdoors. Specifically, in a wide open field.

"HITCHCOCK BIRDS!!!"

As Midnight was busy shooing away the swarm of pigeons that were now harassing her, Koda grabbed Sero and carried him towards the exit. Phew, that was a close call.

Hizashi Yamada, better known to the world as Present Mic, was bored.

For the last twenty minutes or so, he had been yelling out into the trees, all while waiting for Shinso and Jiro to make their moves. So far, nothing. Maybe he'll just…

Hm? He could see out of the treeline that Jiro was running towards him. What exactly was her plan? Her eyes didn't even look like she was all there. Brainwashed, maybe?

"YEEEAAAAAHHH!!!!!"

There, that seemed to snap her out of it. Now, where was –?!

THWIP!

Holy shit! Shinso's staff just flew through the air like a makeshift javelin! If he hadn't gotten out of the way, that thing would have hit his gut, instead of flying rough out of the exit!

"Team Jiro and Shinso have passed!"

"What?! No way! Only the staff made it through the exit! That –"

Hizashi's eyes suddenly glazed over, as he saw Shinso come out of the shrubbery. He didn't know what he and Jiro were talking about, but it did end with Hizashi getting cuffed.

Oh, he got played.

Momo knew Principal Nedzu wasn't gonna be easy. The white-furred mammal wasn't going to engage her and Kaminari in a two-on-one physical fight; that wasn't his style.

Given his stature and intelligence, she figured that he would be the kind of Hero that used trickery to take down their opponents. She needed to keep her guard up.

BOOM! BOOM!

"Hey, what's that noise?" Kaminari asked.

The black-haired girl thought over what that noise could be. It was still loud, even from a distance, like metal hitting metal. Suddenly, she heard metal breaking above her head, and all she and Kaminari could do at the moment was run for their lives.

Nedzu's behind this! Momo realized. Wherever he is, he must be causing chain reactions to cause all of the buildings to collapse… while also blocking out all our exits!

"So, we should head for the exit, right?!"

Momo shook her head. "We don't know where that is. But we do know where Nedzu is: All we have to do is follow where the destruction started, and we'll find him!"

Quickly running back the way they came, they went even further from there, staying out of sight and keeping their movements silent, until they reached their destination… a crane.

"That's one big wrecking ball," Kaminari whispered.

Momo had to agree with that one. There wasn't a guarantee they would find the exit. All they could do was disarm Nedzu. Luckily, Momo had a plan. Quickly, she fabricated a bow and arrow, with a smoke bomb stuck to the tip of the arrow. Then, she fired.

CRASH!

The arrow went through and shattered the glass, filling the seat with smoke, blinding Nedzu. He began to swing his wrecking ball wildly, as the two Hero students charged their way towards the massive machine, dodging any debris that began falling all around them.

"Crap!" Kaminari yelped, as he got out of the way of some more falling rubble. "We won't make it to him like this! Yaomomo, stay behind me, I'm about to do something big!"

Momo didn't know what her classmate was talking about. His Quirk only worked in surrounding his body, and at the distance they were, he wouldn't be able to… WHAT THE –?!

The raven-haired girl did a double-take, as she saw Kaminari begin to exude blue electricity, concentrated a bunch of it around his hands, and then fired it through the air.

Momo could only watch with an open jaw as the electricity hit the crane, causing Nedzu to spasm inside it. As the two of them ran towards the building in hopes of cuffing their opponent, the Yaoyorozu heiress asked, "How did you know you could do that?!"

"I actually discovered this during my internship!" Kaminari explained. "I've been working on this new thing for a few weeks now, and I finally managed to do something impressive with it!"

"Huh. Well, consider me impressed, then."

Ochako couldn't believe that plan worked.

While the two of them were hiding in the alleyway, Katsuki had handed her one of his gauntlets, and gave her a quick explanation on how to unleash all of the sweat stored up inside it.

Needless to say, the improvised plan worked.

All Might ran into them again, naturally. But this time around, he was faced with two students who were both prepared, and packing enough explosives to bring down a building. To quickly summarize, their combined explosions served as the perfect getaway distraction.

The two teenagers were now running like hell for the exit, their Quirks functioning at their highest capacities. "I see it!" Katsuki shouted. "We're gonna make it!"

Ochako would have liked to agree with him, but her mouth was preoccupied clenching her teeth in pain. That headache was back again, only this time, it was sharper, and was…

"BEHIND US!!!"

The brown-haired girl didn't know how she knew, but the second she and Katsuki turned around, they could see a familiar giant of a man launching towards them. Before he had a chance to grab them, Katsuki had already redirected his explosions out of the way, while Ochako used Blackwhip to make a sharp turn, away from their teacher.

BOOM!

Ochako kept using Blackwhip to run away, her mind a both a blur and a sharp pain. She could see the exit! She was almost there! She ignored the massive pain in her brain and –

SLAM!

Bad idea. All Might had just slammed her down into the concrete. Again.

"I'm not sure how you've been able to avoid my attacks, but no matter," the Symbol of Peace said. "Now that I have my foot pinning you down, there's no way you can escape!"

He was right. No matter how much of One For All she put into her body, she couldn't remove his foot off of her. But he did make one mistake. He forgot that she wasn't alone.

"HOWITZER… IMPAAAAACT!!!"

BOOOOOM!!!

Even without his gauntlets, Katsuki came back and launched a massive explosion to All Might's face. While it didn't hurt the Pro Hero, it made him flinch, long enough for Ochako to touch him.

With all five of her fingers.

She took in as much air as her lungs let her, as All Might's foot floated up into the sky, along with the rest of the man's body. She could feel her arm being tugged, as Katsuki grabbed her, and the two of them made one last desperate run towards the exit.

"Team Uraraka and Bakugou have passed!"

Recovery Girl drew out the blood from the teenager in front of her, as the boy looked at her with minor suspicion. "Uhh… question? Why do I need to have my blood drawn?"

"Not to worry, dearie," the old lady said to the big-lipped teen, Sato, if she remembered correctly. "I'm just collecting samples from all of the students who participated in the exams today."

Technically true. It had been a few hours since the last of the 1-A students had passed, but something was up. A bunch of them seemed to have had their Quirks suddenly evolve while fighting against the teachers, and honestly, it was a bit suspect, in her opinion.

"Well, that's done," she said to the brown-haired teen. "You can head out now."

"Sure thing," he said, as he walked out the door.

A quick DNA-based scan of their Quirks should reveal everything to Recovery Girl while they were at camp. Hopefully, Class 1-B didn't have anything similar to this tomorrow.

Author's Note: YOU GET A PASS! YOU GET A PASS! EVERYONE GETS A PASS!

Okay, so I know you're all wondering what these power-ups everyone got are, and that will be explained… at a later date. I have a comment to respond to!

Knightmare Lord: The changes in the last chapter were subtle, as I was foreshadowing something that will come up later. Also, Monoma will never suffer, sadly.

Anyways, back to the regular old shilling…

If you want more content, visit my Discord, the link is /3PFYSt8Dqz. You can chat with others, post memes, fanfic recommendations and prompts, role play, fan art, and we even have a writer's corner now! I'll also drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! Also, if you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! Just please make sure to follow the rules!

Thanks for reading, and once again, see you next time!

- Ernalore

Chapter Text

Chapter 25: Panic at the Mall

Shouta Aizawa slammed the door open. He had enough shit to deal with from the paperwork last night, and hearing the loud chatter of his problem children was not helping.

"Once the bell rings you should be in your… seats…"

His anger died down as he saw that every single brat was seated, and quiet as a church mouse. Huh. So they either all suddenly gained super speed at the last second, or were already sitting and were just messing with him. He decided to roll with it. Might as well get started.

"Good morning," Shouta said, as he walked up to his desk, smiling on the inside. "Let's just jump to it: When it comes to the training camp in the woods… EVERYONE IS GOING!!!"

Shouta tuned out the cheers of his class, before answering their questions.

"Do we really get to go to camp?!" Kirishima asked.

"Seriously?!" It seemed like Ashido was in the same boat as him.

"Yeah, the good news is that no one bombed the written exam," Shouta said. "However, when it came to the practicals… let me start with the basics: The teachers made sure they left a way for the students to win, otherwise you would never have stood a chance. We were interested in observing how you all worked together and approached the task at hand."

"But didn't you promise that the teachers wouldn't be holding back?" Ojiro asked.

"That was to get you on edge," Shouta quickly explained. "Besides, the training camp is focused on building your strength. We were never going to not send some of you."

"Let me guess, another logical ruse?" Iida asked. "Aizawa-sensei, this is the second time you've lied to us! Aren't you worried that we're going to lose faith in you?!"

"Uhh, a little blunt there, Iida," Uraraka said.

"That's a good point, I'll consider it." He wouldn't. "However, even if technically none of you failed, extra lessons are going to be planned. There are several of you who had their Quirks suddenly evolve, and others who could have helped more during their exams.

The biggest culprits were Ashido, Sato, Aoyama, Ojiro, Shinso, Hagakure, Sero, Kaminari, Bakugou, and of course, Uraraka. Aoyama, Ojiro and Sero were getting extra lessons because they either didn't show much initiative, or let their partner do most of the work.

The others were getting extra lessons due to their Quirks suddenly getting more powerful. Sato could now grow what Shouta assumed were "sugar crystals" from his body, Ashido could manipulate her acid (kinda), Shinso could now mind control people by humming, Hagakure was now fully-visible, some of Bakugou's explosions now seemed to be rainbow-colored, and Uraraka seemed to be able to detect oncoming threats like she was Spider-Man now.

So, yeah. No summer school, but extra training for all of them.

"Anyways, despite passing, we still have a week before summer vacation actually begins. Which means you all still have a week of school and Hero training. Get to it."

Toshinori couldn't help but laugh as young Asui's hair tickled his nose.

Okay, that sounded really bad out of context.

The best way to explain what was happening right now was to say that Toshinori was playing limp in his All Might form, as fake blood was covering him. Asui simply dangled her hair above his nose to make sure that he was still alive. Nope, it still sounded kinda bad.

Okay, cutting straight to the chase: This lesson was basically a murder mystery, with young Asui, Uraraka, Iida, Bakugou, Todoroki and Kodai all trying to figure out how, he, a Villain, was killed while robbing a jewelry store with three hostages, played by Cementoss, Midnight, and Present Mic. Why six students instead of five, Toshinori would never know.

There, that was the whole story. Now back to Asui's hair tickling him.

No, wait, dammit, fuck –

"Okay, All Might's still alive. He's playing, but we're supposed to think he's dead."

"The murder weapon is a knife covered in blood," Todoroki said.

"The building was surrounded by police, so we know that no one went in or out," Iida said, observing the hostages. "That means whoever killed the Villain must still be inside."

"Hold on, we should listen to what they have to say first," Kodai suggested.

"Good idea," Uraraka said, as they approached the three hostages.

Toshinori decided to take this as his cue to leave. While his colleagues gave their retelling of the events that unfolded, the blond quietly got up, and sneaked out of the building. Exiting without problem, he encountered Aizawa, who gestured to him to stay and listen.

Toshinori nodded, as he walked up towards the wall of the "jewelry store," staying out of the young Heroes' lines of sight, and listened in on their theories.

He had to admit, listening to his young students try to rationalize why the "Villain" would barricade himself into the store and Kodai realizing that Midnight was the one who called the police was pretty good, but the way it went off the rails as a tragic romance that ended with the bad guy committing suicide to save Midnight's reputation was straight-up hilarious.

He had to hold it in as Aizawa gestured him to remain silent and skiddaddle, as the Erasure Hero walked into the store to give the students a grade. "Okay, that's enough."

"Whoo! This was actually fun!" Midnight whooped, breaking character.

"Thanks, you three, you're all done here, save your strength for the next group," Aizawa said, as the other Pros headed out, waving at Toshinori as they walked out the door. "Kodai, your deductions were exactly what we had scripted for this scenario. The Villain did stab himself with their own knife, and you figured it out by asking a series of logical questions."

"Wow, praise from Aizawa-sensei," young Uraraka snorted.

"But you weren't perfect. You six overlooked one major thing. Therefore, you earned zero points," Eraserhead said. Damn, that was cold, Aizawa, even for you. "Observe."

"What?!"

"The Villain's body is gone!"

Welp, time to go.

Using his power, All Might ran off from the street, laughing. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

"""HE'S ALIVE?!"""

Oh, those poor kids. Still, Toshinri had a role to play, and play it, he shall. "I AM FLEEING THE SCENE AND RUNNING TOWARDS FREEDOM!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!"

Tohsinori figured that he had about a good ten minutes before the next set of students would show up, so he figured he could take a quick break at the teacher's lounge. Powering down into his "Small Might" form, he went inside, and plopped down on his desk.

"Huh?" Looking at his desktop, he remembered that he got an email earlier today before the exercise. Might as well read it now. "It's from Melissa?"

Dear Uncle Might,

It's been such a long time! I bet you're surprised you got a message from me! I'm writing to let you know that I'll be leaving Shiketsu and heading back to I-Island for this year's I-Expo, and to visit Papa, of course! And I also know that summer is rolling around for the rest of Japan, so I'll be sending you a formal invitation soon! Can you imagine Papa's face when he sees you again?

See you soon! Sincerely,

Melissa Shield

Toshinori lifted his head up, as he remembered his younger years, telling David how he was planning to become a Symbol of Peace for the world. And even when he went back to Japan, the two of them stayed in contact. Though, in the more recent years, Melissa acted as more of a communicator between the two of them, ever since she enrolled at Shiketsu High…

"Dave… It's been too long…"

Ochako grumbled, as she put away her things into her backpack. She couldn't believe that All Might gave them a "hint" that he was alive! That wasn't a hint! Anyone could have just assumed that he broke character when Tsu tickled his nose! That was such bullshit!

Still, what happened, happened. She couldn't complain about it now. All she could do now was get through the last week of the semester, then it was summer vacation for her!

"This is gonna be great!" Ojiro smiled, as he read over the camp brochure. "I'm so glad we're all going together! It says here we're gonna be at the training camp for a full week…"

"I've gotta find a bigger suitcase…" Iida realized.

"Yeah, I don't even have a bathing suit," Kaminari said. "Guess I have to buy some stuff…"

"Yeah, like a better hairstyle!" Shinso joked.

"Guys!" Hagakure called out, getting everyone's attention. "Since we're off tomorrow, and we finally finished exams, I have the best idea: LET'S GO SHOPPING TOGETHER!!!"

"Hey, yeah!" Kaminari said. "We've never hung out as a class before!"

"Bakugou! See you there, right?" Kirishima called out.

"You know what? Fuck it, sure, why not?" Katsuki said.

"Will you come, Todoroki?" Yui-chan asked.

"I visit my mom on my days off," the peppermint-haired boy explained.

"Alright, we'll let you know how it goes," Shinso said.

Saturday. It was a bright sunny day, few clouds in the sky, and hundreds of people were walking around with smiles on their faces, enjoying the wonders of commerce.

"Oh, man, do I love this place!" Ashido cheered, as she and the rest of her class walked through the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall. "It's got a ton of different stores to shop at!"

"They have a range of products from teens to seniors, and accompany all body types," Yui-chan said, analytically, as she watched Shoji and Tokoyami examine some of the wares.

"Whoa! Aren't those UA students?!"

"Yeah, it's Class 1-A!"

"I saw them on TV!"

"THE SPORTS FESTIVAL WAS SO GOOD!"

Ochako had to admit, she was kinda impressed. She didn't think a bunch of civilians would know who they were outside of class. "I can't believe they still remember that…"

Elsewhere, Jiro was talking with Yaoyorozu. "I wanna track down a new duffle bag…"

"Oh, yeah? Maybe the two of us should browse together."

"Let's see… where can I get some instant coffee mix…" Shinso wondered.

"Guess I should get some outdoor shoes for this thing," Kaminari said.

"Oh, that's smart!" Hagakure nodded along.

"Okay, why don't we split up and look around?" Kirishima suggested. "We can meet up back here again once we're done. How about we all come back around three?"

"Sounds good!" Ashido said, as everyone split up…

…leaving Ochako all by herself with Katsuki.

"Huh," the blond hummed. "Looks like it's just you and me left."

"Yeah," Ochako agreed. "What are you shopping for today? I'm getting some weights."

"I'm not shopping for anything," the red-eyed teen admitted. "I'm people-watching."

People-watching? Ochako didn't know if that was some kind of weird variant of bird-watching, or a fancy way of saying "stalking." But why would he be looking at… people…

"You're still looking for him… to this day… aren't you…?"

Katsuki was silent for a moment, before he said, "Yeah, I am."

Ochako was quiet for a bit, before she said, "Well, then we can help each other. You can help carry any weights I buy, and I'll make sure to keep my eyes peeled for your friend."

The explosive blond smiled at that. "Thanks, Round Cheeks."

Ochako smiled at that, but on the inside, she was struggling. For some reason, she was getting another one of those headaches, like the ones that were happening during the practical.

Hopefully, it meant nothing.

Yui Kodai wasn't sure what she would need for this trip.

She may be quiet when it came to speaking, letting out barely a sentence, but on the inside, her mind was going a mile a minute, a plethora of information overflowing.

Shoes designed for maximum mobility and combat would be a plus, yes. But there was also clothes she needed to consider. Would it be hot and humid out there? Plus, bug bites weren't all that appealing. Gloves? Only if they would be lifting weights out there. Speaking of…

Yui immediately stopped walking around, as she quickly walked out of the center of the mall, and pretended to window shop some of the nearby stores on the side of it. Something was off. From the corner of her eyes, she could see all of the people walking around, minding their own business, but she could tell one of them was not like the others.

She could tell that she was being followed.

Who were they? It wasn't one of the UA teachers, and it certainly wasn't her classmates. And given how discrete they were trying to be, she doubted it was one of her comrades.

Maybe some private detective that is actually following someone else here?

She needed to be sure.

The black-haired girl stood up straight, and acted as if nothing was wrong. She headed towards one of the less-populated areas of the mall, making sure she kept an even pace.

Step, step, step, step. She carefully listened for the sound of her own footsteps, before focusing on those in the distance. They were keeping pace with her, trying to be silent.

Instantly, Yui halted, and she could hear the footsteps behind her, scrambling to stay still. Too late. They already gave themselves away. Now Yui knew she was being followed.

She quickly started walking again, but this time, her steps were faster. Now, she was power walking. Now, running. Now, sprinting. She needed to get out of here, before –

BOOM!

Sidero cursed, as his cover was blown.

Overhaul was right, that little bitch was trained well. Either that, or she was hyper-paranoid. Whatever the case, she knew that he was following her, and now, he had no choice but to try and snag her before she made a scene. Unfortunately, that was too late.

The brat was running like a madwoman, with people all around her turning their heads to see what was going on. Welp, so much for the stealthy option. Sidero quickly pulled off some of the iron balls from his knuckles, and chucked them, making them grow in size.

BOOM!

Overhaul only said to bring her in alive, not unharmed.

B OOM!

Ochako and Katsuki heard the explosion, even from the other side of the mall. They quickly ran towards the other side, avoiding the people running in the opposite direction.

"IT'S A VILLAIN!"

"EVERYBODY RUN!"

"CALL THE HEROES!"

The two teenagers managed to run into Yaomomo and a few of their other classmates, who were trying to figure out what was going on. "Call the police! Get Aizawa-sensei on the line!"

Kaminari quickly did that, as the others ran forward, heading to where the explosions were coming from, seeing… absolute chaos. Yui-chan was dodging and weaving a bunch of giant metal balls that some masked maniac was throwing at her, with the grace of an acrobat.

BOOM!

A really stressed-out acrobat.

"Did she always have moves like that?!" Jiro asked.

"Yes, we all saw the video of the Battle Trial!" Iida said.

Shinso squinted. "Yeah… those moves… they look familiar…"

"It doesn't matter!" Yaomomo shouted. "Kirishima, you, Ashido, Shoji and Tokoymai, assist in evacuating the civilians! Everyone else, try to form a perimeter around the area!"