Chapter Text
The entire country looked to the screen in worry as the timer clicked down. Spinner and his crew were all staring in horror, some of them holding onto their building tools tightly in concern.
“I like… I’m worried, man,” one of them, a former ex-hero student named Harada Akari who usually went by his first name, said. The dragon-like man shifted, his tail flicking out. “Like dude, the reason I quit heroics was after seeing a fellow student die. These kids… shit.”
“They’ll be fine,” Sota told him as Spinner frowned in worry at the screen. “They…”
‘They’ve got Midoriya,” Spinner interjected. “She and All Might will be able to beat the villains.” He looked at the screen, fully believing in his words. The others still traded worried looks as the timer continued to tick down.
None of them had the same belief, even if they wished to hold it.
In the bar, Shigaraki grinned as he bounced in his room. Kurogiri sent him there to deal with the young adult’s damage to the bar, but Shigaraki didn’t care. He would soon see All Might brought low after all; he was cornered. Only a handful of hero students to help him. Even if one was Sensei’s daughter, they couldn’t possibly be able to beat him.
Maybe he’d get lucky and remove the Todoroki brat and Bakugou. Make Sensei’s daughter’s life more pleasant that way with her abuser gone and the son of the number two hero dead.
On the beach, Izumi grabbed more trash to pull to the top. She paused upon seeing Aizawa using his scarf to get Tomoe to run around, laughing as she did so. Mic had a soft look on his face as he watched his husband play with the baby.
A grip wrapped itself around her heart and squeezed as she stared. An image imposed itself over the two for a second. Her mother laughing as she used her Quirk to distract Tomoe. Her father, looking like he’d done years ago before he left, standing and waiting for her to make sure she was okay—a life she could have had.
As the timer landed on zero and the screen began playing, Izumi forced her tears back. There wasn’t any time for what-ifs, not when she could never have them.
The screen shows the mountain zone. Many villains lie on the floor knocked out, but one holds a brain-fried Kaminari. Jirou and Momo stand across from the villain.
"Get your hands up. And no quirks, got it? Use your powers, and I'll kill your friend here," the villain holding Kaminari says.
"Kaminari's helpless," Yaoyorozu comments.
"Damn villain. He totally caught us with our pants down. I thought that electric blast would've fried them all. We're so stupid. How did we not see this coming?" Jirou asks,
"I feel a little brotherhood with other electric types, so I don't want to kill him. But I will if you make me," the villain says as electricity sparks in his hand.
Kaminari frowned, squinting at the screen. His mom grabbed onto his shoulder in worry, having managed to score a day off to sit with him during the battle. She looked terrified with her eyes focused on the screen until Kaminari spoke.
“I don’t think that would do anything. I might be loopy, but like I don’t think I can die from electricity.” Kaminari shrugged. “But like I ain’t going to try it.”
“You might be right,” his mom said, remembering when her son first fried his brain. The amount of electricity should have killed him, but it didn’t.
The girls gasp and put their hands up.
"Good girls. Now don't move a muscle. Let's take this nice and slow," the villain says as he walks towards the girls.
"Y'know, you two dudes are so lucky. People with electric-type quirks are destined for mainstream success," Jirouu tells the villain.
"What are you doing?" Yaoyorozu whispers.
“What am I doing?” Jirou asked out loud as she stared at the screen in confusion.
"I mean, even if you didn't want to be a hero, there are tons of jobs you could do in the city, right? Your kind of quirk is in high demand. So I'm wondering why you would become a villain in the first place?" Jirou asks as she moves her ear jack down to her boots.
'I see. Jirou can attack without moving if she can manage to get her earphone jack plugged in,' Yaoyorozu thinks.
Japan looked at the screen with hope, looking at it with wide eyes.
"You don't have to answer. I just thought it might be interesting to know," Jirou says as she gets close to plugging in her ear jack.
"Ha. Nice try. Think you can distract me that easily?" the villain asks, bringing his sparking hand closer to Kaminari.
“Damn it!” Japan shouted in anger as Jirou deflated.
Meanwhile, the villain on the screen snorted, taking a drink of his beer.
“Idiot kid,” he remarked.
“If you want to be nasty about it, she could have thought you were like her friend Jun,” another villain remarked. “A bit of an idiot.”
“The kid probably needs better Quirk counselling,” the electric villain, Jun, replied. He motioned to the screen. “I had the same issue. People like to shove electric Quirks into tiny little packages without actually thinking about how it actually works.”
“So you went into that idiot mode?” the other villain asked.
“I would put myself into a coma, dude,” Jun told him. “That kid is powerful to manage to stay on his own two feet.”
“...So you’re bluffing in the future.”
“Probably. I don’t kill kids anyway, dude. Adult heroes are a different story.” Jun muttered, drinking his beer once more.
Jirou brings her ear jack back up, looking shocked.
"Big mistake, sweetheart. I'm not some dumb thug who a couple of kids can outsmart. It would be best if you learned to take hostage situations seriously. So here's the new deal. Either this idiot's going to die, or you are. How about that? You can save either his life or your own. Now. What's it gonna be, girlies?" the villain asks as the other villains in the area start to wake up.
Those not aware of the incident in the bar all traded worried looks, feeling scared for the kids as they faced down a villain threatening them.
The screen then shows the center of the USJ again.
"Oh, come on. What's going on here? He's just as strong as he's always been. Dammit. Don't tell me I was lied to," Shigaraki says as he scratches at his neck.
"What's wrong? Not attacking me? Didn't you say you were going to clear this level earlier? Well, come and get me, if you dare," All Might tells Shigaraki.
"There's no reason for us to fight now. He'll handle this," Todorki says, though he looked a bit annoyed as he spoke.
Todoroki scowled at the screen. He’d hoped for more showing of his skills as a fighter so that he could prove he only needed his mother’s ice. But it seemed that he would not be able to do so. Pity, knowing only ice was needed there would have pissed Endeavour off significantly.
"Come on, Midoriya, Uraraka. We should regroup with the others. The last thing we wanna do is get taken hostage or get in his way," Kirishima tells the girls.
Uraraka doesn’t speak, focusing on Midoriya.
‘She knows something. I don’t know what, but she knows something. She wouldn’t worry for no reason….’ Uraraka thinks.
“Kid’s got good eyes,” Aizawa said as he let Tomoe chase after his scarf, laughing her little head off. Being able to pick something up about someone you might not have known too long was impressive.
He hoped that All Might’s bluff wouldn’t be called; most would be too scared of him after he managed to throw the Nomu like that. But with fanatics, you sometimes never could tell if they would listen or not. Shigaraki appeared to be two parts manchild and one part leader. And then Kurogiri. A dangerous choice.
'This isn't right. He can't beat them. He's bluffing. The dust almost hides it, but I can see it. The steam coming off his body is the same as when he's about to transform. He's out of time.’ Midoriya thinks. She moves slightly. Uraraka copies her movements.
Midoriya looks at her, and Uraraka holds her eyes. The two nod after a second before turning back to the scene.
'Crap. I can't fight them. That Nomu guy took too much out of me. I'm pretty sure that if I make one more move, I'll be forced to go back to my weak form. I can't keep this up much longer. I just have to stall until they get here,' All Might thinks.
"What? Are you scared?" All Might asks.
"Uh," Shigaraki says, not moving.
'They're hesitating. Maybe this will work. They're so close to surrendering, or at least running away,' All Might thinks as more steam comes off his body.
“Buy it, please buy it.” Japan all said, the louder voices being the students in the USJ and their parents. All except for two.
Mr. Aoyama watched the screen with a blank face as his wife fussed over their son, her concern fake. The League wouldn’t harm their son. Not when he served them already. He glanced towards his oblivious son and wondered when the best time would be to reveal his future job as a spy to him. Soon, but perhaps not too soon. He already had training from his mother even if the boy didn’t know that the ‘acting lessons’ were meant for his spying abilities.
A part of the elder Aoyama, a small amount, wished his son didn’t need to spy. That his son instead could live happily as a hero as he wanted. The part of him wondering also wondered what if he hadn’t brokered a deal with the boogeyman of the underworld. Yuuga being Quirkless… would he have become a hero, driven by his desires or would others have broken him down?
Mr. Aoyama's more significant and pragmatic part scoffed at his thoughts. They had a deal with All for One, and Yuuga would carry out his part. Nothing else to it.
"If only Nomu was here, he'd rush you right now. Pound you into the ground without giving it a second thought," Shigaraki says.
"Shiagraki Tomura! Please, do not fret. Look at him. He has definitely weakened. Nomu's attacks were successful. He's on his own. The children appear to be frozen in fear," Kurogiri tells him.
"And, look, our underlings are recovering. We likely still have a few minutes before their reinforcements arrive. If you and I work together, we can do this. We haven't missed our chance to kill All Might," he adds as the villains lying unconscious on the floor start to wake up.
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. This is it. We have no choice. We have to do it now. I mean, the big end-boss is right here," Shigaraki says.
"I think All Might can hold his own against those two main guys. Let's make sure these dudes don't hurt anybody else," Kirishima announces, as the villains that were previously unconscious begin to move toward them.
"Will you be joining us?" Todoroki asks Midoriya and Uraraka. Uraraka doesn’t answer, instead reaching out to place a hand on her friend. The glow of Uraraka’s quirk passes through her, and she jumps. Being weightless causes her to move faster than she usually would; the air pressure around her as she yanks her hand back is shown in lines around her.
'I'm the only one who knows what's happening. There's no way he can move faster than the mist guy now. He has to have gone past his limit already. There's no real question about that. If these villains toy with him... he's done,' Midoriya thinks she flies through the air. Shigaraki turns to stare at her, and Midoriya grins before she slams her fist forward. As she does so, Uraraka cancels her Quirk, causing Midoriya to slam onto the ground as she punches forward. The simple punch causes a small storm, shoving villains away and causing Shigaraki to fall backwards right into a group of other villains who had been standing behind him.
“YES!” Uraraka cheered, seeing the force she’d helped create. It filled her with warmth to know that she could contribute to the fight instead of standing around as she’d feared. Using her Quirk to allow Midoriya the ability to increase her punches… it was genius! And they thought it up on the spot! Her smile felt like it could hurt her face; it was so large.
“HELL YEAH! THAT’S SO MANLY!” Kirishima cried out as Ashido cheered next to him, pumping their fists into the air. The fathers of Kirishima laughed in amusement at their son’s joy, even as they felt relieved their son hadn’t been hurt.
“Impressive,” Todoroki remarked to his sister as the two sat in the slightly smoky kitchen. Most of the damage took place outside, but some smoke had ended up in the kitchen; the smell wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, so neither cared. “Midoriya and Uraraka made a good team there.”
“They did,” Fuyumi agreed as she looked over the assignments she’d given her class. Their building was being rebuilt after a villain attack, and while she did teach online during this, she’d decided to give the kids the day so they could relax and she could work on the papers she hadn’t done the day before. She grabbed her coffee to take a sip, eye looking up to the screen.
“ARGH!” Shigaraki screams, grabbing onto a villain and turning him into dust.
The joy that came from seeing the girls pull off a move like that died in seconds. Instead, horror moved through the country. Uraraka’s cheers fell into stunned horror as she stared at the screen. Kirishima and Mina choked; Todoroki gasped as Fuyumi dropped her coffee on her papers.
Izumi dropped the trash she’d been carrying staring. Her eyes were wide as she reached up with both hands to cover her mouth, the image of the villain crumbling into dust implanted into her mind.
She… she caused that. She didn’t kill him herself but… oh god.
The kids stare at the scene. Uraraka, already looking sickly from Quirk usage, doubles over to vomit. Kirishima stumbles back as Todoroki’s eyes widen, Bakugou even looking ill.
But the sheer horror painted across Midoriya’s face, her eyes widening as she stares at the decaying villain, is what is shown most. Her face whitens, and her hand goes to her mouth as she shakes. ‘Oh god… I helped do that,’ she thinks.
Mic and Aizawa looked to Izumi. Tomoe, still playing with the scarf, followed their look. The little girl blinked in surprise. “Mama?” she called out, reaching towards Izumi, who didn’t seem to have heard. “MAMA!” Tomoe called louder. Aizawa picked her up and carried her to Izumi.
The green-haired teen didn’t react, too busy staring at the screen, hands still over her mouth. Tomoe reached out to grab the sleeve of Izumi’s jacket. She turned and took the toddler, eyes still on the screen.
“It’s my fault,” came from her mouth.
“No, it isn’t,” Aizawa told her.
“Yes, it is.”
“No, it isn’t,” Mic said, also coming up to her. “Shigaraki could have gotten out of that pile without using his Quirk; it is not your fault he chose murder instead.”
“But-”
“No butts, kid,” Mic told her, reaching out. He paused as Izumi slowly nodded. He cautiously put a hand on her shoulder. “It is not your fault. Do not carry that thought. You do not control the reactions of people to what you do.”
“But aren’t we supposed to be conscious of our actions? And know people can react badly?” Izumi asked. “I knocked him back. I saw him use his Quirk on Aizawa, and I knew he could kill with it.” She looked between the two heroes, wanting more knowledge.
“Yes and no,” Aizawa offered. “You’re right that you should be aware of people reacting to things you do, but at the same time, they aren’t your fault unless you do it on purpose to get a certain reaction.”
“Like someone purposely antagonizing someone, so they get hit,” Mic said. “My mom, when I was a kid, would purposely put me in situations I would yell so she’d have an excuse to muzzle me.” The pro hero admitted. “That’s on her.”
“Similarly, saying hurtful things to make someone yell at you is also on the person speaking,” Aizawa said.
“It’s not your fault,” Mic told Izumi honestly. The teenager gave a weak smile as Tomoe cuddled her. She felt happy that she had people with her who could help, but she doubted the guilt would go away any time soon, not after watching someone die as she did.
In his room, Bakugou smirked. Deku was a failure; she caused someone to die. This just proved she couldn’t be a top-notch hero like him!
What if you destabilize something and cause someone’s death? A voice asked in his head. It would be on you too. He scowled at the screen, not liking his inner thoughts. At all.
"I am going to kill you slowly-” Shigaraki growls, diving through a portal Kurogiri opens up. Midoriya manages to jump back, but she is slow enough from her shock that Shigaraki manages to brush her arm. Skin falls off, and she yells. She covers her arm as she moves away from the villain.
“Midoriya/Deku!” the people around them scream.
Japan shouted the same, looking at the screen in shock. Izumi covered her mouth with one hand, keeping Tomoe’s face away from the screen as her future teachers hissed through their teeth. Uraraka and Iida covered their mouths in shock as Ashido and Kirishima yelled. All of the future class 1A reacted in shock, loud shouting echoing through the streets and in homes. All Might puffed up, breaking his desk as he struggled with the need to jump into the screen and rip apart the man who hurt his student.
Shigaraki flinched upon seeing himself hurt sensei’s daughter, hoping the man wouldn’t punish him. He didn’t know, and it looked like she would be okay.
Hisashi sighed, watching the screen. His daughter wasn’t fast enough to dodge it entirely, though seeing death as she did for the first time would shock her—something he would have to deal with later. Or perhaps the vault would be the best choice, in the end, to keep her safe completely. He knew if she didn’t bend, if she was too much like his brother, in the end, Hisashi would need to put his daughter inside. Keep Izumi safe no matter what.
His granddaughter was young enough, though, that he could raise her properly. Leaving Izumi with Inko did nothing in the end but harm his daughter. He would not make that mistake with his granddaughter. A proper influence in her life to put her on the right path and the time to practise her skills. What else could she want?
'Holy shit... This is bad. Where is everyone? We need backup!' All Might thinks.
"You’re fast," Shigaraki announces. Midoriya stands before him, breathing hard, baring her teeth at him. “And you have a good pain tolerance.
“Be raped by your teacher and give birth. It’ll raise anyone’s pain tolerance.” Midoriya snaps, her breath ragged.
Izumi couldn’t help her snort, shrugging at the looks from Aizawa and Mic. “Hey, it might offset them enough I can get away.”
“Shock value often does work.” Mic mused. Aizawa nodded his agreement, though he wanted proof that his future student made it out of there before he’d be talking about her skills in shocking her enemies.
“...What?” Shigaraki asks.
“WHAT?!” Bakugouu yelps, Kirishima’s mouth dropping open while Todoroki chokes.
“Try going through a period!” Uraraka calls out.
Shigaraki then shakes his head and reaches out to Midoriya, a portal opening in front of his hand, and then one right in front of Midoriya’s chest. The girl is jumping away, eyes wide but then....
A gunshot sounds out, and a bullet goes through Shigaraki's hand. Midoriya falls to the ground.
"They're here!" All Might says as he turns to look at the entrance where the UA teachers stand. Snipe turns and fires two bullets.
“Thank god!” Upon seeing the teachers had arrived, Japan shouted, relief filling every person in the country and offshore. People around the world watching the stream let out long breathes, leaning back in their chairs.
Despite wanting to yell about cheaters and hackers, even Shigaraki felt relief seeing the calvary. Sensei’s daughter would be okay.
The screen shows the mountain zone. The villain holding Kaminari gets shot in both arms and drops the student.
"What the crap just happened?" Jirou questions.
Yaoyorozu gasps. "Is it them?" she asks.
The cheering around Japan and the world increased as they saw more students being saved by the heroes.
The screen shows the entrance to the USJ. Iida, Vlad King, Nezu, Cementoss, Ectoplasm, Snipe, Hound Dog, Midnight, Power Loader, and Present Mic stand at the top of the stairs, in front of the students and Thirteen.
“GO, UA!” Yao shouted, standing up. The rest of his coworkers around him stood, cheering. The kids were saved! They would be okay!
"Sorry, everyone! I know we're a bit late. But I got the teachers over here as fast as I could," Nezu says.
"It's Iida!" Uraraka cheers in the center plaza.
"Your class rep has returned. I've fulfilled my duty, and I've brought reinforcements!" Iida announces.
Iida beamed at seeing himself on the screen, feeling thrilled he’d managed to meet the teachers. Meanwhile, his brother and parents loudly cheered for him, relieved that their son was okay.
"Heh," Present Mic says as he watches the villains run up the stairs starting to attack the pros. He walks forwards and shouts a Quirk-powered "Yeah!" making all the villains stop in their tracks and cover their ears, screaming.
Ectoplasm creates many clones that proceed to knock out the stunned villains.
“GO ECTOPLASM!” Japan screamed in joy. “GO PRESENT MIC!”
"Our priority is to protect all of our students!" Nezu says, sitting on Vlad Kings's Shoulder.
"Yes, sir!" the teachers say.
The screen shows the center of the USJ.
"Aw, man. The pros are here. It's game over. For real. Let's go home and try this when we can..." Shigaraki says right before Snipe shoots him three more times.
One bullet enters each of his limbs. Kurogiri blocks any more of the bullets.
“BOO!” Japan shouted in anger, furious that the villains were blocking the bullets.
The screen shows the top of the stairs again. Snipe keeps shooting at the two villains.
"We need someone who can capture them from a distance," Snipe says.
"I'm on it," Thirteen replies, leaning against their students.
"Huh?" Snipe asks. “You’re injured-”
“Not enough for this,” Thirteen mutters to theirself, grinning behind their mask as they watch the screen. They’d done it before. It took a lot to hurt a black hole, but they were always prepared when it happened.
The screen shows the center of the USJ again.
"Let's go!" Kurogiri says, covering Shigaraki in a warp gate before he starts being sucked up. "This is... Black Hole!" he yells before turning to the top of the stairs and seeing Thirteen Wuirk activated being held up by Sato and Sero.
"I may have failed to kill you this time, but your days are numbered. All Might. Symbol of Peace. I am going to kill you. And that green-haired brat too," Shigaraki tells All Might before he disappears.
“Damn it,” Aizawa muttered, glaring at the screen. The bad guys getting away never sat well with him.
“Everyone’s alive,” Mic told him softly, and Aizawa sighed as he watched Izumi laugh, spinning around with Tomoe in relief. “You’re alive.”
“Can’t get rid of me that easy yet,” Aizawa replied. Mic turned to him with a chuckle, letting his sunglasses slip down his nose enough to give him a look.
“No. And I don’t want to,” he told his husband happily. Aizawa gave him a crazy grin.
“Za! Radio man!” Tomoe called out, reaching to them. “Scarf!” Mic laughed at that while Aizawa grinned. Izumi just giggled.
“She’s not going to forget getting to play with it any time soon, sensei,” Izumi teased the teachers.
“Probably not,” Aizawa muttered as he unravelled his capture scarf. Tomoe squealed as Izumi sat her down, and Aizawa played with the baby again. “Get back to your own work problem child,” Aizawa told Izumi, who shook her head as she obeyed, a grin on her face.
The screen shows the fire zone. Ojirou, Aoyama, and Power Loader stand there looking at all of the villains that Power Loader knocked out.
"That day, we learned what the pros could do," Midoriya narrates.
The screen shows the squall zone. Present Mic, Koda, and Tokoyami stand there looking at the villains that Present Mic knocked out.
"And what they fight against to keep us all safe," Midoriya narrates.
The screen shows the mountain zone. All villains are unconscious again, knocked out by Ectoplasms clones, as one of the clones checks on Jirou, Yaoyorozu, and Kaminari.
The screen shows the center of the USJ. Uraraka, Bakugou, Todoroki, and Kirishima stare in shock at the entrance. Midoriya is lying on the floor, and All Might is standing there; his left side is in his muscular form while his right is in his skinny physique. The smoke blocks him from the view of the others.
"It was a revelation we weren't prepared for. But somehow, we survived," Midoriya narrates.
"...FUCK! " Midoriya screams. She grabs her arm and holds it tightly.
"Midoriya!” All Might says. He takes a step forward.
“Still not as bad as giving birth… but owwww.” Midoriya groans loudly.
“You’re going to use that as a comparison forever, aren’t you?” Mic asked the teenager.
“I was a preteen when I had Tomoe. It hurt a lot. I will never have anything worse to compare it to.” Izumi said. She paused. “...Unless I have multiples in the future. In which case, c-section. Nothing else. Once was enough.”
“So you do want kids in the future?” Mic asked her. Izumi shrugged.
“Yeah, eventually? Not any time soon. Earliest I’d consider is during university, so I don’t take too much time off hero work, and even then, I’m not totally comfortable with the idea.” Izumi said. “Have any advice?”
“Early or late,” Mic said wisely. “Have them as early as possible to not affect your career rising or have them as late as possible when you’re at a high rank and can coast on popularity to keep it.”
“Thanks,” Izumi said with a grin. She probably was one of the few teenagers who thought about it enough other than hero legacy kids—having a child herself and wanting more further into the future had her thinking about it as realistically as possible. The idea of more children like Tomoe to love and cuddle made her want.
Just not any time soon. At all.
The screen shows the top of the stairs. Midnight, Snipe, Vlad King, and Nezu stand there.
"Well, my, my, my," Snipe comments.
"I can't believe we let them escape after everything they did here," Midnight says.
"They did catch us completely by surprise. For now, we need to make sure all of the students are okay," Nezu tells the three pros getting down from Vlad King's shoulders.
The screen shows the center of the USJ again.
"If all the pro teachers are gathered here, it must mean the rest of the school is safe. The villains attacked this facility, but not the rest of the campus," Todoroki says.
"Midoriya, hey!" Kirishima yells, running towards his classmate. Uraraka takes a few steps forwards as well. "Are you okay?" Kirishima calls out to Midoriya.
'Ah, Kirishima. I'm glad to see that he's looking out for his friend. Oh, crap, wait. If he comes over here, he's gonna learn my secret. not good!' All Might thinks.
Midoriya comes to the same conclusion and looks between All Might and Kirishima. "Kirishima, wait..." she says. “Please- Shigaraki got my suit-”
A concrete wall comes up in front of Kirishima, blocking him from getting any closer. "For your safety, please stay back, young man. Join your classmates at the front gate. Leave the injured to us; we can take care of them," Cementoss tells Kirishima. The teenager blinks before Midoriya’s words register, and he goes red.
“Good save,” Mic remarked to Izumi, who shrugged.
“If it works, it works.” As she spoke, there was chaos in the Kirishima kitchen as Ashido laughed at Kirishima along with his fathers. The boy had turned bright red, hands covering his face.
“Oh god, even the hint of it? Really?” Ashido teased.
“It’s not manly to think about!” Kirishima whined. Most of Japan laughed at the boy’s red face, all amused by his chivalry at the moment.
"Oh, gotcha. I'm on it. Hey! He said for all of us to head to the entrance!" Kirishima yells as he runs back to Bakugou, Uraraka and Todoroki.
"Thanks for that. You saved my butt, Cementoss," All Might says as both he and Midoriya sigh in relief.
"My pleasure," Cementoss tells him. He spots Midoriya and then looks to All Might.
“He’s my mentor,” Midoriya says. “I know all.”
Cementoss looks amused as he nods and turns towards All Might.
"We should sneak you out of here and get you both to the nurse's office. Seriously, All Might. That could've been really bad," Cemmentos says.
"I had to act recklessly, or else I'd be dead now. It just goes to show how strong those villains were," All Might replies.
All Might let go of his larger form to sit down, studying the screen thoughtfully. They were strong; even just watching it showed him that. Abnormally strong for some random villains, more so one who sounded like a man child. His careless treatment of his underlings, his attitude towards Kurogiri…
How did someone like that gain followers? It simply did not make sense to All Might. A charming young man with a skilled tongue could get others to follow him, but Shigaraki did not seem the type. No, someone else must be in charge of it, someone else pulling the strings.
A bioengineered weapon with multiple Quirks, his mind reminded the hero. He shook his head. No, All for One was dead. He’d killed him, and his body fell into the ocean. He struck a deadly blow; he knew he did. He had to be.
If he wasn’t, what did he let his successor inherit?
The screen shows the bar in which Shigaraki was first seen. A portal appears, and Kurogiari and Shigaraki appear. Shigaraki falls to lie on the floor while bleeding.
"Ow... Shot in both arms and legs. All those underlings wiped out. Even Nomu was beaten. We failed. Those kids were so strong. And the Symbol of Peace wasn't weakened at all. You were wrong, Master. So wrong!" Shigaraki says.
"No. I wasn't. We just weren't as prepared as we should've been," a voice says from the TV in the bar. Static crumbles as the voice speaks, sounding slightly off, echoing somewhat as if speaking through something else.
"I agree. We underestimated them. Thankfully, we failed under that cheap "League of Villains" name and not our own. And what about the creature the master and I created? Where is Nomu?" another voice asks through the TV. Static again erupted, distorting the voice and distant as if they were standing away from the microphone picking their words up.
"Yes, why is he not with you?" Shigaraki’s master asks.
"He was blown away," Kurogiri replies.
"What?!" the other voice asks.
"It was All Might's doing. Without coordinates to his precise location, I couldn't use my warp to bring him with us. We didn't have any time to search for him," Kurogiri tells them.
"This is a travesty! And after all, we did to make him as powerful as All Might," the second says.
"Well, I suppose it can't be helped. Unfortunately," Shigraki’s master comments.
"Power... That reminds me. There was a kid who managed to protect All Might. She was just as fast as him," Shigaraki says.
"Oh?" the master inquires.
"If she hadn't gotten in our way, we might have killed the Symbol of Peace. That brat... That brat!" Shigaraki says.
"Naturally, you're upset. But this was not a futile mission. We've learned many things. Gather the villainous elite. Take all the time you need. I must remain hidden in the shadows, which is why I need you to be my face. A symbol of your own. Tomura Shigaraki. Next time you will show the world that it should be afraid of you," the master tells Shigaraki.
“There was someone behind him?!” Chang shouted, standing up. “I want everything we have on villains who fought All Might! Now!”
“Seriously?” asked Kagayaki Hone asked, the Commission employee staring at Chang in shock. “You want us to look up all of that?!”
“Yes! Anything! Dead or alive, I want names, dates and Quirks.” Chang ordered.
“Yes, ma’am,” the rest of the office declared as they began working. Chang let out a breath. Alright, now they just needed to figure this person out. In any way that they could.
As Chang and her underlings worked, All Might sat down heavily in his chair. The voice was crackled and challenging to understand. He could barely make it out, yet he just knew. He knew sitting there and watching the screen who it was.
“How?” All Might asked himself quietly. “How has he lived?” The man should have succumbed to his wounds or drowned. Unless… the warper. How long has All for One had his services? If someone acted quick enough, then they could manage it. They could live.
The hero covered his face, not moving as further away on a beach; his successor tilted her head. The voice sounded weird. Strange and garbled, but it proved that someone else was behind Shigaraki. The man must have had this other person gather the tropes; perhaps whoever it was had a Quirk to make him trustworthy or something.
While she thought that, Mic and Aizawa traded looks. Even standing some distance away, both were able to convey their thoughts to each other. The voice sounded familiar to them, but they couldn’t place it entirely with the distortion. However, Aizawa had a feeling he knew where it came from. He glanced to Izumi, who didn’t seem to have noticed, too busy thinking of something else probably.
He wouldn’t say anything, not yet. Not until they had actual proof and not just guesses. If they were wrong, they would cause harm to Izumi. If they were right, well, they could tell her later.
Around Japan, people turned to each other, whispering in shock that there was more behind Shigaraki, more than they knew about before. Someone who wanted All Might dead and arranged someone else to do it.
“Coward,” some people muttered, while those more aware shuddered at the idea someone else could be able to pull so many strings.
The screen shows the outside of the USJ. All of the students are standing outside with a detective. The police lead the villains out of the USJ and into police vans in the background.
"16, 17, 18, 19. Everyone seems to be unharmed except for that girl who was injured. Let's go ahead and get these students back to the main campus. They've been through a lot. We don't need to question them right away," the detective says.
"Detective. What about Aizawa-sensei?" Asui asks.
The detective hesitates, looking at his phone where a text is
The bones in his arms are splintered, and he's got facial fracturing. Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be any severe brain damage. But his orbital floor has been almost completely destroyed. We have no way of knowing if his eyesight will be impaired once he's healed up. I know he’s your friend Tsukauchi, hence why I’m telling you. In case he doesn’t manage to gain his eyesight back.
“Shit,” Mic said, looking to his husband again. Aizawa had refocused on playing with Tomoe, but his shoulders were tense. Losing his eyesight, losing his Quirk…
Aizawa got a lot of trouble for his Quirk. His family didn’t help even with all the wealth they had. Yet losing his Quirk, stripping him of it, would mean losing a part of himself. A part he had accepted and made his own, rather than the tool of someone else. Money had been his parents’ tool; his good looks were their tools as well; health even was a tool for someone to use against him.
Mic watched silently as his husband set his shoulders back. Mic closed his eyes and prayed, not realizing that Izumi bowed her head and prayed with him, unaware that around Japan, many who knew Aizawa along with some who didn’t prayed to. Prayed that he would be okay, and he would make it through.
"He’s injured but in good hands,” the detective, Tsukauchi, says.
"Ribbit..." Asui says sadly.
"Um, sir, what about Thirteen?" Ashido asks.
"There's no need to worry there. Despite some pretty bad lacerations to the back, Thirteen is gonna pull through, good as new. And All Might is also without any serious injuries. He's in the nurse's office right now. Recovery Girl's power should be all the treatment he needs," Tsukauchi replies. Everyone sighs in relief.
"What about Midoriya?" Uraraka asks.
"How's Midoriya?" Iida questions.
"Midoriya? Ah, Recovery Girl is taking care of her, too. She's fine," Tsukauchi tells them.
"Oh, thank goodness," Uraraka says. Suddenly her eyes widen. “Oh! Wait- sir… I… Midoriya she…”
“I know of Midoriya’s circumstance,” Tsukauchi tells her. “We will handle it. Now let's get you back to class.”
"Okay," the students all reply as they begin to walk towards the bus.
"Sansa. I still have some business in the nurse's office. I'll leave this to you, okay?" Tsukauchi says, turning around to look at a police officer who has a cat head.
"Yes, sir," Sansa replies, saluting.
"It's a cat?" Jirou asks.
"No, he’s a human with a mutation,” Uraraka tells the other girl, looking incredibly unpleased. Jirou looks surprised.
“Exactly,” Tokoyami mutters as he walks by. Jirou looks down, blushing.
“Right,” she mutters.
Jirou winced as her parents gave her looks. Okay yeah, that had been a messed up move to make. She’d admit it.
“What is wrong with you, Kyouka?” her mother asked. “The bullying, the attitude, and now this? You’re a mutation Quirk honey, and you hate it when people yank on your ears or when teachers think you’re listening to music and try to touch them.”
“I don’t know!” Jirou replied. “I just… I don’t know, okay?” She didn’t. Kaminari just… she thought he was okay with it; she thought he didn’t care. Maybe part of her actually thought he was stupid, sure, but she wouldn’t say that stuff if she didn’t know he’d be okay with it… would she?
And then the officer… she didn’t know why she said it. It was the future. Why did she say it? Why?
“Therapy,” her father suddenly spoke. “We didn’t press after elementary when you were harassed often, Kyouka, because you seemed okay. However, you’re acting like this? I think you need it.”
Jirou didn’t answer, but she wouldn’t disagree either.
Bakugou stares at the USJ, thinking of how fast Midoriya moved. "Tch," he says.
“Be raped by your teacher and give birth. It’ll raise anyone’s pain tolerance.” Midoriya’s voice echoes.
‘No- that has to be wrong.’ Bakugou thinks. ‘Auntie Inko… she would tell me, right? Tell mom at least….”
"C'mon, man, we're going back to class now," Kirishima tells him.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard him, ya idiot," Bakugou replies, turning and walking towards the bus.
Bakugou frowned at the screen. Would he be going to tell his mom this? Would he not? He could see it going either way. Mitsuki herself wondered the same, knowing she would confront Inko as soon as she heard this, demanding to know what the hell the woman thought, hiding it.
“Pity I can’t learn it now,” Mituski muttered. “With Inko deciding that running off was a better idea than staying and facing the music. Coward.”
The screen shows the inside of the USJ. Nezu, Snipe, and Midnight stand at the top of the stairs.
"We need security improvements. Perhaps an entire system overhaul," Nezu tells the two pro heroes.
"Agreed," Snipe says.
"Warp Quirks are very rare and can completely change the course of a battle. It's frightening to know that a villain has such a power," Midnight comments.
“Agreed,” Chang muttered. The few teleportation Quirks she knew of in Japan were under tight watch. Better that way for everyone, in her opinion. It wasn’t invasive or anything, but they were checked up when any sort of teleportation Quirk was used in villainy. But she couldn’t think of any like Kurogiri’s, and he would definitely be someone they would make a note of.
The screen shows the outside of the USJ. Tsukauchi walks over to a police car as another police officer walks towards him.
"Tsukauchi, sir!" the police officer yells.
"Hm?" Tsukauchi asks, turning to face the officer.
"Someone thought to be involved in this attack was just apprehended in a wooded area nearby," the police officer tells him.
"Report," Tsukauchi orders.
"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," the officer replies, as the screen shows Nomu in chains being walked towards the USJ by police officers.
"Principal," Tsukauchi says as Nezu, Snipe, and Midnight walk out of the USJ. "I'd like to investigate every inch of the school, just to be safe."
"Of course, please do! 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," Nezu tells Tsukauchi.
"Teams. Proceed as planned,” Tsukauchi tells the police officers before walking off.
The screen shows the nurse's office at UA. All Might and Midoriya lie in the beds while Recovery Girl sits in her chair.
“They’re okay!” Japan shouted in relief. People laughed and shook their heads while others just cheered. On I-Island, David, along with Melissa, let out long sighs of relief, smiling at the screen.
"Well, I guess I won't scold you for her being back here since it wasn't your fault," Recovery Girl tells All Might.
"I can't be sure yet, but I think I shortened my time limit again with that fight. I hope I can at least still hold the form for an hour," All Might says, making Midoriya gasp.
Shigaraki let out a bark of laughter, happy he’d at least managed that as the rest of Japan gasped. All Might would be leaving them so soon? But Midoriya still was in school! They needed his strength! They needed his Quirk!
"I'm so sorry," Midoriya tells All Might.
"Well, no use worrying. These things happen," All Might says, sitting up, his whole torso is wrapped in bandages.
The door opens. "Excuse me. Hi, All Might. Been a while," Tsukauchi says as he enters the room.
"What the hell? I didn't know that you were investigating," All Might says, shocked.
"Whoa, All Might! It's okay he sees you like this?" Midoriya asks, sitting up.
"Oh, yeah, it's fine. This guy's all right. Tsukauchi Naomasa, my best friend on the police force. He's legit. I trust him," All Might tells his successor.
Said detective ignored all grumpy looks at him. They always wondered who the tall thin man was around him, and now they knew. Not Tsukuauchi’s fault. They all treated him like crap whenever they saw him before.
"That's quite an introduction. It doesn’t even mention our first-” the detective begins, a grin on his face before he is interrupted by All Might.
“We do not need to tell her that.” the hero says quickly. Midoriya looked interested as the detective laughs.
“Alright, embarrassing stories later then. I am here on business anyway. We could use any information you might have," Tsukauchi says.
"Hold on before all that. Tell me all the students are okay. And Aizawa... er, Eraserhead, and Thirteen," All Might asks Tsukauchi.
"Not counting this girl, the only student injuries were scrapes. And both of the teachers are in stable condition right now. Relax," Tsukauchi replies. Both Midoriya and All Might sigh in relief.
"That's good to hear," All Might says.
"If you heroes hadn't risked your lives, the students would never have made it. You three saved that entire class of kids today," Tsukauchi tells him as the screen shows Thirteen lying in a hospital bed, their costume hiding their body.
It then shows Aizawa lying in a hospital bed, his face covered in bandages. Present Mic is next to him, elbows propped up on the bed and his head in his hands.
Relief and worry filled the hearts of hero lovers and those who knew the two well. Nezu, sitting in his office, sighed in relief. He looked at his email, seeing Chang sent back an agreement to allow for emergency guardianship of Midoriya to Aizawa Shouta and Yamada Hizashi, with a note adoption was on the table if they really needed to protect the kid.
The only reason why I’m not approving All Might to take her in is due to his injuries. Number one, hero or not, it is very easy to argue against him with his injuries as well as her own trauma. The agent wrote. Nezu grinned as he sent the email to Present Mic’s account. Perfect. The stoat then turned to his next draft of an email, asking that all of the future class 1A students be sent to UA to protect them, with a notable two exceptions due to being denied a place after their future actions mixed with the past.
“Pity, Mineta and Bakugou would have been good heroes,” Nezu remarked out loud. He began typing, one eye on the screen as it continued.
"You're not seeing the whole picture, Tsukauchi. Those students also risked their lives. They fought as hard as us," All Might replies. He looks to Midoriya, who shrugs.
"I was really stupid,” she tells him. “But I tried.” Midoriya sighs.
"I don't think there's ever been a group of first-years who experienced a real fight like this so early in their training. They not only survived, but they also learned what it means to be a pro. Those villains made a mistake attacking them. This class is strong. They're filled with courage and drive. Mark my words. They'll become great heroes," All Might says as the screen shows the students walking towards their class. They all look determined.
Midoriya smiles at All Might.
“We’ll try,” she promises. The door opens again and Lunch Rush steps in. He’s carrying a quietly crying Tomoe with him. “Tomoe!” Midoriya says.
“Mama!” the baby whines. Tomoe reaches out to Midoriya and Lunch Rush carries her over. Midoriya winces as she moves her arm but takes her daughter into her arms.
She looks at the hero in confusion as Tomoe buries her face into Midoriya’s collar.
“What happened?”
“She activated her Quirk for the first time… and the daycare had negative reactions.” Lunch Rush explains.
“...She has some sort of control Quirk with strings, doesn’t she?” Midoriya says softly. Lunch Rush nods.
“From the reports of Tanaka, the strings came from the stitches on her wrist. She was being bullied by another little girl, and reacted.” Lunch Rush explains.
Midoriya nods and wraps her arms around her daughter, wincing again as she moved the wounded arm. But she holds her daughter tight.
“I love you,” she promises Tomoe. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”
“Always and forever,” Izumi vowed to herself. She looked at Tomoe as the toddler laughed, chasing around the scarf as Aizawa moved it through the air. The smile on her baby’s face put one on Izumi’s before she turned to the trash pile.
Her daughter would have a family. She’d have an aunt and uncle who were Izumi’s friends. She would be healthy and happy without any worry. Izumi would just need to uphold her end and become the best damn hero in the world.
Starting with the trash on the beach.
The screen morphs to show Midoriya leaving the nurse's office, Tomoe in her arms and her wounded right arm bandaged. The sky is dark and it’s obviously late. Tomoe is asleep, head on her mother’s shoulder.
"Goodnight. Thanks so much for your help!" Midoriya says.
"My pleasure. Lunch Rush will drive you home," Recovery Girl responds. Midoriya nods with a smile.
"We had no way of knowing, but the league of villains' attack on the USJ was just the beginning. A bigger incident was on the horizon," Midoriya narrates as she walks through the halls and out of the school. Iida and Uraraka are shown waiting for her outside.
That made Izumi pause. She turned to the screen, staring at it. No, not another incident. No!
Her sentiment was shared, people cursing and glaring at the screen. The kids already went through an entire battle with villains so early. They didn’t need anymore! Let them have a break!
"Midoriya, Tomoe, you're here!" Uraraka says.
"We were just happy to be alive. To have shown that we had the potential to be real heroes. But the worst was yet to come," Midoriya narrates as she, Uraraka, and Iida walk out of UA together. Tomoe wakes up briefly and holds her arms out to Iida who takes her with a smile.
The screen switches to show a man with a red scarf and a mask sitting on top of a water tower looking at the city.
The screen went dark and then the words Searching for the next part of the future… came on. As it did so, Stain frowned, glaring at the screen. Him? He would be the next opponent the children would face?
Perhaps it made sense. He was devoted to stomping out false heroes and while Midoriya seemed to be a true one the same could not be said of her classmates. Perhaps the Bakugou child made enough of a fuss he heard of it and decided to prune the hero world early of him. Stain grinned. Well then, if his calling led him to destroy herolings early, then he would be ready.
Other parts of Japan were confused, wondering who the man was though heroes knew better.
“Stain! Shit!”
“How does he get involved?”
People shouted, with various agencies scrambling to get information on the killer. They needed all they had to be able to combat whatever the man was planning. If he went after the students well, they would be needed to fight.
On the beach, Izumi paused in her work. She closed her eyes and took a long breath before setting her shoulders. She grabbed a TV from the junk pile and lifted it, settling it on her shoulder. She turned and began to walk across the beach, keeping her head high as Mic followed her, the hero on edge. Izumi climbed the steps from the beach to the road, reporters shouting as they tried to get her to hear. She ignored them still.
It was only when she tossed the TV down and turned to them they fell silent. Izumi looked at them and then lifted her chin.
“I’m not a hero yet. But I promise that whatever is coming our way, I will fight it. I’m just one of many, and we all stand tall.” Izumi swallowed. “It’s not just me out there. I might be inheriting a powerful Quirk, but there are so many others along with me. Iida, Uraraka, Kirishima, Todoroki, Asui, all of us. We’re training to be heroes.”
As Izumi spoke, she looked out at the sea of reporters and thought of Tomoe. She thought of her mother. She thought of her friends and her future with them.
“I’m Limitless,” Izumi said out loud. “But so is everyone else. Just watch.” She nodded and turned her back on the reporters, Mic following her. It was silent behind her before an explosion of noise erupted.
Izumi just kept walking.