Chapter 1


Third year, Shouto heard, was supposed to be a fun and exciting year.

It was the year that they would actually be allowed to go out on their own and participate in low-level missions, which basically meant capturing a purse-snatcher here and there. But class 3-A didn't really care how "boring" these missions seemed. They were ready to show their skills to the world and become real heroes.

For their patrols, the students were divided into groups—the groups being different every time. The first few patrols had Shouto grouped with Bakugou, which wasn't a problem. The boy had mellowed out over the years, but he was still the hot-headed hero-in-training that he'd always been. Bakugou had almost literally exploded with rage when the first patrol ended in him rescuing some girl's cat from a tree, while another group got to stop a bank robbery.

"This was because I got paired with your stupid ass, half-and-half! I told you we should've gone down that road!"

Shouto thought he would never hear the end of it.

So when the next patrol came up, and the groups were assigned, Shouto was delighted to discover that he had been grouped with Izuku. Izuku, who Shouto considered his best friend, was beyond ecstatic, and he met Shouto's eyes with that dazzling smile of his.

So, that afternoon, along with Uraraka and Iida, their group began their patrol.

"This is pretty exciting! The four of us haven't been in a group together before!" Uraraka commented, pumping her fists.

"Indeed! I believe the four of us could make a good team," Iida said, moving his one hand upward in a chopping motion.

Shouto's stomach felt queasy at the implication. He thought he could be a good teammate, but he felt unsure about it.

He had been raised to conquer his demons alone, after all.

But then, Izuku smiled in that typical way of his, the one that even makes Shouto's lip curl up.

"Our quirks definitely can be used together! Maybe we should come up with a strategy for different situations, especially if a bigger attack comes, and then Iida could use his—"

"Deku, you're doing it again," Uraraka interrupted.

Izuku sputtered and then rubbed the back of his neck, smiling shyly.

"Sorry! I was just excited," Izuku explained.

Shouto smiled at that, soft and genuine. "Yeah, I am, too."

"Oh?" Izuku asked, whipping his head to look at Shouto. "You, too?"

"Mmn," Shouto hummed. "I've been grouped with Bakugou most of the time, so…"

Izuku chuckled. "Ah, Kacchan…"

"That can get a little draining," Uraraka said with a small smile of her own.

"I suppose his outbursts haven't calmed?" Iida asked, adjusting his glasses slightly.

"Not at all," Shouto answered. "He doesn't like working with others that much."

"He hasn't really changed," Izuku commented.

Shouto glanced over at him, taking in his calm expression as he spoke.

Now that he thought about it, several of his classmates had stayed relatively the same.

There were obvious jumps in height as they all gained muscle mass, Shouto included, but he still managed to be taller than Izuku. Izuku's hair remained relatively the same, maybe even a bit poofier, if that was possible, while Shouto's hair was shorter, a neat and clean shave on his nape.

Iida grew taller, towering over his class as usual, and Uraraka, bless her, stayed pretty much the same. Although, her hair grew out just a bit and her features became more mature.

While their physical attributes changed with their age, the core of their personalities remained the same.

Shouto was grateful that his heart had unthawed years ago so he could enjoy the friendships he had created.

But… something was still bothering him.

As the three of them talked harmoniously, Shouto couldn't help but feel a slight tug on his heart. The three were a perfect fit, a great group of friends. They could easily work together in a professional agency someday.

But what about Shouto?

With their professional careers right around the corner, several of his classmates had started to think about what agencies to join. A lot of them wanted to go into different agencies together so they could work together as a team.

If Shouto had it his way, he would've liked to team up with Izuku somewhere. But whenever he found even a sliver of courage to mention it, Izuku would be bombarded by other classmates about the same subject.

That, along with his persistent thoughts of his poor teamwork skills, were enough for Shouto to give up in his pursuit of a future with Izuku on his team, and it pushed him further into making the decision to work alone.

So, for now, Shouto would partake the company of his friends in one of their last team exercises. He wanted to enjoy every last minute he had with them before he had to be alone again.

"Well, should we come up with a plan?" Izuku asked, his hands on his hips.

The other three nodded, all determined. Shouto could feel the butterflies in his stomach. To do a patrol with Izuku was something he had been looking forward to for a while.

But then again…

Should Shouto even work with them? Was he even meant to work in a partnership with anyone?

"Get up!"

"You must be the one to surpass All Might. You!"

"Don't you hear me, Shouto? You can't rely on anyone else!"

Shouto closed his eyes and breathed out slowly, ridding his mind of the voice from his past. His father did not think that way anymore. It was time he moved on, as well.

"Okay, so what if…"

Izuku began to rattle off a plan of action, which included something about Uraraka scanning the city by the rooftops. But Shouto's gaze was snagged by a ratty van that had pulled to a stop by one of the higher end apartment complexes.

Shouto quirked a brow and watched as four figures stepped outside of the van and entered in through the front of the apartments. They looked harmless, but something about them was making the hair on his arms stand. Tingles ran down his spine at the sight. There was a woman with them. Her sharp eyes and dark, purple hair seemed ominous.

"—outo? Hey, Shouto?"

Shouto blinked back into reality and turned to see worried green eyes staring at him.

"You okay? You spaced out there," Izuku said.

Shouto nodded once, his eyes still flitting back towards the apartment complex.

"Yeah, just…" Shouto paused, finally tearing his gaze away from the building. "It's nothing."

Uraraka and Iida seemed satisfied with his answer, but Izuku, perceptive to a fault, gave him one last skeptical look before he turned to the rest of the group. He began to point out directions for all of them to take.

"We'll meet back up here in 30 minutes. Sound good?" Izuku asked, looking around at the group.

"Got it," Uraraka said.

"Sounds like a decent plan," Iida commented, moving to place his helmet on his head.

Shouto nodded, which placated Izuku's skepticism from earlier, and he smiled at all of them.

"Great! Keep your earpieces on," Izuku said.

Uraraka and Iida agreed and turned them on before walking off in one direction, both chatting amicably. Shouto watched them leave, vaguely wondering if he would get to do this again in the future.

Would he be able to work with these guys in the future?

Would they all still be friends?

Would they all be safe?

"Hey."

A careful hand on Shouto's shoulder gently pulled him out of his thoughts as he looked to Izuku standing next to him.

"You sure you're okay?" Izuku asked.

Ah, there was nothing to worry about, Shouto thought as he felt his shoulders relax instantly.

They were a team.

He could still hope for that in the future.

Right?

"Yeah," Shouto said, shaking his head. "It's nothing really."

Izuku hesitated for a moment before nodding, and the two of them started to walk down the street, keeping a casual pace.

"So… I heard that you haven't picked an agency to work in yet," Izuku said.

Shouto's lips twisted into a grimace for a split second before he schooled his expression. This was the last thing he wanted to discuss, especially with Izuku of all people.

"Yeah. I haven't decided what I'm doing," Shouto answered.

"Do you plan to work with a team?" Izuku asked. "A lot of our classmates are interested in the new idea."

Shouto bit his lip and glanced away. "I don't know if it's a good fit for me."

"What?" Izuku asked, his feet stuttering to a stop. Shouto also stopped and looked at Izuku's distressed face. "What do you mean by that?"

Shouto sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I just don't think I could work well enough with a team. Our classmates, you… You guys are more suited for that."

"I can't accept that," Izuku said, shaking his head. "You would be great on a team, Shouto."

Shouto hesitated, his eyes desperate to look at anything except Izuku's face. The nearby bench looked interesting.

He said nothing, his mind filling with the echoes of his father's voice. It was a rarity for him to shut down nowadays. He had trouble with zoning out and having flashbacks during his first year, to which several of his classmates noticed. But as time went on, they became less and less frequent.

He thought he had control over this.

"I was… actually going to ask you if you wanted to join me once we graduated."

Shouto's eyes snapped back to Izuku, wide and disbelieving.

"Me?" he asked. "You want me to join you?"

"Yeah," Izuku said, his face splitting into a small smile. "With All Might's help, I'm actually starting my own agency. And we'll need a lot of fresh heroes."

He rubbed the back of his head, ruffling up his green curls. His smile grew more timid as he spoke, a nervous habit of his.

"I've already asked a bunch of others if they wanted to join, but I'd really like it if you were on a team with me," Izuku said. "What do you say?"

Shouto hesitated again, his arms folding across his chest. He could still hear the voices of his past bouncing around his mind, but Izuku's offer was making his chest flutter. Would his father really be okay with him being in a team with someone?

"All right, how about this," Izuku said, pulling Shouto out of the depths of his mind. When he looked up at Izuku, he had a cheeky smile on his face. "Why don't we make a bet?"

Shouto quirked a brow. "A bet?"

"Yep!" Izuku said. "If I win the bet, then you have to join my agency."

"Izuku…" Shouto said, exasperated by his persistence.

"If you win, then you can join whichever agency you want," Izuku said. "And I'll stop pestering you about it."

Shouto winced at the implications. If he shook on it, then there was no turning back. And Shouto was not someone who went back on a promise.

"Fine," Shouto said with a sigh, which made Izuku beam with excitement. He seemed determined to win, which sparked Shouto's inner competitiveness. "So what's the bet?"

Izuku's lips pulled into a crooked smile as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Whoever comes out with the least amount of injuries wins," Izuku said.

Shouto quirked a brow. "You're really going to bet that? You're the king of injuries."

"Hey! Is that a jab at my first-year?" Izuku whined.

"You injured yourself plenty last year, too," Shouto commented.

Izuku pouted, folding his arms across his chest. But after a moment, he looked up at Shouto with a determined glee in his eye.

"You afraid you'll lose?" Izuku teased.

Shouto's back went rigid. "I'm not afraid of a bet."

"Then it's settled!" Izuku said. He put out his hand for Shouto to take. "If I win, you join me. If you win, I let you go. Sounds like a bet?"

Shouto paused for a moment, staring at Izuku's hand as if it were a trap. But he took a deep breath and took Izuku's hand.

"You're on."


Once 30 minutes had past, the team regrouped in their initial spot near the high-end apartment complexes. Shouto spotted the worn-down van still sitting in the same spot as earlier, and he felt his stomach clench uncomfortably. There was something still wrong about the whole thing.

And why did that woman look so familiar?

"Anything on your end?" Uraraka asked Izuku.

"Nothing. It seems like it'll be a quiet day," Izuku said, glancing to Shouto with a sad smile. "Guess our bet is off, huh?"

"Bet?" Uraraka echoed.

"Are you two placing bets again?" Iida asked, his brow rising in suspicion. "Gambling is a really terrible habit, you know."

"Oh, it's not a big deal!" Izuku convinced, waving his hands in the air.

Shouto smiled as Izuku tried sputtering his way out of it, both Iida and Uraraka staring at him and pummeling him with questions.

Would they really be able to bond like this when they graduate?

Shouto's chest felt warm at the thought. He would love to be able to spend each and every day with these friends that he had made over the years. He wouldn't even mind Bakugou's presence every once in a while. He owed Izuku everything for changing his heart so many years ago.

Maybe he really could work on a team…

SLAM!

Shouto blinked out of his reverie and turned around, his eyes gazing at the luxury apartments.

Two of the suspicious people from earlier were back at the van, taking something out of the back and slamming the doors shut. Once it was closed, they hurried back into the building in a light sprint.

Shouto's heart was fluttering in his chest, that warm feeling now replaced by ice-cold alarm.

Something wasn't right…

He waited with bated breath, his hands in tight fists by his sides. Another minute passed and the air was still calm.

Was he just imagining it? Was his gut instinct wrong?

"Shouto?"

Shouto nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard his name, and he turned back around to face the rest of his team. They were all staring at him with curious expressions, Izuku's head cocked to the side.

"What's up?" Uraraka asked.

"Yes, you've been a little spacey the last few moments," Iida chirped.

Izuku looked up at him in worry. "You sure you're okay?"

Shouto took a deep breath through his nose. He was worrying his teammates without any real preamble. He had no evidence that those strangers were up to evil activity. He needed to relax.

"Yeah," Shouto assured. "Just looking at something."

The other three relaxed slightly, smiles coming back to their faces, and Izuku placed his hands on his hips.

"Well, I'm just glad that—"

Suddenly, a loud explosion tore through the city, sending billowing smoke up into the bright sky.

The four of them whirled around towards the source, and Shouto's eyes widened upon seeing that the same apartment complex from earlier now had a gaping hole in the top floor.

"Over there!" Shouto pointed.

"Let's go! There might be some injured people!" Izuku called.

The other three nodded and hurried towards the scene behind Izuku. One they arrived at in front of the complex, they surveyed the damage, noticing that a fire had started.

"We need to start getting people out before the fire spreads!" Izuku said.

"You three go. I'll try to put out the fires," Shouto said, summoning his ice to cover his hand.

Izuku nodded and moved his mask to cover his nose and mouth. He gestured for Iida and Uraraka to follow, and the three of them disappeared into the building.

Shouto knelt down and touched the ground beneath his feet, quickly creating ice tower that lifted him off of the ground and up towards the top of the building. Once he was at the right floor, he hopped inside through the hole.

The smoke was thick, and he had to cough a few times to expel it from his lungs. He covered his nose and mouth with his left arm as he used his right to extinguish the flames that were eating away at the walls.

It was strange, Shouto noticed as he went further into the apartment, that the explosion was contained in only this one room.

But what caused this explosion in the first place? A gas leak?

Or was it…

A sudden movement caught Shouto's eye, and he turned his gaze towards the doorway of the apartment.

Standing in the doorway was a woman, her back facing him. A woman with dark purple hair.

And she was carrying a steel briefcase in her hands.

"Hey!" Shouto called out.

The woman startled and turned around, her eyes blowing wide. Then, she took off out the door, the briefcase still in her grasp.

"Stop right there!" Shouto called, making to sprint after her.

Just as he was about to enter the complex hallway, a giant fist collided with his body, sending him flying backwards. His body tore through several walls before he was suddenly met with a blue sky.

Ah, Shouto realized, he was falling to the ground below. He needed to catch himself before his body splattered on the concrete. He reached out his right hand to try and summon an ice slide, but the ground was coming too quickly. He closed his eyes, bracing for impact.

Suddenly, he felt a pair of hands on him, one arm wrapping around his shoulders while the other held him underneath his thighs. He snapped his eyes open to see Izuku's freckled cheek, his green eyes determined and worried.

They landed on the ground carefully, and Izuku tilted downwards to allow Shouto to stand on his feet. But Izuku's hand didn't leave his back, his gaze looking him over for any injuries.

"You okay?" Izuku asked, Iida and Uraraka hurrying by their sides.

Shouto nodded, his hand coming up to rub his sore side from when the giant fist nailed him. It reminded him a lot of Kendo's quirk, but the fist felt firmer, or as if it was made out of steel.

"There are villains up there," Shouto said. "We need to follow them before they—"

Before Shouto could finish his sentence, an explosion rattled right next to their feet. Shouto put up an ice wall to shield his friends from the blast. The wall was broken quickly by another blast, and two villains jumped through to start their attacks.

"Get back!" Izuku said, mustering up his quirk to fire at them. He swung his fist forward, causing wind to push at the two villains. It knocked them back into the ice wall, shattering it to pieces.

After the ice barricade was destroyed, Shouto could see the two other villains trying to run to the van that was parked on the street. One of them was the woman who was carrying the briefcase. He slammed his foot down on the road, creating an ice path that froze the van solid, making it impenetrable.

Once the two villains discovered that their way of escape was now gone, they took off down the street in an attempt to escape.

"Izuku!" Shouto called, pointing after the villains.

Izuku glanced down the street and then back at him. "Shouto, let's go after them. Uraraka and Iida, detain these two villains and call Aizawa-sensei!"

"Got it!" Uraraka said.

"Be careful, you two!" Iida called after them.

"We will!" Izuku hollered over his shoulder.

The two of them took off, Izuku sprinting ahead by using his quirk while Shouto tried to use his ice to slide along the sidewalks.

The villains turned down one narrow alleyway, and Izuku and Shouto followed after them. Once they reached the end of alleyway, Izuku and Shouto knew that it was over.

"All right, stay right where you are," Izuku said. "You've done enough damage to our city. Just come quietly and we won't have to fight."

The woman gave him a frustrated glare and hugged the briefcase to her chest. The villain next to her stood ready, his hands moving up into fists in front of his face. His hands suddenly formed into jagged spikes, almost like two maces.

Izuku and Shouto exchanged looks before both of them lunged forward. They both went after the one villain, both of them avoiding his sharp spikes as he tried to force them both back. Shouto tried using his flames, but his hands suddenly hardened to steel, taking the heat without damage.

"Damn it," Shouto said, putting out his flames.

"I'll try using my quirk to capture him," Izuku said, starting to summon one of his many jack-of-all trade quirks. "You distract him while I get it ready."

Shouto nodded, and moved to a position where the villain would have his eyes only on him. He summoned his ice and tried to hurl spikes at him, but the villain managed to smash them before they hit. He glanced over to Izuku and saw that he was ready, and Shouto jumped back before Izuku could grab the villain with his black quirk.

The villain struggled against Izuku's hold, and Shouto made quick work to trap the villain in a coating of ice, sticking him to the ground.

Izuku released his quirk and fell to his knees, panting. But he smiled up at Shouto, giving him a thumbs-up.

"We got one!" Izuku said through his pants.

Shouto smiled and nodded, turning his gaze around the alley. It was empty now, which meant that the woman must've found a way to escape. He frowned at the sight, looking every direction for a ladder or something.

"Now we need to find the other," Izuku said, struggling to his feet. "Where did she go, anyway?"

Shouto shook his head, just as confused by the situation as Izuku.

"We need to find her," Shouto said. "She was carrying something, and she looked dangerous."

Izuku nodded. "Don't worry, we'll go into the city and look."

Shouto nodded, turning back to face him. He opened his mouth to answer but his voice died in his throat.

Standing behind Izuku was the woman, and she had her hand extended towards his head, a purplish smoke coming from her fingers.

"Izuku, get down!" Shouto yelled, lunging towards him.

He grabbed Izuku by his collar and pulled Izuku out of the way, shoving him to the ground, and the woman's fingers were suddenly touching his head, her nails digging into his scalp.

A sudden pain erupted in his entire body, making him feel sick to his stomach. He felt lightheaded, almost as if he was drugged.

What was this quirk?

"Leave him alone!"

And suddenly, the woman was knocked away from Shouto, her fingers leaving his head. But as she was pushed away, she whispered softly under her breath, "Go."

Shouto gasped as he started to fall backwards, his vision going dark. His back hit the cold ground painfully, but he could barely feel it with how numb he was becoming.

Ah, he thought third year was supposed to be fun…

"Shouto?! Are you okay? What's wrong?!"

He could hear Izuku's frantic voice hovering over him, feel his hands holding his shoulders.

Was Izuku always this gentle?

"Hey, stay with me! Don't close your eyes, Shouto!"

Oh. He was worried.

He didn't want to make Izuku worried.

But he was getting so tired…

"Shouto!"

Shouto's eyes slipped shut before he could help it.

Ah, shoot, he thought as his consciousness slipped away.

He just lost the bet.


A dark, cloudy sky greeted him when he awoke.

Shouto blinked a few times as his groggy eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness. His body felt heavier than usual, as if he was sinking into the pavement. It was like his veins were full of lead.

As he slowly sat up, his head swam with a nauseating dizziness that almost made him heave. He clutched his head and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to keep the bile from crawling up his throat. Once his stomach and head finally settled, he opened his eyes and found himself sitting in the middle of the darkened street.

How long was I out? Shouto asked himself. He pushed himself to his feet, stumbled a bit like a newborn deer, and then he glanced around.

The city was a mess. Glass and debris littered the abandoned streets, and there was a stray fire in the distance. There were no cars driving along the streets and neither were there pedestrians on the sidewalks. It was odd, and it put Shouto on high alert.

Was there a major attack that caused this while he was out? What about…

Izuku.

Shouto scrambled for his phone in his pocket and yanked it out. When he turned on the screen, his eyes widened in surprise.

Instead of finding a picture of his friends on his background, only the words "No signal" popped up on his screen.

That's weird, Shouto thought, pocketing his phone. He took a deep breath and brought his hands up to cup by his mouth.

"Izuku!" Shouto called. "Iida! Uraraka!"

His voice echoed against the buildings but there was no response. He clicked his tongue and began walking, hoping to run across a familiar face and get an explanation on what the hell was going on.

Please be okay, Shouto thought, his heart squeezing in his chest.

He just got these friends, for crying out loud. He didn't want to lose them.

Shouto turned at the corner and nearly stopped in surprise. At the end of the street were a few police cars, their lights flashing. The police officers were standing around their cars with heavy equipment on and intimidating guns. They almost looked like a swat team.

Something bad must've happened for them to be out on the street.

Shouto quickened his pace to reach them, his hand reaching up to wave.

"Um, excuse me," Shouto called.

One police officer turned towards him and eyed him skeptically, but he kept his gun at his side.

"I'm looking for my friends. We're third-years at UA," Shouto said.

The man quirked a brow. "UA?"

Shouto blinked, a little startled for a moment, but he reached into his back pocket for his hero license. He lifted it up and showed the police officer the license.

"Yes. We're heroes-in-training there. We got separated, and I was wondering if you've might've seen them," Shouto said.

The man leaned forward and read over the license for a moment before jolting backward, his eyes flying wide as he stared at Shouto.

"Wait a minute. Hero? Do you have a quirk?" the officer asked.

Shouto put his license back in pocket, his hand shaking a bit. Something about his question made him go on the alert.

"Yes," Shouto answered. "Like I said, I—"

Suddenly, the officer whipped up his gun and aimed it at Shouto's head. Shouto stared at the barrel in shock.

"Come quietly and I won't have to shoot you," he threatened.

Shouto stepped backward, his heart beginning to hammer in his chest.

"What?" Shouto asked. "Why am I under arrest? What have I done wrong?"

"Shut up!" the officer yelled, lifting up his gun higher. He turned to his other men. "We've got one with a quirk here!"

"What?"

"Here?"

"This place has been abandoned! Where did he come from?"

"Are you sure?"

Shouto watched their exchanges for a moment. Something definitely wasn't right. He needed to get out of here and clear his head before things got crazy. He wasn't going to figure anything out if he was stuck in a jail cell.

He took a step backward and started to turn, ready to leave just as quietly as he arrived, but the officer hailed him again.

"Just where do you think you're going?" he barked.

Shouto swallowed, taking a few steps backwards. "I don't want any trouble."

"Surrender yourself now!" the police yelled.

Shouto took another step back, his gaze eyeing the alleyway nearby. If he could make a run for it, he could easily escape through there.

"All right, punk! You asked for it!"

There was a click of the gun, and then suddenly shots were fired.

Shouto summoned a tall ice wall that stopped him from being hit. But when he saw the size of the bullets embedded into the ice, he startled. The rounds were huge.

Were they normal bullets?

"Apprehend him!"

Shouto startled and turned, sprinting towards the alleyway. He heard shots being fired behind him, and he ducked his head to try to avoid them. Some of the shots ricocheted off of the surrounding buildings, destroying the brick in the process.

He was nearly to the edge of the alley when another shot clapped into the sky, and suddenly, it felt as if someone had punched him in the back of his right shoulder, causing him to fall forward onto the ground. His shoulder stung and burned with a sharp pain that sent tingles down his arm.

Shouto craned his neck over his shoulder to assess the damage and was startled to find a large dart embedded into his flesh. These weren't bullets at all. Were they tranquilizers? He didn't feel woozy at least…

With great strain, Shouto reached behind him and grabbed the dart, yanking hard until it ripped from his shoulder, taking a chunk of flesh with it. He groaned in agony as he threw the dart away, his shoulder beginning to pour blood from the hole in his back.

"Don't let him get away!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Shouto saw the police running after him. He scrambled to his feet and took off into the alleyway. He ran until he reached a dead-end, and he whirled around to see five men approaching him, all with their guns drawn.

"Stand down or I'll be forced to shoot you again!"

Shouto stood ready, lifting up his right hand despite the pain in his shoulder, and summoned his ice.

But instead of an ice wall to create a barrier in between himself, nothing happened.

He tried again, lifting up his arm to create a wall. But once again, nothing happened.

Shouto felt panic grow in his chest as he glanced down at his hands. What in the world was going on? Why couldn't he summon his quirk?!

"All right, nice and easy punk!"

The police started to approach him, guns still drawn. Shouto stepped backwards but he tripped over his feet and fell backwards, landing hard on his shoulder. The pain sent a wave of dizziness to his brain, making the police officers' bodies fuzzy and distorted.

"All right, pal. Time to go," one of them said.

"No…" Shouto put out his hand, trying to get the swirling figures to back off.

He didn't have time for this. He needed to find his teachers, his advisors, and get back to school.

He needed to find his friends and figure out what the hell was going on.

Iida, Uraraka, Izuku… Shouto thought as the figures got closer. Where the hell are you guys?

Suddenly, a figure leapt down from above and landed in between Shouto and the officers in front of him. Shouto peered up at the figure, only making out the black jacket they were wearing. And although they were short, their broad back made them look taller. Who was this guy?

Before the officers could even react, the man lunged forward, kicking the gun out of the hands of the first officer. He made quick work of subduing him, knocking the wind out of him as he slammed him gut-down into the pavement.

The other officers reeled back in shock, all of them aiming their guns towards the mysterious man, but he ducked, using his shorter stature to dodge any bullets or darts that came his way.

In a flash, he managed to get in a swift kick to one of the officer's sides. When he stumbled, he grabbed the officer by his collar and yanked him to the side, causing him to knock heads with another fellow officer. Both of them fell to the ground, unconscious.

With the remaining two officers, the man lunged forward and swept at their legs, making them stumble and fall. The man grabbed a gun and used the butt to slam into each of their temples.

Shouto's breaths shook in shock as he stared at the man's back, watching as he threw the gun to the side. He turned his head slightly, but it was too dark for Shouto to see his face.

"W-Who… Who are you?" Shouto called out, pushing himself up onto his elbows.

The man startled and gasped, whipping around fully. He hesitated, his breaths coming in short. The man took slow, tentative steps towards Shouto, his hands outstretched carefully.

"It can't be…"

Shouto inhaled sharply at the man's voice.

As the man got closer, Shouto could make out the distinct freckles that splashed over tan cheeks, and the bright green colors of his eyes. His dark hair wasn't as poofy as it had been before, but instead was sporting a slight undercut that reduced its shape. But it was still the same green-ish color that Shouto had remembered.

"Izuku?"