Chapter 2 – My little baby, off to destroy people!

…

The persistent rhythm of footsteps on stone echoed in his ears, each one seeming as soft as whispered dreams, yet somehow as momentous as a judge's gavel.

'You are a fool, Harry Potter. And you will lose … everything.'

"Harry! Please, what are you doing?! Harry!"

His heart twisted as the desperate sound cleaved through his ears, reaching deep inside to carve into his very spirit.

'Nice one, James!'

'Neither can live while the other survives …'

"Let me go! You have to let me go! Please, Harry!"

He was aware of screaming. The sort of mindless wail that comes from indescribable agony … or was it rage? He couldn't tell. It was just so distant … and he couldn't stop to listen.

'It isn't how you are alike. It's how you are not!'

'Control your emotions! Discipline your mind!'

"You've got to stop! Please, you can't do this! YOU HAVE TO STOP!"

He couldn't stop. He knew that much. He had to keep moving. He wished the fog would clear so he could remember why … but at the same time, he didn't need to. He knew it was important. That the world depended on it. What's a little thing like "why" in the face of something like that?

'Dark and difficult times lie ahead. Soon, we must all face the choice between what is right … and what is easy.'

"… I'm sorry …"

'Bow to death, Harry.'

"HARRY! … –arry! … –arr– …"

The voice was growing fainter now. Like it was reaching him from the end of a cold, dark tunnel. But rather than letting him think more clearly, his thoughts seemed more clouded than ever, each one reaching him like sound through cotton.

It was peaceful.

'It does not do to dwell on dreams, and forget to live.'

"–arr– … –arry! …"

The voice was … coming back? That was odd. It almost sounded different than before, too … but he couldn't focus … couldn't make himself care … he was just so tired … he had done enough, now, right?

He could rest now, couldn't he?

"–arry! … Harry!"

He felt an indescribable longing overtake him, as if something precious was being snatched away as he grew warmer, the cold and the dark peeling away …

Abandoning him …

'The ones we love never really leave us.'

"HARRY!"

Slowly forcing his reluctant eyelids open, Harry stared for a moment in groggy confusion. The sound of waves gently lapping on a beach reached him before his open eyes could process the sight of the clean, ruddy sky filling his vision, disrupted only by some strange shape that his sluggish mind couldn't quite interpret. For a moment, he felt a bolt of panic course through him as he found himself completely at a loss as to where he was or what was going on. However, he groaned upon suddenly recognizing the perpetually beaming face of All Might bent over him, his wakening mind finally catching up.

"About time, lazy bones! Come on, up up up! This is no time to be lying about! You know I can only spend so much time in this form, and you're wasting it!"

"Ngh. How selfish of me," Harry croaked, inching his way to a seated position as he rubbed his throbbing skull, which rather firmly protested movement of any kind at the moment. "Next time I decide to take a nap by headbutting your fist, I'll try and keep in mind that my unconsciousness will really be an annoyance to you," he dryly snarked, slowly and gracelessly clambering to his feet, where he wavered drunkenly on the warm sand. "Side note: you do know that getting knocked unconscious is super bad for you, right?" he asked the pair of All Might's lazily circling each other in his currently spotty, double vision.

The hulking superhero gave a booming, boisterous laugh in response. "Oh, that's just worrywart nonsense! Every hero worth their salt suffers a good knockout every now and again! Why, I myself must have been knocked unconscious at least once a week in my first year!"

Harry gave the slowly conjoining All Might's an amused stare. "That would actually explain a lot, now that I think about it."

All Might gave him a slightly indignant grin. "Well, if you're recovered enough to show such disrespect to your elders, that must mean you're well enough to continue sparring!" the towering mass of muscle proclaimed, his smile taking on a slightly sadistic twist as he assumed a combative stance, his feet shifting in the sand with a grinding crunch. "And if you're really so worried about being knocked unconscious, maybe think about stopping me every once in a while."

Grimacing in apprehension, the teen reluctantly copied the man, his feet sliding into position. "I'll try and remember that," he answered sardonically.

Tense moments passed as the two opponents stared at each other, the sharp scent of brine drifting by on the cool breeze filling their lungs as each of them studied the other, watching sharply for the faint shift of eyes or the slight tensing of muscle that would betray the other's movements.

The sudden burst of smoke from the smiling superhero made all these efforts fairly pointless, however, accompanied as this was by the powerful, heroic body deflating like a balloon, leaving a scrawny, sickly man in its place.

"Ah, damn it," the man weakly cursed, coughing blood and clutching at his side. "Guess my time's already up."

"You mean my stint as your human punching bag is over for the day?" Harry asked, a smile blooming on his face as he relaxed his pose. "Such a shame."

The scrawny man glared at his smug-looking pupil, an expression made far more severe by his injury-blackened sclera and sharply glowing blue irises.

"You know, I don't think I hear quite enough disappointment in your voice, young man," he remarked, causing the smile to vanish suddenly from the boy's face even as his own grew wicked. "But that's okay. I know that deep down, you think it'd be a good idea for you to make up all the precious training time you wasted just lounging about."

Harry's face was as apprehensive as it was exasperated.

"So how about …," the scrawny All Might drawled, face screwed up in thought, "one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run. That should do for a start, don't you think?"

Harry simply stared at the man.

"You're right. We need a five-kilometer swim to round things off," the man nodded as if to sage advice, his lanky golden bangs swinging freely. "… Well?" he added with an expectant look.

Grumbling wordlessly, Harry nevertheless dropped to the ground without further ado, palms digging into the afternoon-warmed sand as he tiredly, yet diligently, began the allotted push-ups.

All Might smiled proudly at this display from the bruised, sweat-soaked teen, already exhausted from a full day's training, yet still unflinchingly doing what he needed to do in order to fulfill his dream.

"My boy … I want you to know just how proud of you I am," All Might said quietly.

Harry's push-ups briefly stalled before continuing, his routine suddenly less even.

"You've really impressed me these last few months," the emaciated man continued, turning and gazing out across the gleaming expanse of clean, golden coastline. The once ghastly dumping ground towering with garbage was now a spot of serene beauty where one could stand and watch the sun set over the shimmering blue water as it gently lapped over the pure, silken sand. "Training your body by cleaning up this whole beach … that was a massive undertaking, power or no power. But you did it, faster and better than I could have ever hoped for, and without uttering a single word of complaint."

"I don't know about that," Harry spoke up with a curious, thoughtful tone. "Does cursing your name and calling you a scraggly old bastard whenever you weren't around count as a complaint?"

The man rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Oh, would you can it? I'm trying to compliment you, here!"

Harry snickered, but dutifully remained silent as he continued his push-ups.

The man sighed and continued. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that all your hard work has been incredible. But what's truly impressed me over these last few months has been your astounding strength of will, and your utterly unshakable determination to accomplish what you've set your mind to, no matter what it takes."

For several moments, the only sound was the quiet huffs of air as the sweating teen continued his push-ups, face red from more than just exertion.

"It's not in me to give up," the embarrassed teen finally muttered. "Especially not for something as important as this."

The gaunt-faced man gave a wide, beaming grin at that response. "And I am glad to hear it!" he declared, deftly and abruptly stepping onto the teen's back, whose eyes bulged as he was driven flat into the sand at the sudden, unexpected weight. "Because believe me, you're going to need every scrap of willpower and determination you can muster if you want to make your dream a reality!

After several seconds spent huffing and grunting into the sand, the teen slowly resumed his rhythm, albeit a bit more shakily than before.

"Anyone who wants to change this world must first overcome it," the man stated, rhythmically rising and falling from where he was firmly planted on the teen's back. "So if you truly want to change what this world views as normal, and make it so that even everyday citizens are willing to step up and perform acts of heroism as naturally as they would loan their neighbor a cup of sugar, then you're going to have to work harder and rise higher than any other prospective hero out there! Only then will you be able to take my place, and become a Symbol of Peace that can inspire this world!"

All Might grinned fiercely at the heaving, struggling teen still performing his wavering push-ups beneath him. "So with that in mind, how about you cut this warm-up of yours short and get to the actual workout? The future awaits!"

Braced on trembling arms, the red-faced, sweat-soaked teen shot the man an incredulous look over his shoulder. "What do you mean 'warm-up'?! I'm doing the push-ups just like you told me to!"

"Is that so? Because I haven't heard you counting," the man idly commented, still balanced on the boy's shaking back.

The boy's eyes narrowed. "Are you serious?"

"Really? You want to add another five kilometers to the swim? I don't know … That might be a bit much, but I suppose if you really want to …," All Might pondered consideringly, smirking at the teen below him.

"Oh, for the love of … eighty-six! … eighty-seve–!"

"No, no, no!" All Might interrupted the nearly growling teen. "Half-measures don't count. We do things right, or not at all. So start at 'one'."

Harry's eyes looked like they were going to bulge out of his skull. "You're shitting me!"

"That doesn't sound like a Symbol of Peace in the making to me," All Might remarked, lazily studying his fingernails.

The exhausted, infuriated teen muttered darkly as he lowered them both to the sand, the words "scraggly old bastard" and something about "channeling Oliver Wood's demented spirit" just barely audible as he strained and huffed to raise them both.

"… o-one!" He finally groaned before slogging through the whole process again. "… t-t-two!"

"I can't hear you …" All Might sang mockingly.

"… ONE! … T-TWO!"

"That's the spirit!" All Might laughed.

February 26th

Harry's breath fogged in the crisp morning air as he stared up at the pure, monolithic presence that was UA High, the number one hero academy in the country, and arguably the world.

As countless prospective students streamed past him, Harry found himself idly wondering whether his annual trend of one of his teachers trying to kill him would carry over from his Hogwarts days. His record was disturbingly solid, after all.

"Hey! Kid!"

Harry blinked in bemusement as he turned to see the scrawny form of All Might jogging towards him, suddenly putting him in mind of just how he had first met the man all those months ago.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked as the crippled hero placed his hands on his knees and gasped for breath.

"Tried to catch you … before you left …," the man panted, only to start coughing blood as he was wont to do.

No longer alarmed at what by this point had become an extremely familiar sight, Harry simply sighed and pulled out one of the handkerchiefs he now always kept on his person.

"Are you ever going to remember to carry one of these?" Harry tiredly chided the man for about the millionth time as he handed over the handkerchief.

"I will eventually!" the latter responded defensively as he used the handkerchief to wipe away the blood staining his lips and chin. "As for why I'm here … it's exam day! You didn't think I'd miss seeing you off, did you?"

Harry smiled. "I guess not," he replied warmly.

Smiling back, the gaunt man clapped a hand on the teen's shoulder as they both turned to stare at the towering expanse of steel and glass that rested before them.

"UA High," All Might said, his shadowed eyes gleaming with nostalgia. "My alma mater. Some of the greatest heroes in the world have walked these halls." As he turned and looked at the teen beside him, his smile grew wider. "And now, it's your turn."

All Might draped his arm over the boy's shoulders, clutching him tightly in almost fatherly pride as they looked on at the school in front of them.

"You've worked hard, my boy," All Might continued, his hand on the boy's shoulder tightening. "And today, the world's going to start to learn exactly who you are." His eyes welled with emotion. "The greatest hero it's ever seen."

The boy looked up at him at that.

"Not because of your power, or your drive," All Might explained, "but because of your heart." He chuckled softly. "This poor world won't know what hit it."

Harry's face flushed brilliantly like it always did upon hearing praise from the man, even after so many months training alongside him, but his smile still brightened, and his eyes gleamed.

Without a word, the two clasped each other in a hug.

"Thank you, Toshinori," Harry muttered, his grip tightening.

"No, Harry," the man responded, eyes moistening. "Thank you."

After several more moments, the two finally disengaged, both quietly avoiding eye contact as they coughed and shifted about, rubbing at eyes that were clearly suffering the effects of the lesser-known winter allergy attack.

"Alright, enough mushy stuff. Get in there and give 'em hell, kid," All Might finally ordered.

Harry chuckled even as his eyes brightened in determination. "Yes, sir."

Turning, he joined the throng of students streaming towards the doors, preparing to take the practical exam that would determine their acceptance into UA, and set the course of their future.

Most of the students in the crowd showed signs of nervousness, or uncertainty, constantly looking around at their fellow students for comparison, reassuring themselves that they were indeed in the right place and that they had a shot at getting into this school that only accepted one out of three hundred applicants. Others walked with a feigned confidence, holding their heads high and outright refusing to look at anything but the doors in front of them. However, their true feelings were still given away by the stiffness of their limbs, and their almost robotic rhythm of their footsteps.

Not Harry, though.

Even from behind, the boy still stood out from all those around him. Where others were stiff, or jittery, he walked calmly, limbs loose and head held high, not in some show of confidence, but out of the simple knowledge that he was where he belonged. Success or failure didn't enter into it. This was simply his path.

"Walk tall, kid," All Might whispered, smiling proudly at the sight. "Walk tall."

As if on cue, Harry tripped over his own feet and sprawled face-first onto the pavement.

"Uh … maybe that was asking a bit much," All Might muttered in consternation as the assorted students laughed uproariously at the face-planted teen.

Sighing, All Might turned and walked away.

"The future Symbol of Peace, ladies and gentlemen," he chuckled in exasperated amusement.

A few blocks away, a fairly short girl with bob-cut brown hair and rosy cheeks panted as she sprinted down the sidewalks.

"Man, oh man!" she gasped, trying desperately to double her pace. "I can't believe I'm running late!"

Wiping sweat off her forehead, she stared at the gleaming shape of UA High up ahead.

"I hope I haven't missed anything important!"

Face red, the collapsed teen regained his feet as laughter echoed in his ears.

"That … felt oddly preordained … yet incomplete," Harry muttered to himself in confusion, staring at the flat stretch of brick road he'd just tripped over for no apparent reason.

Shrugging off the bizarre feeling, he simply headed inside.

"What's up, UA candidates?! Thanks for tunin' in to me, your school DJ! Come on, and let me hear ya!"

The collective silence was deafening.

"Keepin' it mellow, huh?" Behind the podium, the DJ with long golden hair styled upwards like a cockatiel's plumage seemed slightly crestfallen at the total non-response. "That's fine, I'll skip straight to the main show," he continued, his voice booming from what looked like a neck-brace made out of speakers. "Let's talk about how this practical exam's gonna go down! Are you READYYYYY?!"

Silence once again greeted the energetic man's call-out, and as Harry looked out across the darkened, crowded auditorium from his corner near the back, not a single prospective student seemed at all interested in breaking it.

"Like your application said, today, you rockin' boys and girls will be out there conducting ten-minute mock battles in super-hip urban settings!" the bombing man kept going, visibly sweating behind his high-collared leather jacket. "Gird your loins, my friends! After I drop the mic here, you'll head to your specified battle centers! Sound good?!"

As silence once more reigned, Harry gave a faint snicker. "You know, you've got to admire his tenacity at least," he muttered quietly as he watched the man doggedly try and coax a response out of a bunch of nervous teenagers.

The girl sitting next to him snorted as she overheard him, her perpetually bored look lightening ever so slightly as one of her fingers lazily twirled what almost looked like headphone jacks dangling from her earlobes.

"Okay okay! Let's check out your targets!" their boisterous speaker continued, the massive screens behind him lighting up with the image of a small city and the shadowy outlines of what looked like different types of robots. "There are three types of faux villains in every battle center! You'll earn points based on their level of difficulty, so better choose wisely! Your goal in this trial is to use your quirk to raise your score by shredding these faux villains like a mid-song guitar solo! But check it! Make sure you're keepin' things heroic! Attacking other examinees is a UA no-no, ya' dig?"

All of a sudden, one of the students in the auditorium stood up and raised his hand stiffly. "Excuse me, sir, but I have a question!"

"Hit me!" their speaker cried happily, apparently just thrilled that someone was finally willing to speak.

A spotlight shone on the student at these words, revealing someone tall and wearing an impeccably crisp uniform and rectangular silver glasses. "On the printout, you've listed four types of villains, not three," the student accused, his neatly combed black hair almost seeming to bristle with indignation at the mistake as his hands moved constantly in a bizarre, almost robotic manner. "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!"

Harry blinked as he stared at the unbelievably stiff student. My god, he's like Percy Weasley on crack, he thought in near horror at the very concept.

"Alright, alright!" their speaker responded, not sounding at all put out by the accusation. "Examinee number 7111! Thanks for callin' in with your request!" He flashed the kid a thumb's up and an almost Lockheartian grin. "The fourth villain type is worth zero points!" At the man's cue, the screen behind him updated to show the silhouette of the fourth, rather squat-looking robot. "That guy's just an obstacle we'll be throwin' in your way. There's one in every battle 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 focus on the ones toppin' the charts!"

Robo-student bowed stiffly at the answer. "Thank you very much. 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 Bonaparte once laid down, 'A true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes.' Mm-hmm, now that's a tasty sound byte!" The man lowered his triangular sunglasses and flashed them all a brilliant grin. "You ready to go beyond?! LET'S HEAR A 'PLUS ULTRA!'"

As the unbelievably determined DJ was once again left hanging, Harry groaned to himself in exasperation. Oh, would you just throw this poor guy a bone? He's dying, here!

"Plus ultra," Harry yelled out flatly.

"WOO-HOO! NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT!" the ecstatic DJ screamed in sheer and utter delight, resembling nothing so much as a Labrador that had just been released inside a tennis-ball factory. "Good luck to you, listener! And to all the rest of my over-shy listeners out there as well! Hope you all practiced hitting more than just books!"

The man's smile as he strutted away from the podium was absolutely blinding.

Battle Center C

As Harry stood before the towering gates leading to one of the seven fake cities built for the sole purpose of testing applicants to this school, he had only one thing to say.

"How in the hell are they funding this?!"

Shaking his head in disbelief, he tore his incredulous eyes off the sight of the massive wall surrounding the sprawling city. Instead, Harry began studying his fellow applicants crowded in front of the gates waiting for the test to begin.

Some seemed to be marveling at the sheer scale of the city, faces expressing thoughts similar to his own. Others were actively studying their fellow applicants, seemingly trying to get a sense for their abilities, or how much of a threat they posed to their own chances.

By and large, though, the trend Harry saw again and again was one of immense focus, and an almost ravenous sort of ambition he had previously only ever seen wearing green-and-silver uniforms.

It didn't surprise him to see it here, though. As All Might had explained fervently and in depth over and over again throughout the last several months, UA High was the best of the best. Bar none. Those who wanted to rise to the top, and become the greatest heroes in the world, couldn't afford to settle for anything less than this school. And with so many students competing to fill such a limited number of seats, it was inevitable that only the cream of the crop would manage to make it this far, or have any hope or reaching father still.

But power alone wasn't enough. No natural-born talents or abilities would be able to carry a student this far, not with so many competing against them. They would help, of course, but what truly made these students stand out, and gave them a shot at succeeding, wasn't necessarily that they were the most powerful candidates.

It was that they were the hungriest.

When up against so many rivals, the only way to come out on top was simply to want it more, and to be willing to dedicate everything you have to achieve that goal. All these students around him were those that had worked harder, struggled longer, and pushed themselves further than anyone else all for the chance to get here.

They were the walking, talking poster-children for ambition, and the relentless drive to excel no matter the cost.

And unfortunately, these were not exactly qualities that had often been associated with a certain Harry James Potter.

Ignoring the mortal struggles and sheer chaos that was his life in Hogwarts, the simple fact was that he'd … never exactly been a stand-out student in an academic sense.

It wasn't that he was unintelligent or anything. But when you were raised with a "family" that actively and severely punished you for getting better school marks than your near brain-dead cousin, this didn't exactly foster a studious attitude, nor any drive to compete and excel. In fact, it taught the opposite, training the young boy to see excelling and standing out as dangerous, and to be avoided at all costs.

Fast-forward to his acceptance at Hogwarts, and he suddenly found himself thrust into a world he didn't understand, and where he immediately discovered that he stood out far more than he could have ever feared, with every single person knowing his name and face, and all of them constantly watching him to see what he would do.

As he continued reflecting, he lifted his right hand, and stared at the gleaming white words carved into the back.

In that kind of situation, what else was a kid to do but try and fade into the background as much as he possibly could? Even if that meant taking all his old Dursley-enforced school-habits, and kicking them into overdrive? Combined with being friends with both a chronic underachiever who never liked being overshadowed in anything, and a walking encyclopedia who loved sharing knowledge so much that she didn't even seem to notice or care that she was being used as an academic crutch, and he had honestly become a bit lazy in terms of his actual schooling, and in mastering the powers he had been born with.

It was more important to be "just Harry", unseen and forgettable, than it was to see what he was truly capable of.

As his fist clenched, though, a slow smile spread across his face.

Things were different now.

He wasn't here because he was expected to be. He was here because he chose to be.

This wasn't like that Boy-Who-Lived bullshit where everyone revered him just because he happened to be present when his mother defeated Voldemort. This wasn't like the Triwizard Tournament, where he was forced into the contest against his will, and his only concern was staying alive and keeping out of the scorn-filled limelight. This wasn't even like his admission to Hogwarts in the first place, decided because of a power he happened to have been born with, no different than his eye color, or the shade of his skin.

All around him, students began backing away nervously as emerald sparks began racing up and down his body, but he didn't even notice, and his smile only deepened.

No longer was he the Boy-Who-Lived, victim of fate, never doing anything more than reacting to the circumstances of his life.

Accepting this new power was a choice that he made. Learning to use it was a choice that he made. Coming here, and rising to the top, and fulfilling his dream of changing the world … these were all choices that he made!

His fellow competitors grew even more alarmed as his body began glowing with a translucent white light and smoke began gently billowing off the edges of his body, but he didn't notice this, either.

Nobody here knew the name "Harry Potter."

But they were going to.

Because it may have taken him over fifteen years, but he had finally found his competitive spirit.

And this world was going to see just exactly what he was capable of.

As the crowd of candidates muttered nervously at the waves of power wafting off their rival's body, and at the fierce grin adorning his face, one single, booming word cut through it all like a knife.

"BEGIN!"

The judging area

In a darkened room crowded with monitors showing video footage of nearly every aspect of the upcoming test, a group of individuals sat talking.

"How wonderful! It would appear that we have a rather decent batch of candidates this year," a rather squeaky voice sounded from a small shape neatly seated in front of one of the monitors.

"I'll say," a lower, sultry voice replied. "Such youthful vigor … such raging passion … I can practically smell it from here! Mmm, it's giving me goosebumps!"

"… seek help, Midnight," a man's dry, tired voice sounded.

Seated in front of one of his own monitors, the gaunt figure of All Might simply rolled his eyes and focused on the video of one group of candidates in particular.

It wasn't exactly favoritism or anything like that. After all, it wasn't as if he planned on grading his secret protege any easier than he did anyone else! He was just … going to be keeping a slightly closer eye on the boy than on the other candidates! He was still totally impartial!

As the test got ready to start, however, he couldn't help the broad grin that spread across his face as he watched young Harry begin powering up in that peculiar way he had developed.

"Well now. That's not somethin' ya see every day," a man wearing a cowboy hat remarked in a gravelly, American twang as he watched that same footage.

"Oh. Well, that's quite the flashy start, isn't it?" Midnight cooed, watching emerald sparks roll off the boy's body as it began glowing with a faint, translucent white light. "I do hope he isn't just a shower, though." Her lips lifted in a smirk as she chuckled. "After all, no one likes a tease who can't follow through."

The earlier man groaned. "Again, Midnight. Help: Seek it."

"Oh, go curl up in your sleeping bag, Aizawa," the woman pouted.

"You've been rather quiet so far, All Might," the smallest member of their little troupe spoke up in his soft, squeaky voice. "What are your thoughts?"

"BEGIN!"

Without any warning, Present Mic's booming voice echoed through their speakers as the man started the exam with absolutely no build up or preparation whatsoever, leaving most of the students reeling in confusion.

Not his protege, though.

Like a runner under a starter's pistol, young Harry immediately leapt into action. Blowing past his confused competitors, the teen dashed through the opening gates and into the fake city without a moment's hesitation, arcs of lightning and curls of smoke trailing behind him as he did.

"I think we're about to see some shit," All Might finally replied, his grin of excitement eclipsing any he had made as the Symbol of Peace.

Author's note: Wow, you guys! I was really not expecting this story to be as popular as it's been! I'm glad you all like it so much, and I hope it doesn't disappoint :)

Now, if you're worried about how short this chapter is, don't worry! This was actually part of a much larger chapter, but after that monstrosity starting reaching over 16,000 words … well, it needed to be split up. So the next chapter is already written, and should be posted in the next few days. I just want to do a few more rounds of editing on it before sending it off, and I'd like to give you the chance to share what you think about this segment as well :)

Oh, and I forgot to mention this last time, but this story will also be pulling from and continuing into the manga, which I'm currently up to date on. However, particularly with the manga-based elements, I plan on explaining and presenting things in such a way that those who haven't read it won't be excluded or confused as to what's going on or who these non-show characters are. You may have more of an inside scoop into things if you've read it, but it shouldn't exactly be a necessity to follow this story.

Anyways, I hope you all like the chapter, and I'll see you next time!