Hero to the Bone

by FlickeringIdeas

Though labeled as 'quirkless', Izuku still plans to become a hero despite everything that might come his way. Though as fate would have it, his quirk eventually emerges. Strangely though, his power appears to be similar to a certain pun loving skeleton from Undertale. (Side note: don't worry he won't actually turn into a skeleton. XD) Cover image by KingOfFatCats on DeviantArt.

22. Chapter 22:The Long Night

ANOTHER PART OF THE FOREST

''Take this!'' Pixie Bob roared out as she attempted to swipe Nomu's brain with her claws. Only to growl in frustration when the latter blocked her attack and flung her to the side. She then countered by rolling on the ground to avoid taking too much damage and quickly jumped to her feet as she glared at the creation.

''So much for that idea.'' She thought in frustration as she watched the Nomu discard her headless construct to the side. With the prolonged battle combined with her repeated use of her quirk, the fatigue from it all started showing as her breathing became more labored while sweat dripped from her form. She was then forced to jump out of the way when the Nomu attempted to crush her with his fists. ''Doesn't this thing get tired?'' she thought with a huff as she noticed the Nomu not showing signs of fatigue despite the constant back and forth in their fight.

Pixie Bob crouched down as she eyed her opponent wearily and activated her communicator. ''Ragdoll! Come in Ragdoll!'' she called out with worry only to grit her teeth as she received only static on the other end. ''If you hear this please head to my location!'' she requested with haste evident in her voice, she then deactivated her communicator with a growl when she once again received no response.

''This isn't like her.'' Pixie Bob observed with worry. For as long as they've been working together, Ragdoll has always been the first one to respond to roll calls or when someone is trying to reach out to her. So for her teammate to not answer immediately sent red flags to Pixie Bob's mind as she couldn't help but imagine the worst case scenario.

''Please be ok Ragdoll,'' Pixie Bob wished with hope before looking to the Nomu in frustration. ''I can't call for Mandalay or Tiger since their having their own fight at the moment. Plus, Eraserhead and Vlad are most likely protecting the students.'' She finalized grimly as she realized that she is pretty much on her own.

And from the looks of things…..she wasn't going to win this.

She then quickly shook off her feelings of dread before going into her stance as she wore an expression of determination. ''Come on big guy!'' she taunted as a grin formed on her face. ''I can do this all night!'' she challenged making the beast growl at her. her palms glowed as she prepared to slam them onto the ground-

*BANG*

*RUMBLE*

Only for her to stumble as she felt the area around them shake. ''W-What the hell!?'' she exclaimed in shock before looking to the direction where she heard the loud sound as the vibrations settled little by little. ''Where did that come from?'' she thought in confusion as she remembered there were no other structures in that location. She could only hope that the villains were not planning on causing more chaos than they already have tonight.

And with that thought, her head snapped to the Nomu who was also looking to the direction where the sound came from. Apparently, he was also surprised by the sudden turn of events making Pixie Bob's eyes widen in realization as her ''golden opportunity'' finally made itself known.

Making sure that the opportunity didn't go to waste, she powered up her palms as she quickly slammed them to the ground with a great amount of force. And with a grunt she used her quirk to the best of her capabilities. And before the Nomu could react, he suddenly found himself wrapped up by two large earth boa constrictors making it growl in anger.

Following up her attack, Pixie Bob created a large earth saber tooth tiger from behind the trapped behemoth. Said tiger pounced on the bound Nomu, effectively pinning him to the ground and with a mighty roar it swiped its stone claws on the helpless Nomu's brain causing the latter to roar in pain.

''I'm not done yet!'' Pixie Bob declared in fury before her construct roared and planted its fangs on Nomu's brain before ripping it apart, causing brain matter and blood to spill out of its head. The latter letting out one last growl before ultimately becoming limp as it lost its ability to function.

She waited for a few moments for any form of movement, when nothing happened, she let out a sigh of relief as she powered down and allowed her constructs to crumble away. Once she caught her breath, she stood up and cautiously approached the unresponsive Nomu.

Upon closer inspection she grimaced from the amount of damage she caused but quickly shook it off, after all it was a fight for survival. ''Not so tough, now are you?'' she taunted before delivering a quick kick before mentally thanking above when the Nomu remained unresponsive.

After delivering one more kick for good measure, she looked to the direction of the sound with a thoughtful expression. She considered investigating the cause before quickly deciding against it as she had more important things to focus on. Namely returning back to help her team and to escort any students along the way. So with her objectives in mind, she took a few breathes before making her way back towards Mandalay despite her body feeling pain and fatigue from the long battle.

''I don't know what caused all that but…'' she trailed off as she continued on with a determined expression. ''thanks.'' She thought sincerely knowing that without the intervention. She had no doubt that she wouldn't be around to tell the tale.

---

WITH MANDALAY AND TIGER

''Your nothing but fakes!'' Spinner roared as he swung his blade at Mandalay. The latter reacting by swiftly jumping back before lunging forward with a swipe, forcing the villain to jump back to avoid the hit.

''If were really fakes, then why are we risking our lives to rescue innocent lives.'' Mandalay countered before going into her stance making Spinner growl from the statement before charging at her again.

Meanwhile Magne and Tiger continued their duel as the villain kept dodging or blocking Tiger's relentless attacks. ''Oh? Is this the best you can do hero?'' the villain taunted as he dodged another jab while Tiger growled as he continued his assault.

''Don't underestimate a hero!-

*BANG*

*RUMBLE*

Their battles were interrupted when they found themselves staggering a bit from the sudden vibration. While the villains were distracted, both pros used the opportunity to strike at their opponents. Mandalay delivered a powerful kick on Spinner's chest while Tiger delivered a powerful jab on Magne's face. And before they knew it, both villains found themselves pushed back. While Magne held his nose with a groan, Spinner spoke up. ''That was a cheap shot you fake!''' he complained as he held his chest with a grunt.

''You would have done the same thing.'' Mandalay accused before turning to Tiger who regrouped with her. ''What was that?'' she asked with genuine confusion while Tiger kept his eyes on the villains.

Tiger seemed equally confused but didn't drop his guard for a second. ''No idea,'' he stated honestly while Mandalay returned her hardened gaze on the villains. ''but whatever it was, it must have caused a lot of damage.'' He stated making both heroes grimace at the amount of damage the villains must have caused.

Despite the sore nose, Magne chuckled in amusement getting their attention. ''That must have been Muscular then.'' He guessed with an evil expression while Spinner laughed evilly as he came to the same conclusion.

Meanwhile both heroes felt their bloods freeze upon hearing this. Not only was that villain responsible for the deaths of Kota's parents but is also responsible for countless property damage and the deaths of many heroes and civilians alike who were unfortunate enough to come across him. Needless to say, the very thought of a psychotic criminal like him rampaging through the camp was enough to make the heroes' blanch. Mandalay especially because not only did she send a student out there, but Kota could be in worse danger than ever.

Their thoughts were interrupted when Magne started laughing at their expressions. ''How does it feel?'' she taunted while the pros looked to her curiously. ''Sending a child out to his death.'' she stated with glee while Spinner felt himself angered at the pro for indirectly killing the person Stain saved.

Understanding what the villain was referring to, Mandalay looked down in regret as she realized the full extent of her actions. Because of her lack of awareness, she wasn't able to keep a better eye on Kota. Not only that, in her moment of desperation she turned to a teenager who wasn't even a pro yet and sent him to danger when she was supposed to be protecting them.

Her self-loathing was interrupted when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up she saw Tiger looking at her with an understanding expression. ''Don't listen to them.'' he firmly ordered while Mandalay listened in attention. ''She's just trying to get under your skin so that you'll end up making a mistake.'' He accused making Magne click her tongue in annoyance since her plan had been figured out while Spinner readied his blade.

Realizing he had a point she nodded in affirmative before directing her attention elsewhere as she placed a hand on her commlink while Tiger stayed on guard. ''Ragdoll, come in Ragdoll?'' she called only to get static in return. ''Tiger something is off!'' she called out getting Tiger to look at her in shock. ''She's not responding.'' She stated with worry while they looked to each other in shock.

''Oh my…'' Magne stated in fake concern while Spinner looked amused. Meanwhile the pros found themselves tensing at the statement. ''I wonder why that is…'' she stated with a knowing look as both villains chuckled darkly making both pro's pale at the implications. But before they could ponder about it, they braced themselves as the villains charged at them again.

---

REMEDIAL ROOM

*bang*

*rumble*

Despite how faraway the explosion sounded; they were all startled when they felt the vibrations from it.

''What was that?'' Kirishima asked aloud as the vibrations started settling down. Meanwhile everyone else just wore expressions varying from shock, confusion and worry. Everyone and Vlad especially were more than worried now considering that it could have been a villain that caused that explosion.

And knowing that their classmates and teachers were out there did little to calm them.

''M-Maybe it was Bakugou.'' Sero offered nervously hoping to ease the tension and everyone's worries. To his relief it worked somewhat since everyone knew the firepower of the explosive teen's quirk.

However, Kirishima voiced his disagreement. ''I don't think so,'' he stated reigniting everyone's worries. '' I mean sure Bakubro's explosions can be pretty intense. But I don't think even he can make vibrations that strong.'' He stated confidently while else started wondering what/who could have possibly caused the explosion.

''Well one thing's for sure,'' Sato suddenly spoke up getting their attention. ''I hope it's on our side.'' He stated with a hint of nervousness while everyone else nodded in agreement and hoped that it was their classmates fighting off the villains. Meanwhile nobody noticed Mina wearing an expression of worry upon hearing this.

''Please be alright Izuku.'' Mina hoped as she looked out the window with a worried expression knowing that Izuku is most likely out there giving his all to protect those around him.

Which admittedly is both a comforting and a worrying thought to say the least.

---

KOTA'S HIDEOUT

As Kota looked to the unconscious form of Muscular, Izuku grunted as he went on one knee and surveyed the burning forest below. ''All right, time for a self-diagnosis.'' He thought before looking to his arms with a grimace. ''Arms and hands are pretty banged up but thankfully nothing permanent to the bones. But that still means no punching or psychokinesis if I want to avoid further damage or further energy loss.'' He grimaced at the inconvenient handicap before closing his eyes and taking a few breathes. ''Sensory field is blurry, but I can still faintly detect things if I concentrate hard enough.'' He thought before opening his eyes with a huff.

He charged 15% making his eyes flare up, only for him to immediately regret it as he lurched forward with a pained expression as his eyes flickered. ''Ok, can't go beyond 10% for now, got it.'' He thought in understanding remembering the amount of power he used to finish off Muscular. ''Which means blasters and shortcuts are out of the question since it might cause me to collapse.'' He finalized with an inward groan knowing that his fights tonight became more difficult.

''But on the plus side,'' he thought with some optimism. ''I've still got decent reflexes and I can still summon bones since they don't take as much energy to create.'' He thought before inwardly chuckling. ''And I've still got legs to kick with.'' he finalized as he completed his self-diagnosis with renewed hope as he stood up and looked to the forest below with a determined expression.

Admittedly with his current condition, he is pretty much in the red. But with determination and adrenaline coursing through his veins, he still believed that he can continue the fight until they somehow force the villains to retreat empty handed.

Ah well, nobody said being a hero would be easy.

His musings were cut short when he heard Kota whimper, turning to the sound he saw the child looking at the unconscious villain with a fearful expression. Evidently worried that the villain would somehow stand up again after all the damage inflicted on him. Which is an understandable concern considering the amount of power the psychopath showed tonight.

''Hey.'' Izuku called out calmly startling Kota out of his thoughts before he shakily turned to Izuku with tears in his eyes. ''Don't worry about that waste of protein,'' he joked while Kota fully turned to him. ''I doubt he'll be getting back up tonight after all that.'' He reassured confidently knowing that the damage Muscular sustained was more than enough to keep him down. And even if he woke up tonight, he'll be too sore to move anyway.

His assurance made Kota give him a watery but small smile. The latter then frowned when he directed his gaze to Izuku's injured form. ''But your hurt.'' He stated with an expression of guilt and sadness. Guilt for indirectly causing Izuku to get hurt and sadness because another person he cared for got hurt again to protect him.

Izuku looked to him and internally grimaced for showing his state to Kota. While mentally promising to do better next time, Izuku looked to Kota with a relaxed grin. ''Oh this?'' he stated nonchalantly while holding off a pained sound when he instinctively tried to gesture himself with his hands. ''This is nothing.'' He dismissed with a chuckle before internally wincing when Kota looked unconvinced.

Deciding to change the subject, Izuku looked to the burning forest. ''Right now though, I think there's something else you can do.'' He stated making Kota look to him in confusion. ''With the forest on fire, a lot of us will end up being trapped.'' He stated before looking to Kota with a reassuring smile while Kota still looked even more confused. ''Therefore, we'll need that quirk of yours to save us, like the way you saved me earlier.'' he stated with a thankful smile getting a shocked look from Kota. The latter slowly forming tears in his eyes as he felt the gratitude from his hero's voice. He was now understanding what heroes felt whenever they do something good for people and couldn't help but saver the feeling.

It honestly felt really good.

Izuku was about to say something when Kota looked like he remembered something as he quickly wiped away his tears. ''O-Oh I forgot,'' he said suddenly in slight embarrassment making Izuku look to him curiously. ''here's your jacket.'' He offered as he went to take it off.

''Nah it's alright,'' Izuku suddenly said getting Kota to look at him in shock. ''after everything that's happened…I figured that you'll need it more than me.'' He stated with a kind smile getting Kota to look at him in surprise before snapping out of it and went to wear the jacket again.

Izuku smiled at him before turning his back towards him. ''Now come on, get on my back.'' He ordered gently, while Kota wiped his tears. ''We'll need to get you back to camp first.'' He stated seriously while Kota looked to him in surprise as he wore his hero's green jacket again and instantly felt warmth and comfort spread throughout his body.

''You can still move with those injuries?'' Kota asked in a mix of worry and admiration. Understandably worried about being a hindrance to Izuku due to his current condition.

Izuku merely grinned at him. ''Yep.'' he stated before chuckling. ''And despite how I look, I'm still leg-ally allowed to move.'' He joked while looking to his legs in amusement.

Despite the circumstances Kota felt his lips twitched up before letting out a small laugh, much to Izuku's relief. He then nodded and climbed onto his hero's back as he wrapped his arms around Izuku's neck to secure him in place.

Once he felt that Kota was secure, Izuku's eyes glowed as he charged 5% Full Cowl. ''Alrighty, hang on tight kid!'' he warned while Kota immediately complied.

He then jumped off the ledge and found themselves falling into the forest. But as he descended, he thought back from what the Muscular said. Out of all the people in the camp, why did they want to capture Bakugou of all people. To be honest he was half expecting himself to be the target considering that he was the one that won the Sports Festival.

Not only that, out of everyone in his class. Izuku was the only one that constantly foiled Shigaraki's plans to not only kill All Might and was the one that became a genuine thorn on the hand covered villain's side. But despite the obvious reasons to have a grudge on Izuku, why go for Bakugou?

''I don't like this.'' Izuku thought with a grim expression as he hardened his bones when the ground came closer.

---

Izuku grunted as he continued running through the dense forest with a frightened Kota still on his back. The latter hanging on for dear life while being Izuku's extra pair of eyes since he had a feeling that the green hero might be having tunnel vision at the moment.

''We're almost there!'' Izuku announced as he spotted familiar areas while Kota hummed in acknowledgement. But before he could say something else, he suddenly felt a very familiar presence in his sensory field.

And as if right on cue, Kota spoke up as he spotted something. ''Hey look!'' he stated while Izuku turned his gaze to where he felt the presence. Only to instantly feel relief wash over him as he saw their homeroom teacher Eraserhead running through the forest.

Said pro saw them and approached them. ''Midoriya-'' his statement was cut short when he got closer and had a better look at Izuku's current state. His expression then turned from pure shock into disappointment, but you could still see a hint of concern his features.

Ignoring the pro's expression, Izuku spoke up. ''Aizawa…,'' he stated with relief. ''boy am I glad to see you.'' He stated sincerely as Kota dismounted. The latter not liking the expression on the pro's face as he hid behind Izuku.

''They're after Kacchan.'' Izuku informed seriously getting a shocked look from Aizawa. ''I don't know why, but they're after him.'' he stated grimly before looking to the forest while Aizawa took the time to examine his student's injuries, obviously shocked to see Izuku end up in such a state despite the shortcut ability he possessed.

Izuku then turned to Kota with a reassuring smile. ''I need to go now,'' he stated while Kota looked alarmed. ''don't worry I just need to head to Mandalay and-

''Problem child, wait.''

Understandably startled, Izuku turned to Aizawa with a shocked expression while trying to figure where he got the very fitting nickname considering the amount of trouble that finds him. Meanwhile the latter wore a stern expression that rooted Izuku in place.

''Those injuries…,'' Aizawa trailed off before taking a breath. ''you…did it again, didn't you?'' he stated sternly, barely able to hide the concern in his voice. But Izuku picked up on it and instantly felt guilt stir within him as he looked away from the pro's piercing gaze.

Aizawa didn't seem bothered by this and continued. ''Did you forget about what happened in Hosu?'' he asked in a slightly softer tone noticing Izuku's expression. He honestly hated being so damn soft, but at this point, he couldn't deny the fact that within himself, his students somehow wormed their way into his normally cold heart.

With Izuku, he snapped his gaze at Aizawa with a look of realization of his face. I mean how could he forget? It was the day he learned that using quirks in public are considered illegal without the authorization of a guardian or supervisor.

Realizing his teacher's point, Izuku spoke up. ''I never forgot.'' He stated before looking to Kota with a smile. ''But it was either that or let Kota die.'' He stated sincerely while Kota felt tears form in his eyes again. ''Plus, we couldn't retreat at the time, if we did then…the villain would have killed other students.'' He stated grimly while Kota latched onto Izuku's leg with a whimper remembering the declarations of bloody murder from the villain.

Aizawa could feel a headache coming along as he closed his eyes and sighed. Why did this kid have to be so damn logical and illogical at the same time? Though if he was being honest, he could see himself doing the same thing Izuku did.

With a heavy sigh Aizawa opened his eyes. ''It's fine problem child,'' he stated while mentally berating himself for conceding. Meanwhile Izuku and Kota looked to him in shock. ''but we will be discussing about your reckless behavior later.'' he added sternly, resisting the urge to smirk when Izuku paled and looked sheepish from the implications.

''But for now,'' Aizawa added while Izuku stood in attention. ''I want you to tell Mandalay this…,'' he trailed off as he looked like he was deciding wither this was a good idea or not while Izuku wore an expression of determination as he waited in anticipation.

''Considering that fighting is unavoidable now, tell Mandalay that I give full authorization for all students to use their quirks to defend themselves.'' Aizawa ordered seriously while Izuku looked shocked from the sudden declaration.

Shaking off his shock, Izuku wore an expression of conviction as he nodded. ''I won't let you down sir.'' He stated determinedly making Aizawa look to him in approval while Kota looked at him in awe. Both feeling a sense of admiration for Izuku looking ready to fight on despite his current state.

''I know you won't kid.'' Aizawa thought to himself as he returned the nod, knowing that Izuku would accomplish his mission.

''Wait!'' Kota suddenly spoke up getting both heroes to turn to him. ''I just…wanted to say…,'' he hesitated with a hint of embarrassment before looking away getting Izuku to look at him curiously. He then took a breath before looking to Izuku with a look of gratitude. ''Thank you for saving me.'' He stated sincerely with a big smile.

Izuku felt touched and couldn't help but smile in return. ''No problem kiddo,'' he stated before grinning. ''that's what heroes are for.'' He stated happily while Kota found himself happily returning the grin. Meanwhile Aizawa turned away and hid his face behind his scarf to hide how damn proud he looked, he had an image to uphold after all.

With newfound vigor, Izuku charged 5% Full Cowl before turning and making his way to Mandalay, determined to deliver the message no matter what it took. Leaving an awestruck Kota and an approving Aizawa.

Said pro snapped out of it and looked to Kota. ''Come on kid,'' he called out startling Kota a bit. ''we need to get you out of here.'' He stated seriously getting Kota to shakily nod as he secured Izuku's jacket before climbing onto the pro's back.

As they traveled with haste, Kota suddenly spoke up. ''Mister…'' he hesitantly called out getting Aizawa to hum, indicating that he was listening. ''will…will he be okay?'' he asked with a hint of fear in his voice as he gripped the Aizawa's scarf, effectively getting the pro's full attention while continuing his path to the camp.

Before the pro could respond, Kota continued. ''I…I know he's strong,'' he stated while Aizawa listened patiently. ''but after seeing him get beat up….I'm worried that I'll end up losing my first hero.'' He stated with a hiccup as he closed his eyes while Aizawa felt the full weight of those words.

Aizawa held back a sigh as he tried to calm himself. He hated this part about being a pro, reassuring others when even he wasn't sure of the outcome. And knowing that Izuku is essentially running on pure willpower and adrenaline at the moment, despite his injuries until he eventually crashes after accomplishing his task didn't help either.

Realizing that he hasn't said anything, Aizawa spoke up. ''Don't worry.'' He reassured, whether it was meant for him or for Kota he didn't know. ''Despite getting beat up, he has no intention of dying.'' He firmly assured while Kota looked significantly calmer from the statement as he remembered Izuku going beyond during his battle with Muscular just to save him. Which in turn, effectively calmed him further. While the same could be said for Aizawa as he remembered stories of Izuku mentioning how he could go beyond if he was determined enough, assured the pro.

But even still, there was still that lingering fear within both of them that said otherwise.

''Good luck kid/Izuku.'' Both wished in their thoughts at the same time just in case, but for different reasons. With one wishing for Izuku's body to hold out until the villains are somehow pushed back while the other one simply wished for Izuku to win and return safely as he focused on the comfort the jacket provided.

---

WITH IZUKU

''With Eraserhead taking care of Kota, he'll be safe with the others in no time.'' Izuku thought with confidence as he continued to run through the forest. ''And once I deliver the message, we'll have a fighting chance against the villains.'' He finalized with hope as he weaved through the trees with a grunt.

''Now its only a matter of reaching the pros before-

*SNAP*

Startled by the sudden noise, Izuku skidded to a stop and started frantically looking around for the noise. ''What was that?'' he thought in confusion before crouching down and deactivating Full Cowl to lessen the risk of detection and to give himself time to listen for anymore sounds. With his current condition, he couldn't risk having another villain encounter right now.

Not before everyone else has the authorization to use their quirks to assist him anyway.

When he didn't hear anything, he closed his eyes and concentrated on his sensory field. Almost immediately he was able to pick up two faint mobile objects within his sensory field. ''There you are.'' he thought before opening his eyes and calmed down since the two signals were moving away from him.

He considered moving on but knowing that it could very well be two students, he decided to go against his better judgement and follow the two signals as he activated 5% Full Cowl while making sure not to get too close since it might be a villain as well. ''Hopefully I won't regret this.'' He wished knowing that the night might get worse if he didn't deliver Aizawa's message soon.

As he got closer to the two signals, he became increasingly aware that one was larger than the other. With this in mind he approached with more caution and decided to run to the side and run ahead so that he could get a better look on exactly what he was detecting. Thankfully the two signals weren't moving that fast, allowing him to get ahead of them no problem.

Upon finding a good hiding spot he waited for the two to reveal themselves. However, once they did, he found himself going pale from what he was seeing.

It was a Nomu, only this one is sporting a more medium build compared to the one that Pixie Bob was last seen fighting. Its skin had a darker shade of grey that only made its appearance more intimidating since it had long claws on its hands and noticeably sharp toenails.

However, all these factors didn't cause Izuku to pale. Slumped over the Nomu's shoulder, looking very unresponsive, was the unmistakable form of…

''R-Ragdoll?'' Izuku whispered in disbelief and fear as he stared at the unresponsive pro's form as many thoughts went through his head. How did this happen? Is she dead? Is this why she wasn't able to warn anyone? Just how many Nomus did they send? What are they planning to do to her-

His thoughts were cut short when he noticed that the Nomu was heading his way. At first, he panicked thinking that he muttered without realizing and alerted the Nomu to his presence. But to his immense relief, it didn't look like it since the Nomu remained passive, he theorized that the Nomu was merely following his original path to complete his objective.

Said objective was to apparently take other people as well for unknown reasons.

Deciding not to think about it for now, Izuku began planning on the best course of action to rescue the pro from whatever fate was in store for her. A head on fight was a no go since his current state prevented him from going all out. Blasters are immediately out of the question considering that he could just end up hurting himself more and accidentally hit the already injured pro. Psychokinesis is out for obvious reasons. Which leaves him with bones and 10% Full Cowl.

With all of this in mind, his course of action became clear.

Charging 8% Full Cowl he stomped his right foot, immediately sprouting pointed bones from the ground and piercing the Nomu's legs. The latter growling and looking confused for a moment before raising its free hand in an attempt to free itself. Only to be met with more pointed bones that sprouted from the ground to pierce its arm, effectively holding him in place.

The Nomu growled in frustration but didn't let go of the unconscious pro like what Izuku originally thought it was going to do. It became apparent that its objective was far more important than any logical reasoning.

Izuku then decided to use this to his advantage and charged 9% Full Cowl before running up to a nearby tree. With a grunt he leaped at the tree and planted his feet on it for a second before jumping off of it like how Gran Torino would jump from walls using his quirk. And before he knew it, he instantly found himself positioned above the Nomu. He then immediately corrected himself in the air and charged 10% as he went to deliver a devastating axe kick. ''Let her go!'' he demanded with fury in his head as his hardened eyes glowed with intensity.

Meanwhile the Nomu just had enough time to look up and see Izuku's foot coming down before-

*SMACK*

*CRUNCH*

The Nomu let out one last howl of pain before its face was slammed into the ground with its brain effectively smashed from the surprise attack. But to Izuku's surprise, despite its brain destroyed, the Nomu still had a hold of Ragdoll for a bit before eventually going limp and releasing the defenseless pro. It would seem that even in death, its mission was far more important than its life.

Seeing this Izuku couldn't help but be saddened as he removed his foot from the Nomu's skull with a grunt. Once upon a time these were everyday people just like him, so knowing that they were turned into mindless creatures that had no choice but follow orders was a saddening thing to say the least. What made it worse was that there is currently no known way to change them back or restore their humanities.

Which unfortunately left them with two options. Which was to be locked away so that a cure could be worked on or….to be put down when the situation called for it and spare them from whatever torment they were experiencing.

Shaking away these somber thoughts, Izuku released a breath as he powered down and immediately felt himself stumbling a bit. But thankfully, he was still able to continue moving just as he guessed earlier.

Though panting, Izuku turned his gaze to the unconscious pro and approached her while keeping an eye out for anymore disturbances. Once at his feet he crouched down, silently thanking that she was lying face up so that he could get a better look on her. Besides the bruising, roughed up uniform and some blood coming out of her cuts and mouth. She is still very much alive as evidence to the slow rise and fall of her chest which was all the comfort that Izuku needed.

Which leads him to the next problem.

''How do I get her out of here?'' he asked himself as he looked around to find something to use. Under normal circumstances he could simply carry her no problem. But in his current condition he was sure that he wouldn't be able to even hold her.

''M-Midoriya?''

Understandably startled, Izuku jumped to his feet and faced the voice ready to fight. Only to drop his guard when he saw the it was a tired looking Pixie Bob who was leaning against the tree as she took heavy breathes while her gaze switched between him, her injured teammate and the defeated Nomu with expressions of shock and horror.

After internally grimacing at the fact that he wasn't able to detect her, Izuku calmed down and looked to the pro with a big grin. ''You beat the Nomu.'' he stated with relief and admiration evident in his voice.

Normally Pixie Bob would be elated by this, but seeing her injured teammate and Izuku's battered form. She decided to let this go and focus on more important things. ''What happened to you?'' she asked in worry before approaching and kneeling down to check her teammate's pulse, sighing in relief after finding out that Ragdoll is alive.

Izuku brushed off the question. ''I'm fine,'' he dismissed while Pixie Bob looked to him indecorously. ''I just got beat up from rescuing Kota from-

''Kota?'' she cut him off with a confused expression. ''What was Kota doing out here?'' she stated knowing that Kota wasn't supposed to be anywhere near the forest until the activities were over.

With time being short Izuku decided to give her a short summary. ''Long story short,'' he started. ''Mandalay sent me to find him. But when I found him, a powerful villain was about to kill him so I stepped in. And since calling for help and running away weren't an option at the time, I decided to fight him with everything I've got until I eventually managed to defeat him. As for Kota, well he's with Aizawa at the moment.'' he stated with a huff while Pixie Bob gaped at his story. Though it was summarized, she had a pretty good idea as to how hard he fought considering the condition he is in.

Before she could speak Izuku interjected. ''But enough about that,'' he stated before looking to Ragdoll with a worried expression. ''right now, you need to get Ragdoll out of here and I need to deliver a message to Mandalay from Aizawa.'' He stated seriously before looking to her. She was about to ask what the message was when he spoke up. ''And before you ask, Aizawa said that he gives us full authorization to use our quirks.'' he finished with slight haste in his voice, indicating that he wanted to end this conversation soon.

Pixie Bob looked like she wanted to disagree considering his current state but decided to reluctantly let it go and nod in agreement. ''All right,'' she agreed before using her quirk to create a minotaur to carry Ragdoll. ''I'll bring her back to the camp in the meantime.'' She stated as the minotaur picked up Ragdoll bridal style while Izuku nodded in agreement, happy to know that she let the subject of his fight go.

''Wait.'' She called out getting him to stop and look at her curiously. ''Good luck.'' She wished with an encouraging smile.

Izuku returned the smile and nodded at her. ''Same to you.'' He stated sincerely before turning and charging 5% and started making his towards Mandalay leaving an awestruck Pixie Bob behind. The latter quickly shaking off her shock and making her way back to the camp with her teammate in tow.

As she kept an eye out while escorting her teammate, she decided to digest what Izuku shared with her in the meantime. She knows that there are more important things to think about at the moment, but at the same time she wanted to figure out how intense Izuku's fight was to the point of him looking like the way he did.

As she mulled over this, she remembered Izuku mentioning that retreating wasn't an option, leaving him to fight a fully experienced villain on his own. The fact that a teenager stood up against a villain to protect someone was both admirable and horrifying at the same time. Just imagining the amount of firepower Izuku must have used is-

Her eyes suddenly widened in realization as she remembered the sound and the vibrations from earlier. ''W-Was that him?'' she concluded in shock and disbelief. She was about to dismiss it when she remembered the stories that she heard about the USJ. Comparing this to the explosion she heard earlier, it wasn't difficult to connect Izuku to the sound.

Just imagining the amount of power Izuku must have used is staggering.

But despite the revelation, Pixie Bob couldn't help but chuckle in amusement mixed with admiration. ''Your just full of surprises aren't you kid.'' She praised before looking ahead with a grin. ''Well I better not let you have all the credit.'' She declared good heartedly as she continued her way with newfound determination.

After all, she wouldn't want his efforts to go to waste.

---

MANDALAY AND TIGER

Magne grunted as she found herself knocked back a bit from blocking another jab from Tiger. ''Damn, just let me get my weapon!'' she demanded in frustration as her eyes flickered to her fallen weapon before dodging another attack from the angered pro. The latter growing increasingly frustrated from the villain's ability to predict his strikes somehow.

Meanwhile Mandalay dodged another swing from Spinner. ''Your too persistent!'' she stated with a grunt as she continued to dodge Spinner's massive weapon. The latter growing increasingly irritated from every miss.

''So are you!'' Spinner shot back as he charged ahead with a swing ready.

Mandalay jumped back only to stumble a bit when she lost her footing. ''Oh shit!'' she exclaimed in panic as Spinner saw this and darkly grinned at the opportunity.

''Prepare to be purged you fake!'' Spinner declared with fury as he swung down his blade to Mandalay. The latter falling on her back as she looked on with a panicked expression. Tiger saw this and was about to jump in, only to be stopped when Magne stood in the way and prevented him from saving his teammate.

Realizing that this could be her end, Mandalay closed her eyes with gritted teeth as she awaited the final blow. While her teammate continued to try and fight his way to save her.

*CLANG*

Upon hearing the sound, Mandalay's eyes immediately shot open to see that Spinner's blade was jammed into what looked like a bone barrier, giving her the opportunity to stand up and gain some distance from the villain. While the latter was equally shocked before snapping out of it and immediately attempted to free his weapon, grunting when he noticed how stuck it was. Meanwhile Tiger and Magne paused their fight as they looked to the sudden interruption in surprise as well.

However, upon remembering who uses a bone related quirk, their eyes widened in realization

''Heh, sorry about ruining your fun….''

Snapping to the voice, they were greeted with a sight that instantly made the pros pale while the villains looked intrigued.

Standing there is a panting yet grinning Izuku with his right foot planted forward while 8% Full Cowl flowed throughout his body. ''but I've got a message to deliver.'' He stated with a grin as he stood up before discreetly tapping his left foot.

Before any of them could get a word in, the bone barrier suddenly shot forward dragging Spinner along with it. The latter screaming in surprise as he kept his hands on his still stuck sword. Meanwhile Tiger and Magne snapped out of there shock when they realized that the barrier was heading towards them in great speeds. Both then simultaneously jumped out of the way as the bone barrier passed by them with Spinner tumbling as he lost his grip on the sword.

Mandalay could only look in surprise as she recovered from the sudden shift in battle while Tiger decided to regroup with her as he kept a trained eye on the villains. Meanwhile Magne helped spinner stand up, the latter stumbling a bit from the fall and from being pulled.

''So yeah I have a message for ya.''

Though a bit startled they saw Izuku standing beside him as he looked to the villains. ''Kota's fine, Aizawa is currently bringing him back to camp.'' He informed making both visibly relax upon hearing the status of the child. Plus knowing that he was under Aizawa's protection further assured them. ''I also found Ragdoll,'' he added making the heroes tense while the villain's paled. ''she was being taken away by a Nomu. But thankfully I was able to beat it and save her. And Luckily for us, Pixie Bob found us and is now taking her back to camp.'' He paused giving the pros time to digest the information while the villains looked pale from how Izuku defeated a Nomu and Rescue Ragdoll from whatever they were planning to do to her.

With the pros they were pale for a number of reasons. For one, not only did the villains organize a coordinated strike against the heroes and putting the lives of the students at risk. But now they had to worry about the possibility of more Nomu's out there abducting people as well.

For the villains they had different reactions. Magne felt her blood boil at the idea of a mere child disrupting their operations. They've all heard from Shigaraki how Izuku's presence could complicate things, but now that she was experiencing it first-hand. She can now fully understand why they placed Izuku on the kill list. While Spinner, despite having their plans going awry, couldn't help but look to Izuku in respect. Despite the young age, he is still very much willing to risk his life to save another. It was honestly easy to see why Stain chose to spare Izuku in the first place.

''There's more.'' Izuku said suddenly said making the pros internally grimace thinking that there could be more bad news. While Spinner paid attention whereas Magne bit back a curse, wondering what else did Izuku foil in their plans. ''The villains are after Bakugou,'' he revealed making all four pale but for different reasons. ''I don't know the reason, they….just are.'' He stated grimly while still trying to figure out why they were doing this.

But before they could ask where he got the info, they were silenced when Izuku looked to them with a face of determination. ''Which is why, Aizawa wants you to broadcast the message: That all students are granted permission to use their quirks to defend themselves!'' he delivered seriously before glaring at the villains who looked annoyed from the complication.

Meanwhile Mandalay nodded in affirmative as she prepared to use her quirk for a wider broadcast while Tiger positioned himself beside Izuku, both prepared to defend her in case the villains try to attack. Needless to say, both pros understood that fighting was now more unavoidable than ever.

---

MEANWHILE AT THE REMEDIAL ROOM

''Iida your back!'' Mina called out happily as she and everyone else approached their classmates. With some hugging them while others simply exchanged fist bumps.

Iida smiled at them and nodded in agreement. ''Indeed,'' he said before looking around with a hint of sadness confusing them. ''but sadly, we weren't able to meet up with anybody else along the way.'' He informed with regret while he and his group looked away in sadness, effectively making Mina and everybody else worried, thinking that something bad may have happened to their fellow classmates.

Seeing this, Vlad decided to speak up. ''Chin up kid,'' he stated getting their attention. ''from what I heard from Eraserhead, I'm sure your classmates can take care of themselves.'' He stated confidently, effectively reigniting everyone's hopes as they felt their spirits rise.

Mina was about to ask something but Kirishima beat her to it. ''Have any of you seen Bakubro?'' he asked with slight desperation in his voice, only to frown when Iida and his group shook their heads. While everyone else looked to him in sympathy knowing full well how close he and Bakugou are.

As the silence continued, Iida realized that Mina likely wants to know what happened to Midoriya. He was about to speak up when-

''MAKE ROOM!''

Jumping from the sudden voice, they turned to see Pixie Bob enter the room with an injured Ragdoll on her arms. ''Clear the table!'' she ordered as she pushed her way through the students. While Vlad didn't have to be told twice as he cleared the teacher's table and helped Pixie Bob place Ragdoll on the table.

After making sure her teammate was safe on the table, Pixie Bob turned to the students who were all watching the scene in shock and fear. ''Sero, I need your quirk to cover up her wounds.'' she ordered with slight haste in her voice while said teen snapped out of his shock and wordlessly nodded before stepping forward to provide tape to the pro who graciously accepted it.

''What's the situation out there.'' Vlad asked as he assisted Pixie Bob in helping her teammate.

While wrapping up Ragdoll's head wound, Pixie Bob responded without looking up. ''Bad,'' she stated grimly making the room colder. ''the villains made a coordinated strike with a bunch of Nomus with them. I separated from Mandalay and Tiger to defeat one.'' She stated distractedly as she refocused her efforts in her current task while the students paled at the thought of several Nomu's running rampant at the camp.

''But I have a feeling…'' Pixie Bob added snapping everyone out of their thoughts. ''the tides of the fight will change after a few moments.'' She stated vaguely while finishing up her work on Ragdoll getting confused looks from everyone else.

Mina not being one to beat around the bush, decided to voice everyone's confusion. ''What are you-

''Everyone in Class A and Class B! In the name of the pro hero, Eraser Head, you are hereby granted permission to engage in combat!''

Though startled, they digested Mandalay's message with shocked expressions while Pixie Bob had a relived smile on her face as she let her teammate rest. More than happy to know that Izuku was able to complete his task.

''I repeat! Everyone in Class A and B! You are granted permission to engage in combat!''

''Midoriya did it!'' Pixie Bob exclaimed with joy and relief while everyone turned to her in surprise.

Unsurprisingly Mina was the first to speak up as she approached the pro. ''You've seen Izu?'' she asked with worry evident in her voice. It became apparent to everyone that she was keeping up a strong front earlier in order to not add to the panic which they couldn't help but respect.

Pixie Bob immediately nodded at that, effectively getting everyone's attention. ''Yeah I did,'' she confirmed before continuing. ''after I defeated the Nomu, I was making my way through the forest to meet up with Tiger and Mandalay until I just happened to run into Midoriya.'' She stated before tuning to her unconscious teammate with a grateful expression. ''turns out he also defeated another Nomu that was supposedly about to take Ragdoll to the villains.'' She stated with a smile while everyone else was rendered speechless from her story.

As they digested the info, Pixie Bob continued. ''When I asked him where he was going, he told me that Aizawa told him to pass a message to Mandalay.'' She stated while everyone else slowly started understanding the situation.

''Which was to give us all permission to use our quirks!'' Iida concluded with a look of realization getting an affirmative nod from the pro. ''Excellent work Midoriya!'' he cheered proudly.

''Alright Midoribro!'' Kirishima cheered as he hardened his arms. ''with everyone able to use their quirks, we'll have a better chance of winning!'' he stated confidently while the rest of his classmates shared his sentiment as they began voicing their agreement.

Mina smiled at Izuku's accomplishment before a sudden question came to mind. ''Pixie Bob?'' she called out getting the pro's attention. ''what was Izu doing out there.'' She asked while her classmates realized her point and looked to the pro with expectant looks.

Before she could respond, Iida spoke up. ''He went into the forest to find Kota,'' he supplied making everyone look to him in shock. ''of course, the pros were against the idea, but since he was the only one that knew where Kota was, they decided to send him to get Kota.'' He explained the best he could while everyone else couldn't help but be surprised with how close the angry child and Izuku became in such a short amount of time.

''And before you ask,'' Pixie Bob interjected getting everyone to turn to her. ''Kota's fine, he was handed over to Aizawa after Izuku rescued him.'' she supplied making the students relax, glad to know that the child was in good hands.

However, Mina noticed a certain word that caught her attention. ''Wait, what do you mean….rescue?'' she asked with confusion while something within her felt dread from the implications. While everyone else realized her point and looked to the pro in worry.

Upon remembering Mina's relationship with Izuku, she hesitated for moment which made everyone's worries grow. ''I don't know the full story.'' she started calmly and honestly getting their attention. ''But according to Midoriya, there was a powerful villain that was about to kill Kota.'' She stated grimly making everyone appalled from the villain's lack of restraint. ''And from what he told me; he wasn't able to retreat with Kota since the villain would just go around killing students instead. So…he decided to face the villain and stop him from going on a rampage.'' She finished before eyeing everyone's expressions.

As expected, everyone's expressions ranged from shock and disbelief. It was just like USJ all over again for everyone. But to be honest they weren't that surprised since they all expected Izuku to act this way considering that they all saw him as the more heroic one among any of them. And if their positions were reversed, they knew for a fact they would have done the same thing.

Which lead to the more immediate question.

''Is he all right?'' Mina asked with worry, hoping that Izuku didn't end up getting hurt.

But to her dismay, Pixie Bob hesitated again before speaking up. ''I'm not going to lie to you,'' she stated unsurely while everyone felt tense from the statement. ''he looked pretty banged up when I saw him. And believe me, I was going to take him back to camp,'' she added with reassurance at the end to help ease the worries on everyone's expressions. ''But before I could do that, Aizawa had already taken Kota and gave Izuku the mission to pass the message to Mandalay.'' She finished as she grimaced remembering the conflict she had when deciding to take Izuku back to the camp or allow him to finish his mission.

However, Iida noticed something as his eyes widened in realization. ''Wait…,'' he stated slowly while everyone turned to her. ''that explosion from earlier….'' he continued while everyone else's eyes slowly widened upon realizing what point he was getting at. ''that was Midoriya wasn't it?'' he rhetorically asked as he and everyone else came to the same conclusion as they looked to the pro who wasn't even surprised from the revelation since she figured it out earlier.

Pixie Bob nodded in confirmation. ''Yeah it was him.'' she stated firmly.

Meanwhile everyone else looked on in shock as they connected the dots of the story. Now having the full picture of the story, they admittedly didn't feel that surprised considering that everyone here has seen the power Izuku showcased during the Sports festival and at the villain attack in USJ.

Being the first one to snap out of her shock, Mina spoke up. ''He'll be fine.'' She declared seriously while everyone else looked to her. ''He WON'T go down easy.'' She firmly assured with a calm look.

And just like that, everyone smiled at Mina from hearing her complete faith in Izuku. Which effectively brought out their faith in him as well while they felt their spirits rise with newfound determination while some berated themselves for letting their emotions cloud their minds again.

However, before anyone could say anything else, they were interrupted when they heard more from Mandalay.

''There's more!''

''We have discovered that Katsuki Bakugou is the villains' target''

Upon hearing this information, everyone stilled. It was bad enough to have a villain attack here of places, but knowing that they were here to capture one of them is downright frightening. And considering the lengths the villains were willing to go through to accomplish their goal did little to ease their minds. They knew that being heroes meant that they would end up in situations like these, but they still couldn't help but have fear considering that they were all experiencing it too early.

Upon having a full grasp of the situation, Kirishima wore an angered expression as he hardened his arms, surprising everyone in the process. ''We need to get out there!'' he declared before making his towards the door despite his classmates' protests.

He was then forced to stop when Vlad stepped in front of the doorway. ''Stand down!'' he ordered with authority making the students gulp while Kirishima suddenly found himself rooted in place. He then jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, looking over his shoulder he saw Pixie Bob looking at him with a stern yet understanding expression.

''Get back to your seat.'' Vlad ordered seriously getting everyone to look at him and it was then they noticed how frustrated he looked.

Finding his voice again, Kirishima jerked his shoulder away from pixie Bob's grip, the latter and everyone else surprised by his action. ''I can't,'' he shot back while the blood pro waited patiently for his reasoning. ''you heard Mandalay, they're after Bakugou!'' he stated as he gestured to the window while he kept his hardened gaze on the pro. ''We can't just….let them have him!'' he reasoned while Vlad kept his expression neutral. Meanwhile Pixie Bob and everyone else looked to him with sympathy.

Vlad sighed and softened his gaze. ''I see where your coming from kid, I really do.'' He stated with a knowing look while Kirishima looked at him with a hopeful expression. ''but since we now know that the villains are taking students, we can't risk any further complications by separating.'' He stated seriously making Kirishima clench his hands in frustration while everyone else silently agreed with Vlad's logic. ''So, the best we can do is let Aizawa, Tiger and Mandalay gather and protect the students outside so that we can regroup.'' He reasoned calmly, hoping to diffuse the situation before it could escalate.

Kirishima looked ready to speak up when he felt a hand on his shoulder making him glare at the person. Only to immediately falter when he saw that its Mina who is wearing a conflicted expression, looking to everyone else he saw that they were also wearing the same expressions. It became apparent to him that they also wanted to go out and help but couldn't at the moment.

Their interactions were interrupted when Mandalay broadcasted one more message.

''So, wherever you are Bakugou, you should try to avoid fighting alone and regroup with everyone else!''

With that final message, Kirishima sighed as he realized that not only did the pros have a point, but also that he was the only one being reckless at the moment. With this he nodded at Mina who, along with everyone else, sighed in relief. And was kindly escorted back to his seat where he sat with a worried expression.

Meanwhile the pros internally sighed in relief, glad to know that the teen could still see reason despite the clear need to get out there and help his friend. Both pros then directed their focus on Ragdoll and went to her to try and find a way to make her more comfortable and to see if there are any more injuries that they may have overlooked.

Seeing her friend's distress, Mina was quick to speak up. ''Hey,'' she called out only to get silence in return. ''it's alright, he won't be alone.'' She stated only to frown when Kirishima didn't respond, but she didn't let that stop her as she continued. ''Everyone else is with them so he'll be sure to have some help...'' she trailed off before sighing with a small smile. ''and if I know Izu…he'll be right with him too.'' She reassured with a knowing look while trying to suppress her own worries at the moment in favor of comforting her friend. Meanwhile everyone else voiced their agreements as they tried to reassure the hardening user.

Unfortunately, Kirishima barely heard any of this as a single thought ran through his mind as he looked down with a scared expression.

''Bakugou…''

---

WITH IZUKU, MANDALAY AND TIGER

Once satisfied with her work, Mandalay released a breath as she looked to Izuku who tapped his foot to block a knife that was thrown towards Mandalay. While Tiger continued to keep Magne away from her weapon as they engaged in a fist fight. ''It's done!'' she called out as she went into her stance.

After hearing this Izuku turned to her with a grateful expression. ''Thanks Mandalay,'' he stated gratefully before looking to the forest with a serious expression. ''now I just need to find-

''Hold it!'' Mandalay interrupted sternly making Izuku look to her in shock. ''You need to get back to camp immediately! Those aren't normal injuries!'' she ordered as she looked to his state with grimace while trying to push down her guilt for allowing this to happen.

Izuku was silent before shaking his head much to her chagrin. ''No….I'm sorry.'' He declined apologetically before looking to the forest and continued before she could interrupt. ''but right now…my friend is in danger and might be in need of backup as we speak.'' He stated seriously making Mandalay's stance falter a bit from his unwavering spirit, not noticing Spinner observing their conversation with interest.

''That's why…'' he continued while the pro listened. ''while I still can…'' he trailed off before charging 5% Full Cowl. ''I WILL save him and anyone else I can.'' he stated determinedly as he turned his glowing eyes to Mandalay. The latter and Spinner completely taken back by his statement and determination.

Mandalay looked conflicted as she heard his statement. She wanted nothing more than to bring Izuku back to the camp to treat his injuries. But on the other hand, Izuku didn't look like he would take no for an answer at the moment. Meanwhile Tiger couldn't help himself and grinned at the teen's spirit and declaration. Said spirit raised his as he doubled his efforts in fighting Magne, the latter trying to reassess the situation as she continued dodging and blocking with a growl. While Spinner looked at Izuku in awe and felt his respect for him grow, despite the obvious injuries, the teen is still willing to continue the fight if it meant saving a life.

An essence of a true hero.

Mandalay then looked to him with a stern expression as she decided what to do. While Izuku didn't back down and returned the gaze to show how completely serious he was, in the meantime Spinner continued looking on to see what the ''fake hero'' would decide.

After a moment she sighed before reluctantly nodding in approval. ''Guess it can't be helped….alright.'' she stated getting a big smile from Izuku while Spinner couldn't help himself and smirk at the true hero's persuasion. ''But,'' she quickly added before rummaging through one of the pockets on her utility belt making Izuku look to her curiously. ''promise me you'll find someone to use this on you.'' She ordered sternly before bringing out what appeared to be medical wrappings. She may not be able to convince him to come back to camp, but she could at least get him to treat those wounds.

Understanding her intentions, Izuku nodded in affirmative. ''I will.'' He stated seriously getting an approving nod from Mandalay in return as she placed the medical wrappings in his pocket. ''Thanks.'' He thanked with a grateful expression.

''No problem kid,'' The pro responded hoping that she wasn't making a mistake. ''good luck.'' She wished with a smile, sincerely hoping that Izuku will succeed and return back to camp with Bakugou in once piece.

Izuku nodded before bolting towards the forest, completely passing by Spinner who merely stood there and watched him go with an expression of respect getting Mandalay to look at him curiously. While Izuku mentally thanked the villain for letting him pass.

Magne growled as she blocked another jab. ''Damn it all to hell.'' she thought with frustration before she swung at the pro who leaned back to avoid the attack. ''Things are falling apart.'' She concluded before dodging another barrage of fists. ''We could have succeeded by now if it weren't for….'' She trailed off before her eyes widened in realization. She then glanced at Izuku who was running towards the forest with look of determination.

''Wait a minute,'' Magne thought as the pieces slowly came together. ''that rumble earlier….those injuries….'' She thought as a chilling conclusion came to mind. ''don't tell me…the blood thirsty Muscular was beaten by a mere child!?'' she concluded with a shocked expression. Evidently surprised that an experienced and powerful villain was beaten by a young teen. Not only that, said teen somehow gathered information about their plans.

Rage ignited within Magne as she concluded that the sole cause of their problem's tonight was because of Izuku. Shigaraki was right…this brat is problematic.

And with that enraging thought, Mandalay dodged another swing and dashed towards Izuku while Tiger stumbled a bit from Magne's sudden target change. ''This child must die!'' she thought in fury as she charged towards the teen while Izuku noticed her and stopped to glare at the villain as he prepared for combat, completely ignoring the voices of the pros for him to keep running.

''Don't, Big Sis Mag!''

Before they could look to the voice, everyone was surprised when Magne was forced to stop when she and Izuku saw a knife fly past between them. Turning to the voice they were surprised to see that Spinner had his hand stretched out, indicating that he was the one who threw the knife.

Snapping out of her shock, Magne glared at her teammate. ''What do you think you're doing!?'' she called out before turning her hateful gaze on Izuku, the latter meeting the gaze with a defiant one. ''He's on the priority kill list!'' she declared with anger while the pros were alarmed by this piece of information.

Spinner brushed off his teammate's displeasure and spoke up. ''That's just Shigaraki's personal desire!'' he shot back seriously taking everyone back. ''That child is someone Stain wished to save!'' he stated before standing tall. ''In other words, a person worthy of being called a hero!'' he praised before looking to Izuku with an expression of admiration. Completely understanding now the potential that Stain saw in the teen.

Meanwhile everyone else had mixed reactions to his declaration. For Izuku, he didn't how to feel from being called a hero by a follower of Stain while also thinking that Spinner could be redeemed. The pros on the other hand were concerned with just how many people are heavily influenced by Stain. While Magne looked downright angry from the reptilian villain's reasoning.

Shaking off his shock, Izuku gave Spinner a nervous grin. ''Uh….thanks Spinner.'' He thanked with sincerity getting a curt nod from Spinner in response.

Izuku then charged 8% Full Cowl and quickly delivered a powerful kick towards Magne. The latter not having enough time to react as she suddenly found herself grunting in pain before being pushed back. Once the villain was far enough, he bolted towards the forest and continued his original mission.

''Damn!'' Magne exclaimed as she held her abdomen with a grunt while staying on one knee. ''he got awa-

*SMACK*

Her statement was interrupted when Tiger used the distraction to strike a blow on the villain's head while Spinner was about to retaliate until Mandalay followed Tiger's lead and delivered a swift kick to the side of the villain's head. Which in turn resulted in both villains being knocked out as they fell to the ground.

Upon seeing that the villain was out for the count, Mandalay sighed as she relaxed her stance. ''Sorry, but I needed to knock you out before you cause more damage.'' She stated with a huff before looking to the forest. ''Do you think I did the right thing?'' she asked aloud with uncertainty in her voice while Tiger made sure Magne was knocked out before looking to the forest where Izuku went in.

Tiger was silent for a bit before looking to Mandalay with a shrug. ''Probably not,'' he stated while Mandalay internally grimaced. ''but I doubt he would have taken no for an answer.'' He stated with a grin while Mandalay sighed in resignation knowing that he was right.

''Aizawa was right though,'' Tiger added getting a curious look from Mandalay. ''kid's pretty damned determined when it comes down to it.'' He stated before chuckling in amusement. He could honestly see himself acting similar to Izuku during his younger years.

Despite herself, Mandalay couldn't help but share his amusement. ''Yeah, he is.'' She stated with respect before looking to Tiger with a serious expression. ''let's secure these two and gather the other students in the forest.'' She ordered seriously getting an immediate nod of agreement from Tiger. The latter dragging Magne's unconscious form beside Spinner.

''What about Pixie Bob?'' Tiger asked while making sure Magne's weapon was piled up with Spinner's weapons.

Mandalay was silent for a bit before shaking her head in negative. ''No, you heard Midoriya, she's probably treating Ragdoll back at the camp as we speak.'' She reminded while Tiger growled thinking about the injuries Ragdoll must have. ''so, with this we'll have to do this on our own or at least until Aizawa joins us after calling for reinforcements.'' She stated while Tiger nodded and continued his current task.

As Tiger pulled out binders from his utility belt to restrain the villains, Mandalay looked to the forest with a serious expression. ''Good luck kid.'' She thought before joining Tiger to secure the villains. Both knew the night was far from over, but until then, they could only gather the students and hope that Izuku succeeds.

---

FOREST

As Izuku continued running through the forest, his brain went into overdrive as he tried to narrow down where Bakugou and Todoroki could be found. And considering that the forest was vast and dense, he then decided that the best way to find his friend was to follow the original path of the test of bravery.

*Bang*

Though startled by the unmistakable sound of a gunshot, Izuku didn't stop running but couldn't help but look to the direction where he heard the sound. ''They brought guns!?'' he thought in shock hoping that there wasn't anyone who got shot or killed by that.

He wanted to go there and help whoever was fighting, but sadly his priority was focused elsewhere. So, with heavy reluctance he continued his original route and hoped that the fellow students would come out victorious from the fight. ''Sorry, but I need to find Kacchan and Todoroki.'' He apologized in his head as he continued weaving through trees with a grunt.

Ignoring his aching body, Izuku continued on as he looked around the forest. ''Lets see…Kacchan and Todoroki were the second ones who started the test of courage.'' He thought as his expression became more determined. ''Which means they shouldn't have gone far.'' He concluded before increasing his speed.

However, as he concluded this, his instincts suddenly sprang to life when he detected something entering his sensory field in great speeds. And with a quick burst of speed, he jumped to the side with a grunt, narrowly avoiding what looked to be…

''Dark Shadow's hand?'' Izuku muttered in surprise as he watched the hand retract back into the darkness. ''But that would mean Tokoyami…'' he trailed off as he tried to remember details about Tokoyami's quirk.

''Midoriya!''

Grimacing that he wasn't able to detect the new presence, he turned to the voice, only to be surprised when he saw it was Shoji who was looking at Izuku with wide eyes while he was leaning against a tree while breathing heavily. But what caught Izuku's attention was the blood leaking out from one of his injured arms.

''Shoji!'' Izuku called out in surprise before fully turning to him. ''what happened to you?'' he asked in concern as he looked to his classmate's bleeding arm.

Shoji looked taken back by the question before quickly recovering. ''I should be asking you the same thing.'' He shot back calmly before crouching down. ''Where did you get those injuries?'' he asked while eyeing up Izuku's injuries with an expression that was difficult to decipher due to Shoji's mask.

Izuku then crouched down and powered down to let his body recover a bit. ''Not important.'' He dismissed while his classmate looked to him with a questioning gaze making him sigh. ''Someone needed to be saved. And now I want to help Kacchan and everyone else.'' He declared with an expression that left no room for argument.

Shoji stared at him for a bit before closing his eyes with a sigh as he slumped against the tree. ''What are we going to do with you?'' he asked with his tone laced with more concern than exasperation. While internally impressed with how Izuku could only think about saving his friends despite his injuries.

Despite himself Izuku couldn't help but chuckle. ''Probably help me save Kacchan?'' he shrugged with a chuckle while Shoji shook his head in…amusement? Again, that mask made it difficult to see his expression. Izuku's expression then became serious as he peaked from behind the tree. ''That was Tokoyami's quirk just now.'' He clarified while trying to reactivate his sensory field, it would seem that it too was degrading due to his current state.

''Yeah.'' Shoji confirmed getting Izuku to look at him as he slumped against the tree. ''We were ambushed by villains, and I covered for us.'' He stated as he gestured to his bleeding arm while Izuku kept reminding himself that it was fine since Shoji's quirk could help with it. ''But after I got injured, Tokoyami's quirk that he was desperately holding back triggered.'' He stated regretfully while Izuku paled as he remembered details about Tokoyami's quirk.

Specifically, about how it reacted in the dark.

''RAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!''

Jumping from the monstrous war, both students peaked from their cover and paled from the unmistakable sight of Tokoyami's quirk. Unlike its normally small size and tamer attitude, the Dark Shadow before them is much, much larger. And from the looks of it, more ferocious than ever as he restrained Tokoyami within its form. The latter continuing his struggle to gain back control of his quirk.

As Dark Shadow continued wreaking havoc as it destroyed the surrounding trees, Tokoyami noticed them and looked to them with a frustrated expression. ''Get away…..from me….'' He ordered with a pained expression. ''Y-You'll die if you stay!'' he warned with desperation laced in his voice.

''T-Tokoyami!'' Izuku couldn't help but call out in worry as he looked to his friend who was clearly showing signs of pain and regret. Luckily it would seem that Dark Shadow is simply too enraged to have noticed his outburst.

Shoji shared his sentiment as he looked to Tokoyami in pity as he spoke up. ''If we want to get through here, we'll have to do something about this first.'' he stated making Izuku go silent as he tried to come up with a solution.

As Dark Shadow continued his rampage Shoji continued. ''His emotions went out of control and just made his quirk more uncontrollable.'' He stated snapping Izuku out of his thoughts.

''Which in turn makes it attack indiscriminately.'' Izuku concluded with a grimace before he gave off a shaky grin. ''Geez…what a tree-dicament.'' He stated with an uneven chuckle before he and Shoji were forced to take cover somewhere else when Dark Shadow destroyed there hiding spots.

Seeing this, Tokoyami looked guilty. ''Forget….about me….!'' He pleaded with a grunt. ''Find the others….and help them!'' he ordered as he continued to try and regain control of his quirk with a pained sound.

After dodging more attacks from Dark Shadow. Izuku and Shoji found themselves huddled together as they found a similar hiding spot. ''Dark Shadow's weakness is light. If we can get it to any light source, it should calm down.'' The masked teen theorized in a whisper as he looked to Izuku who nodded in agreement.

Looking at his arms Izuku grimaced. ''If I wasn't injured, I could use my cannons to help,'' he stated before looking to Shoji who was observing his injuries. ''but with the state that I'm in…I doubt I could remain standing if I do that.'' He informed sadly getting Shoji to nod in understanding

Shoji was silent for a bit before looking at Dark Shadow. ''Midoriya, you probably forced yourself to move because you're worried about Bakugou right?'' he asked but already knowing the answer.

''Yeah.'' Izuku replied immediately though wondering where Shoji was going with this.

Shoji nodded in response ''Alright, I'll draw Dark Shadow away and open up a path for you.'' He declared while Izuku looked to him in shock. But before he could protest Shoji continued. ''I know it's risky, but the act of saving people comes with risks. That's why we're called heroes.'' He stated with conviction.

He then turned to Izuku and looked at him directly in the eyes. ''And I know for a fact that, if our situations were reversed, you would do the same thing. After all, that's just who you are.'' He stated with a knowing look and a hint of admiration in his tone before looking back to Dark Shadow who continued his rampage. ''We have a few moments, make your choice Midoriya.'' He stated with a bit of haste.

Meanwhile Izuku looked down in thought as he digested his classmate's words. He 's right of course, if their positions were reversed, he would indeed do the same thing. Because no matter what, he didn't want to become someone who would leave a suffering friend behind.

''Even if Shoji can get Dark Shadow's attention,'' Izuku thoughts before looking to the direction of the camp. ''camp is too far away from here; he wouldn't be able to hold out until then.'' He thought before he peaked out and looked to the enraged Dark Shadow with grimace. ''And I need to get a move on and help Kacchan.'' He thought with frustration before taking cover once again. What should he do? He couldn't find it in his heart to abandon a friend. But at the same time-

And with that train of thought his eyes widened as an idea started to form in his head. ''Wait a minute…'' he trailed off as he looked down with a thoughtful expression. ''At the same time…'' he repeated in his head as he slowly formulated a plan. Upon coming to one conclusion, Izuku looked to Shoji with a grin.

''Shoji.'' He called out getting the teen's attention. Upon seeing Izuku's expression he became confused. ''I have a plan, but I need you to trust me.'' He stated with complete seriousness.

Shoji looked to him in surprise for a bit before nodding in affirmative. ''I always do Midoriya.'' He stated sincerely.

Izuku smiled at him before forming a more serious expression. ''We're going to help Tokoyami.'' he stated getting shocked expression from Shoji, not expecting Izuku to help Tokoyami first instead of his close friend. ''But in order to do that, we'll need to lure him towards Kacchan and Todoroki. That way they'll use their quirks to calm Dark Shadow down and make sure Kacchan is safe.'' He declared with confidence while Shoji looked a bit reluctant from such a risky plan.

Shoji looked at Dark Shadow for a bit before looking to Izuku with a nod. ''Let's do it,'' he stated while Izuku beamed from the response. ''but how do we lure him in?'' he asked with genuine curiosity.

Hearing the question, Izuku wore a mischievous grin that made Shoji uneasy. ''I have a few ideas…'' he started with a chuckle while a small part of Shoji started to regret his decision.

---

''Calm down…Dark Shadow!'' Tokoyami pleaded with a grunt, only for Dark Shadow to continue on as if he didn't hear him. ''I'm sorry everyone!'' he thought with regret, hoping that Izuku and Shoji left him to prevent anyone else from being caught in the carnage.

''HEY BIRD BRAIN!''

Freezing from the voice, both Dark Shadow and Tokoyami turned to the voice. The latter paling when he saw a battered Izuku standing there with a defiant grin. While behind him stood Shoji, who looked to the scene with wide eyes.

''Mi-Midoriya?'' Tokoyami thought with an expression of disbelief, before it was quickly replaced with horror upon realizing the danger his classmates were in. Meanwhile Dark Shadow looked down at the defiant teen with a murderous expression.

But before Tokoyami could speak up, Izuku's eyes glowed as charged 8% Full Cowl. ''Come and get me!'' he taunted before his eyes flashed. Not a moment later a bone projectile sped its way past him and went straight to Dark Shadow. The latter merely standing there as the projectile harmlessly passed between his eyes making Izuku internally surprised but didn't show it. Meanwhile Tokoyami and Shoji held a breath, wondering how the quirk would react.

There answer came in a form of a monstrous roar from the quirk as it charged towards Izuku with newfound rage. While the latter grinned as he and Shoji made a break for it. The latter really starting to regret this as he kept on running while keeping an eye out for Bakugou and Todoroki. Whereas Izuku beamed from his plan working while keeping his sensory field steady.

''Is that all you got?'' Izuku taunted before jumping to the side to avoid a claw. ''Mist me.'' He taunted before grunting as he jumped to the side again to dodge another claw. ''Nope.'' He taunted again making Dark Shadow roar as he went for another swing, while Izuku reacted by sliding to avoid it before going into full sprint again. ''Nuh uh'' he chuckled while Dark Shadow roared and extended both arms and attempted to trap him with both hands. Izuku didn't look fazed and simply jumped over it before quickly going into a sprint again. ''No dice bud!'' he called back with a huff as his legs burned from the amount of effort he was putting into dodging the strikes. But despite this, he stayed determined.

As this was happening, Tokoyami couldn't help but look to Izuku in awe. Despite the obvious damage his body sustained, he still continued to fight on. He quickly shook off his admiration and wore a more worried expression when he noticed how sluggish Izuku's movements were becoming with each dodge, it was subtle but there's definitely signs of him slowing down.

Not being able to watch anymore, Tokoyami spoke up while Dark Shadow slowly became angrier. ''Midoriya please stop this!'' he pleaded as he struggled to control his enraged quirk. ''Your body can't take much more!'' he stated as he saw Izuku stumble a bit after landing from a dodge.

After jumping against a tree with a grunt to avoid another swipe, Izuku spoke up. ''Sorry bud!'' he called out making Tokoyami pale from the response. ''but I'm sure that you know by now that I will ALWAYS protect my friends!'' he declared as he glanced back at Tokoyami with a reassuring grin before swiftly dodging another strike as Dark Shadow continued to roar.

Meanwhile Tokoyami could only look on his shock as he digested Izuku's words. He knew, of course he knew about how Izuku valued his friends and the lives of others. After all, he was on the receiving end of Izuku's friendship and loyalty when he fought for all of them at the USJ. Even now he finds himself being on the receiving end and witness to Izuku's unwavering determination and kindness.

So, with this in mind he stayed silent and refocused his efforts in calming Dark Shadow and himself down. He just hoped that whatever Izuku had planned, it would come in effect soon.

And as fate would have it, Shoji spoke up. ''I see them!'' he called out making Izuku and Tokoyami look ahead. ''They're in a fight with the villain me and Tokoyami encountered earlier!'' He informed making Izuku and Tokoyami tense.

As the villain came into view the best way to describe the villain would be….disturbing. Most of his body could not be seen as he wore a black straitjacket that only leaves his mouth exposed. The suit itself is held together by black restraints decorated with red spikes. Disturbingly enough, there are more restraints that connect to metal clamps that cover his head and looked to keep his lips open. Other straps go across his torso, waist and the top of his boots. [Author's Note: For those who don't know. His name is Moonfish.] And as if that isn't nightmare fuel enough, the villain's quirk appeared to be based on his teeth. Said teeth extended into blades that allowed him to be suspended in the air, effectively making him look like some sort of spider.

Upon seeing the figures of Bakugou and Todoroki, Shoji spoke up. ''Bakugou! Todoroki! One of you please make some light!'' he pleaded with haste as he continued running while Izuku continued dodging attacks directed at him.

Moonfish saw this and attempted to attack Dark Shadow, only for him to be immediately caught by the enraged quirk's grasp and slammed to the ground. While Izuku used the distraction to gain more distance. All the while Todoroki and Bakugou could only look to the scene in shock.

Snapping out of his shock, Todoroki was about to make use his fire quirk when Bakugou raised a hand to stop him. ''Wait.'' He stated getting questioning looks from all of them. ''He's getting back up.'' He declared before pointing to Moonfish who used his quirk to stand up again.

''Flesh…Piece of meat…'' The crazed villain chanted as he slowly rose from the ground with his quirk. ''Don't steal them from me…!'' he demanded before rising to full height and stabbing Dark Shadow's head with his quirk.

But just like before, the attack passed harmlessly through Dark Shadow, the latter ignoring the attack and grabbing a stunned Moonfish. ''Don't beg.'' He stated before increasing his grip and crushing Moonfish's extended teeth blades. ''SMALL FRY!'' he roared before swinging the helpless villain against the surrounding trees. Once satisfied with the damage inflicted, he threw the injured villain aside like some piece of garbage.

Once sure the villain wouldn't move again, Dark Shadow turned his gaze to Izuku. The latter tensing up as he prepared for another round of dodging. Only for him to be saved when Bakugou and Todoroki jumped in to use their quirks on Dark Shadow. Which effectively caused the quirk to calm down and return back to Tokoyami who knelt down in relief. ''Thanks for saving me…'' he thanked as he looked to the ground in guilt, obviously shaken up by the entire ordeal.

Izuku looked to him with a sympathetic glance before looking to the villain with a hardened gaze. ''Well at least he won't be getting up tonight.'' He declared while everyone else looked to the villain who was slumped against a tree.

''I'm sorry.''

Turning to the voice, they saw Tokoyami looking to the ground in regret. ''I let my anger take over and release Dark Shadow…and because of that I nearly ended up hurting you and Shoji.'' He stated while looking to his hands in shame.

''It's fine.'' Izuku stated nonchalantly getting Tokoyami to look at him in shock. ''I mean…it just means that there is more room for you to improve.'' He stated with his usual grin while Tokoyami looked stunned for a few moments before looking away in thought. But Izuku knew he was silently thanking him and taking his words to heart.

''Enough with this.'' Bakugou interjected getting everyone to look at his angered expression. ''What the hell happened to you Deku?'' he asked, barely able to hold his anger in check. While Todoroki's eyes widened, upon just now noticing the damage on Izuku's body. While Shoji and Tokoyami looked to Izuku for an explanation as well.

Izuku mentally sighed, wondering how many more people were going to ask him that tonight. He was about to explain what happened to him(again), when a look of realization formed on his face as he remembered something. ''Hold that thought Kacchan.'' He excused much to the teen's chagrin before turning to Todoroki. ''Todoroki can I ask you for a favor?'' he asked getting a surprised look from said teen.

Shaking off his surprise, Todoroki immediately nodded in affirmative. ''Of course.'' He stated calmly.

Izuku then looked sheepish as he turned his pocket towards Todoroki, getting confused looks from everyone. ''There's medical wrappings inside,'' he stated further shocking them. ''I….kinda….sorta need you to get them and wrap my arms in it.'' He stated with an awkward chuckle while Todoroki understood why he looked embarrassed before giving him a small smile as he nodded and complied. In the meantime, Shoji and Tokoyami couldn't help but find his embarrassment slightly amusing while Bakugou continued looking at Izuku's injuries in anger.

As this was happening, Izuku looked to Bakugou with a relived smile. ''I'm glad you guys are ok.'' He stated sincerely, snapping Bakugou out of his thoughts. Evidently glad that they were able to arrive in time before something worse could have happened

Todoroki smiled and was about to speak up until Bakugou beat him to it. ''Yeah…well…'' he started slowly as he glanced at Izuku's wounds again, making the teen internally wince. ''we could have handled it.'' He stated as he tore his gaze away from the injuries and crossed his arms. But Izuku could tell that he was vowing revenge against the one who caused his injuries.

Todoroki paused his work and deadpanned, obviously disagreeing with him before continuing while Izuku decided to lighten the mood as he glanced around the area. He could see ruined ice structures and destroyed trees with scratch marks. From what he could tell, they were pinned down from Moonfish's attacks

After looking around, Izuku then turned to Bakugou with an eyebrow raised. ''Obviously.'' He snarked sarcastically before chuckling when Bakugou glared at him. The latter and everyone else glad that Izuku somewhat lightened the mood.

As Todoroki worked on the other arm, Izuku wore a more serious expression. ''Moving on,'' he stated getting everyone's attention. ''Since now we know that the villains are after Kacchan. I think it's safe to say that the best move to make now would be to head back to camp since the pros will be there.'' He suggested getting nods of approval from almost everyone.

Bakugou however had different thoughts. ''Why don't we just kick their assess?'' he asked with a growl as he crossed his arms.

''Forgive me,'' Tokoyami stated getting everyone to look at him. ''but I believe that's foolish.'' He stated as a fact making Bakugou glare at him, but before the latter could argue he continued. ''If we choose to simply fight without the help of the pros, then I am certain we will fail.'' He warned with a dark expression.

Hearing this, Bakugou narrowed his eyes at him. ''The hell makes you so sure?'' he stated with an unconvinced tone. He fully believed that they would be able to handle themselves since all their quirks combined would make it quite difficult for the villains to win.

Expecting the question, Tokoyami closed his eyes with a sigh and wordlessly gestured to Midoriya. The latter looking away from everyone's collective gaze while Todoroki tried not to let Izuku's state distract him as he secured the wrappings. Upon realizing his point, Bakugou grimaced, if the villains were strong enough to inflict that much damage on Izuku, one of the strongest and the one with the most effective evasive skills. Then what made him think that he could do better?

''It's done,'' Todoroki announced as he secured the wrappings making Izuku wince a bit. ''with this we won't have to worry about you bleeding much.'' He assured before revealing another medical wrap. ''and thankfully we have a spare just in case.'' He stated before placing it in Izuku's pocket.

Said teen testing his bandaged arms a bit before smiling at Todoroki. ''Thanks bud.'' He stated with a grateful expression, thankful that he didn't have to worry about bleeding a lot at least.

Todoroki nodded to him with a smile before looking to Bakugou with a serious expression. ''Tokoyami is correct, considering that you and I had difficulty when we dealt with the villain earlier, its safe to assume that he isn't the only one who is strong.'' He stated grimly, remembering how out skilled they were during their battle with Moonfish. ''And since we don't know exactly how many villains there are…we simply can't take the risk.'' He reasoned getting Bakugou to grit his teeth in frustration of the situation.

''Which is why were not going through the clearing since the Pussycats are most likely still fighting, which in turn would get the villains' attention and we'd lose time.'' Izuku interjected getting everyone's attention. ''So instead we'll go through the forest instead.'' He stated getting shocked looks from everyone.

Bakugou was silent for a bit before sighing in resignation. ''Fine,'' he stated getting everyone to look at him. ''we'll do it your way nerd.'' He conceded with an annoyed expression, while still finding it hard to tear his gaze away from Izuku's injuries.

Ignoring the stare, Izuku nodded with a grin. ''Great let's go.'' He announced getting everyone to nod in agreement. Unfortunately, they didn't get far as a surge of pain went through Izuku's body as he found himself on knee. ''Gah!'' he exclaimed with a pained expression getting everyone to gather around him in worry.

Todoroki eyed his form before shaking his head. ''You're in no condition to fight Midoriya.'' He deduced as he and everyone else looked to Izuku who was breathing heavily as sweat dripped from his form. While Bakugou looked at his injuries with hatred directed at the villain who did this to him.

''He's right Midoriya.'' Shoji stated before crouching beside Izuku. ''Come on, I'll carry you in the meantime.'' He offered kindly while everyone else silently urged him to agree, hoping that Izuku would focus on himself for now.

To their chagrin Izuku shook his head. ''Thanks Shoji, but no.'' he refused gently before standing up with a grunt. ''But with how strong the villains have been tonight; we'll need to fight together if we want to win, which means no dead weight.'' He justified from a tone of experience, no doubt from the villain that caused his injuries.

While everyone else looked conflicted from his reasoning, Bakugou voiced his disagreement. ''Deku,'' he called out getting the teen's attention. ''I doubt you'll be to fight with how shitty you look right now.'' he stated with frustration while everyone else resisted the urge to reprimand him for his lack of tact. While Izuku didn't look bothered, since he's more than accustomed to Bakugou's tone and could easily see the clear concern from his friend.

''Could be worse.'' Izuku countered calmly with a shrug getting everyone to look at him incredulously, wondering how Izuku could talk lightly about his condition. ''I mean, at least I'm not completely un-armed.'' He joked before grimacing from everyone's unimpressed expressions. ''Right too soon, sorry.'' He apologized with a sheepish expression while everyone else (minus Bakugou who glared at him) continued on deadpanning him.

Todoroki stared at him with a calculative expression before sighing. ''Since you insist on fighting how about this,'' he calmly started getting everyone's attention. ''why don't you power down for now and if we have to fight again, don't use too much of it.'' He compromised and lifted a hand before Izuku could interrupt. ''Of course, you can disagree, but that would leave us no choice but to have Shoji carry you.'' He promised with a serious expression while everyone looked to Izuku with the same expressions as well.

''But if I power down, I'll be forced to deactivate my sensory field and I'll be stuck on 5% Power.'' Is what Izuku wanted to counter with but then he realized that his argument would only make things worse for him. Considering that he used a lot of his strength to dodge Dark Shadow's attacks earlier, he doubted that he could even last beyond 6% with how exhausted he is. Plus, there were those moments where his sensory field failed to detect people approaching him due to his fatigue and injuries.

So, as he considered all of this and looked to his friends' worried expressions, his decision became clear.

Izuku was silent for a bit before nodding in agreement. ''Alright,'' he conceded with a sigh as he deactivated his sensory field before looking at his friends, while already feeling the drawback of his efforts. ''I'll take it easy with my quirk.'' He agreed sincerely getting everyone to mentally sigh in relief. Happy to know that Izuku could listen to reason and set aside his duty to take care of himself.

Todoroki then looked to Izuku with a grateful expression. ''That's all we ask Midoriya.'' He stated getting a nod of understanding from Izuku as he returned the expression. He then turned to Bakugou. ''Bakugou, stay in the middle.'' He ordered getting an affirmative grunt in return, seeing no reason to argue. They then got into formation with Shoji leading the pack as he used his quirk to monitor the area around them.

As they traveled Bakugou spoke up. ''Deku.'' He called out getting a hum from Izuku indicating that he heard him. ''Now will you tell us what the fuck happened to you?'' he asked with impatience in his voice making Izuku silent while everyone else listened in as they continued moving.

Seeing that there was no harm in it, Izuku nodded. ''All right,'' he stated getting everyone's full attention. ''but it's a pretty long story…'' he warned before beginning his tale while everyone listened in with keen interest. While Todoroki idly noted that the gas from earlier dispersed somehow.

---

AFTER THE EXPLANATION

Moments have passed as the group traveled in silence while keeping an eye out for any signs of trouble. As Izuku told his story, they couldn't help but let their respect for Izuku grow after hearing it. But at the same time, they also had to hold in their rage (Bakugou especially) when they heard about Muscular having the intent of killing a defenseless child just for fun.

It would also make sense why Izuku came out the way he did. From what they understood, Muscular is a villain purely based on speed and power with his bloodlust as his guide. Just the thought of other villains being just as strong sent shivers down their spines. But they quickly shook it off as they reminded themselves that Izuku willingly faced certain death despite being outmatched, just to save a life. Just the thought alone made them more determined to improve and become better heroes in the future.

Meanwhile Izuku had similar thoughts as he reflected from retelling the story. He knew that their would always be stronger villains out there (AFO being a prime example). Which in turn filled him with more determination to improve himself. And if he kept improving beyond that, he had no doubt that he'll be able to protect everyone-

''Ochako!''

Startled by sudden voice the group found themselves stopping. Izuku however immediately recognized it as Tsuyu's voice and rushed ahead. ''Tsuyu!'' he called out in worry, hoping that she and Ochako are not harmed.

Snapping out of his shock, Todoroki called out. ''Midoriya!'' he bellowed before gritting his teeth and pursuing his reckless friend with Shoji right behind him. Both completely missing the brief flash of light behind them.

Upon arriving they were greeted by an alarming scene. Tsuyu is pinned to a tree by her hair by what looked to be a needle attached to a tube. Following the tube, they saw it was attached to a girl that Ochako had pinned to the ground in a submission hold.

Their shock was wiped off when Tsuyu noticed them. ''Izuku! Everyone!'' she called out in shock and relief, getting Ochako to look over with a shocked expression as well. Unfortunately, this distraction allowed the villain to slip away from Ochako's hold and retract her needle, freeing Tsuyu in the process. This caused everyone to group up with the girls as they looked to the villain.

As the villain stood up, it was then they got a better look at her. She is a fair skinned girl with yellow eyes that have a sharpness to them that resembled a cat. Which was ironic since both of her upper and lower canines are more pointed and longer than the rest of her teeth. Her hair is a pale, dirty ash-blonde and is styled into two messy buns, numerous wild strands sticking out at all angles from their centers and where they're fastened, a straight fringe and two chin-length side bangs to frame her face.

Her outfit consisted of a plain seifuku (Japanese school uniform) with a Kansai collar, both the skirt and the shirt dark blue with a double white trim, which is paired with a red scarf that looked loosely tied. Over this, she wears an oversized beige cardigan with rather long hem and cuffs, and pockets on either side. She sports knee-length black socks and dark brown dress shoes with thick heels, the same as the outdoor uniform shoes students traditionally wear in Japanese schools.

But what really caught their attention is her equipment of choice. Which consisted of a black piped mask, boxes of knives (Which sent shivers down Izuku's spine for some reason) strapped around her thighs, and a blue utility belt around her waist with more little green boxes attached to it on either side. And to top it all off is the loose black mask she wears around her neck, which is decorated with pieces of pale metal in the shape of a carnivorous grin. Three large silver canisters are attached to the sides of her mask, needles poking out of their tips and wires their bases, which connect them to the two larger cylinders strapped to the back of her belt, its purpose not known to them.

Overall, she pulled off the villain look.

Meanwhile said villain dusted herself off and looked annoyed from their arrival. ''Too many people here, I don't need the trouble.'' She said before preparing to leave. ''So bye- huh?'' she stopped herself when her eyes landed on the battered form of Izuku. Now on any given day she would be ecstatic to see blood on a battered person.

But her gaze is focused elsewhere, or more specifically his eyes. Unlike his classmates who were looking at her with expressions varying from fear, frustration and caution. Izuku had a look that stood out from the rest.

''Those eyes…'' She thought to herself as an old memory began resurfacing.

---

FLASHBACK

A young girl walked down the halls of her previous school, alone with a bored expression as everyone else around her minded their own business. Upon arriving at her classroom, she wasted no time and opened the door, to be immediately greeted by the usual site of her classmates discussing random topics with one another. Blissfully unaware of her arrival or just simply not acknowledging it.

Realizing she hasn't moved, she internally sighed and quietly made her way to her seat. Once settled she settled on her desk, she rested her cheek on her palm as she lazily looked around the room. She was about to look elsewhere when something or rather someone caught her attention.

A boy seated by the window was looking right at her, a transfer student if she remembered correctly. But that wasn't the thing she focused on. No, what she focused on is the way he was looking at her. Now normally she would brush this off considering that it wasn't uncommon for her to get weird stares from people. But unlike them...this boy was staring at her with a different expression.

Genuine Curiosity and Kindness.

Unlike the usual weird or hateful stares. This boy looked to her with no hate or judgment in his eyes, instead he looked like he was genuinely interested in getting to know her as a person. Like he didn't see anything wrong with her at all.

Her thoughts were interrupted when their homeroom teacher made their presence known as they announced the beginning of her class, which in turn made her and her classmates focus their attention to the front of the class. But unbeknownst to her however, as she focused on their homeroom teacher, the same boy looked to her with same curios expression again before focusing on the class as well.

---

Snapping herself back to reality, she realized that she was at risk of being caught. So, with this in mind she turned back around and ran as fast as she could while wearing a confused expression. ''What was that?'' she thought in clear confusion, wondering why an old memory like that resurfaced now of all times. Shaking off her thoughts she focused on grouping up with everyone else, she would just have to ponder on this later on. More specifically why did Izuku remind her of…..him.

Meanwhile Ochako snapped out of her shock and prepared to pursue the villain. ''Wait!'' she ordered only to be stopped when she was held back by Tsuyu making her look to her in shock. ''She's getting away!'' she warned as she freed herself from her classmate's grip.

Tsuyu firmly shook her head. ''It's too dangerous!'' she declared getting Ochako to pause and look at her. ''Especially since we don't know what kind of quirk she has.'' She pleaded seriously getting Ochako to hesitate for a bit before relenting as she calmed down and watched the villain run deep into the forest.

As Todoroki and everyone else looked to the direction where the villain ran, he spoke up. ''Who was that woman just now?'' he asked getting everyone's attention while Izuku continued looking to the forest with a thoughtful expression.

''A villain named Toga.'' Tsuyu supplied as she and Ochako held back a shiver from their encounter. Remembering how Toga introduced herself before fighting them and ranting on about her obsession with blood.

Ochako then looked to Izuku with a worried expression. ''Deku what-'' her question was halted when she and everyone saw Izuku looking to the forest with a worried expression of his own. ''Deku?'' she called out as she gently tapped him on the shoulder.

Jolted from his thoughts he looked to Ochako with an apologetic expression. ''Sorry, just thinking about something.'' He stated vaguely getting confused from everyone.

''Is it about the girl?'' Todoroki deduced with curiosity and confusion while Tsuyu and everyone else looked to Izuku for answers. In the meantime, Ochako stayed silent as she tried to understand her friend's thoughts.

Izuku looked to the forest again for a bit before turning to his friends with a small smile. ''We'll talk about that later,'' he dismissed while his friends looked to him for more answers. His expression then became serious. ''I'm glad you two are okay, but right now you should come with us and help escort Kacchan back to camp.'' He suggested seriously getting nods of agreement from Todoroki and Shoji.

They were then confused when Ochako and Tsuyu looked to them in confusion. ''Ribbit…but where is Bakugou?'' she asked with confusion getting the boys to look at them in shock.

''What do you mean? He's right….'' Izuku's words died out when he and the boys paled when they realized that Bakugou and Tokoyami were nowhere to be found. ''they were here with us a while ago!'' Izuku claimed with shock and fear making the girls pale as well from the implications.

''I took him with my magic!'' a voice made itself known making everyone turn to it.

Standing on top of a tree branch is a tall and slim man that wears a dark orange shirt, the collar left upturned and a green striped polo necktie with an oval-shaped azure brooch hanging around his neck, a black waistcoat and black dress pants. He wears knee-high white boots with wedged heels and black toe-caps, plain dark red gloves and a tall brown top hat, a red ribbon tied around it and a pale feather sticking out on the left side. Over it is a dark yellow, double-breasted overcoat with buttoned shoulder tabs and a high collar, which reaches below his knees.

And if that isn't fancy enough, he wears a mask with an intricate design and wields a walking stick to add flourish to his outfit that made him look like some sort of magician.

Not caring for their stunned silence, the man continued. ''This talent isn't someone who should be on the hero side.'' He stated as he played with marbles in his hand. ''We'll take him and his friend to a stage where they can shine more.'' He declared before dramatically gasping in realization. ''Oh! Where are my manners.'' He stated before tipping his hat to them. ''I am Mister Compress, nice to meet you.'' He greeted politely while everyone else just wondered how stealthy the man must have been if he was able to capture two of their classmates without any of them noticing.

Izuku however ignored this as he glared at the villain. ''Give them back!'' he demanded before his eyes flashed as a bone club was sent towards the villain.

Said villain stepped to the side and looked back to Izuku. ''Oh my, you're a rude one, aren't you?'' he asked in an unimpressed tone before pocketing the marbles, which they immediately concluded are their classmates. Which in turn allowed them to identify the villain's quirk.

''Todoroki!'' Izuku called out in desperation as he tried to formulate a plan to get his classmates back.

''I'm on it!'' his classmates replied without hesitation as he sent a wave of ice towards the magician villain. Only for the latter to react by swiftly jumping up to another tree to avoid the attack.

After dusting himself off, Compress continued. ''Calm yourselves,'' he suggested while the students firmly ignored his request. ''we simply want to show him that the path he's on now with its fanatical values, is not the only path he can take.'' He reasoned while the students continued to think of ways to rescue their classmates. ''Your other friend just happens to be another…volunteer to the cause.'' He stated, obviously referring to Tokoyami.

''Stop underestimating us!'' Todoroki demanded before he stomped his foot forward and sent a much larger wave of ice towards the taunting villain. Who shocked them all by jumping to great heights and avoided the massive ice attack.

Mister Compress landed on another tree and dusted himself off. ''Sorry kid, but I was originally an entertainer so you know…it's a bad habit of mine.'' He reasoned unapologetically before tapping his pocket. ''Not to worry, we'll be sure to make good use of their abilities.'' He stated making Todoroki enraged as he sent another ice wave that the villain easily dodged.

''Not even close kid! You see tricks and running away are my only redeeming features! There's no way I'd fight students who are hero candidates'' he taunted as he soared over Todoroki's ice structure and pressed his earpiece. ''Now then…Vanguard Action Squad!'' he called out making everyone go pale. ''Target has been secured! I repeat! Target has been secured!'' he happily announced as he continued dodging ice waves and bone projectiles.

''As arranged, head to the retrieval point in the next five minutes!'' he reminded before ending the transmission as he started jumping to another direction, leaving shocked students behind.

Snapping out of his shock, Izuku wore an angered expression as he charged 1% Full Cowl, as to not over strain his already exhausted body. ''We won't let you escape!'' he declared with a serious expression as he and everyone else chased down the villain.

---

VILLAIN EXTRACTION ZONE

Somewhere in a secure part of the forest, Toga leaned against a tree with a thoughtful expression as she reflected on her encounter with Izuku. While accompanying her are two figures who are discussing about their plan's progress.

The first figure is a man who wore a black and gray bodysuit that covered his body completely, along with gray boots. The upper half of his mask was gray with white eye sockets while the lower half-covering his mouth was black. He also sported red and green wristbands that he stored his equipment.

While the second figure is a fairly tall, pale young man of a slim, somewhat-lanky build. He has longish, black hair that spikes up around his head, hanging low over his eyes, which are thin, turquoise in color, and heavily lidded. His most striking features, however, are undoubtedly the patches of gnarled, wrinkled, purple skin that cover much of his lower face and neck, all the way down past his collarbone, below his eyes and on his arms and legs. These appear to be attached to the rest of his skin by multiple, crude surgical staples or hoop piercings, making it impossible to tell if these scars were accidental or self-inflicted.

He has several silver cartilage piercings in both ears, and a triple nostril piercing on the right side of his nose. His outfit consists of a large dark blue coat with two large metal cuffs at the end of each elbow-length sleeve, and a white stitch design on each of his shoulders, the hem ripped, extending down to his knees. His footwear consists of dark dress shoes.

''Hey Dabi! Did you heart the radio?'' The first figure asked excitedly as he looked to the other figure revealed as Dabi. ''I'm so pumped! Mr. Compress already succeeded!'' he stated excitedly before crossing his arms in annoyance. ''Took him long enough, I was getting sleepy!'' he complained as he scowled.

Dabi didn't look fazed by the personality switch and continued. ''Twice don't say that.'' He calmly scolded getting Twice's attention. ''He did his job well, now we just need to wait for everyone to get here.'' He stated with a bored expression

''Ok!'' Twice agreed enthusiastically before wearing a doubtful expression. ''Won't he take too long?'' he asked with a clear expression of doubt before looking to Toga with a curious expression. ''What do you think Toga?'' he asked only to get silence in return as Toga looked deep in thought, much to his confusion.

Seeing this, Dabi decided to speak up. ''Oi Lunatic, you in there?'' he asked with a slightly raised voice to get the girl's attention, now understanding why it was slightly quiet.

That seemed to do the trick as she was jolted of her thoughts and looked to her companions. ''What's wrong?'' she asked with a confused expression getting shocked looks from the two considering she sounded….normal as she did this without any sign of lunacy or killer intent in her tone.

Thinking that she was just being weird, Dabi focused on more important matters. ''Did you get the blood?'' he asked with a serious expression while Twice mimicked his expression and looked to the blood obsessed villain with expectancy.

Upon mentioning the word ''blood'' Toga's expression morphed into one of manic glee that they are familiar with her eyes being glazed over. ''Yes, One Person's worth!'' she stated proudly with an unnerving giggle as she remembered her encounter with Ochako and Tsuyu.

Dabi just nodded without a care while Twice looked outraged. ''Just one!?'' he complained before walking up to her. ''Weren't you told to get at least three?!'' he questioned with an annoyed expression.

''It couldn't be helped.'' Toga calmly retorted getting the duo's attention. ''They had me surrounded so I had no choice but to retreat.'' She reasoned calmly getting a nod of understanding from Dabi. He Knew Toga had no choice since her abilities didn't do well against larger groups.

Twice seemed to understand before he noticed something. ''Ok, but aren't you a little too happy?'' he pointed out seriously before putting a hand on his chin. ''Is there anything that can make you depressed?'' he asked with a curious expression.

Toga merely giggled at the question as she twirled around. ''I just met some interesting people today.'' She stated happily with her crazed expression getting an intrigued look from twice.

''Shut up.'' Dabi scolded tiredly, stopping the duo's interaction. ''We can't risk any detection until Compress arrives, so until then keep your voices down.'' He ordered seriously as he gave them a dangerous look, as if daring them to disobey.

''Sorry for being too loud!'' Twice apologized loudly before looking away with his arms crossed. ''We weren't that loud.'' He muttered to himself while Toga just nodded happily with a crazed grin on her face.

Satisfied with the response, Dabi merely sighed and kept an eye out for Mister Compress.

Meanwhile Toga opted to just lean against a nearby tree and play with one of her knives. Her manic grin widened as she looked at her reflection on the knife as she couldn't wait for another opportunity to have a good time with more friends.

However deep, deep within herself, she couldn't deny the fact that as she looked into Izuku's eyes. Her mind was cleared for a moment of the darkness that would often plaque her mind into insanity. The very same clarity that was brought out by someone she knew from a very long time ago.

''You're an interesting one….Izuku'' She mused to herself as the light in her eyes slightly came back to life on her knife's reflection.

---

WITH MANDALAY AND TIGER

Tiger listened to his communicator for a bit before nodding and deactivating it. ''Just heard from Eraserhead.'' He informed getting Mandalay's attention. ''He's been able to escort most of the 1B students back to the lodge with help from Kendo and Tetsutetsu.'' He updated with a relieved expression.

''Well at least that's something.'' Mandalay stated with a sigh, happy to know there was some form of good news tonight. She then turned to the unconscious forms of Magne and Spinner who are slumped against each other. ''Now we just need to figure out where to put these two in the meantime.'' She stated while Tiger also looked to the unconscious villains with a thoughtful expression as well.

''I believe I have a solution to that.''

Turning to the voice they were shocked to see a distortion in space and after a few moments, black mist appeared near the unconscious villains. Said mist grew for a bit until it stopped and from within its darkness emerged two bright yellow eyes.

''You!'' Mandalay exclaimed as she and Tiger went into a fighting stance. Both immediately recognizing the new arrival as the warping villain from the USJ attack. ''We won't let you take them!'' she declared as Tiger stood ready.

Kurogiri didn't seem fazed by the declaration and calmly retorted. ''I'm afraid that's not for you to decide.'' He stated before taking the unconscious villains away while the heroes could only look on in frustration, knowing that simply attacking the villain would result in them being transported to somewhere else or worse….within their lair.

Satisfied with his work Kurogiri looked ready to leave before turning his gaze to the frustrated heroes. ''No need to be so angry,'' he taunted getting their attention. ''for all your hard work tonight you've all earned a…,'' he trailed off as he grew in size making them tense. ''parting gift.'' He declared making them worried.

Their worries intensified as a Nomu stepped out of the portal with a dangerous growl. Said Nomu looked roughly the same size as the one that Pixie Bob fought. Except this one has much paler skin and wielded four muscular arms.

Seeing their expressions, the mist villain couldn't help but chuckle. ''Enjoy.'' He encouraged before disappearing. Leaving a tense Tiger and Mandalay as the Nomu let out a loud roar before charging the pros who braced themselves for a hard fight.

---

MEANWHILE IN THE REMEDIAL CLASSROOM

Tensions were reaching critical levels with every moment passing as all students felt the urge to go out there and help their friends. The only thing stopping them is the reminder of staying together to prevent further complications.

Mina sighed and looked to Pixie Bob who was monitoring Ragdoll. ''How is she?'' she asked, hoping to keep her mind focused on something else in the meantime. That seemed to do the trick as everyone else turned to the earth bending pro for answers.

''She's doing fine,'' Pixie Bob informed as she observed her teammate. ''all she really needs now is rest.'' She informed getting everyone to relax a little. Glad that the pro wasn't in critical condition.

Their conversation was interrupted when they heard noise coming from the hallway, which sounded like footsteps.

''Do you think it's Aizawa?'' Ojiro spoke up getting everyone to look to the door in anticipation. Kirishima especially looked ready to talk to him until Vlad stopped him. The latter and Pixie Bob looking to the door with alert expressions. Which in turn made everyone alert as well.

Upon seeing a silhouette on behind the window, Vlad spoke up in alert. ''It's not him!'' he stated as he went into a fighting stance while Pixie Bob quickly moved her teammate with the students who formed a protective barrier around her.

Not a moment later, the door was blasted away by blue flames which made everyone stumble a bit from the sudden burst. As the smoke cleared, it was revealed to be Dabi who surveyed the room with a bored expression. The mere sight of him made the students tense while the pros looked at him with anger.

''So, this is where all of you are.'' Dabi stated with a bored expression before his right hand started to ignite with flames making the students pale. But before the pros could make a move, his attack was stopped when green goo splashed on his face making him grunt in pain as it made hissing sounds.

While the villain tried to clear his vision, everyone turned to Mina who wore a serious expression with her hand stretched out with some slime dripping from her fingertips. ''Not on my watch!'' she declared seriously, while silently thanking that she had an outlet to release her pent-up frustration of the situation.

Snapping out of his shock, Vlad used the opportunity to move in while Pixie Bob kept her defensive stance. And before the villain could react, Vlad was already on him and grabbed him by the collar. The pro then followed up by slamming the flame villain against the wall before using his blood control quirk to restrain the villain against it with hardened blood.

Once the villain was restrained, Vlad huffed as he glared at Dabi. ''You're pushing hard into a place like this without thinking?'' he asked as everyone around them calmed down a bit but stayed on guard. ''You're really underestimating us!'' he declared with anger while everyone else shared his sentiments.

Dabi ignored this however and opened one eye as the burning sensation subside. ''Damn, no wonder Shigaraki hates you.'' He stated with a grunt as he looked to Mina. The latter not even surprised by the statement as she looked to him with a glare. While the pros felt alarmed that a villain had a grudge against a student.

''But enough about that,'' Dabi stated before looking to Vlad with an unimpressed expression. ''We underestimate you, because you all act exactly how we thought you would.'' He stated getting confused looks from everyone. ''You all lost the minute you lost the initiative.'' He stated while everyone else continued listening in, waiting to see what point he was trying to get to.

''The pinnacle of hero education, U.A., and the Symbol of Peace, All Might. Two trusted figures of hero society, gathered together. If multiple incidents keep putting that trust into question, then don't you think that will shake society as a whole?'' he asked with a knowing look while everyone paled as they slowly understood what point he was trying to get across.

''Just imagine, the outrage when they find out that a student from U.A. was taken away by a small criminal group.'' He stated with an unnerving smile while everyone around him felt their hearts stop for a bit from the implications.

Kirishima however instantly felt his blood boil. ''Bastard! If you think we'll just let you have him, then you better think again!'' he stated with an angered expression as his arms hardened while everyone else shouted in agreement.

Dabi ignored their outrage as he started activating his flames with a crazed expression, effectively silencing them. Seeing this, Vlad prepared to knock him out when Dabi was suddenly kicked at the side of the head by none other than Aizawa. The latter looking to the villain with an angered expression as he used his quirk.

Once their shock wore off, the students felt relief wash over them as they saw their teacher restrain the villain. They were about to approach him when the villain suddenly fell apart before their eyes. ''Damn, another fake.'' He grunted with an annoyed expression as he looked to the puddle. Which appeared to be made of the same material as the copy he fought outside.

He then looked to the students with a serious expression. ''Don't listen to any of his ramblings, he was just trying to stir things up.'' He stated calmly getting nods of agreement from everyone. He was about to speak to Vlad when he saw Ragdoll. ''What happened to her?'' he asked as he turned to Pixie Bob, though he had a sneaking suspicion.

''She was attacked by the villains and was being taken away by a Nomu.'' Pixie Bob reported with a frown while Aizawa's eyes widened at the news. ''But thanks to Midoriya, she's safe.'' She finished with a grateful smile while Aizawa internally groaned as he was both grateful and annoyed at the problem child.

Aizawa then turned to Mina who gulped under his gaze. ''Keep your boyfriend in line.'' He ordered tiredly getting Mina to look sheepish as she nodded in affirmative. Making sure to have a serious talk with Izuku about self-preservation. For his sake and everyone else's.

Vlad then decided to speak up. ''Not to sound ungrateful, but what brings you here Aizawa?'' he asked, knowing that he was supposed to be rescuing students that are still at the forest.

Aizawa didn't seem bothered and looked to Vlad with his usual expression. ''It's fine and as to why I'm here, I planned on leaving him with you.'' He stated as he gestured to the doorway making everyone look to it as well. Only to be surprised when they saw Kota standing there with a fearful expression. Mina especially was surprised since she saw him wearing Izuku's jacket.

''Kota!'' Pixie Bob called out in relief as she wasted no time and knelt in front of the child. ''Are you alright?'' she asked in worry as she checked him for any signs of damage, hoping that he wouldn't be bothered from her gesture.

Thankfully he didn't as he nodded in affirmative. ''I'm fine,'' he stated calmly getting Pixie Bob to stop checking him. ''thanks to Izuku.'' He stated with a grateful smile that Pixie Bob couldn't help but return as she hugged the child who returned the gesture much to her joy.

The moment was interrupted when Aizawa spoke up. ''Vlad take him for me, it'll make it easier for me to rescue more students in the front lines.'' He ordered getting an affirmative nod from the fellow teacher. ''Pixie, I'm counting on the both of you to keep this place secure.'' He stated while Pixie Bob nodded in agreement before bringing Kota to the students. The latter noticing Ragdoll and immediately went to her side with tears in his eyes.

''Wait, Eraser.'' Vlad called out getting the pro's attention. ''There's still the matter of not knowing how many will come at us.'' He stated with understandable worry, considering that they knew next to nothing when it came to the number of villains present tonight.

Aizawa was silent before shaking his head. ''You'll all be fine here.'' he assured getting their attention before pointing to the puddle on the floor. ''Take this fake for example, I think they're coming strong at us because they want to keep our attention since we're pros. It's their strategy to make up for the small number of people they sent.'' He theorized getting an understanding nod from Vlad and Pixie Bob. The latter comforting Kota as he tried to calm down from seeing Ragdoll's state.

Kirishima however spoke up when he focused on another factor. ''If there are only a few, then there's even more reason for me- for us to get out there!'' he declared while his classmates understood his logic and agreed with him.

''Indeed!'' Iida agreed with a firm nod. ''Nothing can beat strength in-

''No.'' Aizawa stated with a cold tone that silenced everyone. ''In case you forgot, they're after students,'' he reminded before facing them all with a stern expression. ''Bakugou is their primary target, but that doesn't mean that they won't attempt to capture others as well.'' He stated firmly while everyone else looked down in defeat, realizing his logic is sound.

Taking their silence as an acceptance, Aizawa continued. ''We're still losing by a lot in terms of information. So for the time being, we'll win by having everyone stay safe and sound.'' He stated with a tone that left no argument getting reluctant nods as they accepted the order and calmed down. However, Mina remained worried while Kirishima still looked frustrated but decided to not say anything.

Seeing everyone calm down a bit, Aizawa sighed internally, glad to know that his students still had it in them to think rationally despite the situation. However just before he could say anything else, they were interrupted when they heard a frantic telepathic message from Mandalay.

''Aizawa! Tiger and I need backup! The villain with the warping quirk dropped off a Nomu and took the two villains we beat earlier! PLEASE HELP!''

With wide eyes, Aizawa snapped his attention to Vlad. ''Vlad I'm counting on you two, make sure they stay here.'' He ordered before making his way out while the students paled knowing that another Nomu was sent here and that two experienced pros are having difficulty defeating it.

''I'm coming with you!'' Pixie Bob yelled out getting Aizawa to stop and make everyone turn to her in surprise. With a serious expression she spoke up before Aizawa can say anything. ''You heard Mandalay, that Nomu sounds tough so your gonna need my quirk to help beat it.'' She stated seriously while Aizawa hesitated seeing her point.

Seeing this Pixie Bob spoke again. ''Like you said this place will be fine with Vlad here and besides…,'' she tailed off as she looked to Ragdoll. ''I nearly lost a teammate tonight.'' She stated somberly before looking to Aizawa with a determined expression. ''And I'll be damned if I just sit here and let that happen to anyone else.'' She stated with a tone that left no argument.

Aizawa was silent for a bit before sighing in acceptance. ''Can't be helped then, come on!'' he ordered before running out of the classroom.

Pixie Bob smiled before looking down at Kota who looked at her with a fearful expression. ''Hey it's alright,'' she soothed before kneeling down in front of him. ''I'll be sure to be careful out there.'' She assured as she placed both hands on his shoulders.

Kota didn't look sure as he looked to Ragdoll's form. ''B-But what if you end up like…'' he trailed off, unable to complete the sentence but they all understood who he was referring to.

''I won't.'' Pixie Bob firmly assured. ''I've got Mandalay, Tiger and Eraserhead to help me.'' She stated with calming confidence in her voice.

Kota looked down in thought before looking to Pixie Bob with a watery smile. ''Ok, but please be careful.'' He pleaded, obviously not wanting to lose people that have been trying to help him for the past two years.

Pixie Bob gave him a warm smile as she stood up and rubbed his head. ''We will.'' She promised before running out the room with newfound vigor. While everyone watched her and prayed for their success against the Nomu.

Vlad sighed tiredly at the situation before turning to the students who wore worried expressions. ''You heard Eraser, settle down.'' He stated getting everyone to reluctantly agree as they settled in their places with Ragdoll being positioned somewhere more comfortable with Kota by her side. Satisfied with the the response, Vlad then stepped out side the room to secure the perimeter.

Meanwhile Kirishima settled at the far end of the room to calm himself whereas Mina gripped her arms with silent frustration of the situation. She knew the pros had a point and that they are just ensuring their safety. But darn it how can they be heroes when they couldn't use their abilities to help them! Just by thinking the amount of trouble Izuku must be in caused a pit of despair to form within her.

Mentally sighing at her internal conflict, Mina decided to direct her focus elsewhere and approach Kota who continued looking at Ragdoll with a worried expression. ''Hey,'' she called out gently getting the child's attention. ''no need to worry, all she needs is rest.'' She informed calmly while everyone else decided to listen and distract themselves.

Kota looked at her with fear for a bit before nodding. ''Okay, it's just….'' He trailed of as he looked to the pro again. ''I don't want to lose anyone else you know?'' he asked while keeping his eyes on the pro in worry, as if afraid she would be gone if he took his eyes off her.

Mina smiled in understanding as she looked to the child. ''I know.'' stated getting his attention. ''So, I see you wearing Izu's jacket.'' She stated, hoping to steer the child away from his somber thoughts.

That seemed to do the trick, as mentioning Izuku's name made Kota visibly relax as he looked down at the jacket. ''Yeah,'' he stated before putting hand on his chest. ''I was going to give it back to him but he told me to keep it on for assurance.'' He stated as a smile formed on his face from the comfort it granted him. While everyone else couldn't help but smile at their classmate's thoughtfulness. Even Kirishima formed a small smile from the kind act.

A knowing smile formed on Mina's face. ''That does sound like something he would do.'' she stated with a warm tone as she looked to the child. ''The jacket is really important to you huh?'' she asked though already knowing the answer considering how Kota had the same look that Izuku had when she gifted him his pink scarf.

''Of course, it is,'' Kota stated before looking up to Mina with a big smile. ''it's from my hero afterall.'' He stated proudly with a tone of pure innocence and admiration.

Upon hearing this Mina felt tears threaten to leak out from her eyes, not only happy for the child but also proud for Izuku's deep effect on him. Meanwhile everyone else vowed to become great heroes and hoped to leave an imprint in people's lives like what Izuku has for Kota.

After quickly wiping her tears, Mina nodded as she patted the child's head affectionately. ''Yours and everyone else's kiddo.'' She agreed wholeheartedly getting a surprised look from Kota. The latter then looked around the room to see everyone nodding in agreement with big smiles on their faces. Which only made his respect for Izuku grow.

Iida then cleared his throat getting everyone's attention. ''If you'd like Kota, why don't we tell you stories about our time spent with Midoriya.'' He offered with a kind smile, hoping to distract the child from the stressful situation. While everyone else realized his intentions and silently urged the child to take the offer while looking to him with friendly expressions.

It looked like they didn't have to worry about anything however as Kota's eyes instantly lit up with childlike wonder from the offer. ''Sure!'' he accepted with such joy that it instantly destroyed the tension that was in the room moments ago.

His enthusiastic response proved to be infectious as the students couldn't help but chuckle fondly from the response, drawing out an embarrassed expression from Kota as he pulled his hat down with a blush, much to their amusement. Once he recovered, he joined the students who gathered around the unconscious pro and listened intently as they begun telling stories about his hero. Kirishima especially was glad for the distraction and happily readied stories about Midoribro.

Meanwhile Mina watched the scene with a smile on her face, already feeling ten times lighter than earlier. Don't get her wrong, a ton of emotions still stirred within her since she wasn't completely sure with how to handle their current situation. But one thing that she can be sure about, is that she planned on giving Izuku the biggest and most love filled kiss that she could give when he returns.

And with that thought, Mina couldn't stop herself from smiling and immediately went to join her classmates, eager to share stories about her Izuku as well. While she and everyone else silently hoped that Izuku would pull through from whatever situation he may be in at the moment.

---

BACK WITH IZUKU AND THE REST

''He's too fast!'' Ochako stated as they continued the chase and watched as the villain continue dodging Izuku's bone projectiles. The latter growing more and more exhausted with each use of his quirk. ''Deku you should give yourself a break!'' she stated in clear worry while everyone else silently agreed as they could hear his heavy breaths.

After launching another bone projectile with a grunt Izuku spoke up. ''But we need to catch up!'' he reasoned while they listened. ''No matter what, we need to get them back!'' he roared out determinedly before his eyes flashed as he sent another bone projectile with a grunt. Meanwhile his friends were conflicted, they know he's right, but right now if Izuku continued attacking….they were sure that he'd end up passing out from both pain and exhaustion at this rate.

Meanwhile Izuku huffed as he temporarily stopped his attacks. ''I say that but…'' he thought before glaring at the retreating villain. ''No matter how many projectiles I send, Compress keeps dodging it with ease and uses the opportunity to gain further distance from us.'' He thought before gritting his teeth. ''And the further the distance, the more time he'll have to dodge the next attack. And in my current state, I can't give the bones the boost they need to get to him quicker.'' He finalized with a frustrated expression as he realized the futility of his attacks.

''If only there was a way to shorten the distance.'' Izuku thought before pausing his thought process for a bit as his eyes widened. ''Wait a minute.'' He thought before an epiphany entered his mind. ''That's it!'' he shouted suddenly with a grin, effectively startling his classmates.

But before they could ask, Izuku turned to Ochako. ''Ochako make us float!'' he ordered and turned to Tsuyu before the brunette could respond. ''And then Tsuyu, throw us as far as you can with your tongue!'' he stated getting a confused ribbit from the girl.

Not even pausing, Izuku spoke up again. ''Shoji, use your arms to correct our trajectory and pull us!'' he stated before glaring at the villain. ''Next, Ochako I need you to measure the distance with your eyes and release your quirk when the time looks about right!'' he finished as everyone's eyes widened when they realized what he is planning.

''I see. A human bullet.'' Todoroki concluded with an impressed tone as he looked to the villain before turning to Izuku with a worried expression. ''But Midoriya, are you sure it's wise to execute the maneuver with the injuries you have?'' he asked, while everyone else silently asked the same question

Tsuyu croaked before chiming in. ''He's right Izuku,'' she agreed getting everyone's attention. ''with the amount of pain your body must be in, it wouldn't be strange for you pass out in any moment.'' She stated with worry while she and everyone else couldn't help but wonder how Izuku stayed awake this long despite the injuries.

Understanding their concerns, Izuku gave them a kind smile. ''It's fine, because I don't feel any pain right now.'' he dismissed getting shocked looks from them. He then looked to the villain with a daring grin. ''What I do feel however, is nothing but determination to save them!'' he stated with conviction as his eyes shined a bit, taking everyone back from his spirit once again.

They then exchanged worried glances since they knew his body said otherwise. Sure, his spirit seemed intact but the same couldn't be said for his body as he looked like he was going to collapse from it all. But knowing that Izuku wouldn't back down despite all this, they reluctantly agreed.

Once they stopped, Izuku, Shoji and Todoroki immediately huddled together as Ochako used her anti-gravity quirk on them. Tsuyu then followed up by wrapping the three with her tongue and looked to them with a serious expression. ''Ribbit, make sure you save those two.'' She ordered getting determined nods from all three of them.

Meanwhile Mr. Compress continued on without a care in the world. ''I don't know why Shigaraki was so worried about them, these children aren't as big of a deal as he made them out to be.'' He stated before chuckling in amusement as he saw the evacuation area in sight.

''Special delivery!''

Startled a bit from his thoughts, he looked behind where he heard the voice. Only to find himself pale a bit when he saw Izuku looking at him with a dangerous grin. The latter huddled together with Shoji and Todoroki as they flew towards the villain in great speeds.

''What the fu-

*SMACK*

---

VILLAIN EXTRACTION ZONE

Twice took a deep breath before sighing in content as he looked around the area. ''I love waiting, it's so peaceful here.'' He stated happily before scowling. ''Waiting sucks! I hate everything about this!'' he complained with impatience while Toga continued to be deep in thought.

Dabi meanwhile sighed and looked to the dual personality villain. ''For the last time, can you shut-

*CRASH*

His order was interrupted as he and everyone else was startled by the sudden crash in front of them. Said crash revealed to be Mr. Compress planted the ground with Izuku's foot on his back while Shoji and Todoroki simply huddled together. All looking to the villains with a look of determination.

Dabi's eyes narrowed at the sight as he sighed in annoyance, Toga's expression turned manic as she prepared her knife while Twice pointed to them in recognition. ''Hey I know those kids!'' he stated before scratching his head. ''Who are those kids?'' he asked in confusion while everyone else ignored him.

As they settled, Izuku glared at Compress. ''Give them back!'' he ordered as Todoroki and Shoji kept the villain down. Said villain grunted in pain from both the attack and the landing.

Seeing this Dabi aimed his palm at them. ''Compress, move.'' He stated before firing his quirk at the Izuku. The latter wearing an expression of shock as Mister Compress disappeared as he used his quirk to avoid Dabi's attack, before they too snapped in attention and quickly scattered to avoid Dabi's attack as well.

After getting on his feet with a grunt Izuku glared at Dabi. ''Todoroki, Shoji, deal with the other one and find Compress!'' he ordered getting shocked looks from the two before they complied as Todoroki faced off against Twice while Shoji worked on looking for any signs of Compress. The latter dodging a sudden fire blast from Dabi.

Izuku then looked to Dabi with a serious expression. ''Keep at it, I'll draw away his-'' He wasn't able to complete his statement as he suddenly found himself dodging a needle. Following the tubing he saw Toga running at him with a crazed expression.

[Undertale OST – ''Megalo Strike Back'' – Plays at 0:43]

''Hello! I'm Toga, nice to meet you!'' She cheerfully introduced herself as she pulled out a knife while charging at Izuku. The latter looking on with wide eyes before he suddenly found himself dodging fast swings from Toga's knife. ''Wow your pretty quick Izuku!'' she praised as she continued attacking while Izuku continued his dodging. While in the background, Todoroki and Shoji continued their fights the best they can.

''Dang she's good.'' Izuku thought with a grunt as he noticed how Toga's attacks showed grace and experience. ''At this rate I won't be able to last.'' He stated before jumping back to make some distance between the two.

Toga didn't seem bothered by this as she looked to Izuku with an amused expression. ''Oh? Playing hard to get are we?'' she stated with a giggle before throwing one of her knives at Izuku. The latter dodging it with a grunt, making Toga let out an impressed sound from his reflexes.

With a huff Izuku grinned at Toga. ''Pretty much.'' He played along with a chuckle before tapping his foot. While Toga looked surprise from his casual response as she didn't expect him to talk to her that way. She then let out a surprised squeak when she suddenly found herself lifted off the ground when a bone sprouted from underneath her foot while Izuku's grin widened from his successful sneak attack.

Only for his expression to be replaced with shock as Toga let out an amused laugh as she somehow managed to perfectly balance herself on one foot. ''Your pretty fun to play with Izuku!'' she stated with a laugh while Izuku looked on in shock, completely blown away by the girl's skills. He was then snapped out of his thoughts when Toga jumped from her position and found herself rolling on the ground for a bit before quickly standing up. ''Your so cool Izuku!'' she praised before charging at the teen. While the latter quickly charged 2% Full Cowl before he found himself dodging again.

''Geez, what's with her?'' He thought in confusion before dodging another swipe from the giggling villain. ''She looks way different than when I saw her earlier.'' he thought as he noticed how dull her eyes looked while she continued laughing like a madwoman.

The first time he saw her eyes, they pretty much looked the same as she scanned over his friends. But that all changed the moment she landed her gaze at him. The moment that she did this, it was like she was under some sort of trance.

Admittedly, he was little bit creeped out at first, but those thoughts quickly went out the window as he became surprised when he saw the light return to her eyes, as if she was freed from something. He then became worried when her eyes looked sad for a moment before she quickly snapped back into reality and returned back to her usual lifeless eyes, before running away, completely missing his curious and worried expression.

He knows she is a villain, but the moment he saw the sadness within her eyes, his hero instincts kicked in and immediately gave himself a mission to help her as well. It sounded crazy to everyone else and Izuku wouldn't blame them for thinking that way.

But isn't butting in when you weren't supposed to the essence of a true hero?

He was then brought of his thoughts when Toga spoke up. ''Why so quiet Izuku?'' she asked in confusion as she attempted to stab Izuku. The latter reacting by quickly leaping over her to avoid the lunge as his eyes flashed sending bone projectiles towards Toga with her reacting by dodging them with grace.

With a huff Izuku looked to her with a grin. ''Knife moves.'' He joked with a compliment, hoping to by some time to think of a plan as he recovered a bit while also trying to figure out what makes her tick.

She seemed surprise from the statement before letting out a laugh as she charged at him making Izuku internally grimace. ''Your pretty funny!'' she praised happily with an unsettling laugh as she threw another knife while running at him.

''Welp so much for that idea.'' Izuku thought as he dodged the thrown knife and jumped away again to distance himself from the villain. ''Does she ever tire?'' he asked in his mind as he observed how Toga didn't look tired despite the amount of times she swiped her knife at him. What further surprised him, was how happy she looked while doing it, although he could tell there was something wrong with it.

''Why are you so far away from me?'' She asked with concern before throwing her needles at Izuku, the latter dodging while mentally noting that she was out of knives to throw at him. ''Don't you want to get to know me better?'' she asked with an expectant look as her needles returned to her.

Izuku huffed from the question as he felt his strength leaving him with each passing moment. ''Yeah, but not like this.'' He thought to himself as he noted how her eyes remained glazed over despite her tone being cheerful. Which in turn increased his urge to find a way to help her if he's ever given the chance.

Toga wasn't bothered by the silence as she charged at Izuku again with a knife ready. Only this time the latter waited for her to get close before he charged 3% Full Cowl and quickly stepped to the side, surprising Toga in the process. Following up Izuku braced himself and charged 5% Full Cowl and quickly delivered a kick to the villain's stomach, effectively making her grunt in pain before being distanced from him.

Seeing this Izuku powered down and immediately felt the drawback as he felt lightheaded from the pain surging through him. ''Damn, not sure if I can do that again.'' he thought with grimace as he realized that going at 5% now is risky. Which meant that his power usage lowered even further.

Izuku then looked to Toga who looked rather dazed from the attack. ''Ok, she looks pretty out of it, which could help me-

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw a flash of light at the corner of his vision. Turning to the source he saw that Mister Compress appeared and dusted himself off with a grunt. ''Geez, kids these days are crazy.'' He complained as he made his way to Dabi who was still focused on trying to roast Shoji. While the latter and Todoroki continued avoiding attacks from their respective opponents.

Unfortunately, this all contributed to him not noticing a certain someone's approach.

''Gotcha Izuku~!'' a happy voice chirped.

[Song Stops]

Time seemed to slow down for a moment as with wide eyes Izuku turned to see Toga's manic expression from a foot away from him, looking ready to swipe her knife at any moment with her dull eyes wide with killer intent.

Time then sped up again as he took a step back, only for him to stumble as his leg gave out from the strain of it all. Fortunately, this served to save him from a swipe that would have fatally wounded him. But unfortunately, he didn't leave unscathed either as he found himself grunting in pain as Toga's knife managed to wound his exposed torso on the lower left up to the upper right.

His classmates saw this and wore expressions of pure horror. ''Midoriya!'' both teens exclaimed in worry before forcing themselves to focus on their opponents. Todoroki doubled his effort in encasing Twice in ice with an enraged expression while Shoji continued dodging Dabi's attacks, while looking for an opening to help Izuku.

Meanwhile Izuku landed on his back with a groan and immediately checked his wound, thanking that it didn't look deep, otherwise he wouldn't be around to tell the tale. ''Well, at least now I know where to use the spare medical wrap.'' He thought with a groan as he tried to sit up, only for him to immediately regret it as the pain from the wounds prevented him from moving further and caused him to let out pained sounds.

Before he could take a breather, Izuku let out a pained grunt as Toga suddenly pounced on him and straddled his chest. Effectively immobilizing him and causing his wounds to bleed more as it stained Toga's skirt. His eyes then flickered as he instinctively tried to teleport away which proved futile as his current state prevented him from doing so and caused him to let out more pained sounds.

Toga ignored this however and looked entranced by his weakly glowing eyes and his wounds. ''You have pretty eyes Izuku,'' she complimented before grinning manically. ''you just never cease to be interesting huh?'' she asked though already knowing the answer as she pulled out her knife. ''Now all you need to do is bleed more and we can become best friends~!'' she stated with excitement as she pointed her knife at Izuku's collarbone.

Despite the horrible position he's in, Izuku coughed before giving off a weak grin. ''I think we should start with being friends first.'' He suggested with a weak chuckle before letting out a pained grunt from the pressure of Toga's weight on his wounds. The latter taken aback in shock from his response, but before she could retort, something caught her attention that made her freeze in place.

More specifically his eyes.

Despite her attempts to kill him and successfully wounding him, his eyes still showed kindness within them. After all that, his eyes showed no form of ill will or any judgment within them that made her feel a surge of comfort and assurance that she hadn't felt in a long time. But when she noticed the pain in them (no doubt caused from his injured state) a hurricane of emotions stirred within her ranging from confusion, sadness, anger and….guilt?

But before she could decide on what to feel, she suddenly found herself knocked away by Shoji. The latter immediately looking to Izuku with a worried expression. ''Can you move Midoriya?'' he asked as he offered a hand to the determined teen.

''I can.'' Izuku responded before grunting as he was pulled to his feet. He then looked to Toga who settled on one knee and looked to the ground with a shocked expression. ''What happened to her?'' he asked in confusion, remembering how the villain hesitated for some reason. While Shoji used the moment to grab the spare medical wrap and hastily cover up Izuku's wound.

Meanwhile Toga continued looking to the ground in shock as she could still feel the hurricane of emotions within her. After a few moments she settled with anger as she looked to Izuku with an angered expression. ''What is wrong with you?'' she asked with frustration, evidently finding discomfort feeling the sudden surge of emotions.

Ignoring the irony of the question, Izuku merely shrugged. ''What? I mean….you're the one who offered to become friends.'' He reminded before smiling. ''I'm just telling you that I wouldn't mind.'' he stated sincerely getting shocked looks from Toga and Shoji. The latter wondering why Izuku is trying to become friends with a dangerous villain.

Shocked from the response, Toga then looked to Izuku with a curious expression. ''Your weird.'' She stated while trying her best to ignore the internal turmoil within her upon seeing his kind expression.

Hearing this, Izuku couldn't help but chuckle. ''Yeah,'' he agreed before grunting as Shoji secured the medical wrap. ''but then again…were all pretty weird at some point in our lives.'' He stated with a cheeky grin while Shoji continued to watch the interaction in shock and confusion.

Toga's lip twitched upward at that, but before she could respond, Dabi's voice made itself known. ''Oi Toga, stop playing around.'' he ordered lazily getting everyone to turn to him and see his bored expression. ''Besides, we already have what we came for.'' he stated before turning to Mister Compress. ''Right?'' he asked with an expectant look.

Compress immediately nodded at that. ''Of course.'' he stated before checking his pockets, only to immediately notice something odd. ''Huh?'' he exclaimed in confusion as he pulled out his pocket, revealing it to be empty. Getting shocked looks from everyone around him.

''Looking for these?''

Turning to the voice they saw Shoji holding up two marbles, he then turned to his classmates. ''Let's get out of here!'' he stated getting relieved nods from the two. Todoroki used his ice quirk to separate himself from Twice while Izuku gave Toga one last glance before running with his classmate. The latter looking to him with a thoughtful expression as he left.

But before they could even make good distance, they were forced to stop when Kurogiri materialized in front of them. ''Kurogiri!'' Izuku called out in shock while his classmates braced themselves for another fight. While they also noted that another Nomu made itself known from within the forest, said Nomu wore a shiny, purple helmet with two red visors and a metal gag.

The warp villain didn't seem to mind them though as he looked to the Vanguard Action Squad. ''It has been five minutes since the signal. It's time to go.'' He stated before creating portal beside each villain to use while he himself disappeared. Twice wasted no time as he dove into the portal, the Nomu mindlessly walked in while Toga was about to enter but stopped herself as she turned to Izuku, the latter giving her a pleading look, as if telling her not to enter that portal. Of which she found herself doing as she chose to stay and watch the interaction. With her teammates assuming that she was only there to make sure their job was done.

While this was happening, Compress was about to enter the portal until Dabi spoke up. ''Wait. Our goal isn't complete.'' He stated with an annoyed expression as he prepared to use his fire quirk, making the students tense.

Only to stop when Compress spoke up. ''Oh, that? They seemed so happy that they rushed out here, so I thought I'd give them a present.'' He stated getting shocked looks from the teens, while Izuku had a sinking feeling that made him pale. ''When I flaunt something, it's because there's something I don't want you to see.'' He stated as he took off his mask and revealed two marbles on his tongue. He then snapped his fingers, revealing that the marbles Shoji retrieved were merely pieces of ice from Todoroki's attacks.

''STOP!'' Izuku roared out as he and everyone else charged in for a desperate attempt to reclaim their classmates. But as they ran, a single laser beam emerged from the forest and struck Mister Compress's mask and forced him to drop the marbles. Turning to the forest they could make out the form of Aoyama, who was there for some reason.

Ignoring this, Izuku continued his charge towards the marbles, only for him to feel a surge of immense pain as his body was giving out on him, forcing him to fall to the ground. As he stumbled Shoji and Todoroki pushed down any urge to hep him in favor of rescuing their classmates.

Shoji was able to grab a hold of his, but Todoroki wasn't so lucky as the marble was grabbed Dabi who looked at them with a sadistic smirk. ''Too slow, Shoto Todoroki.'' He stated as the teen was forced to jump back as Dabi fired off his quirk. While Shoji and Izuku wore expression of horror, the latter shakily standing up while doing so, off to the side Toga felt her stomach churn upon seeing his state for some reason.

Ignoring everything, Dabi turned to Compress who looked angered at his moment being ruined. ''Confirm it now. Release this.'' He ordered while Compress grumbled before complying and disappearing into the portal.

The moment he did this, Shoji's marble lit up and transformed into Tokoyami while the one in Dabi's hand turned into Bakugou who was instantly shocked when he felt a hand on his neck and paled upon realizing where he was. Effectively making Todoroki, Shoji and Tokoyami paler than ghosts, the latter disoriented but was very aware of what was happening.

''LET HIM GO!''

Startled by the voice they turned to see a familiar yet very unfamiliar sight.

Standing there on his last legs is a battered Izuku who looked to Dabi with an expression of rage that their classmates have never seen him make before. Even Dabi looked intimidated as he noticed how Izuku stood tall despite the numerous injuries he sported. Meanwhile Toga, who was watching Izuku's expression turn into anger, felt her stomach churn further upon seeing this and yet she didn't know why still.

They were then taken aback when Izuku's eyes flared with intensity as green sparks emanated from him erratically. ''GIVE HIM BACK!'' he demanded in fury as he thrust his right hand forward making everyone tense. Dabi especially felt tense as he's never seen such rage before as he subconsciously started flaring up his quirk. While Bakugou could only look on in shock.

Only for them to be shocked further when Izuku's eyes started rapidly flickering as he fell to his knees while his power dispersed. ''No…! Not now!'' he pleaded as he began coughing while his body kept rapidly losing its strength. ''I…..need to save him!'' he thought as he continued to struggle with a pained expression as he gripped the ground. While everyone else looked on in shock but for different reasons.

Snapping out of it, Dabi spoke up as he deactivated his quirk. ''That's just sad,'' he taunted making Todoroki, Shoji and Tokoyami glare at him while Bakugou had to resist the urge to send him to hell since the villain had a secure grip on his neck. ''don't just start looking tough if you aren't going to do anything.'' He stated getting Izuku to look at him with angered but pained expression from his position while Toga felt a surge of anger go through her, but that was quickly overshadowed by a feeling of pity upon seeing Izuku struggle in vain.

''Shut up…'' Izuku growled back in a hoarse as his body continued to shake from his efforts to stand. While his classmates were forced to watch on in horror and silently plead for him to stop from hurting himself more. ''I…,'' he coughed before shakily planting one foot to the ground with a grunt. ''will never…!-

''Deku, don't.''

Freezing from the voice, Izuku slowly lifted his head up and turned his dim eyes to Bakugou. The latter wearing an expression of pain and anger from watching his struggles. ''K-Kacchan….?'' He called out in a weak voice laced with fear that made his classmates hearts clench while Toga felt sick from it.

Enduring the sight before him, Bakugou took a breather before speaking up. ''Just stop it.'' He ordered in frustration before slightly turning his head to glare the villain. ''Are you going to take me in or what?'' he challenged with an expression of hatred. While his classmates felt their hearts stop from the statement and the implications behind it.

Dabi briefly looked surprised but quickly hid it as he went back to his usual expression. ''You don't even have to ask.'' He stated before bringing them both into the portal as he looked to Izuku with a victorious expression while Bakugou closed his eyes and looked angered by his fate. In the meantime, Toga gave Izuku one last glance of pity before she too left the area.

All the while Izuku and everyone else looked on in a frozen state of shock as the villains disappeared with Bakugou in their hands. They were so shocked that Todoroki, Shoji and Tokoyami didn't notice the approach of Ochako and Tsuyu. ''Guys!'' she called out getting the three boys to slowly turn to her and upon seeing their expressions, Ochako and Tsuyu instantly paled.

Wordlessly the three boys turned to Izuku, prompting Ochako and Tsuyu to turn as well. Instantly they felt their hearts break upon seeing Izuku remain motionless in his current position as he continued looking ahead with a blank expression, as if he was trying to comprehend the events that happened up to this moment.

After cautiously taking a step forward, Ochako spoke up. ''D-Deku?'' she called out in a worried and fearful tone while everyone else slowly walked up with her. All of them worried for both Izuku's health and how he would react from it all considering that he was the one who is more determined to save Bakugou more than any of them.

Moments passed and Izuku remained unresponsive as he continued looking ahead with a blank expression. Just before they were about to check on him, his mind rebooted as it proceeded to comprehend the situation. And upon looking at his face…they could see it morph into silent horror as the painful realization dawned unto him.

They….failed. Despite all that effort, all the pain they endured and all the fear that everyone experienced. He barely registered the voices of his classmates as his breathing became more erratic while tears slowly formed in his eyes from the weight of it all.

Combined with his increasing fatigue and the pain of all his injuries catching up with him, there was only one thing he could do…

He screamed.

---

WITH THE PROS

''Gah!'' Tiger shouted in pain as he found himself knocked away from blocking a quick kick from Nomu. The latter roaring in fury before fighting more earth constructs made by Pixie Bob while said pro forced herself to ignore her injured teammate in favor of making more earth creatures.

''Tiger!'' Mandalay called out in worry before dodging swings from the furious Nomu with Aizawa backing her up as he directed attacks away from her and onto him instead. Despite being able to erase the Nomu's quirk, it did little to change the situation due to the Nomu's mutation heritage and natural strength.

So due to this, Aizawa and everyone decided to redirect the Nomu's attention away from Pixie Bob as she created stronger constructs to try and strike a blow on the Nomu's brain. This proved difficult however due to the creatures seemingly unlimited stamina as it continued fighting on with ferocity while the pros slowly felt themselves growing weary from the long fight.

After tumbling for a bit, Tiger grunted as he slowly picked himself off the ground. ''I'm fine! Just focus on the fight!'' he stated as he gripped his bruised arms while the pros complied and focused on the fight.

Aizawa grunted as he ducked from a quick swing from the Nomu while he kept his quirk trained on the creature. Seeing this the Nomu roared as it raised all four arms to smash Eraserhead while the latter reacted by quickly jumping out of the way as the Nomu's fists crashed into the ground creating a smoke could, much to the pro's chagrin. ''I've lost sight of him!'' he called out as he tried to clear the smoke away from his vision while everyone else paled upon realizing that the Nomu had a moment to access its quirks now.

There fears grew when the smoke cleared, revealing that the Nomu was nowhere to be seen.

From his position Tiger voiced out everyone's question. ''Where-UGH!'' his question was interrupted when he suddenly found himself being lifted off the ground by a large hand gripping on his skull, said hand started squeezing making Tiger scream while the pro's paled from the sight.

''No!'' Pixie Bob screamed in horror as she sent whatever earth creatures were available while Mandalay and Eraserhead charged in to rescue the pro. The latter increasing his speed as he instantly kept his quirk on the Nomu. While this was happening, Tiger grunted as he desperately smacked at the monster's hand but to no avail as the Nomu merely growled in annoyance as it slowly increased his grip drawing out more screams of pain.

But just before the Nomu could finished the job, he suddenly dropped the pro before turning around and walking away. After a few steps a black portal appeared in front of him and transported him away. All the while, Aizawa and Pixie Bob looked on in shock as Mandalay checked on Tiger who looked to where the Nomu once stood in shock.

''H-He…left?'' Pixie Bob stated with relief and confusion as she slowly calmed down and helped Mandalay support Tiger by putting his arm over her shoulder. While the latter and Mandalay mimicked her expression.

Aizawa hummed in affirmative as he calmed himself once he was sure the area is clear. ''Yeah.'' He stated simply before looking down with a confused expression. ''But why would-'' he stopped himself as his eyes slowly widened in realization. ''No…'' he exclaimed in disbelief and horror upon coming to one horrifying conclusion. While the pros looked to him confusion for a bit before they instantly paled as they came to the same conclusion he did.

After swallowing, Pixie Bob hesitatingly spoke up. ''T-That would mean-

''Don't think about it right now.'' Aizawa interrupted with a hint of anger in his voice silencing them. he then looked Pixie Bob with a deathly serious expression. ''Right now, you need to take Tiger back to the camp and let him rest. Afterwards, search the forest and see if any more students are trapped in there while Mandalay and I find Midoriya.'' He ordered with a no-nonsense tone that silenced Tiger's protests of being brought back to the camp when he could help.

Seeing that there was no room for argument, Pixie Bob nodded with a serious expression as she used her quirk to make a creature for Tiger to lie down on and started making their way back to the lodge. Leaving Aizawa and Mandalay behind, the latter looking at the Eraser hero with a worried expression as he faced his back towards her.

After a few moments of silence, Mandalay was about to speak up when Aizawa beat her to it. ''Tell everyone that the villains retreated.'' He ordered in a grim tone that nearly made Mandalay flinch.

Mandalay sighed before nodding somberly as she prepared to use her quirk. ''Should I inform them about…'' she trailed off, unable to complete her sentence but both knew who she was referring to.

''No.'' Aizawa stated getting a surprised look from her. ''I'll tell them myself.'' he added without turning around but Mandalay had a pretty good idea of what his expression must be at the moment considering that he just lost one of his students.

Understanding his intentions, Mandalay nodded as she prepared to use her quirk with a saddened expression. ''I'm sorry Midoriya.'' She thought to herself as she could only imagine how devastated the teen must be after everything he went through.

---

REMEDIAL ROOM

''Attention all students! The villains have retreated! I repeat! The villains have retreated!''

Upon hearing the news, the students let out a cheer while off to the side, Vlad noticed something in Mandalay's tone and paled before heading out to assist his fellow pros.

''They did it!'' Sato cheered getting voices of agreement to join him.

Iida nodded as he looked to his fellow classmates. ''As expected of the pros!'' he cheered with confidence as everyone settled down and voiced out their agreement. Kota especially cheered the loudest as he celebrated Izuku's victory, much to everyone's amusement.

''Damn…,'' Kirishima exclaimed with a relieved chuckle as he relaxed on his seat. ''remind me to owe Midoriya for….'' He trailed off as he noticed Mina looking down with a worried expression. ''What's wrong?'' he asked in concern as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Mina was silent for a bit before looking to him with the same expression. ''I'm just worried about Izuku.'' She stated with sincerity and worry evident in her voice before looking to the window.

Now understanding the problem, Kirishima nodded in understanding before giving her a reassuring smile. ''I'm sure the little guy is fine.'' he assured getting her attention. ''I mean you heard Mandalay, the villains retreated, which means Midoriya fought them and won.'' He stated optimistically getting Mina to think about it before nodding and giving him a small smile.

Satisfied with the response, Kirishima stood up and joined his fellow classmates, completely missing how Mina frowned again as she looked down with a worried expression as she tried to come to terms with her friend's words.

He's right, the heroes fought and managed to drive away the villains empty handed. Bakugou is in safe hands and Izuku managed to win it all with his will and determination. Despite everything horrible that happened, the villains lost and the heroes won the day. The end.

So why did she feel a pain in her chest despite this?

While this was happening, Todoroki and the rest are on their way with an unconscious Izuku on the bicolored teen's back. All of them wearing expressions varying from dread, despair and sorrow. For they were not able to save one of their own and for also being unwilling witnesses to seeing Izuku Midoriya, the kindest person they have ever met, the person who could put everyone at ease with his smiles and puns.

The strongest and by far the most determined person in the entire class….

Break down in anguish and despair for his failure.

---

Author's Notes:

1. Phew this one was a tough one to write so I apologize for the delay. As to why the chapter is so long, I decided to finish the arc here so that you guys/gals wouldn't have to wait too long. And if I find anything wrong with the chapter, such as spelling and sentence errors I'll be sure to fix them. XD

2. For those who are confused as to why Todoroki isn't carrying Kosei Tsuburaba like in cannon. I decided to not add it and instead place him with his fellow unconscious classmates to make things easier to write.

3. Also NO, this isn't going to be a harem story. Get your mind out of the gutter! XD

Thank you again for reading!

PLUS ULTRA!