The cheers were louder than before, to the point that Kyoka felt overwhelmed. Once the adrenalin had worn off, and the strange feeling in her chest had subsided… nothing was left.

The tension had left her body, and she stood on the stage waiting for the announcement with shaking legs. All Might appeared in all his glory, giving her a nod as he approached the microphone holding three medals. The cheers grew louder still.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" All Might said. "Thank you for joining us today. Though all students have fought valiantly and proved what made them excellent applicants for U.A., I have only three medals to hand out for the finalists. For those who have gone far above and beyond plus ultra, this is one of the many ways U.A. honors the efforts of those who work hard to be pillars that we can rely on. Young Iida!"

The boy's back straightened. "Yes, sir!"

"Third place overall. Congratulations." All Might led him to the prepared podium and hung the bronze medal around his neck. "I know your brother is proud of you. I hope you are too."

Iida's face twitched, but Kyoka could see a smile form on his lips. "Thank you, sir."

All Might nodded, patting the boy on the shoulder before continuing. "Young Kirishima."

Kirishima walked up to the second place on the podium and let All Might hang the silver medal around his neck. He looked too tired to say anything, still, but his smile told them everything they needed to know. All Might nodded at him and ruffled his spiky hair when the boy's gaze lowered to the medal around his neck.

"And finally," All Might said, turning around to Kyoka. The first to cheer the loudest was Izuko, sitting in the stands next to Hawks. The rest of the crowd drowned her out with their own clapping and thunderous voices. "Young Jirou."

Kyoka walked up to him with stiff legs. The podium to the first place was a bit higher than she could climb without some effort, but Kirishima and Iida both stretched out their hands and helped her up. She accepted gracefully, only stumbling for a short second when she turned around, and smiled widely, her eyes meeting Izuko's.

Hawks, too, was giving her a thumbs up and a nod, which was about as much as she could expect from him. Endeavor was pacing up and down the top of the stands, a phone in hand.

Her focus was brought back to the ceremony when All Might put a gold medal around her neck. It felt much heavier than it should.

"You will go far," All Might said. "Good job, young Jirou."

Kyoka wasn't sure what to do with her hands, so she hugged All Might out of reflex. He patted her back, smiling for the cameras. The sound in his chest was hollower now, and every breath he took made it weaker.

Todoroki wasn't sure why. He hadn't stayed until the end of the festival. The second he had forfeited, his legs took him out of the arena and towards the train station. His stop was one he had passed often, and never dared to step out at. The institution, because it could not reasonably be called a hospital, was a short walk away from there.

It certainly looked like a hospital. The reception hall was neat and tidy. Few people were here at this hour, many of them were likely watching the sports festival from home, and those that were working looked busy enough that nobody paid any attention to him. At least until he walked up to the receptionist's desk, where an elderly man was signing some papers.

"Ah, are you the reinforcement?" he asked. Todoroki blinked, then looked down. He had his costume still on, of course. He had forgotten to change before all but running from the school grounds. His worry about his father catching him had made him rush.

"Reinforcement?" Todoroki asked. The old man raised an eyebrow.

"Sir Nighteye has requested a police and hero presence on the fourth floor- ah, but I shouldn't be telling you that," the elderly man fumbled around a bit. "I apologize, what were you here for?"

"I'm… Shouto Todoroki," he introduced himself. "Here to visit my mother and my brother."

"Of course, that makes more sense. I did think you looked a bit young to be a hero," the man said, nodding. He moved his hand over to a display and typed something on the screen. After a moment, he looked up with a frown. "Your mother is on the fourth floor. Your brother has left the facility-"

Todoroki didn't listen to much else before rushing up the flights of stairs to the fourth floor. The old man was a bit too chatty. If his brother had left, that meant he had escaped. Why would nobody inform him? Did Endeavor know?

He was out of breath when he arrived on the fourth floor, and his rush down to his mother's room was stopped by a thin hand that grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.

Owner of said hand was Best Jeanist, the Number Four Pro Hero on the charts. He was in costume, jeans jacket with a collar higher than his nose on top, and jeans for his pants. Todoroki coughed.

Best Jeanist was glaring up at him as he held him against the wall so easily that it made Todoroki feel like a manhandled child. "State your business."

"My mother," Todoroki choked out. "Is she safe?"

"Mother?" Best Jeanist asked. Another one joined the fray. A man with a killer whale head put a hand on Best Jeanist's shoulders and stopped him. Todoroki knew him as Gang Orca, another top hero.

"That's her kid," Gang Orca said. "Let him down."

Best Jeanist did as instructed, slowly lowering Todoroki to the ground and giving him a once over. "Apologies. We're currently protecting your mother due to an apparent risk. You're free to visit her."

"What-" Todoroki started, choking on air. He had rushed up the stairs too fast. "What risk? Is it my brother?"

Best Jeanist and Gang Orca shared a look. Todoroki could already tell it wasn't about Dabi. If he had any intention of hurting their mother, he would have done so during his escape. No, Todoroki was quite aware of his brother's obsession. They shared it, after all.

It wasn't like some quirkless villain could do much in a hospital with people that had quirks.

"There's an arrest warrant out for your father," a voice cut in. Todoroki turned around. A less familiar face, but one very easy to recognize for any die-hard All Might fan. Sir Nighteye, older now than his pictures from the All Might agency, stood tall and imposing. His glasses reflected the indoor lights. "Your brother has shared… recordings, of various kinds, taken in secret in your home."

Todoroki frowned. That wasn't what he had expected, and yet somehow exactly what made sense given the circumstances. "Those charges won't stick."

"I doubt they will," Sir Nighteye said. "And people in charge fear what he might do if we revoke his license. Regardless of whether he stands trial or not, his reputation will be ruined. We're turning an icon into a villain, and we can't say for certain he wouldn't lash out."

Todoroki wasn't sure how he felt about that. There were many words to describe this situation, and very few were as appropriate. It was not something he was trained for.

He settled on nodding.

"Where's her room?"

Touya Todoroki was not someone with a lot of patience. He could act cool, but only for so long before he defaulted back to setting the world ablaze..

He found his target in the dark streets of Tokyo, down the way of a ward that was practically dead at this time of night. All For One was not stupid, he knew that there was a possibility that someone could betray him at any point. This translated to an elaborate scheme in which there were certain places set up of which some people in the League had no information on.

Izuko Midoriya would, for example, had never known about the cellar of a bar tucked into a corner so close to the train station that it might as well have been main street.

He only had to dodge a single knife thrown his way when he walked down the stairs.

"Hey there, cutie," Himiko Toga greeted him with a smile that would make any vampire jealous. "I don't think I've seen you around."

"You haven't," Dabi said, one of his hands coming up to brush through his hair. Blue flames danced on his fingertips as he reached out for the knife that had lodged itself in the wall and pulled it out. "I suppose it's an unfamiliar face."

"Dabi?" Toga asked, blinking. It was the first time he had seen her genuinely surprised. Dabi grinned. "Dabi!"

She jumped at him and wrapped her limbs around his torso. He very purposefully avoided his arms getting pinned down, moving the knife so she bit, giggling, into the metal instead of his neck.

"That was and remains a terrible greeting," Dabi said. "I've got my quirk back, and I've got some business. Where the fuck is Shigaraki?"

Toga let go, landing on her feet and spinning around, showing off her new uniform she must have stolen off someone. She slipped the knife back into her sleeve so quick he almost missed it. "He'll be here soon. Did you see the U.A. sports festival? Your brother was attending."

"I was busy," Dabi said. He found the remote on one of the tables and turned the TV on. Rather than the results of the Sports Festival, the news were showing nothing but Endeavor's face on every channel. "I've dealt with my shit. I know you've been chasing the Princess, any success?"

"No." Toga's shoulders sagged. "I thought she hadn't changed, but I think she did. She forfeited in a fight after her girlfriend nearly got skewered, it was kind of embarrassing."

"Funny," Dabi said, not finding it in him to smile. "I could've sworn she was the bitch who always told us people can't change."

"And they don't," a voice echoed from above the stairs. "No matter how much you hide your true nature, in the end you always remain the same twisted piece of shit underneath."

"I didn't ask you, Shigaraki," Dabi said, turning around. The filthy young man with pale hair and red eyes looked almost happy to see him again. His filthy grin made Dabi want to burn him down. His fingers twitched. Flames sparked out. "I'm here to make an announcement."

"Oho?" Shigaraki said, stepping down the stairs. "I see your quirk's back, so you're here to join again?"

"I'd rather suck off my father than come back to this hell house," Dabi said. Toga made a somewhat disgusted noise. Dabi would count that as success. "All For One betrayed me."

"You can't betray your loyal subjects," Shigaraki said, raising his hands to the side in an exaggerated shrug. "You lost a bet."

"I lost a fight," Dabi said. "The bet was she would get a quirk for beating me, not that she would get my quirk. But that matters little, I don't care about you and your bastard teacher."

Shigaraki managed to hold himself back from screeching about insulting 'Sensei' right there, but only barely. Dabi could see the snarl form on his lips. He could see his hands itching to grab something and decay it.

"I'm going to go after her, and I want none of you retards getting in my way."

"You're not in a position to make demands," Shigaraki said. Dabi chuckled.

"Let me be clear here," Dabi said, raising his hand. Flames danced on his now unmarred skin. "This isn't me asking nicely. I know you think you're untouchable because of All For One, but you and me both know that you're nothing without him. You touch her, I will kill you."

"Funny," Shigaraki said, his dirty grin turned grotesque. The handprint on his face was almost glowing like a fresh wound. "It almost sounds like you're threatening me."

Shigaraki reached out.

Toga moved back to watch.

Dabi sent flames into every direction.

It was the black sludge and mist of Kurogiri that stopped the fight before it began. The man appeared at the bar, unconcerned about the lashing out, and poured everyone a drink.

"He's free to go," Kurogiri said. "Sensei's orders."

"What about the Princess?" Shigaraki asked, glaring at Kurogiri as the black mist held his hands far from where they could do damage. The flames must have been sent out of the bar.

"Make it a competition, he doesn't care," Kurogiri said. "There are more important things at hand than your childish feuds."

Yeah, Dabi thought. His childish feud.

Chapter 23, upcoming:

"He's offering assistance."

"What kind of assistance? And for what purpose?"

"All For One is… weakened. His recovery has not gone well. He knows the locations of various safe houses and can narrow down the ones where All For One is hiding. All he wants is some leniency."

"A pardon?" All Might asked, his fingers twitching. The flame was flickering, but it was still strong. He would have another six months before his quirk vanished.

"No," Sir Nighteye said, sounding almost confused. "A fight."