The Reflection in the Viridescent Mirror

Chapter Twelve

{}

The Apex of an Anthill

{}

Toru couldn't believe her ears. After leaving the auditorium, she couldn't find the other 1-A girls anywhere near the restroom. Before turning around and giving up, she overheard Katsuki and Denki talking among themselves as they walked to the auditorium, wondering aloud where Izuku and the girls ran off to finish their make-out session.

Make-out session?

She walked briskly in the opposite direction of the two boys, retracing their steps with an educated guess. Sure enough, her path lead her to the men's room. From there, she scanned about to see if there were any clues.

The lit hallways almost made her miss it, but the other classrooms were dark. One stood out, the only one with light emanating from the door-window leading to the halls. Toru crept towards the door, driven by an instinct that forewarned her that whatever was happening in there was something secret, something she wasn't meant to see.

Screw that, Toru said to herself. She needed to find out what was going on.

Toru stooped low to ensure her uniform wouldn't be visible, allowing her to peer inside without being seen.

What Toru saw boggled her senses. Why was Ochako crying? Why was Kyoka holding hands with Izuku? A storm of questions surged through Toru's mind, but the biggest one that bellowed louder than the rest was this: Why am I the only one left out?

She stood to the side and knocked, not wanting to give the appearance of spying despite have done just that. When Mina opened the door, Toru decided to make her objections known, though.

"Um, everyone's wondering where you all went," Toru said shyly, hoping that her voice didn't carry too much of her pain, her sense of abandonment. "What's going on? Why are you all here? Is there a reason I'm the only girl in class that was left out?"

"Oh, Hagakure," Ochako said after wiping her eyes. "We're sorry. We were in such a rush that we didn't think to stop and tell you what's going on."

"Midoriya's possessed by the memories in the stone," Tsuyu broke in to say, her words hitting Toru like a truck. Despite Toru's inability to show how confused she was with a facial expression, the frog girl still read her like a book. "I know, it's confusing, but the big takeaway is that this isn't the boy we all know anymore."

"Wait. What?" Toru's heartbeat accelerated like a rabbit fleeing a wolf. "Is this permanent?"

"No! No, it's not," Ochako said, but her tone sounded more desperate than confident in her answer. "We have to help him wake up, and to do that, he has to have faith that all of us are ready to face what's coming."

"The enemy will come," Izuku interrupted, his voice lower than Toru remembered. Calm, yet grim, he sounded more like an adult than the hope-filled classmate she remembered. "No matter how much we prepare, we'll never defeat them, but we can hold them off until help arrives."

Mina's lower lip trembled. "Those ape-things? Those are coming here?"

Izuku's eyes looked at Mina with something close to pity. "I wish that was all that was coming here."

Throughout this conversation, Izuku hadn't let go of Kyoka's hand. The tomboy's eyes wandered off to a corner of the room while her face flushed crimson with conflicting emotions that danced before Toru's eyes. "So, what does this all have to do with Jiro and Midoriya holding hands?" the invisible girl asked.

"I volunteered to train with him before he puts anyone else through," Kyoka stopped, choking on her words.

"Kyoka's going to help me train Deku's body and mind while enduring the same treatment," Izuku said before drawing Kyoka's hand to his lips, lightly grazing the back of her hand with his mouth. It was barely a kiss, but the girls watched with mixtures of outrage and fascination, least of all Kyoka. "We decided to shake hands on it," he said with a smirk, letting Kyoka's hand go.

"I see," Toru said, not seeing at all. Izuku's words just confused her more.

"Hey," Mina said, placing her hand on Toru's shoulder. "Come sit next to me. We'll get you caught up in no time at all, alright?" She gave the invisible girl a wide grin, full of happy-go-lucky confidence.

With that, the group moved back into the hallway, with Izuku holding the door to let the girls precede him. After they advanced far enough that Toru was sure he couldn't hear her, she quietly sought more answers from Mina. "So, are Jiro and Midoriya a thing, now?"

Mina inhaled through her teeth before answering. "I think Jiro is trying to stop Yaoyorozu from doing anything stupid. The two of them hung back and talked a bit in the hall after our class rep kissed Midori in the boy's room. It's a long story."

"Wow, I missed a lot," Toru said, her mind tumbling over these new facts. "This is all so crazy. Is that why Uraraka was crying?" She looked over her shoulder to watch Ochako and Tsuyu walk together, consoling each other with their mutual support.

"No," Mina said sadly. "She's worked up that Midori's mind got locked down under this other Izuku. The two of them aren't alike. It's amazing how different they are from each other."

"It was shocking to find out that the other one started out Quirkless before the aliens captured him," Toru mused. "That probably shaped his personality differently. Does he seem temperamental, an angry person at all?"

Even though Toru didn't turn her eyes back to look at him, she felt Izuku walking far behind the rest of their group, his eyes causing goosebumps to rise on her neck whenever they passed over her.

"No, oh no, not at all," Mina said. "If I had to describe him, I'd say he's determined, but," she paused. "Playful, I'd call it playful."

Even though the other girl couldn't see it, Toru raised her eyebrow. Knowing she had to emote with her body, she leaned a bit and asked for clarification. "What do you mean by playful?"

Mina scratched behind her head. "Well, he takes the threat coming here seriously, but he still takes time to flirt and tease all of us," she said. "Sometimes, I think he does it because he likes watching us blush. He's never pushed anything past a certain line, but none of us are sure where the line is."

That got Toru's attention. "Wait, it's the guy teasing the girls? All the girls? What? How?"

Mina exhaled a long sigh. "I've never seen anyone with this much confidence. He's more certain of himself than Bakugou, that's for sure. It's like he has nothing to prove because he's already proven everything. Talking to him feels like you're talking to a rock star having a casual chat with his fans. Oh, and he knows things about us, all of us. Did I mention that he's way older than us? I mean, he's married to three of us in that other world, and," Mina never got to finish.

"He's what?" Toru asked loudly. She hushed herself. "Why didn't you lead with that? That's a huge fact, not a minor detail! Which three?"

Mina bit her lip, unable to look at Toru straight on. "Oh, um, he's married to Uraraka, Yaoyorozu, and," she paused, looking away as if she caught sight of a butterfly that needed her attention.

"Who?" Toru pressed.

"Me," Mina whispered her emotions of disbelief, curiosity, and embarrassment dancing across her face, shifting her face to never conform to just one expression. "He's married to me. We have kids. All of us."

Toru shifted from curious to concerned. "Ashido," she said. "That's a lot to take in, and it doesn't impact me the same as it does you. Are you alright?"

Mina smiled for Toru's benefit. The invisible girl could tell. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Come on. Everyone must be waiting for us." With that, Mina picked up her pace, fast-walking ahead of the group. Toru decided to keep pace, but this new stride cut their conversation short as they entered the auditorium.

Toru sat next to Mina, both girls out of breath. The other four girls from 1-A joined them. Seated in a bloc, Toru finally saw just how much in the periphery she was before searching for them. That hurt.

Izuku entered the auditorium last. As the entire school watched him approach the projector, Toru studied him. His stride, his expression, everything felt different. His shoulders were held back, his back straight, and his eyes didn't waver nervously at all. Despite the warning that he was not the same boy she knew, but a man in the boy's body, she was still surprised when he grabbed a microphone to address the gathered student body and pro-Hero guests.

"Everyone, I need to warn you," he said, scanning across the crowd. "The upcoming segment is graphicly violent. Please be prepared for that," he said before returning the microphone to the podium he borrowed it from and sitting next to Hatsume Mei at the projector.

"Oh," Toru breathed. "He didn't warn us earlier when those things appeared," she remarked.

"That means things are about to get worse," Mina said, neither of them believing things could get much worse, not with All Might on the scene.

"Indeed, they are," Midnight assured Mina and the rest of the girls as she leaned in behind them. Toru felt her spine go stiff when Midnight's tone got icy. "After tonight's viewing, I expect you all to have a very entertaining story for me, one that explains why all of you entered together with Midoriya and why none of you were anywhere near the ladies' restroom. Please look forward to it."

Toru bit her lip, wondering if she chose the wrong time to get herself included with her female classmates. There wasn't time to ponder it, though, as the projector roared to life and the mirror at the front of the auditorium lit up to pick up where things left off before.

{}

All Might barely had time to take in the situation once he landed on the roof. He could scarcely perceive that the other heroes were still breathing, but they were each completely unconscious and had multiple burns and lacerations from the close-range explosions from earlier. What was worse were the multiple enemy combatants he'd have to get through to attempt a rescue. He wouldn't be able to get a single hero to safety before taking out the entire enemy squad. If it were just the large ape-like creatures, that wouldn't necessarily be a problem.

However, their commanding officer was a significant threat, the kind he'd only encountered several times before in his life. Her ability to summon explosions did not seem to be limited in range. If her weaponry at her hips were any indication, she was also a formidable close combat opponent. Perhaps he could overpower her with his strength, he hoped.

"You are the one called All Might, correct?" she asked, forcing him to refocus from analyzing her combat abilities to studying her face. Her blood-red eyes had no pupils, no whites, but instead, as he looked deeper, he saw beyond the red of her eyes to catch a glimpse of stars across a crimson sky. The warrior-woman smiled at him, revealing that her teeth were all sharpened canines made of iron. She was beautiful, not in a conventional sense, but how a bird of prey is as it swoops for a kill, a marvel of natural and indifferent killing efficiency.

"I am," he spoke sternly, standing up straight. He briefly hoped a negotiation could take place.

{}

"How can she not know who All Might is? He's All Might!" Denki complained.

"She's from another planet, dumbass," Katsuki sighed. "We got briefed on this, remember?"

"Dude," Eijiro butted in with a toothy smirk. "Spoiler alert." The remark earned a few chuckles.

Sero looked around, wondering why Toru wasn't sitting next to them. He turned and saw her sitting with the other girls, all of them bunched together. First, their group lost Mina and now Toru. Add that to the arousing-yet-strange show in the bathroom earlier, and Sero was utterly confused.

"Eyes front," Aizawa said with a sigh.

Toshinori leaned forward, studying the woman intently. He narrowed his eyes, assessing just how much a threat she could be.

"Zero out of ten, would not bone," Minoru complained while leaning on his hand, propping himself up on his elbow. "I want the hot purple chick back."

Everyone ignored his remark.

"Eyes like that seem unnatural, which is saying a lot in a world with Quirks," Shoto observed. "I wonder if she has a vision-altering Quirk."

"They twinkle, but not in a good way," Yuga said.

"At least the enemy villains are equal opportunity villains, I guess," Kyoka mumbled while holding Momo's hand.

On the other side of the room, Nezu didn't say anything as he scribbled notes out rapidly.

{}

"Good. Command your squad to break off their attack, and you will all be allowed to retreat. Resume your hostilities, and we will no longer hold back. Your ignorance will no longer be an excuse to let you all live." Her accent, while thick, did nothing to hide her contempt. She wanted him to ignore her words, to attack her, giving her the excuse she needed to kill him. Her eyes flared with killing intent, the kind reserved for pests. He imagined she wanted him dead just for daring to even be on this roof with her.

All Might possessed years of training for hostage negotiations, so he knew enough that despite the thinly veiled promise of peace, her choice of words troubled him. Still, he hoped to buy time for the Support team to bring in backup. "Our attack? Do you mean the rescue operation?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Do not honey your words. You blatantly sought to encase the Prince's Chrysalis in your primitive mortar. You arranged transportation for the Prince and sought to break open the Chrysalis once you finished abducting him. I will never allow this." She leveled the words at him the way he had thrown the crimes of many villains back in their faces.

All Might ground his teeth against each other. Did she believe that he and the other heroes were aggressors here?

Despite his internal objection, her choice of words revealed a litany of questions for him. Chrysalis? Prince? Could their intention towards the young man be more than malicious, perhaps benign? He dealt with abductions before, where the kidnappers honestly believed the child in their custody was better off with them. Rarely were they right. However, if their motivation was even partially benign, he might be able to use that. "The Shell behind you is giving off dangerous amounts of radiation, and the building below us will eventually collapse under the weight of the Shell. It's dangerous to let it rest here on the rooftop."

With barely a shrug, she dismissed his worries. "The power of Ligier is toxic to lesser beings such as humans, but that is not my concern. The Prince is my charge, and the Chrysalis falls under my protection. It shall not move, nor be moved by the likes of you." Even through her thick foreign accent, the imperious nature of her words was undeniable. This woman wholly expected obedience, thoroughly used to giving orders.

{}

"So, they are upgrading him," Fumikage observed. "It wasn't just a line to lure him in. Even after ensnaring him, they still call Midoriya a Prince."

"So far, we don't have an explanation for why they're fixated on him, though," Mezo said, speaking briefly through his mask.

"Still, the word Chrysalis is a clue," Shoto observed. "It tells us that the word Prince might be more than an honorific to them. They're likely giving him a powerful Quirk."

Katsuki snorted. "That bitch just gave All Might an order. Yeah, she's about to find out how far her face can go into orbit," he said, relishing the upcoming spectacle of violence that Midoriya warned them about before starting the video. Warning? Hah, to Katsuki, that was a promise of a good time.

"Wait, so the monsters aren't trying to kill the heroes? They're waiting on her orders before they step things up?" Eijiro leaned forward. "Um, that's not good. They've got the heroes scrambling, and they're not even trying their hardest."

The other boys near them paused at Eijiro's observation before turning to observe the other heroes in the audience. Many of them stared at the screen with anxious expressions. Yeah, Eijiro thought, they caught that too.

"Wait, did All Might just say radiation?" Denki asked. "I forgot about that."

"Yeah," Sero said. "I forgot, too."

"Strap some lead to your balls and kick some ass, All Might," Katsuki said a bit louder than his teachers liked. The comment earned a few chuckles and a few hoots of encouragement across the auditorium.

All Might was on the scene. Everyone's spirits were high.

{}

"I wonder why there are stars in her eyes," Nejire spoke rapidly. "Oh, a Chrysalis, so that's what that is! I wonder if he's molting inside. Do you think he's physically changing in there? Are they genetically modifying him? Maybe they're giving Midoriya a Quirk! But wait," she paused. "How would that help them? Maybe they have a way of controlling him after they're modified him!"

Mirio and Tamaki shrugged and smiled at each other as Nejire rattled off even more questions between them.

"Radiation?" she asked, her tone shifting to worry. "Do you think that's to break down Midoriya's original genetic code so that they can replace it? Do you think the heroes will be alright with so much exposure?"

{}

"So, you like the new Deku?" Ochako whispered to Momo. The two were next to each other, flanked by Tsuyu next to Ochako and Kyoka next to Momo, with Mina and Toru sitting beyond Tsuyu's seat.

"What? Well," Momo hesitated.

"I overheard you and Jiro. It's alright, I get it," Ochako said quietly, bottling up her feelings. "He's still got the same cute face that caught my eye, but I prefer Deku, our Deku."

Kyoka huffed while crossing her arms, glancing down from the mirror-screen to glare at the back of Izuku's head. As far as he was, down there at the front of the room, he still seemed present, like he was right next to them. "He used to be clumsy, with a heart bigger than his brain. Now, though, it feels like he's pulling our strings."

Momo offered Kyoka a smile before she laid a hand over Ochako's. "He's confident, and he doesn't reveal a lot about himself, but he can't hide that he's far more sophisticated than any man I've ever met. No matter how I feel, though, I want to help get our Midoriya back in control. Agreed?"

Ochako gave Momo's fingers a gentle squeeze. "Agreed," she said, sealing their pact.

Kyoka pouted. "You're falling too fast for him, Yaoyorozu," she pointed out. "He suddenly doesn't stutter, and he seems more grown-up. So what? Why does that have you so off balance?"

Momo smirked while squeezing Ochako's hand. "I'm not sure. Why does he have you off balance, Jiro?"

Kyoka turned as if to bite out a sharp reply but said nothing, instead clamping her mouth shut and stewing internally, blushing up a storm.

Talking about present problems and complicated emotions helped them endure the anxiety inspired by the film. They and the other girls watched tensely, not liking the sound of things. Watching Izuku trapped in a radiation hazard was nerve-wracking for all of them, especially Momo and Ochako. Add hostile aliens to the mix, and you had a row of young women on edge.

{}

All Might could see this was going nowhere. But still, if he could buy more time for other heroes to arrive, then his numerical disadvantage would be relieved. "If I may be so bold, my lady… you have me at a severe disadvantage. You know my name, but I do not know yours." The politeness of his voice was thick. Hopefully, she wouldn't detect his speech's forced nature due to this not being her first language.

To his surprise, it was one of the massive creatures that spoke up. His voice bellowed out between giant teeth. "You address She Who Stands in the Threshold. She is Sondok, Warden Deva of Ligier the Green Sun, Guardian of the Treasure Forges of Malfeas, Mother Commander of the Erymanthoi, and Veteran Godslayer of the Traitor Wars. You will show her the respect she is due." The creature beat his chest with a single upraised first after his introductory speech. A clamorous ring of metal on metal rung out as gauntlet met breastplate. It was not the mindless gesture of an animal, but a single punctuated act. The message was clear: show our commander respect, or we will kill you.

Sondok, the lady in question, raised a pacifying palm towards the creature. She uttered words for his benefit in their native language that All Might had no hope of understanding. This was not Japanese, Chinese, English… it wasn't even recognizable enough to identify what continent the language was from. A strange fear crept inside of him. Her curious words began to click into place. Humans, she used the word humans.

Were these creatures next to her human? Did they share a Quirk that transformed them into the same breed of monster? The odds were astronomically small. Quirks were like fingerprints, each one unique. Even within families, Quirks that were inherited had subtle variations. Yet each of these creatures exhibited the same power. Part of him suspected this had All For One somewhere behind it, but even when he wanted to find a connection, there wasn't a clear one to be found.

The conclusion All Might was arriving at seemed insane. "Lady Sondok," he addressed her with more formality. "You and your… soldiers. You aren't from this world, are you?" Even as he asked the question seemed ridiculous.

Her predatory smile was disquieting. "No, All Might, we are not."

{}

"That's a lot of fucking titles," Katsuki sighed while leaning back.

"Yeah, that's, um, wow, a lot," Eijiro concurred. "She's a war veteran and has a military rank. This isn't just a villain we're looking at."

"No," Katsuki agreed. "She's military brass. We're watching civilian heroes fight off a military operation."

"Mother Commander," Tenya spoke up. "That's an oddly specific title. Could they be a matriarchal society?"

"That's an interesting theory," Ojiro chimed in. "We only have one leader to go off of, but her title does suggest that motherhood is revered just as highly as her military accolades. The title that has me most concerned, though," he hesitated.

"Veteran Godslayer," Katsuki and Shoto said at the same time. The two turned to look at each other in the eye from across several rows. Katsuki shrugged and returned his gaze to the front.

"Godslayer," Shoto continued. "That means that whoever she's defeated in combat was regarded as a god. She's taken on strong opponents and won. She might even be a specialist at handling enemies stronger than she is."

Then subtitles appeared on the screen when Sondok spoke to her subordinate. "Remain steadfast and recall the plan. Don't let the local insects distract you. Remain vigilant for the enemy."

"Enemy?" Tsuyu squeaked out. "They don't see us as the enemy even though they're invading us. Is that what I'm supposed to understand here?"

Tenya turned towards where Tsuyu and the other girls sat together. "It appears so. They came with a small force, so they must severely underestimate humanity and their heroes."

"I wonder who the enemy is," Yuga mused aloud. "Could they be friendly to us?"

"Hey, if there's someone out there that'll team up with us to fight these bastards, who cares if they're chummy with us after?" Sero injected into the conversation.

Katsuki crossed his arms, ignoring the dialogue around him as he stared hard at the domineering woman on-screen. "Huh, and there it is, her bold admission that she's not from here. She might be a godslayer, but I doubt she's ever seen anyone as powerful as All Might."

"All Might versus The Godslayer!" Mina raised her fist in the air. "I'm totally fine with him claiming the title after he kicks her ass."

Toshinori looked out among the students of 1-A and felt terrible, knowing that the upcoming fight wasn't going to go the way any of them expected. Even without the preview he'd witnessed, he and the other heroes knew nothing would be that simple. No, if this was a threat All Might alone could handle, none of them would be here watching these films.

Then again, Toshinori allowed his gaze to pass over the other adults in the room. His heart fell when he saw how much unshakable faith they had in him, in All Might, the Symbol of Peace.

{}

Todoroki Shoto had been home for several hours. He could smell his sister's cooking as the aroma filled the entire house. It was distracting him from his training, which his father was quick to point out. Originally, he and his father were supposed to be training their Quirks outside, throwing fire and ice at each other with abandon. However, today Shoto's father had a different training regimen in mind. Today, Shoto's task was lowering the ambient temperature in their living room without displaying any ice. His father, Enji, otherwise known as Endeavor, would use his Quirk to raise the room's temperature, opposing Shoto's effort. The exercise wasn't about power but instead about focus and control.

Distracted despite himself, Shoto wanted more than anything to go and sit in the kitchen and talk to his sister. The routine they had built up over the years was painful. Every day she would come to the house and cook their dinner, then Shoto's lunch for the next day, and then after they ate together, she would leave. That was all the time he got to spend with her anymore. Ever since she moved out of the house, opportunities to connect dried up. As ice formed under his fingernails, he clenched his jaw and wished that something would happen so that he could spend an ordinary afternoon doing everyday things. He wished earnestly that his father could leave him alone long enough just to let Shoto breathe.

Enji's phone rang in the kitchen. Eventually, the sound stopped. In its place, the percussion of Fuyumi's footsteps echoing through the hall leading from the kitchen to the living room. "What are you two doing in there?" she wondered aloud before sliding the door open. A cloud exited the room, drenching her face as it passed her. Her expression of damp exasperation did not match the resignation of her tone. "Dad, the Hero Association is calling for you. It sounds important."

{}

Shoto sat up to full attention, as surprised as anyone that he was on the screen. "What?" he asked nonsensically. He gaped, wondering if his alternate had an essential role in how these events played out.

He glanced to the side of the room where the heroes say near the front before refocusing and watching his father more intently. The man sat upright, stiff at the sudden scrutiny their home life received.

"Your sister's hot, Todoroki," Minoru volunteered.

That remark snapped Shoto's attention back to his classmates and the screen at the front of the room. "Never look at my sister again, Mineta," Shoto said icily.

"That's some pretty intense training," Denki offered as a change of subject, probably a strategic move since he also jabbed Minoru with his elbow. "Is this something you've done, or is this giving your pops over there some ideas?"

Shoto narrowed his eyes at the screen before glancing back at his father again. "Oh, he's definitely getting ideas."

"Who needs him?" Katsuki spoke up with his hands behind his head. "If you want heat, just ask. I'll be glad to turn it up for ya, IcyHot."

Shoto narrowed his eyes at the back of Katsuki's head. "Thanks, Bakugou."

Katsuki's smirk was both endearing and annoying Shoto. It reminded him of Endeavor's ego. "No problem," Katsuki said. "After all, I still want to beat your ass at your full power after that disappointing show at the Sports Festival."

"How many times do I have to tell you all to shut up?" Aizawa asked with an edge of despair in his voice.

{}

Enji barely made eye contact with her as he stood. "Enough, Shoto, you did well today." He spoke to his youngest son as he strode across the room towards his daughter, who held his phone out for him. Taking it, he turned away from both of them and spoke to the man waiting on the other end of the line. "This is Endeavor. What's the emergency?"

Both Shoto and his sister knew better than to talk while their father was on the phone with the Hero Association reps. Usually, these calls were tense, but this time somehow seemed worse. "Terrorists? Musutafu, the city on the coast of the Yuei Prefecture? Calm down and slowly explain."

Whatever Fuyumi was making in the kitchen seemed unimportant to her compared to standing next to Shoto and listening with him to their father's side of the conversation. "All Might… is facing those kinds of odds alone? That's almost two hours from here…" He straightened up, nodding. "Who else has been called in?"

Their father paced the room nervously. He was sweating. Shoto watched, in awe, that he, Endeavor, the Hero of Flames, was sweating. "I understand. We'll continue the briefing on the way," with that, he signed off the call and turned to face both of them. The look on his face wasn't stern or angry but etched with worry and something Shoto did not recognize.

"Shoto, Fuyumi, I'll be heading out soon. They've sent a helicopter to pick me up. I'm sure you heard, but terrorists attacked an apartment complex in Musutafu. Five Heroes are badly injured and currently in terrorist custody. There's also a civilian hostage." He paused, working out what to say next.

"Dad," Fuyumi began but faltered. Shoto said nothing.

"I have been strict on all of you. Because of that, I have regrets." He said. "I regret not using more time to show you that I love you." Both of his children were shocked. This admission seemed so out of character for him. "If… if this mission causes me not to have a chance to tell you, your brother, or your mother… then please tell them for me. I love all of you."

Shoto listened to the helicopter's approach as it rapidly closed the distance to their back yard.

"I am proud of you," Enji smiled at them both before turning towards the screen door and took his leave of them. Neither of them knew what to say or do as they watched him ascend into the vehicle that before it rapidly accelerated towards the horizon. Just like that, he was gone.

{}

Shoto held his breath. He didn't remember the last time he'd heard his father say words like "proud" or "love" to him, his youngest.

Resentment festered inside him, jealous that this other Shoto got to hear words like this, got to see a side of their father that Shoto hadn't witnessed. He probably never would.

Was there hope for their family? Would seeing this change things for them, teach them anything?

Shoto's hopes died in his chest when he turned to observe how his father was taking this. The man burned with visible rage in the most literal sense. Shoto sighed, remembering how carefully Endeavor cultivated his public image. No doubt this would constitute a violation of his heroic sense of privacy, the veil he kept between his public and private life.

Shoto smiled. Fuck him, he thought. Let them all see how shitty the Todoroki family is with you at the head.

{}

Shoto followed his sister awkwardly into the kitchen, where she served dinner. They would typically share small updates about their lives at times like this, but at this moment, neither had anything worthy enough to take their mind off of their mutual thoughts. Breaking with the household protocol, he turned on the television and switched channels to the news while they ate. Only then, as the flat screen droned on at them and the siblings saw the images, the sheer gravity of the situation finally seemed real to them.

The brass shrapnel, the green fire, and now images of giant aberrant creatures out of some strange nightmare swarmed together to take on such heroes as Gang Orca and Mount Lady. Worse, these things were winning. They were cunning, organized, as well as obscenely strong and fast. Their teamwork reminded Shoto of exercises he endured on training camps his father enrolled him in every school break.

However, he was distracted from the screen and the news by movement next to him. Too late, he realized that Fuyumi was crying. She became a sobbing wreck. He reached out to embrace her comfortingly. "It'll be ok," he said reassuringly.

She shook her head. "When was the last time dad told us he loved us… that he was proud of us?"

Her question caught him off guard, making him think he had misread her emotions. "It's been a long time, sis."

Her grip on him tightened. "He's not sure he's going to come back, Shoto. He doesn't know if anyone is coming back, not from this."

Shoto glanced back to the screen, showing a drone's footage of All Might surrounded on the roof while speaking to the terrorist in charge of her cell. Everything seemed dwarfed by the strange Shell that dominated the rooftop. He regretted wishing for his father to leave, but he put those feelings aside and rested a hand on the back of his sister's head. "He'll come back. He has to. We didn't tell him how we felt, and he needs to hear it, so he'll come back."

It was a childish reply, one that only worked in stories. Unfortunately, it was all Shoto could think of as the two watched helplessly from the comfort of home.

{}

Shoto's face was wet. That was odd, he thought, drawing his hand to his face.

He wondered why his eyes were watering so much. Did a speck of dust get in, irritating him to the point of tears?

No, he thought bitterly. No, I just hate seeing my sister cry.

"Todoroki," Tokoyami whispered to him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Shoto lied, more to himself than anyone else.

"Dude," Denki said after turning back to look at him. "If you want to talk to any of us," he trailed off.

"We're here," Eijiro finished the thought for his friend.

"If you need a sympathetic ear," Tenya held up his arm as if volunteering for an assignment. "We, your classmates, are here for you!"

"Touching," their teacher spoke up, "but keep it down."

"Thanks, everyone," Shoto said. As his eyes scanned the class, he locked vision with Momo. He couldn't avert his gaze from her worry-filled eyes. Did she see him and how weak he felt? He smiled for Momo as if to tell her that he was okay. He'd endured this before and would do it again.

The scene changed on-screen, drawing both their gazes back to the front, though Kyoka studied Momo after that exchange with Shoto, wondering just how much Momo was chopping herself up inside for everyone around her. Was she doing it out of pity? Was that why she seemed so focused on the new Midoriya, some sense for his pain?

Kyoka shook these thoughts away and paid attention to what happened next, but not before her eyes caught Ochako's. The two would likely talk about this later.

{}

Recovering from his shock at her answer took longer than he would have liked, but he pressed past as best he could. "Lady Sondok, thank you for allowing us to take our people back. I'll arrange their transport," All Might began, but Sondok cut him off.

"No one else will be allowed on this rooftop or within this building until the Prince finishes his tasks. You may carry them back one at a time," she said, giving him permission that felt more like a command.

He clenched his jaw. He needed just a bit more time for reinforcements before he was comfortable taking Sondok and her cohorts on. Unfortunately, he also was running lower and lower on his power's time limit. He felt like a candle burning at both ends. "Finished with what? What is young Midoriya doing in there?"

She placed a hand affectionately on the surface of the Shell as though it would respond to her love. "He is dreaming… dreaming of the Creators and their wonders. When he awakes from this dream, he will forever be ours. Our Shining Prince." As she turned her face towards All Might, he could swear the stars that hid beyond her eyes shone even brighter than before.

A full range of emotions swept through him, but more than anything, he was disgusted. He didn't understand fully what young Midoriya was going through, but Toshinori had made a promise to the youth's mother. He intended to keep it. "He needs to return home to his mother."

Anger flashed across her features like a sudden storm. "The one who denied his potential? The one who allowed him to be mistreated by other children and comforted herself with platitudes of polite cowardice rather than forge her son to be strong in his own right? Or perhaps I should release him to the great hero who was complicit along with her and every other authority he ever looked up to or relied on in casting him aside? The one whose essence fades from his injured body even as he tries to buy more time with me. The one whose lesser exigence is about to snuff out without another to bear up the torch."

She raised an arm threateningly toward him, pointing at him. "You all relinquished your claims to him. You all threw him away. If Ligier had not chosen him, he would be dead. Dead! But Ligier, unquestionable in his wisdom, chose Izuku of House Midoriya to be the next Shining Prince! He is, as we speak, gaining powers beyond anything your world has ever seen. When he emerges from the Chrysalis, I will escort him to the Eternal City of Malfeas, where he will train for his new calling. So, take your pathetic gifts and platitudes elsewhere. Find some poor excuse for a terrestrial and pass on your sad exigence to them." As she continued speaking, a sneer of disdain grew across her face. Her contempt for All Might was obvious.

Her observations shocked him to his core. Sondok knew his secrets just by looking at him, and she blatantly did not care. To her, he was just an inferior being, at best the apex of what the local wildlife had to offer.

{}

Ochako growled, baring her teeth in helpless rage. "Deku's a hero, not something you can own!"

Momo intertwined her fingers into Ochako's. "Well put," she said, somehow just enough to calm Ochako down. "Don't worry, we're all there in that world, too. I'm sure we'll help him recover from whatever they put him through."

"It's tragic but also interesting, kero," Tsuyu pointed out. "That woman, Sondok, was sent here on orders from someone that outranks her significantly, probably this Ligier she mentioned. I'm not sure why they traveled so far just to pluck Midoriya from his world."

Ochako pouted, "Because he's a hero."

"He is," Momo said reassuringly. Her lip quivered.

Ochako noticed. "We'll find a way forward, one that saves Deku and helps him be who he is without getting overwhelmed by these memories. We'll also find a way to save the other Izuku inside him."

"How?" Momo asked.

Kyoka poked Momo's shoulder with an ear jack. "We just will."

"Ugh, listen to that sanctimonious bullshit," Mina groaned. "She's acting like they're doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. They're obviously doing this for evil motives." She directed her voice outward towards the front. "You're not winning brownie-points, lady!"

"Heckling the memories won't change them, Mina," Momo said after leaning forward to look around Ochako.

Tsuyu, though, leaned in. "Exigence? Somehow what she's saying is clicking inside All Might's head. What is going on?"

{}

Katsuki hung on the same words that Tsuyu latched onto, rolling over them in his head as if polishing stoned into gems. To him, those words were haunting. "No way," he whispered to himself.

Deku got his power from someone. Katsuki knew that much. It was ridiculous, something Deku said to piss him off, right?

Pass on your sad exigence to them, Sondok said.

Katsuki's eyebrow and lip twitched with untapped revelations brewing inside him.

Eijiro noticed. "Dude, you alright?"

Katsuki shrugged. "I just have a lot of questions, is all."

Eijiro smirked. "Normally, your questions make you angry, not brooding with introspection. Do you need help swimming in the deep end?"

"No," Katsuki said. "Maybe," he turned to look into Eijiro's optimistic eyes, then thought better of drawing him into a mystery that wasn't his business and was probably a dead-end. "No, I have to figure this out on my own."

Eijiro lingered his gaze on Katsuki. He knew there were secrets between him and Midoriya. He could almost smell them. Still, it wasn't his business.

Yet.

"Powers beyond anything your world has seen," Denki observed out-loud. "Do you think they're making him as powerful as All Might?"

"That's not possible," Sero chuckled. "No one is as powerful as All Might."

Katsuki heard that and thought back to the mysterious masked villain that All Might fought, his last battle as All Might, just before turning into the skeletal man they'd all gotten used to since then. Was it true? Was All Might the limit of human ability? No. He wasn't. There were no limits, Katsuki realized, a thought that filled him with excited energy, a mingling of fear and anticipation.

{}

"Creators," Ibara hissed out the word. "She's acting like they're gods or something."

"Maybe, to her, they are," Itsuka pointed out. "We have no idea what her beliefs are, or even if this other world has a religion."

"Mmm," Yui concurred.

"She probably means it in a science-fiction sense, literal creators that made life in the lab or something," Setsuna put forward her theory. "If they're invading other worlds and meddling with human biology, like in Midoriya's case, they probably have mastered genetics and a million other disciplines to the point that their science would look like powerful Quirks to us."

Yui nodded, chiming in with a rare full sentence. "Advanced technology looks indistinguishable from magic to the ignorant."

Ibara crossed her arms. "I still don't like it."

"We don't either," Itsuka said. "Whatever their beliefs are, they don't see a problem with coming in and bullying other people under their boot. They're glorified bullies."

"Assholes," Setsuna corrected.

"Mmmm," Yui nodded.

"Excuse me, they're assholes," Itsuka corrected herself.

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at Ibara. They knew she'd never say a word like that despite wanting to, the desire painted on her face. At last, the green-haired zealot relented. "I agree," was the only concession they got from her.

Itsuka smiled at the other girls. Baby steps, they mentally reminded themselves.

{}

Despite her dismissal, her designs for young Midoriya made his blood run cold. The young man was doubtless going to be trained by these people… these things… to be a rampant killing machine. "Tell me this much, please… what will his mission be?" All Might spoke somberly, darkly, already knowing the reply to expect.

Her sneer never left her face. There was no need for her to hide the brutal truth from a being she had no regard for, a thing unworthy of respect. "Prince Izuku will conquer worlds in the name of Malfeas, just as every Prince from every world before him has done."

She did not need to elaborate further. Although he had no idea what kind of world she hailed from, All Might could see in his mind a clear picture of what they were doing. Find a local, give them power, and then turn them into a weapon to conquer the world they came from. It was a strategy used by empires throughout human history, the basis of feudalism itself. Their goal here was just a prelude to world conquest. He did not need to ask her how many troops they had or what kind of army he and mankind were up against. The answer was obvious: they were billions in number, and their variety was staggering. How else could she claim so casually that other Princes had conquered worlds already?

All Might paused when he realized that something wasn't adding up. Her plan was not a foregone conclusion. He almost had it figured out. Then it dawned on him: if she had no regard for humans, there was no need for her to spare the heroes that had fallen or for her to even speak with him. Something was holding her back. Did he dare test her further to see where she drew that line? Was he running out of time?

{}

Toshinori grimaced. He shared the same feelings of antipathy that his other self-felt for this arrogant woman. Conquest, such a pretentious way to frame things, as though violence gives anyone the right to just take what they want! A thief is a thief, and when they're proud of being a murderer on top of that, they're even worse!

"So, it's a war," Aizawa sighed next to him. "They're turning him into a child-soldier."

"It's disgusting," Toshinori wanted to spit. He coughed and tasted a trickle of blood in his mouth.

"I like how this other-you pauses to measure their motives before swinging his fists," Aizawa said with a wry grin.

"I always take stock of the situation and my opponent," Toshinori objected.

"It looks to me like she's baiting you into a fight," Aizawa pointed out.

"She might be," the retired hero agreed. He thought grimly of what he knew in advance. "She probably is."

Aizawa looked aside to study Toshinori's face, not liking the darkness he saw in the man's expression.

{}

"She just declared war against the Earth to All Might's face," Sero's jaw dropped.

"Bad move, lady," Denki concurred.

Katsuki grinned. "Get ready to smash," he said, practically licking his teeth in anticipation.

{}

"Malfeas," Pony suddenly spoke up, surprising the girls nearby. "Like malfeasance?"

"It's probably a different language, certainly not English," Itsuka said.

"No, she's onto something," Ibara said. "I read something about that name somewhere," she struggled to think of it.

"Are you saying that this isn't the first time these things visited Earth?" Itsuka asked.

"Not just visited," Ibara said. "I think Malfeas is the name of a demon in some old apocryphal texts."

"A demon?" Itsuka asked with a raised eyebrow.

"So, they didn't just come to take in the sights," Setsuna said with a smirk. "Seriously, though, demon? Yeah, if an alien visited and they were unfriendly, then the primitive people of the time would think something like that to explain them away. Heck, from what she's saying, Malfeas is a city, so someone probably misapplied the name to someone that simply came from there."

"Mmm," Yui concurred.

Ibara, though, stared at Sondok with narrowed eyes.

{}

Just then, the communication device in his ear buzzed to life. "All Might, this is Eraserhead. I'm in the headquarters behind you. The enemy leader is in my sights. The first wave of backup has arrived, and we are waiting for your signal. Endeavor is leading the second wave and will be here in ten minutes. Don't speak to reply. We know she is listening… and the Support crews have been picking up everything she's said so far."

Nothing else needed to be said between All Might and Eraserhead. They both understood the implication of Sondok and her words. The entire world was under a countdown to an imminent threat. Midoriya Izuku was no longer just a hostage. He just became a contested piece in a war against an enemy no one had ever heard of before, but the odds did not look good. "Lady Sondok, I have only one last question for you."

Sondok's eyebrow twitched.

"What happens if Young Midoriya decides to be the hero he always dreamed he would be?" All Might knew what she would say, but there was always the slight chance that the enemy would show a human side.

Her smirk enraged him. "Unfortunately for you, Princes are chosen heroes… but only when their dream gets broken. He will never go back to that."

All Might's fists clenched hard enough to cause him severe pain. They completely underestimated the young man's willpower and dreams, just as they had done to who knows how many 'Princes' before him. And worse, they prey on those dreams just as they break. And All Might had unwittingly handed Young Midoriya over to these monsters!

This could not be allowed to go on.

{}

"When their dream gets broken," Ochako whispered as tears welled in her eyes.

"It's so awful," Toru said, still digesting everything Mina told her earlier while they were watching together.

"Ass-whooping coming right up," Denki couldn't contain his excitement.

"Eraserhead is on the scene with back up. They got this in the bag," Eijiro shook with anticipation.

"Kick her ass, All Might!" Mina encouraged their hero on-screen.

Toshinori smiled despite the gnawing ache in his gut.

Aizawa sat up straight, looking alert. Hearing yourself on-screen will do that to you, Toshinori mused. "First time realizing you have a double?" he asked Aizawa, unable to avoid grinning.

"Yeah," the tired-eyed teacher blinked. "It looks like I'm encouraging you to pick a fight."

"So much for chastising me about going in fists first," Toshinori's grin was teasingly boastful.

Aizawa's smile was a rare treasure, one that told Toshinori that the two might grow to regard each other as comrades if not friends someday. He hoped so.

Momo, though, took the time to look down at Izuku and Mei. "Something's wrong," she whispered so quietly that only Kyoka could hear.

Kyoka glanced down and saw what Momo meant. Izuku was operating the machine by himself while Mei sat awkwardly nearby, looking uncertain and self-conscious. "What's wrong with him?"

Momo widened her eyes as her heart fluttered in her chest. "He's working like a madman so that he doesn't have to look up and see what's on the screen. He doesn't want to see what happens next!"

Despite her attempt to keep her voice down, Ochako heard every word. The two girls felt their hearts sink as they came to the same conclusion.

Kyoka, however, listened in on the two machine-operators, tuning out the rest of the auditorium.

{}

"Um, Deku," Mei said, trying to get used to the new nickname. "Could I please help you operate the baby?"

"Please, Mei," Izuku said as he adjusted the energy flowing through the memory-stone, focusing the essence just right so that the memory was distorted to an objective view outside of Toshinori's head, giving the audience the ability to see him on screen.

"I know what comes next," he said, keeping his voice low, but Mei caught the grim undertow dragging him down. "I still blame myself for not being there in time, for all of it," he said.

A tear ran out from his eye, unbidden, unwanted.

"Deku," Mei reached for him, not knowing how to help him with so much emotion. This was far outside her expertise. She couldn't blow up his pain or tighten it with a wrench. "Let me help."

"I'm sorry," he smiled at her. "I've hogged your baby from you, haven't I?"

"I'm not worried about the baby," Mei casually gestured to the machine. "I'm worried about you."

"I'll be fine," he said after another adjustment. "I'm just revisiting my past, and I don't enjoy this part, is all."

His past. Mei stared at him with widening eyes as she saw how completely the other Izuku dominated their shared brain-space. They needed to compartmentalize the memories inside him, and soon, or he'd probably go insane.

Hatsume's notes were explicit on this point. Izuku remembered things and could process information that most human brains weren't ready for, or at least the one in her world could. Forcing that kind of knowledge into a teenager's head was cruel. Mei wasn't sure what her older self meant by that, but it was time to find out.

She sat and turned her attention to the screen, refusing to look Izuku in the eye. Mei knew she couldn't keep a secret, not typically, but now she had one that must remain hidden. Their situation, Midoriya's condition, was desperate.

Fortunately, Hatsume Mei, the great inventor, had more than just some psychological tips for Young Mei to rely on in the battle for Midoriya's soul.

Mei faced forward, doing her best to hide the smile on her face and the plan forming in the back of her mind.

"Time for another baby," she whispered to herself.

Izuku heard her but assumed that she simply had another idea for something to do in her workshop. He was right, but his disinterest in her latest machination gave Mei precious time, and she was grateful for that.

Still, her curiosity was a beast Mei would never overcome. "Hey, Deku?"

"Yeah?" he replied, but she didn't turn to look at him, afraid her plans would reveal themselves if he met her eyes.

"This Sondok, she said you'll never go back to being a hero. Was she right?" Mei didn't admit to herself how important this question was, but it was vital, loud enough in her mind to overcome designs for more babies.

"Sondok's wrong," Izuku said, and Mei could hear the smile in his voice. "I'm not the kind of hero I dreamed of, but I'm still proud of the kind I became."

That answer was good enough for Mei, letting her return to the task of drafting babies on the white-board of her mind.

{}

All Might rushed forward with a burst of speed faster than most eyesight can follow. A thunderclap of noise followed as air rushed to fill the space he formerly occupied. His power and speed were obscene as he forced his body forward and focused all of that strength behind his fist.

Sondok stepped only slightly to the side and used her forearm to redirect All Might's fist away from her before turning the palm of her defending arm toward his face and unleashing explosive green fire in his direction. As he backed away from the blast, he felt bladed shrapnel cut across his left cheek and jaw. He was lucky not to get any in his eye.

Her soldiers did not move, and even still, they awaited her command. They had no concern that she was in any danger at all. Sondok similarly did not seem bothered. Instead, she slowly crossed the distance between them after his hasty retreat. "Poor naïve creature. Did you believe your friend could seal my power?"

All Might had bet that Aizawa's Quirk would do precisely that, but there was no way to be sure until they tried. He prepared himself and his fists for combat. Her movements earlier told him that she was a martial artist who could redirect her opponent's motions, and she was strong enough despite her size to take him on in a fight. Sondok also had the advantage of summoning explosions at will. Even more frightening were the facts that she had yet to draw her weapons and that she did not fear igniting a blast at point-blank range, despite her vulnerability to the explosion. Even now, the cuts that formed on her hand and face healed completely before his eyes. Just how many Quirks did she have?

With no choice but to close the distance, he charged forward; the element of surprise utterly lost. "Now!" He shouted, fully committing both himself and his companions to the battle ahead. They needed to win for their comrades, for Young Midoriya, and show this expedition force that their world would never go down without a fight.

{}

"Oh, shit," Sero said louder than he meant to.

"Fuck," Katsuki said, not caring about volume. "She's got moves."

Shoto narrowed his eyes. "She's immune to Quirk-suppression." He looked over to their teacher and how tightly Aizawa gripped onto his armrests.

Mina sat up and pointed at the screen. "Oh! It's not a Quirk," she started off loud enough that Aizawa shot her a nasty look, but then she lowered her volume. "Midoriya said that his abilities from what we're watching aren't Quirks. She must be the same way."

"Her abilities aren't Quirks?" Denki turned around to look at Mina, joined quickly by Eijiro and Katsuki, though they all anxiously were afraid they'd miss something now that the action started.

"No, they're like Quirks, but they're not the same thing," Momo chimed in.

"Doesn't matter," Katsuki said, turning back to the screen. "It's her versus a whole team of pro-heroes, and All Might is part of the fight."

"Time to crack Midoriya out of that thing, grab up the heroes she surprised, and call it a day," Eijiro grinned confidently, facing forward so he wouldn't miss any of the action.

Shoto, though, steepled his hands in front of his face. Tenya looked similarly concerned. Both young men figured out that something was wrong, that things were already not going well. Their eyes met, sharing the same thought.

The battle on film reminded both of them of All Might's fight against that masked villain, which he struggled against, the one with multiple Quirks. All Might called that villain by name and seemed familiar with his capabilities. This time, though, All Might was up against an opponent whose arsenal of powers was utterly unknown to him.

Tenya glanced over to Yagi Toshinori and Aizawa Shota. Both men watched the screen with grim fascination, ignoring the students' outbursts around them, tunnel-focused on the life and death struggle in front of them.

Shoto's eyes wandered to the assembled heroes in the room, settling on his father, while Tenya glanced over to his brother. The students were confident in the outcome. The adults weren't.

{}

"Go now!" Aizawa shouted through the airwaves to each of their earpieces. His Quirk had just proven useless against this foreign enemy. Neither the enemy commander nor her soldiers were susceptible to his Erasure Quirk, which would typically seal any Quirk user's active powers he kept in his sights. Yet not only had the enemy parried All Might with ease, but she blasted him with her explosive Quirk. The implications of that were frightening.

However, he couldn't let that slow him or the team down. He would need to get out there and use his martial arts and binding equipment to immobilize as many of these creatures as possible while the rest of the team focused on backup and rescue operations. Already, he saw Ingenium running on one of the building's exterior corridors towards the stairs leading to the roof. If anyone could speedily grab up the injured heroes on the rooftop and bring them to safety, it was Ingenium: The Turbo Hero.

The lower backup team, lead by Best Jeanist, would act as relief for Mount Lady, Cementoss, and Kamui Woods. Those three had done well to last as long as they had, but with these creatures' raw power and their numbers, they were doomed to lose by sheer attrition. Now, the odds were far more favorable, with a half dozen more professional heroes entering the scene. Once the heroes resolved the battle below, the rooftop fight could be everyone's primary focus.

That still left the enemy commander, "Sondok," to deal with, a threat unlike anything Aizawa had ever seen. It would have been best if the battle hadn't started until Endeavor and other top heroes arrived. Then she could be beaten by a combination of sheer numbers and a variety of attack Quirks. Unfortunately, there was no time to wait, not for Gang Orca, not for Backdraft, and not for the rest of the Fire Supporters.

Eraserhead slid the glass door of the apartment he watched from open and unfurled his long binding scarf toward one of the ape creatures on the roof across from him. Once caught on the arm, he had the beast's full attention as well as several of its companions. He made a valiant show of trying to pull the creature towards the edge of the roof, and as expected, instead, it used its superior mass to pull him hard enough that he could make the jump to the other building. He smiled grimly: finally, something had gone according to plan today.

{}

"It's everyone," Mirio sat back in awe. "Heroes from across the country are converging for this. I've never seen such a large-scale operation."

For once, Nejire had nothing to say, merely taking in all the action with a worried expression on her face.

"It's insane," Tamaki breathed out. "They're all fight off her minions. How did so many of them appear out of thin air? Do they have a teleportation Quirk? Is it hers?"

"I was thinking the same thing," Nejire said with a wink.

"More importantly, though," Mirio gazed forward grimly. "She's strong enough to fight All Might and has an impressive array of Quirks. I just hope that he defeats her, because if not," he paused.

"You're worried that she's still out there, that she's one of the enemies we're being warned about?" Tamaki asked, fear edging into his voice.

Mirio simply nodded, doing his best to show only concern rather than the shivering dread that ached in his core.

{}

"At least we're well-coordinated and fighting these things efficiently," Shota observed. The exhaustion he typically wore as his default expression faded into a mask of professionally contained rage.

"The main threat, though," Toshinori didn't finish his thought. They both knew what was on his mind. If a supervillain defeated All Might while other heroes were nearby, then many lives would be lost when the top hero was no longer acting as the front line between her and potential prey.

The heroes were winning, but both pros feared this was the prelude to a massacre.

"No way," they heard Katsuki in the row in front of them. "How the hell did she block that?"

The boys winced, recoiling in their seats when Sondok unleashed fire and shrapnel into All Might's face.

"That is utterly unfair, a terrible fighting style," Tenya lamented out loud.

"I somehow don't think she cares for our ideas of sportsmanship, Iida," Shoto mused aloud.

Shota looked at her eager smile, those rows of iron fangs anticipating the battle ahead. No, he thought, she had no regard for anything as juvenile or idealistic as a fair fight. "Watch closely," he said to his students. "Villains don't fight fair, and they don't care if you do. We fight to capture and arrest, killing as a last resort. Villains have no such restrictions in place."

His students swallowed and lamented quietly, but it was good for them to face this fear by watching rather than learning first-hand. He regretted how many unscheduled lessons they had so far due to villain interference, but life, especially when it came to villains, was unfair.

{}

The sound of several rapid explosions awoke gang Orca. Everything in his body hurt. His face was wet, and he vaguely understood that he was lying on a puddle of his blood. Harsh burns and fine lacerations covered his body. He reached out through the roof floor with his sonar and was relieved that the other heroes with him were still alive. All of them were injured, but by some miracle, no one died. Not yet.

Just then, he was aware as several of the gigantic creatures lunged towards him threateningly before they found themselves caught up in harsh bindings. It was then that he was forcibly picked up and carried over the shoulder of an armored figure. It took him too long to figure out it was Ingenium. It should have been obvious, but his injuries were making him delirious with blood loss.

"You're heavy," was the only greeting he got from his rescuer. With that, Ingenium moved again with blinding speed, running them both straight down the side of the building.

Gang Orca lost consciousness again, barely regaining it later to see he was lying on a sidewalk several blocks away near a crowd of civilians. Recovery Girl held his hand. His eyes turned towards the frightened public. Before passing out again, his last thoughts were filled with concern for those still fighting and embarrassment over not fighting alongside them. A gust of wind passed over his face as Ingenium arrived once more with another hero over his shoulder, but darkness engulfed his senses before he could see who it was.

{}

Tenya instinctively tried to stand, his excitement uncontainable as his body acted before he could think. Thankfully, Ojiro was close enough to hold out a hand urging him down. Tenya opted to raise a rallying fist, shouting "Ingenium!"

Behind him, Tenya heard several of the 1-A girls sigh in relief. "Oh gosh," Toru gasped, refreshing her air supply. "I didn't know I was holding my breath!

"The rescue is going well thanks to Ingenium, kero," Tsuyu said.

"At least that's going well," Ochako spoke up. "Now they just have to save Deku."

"They have to get past Sondok to get him," Shoto mused. "She doesn't care about the other heroes, but she absolutely cares about Midoriya. He's her mission," he licked his lips, almost tasting the tension in the air.

"Without other hostages to worry about, All Might can finally go all-out," Katsuki said with a smirk. "He can throw punches that will decimate her, altering air pressure and creating wind blasts as side-effects."

No one objected to this observation, though Fumikage silently brooded, observing the fight as it continued. "So can she," he muttered quietly. "She can dodge, too."

Only Kyoka heard the raven-dark student. She glanced back at the screen with concern etched in her heart. The battle would end well. Everything would turn out right.

Wouldn't it?

{}

Gang Orca leaned his incredible bulk over to whisper a small thank you to Ingenium, who sat at the edge of the row in his wheelchair.

"It looks like I owe you," the large man said.

"No," Tensei shrugged. "Those people aren't us, I mean, besides," he paused awkwardly. "You'd do the same for me."

"I would," the cetacean-man agreed, "but that won't stop me from offering to buy you a nice meal."

Tensei cracked a grin at that. "I could go for some hot pot after this. You free?"

"Is this a date for two, or can someone like me tag along?" Mount Lady asked while batting her eyes. "Orca's buying, I heard."

"Get your own meal," Orca chuckled. "But sure, you can tag along."

Endeavor cast a sidelong glance at them but said nothing, choosing to roll his eyes and sigh when several others roped their way into an impromptu dinner. When Kamui Woods joined in with them, he knew the films would become a topic of discussion at their table, and he wanted no part of it, still bitter with embarrassment.

{}

All Might threw a powerful punch toward his left, knocking the hulking brute that charged him clean off of the roof towards the street below. These things he could handle. They could absorb the shock of his punches and come back for more, but Toshinori could overpower them and knock them back far enough that they couldn't swarm him. With Ingenium keeping them off balance and Eraserhead binding small groups of them, he could focus on Sondok.

She was an opponent unlike anything he had ever faced before. Every villain he had gone against had a master plan, a selfish goal that served their own interest. She, however, was a creature of military precision. She dictated and regimented her actions from a sense of duty and pride, and judging by her fighting style, Sondok was a veteran of more battles than he was. All Might was stronger than her but just barely. She, on the other hand, had far more hand to hand combat experience. He had yet to land a single blow as she dodged and deflected every one of them before landing her punches, kicks, or explosions on him.

This was a battle of attrition, and he was going to lose.

All Might needed to do something to change this battle's tempo, to force the confrontation away from the slow bleed of his power. It had occurred to him after she threw his secrets in his face that she probably knew he could only keep up this muscular form for a limited amount of time. It was as if Sondok could read all of his weaknesses like an open book titled How to Beat All Might. If their combat stretched on much longer, he would lose out his strength, and she could finish him off in a single blow. His promise to return Young Midoriya to his mother would be left unfulfilled, his death nothing more than due penance for tearing the young man's dreams down the day before.

All Might was not about to let that happen.

{}

The room grew quiet with rapt attention. No one there expected the battle between All Might and Sondok to stretch out this long. The students stared ahead, aghast that their idol was struggling so much, taking blow after blow.

The heroes silently observed that All Might was fighting against time just as much as he battled this woman from another world. It was new information for them, insight into weaknesses they never knew All Might had before.

Mei turned to look away from the screen and observe Midoriya. The young man worked feverishly, tears seeping from his eyes like blood trickling from a wound.

She grabbed another cloth from her belt, cleaner than the one she gave him the day before. Mei couldn't find the right words to get his attention and give it to him, so she simply reached forward and dabbed at the tears on his cheek.

Izuku flinched, blinking to look at her.

"You're sweating," she lied and smiled. "Let me help, or you'll overwork yourself."

Izuku rested a hand over hers as she pressed the cloth into his cheek. "Thank you, Mei," he said.

"Anytime, customer-number-one," she smiled, imagining all the babies she'd make with him.

For him, she reprimanded herself. Not with him. For him.

When he leaned out of the way enough to give her access, Mei reached down to the machine, letting Izuku worry about the cloth and what to do with it. Finally, the two of them worked together, finding rhythm together as they adjusted the perspective and memory-to-video flow.

Memory-to-video flow, Mei caught herself as she thought about that term. It was in the notes her other self prepared for her. Yes, that's right, the machine can alter the flow and tempo of the memories, even move out of sequence and focus on incidents with more objective clarity than a human brain ever could.

The machine, she realized, could be used to help Izuku parse the memories and to focus on… she suppressed the thought while working alongside him, afraid that he'd grow suspicious of her intent.

She froze when she caught his eyes lingering on her. What did that expression mean? She wasn't sure. She was never sure about these kinds of things. The moment passed, and the two resumed their work.

{}

"Is All Might," Eijiro started to ask, quietly whispering. He didn't want to finish the thought out loud.

"No," Katsuki rebuffed the question before it was finished, adamantly refusing to acknowledge this heresy.

All Might could not lose, would not lose. By definition, he would win. It was built into who and what he was, what he stood for.

He was the Symbol of Motherfucking-Peace!

{}

"No way," Kyoka whispered, attuned to the waves of disbelief and doubt flooding in waves across the room. The whispers, the whimpers, she heard them all. It was like all their emotions were invading through her ears, threatening to drown her.

"Hey," Momo quietly said while squeezing onto Kyoka's hand. "We'll get through this. They'll pull through," she said comfortingly. "Otherwise, how did they send this to us?"

It was a reassuring thought, Kyoka had to admit.

"Deku said All Might got," she could not finish the thought, fearing the premonition in her heart. Still, she broke through the bubble of confidence the students built around their minds as more of them started to recall the prophetic tears their classmate shed, the regret over All Might's fate, the lamenting relief when he saw All Might whole and well.

The girls of 1-A exchanged glances. They feared what came next and formed an unbroken chain of hands, linking to each other for support.

"For All Might," Mina said.

"For All Might, kero," Tsuyu echoed the sentiment.

"For all the heroes," Toru said. To that, they all agreed, praying silently in their way, some just sending good thoughts. In contrast, others stirred up positive energy, each cultivating within themselves whatever they believed they could for the men and women fighting for their world.

They knew they'd join that fight, sooner or later.

{}

He heard the telltale sound of Present Mic's ear-shattering Quirk from down below. The confusion of battle reverberated all around them. The scent of blood and acrid ash filled the air, mingling with the roar of beasts and the shouts of men and women, each fighting their hardest. One side fought for duty and the other for the survival of their comrades. It was clear that the battle's tide was turning in favor of the other heroes, but All Might was losing to the enemy commander. Once she took him out, he did not doubt that she would make short work of the other heroes, one by one. From the predatory gleam in her starlit eyes, he knew she would take a strange sense of pleasure in it.

He could not let that happen, not when they were so close.

All Might took a concussive blast to his face and fell backward. "Do you see now that your power is the apex of an anthill? Your world is small, and your powers, while many, are weak. You have amused me while rescuing your companions, but press any further, and I will grant my soldiers the permission they need to kill."

{}

Endeavor could not believe his eyes or ears. All Might, the man he aspired to surpass, was losing.

The opponent was someone he'd never heard of. It felt like he'd just learned there was a mountain taller than Everest, that the goal he'd held in his heart all his life wasn't even a worthy goal to aspire to.

"What," he uttered, unable to continue.

Nezu hadn't said a single word for more than half an hour but finally spoke up. "She's toying with him. She has been from the start."

The heroes and UA staff arrayed around the principal regarded him with shock, but none of them could offer up any argument against what he'd said, regardless of how blasphemous it felt.

"He's All Might," Endeavor said. "He has to win. He has to!"

Just then, Endeavor looked over to the source of this calamity, the child-hero in training, Midoriya Izuku. The boy spared a glance over his shoulder to meet the Flame Hero in the eye, probably sensing the hero's intense glare.

Endeavor's eyes met with emeralds formed of such melancholy that they were painful to look at. The boy had no malice, no disdain, but merely pity, longing, and regret. The boy's eyes were older than they had any right to be. They reminded Endeavor of an older man whose smile never reached his eyes anymore. He could almost hear those eyes as they spoke of good days that would never return, friends and loves he'd never see again, or victories snatched away by a world that didn't care about things as paltry as justice or Quirks.

Endeavor felt a weight settle onto his chest just then, as a horrifying premonition wrapped around his heart, laying layer after layer of lead inside him.

He returned his gaze upward to the screen, wondering if All Might would win. He no longer knew, no longer had conviction in his answer to the question.

The emerald-eyed boy merely returned to his work.

{}

"An anthill," Katsuki breathed. It felt like a solid kick to the ribs.

"Dude," Eijiro clenched his jaw, baring his shark teeth. "She just insulted all of us."

"It's like she sees us as nothing but Quirkless," Sero remarked.

Denki gripped his armrests as arcs of power shot between his fingers. He stuffed his hands under his arms and huffed, saying nothing.

Somehow, that comment felt like acid on Katsuki's skin. Is this what it felt like to be Quirkless? To be overlooked, dismissed, and laughed at the way he'd done so many times?

Fuck this feeling, Katsuki told himself. "She's wrong," he growled. "We're not helpless," he said, despite no one suggesting that they were. "All Might will win," he said, even though no one voiced the contrary.

"Bakugou," Eijiro started but never finished.

"He'll win!" Katsuki stood up. "Go All Might! Fight! Win!"

Denki rose next. "You can do it! We believe in you!" he shouted, not caring that their teacher was staring right at them.

Similar sentiments echoed around the room as students rose to cheer their favorite hero onward.

A dreadful silence yawned, swallowing up their cries. The crowd, made of teachers and students alike, had an unnerving sense that this was not going well and would not improve.

{}

Toshinori tried not to cry.

He fought valiantly to hold the feelings that warred inside him. Their encouragement revolted against the hopelessness they all felt. However, that encouragement was double-edged, overcoming the detachment he was trying to cultivate as he reminded himself that these events were in the past, but not his past.

"Everyone, calm down," was all Shota said to the class. There wasn't a reprimand, a threat of disciplinary action. He just urged calmness and quiet. "And you, Bakugou, in your seat!"

After the loudest member of 1-A sat down, Shota leaned back into his seat.

"Yagi," Shota said, catching sight of Toshinori's face in his peripheral vision as he faced the front. He turned, looking to confirm it.

Yagi Toshinori wept, silently, sternly, stoically, but he wept.

The two men shared a smile before returning their gaze to the front of the room.

{}

He still did not know why she was holding back. If they had no regard for human life, why hold back at all? His gaze fell on the Shell where they had Young Midoriya trapped.

Then he understood. "You're afraid of him, aren't you?"

Her face twitched with barely contained rage. "Tread carefully, mortal."

He braced himself into a protective fighting stance. "He's the only reason you don't kill us all. You know that one day he'll find out… and if your indoctrination isn't complete… he'd become a threat. Maybe not to your entire army, but maybe just you personally. That's it, isn't it… you're afraid of fighting a Prince, aren't you?"

She roared with uncontainable frustration. It was the only opening All Might would get, but just then, he saw across from him the unmistakable giant form of Mount Lady at her full height. His goal changed in less time than a heartbeat. Toshinori charged forward past Sondok towards the shell and put as much power as possible into a solid punch. He would free Midoriya Izuku and would see him brought to safety.

His fist made solid contact with the twisted shell, the Chrysalis as Sondok had called it. The power behind his blow was strong enough to knock it clean into the air, where it hurtled rapidly towards Mount Lady. He spared just enough time to watch her catch it expertly and tuck it under with one arm while using the other for additional support. "Go!" He shouted until his throat felt like it would bleed. Immediately she understood and took off running.

{}

"Nice, getting in her head," Katsuki nodded along, following the tempo and action closely.

"Think it'll work?" Eijiro asked.

"If it doesn't, Deku's fucked," Katsuki shrugged. "We know he got out of this, so we know this worked. It had to."

Talking in the past tense was comforting, reminding them that these events were a long time ago, in another world, far away from theirs. Still, seeing these familiar faces, with the same names and personalities, all fighting for their lives: they were haunted by that past, making it feel very close, excessively present as if it breathed down their necks.

When All Might surged past Sondok, knocking the shell off the roof, Katsuki bolted from his seat as if propelled by that punch. Victory tasted sweet, even relished on behalf of another's accomplishments. "Fuck yeah!" Katsuki roared, sparks ringing from his palms.

"Yes!" Eijiro bellowed as he jumped up. The two teens collided into each other, smacking chest against chest in celebration.

"Did you see that?" Denki shouted, asking no one in particular. Everyone, of course, saw it.

"That was so awesome!" Sero couldn't contain himself.

"Um, guys," Minoru said quietly, but they ignored him.

"Guys," he said as the uproar continued.

"She's still there," Shoto observed, covering his mouth when he saw what else was wrong.

"No," Tenya stood, unable to understand what he was seeing. "No!"

{}

"Taunting her into making the wrong move was the best call," Shota said with a growing smile on his face.

"I'm glad I thought of it," Toshinori said, wondering if the words were true at all. Was Sondok held captive by the fears the other Toshinori laid at her feet? It didn't matter either way since it accomplished All Might's goal.

Young Midoriya was as good as saved.

"Wait," Shota said, narrowing his eyes. "What the…"

Toshinori, though, smiled even brighter than before. "I didn't understand until now what I saw in that preview, but now I'm glad."

Shota regarded Toshinori with shock.

"If it meant giving Young Midoriya a chance at freedom, then it was worth it," Toshinori said as his grin threatened to split his face apart. "I'd do it all over again."

{}

"Yes!" Mirio jumped up from his seat.

Nejire clapped, moving her hands rapidly as if she'd just watched a grand stage performance, while Tamaki leaned back, heaving a huge sigh of relief.

The rescue was done. Now all they had to do was keep Midoriya away from the villains. Everything would be alright. With the hostage out of the way, the heroes could focus on taking the villains out.

Nejire stood and hugged her taller friend before pulling their shyest team member into the group hug. No one told them to calm down. No one paid attention to their antics.

"Oh shit," they heard someone say, drawing their attention back to the action on the screen.

"Oh, fuck," Tamaki breathed as his arms went slack, falling from where they rested on the backs of his friends.

{}

"Oh god, yes, they got Deku out of there," Ochako almost fainted with relief.

"Breathe, Uraraka, breathe," Momo said with a smile as she leaned in her seat to put an arm around Ochako's opposite shoulder. "See? It's all going to be fine."

"Oh, no," Kyoka said. She was the first in their group to notice, not because of the sights but the sounds.

"What is it?" Momo still hadn't noticed yet.

Ochako gasped, recoiling deeper into her seat, her back threatening to bend the chair back beyond its intended design.

"Oh god," was all Momo could say when she finally caught on to what Kyoka was so concerned about, the horror unfolding on screen.

Then they all saw it. "Kero," Tsuyu swallowed loudly.

"Shit," Mina said loud enough that people heard her from several rows back, but she didn't care.

{}

"Ha! Yes! That point's for the home team!" Itsuka hollered out. She made giant fists, allowing multiple members of their class to fist-bump her.

"Oh, goodness, that was intense," Ibara lamented, her hands clasped in front of her. "It feels like my prayers accomplished something."

"Somehow, I think it was All Might's fists and psychological warfare, but yeah," Setsuna let out a long sigh.

"Mmmm," was all Yui said. The others interpreted this as relief.

It wasn't. "Mmmm!"

Then they looked up to see what she was fussing about and immediately saw what was wrong.

"Oh, heaven above," was the closest Ibara came to swearing. If it were anyone else in the class, it would have been a much worse phrase.

It would have been closer to what Setsuna said.

"Mother-fucking-hell," Setsuna whispered as her jaw went slack.

{}

It was only after the adrenaline of the moment had passed that he accepted the gravity of what he had just done. His fist had become a useless mangle of flesh and bone. The hard impact had launched the Shell away, but his arm was broken and useless with cracks and tears in his bones and muscles. All Might still had a powerful enemy to contend with, one that didn't care for his new handicap.

Her next movement was too fast for him to understand. He did not see it, did not feel it. By the time his senses caught up, it was too late. His eyes turned to see her standing next to him with her sword held high. When had she gotten there? When did she draw her sword?

Then All Might felt the horrifying reality of what she had just done. She lunged forward with a single fluid motion and drew her sword into an upward slice, taking with it his outstretched and mangled right hand. His useless appendage was cleanly cut off and sent high into the air. Only then, when his attention had caught up to her movements, did he back away in time to prevent her downward cut from harming him too severely. She made a deep cut into his left pectoral muscle, but his last-minute dodge saved his life.

{}

Endeavor leaned forward and held a hand over his mouth, grasping his face in an iron grip, as if stifling the cry from welling up inside him would resolve everything, would contain the feelings at their root.

His eyes squinted, valiantly repressing the water pressure of his emotions, but his soul screamed. The man he envied, obsessed over, and aspired to, All Might, was maimed beyond anything Endeavor ever thought possible.

"No, oh god, no," Mount Lady shed so many tears that her mask wouldn't stay in place.

"All Might," Ingenium said, stunned, speechless after just breathing out the hero's name.

Gang Orca stared impassively, folding his arms protectively around himself.

A row in front of them, Nezu set down his pen, his notes forgotten. For once, UA's mastermind principal appeared flat-footed, unable to process what was in front of him. Then, he surprised everyone around him by nodding once and taking down notes again.

That was the moment it sunk in for Endeavor and the others. This enemy was still out there. Victory was not assured. The mighty heroes can fall, even the ones that they assumed were invincible.

Worse, the enemy was coming here. They needed to study, to train, to prepare.

"For All Might," Endeavor whispered into his palm before removing his hand, closing his fist as if to capture those words for all time.

The rivalry felt so petty, like he'd wasted years preparing to climb a mountain instead of the real task: protecting everyone and everything he and the other heroes held dear.

"The fight's not over," he remarked. "He's still standing." With that, he folded his arms, glad that his words had the desired effect. Heroes were used to dealing with trauma, regardless of how shocking it might be. All around him, Endeavor noticed signs of heroes and support, each restoring their sense of priority around this new reality, crystalizing their resolve, and readying themselves for the battle to come.

And oh, that battle would come. Endeavor was sure of that.

{}

Katsuki couldn't control his jaw. It shook, defiant of his will for self-control as tears spilled over his lower eyelids, flowing like two rivulets down his face.

The blonde flinched when he felt something touch his shoulder but relaxed when he felt Eijiro's arm stretch around his back, embracing him while the two stood next to each other.

No one told them to sit down.

Instead, they rose from their seats.

One by one, then whole groups of students rose, all standing.

Tears flowed freely, but everyone tried to stifle the noise of their emotions.

Katsuki may have been the first to stand, but he was not alone. None of them were alone.

Shoto's tears froze on one side of his face, an advancing glacier, mourning the terrible scene in front of him.

Toru's cheeks glistened in the auditorium's dim light, reflected from the mirror-screen in front of them. It was one of the rare times her face was discernable at all. Standing next to her, Mina looked and saw that Toru's cheeks were round, diverting her tears off to the sides.

Mina's tears burned into her uniform, staining her shirt where the synthetic fabric recoiled from the acid of her emotions, but she didn't care about that. The damage wasn't so bad as to become embarrassing.

The girls stood together as one, the chain of linked hands unbroken between them, save for Ochako's extended pinkies, of course. None of them wiped their tears away or averted their eyes from the gruesome image in front of them.

{}

Ibara mumbled a series of prayers under her breath, whispering through her faith. She urgently poured herself into her wish for All Might to recover, to survive, to pull through. He wasn't the All Might of their world, but he was still All Might. He was still a great and selfless hero.

Itsuka gaped in horror, her fists clenching and releasing spasmodically in painful empathy, imagining what it would feel like to lose one of her hands. Her mind writhed at the idea of losing something that she felt was so vital, not just a part of her body but her identity.

A maimed hero meant a retired hero, especially if the missing part rendered their Quirk virtually useless. Super strength or gigantic fists didn't mean much without limbs.

"He's still fighting, even without his hand," she spoke through her tears, digging deep to find the resolve that still burned inside her.

"She almost killed him," Yui spoke a rare complete sentence. "She's been holding back, fighting without her weapons." The timid brunette trembled with each word. Despite her dry face, her body shivered with unexpressed emotions.

Setsuna detached an arm to hug Yui, drawing her close, embracing her without the odd angles bodies succumb to when two awkward sets of limbs tangle-up. "Help is on the way. Heck, there are other heroes already on the scene. There's still hope."

"Mmm," Yui mumbled as she withdrew into herself.

Itsuka heard enough. She was about to object, to encourage Yui, to say something inspiring, when a wave of students stood, rumbling through the student body. It started near the front and off to their left, where 1-A sat together.

Itsuka stood with the others and examined the source. Of all people to start this, the last person she expected was Bakugou Katsuki. Her eyes bore into the back of his head as he shook with frustration, with loss. She watched from a distance as something died inside him, but at that moment, she felt a new spark, like something breathed for the first time in his chest.

Movement caught her eye.

She glanced over and down to watch Midoriya and Hatsume. She'd taken over handling the machine while he sat there, staring up at the screen. She couldn't see his face, but his rigid back muscles tensed under his shirt, as though aching to tear his clothes asunder. She imagined him, the only one in this room to recall this before they watched it, and tried to understand what he was feeling.

As his body trembled, visible even from this many rows away, she wondered what kind of grief held him, what kind of solace he'd consoled himself with, or failed to, for this moment to shake him so much.

His body wracked with an unmistakable sob. Fresh tears flowed from Itsuka's eyes to overwhelm her earlier trickle, triggered by Izuku's emotional release.

Movement caught her attention again, and she looked over to Uraraka Ochako, standing in solidarity with her fellow 1-A girls. Ochako alone broke the line, reaching forward as if she'd run over to Midoriya, to embrace him and comfort him.

Itsuka smiled bitterly but smiled, nonetheless, when the other girls drew Ochako back in and spoke encouragingly to her. From over here with 1-B, Itsuka didn't hear a word they said, but she got the idea.

"Hey, Jiro," Itsuka said.

Surprised, Kyoka turned her head away from the commotion in the center of the 1-A girls and looked over to meet Itsuka's eyes.

"Afterward, I'd like to stop over there and help," was all Itsuka could think of saying.

Kyoka smiled at her from across rows of students, all standing together. This moment of connection felt so surreal, like they all were in this struggle right there alongside the men and women of the other world, rallying to fight the invaders.

One thumbs-up from Kyoka was all Itsuka needed. Itsuka held up an enlarged fist. "For All Might!"

{}

"I'm so sorry," Izuku said aloud, catching Mei by surprise.

"He was your hero, too, wasn't he?" he heard Deku ask somewhere in the back of his mind.

Izuku nodded, unable to voice a reply while hot tears poured down his face. He hated this emotional weakness, loathed himself for it, and worst of all, despised how good it felt to unleash these feelings from deep inside.

"It's alright to cry," Deku's voice was like a whisper in Izuku's ear. "It doesn't matter that you're older or that you've been through more. If anything, that just means you have more reasons."

"You're a good kid," Izuku whispered. "You have a good man to aspire to, to surpass."

It felt like a hand was placed gently over his chest, sinking through flesh and bone until it rested on his heart. "You have a good role model, too."

Izuku looked up, staring at All Might as he defied Sondok, standing there with his arm bleeding out. "You're right," he smiled while crying. "I do."

{}

"That was very stupid," Sondok spoke with complete disdain as she used one long slice in the air to dispel his blood from her sword. "Now I'll have to kill you… all of you."

Why was she talking instead of killing? She could have sliced his head off. If she was fast enough that he couldn't see her before, then she could have taken his life in a single cut. Instead, she took off the hand that was already useless. All Might could tell that even now, she was holding back. Sondok had no fear of him or the other heroes. He struggled to think of what kind of power could frighten this monster of a woman. As things stood, he needed to keep his arms up in front of him and keep the fight going, even with a hand missing. He needed to give Mount Lady a chance to get some distance with Young Midoriya in tow.

He did his best to smile despite the maddening pain from where his hand used to be and the blood that wept from the open wound. "Sorry to make the day so inconvenient for you." He said with as much humor as he could muster. "But I couldn't just let you take him to another world… certainly not without him wanting to go. That boy… is going to be…" He struggled to form words as he became lightheaded. "…a Hero. He's going to fulfill his dreams… and he'll do it right here… even if I have to die to help him."

{}

With that, Mei powered down the machine, ending the memory-replay of those events.

The entire room stared silently at the reflective screen, a stretched moment of anomie, normlessness, of not knowing or understanding what came next, what was supposed to happen now.

Then Midoriya Izuku stood and turned back towards All Might. No one knew what he was going to do next, but the shining moisture on his face revealed his inner thoughts and feelings to them.

Still, it felt both appropriate to the severity and solemnity of the moment when Izuku bowed low towards the older retired hero.

As if prompted by this action, the class representatives from across the school called out that oft-used traditional cry they alone spoke before any class: "Stand, Bow!"

As one body, the students turned towards Al Might and, space permitting, bowed as low towards him as was possible. The teachers stood, followed by the pro-hero guests, to usher in the same gesture of respect.

Toshinori stood slowly, caught off guard when even Shota backed up enough to bow towards him. His friend and colleague looked him in the eyes while All Might rose from his seat. It was a look that said: "Don't fight this, don't dismiss this out of humility. We need this as much as you do."

Alone among the assembled bowed heads, Toshinori looked out from the aisle as he stood at the side of the room, off-center yet the focus of all their attention. His heart swelled, threatening to overwhelm him with tears. Did he deserve this much praise when he wasn't the man on that film? Was he worthy of their respect when it was another All Might, not the one lucky enough to be here instead?

Was this everyone's way of giving homage to a man they'd never meet? Or was it gratitude that they still had their hero, whole and healthy? Mostly, Toshinori thought as the corner of his mouth smirked upwards.

Izuku, the first to bow, was also the first to rise to full stature. He strode closer to the side of the room where 1-A had assembled, where All Might stood. After the other heads in the room were again upright, Izuku surprised them all.

"Thank you, sir," Izuku spoke forcefully, carrying his voice outward after all rose to their full stature. "Thank you for not giving up on me! Thank you for fighting for me!"

Are these words for me, Young Midoriya? Are these words you wished you could say to him, but that you can't? The thought felt like a sharp slap to Toshinori. What had this man gone through, this other Izuku whose memories lived on in his successor?

There was only one thing he could do, what felt right to do.

All Might smiled as he summoned up his strength, restoring himself to the image of the hero they all admired and looked up to, buffing up his muscles to their full size and his smile as large and as expansive as the future horizon.

He laughed, heartily, completely, enjoying the moment and the look of disbelief on their faces, the confused joy mingling with their tears. "Hah! My part's easy, Youn Midoriya. You young heroes, though, you all have a long road ahead of you. How would any of you fight for tomorrow if not for older heroes like me fighting for today?"

"We love you, All Might!" Mina cried out from close by, and the sentiment was echoed by many until it built, becoming a throng, an outpouring of love to follow the somber respect from earlier.

"You're still number one!" Katsuki yelled over the mass of voices clamoring to be heard. The blonde turned to where Izuku stood nearby. Something, a spark, passed from between their eyes, charging them. It was a strange moment they shared. Then, silently, the two of them turned and echoed that cry together. "You're still number one!" The other boys up front soon joined in, and the chorus rang out.

Deku's still in there, Katsuki thought quietly, grinning as he cheered for Japan's greatest hero.

The chaos of love and admiration overwhelmed him before All Might raised his hands placatingly. Once he secured the calm, he gestured over to their principal. Toshinori appreciated all of this, but they needed to move on, to prepare. Besides, he thought, he couldn't hold this form forever.

Nezu walked over to the podium up front and took hold of the microphone. "Now, that was firmly educational. We'll resume tomorrow at," but then there was a murmur, movement in the stands.

"Excuse me!" Togata Mirio boldly stepped forward, leaving a tearful Nejire and Tamaki in his wake, the remnants of their emotions stained into his shirt. "I mean no disrespect, Principal Nezu, but I think I speak for everyone here when I say we need to see more. Waiting until tomorrow might make this fit into our lives better, but is that really the best idea? Shouldn't we know what we're up against as soon as we possibly can?"

The idea was, it turned out, shared by many in the audience. The cry for more rose among the congregation as students and adults alike encouraged more, though the words varied from person to person. Everyone wanted to know what happened next, especially now that the stakes were so high that even All Might was at risk.

"If Midoriya and Hatsume can continue," Nezu looked over to the two of them, casting glances from one, then the other, and back again. He received a nod from each student. "Very well! We'll continue onward, then! One more segment, then we do need to put off the rest for another day! Do I need to remind all of you it's a school night?"

"No, Principal Nezu," came the convocation's reply with varying levels of enthusiasm. The loudest among them was Iida Tenya.

"Alright then," the principal scanned across the room, taking in the emotional wreck in front of him. Hope warred with despair on their faces.

Hope, though, was winning, defying all odds.

"Let's take a short break and," he paused, seeing the students already move, scurrying about the room, some heading to the exits, others to walk around, stand, and stretch. "Take a few minutes, everyone! We'll pick right back up, but only one more segment!"

{}

By then, Ochako was rushing down the steps to the front of the room. She moved faster than Momo or Kyoka could react, zipping past them from their row onto the bleacher-stairs and carrying herself as quickly as her feet would allow.

"Deku," she called out, not caring that he was next to the other boys in their class. She ran to him, glad to feel his arms wrap around her when she pressed into his personal space.

"I'm here, Ochako," he said, tears still wet on his face.

"It's you, isn't it? You're still in there, I know it. Deku's the one crying, right?" she asked desperately, ignoring the commotion around them, the raised eyebrows as she pressed her forehead against his.

"I'm still in here, Ochako," he whispered. "I won't lie to you. It's not just me."

She kissed him. Damn the hoots and hollers from other students or the remarks from their teachers. It didn't matter that they found themselves surrounded, that the lights were on, or that the night wasn't over. Ochako didn't care if she got in trouble for this.

Deku was in there, and she wanted to kiss him, to share that with him. The other Izuku stole her first kiss, but if Deku was aware, watching, feeling, then she wanted this for him. She wanted him to know that her feelings and her heart were for him, and him alone.

A loud cough interrupted them. "I think we've all seen enough, you two," Midnight said as she walked towards them, dismissing students from her path. "Uraraka, don't forget that you and the other ladies in your class have an appointment with me when today's viewing wraps up. This incident will be part of that discussion."

Ochako swallowed hard, disengaging her arms from Deku's shoulders. "I understand," she said, lowering her eyes.

Midnight smirked before walking past them to the hall outside.

"I have to go get the machine started back up," Izuku said.

"Go, Deku," she smiled for him. "I just want you to know that we're here, that I'm here, and that we're all fighting for you. All Might isn't the only one that refuses to give up on you… but I'm glad that he didn't."

"I'm glad too, and thank you," he said, smiling before heading back to the machine. Their fingers lingered, interlocked until the last possible moment.

Ochako feared what she'd see when she turned around. Sure enough, Mina, Momo, and Kyoka were right behind her, with Toru and Tsuyu walking their way.

"Damn, Uraraka," Mina said with an undefeatable grin. "Marking your territory, huh?"

"I just, when I saw his face, when I saw him crying, I just thought," she struggled to find the right words.

"He reminded you more of Deku, not of the new Izuku," Momo said, holding her arms around herself. "I felt the same way."

Ochako and Momo met eye-to-eye, instantly understanding the joy one felt was painful to the other. "Oh, Yaoyorozu," Ochako started, wanting to console her friend. All her jealousy melted into pity instantly.

"It's fine," Momo objected to the idea that she needed any attention right now. "Getting him back is the goal, and I'm sticking with that."

Just then, Kyoka looked over and locked eyes across the room with Mei. "I think Mei's working on it," she whispered. "She's definitely up to something."

Ochako looked over towards the support genius, marveling at her ability to operate without a break of any kind. Just then, Itsuka walked up to them, followed closely by Ibara, Setsuna, and Yui.

"Any progress on his identity crisis?" Itsuka asked.

"Some, we think," Momo replied to the other class rep. "We may have just won a battle, but the war is far from over."

They all paused to consider the double-meaning of those words.

{}

A Note from the Author

{}

Hello everyone! Thank you for reading my reaction-fic up to this point. I appreciate the time you took to get this far.

For anyone interested, I have some news and announcements.

First off, I'm happy to say that my T-rated fic, "Izuku's Time Traveling Babysitting Service," surpassed 25,000 hits on AO3! Woohoo!

Second, I've started working on my debut novel: "The Shrouded Princess"

This novel is set in an antiquity inspired fantasy world that I'm building from the ground up. Writing so much fanfiction helped train my writing, and now it's time to use that training!

If you want updates about my novel or any of my other plans, please join me on Discord or follow me on Twitter! My twitter handle is darklogic2 and my discord is discord .gg /25BTet3 so please stop on by!

Since I'm ramping up my writing schedule, I need to make some adjustments to my rotation. I don't believe in putting my works on hiatus or leaving them unfinished. Back when I was introducing my two newest fics, I worked them in on a catch-up rotation, focusing on getting more chapters out of them in a given rotation than my older works. I'm doing that again, but it will last longer this time. I also don't believe in posting chapters that aren't chapters, so have no fear of seeing an update from me that's nothing but an apology or a delay.

All that said, what this means is that "The Reflection in the Viridescent Mirror" is being placed on the backburner so I can focus more of my time on my novel. I'll still write chapters every now and then, but they will not be in every rotation. However, my plan is to pick up the pace for this fic later and give it it's own catch-up period.

After the next chapter of "Midoriya Izuku vs. the Women of Sigma Epsilon Chi (S.E.X.)" that fic will join this one on the backburner. I love both works and have a long plot planned for each, but I need to draft this novel and want to do it as early in 2021 as possible. I have major life changes coming on the horizon that excite me, but also scare me, since my wife and I will have to make some major adjustments.

In the short run, this means that my fic rotation will focus on my two other fics: "My Green Sun Prince Academia," followed by "Izuku's Time Traveling Babysitting Service." My first and longest fic is close to the climax and denouement of the first book/arc, and I want to finish that while charting out the worldbuilding documents and other supporting work needed for my novel. I'm not sure whether to mark it as complete after that, even temporarily, since I plan on coming back to it and write book two. The second, lighthearted fic will continue even while I'm working on my novel. I don't see it ending anytime soon.

Once again, thank you for your interest in my writing. I'll reply to all comments either directly on AO3 or in a mass-reply on FFN. Thanks again and see you at the next chapter release!