A/N: Ready for more craziness and mind-breakage? Definitely let me know how this one went, it's quite the exciting one! Next chapter begins the new twist on U.A!

I know I've been uploading daily, but that's just due to a burst of inspiration- Don't expect that forever, honestly. :P

Chapter Six

Nothing Left to Say

Best Jeanist sat in one of the faculty meeting rooms of U.A, along with several other Pro Heroes acting as teachers at the school, all around a large table with the facility's Principal, Nezu, at the end.

The short bear-mouse-like Principal lifted a paw in the air. "Alright everyone! We're here to discuss the curriculum changes coming to U.A this year!"

There was silence for a few moments. The Principal looked around, judging the expressions of everyone present. He was hyper-intelligent, so it wasn't too hard for him to see that there were many unanswered questions that weren't being asked.

Amongst the group were the following Heroes: Eraserhead, Vlad, Ectoplasm, Present Mic, Cementoss, Midnight, Thirteen, and All Might at the opposite end of the table from the Principal.

"I know we're all very busy with many things," Nezu continued, still smiling as he usually did. "But if there are concerns, we should be addressing them now."

It was Thirteen who stood and spoke up first, the Pro Hero not wearing her usual Hero Costume that most were accustomed to. She was a bit short and thin, with dark hair and light eyes, and wore gloves on her hands that helped contain her Quirk.

"...I still need to know where classes 1-A and 1-B will stand," she stated. "Because these changes might be too much of a burden on them."

"I agree," chimed in Cementoss. As a Modern Literature teacher, he was often very stoic in his speech patterns, despite his intimidating appearance as a person made entirely of cement. "These are already dire times. More stress is not necessarily the answer."

Nezu held up a finger. "Yet, due to these dire times, we must prepare our students more than ever, correct?"

"There are other ways," Thirteen objected. "More rescue training, more combat training-"

"Those things have always been a part of the schedule," piped up Vlad, his deep commanding voice much louder than the rest, making him easily grab the attention of everyone. "We pitch the students of both Hero classes against each other for a reason. An additional goal, of reaching 1-S, may drive our students harder than ever!"

Thirteen sat down finally, but didn't seem satisfied by this, crossing her arms and looking down at the table.

"If I may," came a voice that, albeit being not as loud as Vlad, made everyone look towards him. All Might, in his true, scrawny form that was a secret from the general populace, looked around at everyone with his dark eyes. "Allowing a select number of students to excel benefits both them and those of the other classes. But if it is done incorrectly… We may discourage the others. We have to be careful."

A few of them nodded at this, but Eraserhead spoke up, which surprised everyone, since he was usually fairly quiet.

"If they get discouraged, isn't it our job to get them back on track, anyways?" He looked around at everyone. "And if they can't, then they aren't fit to be here."

Nezu smiled a bit wider at this, motioning towards Best Jeanist, who was sitting to All Might's right, and to Eraserhead's left.

"Best Jeanist has kindly taken the offer to join us here at U.A, in order to teach the new 1-S class," the Principal began, "Surely we should listen to his opinion on the matter?"

All eyes turned to Jeanist, who wasn't unused to the attention, being the #4 Hero in Japan and all.

"This class was proposed as an active measure to counter those we know are lying in wait in the darkness," he explained. "While they haven't moved yet, we are only risking the students and civilians lives by not increasing our Hero output."

"Hey hey, you're talking like they're robots or somethin'," Present Mic pointed out, wagging a finger. "We've got plenty of those around campus. Quality over quantity is better, ain't it?"

"You misunderstand," Best Jeanist retorted calmly, running a hand along the brim of his denim collar. "Think of Class 1-S as a goal that those students must maintain. Grade-wise and ability-wise, they can be sent back to 1-A or 1-B at any time. While in 1-S, they will undergo more rigorous training, but in the end, the true goal is this-"

Best Jeanist stood up for emphasis, his hands on the table. "All first year Hero students this year will at least get their Provisional Hero Licenses, which is usually reserved for their second year. This is the bare minimum they will achieve."

A couple of the faculty who hadn't heard of this seemed surprised, but Nezu chuckled, drawing everyone's attention back to him.

"And it isn't just Hakamata here, it's up to all of you," he said, looking at all of the Heroes gathered there. "Aizawa… Kan… You both are the driving forces behind 1-A and 1-B respectively. It is up to you to inherit these new responsibilities as your students move in and out of your class.

Eraserhead and Vlad nodded to the Principal, who then turned his attention to Thirteen, who still seemed to be thinking things over.

"Thirteen, we all understand that this undertaking will be new and difficult for everyone. However, it is the belief of I, as well as many other Heroes out there, that an accelerated program will only do our students good."

Thirteen sighed and shook her head. "I'll do what I have to. I'll make sure that the students are ready for search and rescue, but they need to have their heads straight."

Nezu nodded, motioning to the room. "Of course. Everyone here is responsible for that. I believe in every single one of you!"

All Might chuckled lightly. "I think this year will be more exciting than any other before." Others couldn't help but smile as well.

The mood had started to lighten, but there was an unspoken truth about this new school year that only a few people present at the meeting knew about. One of the major reasons that an accelerated program was necessary for the students growth.

The truth about a certain boy and his living Quirk.

The last of Izuku's Middle School career came to an end very unceremoniously. Bakugo hadn't messed with him at all the remainder of the year, and Izuku's classmates also seemed to respect him much more, likely hearing about the scuffle that had happened before.

"Izuku? Is it true you got into U.A?"

The green-haired boy sped up his walk, gulping. He wanted to leave school as fast as possible and never look back, but a few of his classmates were following him.

How the heck could they know that?!

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," he insisted with a nervous smile.

A girl from his class got really close to him, making him blush intensely as she suddenly groped his arm, then let out a giggle.

"Wow, you really did get some muscle Midoriya! You're totally becoming a man-"

Izuku came to a sudden stop, the others around him confused. Wanting to get out of there as soon as possible, he used his Warp.

"W-Wow!"

"Was that his Quirk? What-"

Their voices vanished after he slipped through the vortex and it closed behind him. He sighed, taking a seat on the park bench he had gone to. He noticed a couple walking around him, keeping their distance, obviously disturbed by seeing a boy suddenly step out from a portal.

You think they'd be used to that sorta thing, ya know?

"It's not like this Quirk is very common," Izuku muttered. He sat back on the bench and gazed up at the blue sky that was showing through the trees. "I finally got through Middle School.. And I'm going to be in U.A soon… But why does it feel like this is just the start?"

Tch, did you think U.A was your ticket to becoming a great Hero instantly? Musabori let out a hearty laugh. I've been around for centuries, kid, and I'm still learnin' things! These things take time.

"I know I know," Izuku said, dismissing it with a wave of his hand. "It just doesn't seem real still. There's… Something wrong, I can feel it."

Well kid, I think whatever you're thinking of… Is staring at us right now.

Izuku looked down, surprised to see Bakugo standing ahead of him, looking his way. The spiky-haired boy had his hands in his pocket, and was staring him down with an intense look. Gulping, Izuku slowly rose to his feet, a million thoughts going through his head about what he should do.

We aren't running, for fucks sake, Musabori grumbled. Izuku could feel Musabori standing with him in their mind as they gazed at Bakugo. We wait and see, and whatever happens, happens, you got it?

He really didn't feel that way. Confronting Bakugo had been at the back of his mind ever since their fight on the school rooftop, but now here it was, roaring back to life.

Just think about what he feels about you. Remember?

Izuku nodded to himself, remembering Bakugo's words:

"Maybe if you'd stayed Quirkless, you wouldn't get your ass kicked!"

He walked forward, approaching Bakugo. The boy stood firm, staring him down as Izuku got closer, now only a few meters ahead of him before stopping.

"What is it, Kacchan?"

Bakugo's eyes narrowed, and he looked Izuku over, showing a hint of surprise. "The hell happened to you, nerd? You got a Quirk, so now you're hot shit?"

Izuku shrugged. "I've never said anything like that."

"You think you can step up to me, so you must think you can beat me," Bakugo growled, his body tensing up as he clenched his fists in his pockets. "Why not take a swing? We can see if you can even touch me this time."

Shaking his head, Izuku stood his ground. "I-I won't give in this time, Kacchan-"

"Can it with the 'Kacchan' shit!" Bakugo moved his hand through the air before him angrily. "You're a shitty nerd who barely got his Quirk. We've never been equals, ever, not now, not ever. So if you want to fight, then you should fight me right now!"

"I never said I wanted to fight…"

"Then why the hell did you pop up out of nowhere, then?!"

Izuku took a second, realizing that Bakugo happened to be in the park already when Izuku teleported in. This was all just a misunderstanding, so maybe he could-

"Deku."

He snapped out of it and looked at Bakugo again, who had a cool, deathly stare trained on him.

"I know that fuckin' face, you're contemplating stuff. If you do that again, I'll knock you flat," the boy spat.

You just gonna take that, Izuku?

What's the alternative? I'm not going to fight someone just because they provoke me…

Then what about those guys, in the alleyway? Musabori questioned. You acted to save that girl, Kendo. What drove you to do that?

Someone was in danger! That's different-

Look at him, Izuku!

Izuku took in Bakugo's deathly gaze, seeing that the boy was cracking his hands, small sparks starting to fly up from them.

Is he not another person who needs saving? If he acts like this forever, who knows what might happen!

Kacchan isn't a bad person! He's… Confident! He's strong, he's-

This ain't All Might we're talking about, Musabori interrupted. This is just some asshole kid who bullies people around. You wanna know how I found my old hosts? These kinds of actions right here.

Izuku gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, shaking his head. "I-I won't."

Bakugo readied himself, his hands sparking up more. "You think you're too good to throw down, is that it? I swear, Deku… You're such a -"

"Dimensional Shift!"

Izuku vanished from sight. Bakugo blinked, seeing absolutely no trace of Izuku anymore. "Some kind of nerd trick?!" He looked all around, trying to see if an invisible Izuku was leaving footprints in the grass, or disturbing particles in the air, anything-

But there was nothing.

Then, before Bakugo realized it, Izuku had reappeared behind him, facing away from him. Izuku had a calm, collected expression that hid the sadness he was feeling inside about his childhood companion.

"It's time we move on from this, Kacchan," Izuku spoke softly. "We're not kids anymore."

Bakugo's eyes widened. He began to tremble, feeling rage boiling inside of himself. As he spun around to confront Izuku however… The boy was gone once more.

"What the… Hell..?" Bakugo fell to one knee, looking down at his shaky hands. "What's up with that nerd? Why?"

After being the #1 in his school, being the highlight of his classmates, being the absolute strongest- Now, he felt something he never had before, and was finally knocked down a peg.

Why is he so strong?! Bakugo thought, angrily punching the ground, creating a small explosion that burnt away the grass around him. Damn it! Damn it!

As the boy stood up, a few worried onlookers scattered after he flicked a look towards them. He picked up his nearby school bag and slung it over his shoulder, slowly walking away, his free hand shaking the entire way with small explosions sparking up from it.

Deku…

Bakugo had never really been challenged, never had a goal to pursue. But now, this kid who had always been weak and easy to pick on, seemed unreachable to him. How could this have happened? Was he too complacent, too sure of himself?

If I see you at U.A, I swear… I'll kill you!

On almost the total opposite spectrum from Bakugo, Itsuka Kendo was ecstatic to have received her U.A acceptance letter. The girl had trained her whole life to be able to accel, and now had her chance to harness all of that learning into trying to become a great Hero.

But that boy, Midoriya… He seemed really strong. While his personality was very introverted, Itsuka could tell that he was harnessing some serious power, more than it appeared on the surface. She often found him popping up in her mind, but not in any sort of crush way, just pure intrigue… So she told herself, at least.

I wonder what he's gone through, the girl thought as she walked the streets of Musutafu. It was late evening, so the area was fairly empty. Itsuka was going to be staying with a family friend since her immediate family was from the Chiba prefecture, and the commute was just a little much despite it not being too terribly far from Shizuoka, so it was good to get used to the area around U.A.

An explosion caught her attention. The girl perked up, looking around for the source, before hearing yet another one.. Up above her?

Looking up, she finally caught sight of someone soaring through the sky. Another explosion occurred, and from what she could see, they were using those explosions to propel themselves forwards.

Whoa, someone's Quirk, Itsuka thought, shading her eyes to watch. She noticed that they came to a landing not far away, another explosion probably sounding to slow their descent. I wonder…

Since coming to Musutafu, she already found it to be quite the wild place. There were a lot of Villains, despite U.A's existence making it one of the safest cities in the area, so Hero vs Villain encounters were quite the spectacle to behold every day. Not to mention there was that encounter with the green-haired boy, Midoriya, and now whatever the heck this explodey person was doing.

Itsuka came to a small empty lot of grass between some office buildings, and peered through a chain-link fence towards where a boy with spiky hair, who was sitting on the grass angrily, some of the grass charred around him, likely from his explosions.

Is this guy a villain? He seems kind of… Unstable…

He was wearing what appeared to be the scraps of a Middle School uniform, the long-sleeved black outfit now mostly tattered. If he was from around here, she wondered if he knew that green-haired boy.

"Dammit," the boy muttered, his breathing heavy. "Fuckin' Deku… I'll show you."

The wind rustled the chain-link fence, which alarmed Itsuka a bit, making her slink down to hide. The boy looked her way, but didn't seem to notice her as he stood and looked up towards the darkening sky above. His hands were twitching, as if his nerves were going crazy.

Expecting him to blast off again, Itsuka watched as a mysterious vortex opened up nearby. For a moment, she thought it must be Midoriya- However, something about it was clearly different, the void appearing more like a dark mist. An unfamiliar person stepped through the darkness.

This person was clearly bad news, based on his appearance. He was scrawny and pale-skinned, wearing a dark outfit with some sort of hand attached to his face. Something about him sent alerts sparking in Itsuka's mind, so she made extra care to stay hidden, wondering if she should go for help or not.

Katsuki Bakugo noticed the newcomer, sizing him up with his eyes. "What the hell do you want, freak?"

The man stopped a little ways from him, outstretching his hands a bit. "You're… From around here, right?" His voice was very raspy and cracked. "I have a question for you."

Scowling, Bakugo turned away. "I don't got time for whatever the hell you want."

Itsuka, feeling increasingly worried, pulled out her cellphone, ready to call for help- However, she was surprised a dark void suddenly enveloped her. As she let out a yell, she suddenly found herself being tossed out of the portal that the man had come out of. Falling to the ground, she groaned and got up, glaring at the man.

"What…?" Looking towards the dark vortex, she could see now that there were yellow eyes within it, peering at her. "T-That's…"

The pale man turned his head towards Itsuka, scratching his neck. "Ah… An onlooker. Why is there always some sort of trouble?"

Bakugo looked at Itsuka, raising an eyebrow. "I don't even know who this is. What the hell do you people want?"

"I represent a powerful force- The revolution, of sorts," the man spoke. "I apologize for this inconvenience though… It's pretty rude."

Before she knew it, Itsuka was being lifted into the air, gasping. The man had moved swiftly and grabbed her throat, and she could feel something happening. Bakugo's eyes widened, seeing that her skin was starting to crack where the man was touching.

"Hey-!"

"You don't know this girl, right? This isn't an issue then."

Bakugo gritted his teeth, exploding forwards. He went for a punch to the man's face, but he was easily able to move back, releasing Itsuka, who fell to her knees, gasping. The explosive boy slid to a stop, facing down the stranger.

"Piss off already, you creepy bastard!"

The man sighed. "This isn't how I wanted it to go, but… I just have to ask you.. Where is Musabori?"

"Eh? The fuck you on about?"

Itsuka coughed, some blood coming up. She could feel that the skin at her neck was strangely cracked-feeling, and there was a foul odor that was filling her nostrils. What… was that? I… I felt like… I was gonna die…

"Apparently he's with a green haired boy."

Both Bakugo and Itsuka were alarmed by this. This made the strange man smile with his cracked lips, and he chuckled, the sound certainly not from someone who was sane in any way.

"Great! So you know him! Since our time here is low, just pass on a message for me for now," the man said, leaning in close, his red eyes piercing through the darkness. "The League is coming for him. Our master will be waiting."

At this point, even Bakugo was feeling frightened, though he'd never show it, standing his ground firmly. But, to his surprise, the man turned around and began to walk towards the void once more.

"H-Hey," Bakugo spat. "Who the hell are you?!"

As the man sunk into the vortex, he turned an eye their way. His gaze alone was enough to make the blood in the two teens go cold. This man, who they would eventually know to be Tomura Shigaraki, leader of the League of Villains, had no intentions of playing around with children.

"Everyone will know of us, soon enough."

The yellow eyes that were staring them down from the void shifted as the vortex swirled in on itself, eventually dispersing into a purplish mist that then disappeared without a trace, leaving the two there, taking it all in.

Bakugo clenched his fists. This was just another time where he felt powerless, and he absolutely hated that feeling. Not to mention, that guy had something to say about Deku, and wanted him to even pass on a message to him.

As if…! I'm not some messenger for that fuckin' nerd! Gah-

A cough made Bakugo look over, seeing that the orange-haired girl didn't seem like she was in the best shape.

"What the hell were you doing here? Are you…" Bakugo struggled to bring forth any sort of concern, his anger teetering at unreasonable levels. "Is it bad?"

"I'm… fine…"

Another cough. Bakugo groaned, wanting to just blow something up at that moment, but he managed to keep himself reserved.

"Come on… Let's go. I ain't taking no for an answer either."

All Might raised his fist triumphantly into the air, as the crowd that had gathered around him began to cheer, the tall, powerful Hero sporting his signature large, shining smile.

Izuku was watching on TV, the reporter going on about how All Might had stopped a villain who had attempted to rob a bank, only to be taken out by one single punch. After only a few words, the #1 Hero wave a salute before jumping away, leaving a small gust in his wake, everyone looking on in awe.

That guy never stops, Musabori commented. Do the other Heroes even do anything?

Of course they do! Don't disrespect them.

Whatever… Say, I have a sort of bad feeling.

Izuku tensed up a bit. Any time that Musabori felt something was off, it usually was an indication of something. He looked around, seeing that his Mother was walking over to the bathroom, closing the door.

Like… Bad news?

Maybe. Let's scout it out.

Nodding, Izuku stood and waved his hand before himself. In an instant, he used their Warp skill, appearing on their home's rooftop. Perched at the edge, Izuku peered around, activating his 'Vision of the Void' to enhance his perception, which had the added benefit of improving his night vision as well.

"Nothin'... Scan." Upon using the skill, a pulse went out from their location, moving over everything within a few kilometers. It was something only they could see, but Izuku did wonder if anyone who was sensitive to energy spikes, maybe due to their Quirk, could feel it. "There! That's…?"

Izuku was a bit confused, seeing that two people were walking together, one with their arm slinged over the other. Usually, everyone would appear about the same, with only maybe some size differences being apparent. But something was up… Instead of a blue sort of glow he would usually see, he could see that one had a fiery orangish glow, and the other, a fainter orange glow.

What does that mean..?

Musabori thought for a moment before answering. It feels like… We know them.

Really?

Yeah.. Especially the one whose glowing brightly. If I had to guess, it's that asshole again.

Kacchan? Izuku stood, becoming worried. If he was dragging a person along, something must have happened, because there was no way that he could help someone like that under normal circumstances.

Izuku brought up their Status, seeing that their current point total was 15,000. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't a lot.

"Just in case, let's stock up," Izuku said, reaching down towards the house and imagining his hoodie, which he obtained instantly using his 'Snatch' skill, the clothing appearing in his hand in a swirl of darkness. He put the jacket on, putting the hood up to obscure himself a bit, and jumped from the roof.

"Warp!"

Itsuka stumbled a bit, and Bakugo growled, struggling to keep holding her up, the girl's arm around his neck.

"Hey hey, you gotta walk, you fuckin' idiot," he exclaimed angrily. "I'm not carrying your ass there!"

He took note of her throat, which only seemed to have gotten worse, the strange cracking moving across her skin and making it peel away, blood starting to ooze from the opening wounds.

Their trouble wasn't over yet, however. Even though that man had left them, that did not mean they were safe. The street light above them flickered, and in a moment, several people suddenly appeared around them- Goons from the League of Villains.

"What the…" Bakugo looked around, seeing that they were surrounded by a variety of people, all sporting various mutation Quirks and/or weapons. "You uglies got a problem?!"

"Sorry kids, we've got orders," spoke a strange bear-like man who cockily approached them, patting a spiked baseball bat on his hand. "It's nothin' personal, but we're the villains, ya know."

Bakugo moved Itsuka, letting her down as he readied himself. The girl slunk to her knees, coughing, before slowly trying to get up.

"I'll.. fight…"

"Hell no! If you die, then I'll be pretty fuckin' pissed I did this for nothing," Bakugo spat, running forward towards the burly man. He threw a hand forward, letting out one of the most powerful explosions he could manage.

As the dust settled, he found that the man didn't even budge. His very furry chest seemed a little singed, but beyond that, he was still all smiles.

"That's a pretty cool Quirk, kid- They never approached you about joinin' the league?"

"The League again… I don't know what the fuck that is!" Bakugo, angered, rushed in and delivered a flurry of explosions, but eventually faltered, gasping as he felt pain surge through his hands from overusing his Quirk that day. Damn it-

The man's fist flew through the smoke, and Bakugo barely managed to dodge it, jumping back a bit. He heard footsteps behind, and turned to see a few others approaching the downed girl, who lifted a hand, expanding it several times larger to suddenly blast them backwards. The others, surprised, decided to take her seriously now, rushing in to attack her.

"I fuckin' told you to-" While he was distracted, Bakugo was grabbed from behind, put into a headlocke by the larger man. He gasped, struggling against the man's superior strength.

"Just go to sleep kid," the bear-man said with a laugh. "If you survive, then maybe I'll take ya back to HQ for initiation. How about that?"

Bakugo was kicking and trying to elbow the man behind him, but it proved to be no use. As his vision began to get hazy, he could see that Itsuka had gotten up to her feet, smacking away an oncoming attacker, before another managed to hit her shoulder hard with a bat, making her gasp out and fall over, the others starting to surround and mob her-

Then, there was darkness. But it wasn't from unconsciousness. Some sort of… Swirling mass of blackness.

It's that… Again..

Bakugo assumed it must be whatever brought that other villain, but he didn't expect the green-haired boy who came flying out from the void, straight towards the group that was attacking Itsuka.

Izuku and Musabori connected their minds fully. Together, they had twice the computing power, and could manage a one-on-many fight much more easily, their eyes melding into a mix of green and gold.

"Breath of the Void… Vision of the Void!"

Blood started to surge through Izuku. As he slid in, he delivered a powerful punch straight to the side of one of the villains, sending the man tumbling away in a yell of agony. The others, surprised, weren't ready as Izuku continued his assault, sending a flurry of punches at several of them before spinning and bringing his left around to kick two of them hard in the jaw, sending them away.

"Bastard!" One of the attackers brought up what looked like razor-sharp claws on his arms, trying to strike Izuku while he was in mid-kick.

Try again, scissor boy!

Izuku's body moved forwards, somersaulting forwards and rolling, before spinning around to face the remaining attackers that were standing near Itsuka.

"Dimensional Shift!"

He vanished, leaving the villains confused. Before they could think of what happened, Izuku suddenly appeared, striking the man with the blades across the face- Then he vanished again, and reappeared below him, delivering a strong uppercut that sent the man stumbling backwards. POOF! He was gone yet again, the man slashing around wildly at the air, expecting to hit an invisible target-

But Izuku reappeared behind him, grabbing the back of his head and jumping up to knee him right on the back of the head, the enhanced force of using his Breath of the Void enough to crack the man's skull, sending him straight to the ground, foaming at the mouth.

As Izuku looked down at the man, a small pang of worry filling him, two more attacked him with switchblades. He easily sidestepped one, then grabbed the wrist of the other, throwing him at the other attacker, sending them into a confused pile on the ground.

Bakugo didn't even realize that his attacker had let up on his grip. The bearish man was watching Izuku with an astonished look, his grip on Bakugo having let up as he gawked. Now, with a moment to breathe, Bakugo let out a growl and reached up, grabbing the man's head.

"Fuck… you!"

Letting out a powerful explosion, the man yelled and took a few steps back, smoke billowing from his head. Bakugo fell forward, coughing, staring down at his hands that were shaking incredibly badly.

"Kacchan?" Izuku turned at the sound of the explosion. He then saw that the man had recovered quickly and was coming to attack Bakugo once again.

"You should've just taken our offer to j-"

The man's words were cut off, his powerful hand in mid-motion to strike Bakugo from behind, his arm shaking with effort. Confused, the man looked back to see Izuku standing behind him now, holding onto his arm with seemingly little effort.

"W-Who the hell are you?!"

Izuku kept a calm expression, even if the adrenaline mixed with his permanent skill was making his blood rush hard through his body. As he looked at the man with his gold-and-green eyes, the man became frightened.

"I-It's you! Musabori-"

Before Izuku knew it, they had grabbed a hold of the man's face and slammed him back down into the ground. As he popped back up in the air from the force, Musabori sent a strong kick into his side, sending him tumbling hard into the pile of other goons they had defeated before, those that were still conscious letting out yells of pain.

Izuku took a deep breath, releasing his skills, feeling his blood starting to settle. He hadn't quite overexerted himself, so the after-effects weren't too bad, aside from maybe some feelings of dull pain in his muscles.

Musabori…?

There was no answer. Musabori was keeping silent, facing away from Izuku in their mindscape. A cough made Izuku snap back to reality, and he quickly rushed over to the other two.

"Kacchan… Um… Kendo?" Izuku was surprised to see the girl there, her presence finally registering to him.

"M-Midoriya..?" Itsuka looked up at him. His eyes widened as he saw the wound on her neck, and he watched as she fell over unconscious.

"Kendo!" Kneeling beside the girl, Izuku lifted her up a bit carefully. The wound was cracking along her skin, and blood was starting to come out faster. "No no no...! Kacchan, what happened?"

Bakugo didn't want to respond, angered with himself, angered with everything that was happening recently.

Izuku.

Musabori! Musabori, what can we do for her? Do I warp to a hospital-

Remember our skills, Musabori told him calmly. Restoration. It can restore what's been damaged by our Deprivation.

B-But it didn't do this-

Musabori seemed thoughtful, as if considering his words carefully. I've seen this damage before, I know what it can do… Trust me.

Izuku looked down at the unconscious girl in his arms. It was all to familiar… It brought back memories of when he held his Mother on that day when Musabori had attacked her. That memory also seemed to make Musabori flinch a bit, but he didn't try to defend himself.

Shakily, Izuku's hand moved down near Itsuka's throat.

You'll have to touch it. I know it's gross, but it has to be done.

Gulping, his hand touched her wound. He was trembling more and more, trying to speak to use the skill, but his upset was getting the better of him.

"Restoration," Musabori spoke for the shaken Izuku.

A strangely calming sensation moved through his arm. Whereas most skills they used made him feel a bit uncomfortable, this one was certainly very soothing and gentle. The usual dark-purple or black energy was more of a lavender color as it moved over the affected area of Itsuka's throat.

Bakugo finally looked up, watching the scene. For a moment, he felt like he couldn't recognize the boy who was somehow healing someone before his very eyes. That scrawny little kid he had picked on for years…

...was really gone.

After only a few moments of using the skill, the damage that had been done to Itsuka's throat had reverted itself, leaving it almost like new, besides the blood that stained it. Izuku lifted his shaky hand, looking at the blood that was on it.

It isn't easy, but you'll get used to this sort of stuff eventually, Musabori told him.

Though Itsuka was still unconscious, her breathing seemed to return to normal now. Izuku let out a sigh of relief, then looked back towards Bakugo, who was staring at him intently.

"Kacchan…" Izuku had to search for the words for a moment. "This is… My power. I really don't want to compete with you."

Bakugo stayed silent. Everything the boy had believed in was crumbling beneath him.

"I want you to know that I'm... strong! I can handle myself now, I can.. Save others! I want us to get along, I...I…" Izuku gulped, feeling himself trembling again.

Words failed Izuku and emptied from his mind. There really was nothing left to say now. The world was a dire place, as they had all just learned, and their fates were more tightly bound than what they might've originally thought. Actions were all that could be done for now, and even then, Bakugo felt like he couldn't do anything-

He was truly powerless.

To Be Continued…

Next Chapter: Begin! Class 1-S