Izuku walked out of the elevator entering the second floor, where the dining hall was. He felt rather hungry and Zuzu-9-Delta, who had accompanied him to the elevator while gushing about her 'little sister' Epsi, had contacted Beta to get her to cook some food. She had then ignored Izuku's weak arguments that she didn't have to, simply arguing that he needed to eat in a very stern tone, surprising from that incarnation of Zuzu-9.

The fact his traitorous stomach had chosen that moment to grumble had just sealed the deal.

Deku followed the short corridor near the stairs and then entered the dining room. Behind the counter, the Green Scar was looking curiously at Zuzu-9-Beta, who was cooking a meal – or well, was having the cooking robots doing that, watching over them – before spotting him and waving calmly.

His friends were sitting with Lissa, the other Melissa Shield currently in the facility. She was in stark contrast to Mel, both because she looked a lot closer to the Melissa he knew – long hair, glasses, similar age to his own – and because she didn't sound incredibly bitter.

"Hey guys." He said, after waving back at the Green Scar for a moment, sitting down.

Oh, Izu." Ojiro, the closest to him, replied, putting his arm over his shoulder, "How did it go?"

"Yes, I'm curious too." Todoroki added, and Itsumi nodded in approval.

Izuku sighed, looking at Lissa. "I mean, it's not a secret. Especially not to me, I got a speech when I was told I was lucky since Guide is in here," She replied, touching her temple with a finger to point at her brain, "I know how the training works since I asked after Mel muttered 'And thank God for that' when I said I had Teleport but knew Guide was inside One for All too. She thinks she is super broody and subtle, but she is actually one of the most emotional people I know, super easy to read."

Izuku had to wonder if part of that was because they were the same person, but he discarded the idea when thinking about the hard time he had figuring out Isaac. "I see."

"And I know too. I've been around enough for that." A voice replied from their side, and they turned to see the Green Scar sitting down, a muscular arm placed on the table.

"Alright, spit it then." Ojiro incited him with a smirk, and Izuku sighed. He explained how the talk had gone, introducing Epsi when she came up before continuing. He explained Izzzuku's role, the risks involved in the training, and how now he had to decide what to do. In the meantime, Zuzu-9-Beta had a small robot like the ones UA used bring him his lunch, rice and katsudon that he hate absentmindedly while talking to the others.

Ojiro's smile first faltered then disappeared, turning into a sincere expression of concern. Itsumi seemed horrified, and Todoroki's expression grew more and more serious. "And that's it."

"Yeah, that's about what they explained to me…" Lissa confirmed somberly, "Though they didn't mention the likelihood was this high, just that it was a lot more dangerous."

"Shit kid, I'm sorry to hear that. I can give you some pointers if you want. I'm quite the survivalist." The older Izuku quickly added. "Out of the ten rules of survival in the Forest of Certain Death, I learned two through five from the greatest survivalist ever."

"… What about one and six to ten?"

"Eh, he was busy, I only got the crash course." The man shook his hand dismissing the comment, "Still, point is, I can give you some pointers."

"T-That would be great." Izuku replied, unsure, but his older version nodded.

"That aside, I think the real question is what we are going to do." Todoroki's comment made everyone turn to him.

"Uhm, no? The real question is 'will Izu survive this'." Ojiro corrected him, but Todoroki shook his head and pointed at the teen.

"Izu can handle his own. He can count on One for All and on his brain. I've seen enough of him to tell that much."

"So did the others that died." Lissa pointed out, "One for All is powerful, yes, but it doesn't protects you from everything. Magic, a villain with an instakill weapon…"

"W-wait, instakill? T-That's a thing?" Izuku gasped, but Melissa just kept going.

"Interdimensional monsters, Aliens…"

"W-wait, those are a thing?"

"All for One users, evil One for All users…"

"I think Izuku and Todoroki got the point Lissa." Itsumi interrupted her, before the girl could continue, "Yes, this is going to be dangerous. What can we do to help?"

"Honestly pretty much nothing." A new voice replied. They looked around, seeing no one.

"Uhm…"

"I'm here guys." The voice added from the table. They looked down to see Izuku's head resting on the table… and nothing else. The disembodied head grinned. "Hi."

Itsumi shouted, jumping back in fear.

Ojiro brought an axe kick down on the head, shattering a few glasses in the process.

Todoroki's right side went ice cold as crystals of ice begun to form and pointed his hand forward.

Izuku, the Green Scar and Lissa blinked for a moment before sighing collectively.

The head laughed, before passing through Ojiro's leg and emerging in his full body, while his illusion dissipated, turning into the normal appearance of Izzzuku. "Sup. First time meeting you all, isn't it?" He asked, and the three nodded slowly. "Niiice, first impression, ten out of ten. So, I hear you heard all about our little travel plan from little Deku over there."

"Aren't you awfully calm about this?" Lissa asked, "I mean, I know you usually are the 'crazy guy that never makes sense until he suddenly does' or something like that, but Izzzuku, you are going with him, and if he… passes you are going to be there, watching. Is that really something you can joke about like that."

"Yep." The dream creature leaned back, casually sighing, "Lissa, I don't pretend to understand your point of view, but I tell you, no matter how dark, gritty or edgy things are, you have to always be ready to crack a joke and laugh, that's what makes eternity worth living."

"Aren't you the guy that wants to die…"

"Extremely so, but until then, I am stuck here and I'm going to make this life count. So, enough moping, and let's talk business. You, Izuku, and you Epsi… Epsi, are you ok? You have been awfully quiet for a while."

Izuku blinked, before remembering that Epsi was, theoretically, capable of talking at any point. He turned, only to see the girl transfixed staring at Izzzuku. She quickly snapped out of her focusing, however, and found herself coughing in her fist a moment. "Sorry, I was just trying to remember something. It's nice to finally meet my mission partner, Mister Izzzuku."

"Same for me Epsi. It's nice to talk with you." He replied, with a smile. One that Deku noticed seemed smaller than the dream being's normal ones, less genuine. But before he could think further about it, Izzzuku pivoted his feet on the table – a motion that didn't move anything that was on it, reminding them once more that there was nothing material in him. "Now then, enough about me. So, Deku here is getting to know Epsi and organize this whole thing."

"I-I still haven't decided…"

"You kind have though, Izuku." Lissa pointed out, "You said yourself that you think it's the right thing to do. Not to mention, I think you really don't have a choice in the matter."

"Agreed." Todoroki replied, finally calming down and using his fire to dissolve the remaining ice on his right side, "You know you need this training. You are definitely going. The question becomes…"

"What are you three going to do?" Izzzuku finished, "Yup. You three need some guidance, I think."

"I have a plan." Todoroki replied calmly, "Me, Itsumi and Ojiro are going to stay here."

"What?!" Ojiro and Itsumi shouted together, in very different pitches.

"As he said, it's dangerous to travel like this. And if we all die, it's over for our worlds."

Everyone winced, realizing what Todoroki meant. The League didn't have stakes in their worlds since All for Deku was trapped. Which meant that, if they all died, they were not going to intervene to stop him either. Izuku closed his eyes, realizing how important their survival was.

"I see you understand."

"I don't." The Green Scar replied, "Care to share with the class?"

"To summarize, a big villain from my world has invaded theirs. He is trapped in those three worlds, so the League won't intervene, but as you can imagine we don't really like it." Todoroki's answer was short and on point, but the Green Scar's eyes flared for a moment before they simmered down. Lissa gasped too, her eyes darting to Itsumi and Ojiro, before returning to Izuku and from him finally to Todoroki.

"Shit. Sorry to hear that." The other, older Izuku replied, "But I agree in that case. You should definitely stick around here instead of jumping with him. If you all die, the League… Well, they probably won't help."

"I take you have experience with that."

"Not as bad as you, just related to the reason I am here. A girl that stole a magic wand and is using it badly, if you can believe it. I figured I'd ask for help in fighting her, but…"

"They told you 'no, thanks'." Ojiro concluded, "Yeah, seems like the League doesn't really care about anyone in the Multiverse."

"They do." Epsi countered, "The League cares tremendously about the Multiverse. But we can't take care of every universe. It's dangerous, and who knows if things get better."

"Ignoring a problem doesn't solve it." Todoroki countered, "What would the League do against a slaver universe, even if it's one that doesn't have ways to travel through the Multiverse at large. Would they just let them continue without even raising an eyebrow?" He waited for an answer, but Epsi just coughed in her fist, looking away, and his expression darkened, "Oh you have to be kidding me…"

"It's… It's complicated! We rationally know there probably are out there, but our protocols aren't well... designed to intervene."

"You should! What the hell?! It's slavery!"

"I k-know, but that would require us to, at the very least, conquer the universe in question, and we really can't, can we? E-Even without considering the morality of taking down a nation, or more, that would essentially make us colonizers and conquerors, all things the League works to stop." Epsi looked away, and Izuku noticed she was holding back tears. He grimaced, before turning to the man.

"T-Todoroki, please, I understand the frustration, but don't take it out on her."

"Don't…" The ice-and-fire user took a deep breath, as Ojiro put a hand on his shoulder, "Fine, I'll stop, but I'm not sorry. What does the League even do then, besides looking at a universe and going 'Mh, interesting'?"

"Now now, the League does some good work. Picking up lost Wanderers, dealing with villains that already travel the Multiverse…"

"Those exist?"

Izzzuku nodded, "A few that we know. The Master Thief, for example, as the name suggests is a thief that has Teleport. Travels around the Multiverse to steal jewels worth probably more than us, and then goes back to his homeworld and makes a good life. Or the Director, a guy that goes around the Multiverse trying to film movies with his crew. Those movies usually involve getting into fights with other superpowered individuals, causing millions in damage before he returns home and uses editing and tech to make it all look slightly faker, so he can present it as a movie. Honestly, it's almost a waste of powers, but he is swimming in cash so he probably disagrees." As he said that, he showered himself in gold, that vanished upon landing on the table.

"And they let him get away with it?"

"Well what can you expect? It's not like he commits a crime in his homeworld, at least nothing that would actually land him in jail. Still, those are just some examples, there are a bunch of other idiots that have decided having the Multiverse at their disposal meant they had a toy to play with. Rappa the Battlemaster, Heise Long Weizi… Most of them are either battle junkies or people that want to make a quick buck, but we take our job seriously. Usually, we track them down and try to figure out a way to contain them."

"How does that go?"

"It depends. The Director and his crew just run away if we get close, or at worst film us and cast us as villains in post-production, but they have some strong fighters in the Crew, some that can match Isaac if they team-up. Rappa has a deal where he fights Isaac monthly in a select location, and in exchange doesn't go around punching random strong heroes in the face. I guess until Isaac loses, we won't have a problem."

"Couldn't you send Rappa after the Director?" Todoroki asked, "Letting villains destroy each other would help."

"We tried, but after Battlemaster 5 – The Final Clash, the Director said he was done filming movies with him for a while and now if we bring him around he runs."

Izuku shivered. Those people were… so casual about the use of their power. Did they not see the danger they were in? One misstep and they all could die, and they did it for money or to get into an unneeded fight? It seemed almost unreal.

Epsi smiled at him. "Don't worry everyone, I'm sure we will be fine. Mister Izzzuku will protect Mister Izuku, and I will ensure nothing bad happens to him from environmental causes. I am a veritable database, and my sensors can freely examine the air, water, soil and even his own physical capabilities, up to and including foreign elements in his bloodstream." She explained this while a series of small, round openings opened on the side of the bracelet, revealing a series of short, thin probes ending in all shapes, from syringes probably meant to examine water – and maybe, he realized, poking him for small amounts of blood, if what she said about his bloodstream was right – and one that ended with a camera. "I also have in my database all the universes already discovered. I can't ensure it will be safe, but if Mister Izuku finds himself in a known world, I can figure it out and help him around."

Izuku was surprised, but he sighed in relief. "That's good. Uhm, but still, we went off-topic. What are you guys going to do while I am away?"

"I have an idea." Itsumi replied hesitantly, "But… I don't know what to say. I thought we would train here, but I don't think you should go completely alone." She glanced at Todoroki and Izzzuku, "No matter what someone else might say, having someone to help is for the best."

"You shouldn't come Itsumi." Izuku replied quickly, and she stared at him, "N-not because I don't think you can protect yourself, it's pragmatic really. If I… If I pass away, your world will be the last of our three Universes with One for All not in the hands of a villain. You will be the last hope of those worlds."

Itsumi gritted her teeth, and Izuku could tell she didn't like the idea. He didn't either, but it was a fact. Like Todoroki had said, them all dying meant the League would have no stakes in their Universes, but if he and Itsumi died, in particular, it also meant that One for All would die off in his world and lose another piece in hers.

"I'm not the only One for All wielder back home, Izu, and of all the Quirks we have, Guide is the most useful to bring with you."

"You would be the only One for All user that knows the Multiverse, Itsumi, and you know that the fact there are other pieces doesn't matter. There will be three All for One users for them to face. They will need both of us, and if I die I want to know you at least will be there."

She took in a sharp breath of air, looking at him and then glancing at the others like she was trying to get some help, but no one had anything to say. "I think little Deku put you on the ropes." Izzzuku supplied, and her face twisted when she understood she didn't have a counterargument for him.

"Just promise you will not die on me." She finally said, sighing.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to." He replied, turning to Ojiro and Todoroki. Ojiro seemed unsure of what to say, but Todoroki clearly wasn't.

"I'm staying here to get us some help. Me, Itsumi and Ojiro can probably do more from here than jumping through the Multiverse with you anyway."

Ojiro's shoulder slumped, "I hope you don't hate us, Izu."

Izuku shook his head, "I was going to say the same thing. You three stay here and try to get help from this side. I will go into the Multiverse and see if I can find help on that side."

-x-

The Villa was hidden deep in the mountains. It was a nostalgic building to him, elegant and yet, he knew, heavily fortified. It would have taken an army of Heroes to storm the building directly.

Or a single All for One user.

Alien King found it fascinating. He had taken a little longer than he expected to find the place, mostly because of the fact it was built in a slightly different location. A difference between the Universes, a butterfly effect of some sort that had brought the villa just a mile west of where it was in his own universe. Not that it mattered, of course.

He observed the construction. In his world, the place had been built by his Master and then borrowed to the MLA in a show of 'support'. Not so here, where apparently it had always belonged to the MLA from what they knew. 'How interesting. I wonder what Master would think.'

Thinking back to Shigaraki Ittosai, as he called himself when they had first met, borrowing the name of some famous samurai from the seventeenth century, always brought back to Mitsuhide a mix of emotions he could hardly describe. He had loved the man like a father, but he also knew that he was using him in a way. He was devoted, but not blind. His Master had liked that about him, after all.

He knew that was different for the others. All for Deku showed an attachment that was almost toxic to All for One, and the little he had learned of Shigaraki so far, by reading articles, suggested he was still subservient to a degree. Both men were not what his Master would have wanted for a successor. Then again, he had already realized that his Master was the most likely to be a different person in different worlds. Experiences shaped a man, and one that lived over a century was bound to change a lot more than anyone else when faced with different experiences.

Mitsuhide could tell what the others All for One wanted from their heirs. All for Deku's had wanted a copy of himself that was smart enough to not fall to the power of his Quirk. A kid so fascinated by Quirks, like All for Deku was despite hiding it well, that he would feel an eternal debt to the one that had given him a chance to soar in a sky he could never attain before.

This All for One… was harder to say. Shigaraki was showing some promise in the way he had dealt with Chisaki, and he had to assume he had dealt even better with the MLA, given they were now his followers, but who knew what All for One's ultimate disciple was meant to be?

The key difference, it seemed, was that his Master was the only one that had given up on overtly taking over Japan. All for Deku ruled in all but name, even normal people knowing he was the shadow Emperor of the islands, and this version of All for One probably was the same. Not his. His master had learned from his defeat, and understood that there was a point where power became meaningless.

'The great failure of every great man is going too far. There is a point where a king can't look beyond the horizon and say 'I will take that', but has to look inside and realize they have reached all they could. Like Alexander staring at the river Hyphasis and realizing he would go no further, all men of power that wish to hold onto it should know where the limit of their powers are.'

His Master had developed the idea of doing as Tokugawa had, raising his heir to take his place long before his death. While that had only been three years, he had given Mitsuhide all the training and companions he needed. Unlike a madman leaving behind a plan and a rabid dog, his All for One had left behind a powerful group already lead in all but name by Alien King long before his passing. And had also left another gift to him.

"So, what do we do?" A voice asked, interrupting his musing. He turned to stare at Muscular, All for Deku's little lieutenant. For all All for Deku pretended to be the smartest of the two, Mitsuhide had no problem in fooling him like he had fooled many others.

'Miyamoto Musashi was the greatest ronin to ever live in Japan. I say this, Mitsuhide, not only because of his skills with the sword – remarkable as they were – but also because of his skills with the brain. He was a man that knew how to use his mind, but kept it hidden behind false excuses. He would arrive late and make the opponent think they were being underestimated, but in reality was tricking them into falling to anger. He used two blades in combat, but I believe he actually had two different blades: his skills, a blade anyone could see, and his mind, a blade always hidden and yet sharper than the other. That is what you have to learn, Mitsuhide.'

That was what he had thought him. Flaunt your strength, but hide your mind. Let your opponents think you are a stupid man, drunk with power and unable to put your mind to good use, and let them relax their guard. Let them think he was someone exploitable. No surprise All for Deku had fallen for it, leaving him with another muscle-bound man. He had sent him deciding he didn't need to be kept under control by some smarter lieutenant, like Spinner. A simple mistake.

By the time of his death, Mitsuhide was ruling the underground, and if he hadn't made but one mistake, he would have won. His faith in his master's teachings was still strong though. The loyalty of the Doctor had paid off, even if only after a long wait, and now he was free. If All for Deku hadn't let his bias for Quirks shaping the people who held them cloud his mind, he could have figured out something didn't add up, but he hadn't.

'Still, he is an amusing fellow. It will be interesting to see where this goes.' He decided, turning to Muscular. He wasn't against playing the part of the follower for a while.

After all, he mused, he was Ashido Mitsuhide. Maybe All for Deku would be his Nobunaga, since his Master had never been.

"Well?" Muscular asked.

"We are going to have some fun." Alien King replied, returning to his usual strength-bound persona, "Let's show them the power of the Multiverse and make sure they are willing to listen to us. I'd say, if we take down Rikiya and Geten they should be willing to hear us out. Try not to kill anyone, and stay out of the splash zone. Acid is a tricky thing to heal. And remember, not a word on Hawks until I say something. I want to see their faces when we tell them."

Muscular snorted in what he assumed was agreement, his leg covering in muscles as he prepared to jump. Mitsuhide did the same. 'Well I'm not lying. This is going to be fun.'

As one, they both jumped, and the alarms of the Gunga Mountain Villa went off.

(XX)

Ah, Mitsuhide, let everyone underestimate you because you go around calling yourself Alien King and talking about strength, what do they know?

And also, our first mention of Multiversal villains... even if probably not the kind people expected. Some of them will show up and some won't, and of course there are more out there, that the League either doesn't know or doesn't mention.

And thus, our team splits up, Izuku goes with Izzzuku and Epsi, while Todoroki, Ojiro and Itsumi hang back at the headquarters to work out how to get help. This was a relatively difficult choice to me, but in the end what made me decide was that I had better ideas that came with the two groups separating.

But enough of that, see you next time as Alien King takes on the PLF.