To Be A Hero

by Pikaboo73

Izuku's only wish was to become a hero, and with the help of his idol, All Might, he's coming closer to that dream. But someone else is joining him on that adventure, someone by the name of Enso Ureshi. He's not joining Izuku to become a hero, instead, he wishes to help Izuku become strong enough to face a threat coming to his world. (Romance,Harem, better than the summary sounds.)

62. Destructive Progression

~{Author's Pre-Notes}~

So I got sick for like a week and had to spend another week catching up on school work and spent another week moving, and then I had to use the rest of my time to study for a midterm I finished just earlier before posting this chapter. Life's been fun. Also, I'm glad that a lot of you that had left short reviews before added a bit more to them in the previous chapter, so now I can see what people like the most in chapters and continue working on those aspects while improving others. I hope you all continue leaving longer reviews!

But yeah, life bitch slapped me to get off my computer and do shit.

Answered Comments (Oldest to most recent):

Exia Zero: Sorry to say, but I haven't watched Bleach, so I can't really say I understand what you mean when comparing Nezu to that other character. And also, I honestly probably would've cried getting hit in the nuts like that with a puck.

keyblade master cole: Yepperino.

aruiiz1234: Can't say that I completely understand what you're saying, but from what I read, I think you're saying that Izuku's quick doesn't really suit him and you think that Ikari was given to him? Well, if you did, I guess I can understand what you mean about having an anger quirk in a sweet boy, but at the same time, I kinda think it really fits for Izuku. Not really for too many reasons involving his character overall, but I always believed that the gentlest spirits end up really being the most dangerous when angry. It's like that saying, "There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man."

5AT05H1L1Nk: Good to hear from you as always L1NK! You're comments help make my day. Just seeing your name pop up feels satisfying. Sorry for taking longer in my chapters, but there really is a lot added to them. Love you're detailed review on noticing how our cinnamon roll has influenced his class. And actually, I think it'd be a good idea for at one point to have Toru have a costume made of her hair, it'd be good for her. Hope you enjoy this battle! To be honest, fights are one of my weak points if I do say so myself. I never really feel too confident about them.

Vidkid: Phew, yeah. These chapters are getting longer and longer, christ. Thanks for understanding if they take a bit to get out.

Randoron: FUCK! I forgot about that, so I had to go back and change that. God damn it. Thanks for pointing it out though.

Guest: I really don't know man... Sometimes I really wonder if my fic is as good as people say it is because I never really have too much media interaction with it. Tvtropes for it is supposedly somewhere that I can't find, I do have someone making fanart but it's just that person, and I honestly sometimes feel jealous of the thousands of reviews other fics have with just 3 or four chapters in them, but I've just accepted that they're better than mine and that they're better writers than me. So that's why I really do get giddy with each review that comes. Each one makes me feel a little more special, even if the reviews have criticism in them.

Guest43: Oh, you want more references? I'll see what I can do. References usually just come naturally for me. I never pause at certain moments of chapters just to think 'what kind of reference can I add here?' Those just come in my head whenever there's an obvious opportunity to put them in.

TQ679: Thank you once again TQ! Always love your comments!

SpiceR4: Okay, Ikari's source of power isn't actually Izuku's blood. Ikari in himself is his OWN source of power, so his own energy is basically his OWN blood in the sense that if he uses too much of it, then he'll get dizzy and pass out, if not die if he uses all his energy. And because Izuku and Ikari share each other's pain/life force, then when Ikari dies, Izuku will as well. And mastering Ikari won't really stop the draining of energy, but it will increase how MUCH energy Ikari has stockpiled up. Kinda like how when One For All gets stronger, more energy is stockpiled to it. I hope that makes sense.

Nick4Speed: Yeah, I honestly really do like that spinning move.

Ravenkiller901: That's deep, man.

Omnipotent X: I mean, I do appreciate giving your opinion, but I'd rather you wouldn't just compare my fic with other specific fics in how they're 'better' or 'worse' than mine. I kinda don't like that.

Farouk: That's a great analysis man, and props to you for looking through all those comments to notice all that stuff about people's opinions. Let's see what I think about those general issues.

1) Izuku's character development... Yeah, I'll be honest, I think I could've done better in terms of his relationship with Bakugo and character development as a whole, but I really think it's a bit of a stretch to call him the same as he is in canon. I hope this chapter at least shows what he accepts and doesn't accept about Bakugo and how he thinks of him. I guess it'll also reflect how I see him too? Yes, Izuku gets nervous, but that's mostly around girls rather than every little thing. He can get far more aggressive due to Ikari's influence, and he's more confident as a whole, especially since he isn't scared of Bakugo anymore.

2) I did make Enso appear 'OP' near the start, and he does appear majority better than U.A's students. But doesn't that kinda makes sense!? I don't know if it's just me, but I think it makes sense that this otherworldly being that's traveled to many worlds with many years of experience surviving, fighting, and killing, would be better at fighting than high school students and a majority of heroes. Sometimes I think people overreact to Enso's strength, when it's more about his experience. (Although I guess the Nomu fight made him seem kinda OP.) And rather than overshadow Izuku, I'd rather argue that he brings into light Izuku strength! Izuku basically fought an experienced hero/villain, whatever you wanna call Enso, and did damn well for it, even if there are still many factors to take in about their battle at the sports festival. Like izuku wasn't exactly in control of himself in the second half since Ikari was fighting clumsily for him, and Enso didn't want to kill/hurt Izuku in his Reaper of Worlds style, otherwise, he probably would've killed him earlier with a dagger swing and wouldn't have been careful to avoid cutting the tendrils Izuku made. There are still many factors to their fights, and I don't really believe Enso really is OP as people make him to be.

3) Yeah, it's a harem fic, so expect more focuses on the harem and the development of its girls. I'm trying to fit screen time for other characters, there's just a lot to fit in.

4) Lynch IS a simple-minded villain. And that's kinda his point! For now. The audience doesn't really know his past, they don't know what happened between him and Enso, and apparently, they don't know that in a world where Enso can learn from the hero and villain sides, Lynch can also learn from them. I mean, look at Shigaraki. At first, he was a manchild who just wanted to kill All Might and destroy things because he didn't like them, but then he got over that goal and focused actually changing society as a whole when he realized that everyone acts like heroes will always save them. He learned to be more patient and self-controlled, wanting to achieve his goal of taking down the 'fake' hero society they had. So what's to say this hero/villain world can't affect Lynch as well?

But yeah, thanks for bringing that stuff up, Farouk.

Guest: Look, I'm TRYING, alright? I'm trying to make these as best as they could be and try to work on them quickly, okay? But there are so many things to deal with. College classes/assignments, daily house chores, family events, work, yada yada. But even with a lot to do, I'm still trying to work on these, okay? I don't need people reminding me how long it's been since updating or how chapters are taking long. I KNOW, alright!? Stuff like that just stresses me out more and sometimes even makes me reluctant to type for the day. I'm trying the best I can even when dealing with stuff, I don't need the extra nagging.

Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter!

---

"Shinso actually managed to brainwash Endeavor?" Momo muttered in shock.

"What happened!? I couldn't hear what they said in those last moments!" Mina exclaimed.

"That mask..." Todoroki remembered seeing Shinso's black mask while training at Enso's residence, recalling its special property.

He actually formed a small smile.

"Take that, old man."

Enso and Shinso were shown leaving the plaza that had been a battlefield just moments ago. The group noticed Shinso's leg twisting the wrong way, which had no doubt been caused by Endeavor's last attack. So Enso just threw him over his shoulder and proceeded to carry him out, despite the tired-looking boy claiming he was fine. They left the number two hero standing by himself until they fully left the area, not wanting to see his sudden escalation of anger once he realized he lost.

Sure enough, when Endeavor was released from his brainwashing, he erupted in flames with a roar.

It honestly brought a few chuckles by how comedic flames appeared over the hero's eyes in anger.

But everyone's smile instantly dropped, with the room seeming to darken as the screen finally showed what was probably the most anticipated battle of the exams.

Everyone still couldn't believe it was okay. For someone who's been tormented for all of his life to be paired with his tormentor... For both of them to face up against the strongest hero of all time... It still didn't sit right with them, nor would it ever.

Mina was the first one to voice their worries, her hands rubbing together nervously.

"Hey... Will Midori really be alright with Bakugo?"

"I really don't think so..." Toru mumbled, sounding disheartened.

"Things could get rough." Iida frowned.

There was another moment of silence filling the area. You could see just how obvious the students here were tempted to just run outside. You could see in their expressions just how many of them wished to just stop this battle before it even began.

But before any could take any reckless actions, one of them spoke to calm the rest.

"Remember what Izuku said."

Everyone turned to Momo, who stared at the screen with a confident but serious expression.

"He'll make sure that he passes. I believe that he can work his way around this. He always does."

There was another moment of silence.

"Yeah! And with Darkness Buddy with him, they'll be fine!" Dark Shadow cheered while giving two thumbs up. Tokoyami nodded in approval beside him, confident in the abilities of his classmate and his quirk,

That seemed to lift the groups' spirits, some of them forming partial smiles while others looked less tense than before. Everyone stared at the screen and waited patiently for the final exam for their class to commence, which would be only about a minute longer.

But before it could start, the door for the room opened with Cementoss peaking inside.

"Is Uraraka here?"

"Eh?"

Everyone turned their heads, with Ochako's eyes widening by her name called specifically.

Seeing her present, Cementoss called to her.

"There's a phone call for you."

Ochako blinked several times in surprise.

"For me?"

Cementoss nodded. "If you would be so kind as to come with me."

Ochako anxiously turned back to the screen that would soon be showing her love interest's exam.

"I hope it won't take long..."

"Alright..." She turned back and quickly rushed to the door with Cementoss politely opening it for her.

"Huh... I wonder what happened?" Toru mumbled.

The gravity girl and cement teacher then quickly walked through the halls.

"Er... who called me exactly?"

Leading the way, Cementoss glanced back at her. "It was your father."

"Eh!? Dad!?" Ochako uttered, the shock clear evident on her face. "Why would he be calling me now of all times!?"

Cementoss chuckled. "Well, he must've known that you were in class, so he wouldn't wish to call you on your cell phone. But as to why he's calling you right now, I'm sure you'll figure it out with him."

The two then ended up in a lobby, an empty front desk containing an office phone left on hold.

"There you are. I'll leave you to it." With a polite bow, Cementoss turned and left in the opposite direction, leaving Ochako alone for privacy.

"Um, thank you!" She called to him, then turning her head to the dislodged phone that had her father waiting.

Why... did she suddenly feel nervous?

It was just a call from her father. What was there to be nervous about?

Despite reassuring herself, Ochako couldn't help but feel like something was... wrong.

She picked up the phone and hesitantly brought it to her ear.

"Uh... dad?"

*Ochako, honey! I'm sorry to call you out of the blue like this...*

"I-It's fine, dad! But... I'm just confused. What's going on? Why are you calling me now?"

There was a pause.

*Well... I wanted you to enjoy your day with all of your friends before...*

His voice trailed off, causing Ochako's worries to suddenly grow.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

She heard him let out a disheartened sigh.

*Ochako... I called right now because it should be the end of your last period, right? I didn't want to tell you early and ruin your day...*

Ochako felt her heart freeze up, a frozen stare of fear on her face.

"Ruin... my day?"

*How do I put this...? Ochako, you know that we're at a difficult time with our financial problems and that they've been getting worse. And... just last night, your mother and I learned that... we're getting evicted.*

Ochako could feel the despair spilling into all of her blood, trembling as she held the phone with completely opened eyes.

"E-Evicted? But-! I can't-! Why-!?"

It was way too sudden. They'd be losing their home? Then what did that mean for her and U.A?

She shivered as she asked.

"B-But... we can move somewhere still close to U.A... right? I-I can j-just keep going to school... right?" Her voice cracked at that last word.

There was another sigh of sadness.

*I'm... I'm sorry, Ochako.*

She nearly dropped the phone and fell weak on her knees, only managing to stand by supporting herself on the desk.

"Wh-What?"

*We can't afford anywhere near U.A. We can't even afford the next cities over...*

Ochako was practically choking as she felt the warm tears going down her face.

*I could've told you this when you got home, but we're gonna start packing up and need you to get something on your way back. You can still enjoy your last days of the semester, but I believe you should work on saying goodbye. I'm sorry, Ochako, I'm so sorry... I want to give you more time, but it was all so sudden...*

Ochako didn't hear anything else afterward. Her world just darkened as so many agonizing thoughts went through her.

But the one that practically broke her was...

"I'm... leaving Deku?"

She felt her world crashing down.

---

Their exam started off just how Izuku expected.

The moment the doors to the replica city had opened, Bakugo just marched forward without a second thought, not even bothering to look back at him.

He knew that Bakugo couldn't take down All Might independently, nor could Izuku himself fight the number one hero alone. He didn't even know if they could take down All Might, even with those weights limiting his power.

He didn't know whether he could talk any sense into Bakugo, nor did he know if he could keep the currently growling Ikari in check while he did so.

But... he had to try.

"Kacchan? You know we're facing off against All Might out of everyone, right? We both know how strong he is, so... Shouldn't we avoid him and get to the exit?"

Bakugo didn't even seem to acknowledge him and just continued to march forward.

This had Izuku form a frown. What, was he not even worth acknowledging that he even existed anymore?

"Okay, so we're not running... Do you at least have a plan of how we'll fight him?"

"Shut the fuck up, Deku." Bakugo hissed, earning a flinch from the boy. "We're not fighting him. I am."

That had Izuku stop walking with a baffled expression. Was he actually serious? He was really gonna leave him behind and fight the world's strongest hero by himself? And what, just because he didn't like working with him?

"Why... Kacchan...? Why do you have to be this way!?" His eyes narrowed as his hands tightly balled together.

"Just one stab in the leg... That's it."

The vicious growling of Ikari snapped Izuku out of his frustration, a look of fear forming before he violently shook his head.

"No! Stay calm! Ikari, we're alright! Deep breaths! Deep... breaths..." He thought, taking in and out air. The black that had been forming on his arm stopped and faded away.

"You know you want to... You know WE want to."

"Ikari! You're better than this! Think about the camp, remember!? Don't you want to go!? Hurting Kacchan won't do anything to help us!"

He received a growl in response, but he didn't continue.

Izuku let out a breath of relief before realizing Bakugo had gotten a little ahead, then quickly ran to catch up.

"Kacchan, please! Listen to me! We have thirty minutes to pass! If you're planning to fight All Might, then we won't even last that long!"

"Even with his limit..." Izuku thought to himself.

"Stop damn following me and get lost!" Bakugo simply snapped, keeping his gaze forward.

"We're supposed to be working together! I know you hate me with every fiber of your life, alright!? But that doesn't mean you have to let that get in the way right of our exam!"

"I don't need your FUCKING help, Deku!" Bakugo snapped.

Izuku paused, registering those exact words.

Your help? Your help?

He immediately started feeling something build up within him as he clenched his teeth. His body quivered in growing frustration at how his teammate was acting. Of course, there was still the one reason Bakugo's hatred of him still burned, and even he couldn't believe it was still that reason. He thought Bakugo might've gotten over it after the internships, which was why he seemed calmer around him since coming back.

But that wasn't the case...

He stamped his foot on the ground.

"Is this STILL about that day at creek!?"

That made Bakugo stop walking entirely, the air suddenly freezing around him.

Izuku stepped forward. "I thought you already understood that I didn't look down on you there! Enso said it outright! So why are you still letting it get to you!? Why are you still looking at it like that!?"

Bakugo's fists trembled with the temptation to swing, consequences of his position be damned. But he just let out a huff and continued marching forward at a faster pace.

"Shut your damn mouth, Deku!"

By now, Izuku's green irises had blood-red seeping into them as Bakugo's threats were no longer fazing him. He followed only two feet behind him, not scared in the slightest.

"For once, would you just LISTEN to me, Kacchan!? I get it, alright!? I tried to help you when you didn't need it! But right now, you DO need it!"

"I don't need your help! I'll fight All Might until he's tired and then kick his ass myself!" Bakugo shouted back.

Izuku's patience was getting thin. Years of trying to get along with his bully flashed through his mind, his words becoming more aggressive as his shouting got louder.

"I thought you knew just who All Might is, and you're saying you're gonna beat him yourself!? You're smarter than that!"

"Deku, I SWEAR to god-!"

"We both looked up to him! We both know how strong he is! An unstoppable force that not even an immovable object can withstand!"

"I'M WARNING YOU-!"

"WE BOTH KNOW YOU CAN'T BEAT HIM, KACCHAN!"

And that was it. Bakugo forgot about every potential consequence that could come, his red eyes seeming to burn as he turned around while doing a heavy swing with his right arm.

However, a large hand of black energy caught his limb by the gauntlet.

Bakugo's eyes widened to see that Izuku had caught his arm with his left hand, but it was covered in black energy to appear over five times its size, similar to Kendo's hand-growing quirk.

And right behind Izuku's shoulder was the intensely burning red eyes and black figure of Ikari, his aura having surrounded his partner's arm.

As for Izuku himself, his eyes had turned to a black and red hateful glare, his other arm already being brought into a large black fist.

Bakugo's eyes widened before he directly took that large punch, getting sent flying back down the street. But he released an explosion to flip himself and land on his feet, his boots skidding to a halt as he crouched down with his head down.

At the same time, Izuku felt his head start burning and groaned, the black mass around his arms retracting back before he clutched his head in pain.

"Nngh!" He stumbled back as his breathing got heavy.

Ikari floated behind Izuku with his head beside him, his hands gripping his shoulders.

"Remember. Remember everything he did." He whispered.

Memory after memory flooded Izuku's mind. The mockery, the beatings, the burns. He started vividly feeling all of this as if he was there again, his red irises swirling vigorously.

"He deserves this. So let's show him what happens to villains." Ikari aggressively whispered, his grip on his shoulders tightening.

Izuku panted as his pupils shrunk.

"N-No! We can't!"

"Re-mem-ber." Ikari essentially commanded.

"NO! W-We-!"

"YOU'RE DEAD, DEKU!"

"Wha-?"

Izuku looked ahead as Bakugo appeared in front of him in an instant, swinging his palm and releasing an explosion.

"Arrrgh!" Izuku was sent flying back, bouncing a few times like a rock skipping over a lake. But Ikari brought out tendrils that pierced into the ground, yanking his host back and placing him onto his feet.

"See? SEE!? All he wants to do is HURT us!"

Izuku rapidly shook his head, eyes opening to reveal their green color returning.

"We CAN'T do this, Ikari! We're not gonna hurt Kacchan!"

"Well, HE definitely wants to hurt us!"

Izuku realized that Bakugo was flying at him yet again with a look of rage.

"Kacchan! Wait-!"

Izuku brought an arm up and a circular black shield formed on it, which took an explosion from Bakugo head-on. The attack wasn't too damaging to him or the shield thanks to increasing the density, but Izuku still felt some small burns on his arms.

He grew incredibly worried. He had already screwed up trying to get Bakugo to cooperate with him, and now he had to focus on both calming down while deepening with the angry firework.

"I didn't mean to-!"

"Shut it!" Bakugo quickly propelled himself around the shield with rapid explosions. "I'll take you down too!"

Izuku let the shield vanish and leaped backwards to avoid yet another explosion.

"Kacchan! We can't be fighting each other right now!"

---

In the monitoring room, everyone's eyes grew in concern to see how things were going so far.

"I can't say I'm surprised..." Todoroki started, his eyes narrowing.

"I can sense the murderous malice of Midoriya." Tokoyami muttered.

"It was only for a moment, but Ikari seemed trying to edge him on..." Momo added, concern in her eyes.

"We gotta stop this! Don't you remember what Ikari had Midori do to Bakugo in our first training exercise!? This is only the beginning!" Toru pleaded.

"No, this time, Izuku immediately got brought back to his senses, even if Ikari is still attempting to bring him out of them." Iida sternly stated.

"B-But I thought Ikari was supposed to be good now!?" Mina cried out, her face glued to the screen in anxiety.

"He technically wasn't 'good' or 'evil.'"

Everyone glanced back to see Enso walk into the room with Shinso, the latter with bandages around his head and wearing a new U.A gym uniform.

"The thing about Ikari is that the anger that distorts him is something he has trouble controlling as well, remember?" Enso pointed out.

"Although, it's mostly caused by the negative emotions of the previous holders of One For All, but I can't tell them that..." He added to himself.

"So... can Ikari really not control himself?" Momo asked, frightened to hear.

"He usually can, but Bakugo really brings out the worst from him..." Enso finished.

Everyone then focused their attention back on the screen, not even congratulating Enso or Shinso for passing because of how worried they currently were.

Enso himself narrowed his eyes, seeing as this conflict had been inevitable for pairing those two together.

"You better find a way to get through this."

Mina panicked when she saw something rampaging through the city.

"Wait, something's coming right at them!"

---

"SMASH!"

A giant shockwave exploded forward and shattered every window down the street it traveled, even causing several buildings to start cracking or break down entirely.

Bakugo and Izuku immediately stopped and turned their heads at the oncoming wave of destruction, their eyes widening in horror.

"IKARI!"Izuku screamed, praying that the sight of such a danger would snap his partner out of his anger.

Bakugo held his gauntlets up, ready to take the attack, but Izuku jumped right in front of him with his arms in an X-shape, where a large black dome formed around them as the shockwave went through him.

They both felt the ground violently shake from the pure power that surged past them, also hearing many pieces of rubbed hit against their dome of protection.

After a few seconds, the powerful winds died down and allowed Ikari to dissolve the shield as he emerged alongside Izuku, thankfully less angry and more shocked.

"What the hell was that!?"

Izuku and Bakugo both noticed the surrounding area, which had now been completely decimated from the sheer force that came.

Shattered windows, cracked and broken roads, crumbled and partially decimated buildings, all of this destruction was around them. And in the distance were giant clouds of dust that contained a large silhouette walking towards both students.

"What… is this?" Izuku's eyes were filled with fear after seeing this display of power.

"What the hell!?" Even Bakugo's body shivered as he kept up a glare directed towards the oncoming silhouette.

All Might emerged from the smoke with threatening glowing blue eyes, each step he took shaking the ground. At one point, he simply stomped his foot and created a small shockwave that sent wind rushing all over the place, forcing Bakugo and Izuku to cover their eyes.

"Partner... We're supposed to fight HIM!?" Ikari no longer had any of the previous anger from before, now replaced with nervousness and uncertainty.

All Might let out a proud and booming laugh. But this laugh wasn't even close to how cheerful or hope-inducing his previous ones had always been. This laugh was a warning, an assertion of intimidation towards the two clearly weaker students right in front of him.

"Did you assume that I'd be considerate of the terrain? Of course not! As a villain, I'll destroy anything I wish, hurt anyone I please too! So, 'heroes-'"

He brought his hands together and cracked his knuckles.

"Come at me with everything you've got!"

---

"Th-This is insane! All he did was punch the air!" Kyoka shouted in disbelief.

Nearly everyone in the room was terrified by the sheer amount of pure power they had seen from their teacher. They never really thought about just how destructive All Might's power was until seeing it here to destroy an entire street of buildings without even having direct contact with them. Most of the time, they had only seen All Might effortlessly take down villains or save people; that was usually it. They never watched him decimate cities with just a swing.

"There's no way either of them can beat that piece of muscle on their own..." Shinso muttered, somewhat nervous but also intrigued to see this strength.

"Izuku..." Momo muttered, her hands together as she prayed he'd be able to get through this.

Everyone was so engrossed on the screen that no one noticed the door open behind them.

From that door stepped in a puff-eyed Ochako, the girl putting on a brave front as she walked into the room.

She felt terrible, she felt angry, she just couldn't believe it. She... She was expected to leave just like that? She had JUST passed her final exam and was expected to leave!? She hated it, but she couldn't hate her dad. She understood the situation, even if it ate her inside just to think about it.

What... What was she supposed to do? To really just say goodbye to everyone? To... say goodbye to Izuku?

"Something is on your mind."

"Eep!" Ochako was caught off guard and jumped before turning to the one who declared this. Unlike everyone else, Enso's focus had shifted to Ochako, remaining stoic as always.

The way he had spoken was in a statement, clearly noticing something off about the girl.

Ochako panicked, rapidly shaking her head.

"N-No! I'm fine!"

"That clearly isn't the case." Enso restored, his eyes even narrowing at her.

"I-I..." Ochako looked down, not knowing what to say.

Enso turned his gaze back to the screen.

"If something is troubling you, then speak about it with someone or focus on finding a solution yourself."

"Eh?" Ochako looked up at him and blinked in wonder.

"Don't let troubles eat away at you. That makes them worse as time passes. Just focus on what you want."

Enso then became silent, his full attention to the screen now.

"What I... want?"

Ochako turned to the screen ahead, staring at the green-haired boy there while her clenched hand went over her beating chest.

A day.

A day with him alone, that was all she wanted...

---

Izuku was completely in danger. He and Bakugo were. The blonde really expected to fight All Might head-on after witnessing that? It was suicide! Why would Bakugo even think that was a good idea!? They had to run, they had to make a plan, anything but just rush in against this powerhouse.

"SHI-NE!"

But his childhood acquaintance had other ideas.

Izuku turned his head and just caught a glimpse of Bakugo exploding forward.

"Kacchan! You can't!" He called out in vain.

"This outta be good." Ikari evilly chuckled.

The hot-headed teen had already blasted forward to meet the number one hero head-on.

But All Might exploded forward twice as fast, seeming to vanish out of thin air.

"What the-!? NNGH!" Bakugo didn't register All Might's arm swinging at him until it had already slammed into his chest, sending him violently tumbling backward against the ground past Izuku.

"Kacchan!" He was just about to go after him but-

"DEATH ON YOUR LEFT!"

Izuku turned his head upon hearing Ikari's warning, seeing All Might just appearing right there with a fist already cocked back.

"You're not off the hook either, Young Midoriya!"

Normally, this would be the moment Izuku would completely freeze, petrified by the menacing aura All Might had on him. But his instincts, thanks to Enso, were greater.

"Gyah!" Full Cowling activated in a split second and jumped upward into the air rather impressively, his legs slitting as if he had turned into a cheerleader and avoiding All Might's punch as it slammed into the ground.

"Oh? Impressive acrobatics!" All Might laughed as he glanced up at his student high in the air. "But retreating high is unwise!"

All Might leaped upward with an explosion of force, pointing his shoulder out to ram into Izuku.

The boy barely reacted on time but pointed a palm and released an explosion that propelled him to the side to avoid getting rammed into.

But he barely landed on the ground before seeing All Might somehow already coming down at him again. He let out a panicked cry but leaped to the side as the teacher crashed down at where he just was.

"Ikari!"

"On it! Let's blast him!"

Izuku went along with the idea. Upon landing, he aimed both of his arms at All Might, where he used Ikari to envelop them in energy and form them to resemble arm cannons of the sort. Both blasted beams of dark energy that mixed together, turning into a combined beam heading right for the teacher.

All Might was just standing after having punched the ground, where he then crossed his arms just as the large beam of energy hit him. The attack ending up being stronger than he believed it would be, ending up with his feet getting dragged against the ground as he got pushed back.

"What intense power! Young Midoriya has indeed learned to bring out his companion's strength very well! But even so-!" All Might kept his left arm shielding him while bringing the other back with a cocked fist.

He swung his fist forward with a grunt and sent a powerful shockwave piercing through the energy beam, splitting it as it made its way to Izuku.

Izuku eyes widened to see his attack get decimated by All Might's punch, the shockwave propelling him backward into the air.

He flipped himself over, managing to land on his feet as he stared at All Might ahead, who shook his arm to shake off some remaining stinging.

"As I thought, you truly are the trickier one, Young Midoriya!" All Might laughed.

"I'M HERE TOO, BASTARD!"

All Might glanced back just as Bakugo came flying at him with a sparking palm.

"SHI-NE!"

A large explosion obscured both of them while causing rough winds to blow past Izuku, who covered his face so the tiny pieces of debris wouldn't get into his eyes.

"Kacchan!" He bolted forward towards the smoke left behind.

Big mistake.

As he ran forward and close the distance, Bakugo's body was sent flying from the smoke and crashed right into him, causing Izuku to lose some of his air before both of them tumbled backward on the ground.

"Gah!" Izuku came to a stop when his back hit a still standing streetlamp, feeling pain aching in his spine.

As for Bakugo, he tumbled to a stop just a few feet away, already forcing himself back to his feet with his breathing hardening.

Izuku groaned as he pushed himself off the ground.

"K-Kacchan... W-We have to run!"

"Then run, Deku!" He hissed, not even looking at him as he marched. forward. "Be the damn wimp you always were!"

"Did you not just see him take one of your explosions before THROWING you like nothing!?" Izuku shouted.

Bakugo turned in his direction, "Would you shut up you-!"

"Carolina-"

The explosive teen heard the loud whoosh of the air behind him, also catching sight of Izuku's widening eyes.

He turned around as All Might came rushing right at him with his arms folded into an X-shape.

"-SMASH!"

The muscular man used his momentum and performed a double chop attack.

Meanwhile, Bakugo released two explosions that propelled him up and over All Might, avoiding the attack as air pressure exploded from where he just was.

The shockwave was sent forward and dragged glass and other debris with it., but Bakugo spun with small blasts to get behind All Might.

"Why are you looking at DAMN DEKU!?" Bakugo shouted as he swung his palm.

"Don't think so!" All Might turned around and snatched Bakugo's arm from the air, holding it and forcefully pointing it away from him.

Bakugo just let out a battle cry as he pointed his other arm at All Might's face and unleashed repeated blasts to his face.

"Hot, hot, hot!"All Might quickly snatched at Bakugo's other arm, holding both up to dangle him. "Phew, I knew this already, but he really is feisty."

"Let him go!"

All Might turned and saw Izuku leap forward at him with a fist back, hovering just a foot above the ground as he flew at him.

"Announcing your presence is foolish, Young Midoriya!" All Might gripped both of Bakugo's arms before swinging him hard and throwing him at the other oncoming student.

"Ikari!"

"On it!"

Izuku suddenly pointed his palms down, and an explosion of energy propelled him upward, avoiding Bakugo passing underneath.

"He flew over!?" All Might thought, glancing diagonally up to see Izuku's irises change red.

Bakugo only bounced off the ground once before he used a small blast of his palm to get upright, landing with his boots skidding on the ground as he glared ahead.

Izuku flipped in the air with a leg up, eyeing his target.

"Ikari! Focus on making my right foot as dense as you can!"

"Okey!"

Black energy formed around Izuku's foot and completely envelope it in black energy.

"Manchester Smash-!"

Green electricity sparked around his body as he lit up, performing a heavy ax-kick as he fell down towards his teacher.

"-Cruel Blitz!"

All Might raised both of his arms as Izuku's heel slammed down on him, an instant crater forming underneath the teacher as he was forced down to one knee. Strong winds kicking up from the power Izuku emitted from his kick, sending small pieces of debris flying upward.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow!" All Might uttered, Izuku's dense foot stinging him.

But with a loud groan, All Might pushed upward and sent Izuku flying back, dispersing the winds.

"He just pushed that kick off!?" Izuku thought with his mind full of both awe and fear.

"And it was so badass too!" Ikari whined.

Izuku landed right beside Bakugo, who had a piercing gaze at him.

"Don't fucking use my attacks just so you could get a hit in! I'm the one getting an indisputable first place! I'M the one who's gonna beat All Might!"

Izuku turned to him in frustration.

"I'm not TRYING to beat All Might, Kacchan! Have you NOT been listening to me!?"

"Then get the hell out of my way, asshat!" Bakugo shouted, then exploding forward towards the top hero.

Izuku stood in, glaring ahead at Bakugo as he rushed All Might yet again.

He had to pass. Everyone was counting on him.

But he wouldn't listen to him.

He kept denying anything that involved his assistance.

So what was he supposed to do?

"Leave him."

Izuku found his breathing stopping when he heard Ikari's voice. It... It wasn't filled with the anger or hostility the being had sounded the previous times. If anything, it was unnaturally calm to the point where it gave Izuku chills.

"L-Leave-?"

"It is the only solution. If you choose to continue engaging All Might with a comrade that is so self-absorbed with his own views, his own ambitions, that he's willing to let others get hurt because of it, then you will fail."

Ikari was acting differently again. And despite it not being the rage Izuku feared would come out from his quirk, this was just as unsettling.

"B-But-!"

"You declared this yourself, haven't you? You stated that you'd abandon him if he refused to cooperate, and here we are now."

Izuku could feel him hovering right over his shoulder.

"So, leave."

Izuku could feel himself trembling. Leave Bakugo just like that? Let him just get completely destroyed while he just left by himself? To most people, it seemed like an easy choice, wouldn't it? To leave the one who tormented you for so many years to suffer the humiliation of losing? It'd serve him right.

But... If he were to leave now, wouldn't it be the same as leaving a hero to die to a villain?

Even this wasn't an actual villain scenario, this exam was mean to be treated like one. So if Izuku left here, it'd go against everything he's believed in. Even though it was such a violent boy who deserved the beating, he couldn't just choose that option.

"Tsk!" Even the boy himself annoyed at his own choice as the green electricity once again sparked around his body.

"Ikari, we both know I can't do that..."

There was growling in response.

"I need you to cool off. I know you're angry at him, I know being around him just... 'changes' you, but I can't just leave him. And if all you're planning is to either hurt Kacchan or convince me to leave him, then... don't bother trying to help."

"..."

"We both know the type of hero I want to be, Ikari. Even if everyone is against helping him, I can never leave a person in trouble. That's the entire reason I received One For All, not to win..."

His emerald green eyes looked forward in determination.

"But to save."

"Full Cowling!"

Izuku blasted forward as Bakugo narrowly avoided getting smashed into the ground by All Might, who caught sight of his successor in his peripheral vision.

"Aha! For a moment, I thought you had run off, Young Midoriya!"

All Might flung a table-sized piece of the road in Izuku's path, then raising his other arm, which had a car door, to shield himself as Bakugo created yet another explosion up close.

"Detroit Smash!" Izuku jumped and smashed the rubble into pieces, then continuing to run towards All Might in a flash.

He jumped and spun rapidly in the air like a top, then swinging his leg towards All Might's face.

But All Might raised an arm and caught Izuku's leg, much to the boy's horror, and immediately swung him overhead just as Bakugo came close yet again.

"Die, heroes!"

Bakugo's eyes widened before Izuku's body was s right into his, both getting slammed into the ground where a large explosion of dirt erupted, the destruction to the roads gotten so deep that it reached the soil underneath.

---

Everyone stared in horror as they saw the screen obscured by dirt clouds that erupted the area.

Momo had a hand over her mouth and was on the brink of running to stop the battle by seeing just how destructive it had gotten. Mina and Toru were tightly hugging each other in despair while Ochako and Kyokaa cringed by how painful each attack looked.

Tsu stared with an open in worry as Iida and Todoroki had looks of awestruck fear. And both Enso and Shinso had somewhat stern expressions as they stared at the downhill battle occurring.

Dark Shadow was shaking Tokoyami violently, apparently the most panicked out of everyone.

"OH MY GOD! Did they just die!?"

"D-Dark Shadow, cease this foolishness! I assure you they're still living on this plane of existence!"

---

Izuku came too after blacking out a moment from that swing, his vision blurry and his body aching all over. He couldn't see clearly, but gained enough feeling in his body to realize that he was no longer getting pulled up by the leg, and rather, was hoisted up by a grip on his wrist.

"Wha...? Huh...?"

"Sorry about this, Young Midoriya..."

He wasn't even fully conscious before feeling a punch right in his stomach, causing his dizziness to only increase to the point of sickness as he was launched backward with incredible force.

He felt his back crash into the side of a building, bouncing off it and falling to the ground. His whole body burned, he could feel the side of his head bleeding, and his lunch was threatening to come surging out from within.

"You've... been through worse..." He coughed repeatedly.

Despite telling himself that, Izuku was only able to lift his head up to gaze forward at the sight ahead of him, feeling his body stiffen in pain.

All Might had pinned Bakugo to the ground, using a knee to pin his arm behind his back while the top hero's free arm gripped Bakugo's wrist on the ground.

"Get... up..." Izuku groaned, struggling to move. "This... This is just like fighting Enso... You can get up..." He told himself.

All Might was staring down at Bakugo while keeping him pinned, the explosive teen being in his own excruciating pain.

"Get... off... bastard..." He murmured.

"Now... Young Bakugo, why do you think things are going wrong right now?" All Might started, his pin on Bakugo pressing down harder.

"Who do you... NNGH!... think I am?" Bakugo simply hissed.

"You must learn to set aside your differences for the sake of being a hero... You cannot expect to be able to overcome any obstacle by simply your strength alone."

"Shut up... Shut up!" Bakugo growled. "If I... have to get help from that... nerd. Then... Then..."

His eyes were shadowed.

"I'd rather lose..."

It was as if all the pain Izuku was experiencing had just vanished. A hurt look of betrayal formed on his face, the boy no longer trying to push himself up.

For Bakugo, the one who'd never allow himself to get defeated, to suddenly choose to lose over even accepting his help, it honestly broke his heart. Even more than that, to think he was willing to go this far, and for what? To spite him? To prove he was better?

It baffled Izuku. It angered him.

Enough that the red was already dominating the color in his eyes.

He pressed his teeth together as his hands tightly balled in fists.

He remembered...

He remembered such an inspiring time before that fateful day on the creek. He stood beside a small Kacchan in front of an electronics store with televisions in the windows. There they were with the few other boys they grew up with, staring excitedly at one of these television screens.

'Look! Did you see that just now!?'

Kacchan pointed at the screen excitedly.

'All Might really is cool, isn't he!?' The genuine smile of awe and admiration he had was one Izuku had always remembered.

On the television screen, All Might was shown with four villains surrounding him.

'You think he'd lose in a four-on-one, right?' His eyes were brightly lit up as he turned to one of the boys to his left with the biggest of grins. 'But look!'

Sure enough, All Might started fighting all four of the villains around him, with Kacchan commentating on the battle while mimicking moves.

'See? Right there! He dodges like this, and then throws out a punch! See? He won!'

Kacchan stared at the screen with a small Deku smiling next to him.

'No matter how much trouble he's in, he ALWAYS wins in the end!'

Izuku remembered. He always remembered.

'Wow, Bakugo! You fought against two fourth graders and won!?'

They were only in first grade, and he was already strong, even without relying too much on his quirk. He remembered hiding behind a lampost, staring in awe at a bruised Kacchan who sent two fourth-graders running away.

He remembered him trying to act tough, forcing a grin through watery eyes.

'The most amazing hero always wins in the end!'

Those words had always echoed through Izuku's head.

'Always wins in the end!'

Those were the words he had defined Bakugo.

'Always wins!'

The tiniest pebbles of debris suddenly started shaking on the ground around Izuku. Black started replacing the white of his eyes, and even his hair started to randomly flutter without wind.

"No matter what... You always fought to win, you always got up, and no matter how bad things got, you just keep on fighting..."

His breathing hardened as he forced himself up in a crouch.

"But... now you're saying THAT!?"

His vision got blurry as the tears started forming in his eyes.

"You're a jerk, you're horrible, you're arrogant, but you were NEVER a quitter... But now..."

His heart was rapidly beating with each thump seeming to increase in intensity.

"Now...

He raised his head, eyes flashing red with his scleras turning black.

"You're destroying the ONE thing I ever admired about you!"

His body lit up with One For All, only for the orange hue of his body to turn blood red and the green electricity around him turning black.

There was a menacing chuckle.

"Now that's more like it."

A burst of black energy erupted from Izuku and shot upward, obscuring him with only those glowing red eyes clearly visible through this giant pillar of power. The combined energy of both quirks sent dirt and stone erupting into the sky as the black silhouette of the boy intensely vibrated.

All Might turned his head forward in shock. The small debris around Izuku started flying upward by the sheer force he emitted.

"Young Midoriya?!"

He saw the black electricity sparking, felt the overwhelming pressure of his student's aura, and could feel the intense winds blazing past him.

Despite pinned to the ground, Bakugo turned his head and saw the new surge of power coming from the nerd he always undermined. Even he was able to tell just how quickly his power was escalating.

They somehow heard a chilling deep breath over the sounds of all the power around them.

"One above All!" "One above All!"

All Might didn't know what gave him sudden chills, how Izuku and Ikari's voices combined together in perfect menacing sync, or how this definite new style closely resembling the name of the sworn secret of his quirk.

"BLACK BURST!" "BLACK BURST!"

The red eyes behind the pillar of energy flashed before the combined energy of both Izuku's quirks erupted violently right before Izuku blasted forward as a ball of energy, the dirt behind him exploding backward from the powerful launch.

All Might, fearing for Bakugo's position, got off the boy and threw him out of the way before quickly bringing a fist back.

"DETROIT-!"

Izuku came in just as he swung.

"-SMASH!"

A giant black explosion erupted into a giant pillar of dirt and debris, mixing in with black smoke that instantly enveloped the entire area.

---

Everyone stared in utter fear as they saw the large-scale explosion from a camera that had a distant view of the city, seeing just how large it was and how chunks even entire surrounding buildings were completely decimated.

"Wh-What the hell?" Kyoka uttered, not having blinked for the last minute.

"Not again, please not again!" Momo whimpered, fearing what this new development meant for Izuku's mental state.

"Intriguing..." Enso muttered, having paid close attention.

"Shit, that's not good." Shinso stated, looking uncomfortable as the rest. "I really don't wanna see him break every arm again."

"Surprisingly... I don't think that'll be the case this time."

"Eh?" Shinso turned to him with an eyebrow raised. "What the hell makes you say that?"

"Just keep watching. I'm not too sure of it myself yet." Enso answered, keeping his eyes on the screen.

---

"*Cough! *Cough!* Nngh..." All Might groaned as he laid on his back, the area surrounded by pure black smoke, having been left behind by the large attack.

He was very glad he didn't take that attack from Izuku directly. Otherwise, he'd be coughing up more blood than now. But this wasn't exactly devastating damage Izuku did, but rather, his own quirk limit taking somewhat of a strain by how his body defended against such an explosion of power.

He sat up and wiped the small amount of blood from the corner of his mouth, then grunting as he got back up to his feet.

It seemed that things have escalated.

He didn't think Izuku would somehow get... 'set off' when not even interacting with Bakugo. He had assumed something such as that wouldn't happen if both students just kept focusing on him.

And yet, All Might felt the same power Izuku had demonstrated at the sports festival. It wasn't just the strength of One For All or the destructive power of Ikari individually, but a whole other technique. One where... two quirks became one, even if it's for a moment. One For All's stockpiled energy with Ikari's own negative energy together...

"One Above All..."

All Might looked down at his shivering hand.

"How frightening."

But he had no time to think right now, as the smoke was now starting to clear up. He got into another fighting position with no intended mercy to be given out to an opponent that had to be immediately subdued, even if he had to do it with a punch to the head.

Only... once the smoke cleared, the number one hero discovered that he was gone.

"What!?"

He then turned his gaze left to where he had thrown Bakugo, only to see him missing as well.

"Did... Did he take him away!?"

All Might immediately started running ahead, panic overtaking his mind.

"Shit, shit, shit!" He internally cursed in English. He knew that if Izuku was the one to have taken Bakugo away, especially in that state, then the possibilities of what could occur were dangerous.

He had to find them, and fast.

---

"Nnngh!"

Bakugo hissed in pain and frustration as he felt himself getting carried over Izuku's shoulder. He couldn't see the boy's face as he was carried through an alleyway between two buildings that were still standing by the end of that mayhem. He felt the energy emitting from Izuku and could see the black see-through aura and black electricity sparking around him.

"Bastard... put me down!"

"..." Bakugo got only silence as it seemed Izuku was only focused on navigating through this small maze.

"I said..."He brought up an arm with the intention of slamming his elbow on the of his head. "Put me down-!"

He didn't get the chance to hit him, as Bakugo suddenly had his back slammed against the wall so hard that notable cracks spread on it.

"Gak!" Bakugo felt the air leave his body as small pieces of the wall cracked off. His vision became blurry for a moment in pain he felt as he was pinned against the wall, repeatedly coughing as he caught his breath.

It took him a moment to recover from the sudden bashing, but soon enough, he was raising a hostile glare once more.

"Deku, you damn-!"

Whatever he was gonna say next stopped as something pressed against his neck, causing the normally aggressive boy to actually freeze up with his breathing halting in panic.

He was pinned against the wall by one of Izuku's forearms pressing against his chest, but his other arm had energy surrounding it to become a black blade, the very point of said blade being lightly pressed right against his neck of all places.

"Shut it."

Bakugo's eyes widened when he heard this complete melding of Izuku and Ikari's voices. It was if as if it had become its own voice, one belonging to a currently threatening person. The black energy seemed to be somewhat calmer around him, but the red irises and black scleras remained burning at him.

Izuku's eyes were voided of all but one emotion. His breathing was deep and visible through a black mist, his red and black eyes glared crazily at Bakugo in hatred, and his body trembled as if he was using every ounce of his willpower not to suddenly shove the bladed arm forward.

"You have no right to act like I'm the problem after what you just said. You'd rather lose? What kind of bullshit is that!?" He hissed.

He threatening pressed the blade harder, bringing out a small choke from Bakugo as sweat dripped down from his head.

"Would you even do the same thing when we're fighting a real villain!? You'd be willing to lose, willing to let people DIE just because you can't get your head out of your ASS!? You think people will EVER look at you as the best like that!? You think they'll even see you as a good hero!? If this wasn't an exam and you did the same thing against a villain with power like All Might, then you'd be dead! DEAD, Kacchan! You and the people who you're supposed to be protecting!"

Bakugo was suddenly pulled off the wall with his stomach suddenly receiving Izuku's knee, earning a hurling sound from the blonde boy before then also receiving an elbow slammed onto his back.

Izuku wasn't finished, though, as four black tendrils grabbed each of Bakugo's limbs and smashed him against the opposite wall even harder than he had done the first time.

Once again, Bakugo struggled to even breathe from these impacts, repeatedly coughing as one final tendril shot to his chest and pinned him against the wall once again.

Izuku's blade was pressing near his neck moments later.

"I get it, okay!? You hate me! You loathe me! And I know we'll NEVER be friends again! I know you barely want anything to do with me! And I know I completely infuriate you! But that doesn't mean you should be willing to throw EVERYTHING away just so you don't have to work with me!"

Bakugo felt the tendrils on his wrists press harder.

"You're here right now because you never gave up on winning, aren't you!? You were the one who said so himself that the most amazing hero ALWAYS wins in the end!"

Despite feeling the blade against his neck once more, Bakugo weakly brought lifted his head to look forward, seeing droplets from Izuku's eyes falling to the floor.

"And that was why I looked up to you, Kacchan! That was why I ALWAYSdid!"

Bakugo's eyes widened, yet he still gritted his teeth.

Izuku's voice was full of emotion as he spoke. His anger seemed to be changing into hopelessness and disappointment. "I... I can't hate you, Kacchan! As much as I want to, I-I can't... You've always insulted me, hurt me, and crushed any dreams I had. And all because you hated how weak I was! All because I tried to catch up to you even when it didn't seem like I could!"

His breathing was ragged, streams going down his eyes now. "For over ten years I didn't know what I did wrong! I didn't know why you suddenly... hated me! I always thought it was only because I was quirkless!"

Izuku lowered his head, trembling with shadows over his eyes.

"B-But after the festival, I understood the whole story... You just looked at everything your way and thought I was looking down at you. ME, of all people!"

"Deku..." Bakugo growled, feeling lingering pain in his chest and the back of his head.

"I never did... I-I never once ever looked down on you, Kacchan... Trying to help you on that creek, coming to U.A, wanting to surpass you to become the number one hero, it was never because I looked down on you... It was because I looked up to you! Because I looked up to All Might too! I wanted to be like both of you... To become strong, to be fearless, to fight as a hero!"

Bakugo could feel those damn lectures crawling back to his mind.

'I'm sure you know him better than anyone else, do you truly believe he would look down at you?'

'But if you know Midoriya, shouldn't you be able to clearly picture how he sees everything?'

"Shut... up..." Bakugo snapped, struggling to move his pinned limbs as he groaned.

Izuku sobbed as he struggled to keep speaking. "But... But now you're giving up? Not even bothering to... to at least use me first to just pass? It just ruins everything I ever looked up to! Even if Enso helped me get stronger, helped me be confident, gave me the support I needed, you were still always the one I wanted to catch up to! I just wanted to show you that I wasn't damn weak!"

Bakugo felt the tendrils slowly retract back to Izuku, allowing him to slide down from the wall to the ground. He caught his breath while Izuku backed up while shaking in anger and frustration, clearly having had enough.

"The Kacchan I know would never give up... And you..."

Izuku's own hands were tightly balled into fists. He knew what to say.

"You..."

He knew the only way to get to Bakugo realize just how low he's come.

"You aren't him!"

Bakugo's pupils shrunk as every function of his body seemed to stop.

He found himself remembering the annoying things he already knew daily, things the nerd would always state growing up.

'You're amazing, Kacchan!'

'Your quirk's so cool!'

'Wow, Kacchan!'

But... those words.

'You aren't him!'

They were wrong.

Bakugo stood up, shaking in anger.

"Don't..."

He raised his head to reveal his infuriated eyes, his palm sparking as he swung it forward.

"DON'T YOU DAMN START!"

Izuku raised his own head with his eyes flashing red, black swirling in his own palm that he aimed forward.

A small explosion echoed throughout this alleyway, one that spewed smoke upward.

Bakugo's gauntlet was pressed up against Izuku's forearm, the two eyeing each other down.

"Don't you damn start looking down at me, Deku!" He pressed himself closer, his eyes unwavering from Izuku's relentless stare. "I ain't afuckingloser!" He hissed.

Izuku just pushed back, his entire demeanor hardening as he stared right into Bakugo's soul.

"Then prove it!"

That was a damn challenge. And although it pissed him off more than ever to suddenly be challenged by this nerd of all people, he was more pissed off by what he had implied before. He wasn't him? The Bakugo that always won? Like hell, he wasn't!

And he was gonna prove it to this damn nerd.

"Tsk!" He shoved Izuku off him and backed up, "I'll fucking kill you the next time you pull some shit like this again!"

"..." Izuku's glare was intense, yet he remained silent. Appearing neither satisfied nor disappointed.

Bakugo, in the meantime, vented. "Don't think we're just fucking running away! Against that crazy speed, no matter how much we run and hide, we won't be able to avoid fighting All Might! He won't budge from half-assed power! I figured that out earlier from those consecutive hits!"

The explosive teen looked down with a scowl.

"We need damn more! So-!"

"We just have to give him everything point-blank."

Bakugo froze, blood growing cold to hear the aggression and threatening tone of Izuku's voice. He turned to face him, the rather dead-looking gaze from the boy rubbing him the wrong way. There were still traces of tears going down his cheeks, but Izuku didn't even seem to care, not even blinking. He was just surrounded by a thin black aura with his eyes solely on Bakugo. Where the hell was all that anger a moment ago? When did he pull a sudden 180 in character?

"You and I both have highly powerful quirks. Even he would end up overwhelmed with so much pressure head-on, especially since he can't elude most of our attacks due to the significantly large weights he's wearing." His voice was straight to the point yet threatening as he declared these facts.

Izuku raised his right palm, where two black tendrils emerged from the aura around him, both stretching towards the explosive teen's grenade bracers.

Bakugo instinctively took a step back with narrowed eyes.

"Oi! What are you-!?"

"Be very cautious with this. Your gauntlets will become even more dangerous than with just your nitroglycerin sweat." Izuku stated sternly.

Bakugo's eyes widened as he watched a tendril each slip into his grenade bracers, feeling something pumped into them.

"I've inserted my own stocks of dark energy into them. From recent information, I've discovered that it can act as an enhancer for other quirks."

The tendrils reeled back, and Bakugo looked down at his bracers, feeling a small weight added into them and shocked to suddenly learn this new fact of the nerd's quirk.

"What the hell? Enhancer?"

"For now, it'll just mix with your collected sweat. But the moment it sparks, it has the chance to do twice as much power than you've ever released before. So be very careful with it and don't unleash it recklessly."

Bakugo raised his head and gave an uneasy and suspicious stare at Izuku, becoming... cautious of him. He didn't know what the fuck was going on, but the nerd had suddenly changed even more than when he last saw him like this. He remembered this look and feeling the same as when he watched him fight Enso, but his power no longer came out as just violent thrashing.

"Is it because he learned to control it? Or is something else fucked with his head?"

"We've wasted enough time here. We have to leave or risk depleting the rest of our exam period."

And even his manner of speaking was different. This wasn't right...

Izuku started walking past him, with Bakugo's eyes following his back.

Even though it was clear that the emotional rant was undoubtedly Izuku's, the pure anger and murderous aura he currently sensed was no doubt from Ikari.

So who was in control?

"Oi."

Izuku stopped walking.

"You... are Deku, right?"

"..."

The successor turned his head back, alarm bells ringing in Bakugo just from making direct eye contact with those... dangerous eyes with that blank look on his mouth.

"Who else would I be?"

---

~{Meanwhile}~

"It came from this way!"

All Might followed the explosion he had heard just a moment ago, seeing some smoke still lingering as it went upward into the sky about two blocks away. He wished he could run faster, but the black weights on his limbs ended up being much more hindering than he thought they would be.

"Was that explosion from Young Bakugo, or was it from Young Midoriya!? Either way, I have to get to them before they end up severely injuring one another!"

All Might followed the street that led closest towards the smoke, most of it fading in the distance.

"This direction is also much closer to the exit gate, so I also have to worry about either of the two suddenly making it out, as proud as I'd be if they did... But I don't hear any more explosions. Did they stop fighting? Or-"

All Might felt dread from a sudden thought.

"No, no, no! Neither one of them would be incapacitated from just one attack! Especially from a small-scale explosion such as that!"

The smoke was gone by the time All Might came close to where the explosion originated. But he continued following the street, believing that he'd come into contact with either of his students sooner or later.

"Young Midoriya..." He remembered the black and red erasing any sign of innocence from the boy. "I hope you're still in control..."

As if on cue, he heard the impact of someone landing behind him.

"!?" All Might turned around in shock to see Izuku there, the boy's completely focused glare right on him as he cocked a fist back. Black energy immediately swirling around it violently.

"One Above All..."

Black electricity sparked around his arm as he brought it upward.

"-Cataclysm!"

Izuku then smashed his fist right into the ground, cracks rapidly spreading towards All Might before pillars of black energy exploded in a path towards him.

"What in the-!?" Being just in front of him, these explosions engulfed All Might and continued exploding past him, creating a large trail of smoke into the sky.

But...

"Texas..."

Despite being engulfed in the attack, All Might cocked a fist back.

"SMAAAAASH!"

A giant explosion of force suddenly dispelled the erupting energy around him.

Izuku crossed his arms, and two black tendrils shot out from his back right into the ground. He was forcefully pushed back from such a close punch of force from All Might, but both of his tendrils kept him locked into the ground so he didn't get sent flying back.

"KACCHAN!" He screamed over the vigorous destruction.

From an alley opening behind All Might, the explosive boy came out flying with his eyes engrossed on his target's back.

"Where are you looking!?"

"Behind me!?"

All Might turned around and covered his face as Bakugo released an explosion, the boy landing before releasing another blast forward.

"Damn it, damn it!"

"Deku!" Bakugo shouted, blasting himself upward to get out of the way.

All Might glanced back and saw Izuku suddenly off the ground and flying right at him.

"They're working together now!?"

With a heavy grunt, All Might swung a fist in an attempt to intercept his student, but Izuku pointed a palm upward and released his own makeshift explosion of energy from it, suddenly jerking himself to the ground and diving right between All Might's legs.

All Might was stunned by the fake-out and turned around just as he saw Izuku standing with his palms aimed at him. The boy sent a large current of black electricity directly at him, striking the teacher directly with black electricity, visibly electrifying his whole body.

"NNGH! Electricity!? How shocking!" All Might felt his body tense up.

"Now run!" Izuku shouted, seeing how he seemed to paralyze the teacher.

Izuku turned around, and his body lit up in a blood-red glow, taking off running while Bakugo repeatedly sent small blasts to keep him flying forward.

All Might fell to one knee as he felt stinging in his body, glancing ahead at both of his students running, feeling both awe at what he was witnessing.

"Young Midoriya... You're working with Young Bakugo."

He coughed out some blood.

"That aura and those eyes...You're angry right now, Young Midoriya. I can feel it. And yet... did you and Young Ikari choose to direct your anger a different way? To use your energy in a directed path of accomplishment, rather than to simply unleash it all?

All Might grunted as he stood up, his smile growing big.

"All three of them have so many conflicting feelings."

He thought about Bakugo. "Pride, rejection, arrogance."

Then of Ikari. "Pain, sorrow, anger."

And finally, Izuku. "Envy, pursuit, inspiration."

"Yet they all managed to come to 'some' sort of understanding. I... I can't believe it."

He let out a chuckle.

"But... it won't be that easy, you zygotes!"

As for Izuku and Bakugo, the latter glanced down at the former's intense stare, watching the black sparks zap around his blood-red skin tone.

He still wasn't convinced as to who this really was.

"He won't feel paralyzed for too long. My energy doesn't compare to actual electricity, so he should be back to pursuing us in a few seconds." Izuku's voice came out a serious as could be, running forward with his red eyes simply focused on what's ahead.

Bakugo glared at the area they passed through. Destroyed roads, shattered windows, crumbling buildings, it was all the same here.

Soon, an actual bit of relief came to Bakugo when he saw the exit gate far in the distance, only to feel uneasy when the path of destruction even continued all the way to said exit.

"Fucking hell… He fired that blast all the way from the gate?" He started sweating at the thought.

"Odd. He should be coming for us by now? Perhaps our combined attacks performed more critical damage than I calculated?" Izuku stated in a stoic voice, glancing back for a moment before turning forward again.

"Tsk! As if he'd be down from just something like that!" Bakugo snapped.

As if on cue, All Might appeared out of thin air between both students.

"How nice of you to think highly of me!"

Both student's eyes widened in shock.

Bakugo immediately tried to point an arm to blast him away, but All Might's fist intercepted his arm and smashed his bracer.

The world seemed to move in slow motion. Bakugo's eyes were completely opened as he saw both his stored sweat and liquid black energy slowly flying out from the now-shattered grenade bracer.

What really caught his eyes was how this black liquid was already starting to fade away into nothingness, no doubt from being exposed to the atmosphere. But seeing this... 'liquid' energy flying him made him feel like he should do something with it. All Might was right now and had gotten the jump on them, as from the looks of it, he was already slowly swinging his arm at Izuku, who wasn't raising his arm fast enough to defend.

His teammate's dark voice echoed.

'It has the chance to do twice as much power than you've ever released before.'

Bakugo opened his left palm, sparks emitting.

"SHI-NE!"

His palm sent a big explosion forward at All Might, but the moment it made contact with the nitroglycerin sweat and a small amount of remaining energy flying in the air...

The world was lit up.

All three pairs of eyes widened as between them, a massive black explosion of high power and intensity sent the two students flying in opposite directions while All Might himself was sent backward a few yards where he came.

Izuku crashed near the bottom of one of the crumbling buildings, to which the rest of it came crashing down upon him.

Bakugo was sent launching upward to one of the buildings, smashing into it with an explosion of dust.

---

They were just... stunned.

They didn't know when they had all became quiet, but at one point, all comments and fear relating to this exam had all ceased. Everyone's eyes had just been engrossed to the screen, with the only sounds that came out being either gasps or whimpers at each turn of events.

None of them saw Izuku and Bakugo interact in the alleyway since it was hidden from the main cameras. Still, when they saw both students come out and start apparently working together, it had shocked them enough to just keep them all from even asking what happened. They could only stare as the exam continued, everyone gasping when they saw the sudden large explosion caused by Bakugo.

But while everyone else was caught up in suspense, Enso was astonished to notice the suddenly different explosion Bakugo released compared to his usual ones.

"That explosion... That had Ikari's energy, didn't it? To think Bakugo, of all people, is the first to experience this power boost. And that explosion wasn't even the potentially strongest he could release. How... dangerous."

He narrowed his eyes, remembering the dangerous eyes Izuku had. He acted completely different in this form than at the sports festival, especially when it was clear he was using One For All and Ikari simultaneously, which he had incredible difficulty even doing for even a minute.

And yet, here he was, using both almost naturally.

"But... who's exactly in control?"

---

An explosion came from the building, and Bakugo came flying out with a pissed-off glare. Parts of his costume had been burned, and blood was trailing down the side of his head. It seemed that large blast did a number on him.

He immediately caught sight of a small black dome through the rubble of the fallen building Izuku had crashed into. The green-haired boy dispersed the dome and crawled out of the debris with a look of irritation. The left arm of his costume was ripped, and blood also trailing down his forehead.

"OI! DEKU!?" He landed right in front of the boy and grabbed his shirt threateningly. "What the fuck is up with your quirk!? Since when the hell could it do that to mine!?"

Surprisingly, Izuku used both of his glove-covered hands to grab Bakugo's shirt and comedically shake him back and forth angrily.

"What part of 'be careful' did you not understand!? We're lucky that the energy was already starting to fade away, or that could've been an even bigger explosion!"

"Hah!? Let me go of me, nerd!" Bakugo shouted back, comedically punching Izuku on his head.

A pained cough attracted both students' attention, the two releasing each other and getting fighting positions.

All Might emerged through clouds of smoke while rotating his arm, his costume appearing fine thanks to the resistance it was made to have.

"Phew... That caught me off guard. I didn't expect a sudden large attack from that close!" He laughed.

Bakugo scowled and was just about to leap right at All Might, but Izuku suddenly held his arm with a pressing glare.

"What the fuck, Deku!? We're right there!"

"He's not done yet. Be smart and space him out. We can't just rush at him yet."

Izuku's eyes narrowed.

"All we need is one last shot."

Bakugo instinctively glanced down at his other grenade bracer, already knowing what Izuku meant.

"We're not running. We're finishing this."

To think that this was the same boy that feared All Might enough to only think about running away at the start. Yet now, he seemed completely focused on taking down the hero with him.

Izuku walked past Bakugo with his body lighting up in red and black once more. "I'll make sure to give you an opening."

Cross-viens formed on Bakugo's head.

"Huh!? Don't tell me what to do-!" He didn't even finish as Izuku made a run for the exit gate, much to both Bakugo and All Might's dismay. His speed increased even more than usual, indicating that he was using an even higher percentage of One For All.

"Shit! I have to prioritize him!"

Although it stained him because of the weights and upcoming limit, All Might mustered his willpower to explode right after Izuku so fast that he left a crater from where he bolted from.

Bakugo angrily blasted forward to catch up to both of them.

"Damn bastard! Saying he'll finish it, then running away!? That'd better be part of some damn plan of his, or I'm gonna kill him if he goes through that gate!"

The gate was growing close in Izuku's reach, but he didn't care. He just kept his senses sharp as All Might caught up his speed in no time flat, reaching to yank him back.

But just as All Might was about to grab the back of Izuku's hoodie, the boy suddenly jumped upward.

All Might didn't expect this and skid to a halt.

"From above?" All Might said as he looked upward at Izuku flipping in the air.

Izuku momentarily obscured the sun, his silhouette becoming pitch black from the light shining down over him. However, All Might suddenly felt a deadly pressure from Izuku and found himself staring at two glowing red eyes with a jagged red smile. He didn't know whether he imagined it or if it actually appeared, but either way, it actually gave him a moment of dread.

But as Izuku passed from directly under the sun, All Might noticed his skin growing redder than ever, his veins clearly highlighted through his body, both his black electricity and his black aura intensifying through his arm.

"This is the same attack from the festival!"

All Might didn't hesitate to cock a fist back, knowing just how dangerous and destructive this attack would be.

"He can't be serious!? Wait, no, he's COMPLETELY serious!"

Izuku came falling downward with a glare, a suddenly black outline of a jetpack forming through the aura of his back.

"Doomsday-!"

His arm coursed with power, and the jetpack shape on his back boosted him straight down.

"Detroit-!" Air seemed to swirl around All Might's fist, putting in a swing as strong as he could muster, even with those blasted weights holding him down.

"SMAAAAAAAAAAASH!" Both of their shouts entwined as their fists collided.

A giant shockwave spread throughout the whole area, causing a just-arriving Bakugo to be forcefully sent flipping through the air.

"What the fuck!?" He blasted himself back forward and landed on the ground, wondering what he was just looking at.

Izuku wasn't pushed back like he logically even though he was airborne and therefore had no footing to keep himself planted. But it turned out that the temporary jetpack he formed was using energy to forcefully push himself downward on All Might, pinning the hero down with his punch. His arm was fine as it was braced with Ikari's aura, helping to absorb the punch's impact and reduce the strain. So despite the pain he felt and the power he brought out, Izuku's arm wasn't breaking.

The ground cracked and crumbled underneath All Might and powerful winds emitted from the two that had pieces of debris flying in all directions. A crater formed underneath All Might that became about two feet deep, yet the hero obviously didn't budge in backing down.

"He's trying to overpower me!? Even though I'm not in my best shape, he should know that won't work!"

Izuku's jetpack suddenly burst with even more power, pushing him even harder and actually forcing All Might to fall to one knee by how sudden it was.

"What!? Even more power!? But he's using Ikari's energy too rapidly!? Isn't that really bad for him!?"

But it seemed Izuku wasn't exactly planning to overpower the hero nor keep this position for much longer, as seeing All Might pinned on one knee, he turned his head to the one standing just a few yards away.

"BLAST HIM!" He screamed as loud as he could over the sounds of destruction.

Bakugo's eyes narrowed as he instinctively raised his remaining left gauntlet and aimed it over at them, his right hand grabbing the pin.

But then he froze.

Bakugo's eyes widened as he suddenly found himself back in his very first hero exercise, in the two's very first actual fight. He remembered the pin he pulled, he remembered seeing Izuku disappear behind a hoard of flames, and he remembered the corpse of his classmate that had been lying lifelessly on the ground.

He would've killed him there. If the nerd quirk hadn't kicked in, then he would've died.

And right now, what was in his grenade was only gonna make that same attack twice as strong, even more than when he had ignited the remains of his sweat and Ikari's energy the first time.

"If I fired this now..." Bakugo tensely pressed his teeth together, shadows over his eyes as Izuku's body flashed in his mind once more.

All Might glanced his head in Bakugo's direction, seeing the boy aiming at him.

"What!? Young Bakugo! Don't you fire that!" He shouted, more worried about Izuku rather than himself. He tried to get up, but his rival in power just kept pushing down.

"What are you waiting for!?" Izuku screamed, struggling to keep pressuring down All Might. He was already growing dizzy from the large quantity of energy he was burning rapidly, clearly unable to hold out much longer.

"MOVE DEKU!" Bakugo screamed back, raising his head with sweat flying off him.

"Just fire, don't worry about me!" Izuku shouted back, pain in his voice as his arm shook. "You want to win, don't you!? This is your chance for YOU to take down All Might!"

Even after hearing that, Bakugo just gritted his teeth.

"You want to win, don't you!? So win!"

For the first time since the exam started, Izuku gave a genuine smile at Bakugo, his eyes even flashing back to green for a moment.

"Win this with an indisputable first place!"

Even his voice had changed back, and Bakugo felt himself getting annoyed despite the strained grin forming.

"You asshole..."

Clear on what to do, he pulled the pin.

"THAT'S MY LINE!"

The first thing he felt upon the blast was pain.

Bakugo felt his shoulder dislocate with a loud snap, bringing out a distressed yell as he forcefully kept his stance, even using his free hand to keep his aching arm aimed forward.

The explosive that came out was what a person could only call devastating.

Its radius of fire was nearly twice All Might's height, and the dark energy explosion that came out rapidly barraged forward and decimated everything in its path. Black smoke and flames exploded forward, and giant winds sent large chunks of concrete and walls flying upward into the sky. Bakugo grunted as he struggled to keep his arm pointed forward, his bracer breaking apart due to being unable to handle the pure might of the blast, but he kept firmly in place even if his arm trembled in pain.

Izuku's eyes felt heavy before he saw the giant explosion of dark energy heading right for him, so he immediately deactivated his jet pack and stopped trying to force his punch forward.

With All Might still pushing his power forward, he sent Izuku flying high into the air just before the traveling explosion could come upon him.

All Might turned his head with widened eyes before attempting to leap out of the way of the attack, only for it to be too late. He still got hit by the blast, and the force shot him flying backward like an arrow.

Everything seemed to move slow for him as he saw the black explosion engulf him.

The hero couldn't help but grin.

"They... got me..."

He knew this wouldn't kill him.

But damn, was it gonna hurt.

He was launched past the exit gate, the gate engulfed by the rampaging explosion with the wave of power continuing even past it. He kept going forward as the whole area trembled, causing dozens of birds to come flying out in panic.

As for Izuku, All Might's push had sent him a few yards into the air. The shockwave and overwhelming force of Bakugo's blast's winds sent him flying sky-high, going above the buildings and high in the atmosphere.

But he didn't even register just how high he was going.

His eyelids grew heavy as he saw the blue sky around him, feeling like he was completely drained. After all, using so much energy was like shooting out heaps of his own blood, using his own life force so much that his body felt cold and tired as he flew.

"Too much... ener...gy..." His inward voice changed from his combined voice to his normal one, then closing his eyes as all the colors of his power faded away.

The intense winds and black flames finally died down at this time. Black smoke obscured the area, and the sounds of crumbling buildings were the only thing heard now.

Bakugo heavily panted as his right hand held his left shoulder, the pain of it being dislocated annoying him. He clenched his teeth and muffled a yell as, with one suddenly twist and push, he popped his shoulder back in place.

He put his hand on his shoulder and held it as he started walking forward. His shirt was drenched in sweat, and he had visible patches of dirt and ash all over his body. His left arm now matched his right in missing its bracer, having been wiped completely off it from the blast. Yet Bakugo's left arm still had smoke emitting from it, the currently hottest part of his body having been where the explosion came from.

He grunted as he took a step forward, staring ahead as a new fast breeze came to blow away the smoke since many buildings had been knocked down and allowed the natural winds to come pushing in. The smoke in the area quickly dispersed and revealed Bakugo's handiwork, and surprisingly, the boy didn't like it. The dirt ground was now covered in black, whether it was ash or scorch marks. The buildings leading to the exit were nonexistent and even past the exit gate only showed signs of destruction.

He marched through the area and coughed a bit from the black smoke, his head then shooting in all directions. "Where the fuck did that nerd go?"

He didn't see him on the ground anywhere and doubted he was anywhere in the rubble. If the nerd was smart, then he would've retreated last second before the explosion came at him. So he should either be ahead by the gate or have gotten launched by the side.

Bakugo walked forward while still keeping vigilant. Even though he was sure All Might got hit by that blast and must've been launched back, you never knew.

After just a few steps, something caught his eye.

He looked upward and saw a small figure falling from the sky.

And that's when his eyes widened in horror.

Bakugo immediately bolted forward, ignoring the stinging from his limping arm.

"Shit, Shit, SHIT!" He ran and ran, eyes focused only on the falling figure.

He saw him falling closer and closer to the ground, making no move to even save himself.

Bakugo saw that he wasn't gonna make it by running, so despite knowing how much it'd hurt, he pointed both palms behind him.

"Explosive Speed!"

He immediately emitted two explosions that propelled him forward just above the ground, with more explosions consecutively coming out to keep himself going faster.

Even though each explosion increased the pain in his shoulder, even though he risked tumbling any second from his exhaustion, he just kept blasting.

He saw that Izuku was nearing the end, so Bakugo sucked up one breath and tightly pressed his teeth together, releasing two final simultaneous explosions that sent him upward.

"NGGGH!" Bakugo could feel his shoulder practically try to kill him. It was clear there was no way he was gonna be able to effectively catch Izuku.

So he turned his body to have his back pointed right in the trajectory of the falling boy.

And, of course, he crashed right into him.

Bakugo felt a spike of pain in his shoulder by the sudden impact before both he and Izuku tumbled along the ground for a few seconds.

Both of them came to a stop, their bodies covered in the dirt and ash that had covered the ground from Bakugo's recent attack.

The blonde panted at the aching on his left, currently lying on his stomach. He grunted as he forcefully turned himself to lay on his back, staring straight up at the sky.

He caught his breath as he watched the blue sky for a few seconds, then turning his head to his left. Izuku's unconscious body was laid next to him, the boy ending up on his side with his front facing Bakugo.

Besides the blood on his head, the guy seemed fine. Rolling on the ground didn't seem to do anything to him. Thank god all the roads and debris that was lying around had ended up completely obliterated. Otherwise, that tumbling could've hurt more.

Bakugo let out a hiss as he sat up, clutching his shoulder.

"Team Midoriya and Bakugo have passed the exam!"

...

"Huh?"

Bakugo turned to the right and realized that he had passed what had previously been the exit gate, not even realizing it due to focusing on letting the crazy green-head classmate of his die.

He turned his head and glared down at Izuku, sudden thoughts coming back.

'You hate me! You loathe me! And I know we'll never be friends again, okay!?'

'And that was why I looked up to you! That was why I always did!'

'I can't hate you, Kacchan, as much as I want to, I-I can't.'

'I wanted to be like both of you... To become an amazing hero.'

Bakugo's glare slightly softened to be slightly less pissed-off than the usual.

"..."

He let himself fall back on the ground, staring straight up at the sky.

"Fucking moron..."

---

~{League Of Villains Headquarters}~

He hated him.

He absolutely despised him.

Shigaraki was seated on the stool at the counter of a bar, holding the photo of a very particular person in his hand. He hated everything about him. That green hair, those freckles, that overall plain appearance he had, he hated it all.

Kurogiri was behind the counter wiping a glass with a towel, curiously staring at the man-child in front of him staring intensely at the photo he held.

"Tomura Shigaraki... Are you curious about that boy, Izuku Midoriya?"

The photo trembled as Shigaraki glared at it behind the hand on his face.

"I don't get it..."

"Hm?" Kurogiri stopped wiping the glass.

"What's so special about him? Sensei never asks me for favors. He always just supported whatever I wished to do... He never cared who I hurt or who I killed... So why... why him? Why is it that for the one thing Sensei personally asks of me, it's to capture this brat? Why?" He hissed.

"I... can't say I know his reasoning behind it. But he must have an important purpose behind it. All we can do is listen." Kurogiri responded.

"Tsk!" Shigaraki used his quirk to disintegrate the photo in his hand.

Kurogiri could only stare at him while going through his own thoughts. He was... curious. What important part did this bland-looking boy have to play in the master's plans? Was it perhaps a lesson for Shigaraki to turn his enemies into allies, or was the young boy to be used as some sort of hostage for someone specific? The master always did keep his darkest plans to himself but still had underlings lead up to them through just orders. So what was the plan now?

His brainstorming stopped when he heard the door to the bar open, immediately picking up on the scent of smoke.

A man smoking a cigarette walked in. He had gray hair with side-bangs, a tiny mustache with a tiny goatee, and was missing a front tooth from his grin. He wore gray round glasses, a purple blazer with a buttoned-up white shirt, and a fluffy scarf neatly wrapped around his neck.

"Giran, you're back. Have you found anyone suitable for us?" Kurogiri spoke.

The scout for the league grew bigger.

"You betcha. I hear Shigaraki's got something big planned, right? I've got many folks interested."

"And? Who are they?" Shigaraki uncaringly asked.

Giran slightly chuckled before opening the door wide to let the two newcomers in.

The first was a familiar flame wielder, Dabi, who sported a bored expression on his face as he kept his hands in his pockets.

Beside him was the adorably deadly Toga, who was bubbling with excitement with a big grin, her two fangs even seeming to sparkle.

"You're the hand guy! You were friends with Stainy, right!? Right!?"

"Shut up, Toga... Don't start fangirling right now..." Dabi sighed.

Kurogiri tilted his head curiously." The two of you... Did you both know each other before coming into contact with us?"

"Sadly... She just started following me around. I gave up trying to cook her after the fifth try. She's a nimble on."

"Wait, wait?" Kurogiri blankly stared.

"Hey, hey! When can I meet Stainy!? I haven't heard anything about him since I watched him in Hosu! Is he staying here!?" Toga excitedly jumped in place.

Upon the mention of Stain, Shigarki's eyes seemed to grow intense.

Remembering him pissed him off.

Why was it that even though they were the ones to send Nomu's down to the public, he was the one who gained everyone's attention? He became the front page while the League became a damn side story. And what, he had the nerve to save the damn brat a Nomu was carrying and then suddenly disappear from the world without even word to them?

Hero Killer Stain pissed him off so much, almost as much as Midoriya did.

Kurogiri noticed Shigaraki's tension and spoke up.

"Er, the Hero Killer's whereabouts are... unknown. We've had Giran and others trying to obtain his location, but he apparently vanished without a trace."

Dabi raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying he ditched you guys?"

If that was the case, then should they even bother being there?

"No, we both had similar... 'perspectives' to rid the world of heroes. His sudden disappearance is too abnormal to believe that he simply hid to branch away from us. Otherwise, we should be hearing more cases of murdered heroes. And that's assuming he's healed up."

Toga pouted and waved her arms up and down. "Ehhh!? Stainy left!? No way!"

Giran chuckled. "Sorry, kid. But who knows? Maybe you'll run into him again if you join the league?"

That had Toga's eyes sparkle.

"Really!? Can I even meet Izu-kun!?"

Then silence met the room, with all the males there pausing in confusion.

"Er... who?" Kurogiri was the one to utter.

And a sudden surge of discomfort filled the room when they saw Toga's yellow eyes glistening with passion, apparently not even listening. The corners of her mouth went up to form a dangerously yet desiring expression, her hands went up to her cheeks, and a tinge of red formed on them.

She only had one person on her mind right now, and it was clear he was a rather unlucky guy.

"My Izu-kun~."

---

~{Author's Post-Notes}~
Now then, that was a lot for another chapter, phew. Even when I was getting bombarded by life I managed to this get this out in at least a month. Now then, I'm sure you're wondering, 'why the Ochako family drama?' Well...

Yes.

Also, woooooo, blonde vampire yandere!

Leave comments remarking on what you liked and would like to see! They really keep me going!