Izuku felt his blood freeze at Dabi's exclamation, he knew what an Agni Kai was; Iroh had taught him much about the way of the Firebenders, but never in his life did he think anyone would challenge him to one.

He could back down, refuse and simply attack outright and hope one of his friends was nearby to see the fire.

However…

"What are your terms?" Izuku asked grimly, crossing his arms.

Dabi smirked and stepped forward, shrugging off his coat and pulling his shirt off, revealing defined muscles and deep burn scars, "fire only, no lightning since I can't summon it...and I don't think i'm too off the mark in saying that what you shot off up there on the cliff is probably all you can manage tonight." his smirk turned into a grin at Izuku's scowl, "no killing blows, for either of us, winner takes custody of the loser."

Izuku steeled his nerves and nodded, "I agree." he said, pulling his own shirt off.

"You've gotten some new scars since Last I saw you." Dabi said, his voice light but his eyes burning in fury.

Izuku said nothing, slowly dropping into a defensive stance, "ready when you are."

The clearing was silent, neither combatant made a move as clouds slowly rolled away to reveal the moon.

As the moon lit the clearing up, Dabi shot forward, fist coming forward and sending a wave of hot flames at Izuku, who easily batted them away and jumped into the sky, coming down with a fiery axle kick that Dabi easily avoided, the two firebenders unleashed a torrent of flames from their fists at point blank range, using the cover to disengage. "Well, look at how far you've come." Dabi praised him.

"I thought you wanted to fight." Izuku snarled as he sent another fireball at Dabi.

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Bakugo roared as he set off another powerful explosion against moonfish, dodging it's teeth as he landed beside Todoroki, "OUT OF MY WAY LOSER!?" he snarled as he unleashed another explosion.

"Bakugo! We need to run!" Todoroki called as he twisted his foot and erected an ice wall a mere second before elongated teeth stabbed through it.

"Then run! I'm not going until this asshole is extra crispy!" Bakugo snapped, dodging a few more attacks as he spoke.

"The villains are after you! We need to get you back to the lodge!"

"That just means these losers follow us back you idiot!" Bakugo growled as he slid behind Todoroki's Ice wall, "either we take him out beforehand or we endanger everyone!"

"I can't fight properly with Tsuburaba here." Todoroki sighed, "with how this guy is I won't be able to protect him should he shift focus-"

BOOM!

Todoroki and Bakugo tensed, looking towards the forest as the sound of shattering trees filled the air, "Get ready!" Bakugo snapped as Moonfish turned towards the sound, grinning when an out of control Dark Shadow came exploding out of the forest chasing a bloodied up Shoji.

"BAKUGO! TODOROKI! GIVE US SOME LIGHT!" Shoji shouted.

Todoroki began raising his hand, ready to call forth his flames, but stopped when Bakugo held a hand up.

"Wait." he ordered as Moonfish charged at Dark Shadow, only to be easily crushed by the rampaging quirk, "Now!"

A stun grenade and a hot flash of fire from the two had Dark Shadow back under control, with Tokoyami doing his best to steady his breathing.

"We were a bad match once again bird brain." bakugo said gruffly as Shoji checked over his friend.

"My thanks, Bakugo, Todoroki." Tokoyami muttered, "I shudder to think what would have happened had you two not been here."

"Hmph, whatever." Bakugo growled, looking to where Moonfish was, "this asshole's not getting up anytime soon." he said with a cruel chuckle.

"Which means we can head back to the lodge-" Todoroki began.

"No." Bakugo said gruffly, standing back up, "Deku's still out here somewhere, and I'm not gonna leave his ass out here undefended."

The other three boys looked at each other in worry, they had all heard Mandalay's last message, how Bakugo was a target and they were allowed to use their quirks, but she had also told them about Midoriya.

"He's injured and attempting to stop the fire, anyone who finds him is to try and get him back to the lodge immediately!"

"I can see his flames in the distance," Bakugo continued on, making the others look at him, "he's fighting, he needs our help! You losers can go back to the Lodge, I'm going to help him."

"We can't let you go alone." Todoroki said, stepping forward, "but Tsuburaba's injured."

"As am I." Choji said, indicating his bleeding tentacle, "I can take him back to the lodge, with Tokoyami as well."

"I agree, I would only be a detriment to you in your quest.' Tokoyami said gravely.

"You two stay safe," Todoroki said as he and Bakugo took off into the forest, "if we're lucky, we'll reach them by the time Midoriya beats whoever he's fighting.

Bakugo narrowed his eyes at the flashes of blue and yellow flames that lit up the horizon, "we can only hope." he muttered as they burst back out onto the trail, Bakugo faltered for a second, their path had lead them straight to Uraraka and Tsuyu, who were currently struggling against some blonde bitch; Bakugo saw red when the bitch plunged a needle in Uraraka's leg.

"DIE!" He roared as he unleashed a powerful explosion at the girl, who easily dodged his attack as well as Todoroki's Ice.

"Uraraka are you alright!?" he asked, standing over her protectively as he glared at their adversary.

"Fine," she muttered, quickly tearing her sleeve off her jacket and tying it around the puncture wound, "she's skilled with that knife in her hands."

"Stay down, we'll handle stabby bitch."

"Awww, is this your boyfriend!?" Toga giggled crazily, "he's kinda cute."

"FUCK OFF!" Bakugo roared, charging at Toga, growling in frustration when she easily weaved around him and fell back deeper into the forest.

"There's too many of you now! How boring," she grumbled as she disappeared into the woods.

"Fucking Psycho COME BACK HERE SO I CAN KILL YOU!" Bakugo snarled, barely being held back by Uraraka.

"Are you alright Tsu?" Todoroki asked in concern as Bakugo turned and checked Uraraka over, growling at the puncture wound.

"She cut my tongue, but other than that I'm fine." Tsu said with a sigh, looking to the sky as more fire erupted into the night, "Midoriya's having one hell of a fight isn't he?"

"We're on our way to help him." Todoroki said firmly.

"Let us come too," Uraraka said, "there's strength in numbers."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Todoroki asked, "you're injured-"

"-if she says she's fine then she's fine." Bakugo said gruffly, giving Uraraka's hand a comforting squeeze as he turned back around, "we can't delay anymore! We NEED to get to Deku!"

With that the four teens took off into the forest, the heat from Izuku's battle washing over them as they neared the clearing, "DEKU!" Bakugo shouted as they burst into the clearing.

The grass had been scorched away, and the trees around them had been reduced to blackened husks; Izuku was a flurry of movement, body moving through every Kata faster than Bakugo could keep track as he sent wave after wave of fire at Dabi, who batted them away as he pressed the advantage.

"Stay back!" Izuku shouted as swept Dabi's legs out from underneath him, jumping back as Dabi easily regained his feet and tried to deliver a powerful fireball to Izuku's head.

Bakugo froze, "Bullshit!" he snarled, "we're here to help-"

"-you can't interrupt an Agni Kai Bakugo!" Izuku snapped as he opened his mouth and unleashed a torrent of flames, Illuminating the clearing.

Uraraka and Tsuyu gasped at the scars and brands on the boy's body, while Bakugo clenched his fist, only Todoroki was unfazed.

"Twice!"

"What do ya want!? ON IT!"

"Watch out!" Todoroki shouted as he summoned his ice, barely able to absorb more blue flames that were directed at the still stunned Uraraka, steam filling the air as another Dabi came charging into the fight, Twice running in after him.

"DIE!" Bakugo snarled, charging the clone Dabi, only to jump away as Toga tried to sink her knife into his side.

"So close!" she whined, "I wanna see you bleed!" she cackled as she attacked Bakugo again, the explosion teen doing his best to evade the crazy girl's attacks.

"If you harm them I swear-" Izuku started as he punched Dabi with a flaming fist.

"They should've stayed out of our way!" Dabi snarled as he kicked Izuku in the chest, sending him tumbling through one of the burnt trees as Dabi recalled the Nomu, preparing himself as Izuku came charging back out with a feral roar.

Meanwhile Tsuyu, Uraraka and Todoroki were dealing with Twice and the Clone-Dabi, with Uraraka and Tsuyu doing what they could to try and capture Twice, while Todoroki's Ice and fire went up against Dabi's firebending, the half and half teen was having a hard time of it; the clone was just as fast and powerful as the real Dabi, and his usual method of overwhelming power paled in comparison to Dabi's precise fighting style.

"It's like trying to fight Midoriya." Todoroki growled as he jumped away from the clone, hand slamming into the ground and sending icy spikes straight for the imposter, only for them to melt away into nothingness as Dabi opened his mouth and roared, the flames easily melting the ice away before ducking as Toga was launched towards him, the blonde girl crying in surprise as she slammed into Twice.

"Now I'm mad." Bakugo seethed as he stalked to Todoroki's side, his arms and chest covered in shallow cuts and deeper gashes, 'let's finish this fucker!"

"BAKUGO WATCH OUT."

Bakugo didn't have the chance to even turn around as a sledgehammer slammed into him and sent him sprawling with a sickening CRUNCH!

"KATSUKI!" Uraraka screamed as she ran to his side, Todoroki quickly dodged a follow up attack from the Nomu, one of its arms had transformed into a drill, while the other an oversized sledgehammer.

Todoroki didn't hesitate as he engulfed the monster in fire, only to let out a gasp as the drill burst out of the fire and shot through his shoulder.

"Todoroki!" Tsuyu cried as she jumped from tree to tree, Dabi and Toga were unconscious, but the clone Dabi was still there.

"I'm fine! Keep fighting!" Todoroki gritted out as he grabbed the things arm and encased it, breaking the appendage off before jumping back, icy spikes immediately appearing as his foot touches the ground, impaling the Nomu as Tsuyu gets a good kick on the Dabi clone, turning it to brown mud.

"Katsuki please," Uraraka sobbed as she cradled her boyfriend's head in her arms, "Please don't die!"

Bakugo let out a groan as he slowly opened his eyes, "quit crying, damn it," he growled out, "i hate to see you cry."

"Glad you're alright," Todoroki muttered as he staggered to their side, gritting his teeth as he cauterized his wound.

"That depends on your definition of fine," he muttered as he slowly pushed himself up, his right arm hanging uselessly at his side, "Fucker shattered my arm!"

"We have other problems." Tsuyu said as two portals opened and Spinner and Magne stepped out, both ready for another fight as the Nomu broke through the spikes, it's wounds sluggishly healing.

Izuku gritted his teeth as he and Dabi, his hands were raw from burns and his vision was starting to get blurry, I'm at my limit… he thought as he spared a glance back to his friends, eyes widening at the state they were in, with more enemies moving to engage them.

Dabi took his momentary distraction as an opportunity,sweeping his legs out from under him and blasting him point blank in the chest.

Izuku bit back a scream as the blue flames washed over him, it was stronger and more potent than anything he had ever used.

Dabi jumped back, hands at the ready as Izuku forced himself to his feet, breathing heavily as he fought through the pain, "So this is the famous Kojin." Dabi sneered, "you couldn't even keep up."

"Shut up!" Izuku snarled as he charged forward, swinging his fist, Dabi easily caught his arm and flipped him over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground, Izuku wrapped his legs around the man's arm and did his best to pin him that way, only to receive a powerful cross from Dabi; forcing him to let go.

"You can't even use your flames anymore! How pathetic!" Dabi laughed as he loomed over Izuku as the injured student watched his friends try vainly to fight the other villains, but they were being pushed back, Bakugo was barely able to stand anymore and was relying on Todoroki's ice to keep him protected; but even Todoroki was beginning to slow down as he bled from several stab wounds, only Uraraka and Tsuyu were in any kind of good health, and both were struggling to keep the two boys alive.

"You've lost, Akuma." Dabi sneered.

"You're...you're right," Izuku struggled to get out, "but that doesn't mean my friends have."

With the last of his strength, Izuku used his flames to blast off from the ground, vaulting over the villains and landing in front of Bakugo and Todoroki, with a roar of exertion a massive wall of flames separated the hero students from the villains.

"Go!" Izuku commanded, his arms shaking as he fought through his pain, "Go warn Aiawa! I can't hold this for long! GO!"

"Are you fucking crazy!?" Bakugo snapped as he tried to charge forward, only for Uraraka to take away his gravity, dragging him back as Tsuyu helped Todoroki limp away, "NO! WE CAN'T LEAVE HIM! DEKU! NO!"

"I'm sorry Kacchan…" Izuku whispered as they got further and further away, finally, Izuku dropped the flames, falling forward in a dead faint; Dabi caught him before he could hit the ground.

Dabi looked down at his one time friend, an unreadable emotion flickering through his otherwise dead eyes, "we completed one objective," he said to his comrades as Twice and Toga slowly began to come around, "we're leaving."

"What about the Bakugo boy?" Compress asked as he finally made an appearance.

"He doesn't matter," Dabi scoffed, "besides, Akuma here gave the last of his strength to allow his friends to run...I say we let his sacrifice carry this one time."

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In the clearing in front of the lodge, several Emergency vehicles were parked with their lights illuminating the area like a giant beacon. Several students were huddled near the doors, talking in hushed whispers, while others were loaded onto gurneys, oxygen masks fixed over their mouths and noses.

Yui helped Awase bring an unconscious Momo to the paramedic vehicle, several officers and heroes were milling about, getting ready to go into the forest to find any other stragglers.

'HELP! WE NEED HELP!"

Yui looked up, eyes widening as she saw Tsuyupractically dragging a half-conscious Todoroki out of the forest, several heroes were already running over; with Yui following up from behind.

"We were fighting the villains," she said, shaking badly as she helped them set Todoroki on a nearby gurney, "he was stabbed multiple times, I did my best to wrap the injuries but-"

"-you did great,'' one of the heroes said, putting a comforting hand on Tsuyu's shoulder, making tears fall from the girl's eyes, "we got it from here."

"Uraraka is bringing Bakugo," she said, doing her best to keep her composure, "he's injured too."

As she said this, Uraraka came out, supporting a still conscious Bakugo, covered in blood and staring despondently down at the ground.

"Bakugo." Yui called, running up to him, "have you seen Izuku? We haven't been able to find him…" she trailed off as the boy looked up, his eyes were dead, and it wasn't from the pain he was no doubt feeling, "Bakugo...where's Izuku?"

"They...they took him…" he whispered a moment before paramedics pushed past Yui, who slowly fell to her knees; Uraraka at her side in an instant, hugging the quiet girl as she sobbed.

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Izuku woke up in a dark room, his hands handcuffed in front of him and the pain from his injuries were down to a dull throbbing.

"Glad to see you're awake."

Izuku picked up his head, sneering at who was sitting in the corner of the room, "the warp villain," he muttered.

'Why yes," The villain said pleasantly, "but most call me Kurogiri." He stood and walked over to Izuku, "Shigaraki wanted to speak with you as soon as you were awake."

Izuku said nothing as Kurogiri helped him to his feet, keeping his eyes down as he was walked out of the room and into a cozy looking bar, all of the league members were there, many watching him warily as Kurogiri led him to a simple wooden chair.

"I'm so glad you could join us, Akuma." Shigaraki began, stepping forward, only to stop when a weak tongue of flame escaped Izuku's mouth, missing his face by centimeters.

"Use that name again and I sear the flesh off your fuckin' bones!" Izuku snarled, already moving to stand; only to be forced back into the chair by Spinner and Magne.

"Not very heroic of you." Shigaraki sneered, "No wonder hero society is crumbling, you have heroes whose only concern is their popularity, fame, and not helping those around them, tell me, Midoriya, how many times were you in danger, in need of help, and the so-called 'heroes' did nothing to help you. How many times did you go to sleep with a pain in your stomach from forgoing food? Trying to sleep in cardboard boxes and doorways to avoid being rained on? Being thrown into the JDC because you tried to defend yourself from the real criminals?"

As Shigaraki spoke, Izuku relaxed, looking down at the cuffs on his wrists.

"Those suppression cuffs will stop you from using your fire like you want." Shigaraki said, having followed his gaze, "but if you join with me, I could remove them, and you can use your quirk the way you were meant to! After all, you're a former delinquent, a ne'er do-well, so many people still doubt you; even the so-called heroes that are supposed to be on your side are just waiting for you to fail. Join me, Izuku Midoriya, reject being Kojin the Hero, and return to being Akuma, the Villain."

Izuku rolled his neck, popping it with a slight groan, then he spat at Shigaraki, catching him in the eye and making the villain stumble back in shock, "you can take your offer and shove it up your ass.' he growled, "i'm going to be a hero, no matter what some jumped up asshole with a hand fetish says."

Everyone in the room tensed, waiting for the tantrum that usually accompanied Shigaraki when he was denied what he wanted, but the man just laughed, "well, aren't you stubborn!" he said as he wiped the spit off of his face, "perhaps we should let you think on this offer; and I know the perfect Method, one that Mr. Compress heard from a certain, foster father he had met in the municipal jail." he turned and began walking, "Spinner, Twice, bring him.'

"Let go of me!" Izuku snarled as the two villains hauled him to his feet, struggling every step as they forced him into the kitchen, "i'll fuckin' torch all of you! You're fuckin' dead!"

"That's right, use that anger.' Shigaraki laughed as they approached an industrial freezer.

Izuku's eyes widened and he began to fight harder as Shigaraki opened the door, the cold air washing over them as he did.

"Maybe it'll keep you warm."

Izuku let out a grunt as Twice and Spinner threw him into the freezer, the door slamming shut a second later.

"NO!" Izuku roared as he got to his feet and charged the door, slamming into it with his shoulder, 'LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!"

On the other side of the door, Dabi watched with conflicted emotions, his hands balled into fists as he heard his old friend scream and slam into the door, "we're supposed to get him on our side," he muttered as Shigaraki walked past him, "not torture him."

"I'm sure he'll be more agreeable after a few days in the cold."

Back inside the freezer, Izuku slowly slid down to the floor, shivering violently as he curled in on himself, flashbacks of when he was with his foster parents running over and over in his mind; He didn't know how long he was lying there, trapped in the all too familiar terror and cold, but as he lay defeated, Uncle Iroh's voice echoed through his head.

"Izuku, why don't you want to go into the freezer?" Iroh questioned him, walking up to his side and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, "we need more meat for the special today! Stew isn't stew without beef after all!"

Izuku stared at the large metal box, shivering at the horrible memories, 'I...I can't…" he muttered, looking away from the freezer.

Iroh's eyes softened, "I understand...Izuku, if you are uncomfortable going into the freezer, then that is okay, but you must remember; you cannot allow fear to control your life, it shows those who hurt you that they won. Instead, you must move on, and let go of the trauma's of the past; let it flow away, like leaves on the river."

Izuku scoffed, walking away from a sad eyed Iroh, hands shoved in his pockets, "yeah, I"ll remember that...one day."

Izuku slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, releasing a puff of fire from his mouth, about the only thing he could do with the suppression cuffs on him; he forced himself to slow his breathing and released another puff of fire. It didn't warm him up completely, but it did get the feeling back in his hands.

"I can't escape…" he mumbled, slowly looking up, eyes burning red with tears and rage, "but I'll be damned if I let these fuckers break me."