My Green Sun Prince Academia

Chapter Fourteen

Demonic Primacy of Essence


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The emaciated form of All Might was painful for Endeavor to look at. Seeing his rival reduced to the lowest rungs of human weakness by those horrible chains was beyond anything Endeavor could endure. He did not want to imagine the torture All Might was going through. There was no way Endeavor could know or understand the defiant pride that his rival kept hidden within him, the last embers of a brave heart buried under layers of humility, and a rejection of his own current humiliation and helplessness.

Not far from Ingenium's body, Toshinori knelt between two man-sized wasps, his chains growing heavier by the minute. He watched with bitter satisfaction as Endeavor lead the rescue. The hostages, both civilian and support, were awash with relief. The two heroes, one captive and one free, conveyed meaning to each other in brief coded signals. In order to avoid discovery, Endeavor had distant support technicians remotely reprogram Toshinori's communication earpiece. This way he would no longer hear anything from their shared channels, but instead he was relegated to a specific channel, one that would allow technicians to listen in on anything said in Toshinori's presence. No messages were to be transmitted back to Toshinori except in an emergency.

All Toshinori could do was watch and wait as Endeavor moved on with the evacuation while he sat on the sidelines. While he sat in chains.

Endeavor stiffened in the presence of Mahbagodeth. The monster was unlike anything he had ever seen or imagined. Sondok had been nothing like this amalgamation of disparate parts, this hollow patchwork of arms and masks. He was compelled, however, to visually confirm Midoriya Inko's safety as part of the exchange.

"My compliments to you on burning Sondok's head off, mortal. You fought quite well. I look forward to seeing your performance when this ceasefire ends." the creature spoke discordantly, so much so that it was difficult to tell what emotions if any were conveyed. Endeavor decided to simply take the words at their face value and nod, cutting the conversation short.

"Are you unharmed, Miss Midoriya?" the Fire Hero asked, turning his attention solely onto her. The woman appeared utterly exhausted and emotionally spent. Although he had been injured, he wondered at how she, an untrained civilian, was enduring all of this.

Her smile haunted Endeavor to his core. He had hoped to see a spark of hope in her eyes, but he saw none. "I appreciate everything you and the other heroes have done. Please, retreat… I'll be going with my son… where I belong." Her words seemed hollow, like the slightest breeze would blow her down.

The entire exchange tasted like ashes in Endeavor's mouth.

"Come, regent mother. Let us collect our other guest before our journey to the Chrysalis." the monster's voice grated at their nerves, annoying Endeavor but shocking Inko with fear.

The two of them watched as the creature floated over to the balcony of the apartment. Gesturing around itself madly with four clawed arms, it wrote a jumbled mess of symbols into the air that Endeavor could not comprehend. Were these sentences? How was this language read, top to bottom? Characters seemed to wrap around each other, a linguistic inception of complication. Once set aglow, the magic of his work roared to life as a bridge formed. It cobbled itself together, rising from nothing, a series of floating flat stones. None were physically connected to the other, but instead lay on a webbing of interlaced light that shone through the stones through a series of glyphs.

Turning back, the monster bade her forward with one outstretched claw. "Come, regent."

Every instinct in Endeavor's body pushed for him to stand between this monster and Midoriya Inko. His teeth grated hard against each other until he feared they would crack, yet he stood aside.

"Your presence is no longer required." the monster spoke to him, turning that eyeless mask to regard him.

Endeavor was about to bite back a sharp reply when somewhere in the distance, far over the monster's shoulder, Endeavor saw an unmistakable beacon of light. It shone through the darkness with emerald clarity. He judged that it was at least five kilometers away, yet it was bright enough that Endeavor could see the light reflect off of the creature's mask.

"Come." the monster spoke with more urgency. Inko, confused, followed the creature across the stone bridge.

Endeavor listened from the balcony to the chatter erupting across the airwaves. Beyond that light to the north, even more strange things were occuring. Reports were flooding in from across the city of strange activity among the enemy, as though they had broken off the main thrusts of their attack to instead hunt members of the civilian population.

Through it all, one thing gave Endeavor hope. The tone of urgency in Mahbagodeth, the sudden speed of his movements… something had happened that was outside the creature's calculations. There was some variable the monster had not considered. He needed to find it. Rushing down the side of the building, Endeavor softened his landing with jettisoned gouts of fire. There was much to do.

Far above, Toshinori was having similar thoughts. The way this creature moved spoke of hidden anxieties. The skittering of the wasps showed Toshinori their fear. It wasn't the heroes that had made them so nervous. It had started with that beacon of light to the north. Something there… could Young Midoriya have something to do with this?

Mahbagodeth paused near Ingenium's corpse, regarding it briefly. "A promise is a promise." the creature uttered to Inko, before turning away. Instead, the thing moved towards Toshinori.

Curious, Toshinori had to ask. "What is it about Ingenium that has you so… disappointed?"

His question caused Midoriya Inko to flinch. She wasn't going to touch this topic of conversation. It was Mahbagodeth that answered him. "I said the heroes could go free… that includes the dead. I was hoping to harvest him for my art… his face would have been a beautiful addition to my wardrobe. The will of Cecelyne, however, is not to be denied."

An ulcer of rage formed deep within Toshinori, a pit where his stomach used to be. "Those faces…"

"Human." the creature stated. "Every single one of them. Their skin makes excellent leather, and the remaining tissues can be converted quite readily into inks and vellum parchment, though some basic transmutations are required. Enough of this… we must depart."

Inko looked lost yet hopeful. "To Izuku?" she asked, almost whispering. Her pained expression was agony for Toshinori to look at.

The monster gazed north at the display of light. "There is… a slight change of plans. We must make a detour. Now." he turned towards the two of them and once more drew strange sigils into the air, his claws moving at a frenetic pace.

They both felt the strangest sensation possible as the sigils began to glow. It was like the tingling of limbs when circulation is cut off, yet it was altogether more extreme and odder. Glancing down, they each saw that their feet were evaporating into fine sand on the wind. Soon, their fingers and hair began evaporating as well.

"It's all right." Toshinori spoke to her, not knowing if his words were true. "I'm here with you." he reached out to her and took her hand into his own as the two of them evaporated into the air. They were joined by two guardian wasps and Mahbagodeth in their erosion, but Toshinori and Inko chose to maintain eye contact with each other, holding hands until they both dissipated into nothingness.


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Cold and isolated, Ingenium's body laid undisturbed under foreign stars. As a testament to his sacrifice, no other bodies rested near his. Not far from him, the crown and weapons of Sondok evaporated into fine sand that blew away on the wind. Across the street, forgotten by nearly everyone, a lone idol of salt rested on the floor. A single stain of dried blood marred its otherwise pristine surface.

They waited patiently. They each had nothing but time.


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Izuku stared unflinchingly into Mara's eyes. Her gaze was hauntingly relaxed, her smile was unwavering. His vision allowed him to see not only her falsely human face, but also the true demon underneath. Yet even with his third eye open he could not pierce the veil of Mara's dark heart.

He smiled beguilingly at her, quietly pouring precious essence into his mannerisms, lending subtlety and authority to his words. "Regardless of precedent, Mara, it would be best if my Chrysalis rested somewhere undisturbed. Perhaps somewhere less crowded… less noisy… such hateful… wretched… noise. Then I could continue my pilgrimage to Malfeas undisturbed."

He bluffed, choosing his words carefully. He was relying heavily on the instinctive fear all demonkind had for Adorjan, the Silent Wind. He also knew that his heretical powers, taught by Takeru, were relatively unknown by demonkind. He needed Mara to believe that the entirety of his spirit was here in the human world and imply that the result would be a stunted Prince. Even if there was no evidence that such a stunted being could be blamed on them, they would collectively be punished for the implication alone.

If Takeru's accounts were trustworthy, Malfeas was hardly a fair place to live.

Her eye twitched as worry clouded her eyes. Good. "If it would assist with the Prince's sleep, with his dream filled journey… then yes, we would be pleased to accommodate. What do you suggest, Prince Izuku?"

"I will order human slaves to transport the Chrysalis… to a mountain not far from here. Mount Takao, a smaller mountain by many estimates, it will still serve as a quiet resting place while I commune with the Creators." he gestured off in the direction of the mountain. He was grateful that none of the humans present could speak the Malfean tongue, or else his subterfuge would fail immediately. He pondered briefly that he did not count himself as a human, but threw the thought aside.

She smiled prettily at him, mirth returning to her eyes. "That would invalidate the ceasefire, my Prince. Though I imagine you would prefer that, to ensure that your human mother is no longer in Cecelyne's debt?"

Of course she would think that, Izuku thought. It was partially true, as he knew that Cecelyne's debts were never cheap. His mother would someday be charged with a task that would be unavoidable, an order that could not be disobeyed. Knowing Cecelyne, the task was already woven into her endless machinations. Plans within plans, as Cecelyne might put it.

However, if Izuku allowed Mara and her fellow demons to have their way, his mother's debt would be discharged, washed away in a river of human blood. The demons in turn would try to claim that Izuku owed them dearly for delivering his mother from her bondage. The thought disgusted him.

"Until my full emergence, she is still my mother-regent. It is not for me to gainsay her decisions on my behalf… not yet at least." Izuku ran some quick calculations in his head, and not finding a real answer to his dilemma, he bluffed. He poured essence to embolden his own authority, calling upon the chains that bind the demon races back to the Yozis. "I will move my Chrysalis by another method. Bring a team of Erymanthoi to me for transport."

Mara's smile had a sneering quality to it. Izuku immediately understood his mistake. The chains bound lesser beings to greater ones… and even though Izuku was a Green Sun Prince, his Essence was still fragile and weak compared to Mara, the Shadow Lover. By prying at those chains, he had opened himself to receiving undeniable orders from her. "No, dear Prince. Those deva are assigned to your protection, and we still do not know if the enemy is here. Therefore: move the Chrysalis yourself."

His bluff had been called. Even with all the power that Adorjan and Cecelyne had given him, he lacked the strength to carry an object as heavy as the Chrysalis over such a long distance. If he asked the heroes for assistance, the demons would once again feast on human flesh. Mara had caught him in his own trap. He had underestimated the Demonic Primacy of Essence, the chain that links all demons to each other and to their masters. He had no choice but to carry out her demand.

It was too late for regrets now. He would have to follow this command to the letter. The distant voice of Takeru whispered to him, and Izuku knew what was needed next: malicious compliance. "Very well, Mara. I shall move the Chrysalis under my own power, as per your order. Any deva that stands in the way of that command will be treated according to their disobedience." Deva, he thought bitterly, using the polite term for demon. His mind tugged at the spiritual chains of that connected him to Mara, pouring precious essence into his words, adding his authority to Mara's rather than clash his will against hers, constructing an essence laden order that neither of them could contradict.

Mara's eyes darkened, immediately understanding what Izuku had done. "You would dare brand our kind as traitors to the Yozis… just for standing in your path?" Her smile showed more teeth than before, appearing menacing like a barely concealed grimace.

He smiled at her, mirroring her expression. "Be sure to meet me on the mountain after I have found the best place to rest, Mara. I look forward to renewing our friendship… oh, and one more thing."

"What?" she clipped the question out to him.

"Treat the humans of this world carefully. They are my property." he spoke bluntly, using terminology she would accept and understand. It was the greatest bluff he had tried in this encounter.

She regarded him carefully, but said nothing. Backing away from him, she faded into the darkness. Izuku, even with Takeru's help, had no idea if that had gone well for him or not. All that was left now was for Izuku to make his own lies into truth.


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The others watched transfixed as the greenlit holographic man spoke to the woman in gold and green. Their conversation, though heated, was cordial or even professional. The young man spoke with confidence and authority, and the woman, though jovial and at times sinister, eventually left.

None of them understood a single word of what had just transpired.

Something about the man's posture sagged after she was gone. It was clear that whatever their exchange was, he had exerted a lot of energy to appear as calm and as confident as he had portrayed himself during their discussion. Unfortunately, there was no time for any of them to relax.

He barely resembled the photograph of the boy inside the shell from yesterday morning's briefing. He also glowed. Everywhere. If that didn't fit the enemy's description of a "Shining Prince" then Eraserhead had no idea what else would meet the qualifications. "Midoriya Izuku, I presume?" the professional hero asked.

The glowing man turned to face them. His brow was adorned with a single shining jewel placed just between his eyebrows, like a small white star against a backdrop of green fire. A harsh brand of two fiery crossed blades dominated his forehead. The brand hurt to look at, not due to it's luminous glow but because of something unsettling about it, as though the symbol instinctively intimidated each and every one of them.

His head was crowned with a cascade of wind-combed hair cast chaotically behind him. His face was beautiful but disconcerting, with eyes set ablaze with green fire set protectively above pronounced cheekbones and a strong jawline. From his neck down his body was carved with the muscles of a long-distance runner or swimmer, lean yet powerful.

"You must be Eraserhead. It's good to be able to look you in the eye while we talk." Izuku spoke, his voice deeper, richer, and more textured than it was before. He surprised himself with the way he sounded, now that he was relaxed enough to pay attention. It was like this experience had endowed him with a second less-awkward puberty just after his first had ended.

Gang Orca coughed. Bakugou turned his eyes away.

Maintaining eye contact, Eraserhead spoke neutrally. "Let's get something for you to wear, Midoriya." he inclined his head towards the young women behind him, talking his way around the fact that apart from bracers on his wrists, Izuku was completely naked.

Mina and Momo stood transfixed, their eyes wandering up and down as they absorbed every detail of Izuku's body. His shoulders and chest were broad, yet none of his muscles were overly large. Tapering down to his waist, the downward angles of his abdominal muscles forced their gazes lower, as if to obscenely direct their vision. Immense power was implied by his thighs and calves, as well as everything in between. The only thing offering him any discretionary modesty was that his translucent nature and internal glow made it difficult to discern his masculine anatomy without concentrated staring.

Izuku's burning eyes turned to focus on Momo, studying her. "Excuse me, miss. Could you transmute something for me to wear?"

A million questions rushed to not only the forefront of Momo's mind but of the heroes around her. How did he know about her Quirk? Just what could he see by looking at her, or at any of them? Momo however skipped past those questions to another, less obvious one. "You're wearing bracers on your forearms… can't you project more clothing or armor onto yourself?"

If not for the green pallor cast across her face, Momo's blush would be evident for everyone. Despite her embarrassment, she stepped forward. Izuku's turned his posture, aligning his body to his eyes. He continued to stare her down, regarding her with an uncomfortable intensity. "I wish I could." he spoke, breaking his hard examination with a carefree smile. "I can only project what I'm actually equipped with, unfortunately."

Momo tucked that information into the recesses of her mind, promising herself to ponder this all later. It didn't feel like a lie. He clearly had no care about his own exposure, neither shame nor pleasure. She didn't feel like she was approaching some flashing pervert, but instead like she was offering a saddle to a wild untamed beast, a lion that was never meant to be ridden.

Momo's cheeks grew hot when she realized the full nature of her own analogy. She ignored her own feelings and focused on printing out some simple clothes, starting with a pair of vantablack boxer briefs. She was concerned that his own radiance would shine through anything, even a shade lighter, outlining him for all to see. The fabric was elastic enough that she wouldn't need his measurements.

"Yaoyorozu Momo," she offered her introduction along with the garment.

His fingers felt even warmer than the radiant light that surrounded them. "It's good to meet you, Yaoyorozu, and thank you."

Mina unabashedly got out her phone to film this entire exchange. A harsh glance from Midnight chided her to be discreet about it, but she did not stop. How could she? This wasn't just some hot guy, this was history. But it was also a really hot guy… putting on underwear. It was a shame that his own glow and the illuminated air obscured what the phone's camera could capture. As stealthily as she could, she held her phone down near her waist, hoping no one else would take notice of her furtive documentary.

As Momo set to the task of printing a pair of pants from her midsection, the two members of the Uraraka family stood forward. "What about my wife? You saved me but what about her?" the middle aged gentleman was caught somewhere between gratitude and rage, his own tearful confusion evident on his face.

Neither he nor his daughter fully comprehended what had just transpired, but Ochako was able to hazard a guess. "Dad, hold on… Izuku, right? Um… that wasn't my mom, was it? Is my mom ok, is she safe?"

For the briefest moment Izuku's heart broke with sympathy. Dividing himself to come here was the right decision. Already he could see how hopelessly lost everyone was against an enemy they clearly didn't understand. He held up his hand in a calming gesture. "I can't say where your mother is, miss, or your wife, sir. All I can tell you is that that creature was not her. It merely copied her based off of images from your minds."

Midnight interrupted, feeling responsible for Ochako. "Can you tell us what it was?"

Izuku nodded. "The demons that work for Mara are called Bisclaravets, the Shadow Eaters. They can take the forms of both animals and people, but these are illusions wrought from the emotions of their hopeful victims. They lure people by preying on the best of our natures, or sometimes the worst."

Eraserhead caught onto one facet immediately. "Did you say demons?"

Izuku nodded somberly. "They are not the creatures of Eastern or Western myth, but they are demons. If the Bisclaravets are on the loose, they will try to lure heroes into rescuing them, baiting them to break the ceasefire. There are two hundred and fifty each of all three breeds here in Musutafu: the ape-like Erymanthoi, the paper-wasp Kamgatae, and now the shape shifting Bisclaravets."

"What is it they want with us, with our world?" Mount Lady asked. Eraserhead already stepped back from the conversation to get word across the comms about shapeshifters among the enemy. Mr. Uraraka quietly collapsed within himself, in terrified awe that he had almost thrown his life away to rescue some awful impersonator, a demonic creature that would prey on the love he held for his wife and family. Ochako squeezed her father's hand, grateful that he was still there with her, and the two shared tearful smiles.

Izuku gave a nod of gratitude to Momo for the pants before turning to Mount Lady. He paused to put the pants on, obviously struggling with what to say next. He opted for blunt truthfulness. "Slaves. Fuel. Food. Sport. The demons have many uses for humans, depending on which ones you ask. First the advance team will extract me and bring back a report of how much resistance they faced here. Then, after brainwashing me, they will assign me enough legions to conquer and enslave the entire planet. The brainwashing could take several years, and the conquest likely a decade. They don't care much for your land or natural resources, though they'll try to find uses for those as well… it's really just the people that they want."

Everyone was shocked with how plainly he put it, but after the day everyone had they weren't as surprised as they could have been. To their credit, none of them gave in to despair.

Except perhaps one, though he covered it well. "Bullshit!" Katsuki roared. "Who the fuck are you, and where is Deku?"

Izuku's mouth twitched into a smirk before his features smoothed out again. "Bakugou, temperamental and unobservant as always."

"The fuck you just say to me?" Katsuki spat.

Izuku's smile was a feral dangerous warning. Even in his holographic translucence everyone could see he had elongated fangs, bared for all to see. "I am Midoriya Izuku, the Quirkless kid you abused for years, the one who used to look up to you as though you were his big brother. I remember all of those feelings, all of the painful love and the intimidation… but that's gone now, cut away like so much else. I have changed. Now…"

"No one changes this much in a single day! Deku is a spineless shrimp! He stutters! He's shy! He's awkward! He's not even that smart! He's weak, and he's useless! He's short! He's a Quirkless loser! You're not him!" Katsuki accused, venom thick in his voice, anger consuming his eyes.

Izuku strode towards Katsuki. The heroes tensed, fearing what kind of violence he might inflict. He radiated waves of fear and intimidation. "Demons don't exist." he seethed sarcastically. "They don't appear out of thin air and offer deals with the devil. They don't tempt weak bullied kids with power beyond mortal comprehension. They don't attack cities or eat people… would you like to say anything else useful, Bakugou? The world is on a precipice, people are going to die, and no one has time for your juvenile shit."

Katsuki roared defiantly, throwing the first punch. He would beat this fucking imposter and force him to reveal the truth, force him to cough up what he had done to Deku. That punch never landed. Katsuki's opponent moved with blinding speed, knocking Katsuki to the ground in a single blow. Gasping for air, Katsuki tried to understand what had just happened, how things had gone so wrong so quickly. Wracked with pain from his impact into the asphalt, he had never been beaten this badly before.

Gang Orca had seen everything, better than anyone else did. He could only name one other person who had ever moved at such speeds. Her name was Sondok. Orca knew without a doubt that if Izuku had wanted, then Katsuki would already be dead. Instead, Izuku had used his power to forcefully shove Katsuki down to the ground, tripping him at the same time. The battle was one-sided enough that Orca feared what this man… no… demon was capable of.

Flexing his abdominal muscles, Katsuki struggled to get back up. His back cried out for him to hold still. He was shocked when this stranger, this imposter, offered to help him up. Bending at the waist, he offered a hand for Katsuki to grab hold of. "Are you alright, Bakugou?"

It was the way he said it, the precise inflection of his words. The voice didn't match, and neither did the face or body. However, Bakugou was struck that this was exactly how Deku had offered to help him stand once when they were children. This time the words were spoken calmly and confidently, and with much less familiarity, but underneath Katsuki detected the same concern was buried in there somewhere. Could this really be Deku?

Reaching up to grab hold of Deku's hand felt wrong, like Katsuki was admitting his own weakness. He did it anyway, allowing Deku to pull him up. Standing so close to him, Katsuki resented how much taller this version of Deku had gotten, how much attention he was getting… hell everything about him. "I don't owe you any apologies." he said, though he himself wasn't sure what prompted him to say that.

Izuku spoke at a lowered volume, not quite a whisper. "The law is the law. I don't care anymore about what you did to me. Stop calling me Deku, though. I'm Midoriya to you, Bakugou."

Katsuki's spine went cold at the unmistakable venom in Deku's voice. What the fuck was that? What law? When did Deku… when did Midoriya become… frightening? None of this was right.

"Enough of this." Eraserhead raised his voice. "I think we all want to know what you spoke about with that woman, Midoriya."

Katsuki had enough sense to appear intimidated.

Izuku remained nonplussed. "There is not much to tell. I demanded that my Chrysalis be moved to Mt. Takao but was denied at every turn. If the heroes do it, the ceasefire ends. The demons won't do it. That only leaves me, and even with the power I've been granted, the best I can do is drag or roll the thing."

"Why did you pick Mt. Takao?" Midnight interjected.

Izuku turned to regard her, briefly remembering how an erotic immitation of her appearance was used to entice him, to befuddle his senses and decision making. "Mt. Takao is far enough out of the city that it would force the demons to relocate and abandon any attacks here. They wouldn't be able to pretend those attacks were out of duty to my protection."

"What about our original plan?" Gang Orca spoke up. "We were going to load the thing onto a ship and take it out to sea…"

"Absolutely not." Izuku interrupted. "They would see that as a direct threat to my safety and would completely slaughter anyone involved. If that was your original plan I'm not surprised they attacked."

Izuku didn't realize his mistake until it was too late. He had practically defended the attack, and everyone here was still extremely sensitive, justifiably so. He could see their tensions rising. Before anyone could jump onto what he had said, he raised his hands apologetically. "I'm not defending them. None of you knew they existed, and they ambushed all of you…"

Gang Orca's tone was grim. "How do you know about them ambushing us? Was that part of your conversation… in their language?"

Izuku should have known better than to take offense. "Are you trying to tell me they appeared and tried to be diplomatic first, that they offered terms first and that you broke them? Which is it? Did you all break peace or did they attack without warning?"

Izuku had no idea what kind of a sore spot he had just struck.

The larger hero loomed over Izuku, as though to intimidate him with the difference in their sizes. "You tell me… after all, they want you to lead an invasion that enslaves all of us… you speak their language… hell, your powers are hand-made gifts from them."

Izuku was ready to defend himself, but he knew he had to be careful. One wrong word and this could devolve into violence. It was a fight he could win, but one he didn't want to have.

"Stop this! All of you!" a voice rang out from behind Izuku. He and others around him turned to face the trembling, tearful figure, a normally soft-spoken brunette in a maid uniform named Uraraka Ochako. Holding onto her father's hand as though to draw strength from him, she rang out with her own defiance. "Izuku has been trapped in that shell all day! All day! He wasn't part of this attack, and how dare you throw this at him! He was a hostage! His mother is still a hostage!" she pointed a finger accusingly at Gang Orca.

She turned her gaze to Izuku. "I've never met him before… he doesn't even know my name, or my parents… but the first thing he did when he got out was to throw himself, using himself as a human shield! He did all that to save my father's life! He knocked us all back… away from a fight that would have…" she sobbed, struggling for the words. No one interrupted her. "And then he talked the enemy into leaving… even if it's short lived, he just bought all of us more time! And this, this is what you want to do with that time?! You want to accuse him of being the enemy, when he's probably the best chance we have of surviving?"

She turned her gaze to Midnight, to Mount Lady, and then to Eraserhead. "He just gave us all a plan to make these things… these demons! To… to relocate them, all of them, outside the city. Why aren't we talking through that instead of arguing about his motives… This could be the one shot we have to fix this! Even if it just buys more time, we have to try!"

Izuku regarded her with wide eyed awe, as did the heroes and the other deputized young women. Katsuki turned his gaze away, shame burning his cheeks. For their parts, Mina became more obvious about filming the entire exchange while Momo moved to stand next to Ochako. "Miss Uraraka is right." Momo said, placing a hand on the shorter woman's shoulder. "Let's focus on solving the present situation. After all, moving this… Chrysalis outside the city was the original reason we all came here."

"Agreed." Mount Lady said. "Midoriya… you said it would break the ceasefire if any heroes helped you move the shell. What if one of us… what if I quit being a hero?"

Midnight gasped at the suggestion, but others showed their surprise with more subtlety.

"No." Izuku killed the idea off. "You could rejoin the heroes later, and that kind of technical work-around is exactly the kind of thinking they consider when they make these bargains. Besides, you've done enough, Mount Lady. You've earned a break."

Ochako, hearing this, stepped forward from between her father and Momo. "I'll do it." she clenched her fists. "I'll help you move it."

Eraserhead regarded her, knowing that this was probably the best possible plan, but he still hated having a civilian do so much. Before he could object, though, Midnight interjected. "Not without me there, you're not. You're my deputy. I'm responsible for you."

"Sorry… but I can't take help from a hero or one of their deputies on this. Don't worry, I'll figure this out…" Izuku turned away from them to regard the Chrysalis itself, turning his focus inward to ponder how best to accomplish this goal.

Ochako wasn't having any of this. She boldly stepped into Izuku's personal space, craning her neck to look him straight in the eyes. She'd be lying if she said he was unattractive, but right now his obstinate refusal to accept help was annoying her. "What if I stopped being a deputy? Did you even consider that?"

He studied her. With his third eye he examined her Quirk while weighing her words. "Alright." he said. He held an arm out past her head and grabbed hold of something from thin air. A golden chain formed before their eyes, linking from his heart back to somewhere inside of the brassy shell. As he wrapped the chain around his arm, he elaborated. "You officially quit being a deputy, then you can help me move this to Mt. Takao. I warn you, there will be violence on the way, but I will protect you. It'll be just you and me out there..."

Eraserhead interrupted him. "No, we are coming with you, at least as an escort." he demanded.

Izuku shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir, but there is no way you'll be able to keep up with me. Besides, you should be focusing on civilian evacuations. The demons may vacate the area soon, but that won't stop them from doing extreme damage on the way out."

No way they could keep up with him? Eraserhead was not the only one who picked up on that. Midnight however interjected. "No. You two alone? Two civilians? I can't sit by and let you do this, not when I'm responsible for Miss Uraraka."

Izuku smiled. "You miscounted, Midnight. One civilian, and one Exalt." Turning from Midnight, he bowed to to Ochako's father immediately afterward. "Sir, I humbly request your blessing to protect your daughter as she assists me."

Everyone expected that Mr. Uraraka would explode at any moment, objecting to a plan that could endanger his daughter's life. He stepped forward and ignored Midnight and Izuku, placing his hands on Ochako's shoulders. "Ochako… you are my pride… you are the best of both your mother and I. I know that you want to help us… and I know that you want to be a great hero… I want you to know that I am proud of you. Don't worry about me. I'll find your mother and we'll stay with the heroes. Just be safe. That's all I ask. Just be safe, and know how proud I am of you, and how much I… how much we both love you." Tears fell from his face onto hers and the two of them embraced, possibly for the last time.

"Thank you. I love you." she said to him.

At the end of their embrace, Ochako turned toward Midnight and bowed deeply. "Thank you for taking me into your care. I formally request to be discharged as your deputy to take care of important business."

Ochako did not expect to be embraced by Midnight. "I'll help your father find your mother. I promise."

"Thank you." Ochako whispered. As the two disengaged, Ochako was swept into another embrace, this time by Momo and Mina. The three of them had not known each other for more than a few hours, but their mutual concern had bonded them deeply. It was like they were saying goodbye to a friend they had known for years. Mina had forgotten that she was filming, and captured the moment with a close up of three weeping faces pressed together, fear and sorrow and bravery all melding together into a single emotion. Ochako, just hours before, was a waitress to two more strangers. Now, they were friends, bound together against the same hardships.

"Come." Izuku bade. The three friends ended their embrace, after asking each other to be careful. Momo stood by Mina as the pink woman resumed filming. Both fought hard to avoid crying, denying how worried they were for Ochako's safety.

At Izuku's insistence, she stepped forward, pressing her hands against the Chrysalis Grotesque. It was warm to touch, but somehow that warmth felt wrong to her. Her power reached forward through her fingers, and the giant structure lifted gently from the ground, floating at the edge of her outstretched fingers.

"Wait!" Momo uttered, stepping forward. "Midnight, can I see your communication piece? Please?"

Midnight complied, and Momo focused on it while making as close a copy as she could. Mount Lady stepped in to advise on the correct chanel. Once the final product was ready, Momo presented it to Ochako. "Be safe. And let us know what's happening out there."

"I will." Ochako embraced her, and then her father one last time. "I'm proud of you, too, daddy." she whispered to him.

To Ochako's shock, Izuku picked her up, cradling her in his arms. Instinctively she held onto him, balling her fists while keeping her pinky fingers out to protect them both from becoming weightless.

"Everyone stand back, please." he requested.

Unsure what was about to happen, they all complied. "Hold on tight to me." he said to Ochako.

They were shocked when Izuku took off into a hard run, moving at speeds comparable to Ingenium. What was more astonishing was watching the gigantic shell trailing after him, light emanating from both the man and his cargo. The heroes and their deputies were soon engulfed in darkness as their eyes tried to readjust, watching the green glow of the Chrysalis grow ever more distant.

"Holy fuck…" Katsuki uttered, amazed at Izuku's speed. "Holy shit! Go! Go!" he caught himself cheering for Deku… and he didn't care. He propelled himself upward, taking in the sight of Deku's rapid progress. "Go Deku Go!" Even as the glow was obscured by buildings, it displayed their location with obvious clarity. Their rapid departure filled those left behind with awe and, more dangerously, hope.

Mount Lady ran to the other side of the street and grew to her maximum size, towering over all of them as she afforded herself the best possible view of Izuku's progress. "Damn he's fast." she remarked.

Mina was still filming, recording the light of Izuku's anima shrinking away toward the horizon, taking Ochako with him.

"You're going to share that, right?" Momo asked.

Mina turned a delighted smirk towards Momo. "For you? Absolutely." Mina said simply. After a moment, a thought crossed into the forefront of her mind. "Yaoyorozu… did you intentionally… not make him a shirt?"

Momo shared a smirk back with Mina before turning her full attention back to the departing emerald light. "I have to conserve power for just the essentials, Ashido. We're hero deputies, after all."

"Oh, of course." Mina smiled, marveling that their morale had finally improved. Maybe, just maybe, they'd figure out a way to win.

"You also forgot to make shoes." Midnight observed out loud, much to Momo's embarrassment. Both Mina and Midnight laughed at the oversight, but eventually, Mount Lady and Momo joined in.

Katsuki rolled his eyes at their antics. Deku really was gone, or rather changed, he mused silently. Maybe though, maybe that was ok. As he watched Gang Orca's and Eraserhead's stern expressions, he knew it would have to be.