While Aizawa had willed himself to his feet to give his students the news, the faculty along with Chun-Li and Tsukauchi were having a completely different conversation.

"The one called Shigaraki." Tsukauchi said, dressed in a black suit and shuffling through papers. Chun-Li is to his left, wearing a similarly black pantsuit. "His quirk allows him to disintegrate anything he touches. We've been through the list of men in their twenties in the quirk registry," He pauses and runs a hand down his face. "with no luck. Nothing came up on the 'warp gate' user Kurogiri either. Neither of them are registered and both are using aliases. Quirks aren't on record, making them members of the underworld."

It is Snipe who speaks up first. "So yer sayin' we know next to nothin'. I reckon we oughta learn fast. Or the leader of those varmints, Bison will heal up and be back again."

"That is unlikely." Chun-Li's tone is sharp and professional. She always gets like this when talking about Bison and Shadaloo, her co-workers and best friend Cammy told her as such, but she is in no mood to be polite. "Bison would never lead a group like that." Her words are filled with confidence and no one can doubt her knowledge. "He is a lot of things, but Bison would never recruit someone like that Shigaraki man is described to be. If he did, he would've never spoken out of turn, since Bison is not known to be a merciful man." She has terrible memories of the general himself that all come back to her. "He will be back again, but I can say for sure that he is not the leader of whatever that group was. He leads Shadaloo, and Shigaraki leads the League."

"I don't think that's quite right, Detective Chun-Li." Toshirnori, now fully healed, adds. "Nothing about this feels normal. It was a really daring attack and not just the meticulous planning! Even for a man like M. Bison, even he wouldn't just charge into the belly of the beast the way he did without dozens upon dozens of measures in place to make things go exactly in his favor. But Shigaraki?" All Might pauses to jog his memory. It's a bit of a blur, since he focused more on the much larger threat dressed in red, but he can recall enough. "He started going on about some ridiculous ideology. And even though he didn't say much, or really anything about his own quirk, he kept trying to brag about that Nomu thing's quirk. And whenever Bison spoke to him or when things got out of hand, he started throwing a tantrum. And I don't mean like a small one, I mean an actual hissy fit." He raises a hand to his skeletal chin. "Well, I guess we'll never know if he was right or not. Bison killed the thing almost as soon as I got there. That part alone is what confuses me the most."

Nezu, ever cheerful, makes a noncommittal sound. "Even disregarding Bison, it seems really foolish in a battle against the heroes to reveal one's quirk or quirks and waste the element of surprise."

Chun-Li's face twitches ever so minutely. Never disregard Bison. She needs to get them back on track that he's the main threat here. But All Might carries on.

"Spouting a plausible yet deluded ideology. Bragging about the toy he brought along. Simple-mindedly thinking things would go his way." All Might lists on his fingers. "Even with the assistance of Shadaloo, that's an extremely childish. Even Bison seemed to think so. If we think about this about how this attack was carried out, it seems like this Shigaraki character is just a man-child."

The room goes silent as they ponder All Might's words. Then Vlad-King, 1-B's homeroom teacher leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. "A kid with too much power, you're saying?" He says roughly.

Midnight, being more serene, gives him a suggestion. "Maybe he never received general quirk consoling in elementary school..." accompanied with a small shrug.

Vlad scowls her way. "So!? What does that have to do with anything?"

Tsukauchi, noticing the topic getting away from them, clears his throat. "We apprehended a total of one hundred villains at the USJ the other day." People seem surprised at the sheer amount. "Of that number, about half of them were Shadaloo members, and the rest were common, back-ally thugs. Shadaloo, I can understand, but this 'man-child' somehow getting that many people to follow him."

"In any case," Chun-Li cuts in smoothly. "We've also confirmed several things regarding Bison and his role in this." The teachers lean in their seats and listen intently. "We have confirmed that Shadaloo and the League are not working together, and they were simply contacted to provide assistance, as well as to start a potential partnership. It can be inferred that whoever contacted Bison didn't know what type of person he was, since he was the one who killed the 'nomu', correct?"

Toshinori nods. "He told Shigaraki to call the thing off, and Shigaraki outright ignored me in favor of trying to attack him."

"So it's safe to assume Shigaraki is not the one pulling the strings here," It is Nezu who speculates. "Otherwise, he would've known that attacking Bison is a foolish endeavor."

"Indeed. And also, their goals would never align. Bison would never sully himself with a simple assassination mission unless there's something he wants to oversee himself." Tsukauchi skims through more papers until he gets to the one he's looking for. "His goals however, are more of a headache. He has hyper-focused on one of the students, correct?"

"That is correct." Nezu says, becoming all the more cheery, but everyone in the room knows it's a front. "The student in question has been removed from the hero course recently and placed in General Studies. While I didn't want to do that, the HPSC and the Board came together since they assumed a quirkless student couldn't take the pressure and resorted to committing such acts."

"But didn't you say the other day that they have video evidence? Quirkless or not, the boy has power and plenty of it." Ectoplasm speaks up for the first time in the meeting.

"My sources confirmed it, yes. However, we know that the quirkless aren't looked on particularly favorably by the HPSC. I imagine Harushi's strength is the reason for such a harsh punishment, due to his anomalous status. All they needed to hear was quirkless hero course student and deaths, and that is more than enough. But nevertheless, we've turned this rather unfortunate event into something we can work with. Midnight is keeping a close eye on him, correct?"

Midnight nods.

Chun-Li hid her irritation well. "Its difficult to progress on things if the higher ups are impeding investigations and making decisions without considering all the variables." She says. 'They haven't considered what would've happened if the boy was expelled and Bison was free to get him.'


"Sports Festival!"

Though the mood in 1-A wasn't exactly what you'd call 'good', students seemed to perk up a bit at mention of such an event. But there were, understandably, some doubts.

"Come on!" It is Kaminari who is most vocal. "We just had a villain attack. You sure about this?"

Aizawa's eyes peered from between his bandages, still as sharp as ever. "I personally am on the fence about the whole ordeal. However, it is necessary. We have to demonstrate that UA's crisis management protocols are sound. Or at least, that's the suit's line of thinking, apparently." He didn't seem happy if the looks in his eyes were any indication. "Compared to the past years, there'll be five times the police presence and twice the amount of heroes. Anyhow, the Sports Festival is the greatest opportunity you'll get." He scans the room to gauge reactions. Most students are excited now; some are still upset, but it's fading as far as he could tell. Midoriya still hasn't said anything, which is concerning, but he at least doesn't look lost anymore. "It's not an event that can be cancelled over a few villains." He gives the students a chance to collect themselves and voice their opinions.

"It's just a stupid sports festival," Rumi mutters with her arms crossed and a scowl. Aizawa notices that she is still upset, angry even, and wonders how he's supposed to deal with that.

"Ah, madam Usagiyama has seen UA's sports festival, oui?" Aoyama looks at her and winks. Rumi looks nothing short of disgusted.

"Of course I have!" She glowers at him. "That's not what I meant."

Aizawa, sensing danger, speaks up. "Our Sports Festival is one of Japan's biggest events. I don't need to stress to you how big the Sports Festival is since the world Olympics is a shell of it's former self."

"The nation's top heroes will be watching, right?" It's Yaoyorozu who joins the discussion. She still doesn't look happy, but she seemed neutral enough to speak. "They'll be there as scouts."

There's more ideal chatter, that Izuku tunes out. His mind is still reeling over the first announcement and he's already resolved himself to going to hunt down his friend for some explanation. He doesn't doubt he'll get one, but Ryoya isn't exactly the best person when talking about his feelings, so he's preparing for the worse. Some shouting, threats, and possibly violence. But it's a small price to pay.

He can tell Usagiyama feels the same, because her body language screams 'anxious' and 'this can't end quick enough'; she's mostly just glaring at the door, and tapping her foot rapidly on the floor.

"Naturally," When Aizawa-sensei starts speaking again, Izuku listens. "you'll gain valuable experience and popularity if you're picked up by a big name hero. But your time is limited. Show the pros what you're made of out here and you'll make futures for yourselves. This happens once a year, so you've got three chances. If you're hoping to become a hero, this is an event you can't miss."


Once fourth period ended and Cementoss shuffled out of the room, the class erupted.

"Even after everything we went through, this has got me so HYPED!" Kirishima exclaimed even louder than the other students.

People were chattering all over and Izuku could feel the excited energy. He stood up, felt his phone buzz in his pocket and tapped the message.

Harushi R. :Come over after school, we'll talk then.

He stared at the screen for a bit before typing his reply.

ME: You know others are gonna want to talk too right?

Harushi R. : Yeah, bring them along. It's about time I explained everything to them anyway.

ME: You sure?

Harushi R. : Not at all, but I can't keep running from this, can I?

ME: ...I suppose not.

Izuku let out an audible sigh, then a small, tanned hand hovered over his screen, obscuring view. He looked up to see Usagiyama.

"Oi, you talking to pretty boy?" She asked with a raised brow. Izuku was a bit taken aback by her sudden appearance but nodded nonetheless. "Good, give me his number."

"Wh- what?"

"Give me," she says slowly, her eyes glinting dangerously. "His number." Izuku would kill before he admitted that a girl half his size intimidated him.

"But - but why?" Izuku even took a step back as Rumi descended on him. "I thought you had it by now."

Rumi actually blushes at this, but before she could explain herself, Mina pops out of thin air with a wide, mischievous smile. "Oh, why don't you have Haru's number, Usagi-chaaaan? I thought you were friends!"

Rumi glares daggers at her, but the effect is ruined by the blush. "Mind your own business, bubble gum!"

Mina, does not in fact, mind her own business. Her smile gets wider and Izuku feels a chill run down his back. Before that shouting match could happen, and possibly Rumi strangling Mina, he flees the scene with Uraraka and Iida in tow.

Or at least, he attempted to, but between Iida's very weird way of showing excitement by literally tensing in on himself like he had a stomach ache, and Uraraka entering her competitive state along with using a tiny bit of One For All that made her resolve visible.

"This is our chance to add our names to the ranks of heroes. Of course we're in high spirits!"

"Deku-kun. Iida." She said low, ominous. Menacing even. "Let's do our best at the Sports Festival!" Her face looked nothing like what she normally did and it seemed to surprise everyone who paid attention. Izuku, having spent a long time around "Competitive Uraraka" just went with it. He preemptively raised his fist, knowing what was coming.

Mina laughed awkwardly and Rumi looked confused. "The hell happened to your face, Anti-Grav?"

"Everyone! I'm gonna crush it!"

"Uh huh." Izuku replied automatically. He knew that trying to disagree with Competitive Uraraka was like trying to teach a dog math, so he doesn't even bother.

Just then, before they headed to lunch, they heard a heavy knock on the door.

"I am here!" All Might bellowed while sticking half his body through the door way, standing a funny angle. He is wearing a weirdly colored green and pink suit with black dots over it and a matching tie. He looks like a watermelon, and Izuku absentmindedly thinks that whoever designs All Might's suits might be a villain. They should arrest that guy before he goes too far.

"All Might!" They all exclaimed.

"Hahaha! Good afternoon, students!" He says, happily and with his smile growing slightly bigger. "It makes me happy to see you all doing well, truly!" Then his blinding smile slowly dimmed, and everyone got tense. "I am here... to apologize. I'm sorry to you all for not being there and allowing the events of last Tuesday." Just about everyone's eyes widened in shock. Some made protest, but he held up a hand and silenced them. "Regardless of what you think happened, or your thoughts on the matter in general, the facts are straightforward and clear. Instead of doing the job I applied for and being with my class, I was off solving petty crimes that could've and should've been left to the other capable men and women who call themselves heroes." His smile falls completely. "As a teacher now, you all should've been my first priority. My late arrival allowed several students to be hurt, and one to have to commit some unspeakable acts in his classmate's defense and for that, I am deeply and truly sorry." All Might bows his head low. "I promise that it will never happen again."

Izuku spoke up immediately. "All - All Might! We know it won't! Because you're the Symbol of Peace!" He held up a fist and looked All Might dead in the eye. Of course, he knew the truth of the matter, along with Uraraka. All Might was likely out of time and not just solving crimes. His three hours were spent. "If those villains, the League or Shadaloo ever show up again, we'll help you take take them down!" The rest of the class rallied behind Izuku's words.

All Might's smile returned twofold. "You can take that to the bank, Midoriya!" He gave them all two thumbs up. "I look forward to tomorrow's heroics class!" That got everyone confused. Tomorrow? They weren't supposed to have one tomorrow. No one had time to question it, however, because All Might then turned his head to his successor. "Uraraka," Then to Izuku. "Midoriya! You both, can I have a word?"

The two turned to look at each other, blinked twice, they turned back to All Might. "Uh, sure?"

Two pairs of eyes watched the trio leave the class. Red and heterochromatic, each with vastly different reasons.


Once they arrived in the break room, All Might deflated and they started talking.

"An hour!" Uraraka shrieked while Izuku gasped like a fish.

"Yes," Toshinori says calmly, while pouring them both a cup of tea. "My time limit's been getting shorter by the day. I can barely maintain my muscle form for an hour."

"It's that bad, huh?" Izuku asks glumly.

Ochako puts her head down, "I'm sor - "

"Don't apologize, Uraraka!" Toshinori suddenly laughs while coughing up a bit of blood. "You and I are more alike than I realized. But anyway, what I want to talk to you two about is the Sports Festival." He suddenly got serious, and his sunken in eyes started to shine. "Uraraka, you've gotten a good grasp on One For All now, correct?"

She nods. "I'm still at about 5-6% on a good day, and my quirk's upper limits have gone up too, but I haven't tested those lately."

"That's good to hear. Your progression is fine though. I wouldn't expect for you to make leaps and bounds in days." Toshinori reassures the girl. She looks disappointed, and he can understand the feeling. He makes a mental note to speak with her one on one later. "As for you, Midoriya. I'm told you had a bit of a breakthrough."

Izuku takes a deep breath, stares off into the distance and nods. He can envision it again, the white beach and the gentle tides calling to him. "Yeah. I have. I don't fully understand it myself, but Ryu-sensei says he'll explain it to me more when he comes back."

All Might hums. "How are those sensei of yours, actually? I knew you said they were abroad, but I haven't heard you make mention of them."

Izuku sighs. "They're... not great. When I spoke to them the other day and told them about what happened, they weren't happy." And boy did he know that it that was putting it nicely. Thankfully, someone on the police force had spoke to them previously, so it wasn't as painful as it could've been. "They said a lot of things are happening in Korea right now, but they'll be back way ahead of schedule. We're finally going to start my Kyosui no Hado training soon." Izuku perks up at that. 'And can finally start to figure out ways to save Ryoya. There has to be a way.' Goes unsaid.

The blonde teacher nods. "I won't pretend to say I fully understand the nature of your abilities, Midoriya. But from what I've heard from your classmates, you managed to hold back that Nomu creature and even stand toe-to-toe with M. Bison himself. Those are truly impressive feats and I can't wait to see how you progress further."

Uraraka feels a pit forming in her stomach, the lingering insecurity she's had since she met him rears its ugly head again. Izuku must've been able to sense something was amiss, because he puts a hand on hers. She tenses and looks up at him and he's smiling at her, but she can see the disapproval in his eyes.

All Might sighs. Definitely need to have a one on one with his successor later. "Honestly, the time I've got left as the Symbol of Peace is quickly running out." He gives them both a serious look. "And it seems like among those with villainous intent... there are some who's started to notice. I've granted you, Uraraka, my power to succeed me!" The weight of his words truly fall on Ochako's shoulders when he looks her dead in the eye like Izuku isn't even there. "The Sports Festival. It's an event the whole country will be watching. That means one thing for us! You, Midoriya! The first Symbol for the Quirkless folk who continue to suffer through this country! Uraraka!" The girl actually jumps due to the force of his call. "You. The next All Might. You young Symbols. I need you both to go out there and tell the world that "I am here!"


The conversation ends, and Izuku and Ochako exit the break room. They hold strong until the door closes and All Might can no longer see them, then they both deflate.

"So, uh. We're gonna show the world that we are here, right?" She sounds shaky, unsure and nervous.

Izuku is equally as nervous, if not more so, but training with Ryu-sensei to keep his emotions in check help a bit. "Ye - yeah. No pressure right?"

"None at all." She says quickly and in a bit higher tone than usual.

Then Izuku takes another deep breath, holds it for a few seconds, then exhales. He instructs Ochako to do the same. "It'll be fine," Like before, in stressful situations, he smiles. "We've got this, right? Because we're strong."

His words are so simplistic that Uraraka can't help but to giggle. "Yeah, we're the strongest."

"The super strongest."

"The super-duper strongest!"

This time a smile graces Ochako's face and Izuku holds out a fist. "Yeah, Miss Future Symbol of Peace, so we've got nothing to worry about. Why? Because we'll go out there and tell them that "We are here!" His face suddenly becomes an exact imitation of All Might, catching the girl completely off guard. She starts laughing hysterically and doubles over. Izuku starts laughing too and they make their way to the lunch room in high spirits.


When the day ends, Izuku checks his phone and the group chat. Ryoya finally said something. It wasn't much, just basically a location and a time, but it was more than enough to have the place buzzing. Yui and Itsuka unfortunately have to decline for personal reasons, but Setsuna says she'll be there in a heartbeat. Momo also confirms her showing up, because Izuku frankly doesn't believe that anything would stop her from just appearing at his house anyway. Uraraka comes as a surprise, asking Izuku if she could go with him. He is confused by her offer, but when she awkwardly explains that she feels he could use the support, his heart clenches and he agrees.

The train ride to Ryoya's apartment is quiet and peaceful, and Izuku feels like this is the calm before the storm. Even he didn't fully know Ryoya's life story. Sure, he had told him bits and pieces over the years, just enough that he could paint a picture, but not enough for a complete portrait. That seems to be changing tonight and Izuku wouldn't lie, he's a bit on edge. He is glad that Uraraka comes long in hindsight.

When they arrive at the building and are buzzed in, they stand at his apartment door for what seemed to be an eternity. Izuku raises his hand to knock, but then the door opens and he catches Ryoya in the forehead.

The tan boy recoils and groans while rubbing his head. "Really? Couldn't we have waited until after I said what I had to say before you made an attempt on my life?" Ryoya glares at him and Izuku chuckles nervously and whispers out an apology. Then he takes a step back and looks him up and down. Aside from the very glaring differences of his now black and red hair, and his now honey gold eyes, he seems okay. But to be fair, he is wearing a black tee shirt and matching black sweatpants, so it's hard to say. He does seem to carry more of an animalistic air though, possibly due to his hair being down.

"Er, yeah. Sorry. A bit nervous is all."

"You? Nervous? Impossible." He snarks before turning around letting them in, Izuku scowls at his back, then smiles. At least he seems okay on that front too. "Hello to you too, Pink Cheeks-san. Have you joined Izuku in his attempt to kill me?"

Ochako barely suppresses a giggle when Izuku makes an indignant sound. "No, Harushi. I'm just glad you're okay!"

Ryoya makes a sound that resembles a chuckle. "Yeah, I'm fine. I've taken harder hits in sparring." She laughs at that, but the laugher dies down when she realizes he's probably serious. Man, she really needed more insight on their training.

They get further in the apartment and Izuku takes a look around. The place looks the same as he remembers it, his small, open-plan loft now does have a few more pictures of them hanging up, but otherwise identical.

"Anyway, while we wait for Mo-chan and Lizard-chan, I may as well introduce you to my pets. Shoes and Socks."

Izuku pinches the bridge of his nose. "...why am I not surprised you name them that?"

"You of all people want to get into bad names Mighty-Boy?" Ryoya shoots before walking upstairs and coming back down with a brown, floppy eared rabbit in his hands chewing on a leaf of lettuce. Izuku's face goes up like a lightbulb, and he glowers death itself at Ryoya when he hears Ochako giggle. True enough, the rabbit does have a patch of white around it's feet that look like shoes. "This is Shoes. She's pretty friendly but pretty lazy."

Ochako immediately rips the creature out of Ryoya's hands faster than he could blink. "OHMYGODSHESSOCUTE!"

"Did you bring her to steal my pets?" Ryoya asks dryly and Izuku just scratches his cheek awkwardly. "Anyway, Socks is laying in the kitchen."

A few more minutes of conversation go by before the final guests arrive and and some very tight hugs, Ryoya has them all sitting on his couch. "So, I guess I'll start off with this. I'm sorry. I should've told you sooner, but it's kinda hard to tell your friends that you possess a murderous intent that can and will take over if I let my emotions run wild." He doesn't hesitate in his speech, but he's not looking at them either. Socks, a black cat with white feet, jump on the couch and into Setsuna's lap. "Let's start from the top. About what the Satsui no Hado is."


The entire explanation takes longer than it should've. There are pauses where Ryoya has to gather himself, moments where Izuku interjects and his explains what the Kyosui no Hado is, how the two are opposites and what happened at the mall and USJ. Ryoya even explains that what happened at the USJ. His appearance comes up as well.

In the end, there's silence and a strong surge of support.

Setsuna's eyes are glassy when she hugs him. She demands to know why he didn't tell them sooner, and when he explains his fears of being left alone, she calls him an idiot. She also says that she loves the new look and he'll probably have to fight girls off of him with a stick in Gen Ed. He gives her a flat look.

"Okay, okay. Before we get into more emotions, we should probably eat. I had some stuff cooking before you guys got here, but it still should be in another ten minutes." Ryoya expends more effort than he felt he should've trying to get Setsuna off of him and leaves to the kitchenette.

" I think he needs some help. Don't you, Yaomomo?" Setsuna not to subtly winks and nudges.

Momo looks confused but then gets the implication and follows him. Almost immediately, a heavenly scent hits her nose and she smiles. She recognizes gyoza anywhere.

Ryoya is humming as he peels apples at his kitchen counter. He holds them in his off hand, turning them at an angle against a sharp knife held steady in his other, so the peels come off in long, curly strips. She glances around but there is no peels to be found, mostly because they've found their way into his mouth. Or at least, she assumes that to be the case since there a translucent sliver of apple pasted to his cheek.

Momo takes the piece from his cheek and drops it into the bin.

"Well, there goes my snack." He says without missing a beat. She is mesmerized by how easily he is doing this, watching as the apple turns and red turns to white. He places it in a bowl of water to tend to later, eats the peel and moves onto the next.

"I thought you were making something a bit more... filling." She says while falling into a position at his side. "You're making pies?"

"Not the pies you think." He pulls out a small, golden brown square. "Hand pies."

Momo tilts her head. "Hand pies?"

"Mhm." He then stops and traces a square on his cutting board with his knife. "You make a square of dough, fill it, fold it a few times and bake for ten minutes. Good for a quick desert."

"Oh, well that sounds lovely."

For a while, she is content to just stand there and watch him. The differences in his appearances caught her off guard at first, but she's growing used to them; a bit fond as well. His gold eyes that used to shine bright, now are a dimmer flame, warm and powerful. The knife is making smooth circles around the apples and smooth cuts and he cleaves them into smaller pieces. It is moments like this between the two that are the most dangerous. The thick silence only forced her inward and then memories of a time gone come to her mind.

"I think I regret listening to my parents." She says.

The sound of cutting stops and Ryoya looks at her out of the corner of his eye. "...it was the right call." He says quietly.

Momo frowns at him. "Was it? Was it really?"

"Don't you think so?"

"...I don't know what to think. Do you, uh... ever stop to think what could've been? What we could've been?"

Ryoya puts the knife down and turns to face her fully. "...sometimes. But they were right, weren't they? I mean, look at me. I'm the quirkless fuck-up and you're the princess destined for greatness. Back then, it hurt. Saying all of those things to me, but honestly. They probably were right. We are different people, Mo-chan. From different walks of life. At the end of the day, I'm always going to just be the quirkless delinquent and you're going be the probably the greatest heroine. Before UA, I would've called bullshit and say we could've made it work. But now? They were probably right about you and I."

Momo frowns deeply, then sighs but doesn't press the issue. "How can I help?"

"You can slice apples, or you can kneed the dough."

Momo cuts apples. She holds them the way he he shows her, by the stem, cuts the flesh from the fruit in large chunks then dices the large chunks into smaller ones.

"They don't have to be perfect." He says. That's good, because they aren't.

It's dangerous work, and it's not helped by her not paying as much attention as she should. She keeps looking away from her fingers and over to him. His sleeves are rolled up, hands are covered in dust up to his wrists and the muscles on his forearms flex each time he rolls the pin. There's somehow flour on his eyelashes and the tip of his nose. Momo thinks back to that day.

"I think they were wrong..." she says, to the apple.

"Hm?"

"Nothing."

They make the pies in silence after that, and the food is served. It's a cheerful evening, all things considered. Setsuna is ruthless in her teasing and no one leaves the table without a blush on their face. They play cards after that, which almost immediately devolves into a fist fight between Izuku and Ryoya to decide the victor. Then they leave, but not before Ryoya and Ochako nearly come to blows over ownership of Shoes the rabbit. It is close, but Ochako eventually relents, though she makes an ominous promise to return, seeking vengeance.


The next day arrives and they receive news no one wanted to hear. "Wait! We're really going back!?" Kaminari's jaw dropped in shock.

Many other were in the class were just as dumbfounded at the announcement they'd just heard. It had only been a few days, and it was first unscheduled heroics class since that day and they were already heading back to the USJ?

Aizawa nods. He's still covered in bandages, but it's not as bad. At least half of his face is now visible, though his arms are still wrapped up. "As a joint class, this time. Our hero training was put on hold, after all." He eyes them. "We're going with 1-B today. As heroes, you will be expected to visit the sites of previous disasters and even continue patrolling ruined areas. Even ones you may has been injured in. If you're worried about anything, don't. We're taking far more precautions this time. All Might should be there already, if not arriving now as well a more teachers." He doesn't bother to list the entire roster, since he figures just name-dropping All Might is enough.

It does seem to be enough since the class breathes a collective sigh of relief.

"Just like last time, it's up to you whether or not to wear your costumes. I don't care. Just get going."


The bus ride is tense and quiet. People do try to make idle conversation to lighten the mood, mostly Kaminari, Sero and Toga. But things all come ahead when Kirishima, and his naturally friendly self, tries to speak to the new guy.

"What's up, man?" Kirishima's sharp-toothed smile gets his attention. "I'm Kirishima! We didn't get to talk much in the locker room because you left so quick, but now's a good time!"

Shinso regards him in complete silence before, "Tch." Turning his head out the window.

"You good, bro?"

"I'm not your bro." Shinso said coldly without turning to face him.

"I was just trying to - " Kirishima suddenly goes ramrod straight and his eyes glaze over.

"Go back to your seat."

The class watches in confusion as Kirishima does just that. He walks like a robot, gets to his place besides Mina and sits completely upright before his body slumps and he groans.

"Wh - what the?"

"Hey! He was just trying to be nice to you, you jerk!" Mina seems to want to get up and give the purple-haired boy a piece of her mind, and maybe some acid but she's stopped when Kirishima puts a firm hand on her arm. "What? Kiri?"

Kirishima's eyes are dead-locked on Shinso. "So that's how it is, huh bro? That's not very manly of you."

Shinso scowls. "I don't care. I already said I'm not here to be your friend. All you people blessed with your 'heroic quirks'," He gives the entire bus a dirty look. "I am not your friend. Don't bother. I'm not interested. I was going to take one of your spots after the sports festival, but whoever that quirkless kid was couldn't handle it and lost his. Consider yourselves lucky."

Silence. So silent that you even make out the sound of bus tires over asphalt. Then Rumi attempts to catapult across the bus but is quickly restrained by Ochako who removes her gravity. It doesn't, however, remove her ability to speak.

"Fuck you, stick guy." She spat. "There's a difference in not wanting to make friends and you being an ass! Look at Todoroki! He's a bit of a prick but at least he's not a jerk-off like you! And that quirkless guy would kick your ass with one hand behind his back!"

Todoroki vaguely wonders if he should take offense to that.

Shinso scoffs. "He would, huh? Is that why I took his spot?"

Had it not been for Rumi floating and Ochako holding her ankle like a balloon string, she would've kicked him in the face. She still makes the attempt to, but it's futile because of her short legs, but she hopes glaring will get the point across.

It seems like the entire class takes issue with Shinso's statement, as even Bakugo, who honestly could care less about these extras, raises a brow at that.

"Usagiyama!" Iida stands up sharply. "Calm down, please! Trying to assault a classmate whether or not he deserves it is completely unbecoming of a UA student and a future heroine! Midoriya! Yaoyorozu! As the class presidents, I implore you to do something!"

Little did Iida know, Momo was doing something. She was thinking, plotting and glaring at Shinso.

Izuku was much the same, though he hid it better. "Usagiyama-san, please calm down. Uraraka, let her down."

"What!?" Both girls say at the same time.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Deku-kun."

"Why're you telling me to calm down!? He just insulted pretty boy! He needs a foot up the ass!"

Izuku just rubs his temples. "Usagiyama-san, please. We can save it for the Sports Festival."

"But - "

"The bus has arrived at it's destination. Now entering: Unforeseen Simulation Joint."


The class is tense when they walk in, but the tension somewhat alleviated at seeing their sister class. They're already there, along with their teacher Vlad-King, Snipe, and All Might. Thirteen seems to be giving the students the same lecture they received on their first go around. Those who were in the Central Plaza are a bit surprised to see that it's entirely spotless. There's no evidence at all that a battle took place. It's a bit unnerving honestly, how quickly things can simply be erased, but they find solstice in understanding that the broken can be fixed.

They enter at the tail-end of it, as Itsuka, Yui and Setsuna all turn as soon as they get close and wave.

"Hey guys!"

Ochako blurs past all of them. "Thirteen!" She nearly tackles the woman in a hug. "You're okay!"

Thirteen, a bit taken aback by Ochako's freakish strength, manages to laugh, her voice changer glitching slightly. "Glad to see you lot are okay as well, Uraraka-chan!"

"Ahha!" All Might boomed out a laugh, drawing everyone's attention like a moth to a flame. "I'm glad you all made it in one piece! Let's get started shall we? Stay calm!" He says jokingly. "This is planned this time!" He pressed a big red button on a remote. It was like earthquake happened; the landslide happened, the buildings in the conflagration zone burned brighter and hotter than before and the lake started to flood. "Now! In these disaster zones, we have robots mimicking citizens in need of assistance! Your goal is to rescue as many as possible! We'll be going for zone to zone, starting with the flood zone! Remember students to always Go Beyond - "

"PLUS ULTRA!"


A/N:So, that was a fun one. I might skip the USJ and go ahead with what I have planned before the Sports Festival. We get more fluff moments, a look at 1-A's reaction to Shinso, Ryoya's pets, and his and Momo's past relationship touched upon. If you ever wondered why they're so... touchy and stuff, there ya go.

As I said last chapter too, he won't be like, gone entirely. but he will show up less. Not way less to the point that he's a background character, but... you get the idea.

If you want more story info, or just want to talk to me and chill out in a discord chat, you can find me in Jade's. I have my own author channel and role! /pkmgFzUkBu

Marbled Gold: Oh, believe me, there's more to come about Ryo's mindset. He was created as a character solely to be an opposite to Izuku after all. So as his mindset is more delved into, the Green Guy will be forced to adapt to it. And I can't wait until I can finally write the fight between those two. It'll be sooner than you think. WinkWink

HeartFangLives: Tbf, he was planned originally to not be in the hero course at all but I didn't expect him to be as well received at all. His screen time was kinda tied to his popularity, so yeah, that one's on me. And the quirkism... well it does get touched upon here. It gets worse before it gets better tragically.

NinjaFang1331: Thank you!

Ryuujin96: Thank you. The true depth of the Commission's mistake won't be apparent for a while, but yes, they have made a big error. I'm really happy that you felt that attached to him, it makes me happy. He won't be totally relegated to the background character, because after all, the whole reason he exists is to be a foil to Izuku, but he will show up less for a bit. Speaking of this, someone else did comment on AO3 about it as well, an alternate ending where others leave the Hero Course with him. Maybe I'll do a one shot about it. And as for Ryoya's screen time... soon.

Born-From-Black-Lightning: Yeah... it was some BS that he got removed, but we can all understand why. He's an anomaly. And unlike Izuku, he doesn't have the backing of All Might. And if you're interested in the Ryo/Momo/Rumi thing, you're gonna like the crumbs this chapter. ;) I set up the date beforehand after all, I'll still show it.

Solbandgus: Ah, yeah. Izuku does get one, but it won't be revealed until the Sports Festival. His main antagonist will be the main antagonist of the whole story and will trigger the Canon Divergence, so I am waiting for the right time. And anti-hero Ryoya huh? Makes sense if you know what the Satsui no Hado gradually does to someone. And he's used it enough to the point that his hair and eyes are permanently changed. So who knows what's next for him? And Bison does, in fact, love to just mess with everyone who tries to oppose him. He has eyes everywhere and ears everywhere else.

D4NG3RxZ0N3: Well, I don't think Ryoya has taken the MC role form Izuku. Sure, he has a lot of screen time, but there are still chapters where he mostly just shows up in a passing scene and not at all. Like the Aim to Pass stuff. And been the center of the tournament? When they were 9? That was supposed to just prove to Izuku that he has more room to improve. Which he has. The Mall attack was also more focused on Izuku since he saved more people and got commended personally by All Might. All Ryoya did was take out a few people and nearly get rekt by the Symbol of Peace. The USJ was bouncing all over everywhere. The HPSC is against quirkless people in general, Izuku just didn't kill anyone at the USJ and has All Might's backing. Tomura hates everyone, he would clearly hate Izuku way more since he beat his ass and fought the Nomu. All Ryo did was a Buster Wolf that the Nomu got up from. Bison canonically wants the Satsui no Hado. I think someone brought it up before, but yeah, in canon, Bison wants Akuma's Satsui, but well like, Akuma is Akuma lol so can't really do that. I appreciate your general thoughts on the matter and him as a character though. Thank you for the review from a different perspective.

Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro: Thank you and yeah, it's very unfair. He was really only fighting to save Rumi. He didn't want to kill anyone, but even he concedes that his power is way more destructive. I hinted at it during the QAT and Battle Trail, he knows how deadly Heat Rush can be, and tries to not use it if possible, but like, that was kinda a very different situation. I can't promise he'll be back by the Sports Festival, but his story is far from over.

Incarnate47: Well, you're in luck. I'm glad you enjoy his character, truthfully. And thank you for the compliment for the world building, I have much more in stored for that. His story might not be in the forefront, since it really never was, but I will still show the main things. This chapter, for example. Touched a bit on his history with Momo. And he does play a major role at the Sports Festival. Thank you for the support!

Nightvale2406: Well, you too, are in luck. He does get less compared to what he did before. There are more SF/Tekken/KOF fighters appearing really soon and they'll soon be at the forefront. But we all know that pre-Sports Festival is kinda contained. But as a bit of a teaser, Izuku trains with both Street Fighter character(s) and a Tekken character who no one will see coming. ;)