A/N- By the time I post this, the clock has just ticked past midnight, UK time. As I am UK based, that means this chapter, the longest yet, will (just) go out on my birthday. Starting the big day right, surely?

Two quick shout outs before the chapter. I'm going to shout out two people per chapter from now on, and try to be different each week, to spread some positivity- rest assured there are plenty more coming who deserve some praise.

The first goes out to Downix, who acts as an unofficial hype man for Incident Zero on a Discord we both enjoy and partake in- I don't even pay him, promise. He's now written Epicenter, which takes the idea of Izuku getting OFA after an Incident Zero type event and not having All Might to teach him, and I am flattered for both the hype and seeing that story come to life. Go show some love if you fancy being kind.

Secondly, shout out to Tikur Sew who regularly reviews here. TS has written Cacophony, which is a very interesting AFO given-to-another fic involving an OC which I wanted to spread the love for; it is so far a great story, and contains great worldbuilding of the world outside Japan, which is something we don't see done well a lot in this fandom in my humble view. Setsuna crops up in the latest chapter, and I love me some Setsuna, as this story should show.

Anyway, longer note at the end. For now, someone not Izuku, and I think the title gives away who. Enjoy!

(***)

The fire was dying, by now, but it still crackled every once in a while, as smouldering timbers from inside the wrecked bar seemed to wake up and pop every once in a while. They were almost the only sounds in the neighbourhood by now- no more of the rabble of bystanders long since dispersed, no more piercing shrieks of the sirens from those who had arrived and been helpless to act, and barely a whisper in the background as a pair of soot-covered firefighters continued to douse water over a small offshoot of the main fire in the handbag shop next to the bar. Punctuation in the air, a crackling reminder of what had gone down a few minutes before.

Not that they disturbed Katsuki Bakugo from his thoughts, as he stared vacantly at the gutted shell and the twinkling embers within. Not that he had even been that invested in what had gone down in the bar, even as he was involved. How could he be invested? After what Endeavor had told him that a few days ago, it was hard to think of anything else but the bigger picture, and those who lay in the shadows...

The Meta Liberation Army's existence had not been something which Katsuki had been ready to learn about.

Endeavor had taken him aside, the day that he had been ambushed by the journalist from Shoowaysha Publishing and the day that she had gotten the rise out of him. Everything about what she had been asking him had set the hairs on the back of his neck on edge, how well she seemed to know his past, how happy she was to let him talk. He had bitten, because his temper had gotten the better of him to make the jump before considering where he was going to land, and her smirk at the end of it let him know that he had given her what she wanted.

What she had wanted was the interview which went out on TV and subsequently went viral to the nation, the defiant raging against the dying of the light that was his rant about the failures of the Hero Commission. Good. He was fine with that, if more people started questioning the Commission's ability to handle everything, if it led to change that meant the Heroes would stand up and actually try to follow in All Might's footsteps. He had announced himself to the world as someone who would fight the darkness in the system, in the dark corners, and he was fine with that infamy that attaches to it.

It turned out that that backlash, and the furtive whispers about the Commission from people angry at their failings, weren't what Endeavor was on edge about. It was what she was saying during the interview, what he had missed as he took the bait hook, line and sinker, that had shaken his sponsor and mentor. And only after the fact, when he and Burnin slid into a meeting room at the Endeavor Agency, did Katsuki realise the weight of just how deep this ran, when he looked into Endeavor's eyes. Normally so full of fire and desire to take on any fight head-on, Endeavor looked... frustrated. The Number One Hero, looking as if there was nothing he could do; that wasn't something Katsuki was used to.

When there was an enemy out there in the shadows that had that effect on his mentor, Katsuki couldn't help but struggle himself.

The more Endeavor had told him, and the more the normally-unflappable Burnin grimaced at some of the details, the more Katsuki had been left uncomfortable in his chair. Sure, Aldera had taught him some of the history of their nation, before they stopped trying to encourage their students to become Heroes, before Katsuki had been pulled out and taken under Endeavor's wing. He knew about Destro, the riots, the bombings on the Tokyo Metro and the attempted attack on Might Tower. He knew that All Might had fought Destro, their defiant leader, and after years of pursuit had got the great Villain locked away into prison. That was common knowledge to everyone.

What wasn't common knowledge was what had come after. He had thumbed through the pages of Meta Liberation War, the book which Endeavor had slid across the table to him, and the more he read the more his stomach turned. The book was propaganda, the raging musings of a dying man furious that his acts of violence hadn't resulted in the changes he wanted for their nation, but... he now saw the warning signs he hadn't when he bit back at the reporter's questions. Her refusal to call it a Quirk, the excited spouting about free use of his 'Abilities'... now he could see what Endeavor meant when he said that the Army was still alive. There were acolytes out there, hiding their agenda in the shadows, and trying to revive a movement that would tear apart their whole society to remake it in their own image.

And he couldn't do a damn thing about them.

Katsuki hated that he felt weak in the face of Endeavor's reveal, that this group were still out there trying to pull strings in dark places and trying to advance their cause. He hated that they kept themselves well hidden that he and Endeavor couldn't confront them, blast whatever remained of the legacy of a terrorist to ash and be done. They were playing games which meant nobody had enough to target the ringleaders, and it seemed half the Heroes didn't even know. If Endeavor was anything to go by, even the Heroes that did know couldn't do a damn thing, and that pissed him off. He'd face any villain if he had to, to prove himself as the strongest Hero there would ever be, but against a group like this, who kept themselves just out of reach... he was at a loss what to do.

He wouldn't be beaten, though. As much as he had meant every word about the Hero Commission, Endeavor warned him that the whispers about Meta Liberation had been increasing since he ranted on air and poured fuel on their fire. That was his screw up, for not knowing better, and he'd be damned if he let them use him to push their agenda. Katsuki Bakugo would not be the plaything of any villain, and he'd blast them all no matter how long it took him to find them.

Still, it was hard not to let it weigh on his mind though whenever he was reminded of it. The case in point was today- he and Burnin had been sent out on patrol together by the old man, in response to reports of a trio making robberies around Musutafu. Endeavor hadn't come with them, saying he needed to meet a member of the Police who was on-side for his long-running investigation into the Army, a man Katsuki would apparently meet in the near future to bring him up to speed with Endeavor's suspects for the inner circle. Great- whoever this asshole was, if he was going to help them take on the Army, Katsuki couldn't wait. But he couldn't help but be a little distracted now by the thought of the bigger threat over the horizon, even while he was on the job now.

The brief had been fairly simple. As soon as a call came in that the robbers were targeting a bar and holding hostages, he and Burnin had answered to the call, the flames of her hair igniting in fury as they stormed into the bar to engage the robbers. The two goons inside had started the fire by dousing the wooden bar and tables with alcohol to set ablaze, but the damage had been done- even after he had laid them out cold and dragged their sorry asses from the building, he could see reporters gathering at the police cordon, eager to pin the blame for the blaze on him and Endeavor's fiery sidekick.

"It's never fucking easy," Katsuki growled to himself, slouched against a dumpster across the street from the smouldering bar, wishing the press would just leave him alone for a day. It wasn't just them who had got him grinding his teeth together, though.

Almost as soon as he hauled out the two unconscious criminals and cleared a hole in the side of the building with his Explosion Quirk, letting the people inside run free, a couple of Hero Commission Heroes had descended on the scene. He didn't recognise them, minor lackeys from neighbourhood patrols with nowhere near as much clout as Endeavor, but they told him to stay put, dared to order him around as if they had saved the day. The trio's leader had fled, and he wanted that scalp for himself, but instead the extras from the Commission had him sat doing guard duty on the two morons because he was 'only someone's apprentice'. As if he couldn't find some low-life running away without their help!

"Not like you're even going anywhere," he muttered, kicking one of the prone criminals with a boot and feeling slightly disappointed when he didn't stir. The crook, some wannabe with a Mohican and ram's horns, had a violent purple bruise on his forehead from where Katsuki had smacked him with a table. Katsuki took some joy in knowing that he'd feel that for a while. "We could be fighting real villains and I'm stuck here with you clowns."

"Hey, less of that, Sparky Sparky Boom Boy!"

Katsuki tried and failed not to react to the nickname, as Burnin came striding back from updating the police officers on the perimeter with a teasing look on her face. "Don't fucking call me that, Bad Hair Day!"

"The day you stop calling me Bad Hair Day is the day I stop giving you nicknames too, genius!" She bonked him on the head with a fist, and slouched against the side of the dumpster with him before he could react- he could feel the waves of heat coming off her hair from so close. "Seriously, I could feel you brooding from over there with the police. What are you, a DC protagonist?"

Katsuki glared at her. "I get that you're older than me, but you're referencing stuff so old even Endeavor shouldn't know about it."

"And yet you get what I meant by the reference!" Burnin retorted, and she smirked at him. "I knew you were a hero nerd, deep down under all that teenage rage of yours."

Katsuki huffed, but he couldn't deny it completely and so didn't even try. He wasn't on the level of that damn Deku, but he knew enough, and she had him pegged. "Whatever. Shit, I don't know. It's just-"

"You're still thinking about what the old man said, aren't you?"

Katsuki looked up at her interruption and tried not to let his surprise show- Burnin was staring straight ahead, and the smirk was still on her face, but her eyes had glassed over a little, as if the smile hadn't quite made it there and something else was on her mind. "Huh. Yeah, I... yeah I am. Is that such a bad thing?"

"... Nah. It kinda hung heavy on my mind for a little while too, the first time the boss told me." The sound of cracking wood, a part of the roof of the burned-out bar collapsing, didn't do anything to distract Katsuki from the look on her face, the disquiet and the determination in equal measure. "I hate it, kid. I hate the fact that there's someone out there pulling strings and making moves, and I hate the idea that we don't know who to trust to talk to them about it."

"Me too." Katsuki leaned forward, checking up and down the road to see if anyone was in earshot of them before putting his head back now before he said any more. "Those bastards are out there and that's all I know. Not who it is, where they are, nothing. I'm stuck here trying to deal with extras like these two, and they just get to keep playing their game."

"Hey, trust me. I get it. I felt like that at the start too." Burnin had scrunched a hand into a fist as she talked. "Don't get me wrong, I don't like every law we have at the moment. I thought the whole idea of Quirk liberation didn't sound like a bad idea when I first heard it, but this isn't just about that. And that's why I don't like these guys too. They're taking an idea that should be good and turning it into their own twisted agenda, happy to make a mess of the country and sit on top of the ashes. But... we can't lose sight of the now, too."

"Heh. Big words coming from Endeavor's sidekick." Katsuki looked up at her with a challenging look on his face. "You know as much as anyone how much of his career he spent trying to beat All Might, as if he could even come close. You're telling me he never lost track of the here and now-"

"Oh trust me, kid. He did. More than enough to pay for it for the rest of his life." Burnin's hair flared up for a second, and Katsuki took a step back due to the sudden increase of heat in his proximity- her tone was angry, bordering on upset. "Sorry, I just... you know what happened to Shoto. Everyone knows what happened to his kid, running away and all, with the press putting the story out there for everyone to read. I liked the brat. I used to come over in my younger years at the Agency and babysit him, and because of what the old man did, what he tried to push his son to do... he just left. And Endeavor is going to have to live with that for the rest of his damn life."

"You..." Katsuki hesitated. "I didn't realise-"

"You don't even know half the damn picture." Burnin turned to look at him, and her eyes flickered with the light of her hair, emotions in there Katsuki didn't recognise. "Endeavor's learned to live with the skeletons he made in his own closet, but you think we like living with the collateral damage? You think all of us sidekicks are happy at who we had to leave behind sometimes? I'd never leave, because the old man's given me more chances than anyone ever would have, taught me more than I'd learn in a hundred years, and someone's got to try to clean up when he gets it wrong. Endeavor spends his whole life chasing something one way or another, whether it's All Might's top spot, or the ghosts in the Meta Liberation Army... don't you dare go the same way, Katsuki. You're better than that."

Katsuki really didn't know what to say in response to her honesty and her seriousness, the emotion that had come pouring out in one momentary rant. "... Huh."

"Tell me one thing, Katsuki, you damn hero nerd." Her tone was mocking, but the look in her eyes wasn't. "Why was All Might always the Number One Hero, ahead of Endeavor?"

"Because All Might never stopped trying to help people," he said automatically, as if it was the easiest answer in the world- it kind of was, to him. "All Might never gave up on any fight or left anyone behind-"

"You're damn right." She poked him in the chest. "Don't you forget that when you say that want to become Number One. Endeavor doesn't want you making the same mistakes as he did, and neither do I. You can let yourself get eaten up thinking about the Meta Liberation Army, or... you can think about the now. The bad guys you've beaten up, the people you've saved. One day that fight will come, but until then... let's focus on the good shit you can do, right?"

"... Not a bad plan." Somehow, her words had cut through the haze of frustration that his inability to act right now against the Army had caused. He shook his head as if clearing his brain, and turned to her, frowning. "Guess there's a lot more villains to deal with than just those guys, huh?"

"So many more." She looked him up and down, as if sizing him up. "Look, it's shit, I get it. You wanna smack them, I wanna smack them, Endeavor wants to burn every last trace of them out of society. But don't let the old man's chase for ghosts be the only thing that defines you too. He picked you up from a police station because when everyone else stood by, you moved without thinking of the consequences for yourself to try to take down a villain and save people. That's what makes you a good enough Hero for him to want to train you, so until the day you can kick some Destro-worshipping ass, go kick some normal ass and show him why he was right to take you in, okay?"

He smirked at the end of that line. "You know, you're not bad at pep talks and teaching, for a sidekick."

She punched him in the shoulder, just hard enough to sting. "Jackass. And you're not bad at listening, for some teenage hardhead. But seriously, good job today. I didn't have to do much, considering you kinda handled these guys on their own."

"Damn right. They didn't stand a chance," Katsuki crowed, proud of himself as he kicked one of the unconscious criminals with his boot again. "Hey, Burnin?"

"Yeah huh?"

He cleared his throat. "Look, I'm not good at saying this, so don't fucking make me repeat myself, but... thanks for the talk. You kinda helped me realise there's a lot more to it than just some extras who believe every word in a shitty book with a shit title. And for what it's worth... whatever you've had to go through with the old man, you'd be a good Hero on your own."

For a moment she paused, and the look of happiness in her eyes helped Katsuki realise that she had genuinely appreciated what he said. "Well, damn. Thanks, kid." She raised an eyebrow then, framed under her flaming hair, and smirked. "Guess you can actually express normal human gratitude, huh? First time for everything."

"Last time too if you carry on like that," he huffed, looking away from her down the street.

"Ha! No, seriously, thanks. Means a lot... Ground Zero."

He stiffened at the sound of those two words, and turned to her. "How the hell do you know about that?!"

"Hah! You think the old man is good at keeping any secrets?" Burnin laughed, placing one hand on her hip. "You might have given him your paperwork to register your Hero name, but he's Number One Hero! He's never gonna have time to do that stuff for himself. First rule of an Agency like ours... if Endeavor doesn't want to do it, he gives it to a sidekick. In this case, me."

"I told him I didn't want anyone to know until it had been signed off," Katsuki snarled, kicking a trash bag. "God dammit!"

"Hey, don't be sour your whole life! I like it!" Burnin replied, shaking her head in amusement as he took out his brief frustration on the rubbish around him. "But for real, you wanna talk me through that? It's not the sort of name I'd have picked for you-"

"Oh yeah? What would you have picked?"

"I dunno, you're short and angry and love an explosion, so, Megumin?"

"... I'll fucking end you here and now."

"I'd like to see you try." Burnin smirked again. "For real though, you're kind of an All Might fanboy, so I thought that might feature. Maybe combining that and your love of explosions, I would have guessed something like Dynamight?"

"Nah. That shit's lame." Katsuki pounded one fist against his chest. "Although I'll give you credit, All Might kinda inspired the name choice."

"Really? How?"

"You know I was there at Incident Zero, right?"

Burnin paused, and genuine sadness flickered in her eyes, the smirk disappearing. "I... didn't, no. I'm sorry-"

"Nah, don't apologise. I was there for All Might's last day. It hurt like a bitch at the time but... I was just a kid, y'know? All Might meant a lot to me, but looking back at it he went out like a hero, the way he should have. Only... everyone hears that word Zero and thinks it's the worst thing in our history because we lost him that day."

"... Huh. You want to change the meaning of it." It was less of a question from Burnin, more of a realisation.

"Hell yeah. I told everyone since the day I got my Quirk that one day I'd surpass even All Might and become Number One, and I'm gonna keep that promise. I'll be Number One, and on that day when people hear the word Zero, it won't make them hurt remembering how All Might gave his life to protect us. It'll make them feel hope because they've got a new Number One. And that way... he's the reason I wanted to become a Hero, after all, so I'll keep part of him in my own name that way too." Katsuki laughed to himself, and grinned maniacally. "Plus I kinda like the phrase Ground Zero. It's enough of a warning to all those villains out there who want to get in my way of what will happen to them, you know?"

Burnin chuckled, but before he could react to her and defend his name choice she cut across him, and held a fist out for a fist bump. "Hey, I like it. Fits you to a tee, dude. As long as you don't mind me saying I knew Ground Zero before he was famous, when you've made it to the top."

"I'm counting on it." He wouldn't normally have taken her lame gesture, but she'd put him in a good mood, and he returned the favour with a grin. "They won't know what hit them."

"These young men certainly will, though!"

Katsuki paused at the sound of the new and unfamiliar voice, and turned to see an unusual man sliding up to him and Burnin at some speed. He was clearly a Hero from the obnoxiously bright costume he was wearing, purple and green with a short green cape rippling out behind him, and a black domino mask over his eyes that rested above the most unnaturally chiselled jaw he had ever seen. He was a complete contradiction; he was tall and well built and with that thick jaw, but he seemed to move really quickly as he literally slid to a halt besides them. Quirks did weird shit. "Okay, who the hell are you? And what is up with your Quirk?"

"If I tried to explain to you what I'm capable of, we'd be here all day, young man!" His voice was booming and chipper, energetic and overly cheerful to the point of sounding forced. Katsuki hated people who sounded this disingenuous. "The name's Tatsuyuki Tokoname, but on the job you can call me Slidin' Go! I know you don't like Hero Commission Heroes, but I promise you I'm not as bad as you might think!"

"... I need at least three more coffees before trying to deal with someone like you," Burnin muttered, not at all subtly.

Slidin' Go pouted, a strange look on the face of someone with a jaw as obscenely large as his. "Now now, Burnin, there's no need for that. I'm just here to come and help at this point-"

"If you came to help us deal with the robbers, you're a little late," Katsuki snarked, propping one of the unconscious goons up against the dumpster. "You might want to use your Quirk to go a bit faster next time."

"Ha!" The Pro Hero's laugh was probably (in his head) akin to All Might's booming chuckle, but he just sounded like a cheap knock off to Katsuki. "Such fire in you! I like it! I was already a fan of yours after that interview you gave, but I like what I see even more, young apprentice!"

"Huh..." Katsuki felt something nagging at the back of his head, and he paused. "What exactly did you like?"

"That righteous sense of justice in you!" Slidin' Go slapped him on the back. "Encouraging people who want to do good not to hold back on using their powers? It takes a strong soul to suggest that. Particularly in a world where we look to punish vigilantism, as I'm sure you know. Good on you for challenging that!"

"Really? A Commission Hero is happy I'm saying shit which might make people break the law?"

"Just between you and me..." Slidin' Go lowered his voice and waggled his eyebrows conspiratorially. "If the law is an ass, why is it it bad some people are willing to break it to use their powers for good?"

Katsuki nodded, filing away in the back of his head, and brushed the older Pro's hand off of his back. "Yeah, right. Now mine telling me why it is you came here to help, exactly?"

"I'm just going to take those crooks off your hand, if that's alright?" Slidin' Go gestured up the street in the direction of the Police cordon. "My colleagues are looking for the ringleader now, but I'll take these two ready to bring them back to headquarters, now that they're secured. The Commission thinks they might have connections to a larger gang and so-"

"You're going to interrogate them?" Burnin asked, mockingly. "Anything wrong with the Police interviewing them, or do they not make them squeal enough for the Commission these days?"

Slidin' Go didn't seem perturbed by her comments at all, hefting one of the limp crooks over his bulging shoulder. "What can I say, Burnin? I'm just trying to move with the times, that's all! Orders are orders, no matter what I might think of them."

"You're a real example to all," she said, rolling her eyes, and Katsuki had to resist the urge to snort at her comment. "You're gonna be disappointed if you want the credit for the takedown. Those media rats over there have already clocked that it was me and the kid who did all the work here."

"I'm more than happy to leave you deal with the press and claim your glory, oh wonderful sidekick of Endeavor," Slidin' Go said with a chuckle, and what infuriated Katsuki most was that the Pro Hero's laugh sounded so genuine- even after saying something which sounded so vicious, if the jovial smiles were a charade, he hadn't let it slip once. "They'd be under no illusions anyway, given that I only just showed up. After all, I-"

What happened next was chaos and something Katsuki took a moment to process.

From just down the street, behind the charred remains of the bar, there was a sudden loud fuzz in the air which made the entire street seem to vibrate, the dumpster behind Katsuki almost jumping into the air from the vibrations. Some of the windows of the shop behind him had remained intact despite his Explosions earlier, but now they shattered in an instant following the wave of sound, and it appeared some of the police officers further up the street had fallen flat on their ass as a result of the blast. And then, as a skinny figure in a hoodie and mask began to tear away down the street...

"STOP RIGHT THERE, VIGILANTE SCUM!"

Katsuki narrowed his eyes at the shout, recognising the voice. "Wait a minute... don't tell me that asshole is here?"

From behind the bar, wheezing as a result of his running, the familiar hulking figure of the Pro Hero Death Arms came to a halt besides them. "Dammit, they're too quick! They took out the ringleader before we could even get there, but the little bastard ran when I asked for a hero licence!"

"You might be able to keep up if it wasn't for all those cigarettes you love," Slidin' Go said, with a wink at Katsuki that he completely missed while he tracked the vigilante running into an alleyway down the road. "I'd help you, Shisuji, but my hands are rather full of criminal at the moment!"

"Then one of our other Pro Heroes can... help." Death Arms trailed off with a snarl as he recognised Katsuki for the first time since the incident at Tatooin Station. "Well, well. Endeavor's boy wonder and the luckiest kid in Japan. Not that you deserve to be a Hero, but now that you're here you can redeem yourself by-"

"Catching that vigilante? Yeah, yeah, on it. I'll take it from here."

Death Arms faltered at his response. "Wait, seriously? You, the kid who threw it all away being a vigilante, wants to go catch a vigilante? I thought I'd have to remind you it's your duty as a Hero to-"

"Nah, don't sweat it. Leave this all to me. I'm quicker than you and know the neighbourhood better than you, so leave it to me." Katsuki had made his mind up the second he saw which alleyway the vigilante had wandered into, knowing exactly what they'd come across and what he could do in this situation. Local knowledge was a blessing. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Wait, Bakugo..." Burnin stepped forward, looking uncertain. "What are you doing?"

"I'm doing what I've been asked to do." He looked up, met her gaze, and hoped she could read him. "Gotta do the right thing, you know?"

For a second she paused, and then nodded, and he hoped she had worked him out. "... Alright. I'll help the Commission folks, while you go. Call me for backup if you need it."

"Heh. I won't need any help at all." With that, he turned heel and ignited two Explosions in the palms of his hands and launched himself down the street in a leap, eyes fixed now on the target that was the alleyway. He was a Musutafu local, born and raised, and they were only a few streets away from his home at this point; not far at all from the site of Incident Zero, and the memorial park a few hundred metres away to the north. He knew the area, and he knew what he needed to do.

The hard part had been making sure that the Commission's Pro Heroes didn't follow him.

A second leap carried him to the end of the alleyway, and to make a show of sticking the landing to the Pro Heroes behind him, one short and sharp Explosion helped it look like he was planting himself down ready for business. He looked to see what the Heroes were doing, satisfied himself that they were nowhere near, and turned his attention to the figure in the alleyway, frantically trying to break through the barricaded door of a disused office block behind him. "I'll save you the hassle. They welded that door shut years ago. It's a dead end."

The vigilante, skinny and shorter than him, spun on their heels, and he tried not to laugh at seeing the mask they were wearing; it was chunky and heavy-looking, and besides the fact that it had decent eye sockets, it didn't look like it would be easy to breathe while wearing it. Judging from the way they panted their response to him, he was right about that. "Dammit! I'm just trying to help, I don't want a... fight."

Female, Katsuki noted from the voice as it trailed off, and young- if he had to guess, he would put her around his age. "Funny. Neither do I."

"Wait..." The vigilante seemed to realise who he was, but didn't let her guard down, two fists raised with two chunky blocks almost like his sweat gauntlets mounted on the wrists. "You're... Endeavor's apprentice? The one from the news?"

"Yeah, yeah." Katsuki was used to being recognised at this point, after everything that had happened; it didn't bother him anywhere near as much anymore. He'd get that attention at Number One, anyway. "And you're pretty shit at being a secret vigilante. Take it from someone else who was shit at being a vigilante and got caught on day one."

Remarkably the vigilante didn't argue with him over that, but she didn't drop her fighting stance even a little. "... Huh. You ended up being picked up by the Towering Inferno as an Apprentice, and now you think you're hot shit. I see."

Katsuki laughed, despite the ridiculous situation, at the bad joke and the shitty nickname; it was clear whoever was under the mask had some spunk. "Hey, listen, I'm being serious. I don't know what your Quirk is, but... back there, what you used when Death Arms tried to get you? That was a sonic attack, one way or another, which means you can't be walking around in the middle of the day looking to fight bad guys or people will hear your Quirk and come running. And your fighting stance is pretty shit right now, even if we're just talking. You've had no martial arts training before, or you wouldn't hold yourself so damn loose."

For a moment he thought the girl in the hoodie would jump at him, but she dropped the fists and took a step back from him, shoving them in the hoodie pockets. "... Damn. I mean, I should really wanna punch you for saying any of that but... you're not wrong. You're actually trying to help, aren't you?"

"Hell yeah." Katsuki tutted to himself, thinking about Death Arms and Slidin' Go. "Look, they sent me here to take you down so they could arrest you and... I'm not gonna do that. You wanna do good or you wouldn't be out here, so I'm giving you the chance I never got to get out of here before they stop you, so you can keep on trying to do good. But you've gotta think about you're doing this, alright? You need to find a broker and get better gear, you need to not rely on speedy escapes and ambushes every time and actually get some fight training. And god dammit, don't come out in the middle of the day and draw attention to yourself. If you wanna keep doing good, do it another time, or you'll just get yourself caught."

"Huh..." She looked like she paused, and then nodded. "Alright. Shit timing, I get it. This is my first gig, so... next stop on the tour I'll change things up. Promise."

Katsuki noticed the music references, and tried not to roll his eyes as he joined in. "Fine. But you want an encore, so that means an escape route. Roll that dumpster back in the corner and open the manhole up."

"Seriously?" The girl did as he suggested, and he could practically sense her disbelief as the manhole cover emerged from under a layer of trash. "How the hell did you know that was there?"

"Local knowledge. I went to school round here, before Ring of Fire took me under his wing. The teachers never cared that we opened up the old drain behind the sports shed and used to sneak out into the city at lunchtime. Not before Incident Zero, anyway." Katsuki jerked a thumb at the manhole as she manoeuvred the cover off. "They told us to stop using it when they got reports of some sludge villain wandering around in the old sewers, but Endeavor took care of him a while ago. It's a straight run to Aldera Junior High at the other end, and they won't have a clue you're there. Not on a Saturday, anyway."

"I... wait." The vigilante's mask gave nothing away, but she clearly spun to stare at him before she put her foot down into the drain. "How do I know this isn't a trap and you aren't just selling me to someone at the other end?"

"Really? I'd beat the shit out of you now if I actually wanted to hand your ass in." Katsuki huffed. "Look, you can worry about trusting me, but honestly, I'm doing this because nobody ever did it for me. I wanted to go to UA, and me getting caught as a vigilante blew any chance of that ever happening. If you want to keep doing good, then... I'm just giving you the way out so you can carry on."

"... Thanks, hot shot." The vigilante nodded to him, and lowered her bottom half into the drain, her skinny frame fitting easily through the manhole, before offering a hand out to him to shake. "Guess I owe you one, huh?"

"You can do one thing for me, if you like," he said, grasping the handshake and trying not to smirk.

"If you're about to be a creep, I'll punch you in the dick."

"Ha! Not like that." Now Katsuki smirked. "If you're getting better gear, then get yourself a voice modifier. Not everyone will recognise you, but I sure as hell do. Listened to enough of your music and your interviews to know your voice when I hear it, and if you want to keep up that career as a singer, you're gonna need to try harder as a vigilante."

There was a long pause. "... You like my music?"

Katsuki's grin widened as she didn't even try to deny his suspicions; he had got her. "I drum, so the harder stuff from your band is better. I'd prefer you don't get arrested so you can get on with the next album, if you ask me."

There was a funny noise and it took him a while to recognise that she had chuckled under her weird mask. "Well I'll be. Come find me in the studio when you're not busy saving the world, Sorcerer's Apprentice. We might actually get along."

"Stay out of trouble and I might take you up on that." If she had a witty response to that, Katsuki didn't hear it, replacing the manhole over the top of the drain and dragging the dumpster to block it as quickly and quietly as he could. He couldn't waste any time messing about or bantering back with her, as much as he had enjoyed their brief spar of words; instead, within a couple of seconds, he had made the alleyway look as it had when he arrived, a complete dead end. With any luck, if anyone went to pursue her, it would look as if she vanished into thin air, and by the time anyone found the drain she would be out at Aldera and long gone.

His work complete, Katsuki nodded to himself, and began to wander back to where he had been with Burnin and the Pro Heroes. As much as he wanted to laugh, he had to resist the urge and pretend to look disappointed, gritting his teeth as if something was eating at him. He'd never been the best actor, but then some of the people he was about to speak to hadn't ever been the best Heroes. Even if they saw through him, there wasn't much they could do by now.

As it turned out, the only Hero with Burnin by the time he got back was Death Arms, who looked him up and down with a scowl. "Don't tell me you came back empty handed. Does Endeavor not train his reject apprentices at all?"

Katsuki shrugged, looked down, kicked a bag of trash. "Punk got the jump on me. Kicked me through a window in one of the office blocks and beat it. Hell if I know where they got to now."

Death Arms stomped a little closer, and he could sense the heat of the Hero's glare on him even without looking up. "You really still think you can be a Hero? When you can't even do one simple thing for us like this-"

"I tried to fix your mess and catch your runaway vigilante for you," Katsuki snapped back, a little bit of genuine feeling creeping into his response. "Don't get mad at me when even I can't clean up your mess."

"You watch your tongue," Death Arms growled, poking him with a meaty finger. "You got lucky enough for Endeavor to pick you up last time you overstepped the mark, but keep making mistakes like this and he'll throw you out, boy. I'll make sure the weight of the law comes down on you that day for all your failings, you mark my words."

"You can't even keep a partner alive," Katsuki bit back, palms popping with an Explosion to punctuate the point. "We all saw the news. Mount Lady seemed like an ass anyway, but don't talk to me about failings when you couldn't even keep her safe."

Death Arms' growl in his throat grew in ferocity, as he stepped forward as if wanting to punch Katsuki where he stood, but before he could move any further a well-timed cough from Burnin seemed to shake the Hero Commission Pro, and Death Arms shook his head and retreated. "Whatever. You'll be dead meat soon, Bakugo. Don't show your face if you don't want to do the job properly. And Kamiji? Rein your kid in before he hurts himself. You're a sidekick, but even you should have more control over him."

"It's Burnin to you while we're on duty, Death Arms," Burnin replied, clearly not in the mood. "Next time you're in the area and fancy doing some work so you don't get shown up by the old man's apprentice, let me know."

Death Arms spat on the floor, only a few inches from her feet, and walked off, hulking muscles bulging as he strode away in a huff. "Psssh. Always hated this town anyway."

Katsuki shook his head, watching the Punching Hero walk away to the police line and disappear from out of their space. "Useless extra."

"Shame the Hero Killer only got his partner."

Katsuki laughed to himself at the sudden comment from Burnin, who appeared to be gritting her teeth in order to prevent herself getting too fired up. "Damn. I don't expect that kind of dark shit from you. Setting a good example to the old man's apprentice, huh?"

"You were thinking it too." Before Katsuki could either confirm or deny, Burnin nodded to him. "Slidin' Go left to take the two chumps you beat up, by the way. It's probably a good job he wasn't around though. He may not have bought that as easily as the meathead did."

"Bought what?"

Burnin eyed him, curiously. "You're a shit liar, you know that?"

Katsuki looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to elaborate. "Am I?"

"The vigilante got the better of you? I've seen you hold your own against the old man, which means you're stronger than any average street punk with a Robin Hood death wish." Burnin looked at him, something smouldering in her eyes. "You let them get away. Why?"

Katsuki shrugged, trying to keep a poker face and badly failing. "What can I say? If there's people out there wanting to do the right thing... I'm not gonna stop them."

Now Burnin smirked, and he realised that she had understood what he intended to do the moment he gave her the look. "Giving them the chance you never got, huh? I'll give you one thing, Katsuki, you've got balls of steel to do that and lie to a Commission Pro about it. I like it!"

"Heh. You're not gonna tell the old man, are you?"

"Nah, you're kidding me right? Some things he's best just not knowing about." Burnin clapped him on the back as they began to walk in the opposite direction to Death Arms and the Police, wandering in the vague direction of the Agency. "Good work, Ground Zero! We'll make a good Hero outta you yet. I'll be sure to tell the boss all about the rest of your good work today-"

"That's not the most important thing to talk about when we go back to him though."

"Huh?"

Katsuki frowned, remembering what he had stored away, letting all the little nagging suspicions from earlier come to the fore and merge themselves into the dreadful theory he had come up with. "What did you make of Slidin' Go?"

"Tokoname? He's... intense, yeah. Always has been a bit over the top. Why?"

"It's just..." Katsuki grimaced, not liking what he was about to say. "Remember what he said about the interview? How he liked what I had to say? And how when I asked him, he kept talking about having powers but never once used the word Quirk?"

"..." Burnin came to a stop. "Shit. You're kinda right. And I never picked that up at the time. Do you think-"

"He's part of the Army? Maybe. If they've got someone inside the Commission then that's not good for any of us, but..." Katsuki's Explosion crackled in his palm in anger. "If he really is part of them, then he's a valuable part of them to be one of the Commission's Pro Heroes, and if that's the case we've got a lead. We've got someone to follow, who can bring us the rest of the bastards in their inner circle."

"For sure. Let's tell the boss, and see what he thinks." Burnin raised an eyebrow at him as they walked. "You know I thought I told you to stay focused on the now, and not go chasing ghosts in the Army."

"You did. And I said fuck it, let's do both." Katsuki felt himself stand taller as he walked, determination propelling him forward. Sure, what Burnin said to him earlier had resonated with him; he wouldn't let their stupid games control him, he wouldn't let the threat of the Army stop him from doing good elsewhere and beating villains elsewhere, saving lives from other evil causes. But he wouldn't lose at their game either, and if they were going to let their guard down around him, then he sure as hell would make them pay, or die trying. How could he call himself the Number One if he didn't even try?

"Yo, Burnin. You ready to go crack some skulls and take out some ghosts?"

"Lead the way... Ground Zero."

They were all going to remember that name. He would make sure of it.

(***)

In the middle of Musutafu, some distance away from any wrecked remains of a former bar, some distance away from the Hero Agency of the country's Number One Hero, lay a school. Aldera Junior High was not the most well achieving of schools even before Incident Zero- the fact that it had two students going to UA this year was a miracle in of itself- and so with the budget cuts that had come in the wake of increased villain activity across Japan, some parts of it had fallen into disrepair. The gymnasium was well maintained, but the old sports shed used for its younger students to store football goalposts and tennis rackets had almost been forgotten, and as for the incredibly loose drain grate on the little concrete running to it, it was almost completely rusted through. It wouldn't haven taken much to budge it at all...

With a squeak and a clang, someone reached up from underneath the grate and lifted it completely off of its hinges, throwing it away to the side. "Shit!"

The hooded vigilante, slightly out of breath from running the length of the tunnel (in case Endeavor's apprentice was wrong and a sludge villain really was lurking down there), burst through the open hole and pulled herself up onto the path, taking stock of her surroundings. It had been a long time since she had been anywhere near a school, having been pulled out to focus on recording one way or another, but to her immense relief and satisfaction it appeared that the apprentice had been genuine and had gotten her to safety. For now, she didn't have the Commission on her tail.

"I really need to up my game," she muttered to herself, pulling the cheap mask off of her face and considering it for a moment, before casting it aside. It had been difficult to breathe in that thing, even if she could see alright, and as much as she had set out to take matters into her own hands and deal with the gang of robbers pestering the city, she was lucky she had even been able to take one.

Maybe, just maybe, the boy had a point when he gave her such tough love. She was assuming a lot about what she could just do, and this was not a world where she could afford to take chances with her own life or with other people's lives. She needed to train up, she needed to smarten up, and she needed to find someone willing to sell her nice stuff to hide her face and gear up better...

But first, she really needed to get out of town and get home. And for that, she needed a ride.

The phone which she dug out of her pockets rang only twice before it was answered. "Hey honey! Did everything go okay? Are you safe?"

"I'm safe, yeah Mom. Listen, can you please come and pick me up at Aldera High School? I may have taken a slight detour. Wild first show, if you get me."

"... Slight detour? What on Earth happened to you?"

"I got a bit lucky. Endeavor's apprentice kinda helped me out of a tough spot. I'll tell you all about it when I'm in the car." Kyoka Jiro sighed, retracting her Earphone Jacks back from down her sleeves and wincing as she walked towards the school gates. She ached in places she didn't know she could ache, she knew she would feel the effects of this day for a few days after at least, and she had come very close to being caught on day one, but Kyoka was proud. This vigilante gig was going to be tough, but she knew that from the start, and at least now she knew where she needed to improve. She would rock this, however long it took to get things right.

"Trust me, it's a long, long story..."

(***)

Katsuki Bakugo. Quirk, Explosion. Aged- 15.

Moe Kamiji, Burnin. Aged- 25.

Kyoka Jiro. Quirk, Earphone Jack. Aged- 15.

(***)

A/N- And there we go! Two people who haven't been getting much spotlight recently, getting a little time to shine.

Bakugo was a genuinely complicated character to write this chapter. Ultimately, he always is, but I didn't want to waste a lot of time dwelling on what exactly Endeavor told him about the Army; I'm happy with an expo-dump to an extent, but a full chapter of dialogue to that effect wouldn't have been fun for me and wouldn't have let me develop him or Endeavor much. I'd rather focus on him dealing with it, because ultimately I think Bakugo would be furious about their existence, and furious how little he can do about a threat like them. He can't exactly punch his way through them and grind them under heel, like he wants to with every villain.

That and his reaction to Kyoka were important to me. Bakugo in this story clearly was willing to push the law and break it in order to do what he thought was right- to me, that feeds into his willingness not to take on Kyoka and to let her get away. Sure, he's proud, and he wants a fight, and he'd never throw for anyone at other points, but if someone offered him the chance to not have been caught and punished for doing the right thing, he'd sure as hell take it. Kyoka's showing herself as a bit outclassed and a bit inexperienced here by letting herself get cornered- she's a musician with a sheltered life and she's got a lot to learn about actually handling herself. More on that later.

Anyway, the reaction last chapter was nuts in all the right ways. I'm loving writing Izuku and Tenko, but I've loved adding Setsuna into the mix and it's great that others think the same. The whole "Give Quirks too" moment was great to write, for me. And genuinely thank you so much for all your support! We've hit over 950 favourites (so close to the quadruple figures!) and over 1100 followers- holy moley. 550+ reviews is insane and I'm loving the commitment of some of you- you make my day, genuinely.

As always, I'll always ask for reviews, follows and favourites if you enjoyed it, but it's my birthday today, so ESPECIALLY I'm going to be cheeky and ask for support now aren't I? It would be a very nice present to me if some of you did. Until next time, take care y'all.

Guz.