Heroes of Tomorrow

by Cowboy Alchemist

In a world where fantasy becomes reality, Wade Walker is one of the "Quirkless". That all changes when a mysterious spider grants him powers he couldn't have imagined. He's then asked by the world's greatest Hero to take on his power. Follow Wade as he becomes the Spider-Man of Earth-675. He and his friends will take on the Villains and threats greater than they could ever image.

24. Volume 3: Issue 24

Special thanks to francisthewitcher for his help.

To the people that ask me why I'm writing this story if the events in it are just like those in MHA: You have read my other stories, right? This is what I do. And if you don't like it, then why are you reading it? You've got thousands of other stories to fulfill your needs.

The reason I like writing this story is because I enjoy it. Do I really need any other reason? And if I enjoy it, then goddamnit, I'm going to keep writing Heroes of Tomorrow!

---

HEROES OF TOMORROW

Issue #24: Vanguard Action Squad

It was the third night of the training camp, and everyone had the whole day to train and then eat their dinner afterward. Impressed with all the progress they made, the Pussycats had a special event going on tonight. They were going to be having the classes go up against each other in a test of courage. It was their way of 'rewarding' them.

"Alright! Now we've filled our bellies and washed the dishes! It's time for…" Pixie-Bob began.

"A TOTALLY AWESOME TEST OF COURAGE!" Mina yelled in joy, jumping up and down in excitement.

"We're gonna win!" Shouted the boys of the extra lesson group. As the training camp continued on, Kirishima, Mina, Kaminari, Sero, and Sato had to go through extra lessons that would go on until two in the morning and start back up at seven. That was also placed over their physical training. This was so they could overcome the many weaknesses Aizawa saw during the finals. Now they were free to have fun!

Or were they?

"Not so fast," Aizawa said, cutting in and ruining the group's good mood. "It pains me to say it, but the remedial class will be having lessons with me tonight instead."

Mina went completely white and shouted, "YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" But it was no use trying to weasel her way out to spend time with her boyfriend and friends. Aizawa already had her and the boys wrapped up in his scarf.

"Also, your training during the day didn't impress me, so I'll be using this time, too." He said, pulling them down to the ground before dragging them off towards the classroom while everyone else looked at them with sympathy. Especially Wade, Momo, and Ochaco as they watched Mina being dragged away.

"Oh, give me a break!" Kaminari and Sero exclaimed.

"I just wanna prove my courage!" Added Sato and Kirishima.

Pulling up a map of the trail the class will be taking, Pixie Bob started explaining the rules. "Okay, so, Class B is going to start out as our 'scarers.' When they're in place, Class A will leave in pairs every three minutes. There are tags with your names on them at the far end of the route. Your goal is to collect those."

"Revelry in the dark," Tokoyami said, which creeped out Ochaco, who was standing next to him.

"Is it me, or has he been saying that all day?" She whispered to Wade.

"Yeah," He said, looking at his bird-head friend with concern. "I wonder what's up with him."

"Now, those who are scarers aren't allowed to make physical contact. Use your Quirks to terrify the others." Pixie Bob further explained.

"The winners are the creative students who make the most people shit their pants!" Tiger exclaimed.

"Dude!" Wade exclaimed.

"We don't need that visual in our heads!" Jiro added with a disturbed look.

Iida, on the other hand, said, "I see. They're encouraging us to stoke our imaginations as we compete with each other, all while having us use our Quirks in the process. As expected of UA!"

Momo and Wade sweatdropped. "He certainly knows how to see a situation in another light, doesn't he?" Commented the busty girl.

"It's a legitimate superpower," Wade said jokingly.

Pixie Bob grabbed a handful of paper slips and held them up. "All right, everyone. Draw to see who your partner will be!"

Team 1: Tokoyami and Shoji

Team 2: Bakugo and Todoroki

Team 3: Jido and Hagakure

Team 4: Momo and Aoyama

Team 5: Ochaco and Tsuyu

Team 6: Ojiro and Mineta

Team 7: Iida and Koda

Team 8: Wade

"Ah, come on! This is the second time I've been singled out!" Wade complained while throwing his head back and grabbing his hair. The first time was at the Sports Festival during the Cavalry Battle.

"We were randomly assigned," Ojiro said, trying to calm Wade down. "It's not that nobody chose you or anything." However, Ojiro nearly jumped out of his skin when a rough hand grabbed his shoulder. And then the unmistakable dark aura of Bakugo was felt before the exploder could speak.

"Listen up, Tail," He said with venom in his voice. Bakugo pointed his thumb at Todoroki, who was just looking at his partner blankly, wondering what he did. "Trade with me!"

Wade was surprised when Momo ran over to him and hid behind him. "Momo, what's…"

"Aoyama…" said Mineta. Wade looked to see the little pervert lumbering towards him, his girlfriend, and Aoyama, who was shaking his head rapidly. Mineta's body was covered with its own dark aura as he stared at Momo pervertedly. "Please switch partners, I should be with her!"

"Your only partner will be my foot up your ass if you don't back off!" Wade yelled at him.

Tokoyami stood with Shoji and said, "Revelry in the dark." Shoji didn't even know what to make of that.

12 minutes later

The screams of Jiro and Hakugare were heard from within the forest by the others . "Next team!" Pixie-Bob announced as the screaming continued. "That's you two kittens, Ribbity and Miss Floater."

Wade waited with everyone else as they watched two of his girlfriends go into the forest with the frog girl. Ochaco looked back at him and waved, and her boyfriend waved back.

However, as they disappeared down the trail, Wade's smile faded as he felt something was very wrong. His spider-sense was acting up again, alarming him that there was something dangerous around. But this wasn't like the last time that it happened, it didn't instantly come to him and warn him of the danger and where it was coming from. This was more of a tingle. A sense of dread that something wasn't right and that it was coming.

He walked forward and slowly looked around. "Wade?" Mineta asked, confused. This got the attention of the others as he stared in the direction of the forest that the other students were in.

"Sorry, but it's not your turn." Pixie-Bob said.

Wade didn't reply. He stopped and looked in another direction. His expression morphed into a look of dread as he faced the direction of the camp.

"Wade, what's the matter?" Ojiro asked as he approached him.

He turned his head again, looking off in the direction of seemingly nowhere. "Something's here," He said.

"What? Do you sense something?" Iida asked.

"Sense something?" Mandalay repeated, blinking in confusion.

"Hold on," Pixie-Bob said to her teammate. She sniffed, and her eyes widened. "What's this foul smell in the air?"

"Look over there!" Mineta exclaimed, pointing to trails of smoke rising from the forest in the distance.

"Black smoke…" Mandalay said with a frown.

"Has something been set ablaze?" Iida asked.

"Maybe a fire on the mountain?" Ojiro suggested. "Is that what you're sensing, Wade?"

"No…it's…" Wade's eyes widened as the realization hit him. "WE'RE SURROUNDED!"

Just then, Pixie-Bob suddenly had a pink glowing aura around her body. "Hey, what's happening!" She yelled before being yanked away from the group.

"Pixie-Bob!" Mandalay yelled. However, she and the others were helpless to stop the Pro-Hero from being slammed head-first into Magne's magnet. She was knocked out and fell to the floor, where the villain placed her magnet on top of her head.

"First, let's get rid of these feral cats," She said to Spinner.

"What? No way!" Mineta backed up, unable to believe what he was seeing. "I thought they made sure no one could find us. So why the heck are there villains attacking this place?!"

"Get your hands off her!" Wade shouted, ready to attack. However, before he could, Mandalay and Tiger got in front of him.

"This is bad," The woman said in her fighting stance.

Wade looked at her and gasped when he realized something. "Where's Kota?!"

Mandalay quickly used her Quirk. In an instant, everyone in the camp heard her voice.

"Everyone! Two villains attacked us! It's possible there are more coming. Everyone, return to camp immediately! We're regrouping. Do not engage any enemies!"

That was when Spinner walked up in front of Magne with his arms out. "How are you this evening, UA High School? We are part of the Vanguard Action Squad of the League of Villains!"

Ojiro's eyes widened. "The League of Villains?" He exclaimed. "What are those guys doing here?!"

Wade glared at the villains and gritted his teeth. So these punks were working for Shigaraki. How did he know about this place?

"I could crush this kitty's head so easily." Magne said, putting a little more pressure on Pixie-Bob's skull. "How about it, dears, should I?"

"You get away from her!" Tiger yelled.

Spinner stood between the two parties and held up his hands. "Now, now, Hold on, Big Sis Magne," He said to his teammate before turning to the Heroes. "You too, Tiger, calm down. When deciding if someone should live or die, We must be careful that we abide by Stain's principles."

Wade glared at him when he said that name. "No wonder you look like a knock-off version of that man." He said.

"So you're the ones he ended up inspiring!" Iida yelled.

"That's right! And you, four-eyes. I believe I recognize you. You're one of the self-righteous brats who attacked Stain in Hosu City," The villain said, pointing at Iida.

"Make that two, lizard face," Wade said, stepping up to stand with his friend.

"Well, if it isn't the kid that saved Stain. We've actually been looking for you. Lemme introduce myself," He said, grabbing the sword from his back. He pulled it out, and the cloth came undone. Revealed a bizarre-looking sword that was the same size as him and was made of several knives, daggers, kukris, hatchets, and many other blades. They appeared to be held together by chains and belts. "Call me Spinner! I'm here to make Stain's dreams a reality."

"Someone's definitely compensating for something." Wade quipped. "You want to be the next Stain, then you better get ready to go down like him!"

Mandalay stopped him before he could step forward. Tiger, on the other hand, had just about enough of all of this. "I don't care who you are. You're criminals! That woman lying there is named Pixie-Bob. She's a Pro-Hero who's saved countless lives. She's giving her all for these young heroes, pushing them to reach their full potential. She's looking for a mate, but otherwise, she's content. WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO CUT SUCH A HAPPY LIFE SHORT?!"

Everyone looked at him exasperatedly. "Dude, you didn't have to tell them she's horny." Wade groaned.

"Didn't you know it's not a Hero's job to be happy?!" Spinner yelled as he charged at the Heroes.

"Tiger! I broadcast to everyone with my Telepath. Trust the safety of the other students to Ragdoll. You and I will stay here and hold them back!" Mandalay told her teammate. She then turned to the students and said. "You kids get out of here but do not, I repeat, do not engage the enemy. Iida, you're in charge!"

"Right, let's go!" Iida ordered the boys, and they started to run to the safety of the camp.

However, Wade did not go with them.

"Wade, what are you doing?" Iida asked.

"Go on ahead without me. I've got to do something important," Wade told him before turning to the Pro-Heroes. "Mandalay!"

The Pussy Cat turned her head to face him.

"I know where Kota is!"

---

When the attack started, Kota was sitting high up on the cliff that was his hiding place. Thinking back to a conversation Mandalay tried to have with him. But it made Kota growl in anger at how ridiculous she sounded. "No one like that really exists." He said.

That's when he looked up and gasped upon seeing the destruction going on in the forest. He gasped and stood up as the fire was spreading out of control as purple smoke covered another part of the forest. What was going on? Was this part of the training? No, it couldn't.

"Hey, kid."

The young boy turned and gasped when he saw the hulking figure of Muscular walking around the corner. Kota started to become scared as the hulking man approached him, knowing that he wasn't part of his cousin's team's training regiment. The negative vibes and the intent to kill were radiating off the man's body.

That's when he figured out he was a villain before Mandalay called out to him with her Telepath.

"Kota. Kota! I hope you can hear my voice. Hurry up and come back to camp! I'm sorry I can't come to you! I don't know where you're always running off to. Forgive me. Just get back home, fast!"

Mandalay's desperate calls only frightened Kota more as tried backing away from Muscular. However, he froze up when the villain started talking to him.

"I came up here scouting for a nice vantage point, and here I find someone who's not on our list," He said, staring down at the boy. Kota began to shiver in fear as Muscular got closer to him. "By the way, nice hat, kid. I like it. Why don't you trade me for this lame mask, huh? They made me wear it 'cause I'm new. Said they couldn't get a shipment of the good ones in time."

The man reached for his mask and began to take it off. With tears of fear, Kota saw his chance and ran away.

"Hey, now." Muscular said, tossing his mask away. He crouched down slightly, and the muscles in his legs seemed to expand in his pant legs and shoes. He then jumped at incredible speeds, getting in front of Kota. "I think you and me should have some fun up here, kid. Ready?!"

He lifted his left arm, and activated his Quirk, causing his muscle fibers to enlarge and jet out from his arm. Covering it as he prepared to pulverize Kota.

That's when his hood lifted up, and Kota saw his face. His heart sank, and tears built up in his eyes.

"It's you…"

The man that was known as Muscular was a large, bulky, and extremely muscular man set wide with short, spiky, and sandy blond hair with small black eyes. However, only his right eye was still good. There was a large scar going across the left side of his face, and his left eye was replaced with a prosthetic one. He had another, smaller scar on the right side of his forehead.

Kota's mind could not believe what he was seeing. His memories flashed back to the news report of his parent's death. The tears started pouring down his face as he looked upon the face of the villain, as he grinned an insidious grin that showed his intentions as clear as day: to kill the young boy who was completely defenseless against him.

But that's not what hit him the hardest. This wasn't just a random villain.

This was Goto Imasuji. The villain that murdered his parents.

"Papa…Mama…" Kota cried in horror upon seeing the same that took everything from him. And now, he was going to join them in death, at the same hands that killed his parents.

However, death never came.

Rocketing towards the cliff in a blur, Wade sped past the villain and grabbed Kota before Muscular could smash him into a bloody pulp. He smashed the ground as a result, causing a tremor. Wade quickly turned around and fired a web line at the side of the cliff, stopping his flight. He landed on the cliff a few feet from the villain and set Kota down.

"What…what are you doing?" Kota asked as he stared up at his savior.

"I figured you'd be here, so I came." Wade said, before standing up. "Get behind me!"

Kota quickly did as he was told as the villain looked at Wade and tilted his head. "Huh. Now you, I recognize. You were definitely on the list." Muscular said.

"Well, ain't that nice. Someone put me on a list. Now I feel special." Wade quipped with a shaking grin as he glared at the villain. This was just his rotten luck once again. He was just going to get Kota and get back to the others. But no, he just had to run into the villain.

He looked at the ground and cussed under his breath when he saw his phone was broken during the landing. "Man, that phone case was a waste of money." Wade quipped again, trying to ease his own rising fear. He didn't tell anyone where he was going, meaning Wade wasn't going to get any backup from anyone. The Pussy Cats were fighting the villains already, and Aizawa and Vlad King were back at the camp, doing God knows what.

Wade was completely alone and at the mercy of Muscular.

Meaning he will have to stop him by himself. Wade looked back at Kota and saw the tears streaming down his face. Shivering in fear of the villain.

"Kota, listen to me." Wade said, clenching his fists as he activated Battle Focus. His body glowed with electric energy. "I promise, everything will be okay. I won't let this guy hurt you. I'm going to save you!"

Muscular laughed maniacally at that as his muscles retracted into his body. "You really think you can save this little brat? That does sound like something a wannabe Hero would say. Your kind sure likes to mouth off about justice."

Wade glared at the man, waiting for him to make his first move.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say your name is Wade Walker, right? Perfect!" The villain said, as his muscle fibers covered his right arm. "We were told we could take some initiative and capture you. That really seems to get the attention of that Ghost guy."

Wade gasped, and his eyes widened. "He's here?"

"Oh, that's right. Your dear daddy is with us. I could take you to him. But first, I'm going to have my fun." Muscular took off his cloak and rushed towards Wade. "Show me your blood!"

Wade's spider-senses alarmed before he quickly jumped over Muscular's head. He kicked the villain in the back and launched himself away from him, before firing a web-line at the back of his head.

Landing on the ground, Wade tried to pull him back and get him down on the ground. However, Muscular wasn't having it. He reached back and yanked on the web. Pulling Wade towards him. The villain turned around to punch the Spider-Man, but Wade sensed this too.

Thinking back to his fight with Bakugo during the Hero Training Course, Wade quickly maneuvered his body to have his legs pointing towards Muscular. When Muscular sent his fist flying forward at incredible speeds, Wade's feet landed on them. He grunted in pain as the force of the impact was pretty hard, but used that force and his legs to send himself flying backward again.

This time, however, he fired webbing from his shooters at the shoulders of Muscular. Wade stopped in midair before he was slingshotted back towards the villain. With bioelectricity coursing through his right fist, Wade punched Muscular in the face, knocking him down to the ground before Wade landed on the ground.

Kota, who was standing a few feet away, watched in amazement. Wade stood back up and faced Muscular as he stood back up. "Alright, that was pretty good. But not good enough!"

He rushed at Wade again.

Spider-Man quickly tried to jump away again, but Muscular wasn't going to let him. He grabbed Wade's leg and threw him towards the wall with strength Wade underestimated. The young man's body crashed into the face of the cliff, making him cry out in pain.

"Oh, yeah. Hey. Before I take you out, help me out with something. Do you know where a kid name Bakugo is around here?" Muscular asked the boy as he pulled himself out of the crater.

Wade's eyes widened. They're looking for Bakugo too?

"I still have a job to do, after all." Muscular lunged forward at Wade, aiming for another punch. Wade was able to dodge the attack by jumping to the side. Saving himself before Muscular could punch the wall. "I'll take your silence to mean that you don't know. Is that right?"

"At least give a guy a moment to think about his answer. It's just simple kindness." Wade quipped, landing a few feet away.

"I hope you come up with an answer before play time's over!" Muscular rushed at Wade and tried to kick him in the gut. Wade jumped towards the wall and kicked off it, launching himself towards Muscular's head. But the villain punched him.

Wade caught the punch with both hands, but was slammed into the ground by Muscular. The villain laughed maniacally as he saw blood dripping on the left side of his face. All while pushing down on Wade's arms, as Spider-Man struggled to keep his fist from pounding him.

"YES! Blood is exactly what I wanted from you! What'd you promise? That everything would be okay? How's that workin' out for ya, huh?!" Muscular yelled mockingly at Wade as he glared up at him. The villain pulled his right arm back, and then, with his left arm covered in his muscle fibers, slammed down on Wade's chest. Then punched him in the chest with his right fist, before grabbing the spider Hero, spinning around, and throwing him a few yards away.

Normal humans and even Pros would have been killed by his hits. But Wade's superhuman endurance kept him alive. However, that didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell. "Damn, I almost felt that." Wade snidely said, struggling to get back up.

What the hell kind of Quirk was this? It was powerful, that's for sure. Muscular wasn't like the Nomu from the USJ. He was strong like that Nomu, but he wasn't a mindless creature. This was a killer that knew how to use his power. Wade couldn't worry about Bakugo or Ghost right now if he wanted to stay alive.

Reactivating Battle Focus, Wade jumped at Muscular and ignited his fist with green electricity as One-for-All surged throughout his body. Spider-Man punched Muscular with all his might.

However, the villain blocked the attack with his arm. But to Wade's shock, the attack didn't even phase Muscular. Not even his electricity, which would have caused serious damage to the fibers.

"How the…" Wade whispered.

"Is that all you got?" Muscular asked, grinning murderously down at Wade. "You're fast, but you're not strong enough to hurt me!"

He backhanded Wade like a pest. Wade rolled across the ground before stopping with a crouch.

"Wondering why your electricity isn't doing the job?" Muscular asked as his muscle fibers moved and fluctuated. "My Quirk is called Pumped Up. It increases my speed and strength so exponentially that my muscle fibers can't even be contained by my skin. But it also increases my durability, meaning your little electricity isn't going to work on me that easily! I know I'm bragging a bit, but I mean, c'mon! Don't you see it!? You're just an inferior version of ME!"

Wade roared, activated Battle Focus, and attacked Muscular again. However, the villain grabbed his head. Wade was helpless as Muscular spun around in a full circle and then threw him onto the ground. Wade's body bounced off the ground, and Muscular kicked him. Sending Wade flying back again and kicking up dirt, creating a dust cloud.

Muscular laughed at the dust cloud that was covering Wade. "How are you gonna save him, huh?! Don't make promises you can't keep! Live up to your words, or they don't mean anything!" He yelled, walking towards Wade. "You're no Hero—you're just a fraud, and you'll die that way!"

He raised his fist to finish the job, but stopped when a peddle was thrown at him. Hitting the back of his head. Muscular turned his head to see it was none other than Kota who had thrown the peddle.

However, when he turned away, Muscular missed the dust clearing.

He didn't know that Wade had disappeared.

Kota didn't notice it either. He was glaring at the villain with tear-filled eyes. "Do you remember Water Hose?" He asked Muscular. "My mom and my dad. Did you torment the two of them, too? Before you killed them?!"

From where Wade was, his eyes widened when he heard the boy.

"Huh?" Muscular turned around to face Kota. "Seriously? Those losers were your parents? Well then, this must be fate. The Water Hose Heroes—they're the reason I have an artificial eye in my left socket right now." He said, pointing to his left eye.

"This is all your fault." Kota continued, unleashing all of his anger on the man that ruined his life. "Nothing in the world is right anymore, and it's because of crazy people like you!"

"Little kids are always so quick to say it's someone else's fault." Muscular said, making Kota gasp. "Don't get the wrong idea. It's not like I took them out 'cause I was mad about the eye thing. I wanted to kill people—it's as simple as that. And those two tried to stop me. What happened was the result of all of us doing our best. The real travesty is permission to do something you aren't able to do. That's why your dear old mommy and daddy died!"

Muscular raised his arm to kill Kota. But before he could land a hit on the boy, Muscular felt something land on his shoulders with the sound of electricity sparking.

"Your ass is grass, you evil son of a bitch!" Wade yelled in anger, reappearing after landing on the villain. He then punched Muscular in the face. The only place that wasn't protected by his fibers. Figuring that if he can't hurt him wherever his muscles are, he'll hurt him in his only weak spot.

And it worked. Muscular yelled in pain as he was hit with the bioelectricity. Wade jumped off of him, and the villain fell to his hands and knees.

"You ruined Kota's life! Take responsibility!" Wade yelled, shooting a web-line at him and yanking himself towards him to deliver a kick to the head. Wade then started going to town on the villain. Punching and kicking him in the head. "I'm not letting you hurt him, or another person, ever again!"

Wade uppercut Muscular, sending his head up and onto his feet. The young man jumped up and swung his foot into the side of his head. Muscular stumbled back a bit, before glaring at Wade.

"It's over! It doesn't matter how fast you are!" Wade yelled.

Muscular grinned murderously as he prepared to attack. "But what's your next move? You can't try that trick on me again!"

"I don't care whether or not I can do it!" Wade yelled. Kota gasped when he heard Wade's passion as the Hero-in-Training continued his proclamation. "A Hero's job is to risk life and turn his promises into a reality!"

As he said that, Wade increased his power, making the electricity of his body react like crazy. It was as if he was losing control as he built up more electricity. This made Muscular's eyes widen. There's something different about him.

Wade pulled his arm back as he prepared to finish Muscular. This time, for the first time since I-Island, he was going to use 100% of his power.

"VENOM SMASH!"

Wade punched Muscular with his ultimate finishing move, causing a giant shockwave from the smash. It was so powerful that Kota was sent tumbling off the cliff. He screamed in fear as he started to drop to his death, but was stopped when Wade's webbing shot out and grabbed the back of his shirt just in the nick of time.

He was pulled back onto the cliff by Wade, who caught him with his one good hand. "I've got you," said the student, setting the boy down.

Kota turned to him and said, "Thank you for—" He cut himself off with a gasp.

Panting heavily, Wade had predictably broken his right arm, and it wasn't a pretty sight to see as it was shredded and turned an ugly shade of purple. Even with his durability, One-for-All was still too much for his body at 100%. It'll take hours for his healing factor to heal the wound. With half of his shirt gone, Wade groaned as he tore it off with his left arm. Just his luck. Another shirt's gone, and he's now with a clipped wing.

However, as Wade looked at his messed-up arm, he couldn't help but wonder about something. Maybe he could increase his healing factor with Battle Focus. If it increased all his other abilities, maybe it would work on increasing his healing factor.

"Why?"

Wade looked down at Kota as he stared at his wounded arm. He sighed and said. "Let's get back to camp. This night isn't over yet."

His spider-sense pulsed violently in his head before Wade heard the rocks behind him crumble. He turned around, and his eyes widened before groaning, "Oh, come on…"

Muscular was still not down for the count. He formed his muscle fibers around his entire body in the shape of a ball. He stood up and retracted his muscle back into his body. Horrified, Wade was in disbelief at what he was seeing. What the hell kind of crazy Quirk was this? A fully-powered Venom Smash should have done the job and beaten the vile villain into the ground. But this guy had taken on a punch that was as powerful, if not more so thanks to his superstrength, than All Might's punch.

Groaning as he stretched his back, Muscular turned to Wade with a grin. His left eye was closed. "Heh, a bit too obvious. But hey, not too bad, Walker." He said and started walking towards him.

"Dude, enough is enough!" Wade yelled at him. "Get back!"

"Naw, attacking sounds more fun." Muscular said.

Wade gritted his teeth. This was really bad. He's got one good arm, but even if he used a fully powered Venom Smash again, there's no guarantee that it'll work a second time. What was he going to do now?

"Alright then. You want to talk about Bakugo? Let's talk!" Wade said, glaring at the villain. "What do you want with him? Why does the League want you to capture me?"

"Doesn't matter to me. I'm just glad they finally let me off the leash. As long as I get to use my Quick all I want, I really don't care." Muscular said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a replacement eye for the one Wade destroyed. When he did pull it out, the fake lens popped out while his muscle fibers came back out. "Remember what I told you earlier? We're just been playing around. Having fun. Until now. Now, I'm serious! Recess is over. I'm coming at you for real. 'Cause truth be told, you're pretty strong. I see that now."

As Muscular placed his new eye on, Wade quickly bent down. "Kota, get on!"

Kota quickly jumped on the young man's back, and not a moment too soon. Wade quickly jumped out of the way of Muscular when he attacked again. The moment his fist hit the ground, the ground shook and formed cracks that went all around the cliff.

"Shit!" Wade yelled, watching the destruction unfold. Muscular's Quirk was supercharged now. It's just as insane as the killer himself. Now Wade knew he was just playing around with him. Toying with Wade before killing him.

With his body completely covered in his muscle fibers, Muscular jumped up at the two boys. Wade quickly fired a line of webbing at the ground and pulled himself away, averting the danger. Causing Muscular to punch the wall of the cliff. Wade landed on the ground on his feet, setting Kota down.

"Aw, damn! I got too excited!" Muscular said, getting stuck on the wall.

It was insane to fight him alone. If Wade could get back to camp, Aizawa should be there to erase his Quirk. That's the only plan Wade could think of at that moment. If he could get him to chase after himself and Kota, then he'll make it.

But there was just one problem. Wade was still experiencing exhaustion caused by the training he's been doing. He'd never make it. Turning his back on Muscular will get him killed, even with his spider-senses. Wade will have to finish this fight and finish it now. He'll do it so that Kota can be safe.

With this new wave of determination, Wade stood up straight and glared up at Muscular, who still had his fist stuck in the cliff. "Kota, I'll hold him off. I want you to run as fast as you can back to camp."

"You're attacking him again?" Kota asked, thinking he was completely out of his mind. But then he saw Wade reactivate Battle Focus. "You can't do that! Let's just go! Come on! Your electricity and punch didn't stop him earlier, remember? You've only got one good arm."

Green electricity coursed through Wade's body as he prepared himself for this suicide mission. "It's going to be fine," Wade said, clenching the figures of his busted hand into a fist. If he survives this, he'll need his left arm for the battle to come. But what Wade wasn't noticing was that his arm was starting to heal slowly. "This is why I wanted to be a hero."

Muscular cackled as he freed himself from the wall. "Screw taking you alive!" He yelled, wanting to spill Wade's blood all over the mountain.

"You're damn right, because I'm not going anywhere!" Wade yelled, powering up a full Venom Slash.

"Then get ready to die!" Muscular yelled, launching himself at Wade.

Wade yelled as loud as he could as he threw the strongest punch he could muster at Muscular. The gusts of wind produced by the two titanic forces clashing were intense. Kota could barely keep himself from falling. The ground under Wade's feet broke under the sheer force of the Venom Shash being pushed back by Pumper Up.

"Aw. What's wrong? That was even weaker than before!" Muscular taunted, even though he felt some of his fibers being torn up. It didn't matter to him as he forced Wade down.

"It…It'll all be…OKAY!" Wade yelled through the pain as he grabbed onto the mass of muscle with his left hand and started trying to shock Muscular. It wasn't enough to hurt him, but it could possibly damage him. "KOTA, RUN!"

"B-But…I can't leave you!" Kota yelled, frozen in fear.

"GO NOW!" Wade yelled at the boy as he felt his super strength going down. However, he wasn't going to back down now.

Muscular grinned in glee. "Still looking after him? Oh, man. You're something else, aren't you?!" He increased the size of his muscle fibers.

"Shut up, you bastard!" Wade yelled, as his right arm began to bleed as he heard multiple bones cracking. He gritted his teeth as he kept on pushing with both hands.

Muscular put even more power into the attack. "Show me…YOUR BLOOD!" He yelled, forcing Wade down on the ground.

Wade wasn't going to back down. He'll never back down. As All Might said, a real Hero will always fight for justice. Wade will die before he allows Kota to die at the hands of this monster. Sadly, that's likely what's going to happen.

"Dad…I'm sorry. I couldn't save you." Wade whispered, shedding what would likely be his final tears.

"I'M GONNA CRUSH YOU!" Muscular yelled like the psychopath he was, slamming down on Wade and crushing the ground under him. Feeling himself losing consciousness, Wade's eyes started to close as he deactivated his Quirk. There was no point in fighting anymore. He lost.

Wade was defeated, and now he's going to die.

SLASH!

Out of nowhere, Muscular was slashed with two streams of water. "What the—? Is that water?" He asked, before being soaked again. Wade felt drops fall on his face, making him open his eyes to see that Muscular had stopped.

"Stop it." Wade heard a voice and turned his head to see who it was. It was Kota, holding out both hands that were dripping wet. "LET HIM GO!"

Wade's eyes widened. Kota was using his Quirk. Another drop landed on his face, and Wade wiped it off with his left hand. His sea-green eyes started to glow as he realized what Kota had now just done for him.

"I'm all done with this kid, so it's time to kill you, little boy—" Muscular was cut off when Wade grabbed him with his left hand.

"On a scale of one to ten, how much does this hurt!" Wade's body glowed as he re-entered Battle Focus. Then he let it rip.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Muscular screamed in total agony and pain as powerful volts of electricity coursed all over his body. If he were able to think, the villain would be asking how this was even possible. But then he would remember that he was soaking in water. And as people who knew basic science or even played Pokemon will tell you, electricity plus water equaled maximum pain!

And it was thanks to Kota. A young boy that hated Quirks and the whole Super Human Society, was willing to use his power to save Wade.

"I won't let you hurt Kota!" Wade yelled, using his strength to push the momentarily paralyzed Muscular off his body. He then jumped up on his feet and prepared for one final attack.

As he did so, he felt something building up in his soul. The power that had been kept dormant for so long was finally waking up. One-for-All was connecting to all of its powers and was ready to be unleashed.

"One for All…1,000,000%!"

Wade arched his arm back, and the electricity in his right, broken fist raged uncontrollably in every direction.

"SUPER VENOM SMASH!" Wade yelled as he punched Muscular, resulting in a massive gust of wind blowing everywhere and lightning flying in all directions. Muscular screamed in pure agony as his muscle fibers were torn apart. They came undone, allowing Wade to punch through and slam into Muscular's face. The Spider-Man of Earth-675 sent the murderous villain hurling towards the wall of the cliff. Smash him into it as a massive crater formed around Muscular. Somehow, the killer was still alive, but he was unconscious. Beaten to a pulp.

In complete awe, Kota stood where he was and stared at Wade in utter shock as he dropped to his knees. All he could think about was why Wade would do all of this. "Why did you do this? You didn't even know me!" He asked, starting to cry. "Why did you try and save me?"

That's when he remembered Mandalay's words to him. This time, however, he fully understood them.

"Kota, your mom and dad, the Water Hose Heroes. It's true they ended up leaving you behind. But, they saved so many lives through their sacrifice you'll see that someday. You'll see that someday. You'll meet someone, and then you'll understand why we do this. Someone who will risk their life to save others. To save you. Someone who will be…"

Kota stared with tear-filled eyes at Wade. Never in his life had he ever expected to see what just happened. The death of his parents had scared him, and he generally tried to avoid anything Hero-related. It didn't make any sense to him why anyone would do it. That's why he never used his water Quirk until now.

But then he saw Wade, someone that was willing to die for him, almost get crushed, he couldn't let it happen. Kota's body just acted before he could think. Mandalay was right all along. Now he knew why his cousin did what she did. Now he knew fully what Wade was.

"...a hero."

Wade raised his good fist to the air and roared to the heavens. Victory was his, and he had saved Kota. And in doing so, he became the very thing that Kota has been needing to heal. A soul so pure and selfless that he would put his life on the line to save him, a boy that disrespected him and everything he held in value. An angel that struck down the devil that took his parents' lives and made all of his pain go away.

"...My Hero."

As for Wade, he panted heavily. Blood and sweat dripped down his body as his wound remained fresh. He looked at Muscular. The villain's body didn't move, but by his breathing, Wade knew he was still alive. He fired a large net of his webbing at the villain, covering him and pinning him to the rocks.

Letting his left arm drop to his side, Wade looked at his right arm. Muscular had broken it so much that Wade was certain it was more damaged than when he used his full power in the Sports Festival. And then there was the fact that Wade was pretty exhausted at the moment. His training with Tiger and his battle with the muscle Quirker user had nearly drained him of energy. But he couldn't stay there.

Wade tried to move his feet, but slipped due to his fatigue and started to fall over. This was something Kota quickly caught on to and bolted toward Spider-Man. "Hey!"

However, Wade quickly regained balance. "I'm fine. Just…let me have a second, and then I'll be ready to go." He said, looking out at the burning forest and the poisonous smoke. "This fight ain't over yet, and I'm not done."

"But you're all beat up! What more could you have to do now?" Kota asked, shaking his head. There was no way Wade could fight in his condition.

Wade looked back at Muscular. "I knew that bastard would be strong. That's why I had to try and beat him here." Wade responded, grunting as he turned back to the forest. "I underestimated him. I thought he was just going to be another thug the League of Villains sent like at the USJ. But it took everything I had to beat him. Meaning that these new villains are on the same level as him. We're not ready to fight them. What's worse, it sounds like these guys are after some of us. We know that they wanted Bakugo and me, so who knows who else they want and why. I've got to warn the adults about what's going on."

Wade clenched his left fist and glared out into the forest. Time to put his theory to the test. "I'm not done for the count just yet. My body will heal itself, but there are more people I can save." He said, entering Battle Focus. Wade only hopes that his theory of it increasing his healing factor works.

With admiration for Wade's determination, Kota nodded. Wade looked at Muscular. "We'll leave this psychopath here for now. With how busted my arm is, my Venom Smash wasn't as super as I thought it was. But he's not going anywhere for a while. Even if he did, he'd be too weak." He explained to the boy, before turning to Kota. "None of that matters as much as getting you to safety. You're the only one that can help us."

Kota looked to the forest and knew what he meant.

"My friends are still out there, trapped by that fire. Your water Quirk can put out those flames," said Wade, kneeling down to Kota. "I know I'm asking a lot from you, but right now, I need your help."

Getting teary-eyed for a moment, Kota nodded his head. "I'll do my best."

---

Aizawa couldn't believe what was happening. None of this should have been happening. They didn't tell anyone, not even the parents, where they were going. They lied about the intended destination of the camp. The only ones that knew were the faculty of UA. So why was this happening? How did the villains know about this place? And what did that clone of Dabi mean before it disintegrated into that dark-colored, viscous liquid?

"Tell me, Hero, are you worried for your students? I wonder if you can save them in the end."

There were too many unknowns right now. He had to focus. When the boy came running to him, he instructed Iida, Ojiro, Koda, and Mineta to go into the building with their classmates in the remedial class, Vlad King, and Monoma. Then he took off running in the direction they came from. He had to get the Pussycats to plan a counterattack and get the students to safety.

"Mr. Aizawa!"

The teacher stopped and looked in the direction the voice came from. Swinging towards him with one good arm was Wade Walker, carrying the kid that Mandalay brought on his back.

Wade landed in front of his teacher as Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "Walker—" He stopped when he saw the damage down to the student's body.

"You're here. Thank God." Wade said, panting as he deactivated Battle Focus. Kota got off his back as Wade started to explain. "Listen, I don't have much time to explain, so please listen to me. I have information about the villains."

"Hey…"

"I've got to find Mandalay and tell her so she can broadcast it."

"Hold on!"

"Right, this is Kota. Kota, Aizawa. Aizawa, Kota. I need you to take care of him while I'm gone. He can help with the fire with his water Quirk!" Aizawa frowned. Wade wasn't stopping. He was running on pure adrenaline. "I'll be back soon!"

Wade shot a web-line up into the trees and was about to go swinging off. However, his teacher erased his Quirk. "Wade, stop!" Aizawa said.

Taking a moment to listen to his teacher, Wade looked at Aizawa.

"Those injuries…." Aizawa cut him off, motioning to Wade's battered body and mangled arm. "You went too far again, didn't you? Have you learned nothing from Hosu?"

Wade frowned when he remembered that day. When the police chief chewed him, Todoroki, and Iida for fighting Stain with their Quirks and how they didn't have the licenses to inflict the injuries they did on him.

"No, I didn't, but I'd do it again if I had to. Even if it's just to save one life." Wade said to his teacher. "Which, by the way, is exactly what happened. And now I have the chance to save everyone here, that's why I need to get to Mandalay fast."

Teacher and student stared at one another with frowns. However, in the end, Aizawa sighed and nodded in approval before deactivating his Quirk. "Go, but tell Mandalay something for me too."

When Aizawa told Wade what he wanted, Spider-Man nodded. "Understood." He said, and was about to swing off when he stopped. "Sir…did you see him? Did you see da—I mean Ghost?"

Aizawa looked at the boy with sympathy. "I haven't."

Wade was silent for a moment. "Thank you." And then he was off.

With his student off to do what he must, Aizawa quickly picked up Kota and started running. Praying that his students, the Heroes of Tomorrow, would not let this night be their last and end their journey here.

However, he thought back to Spider-Man. Wade was in a bad situation. The only reason he's still going with his injuries is because of the endorphins pumping through his body. Or his Quirk is just allowing him to keep going. Aizawa didn't know what it was that allowed Wade to do the incredible feats that he does. However, he knew that it was only temporary. Once he's accomplished his goals and calmed down a little, he wouldn't be able to move at all.

But if it wasn't for the fact that his friends were in trouble, there's one deeply personal thing that could keep Wade going tonight, and it made the teacher question his decision to let Wade go.

Aizawa couldn't even begin to imagine the state of mind that boy was going through. Just like Midnight, Aizawa was shocked when he learned that Daniel Walker was alive and working with the League of Villains. Now that Wade knows his father's here, knowing the boy, he was going to do everything to get to his dad, to try and get him back.

"Mister, is he going to be okay?" Kota asked, worried about Wade. "I…I sort of punched him before. And still, he got beaten to a pulp just to protect me." Remembering that made Kota tear up as he gripped tightly on Eraser Head's scarf. "I never apologized. Or even thanked him. Please, tell me…he's not gonna get hurt anymore, right?"

"Don't worry. He's sustained those injuries before. But believe me, he has no intention of dying. Though, as his teacher, I'll have to scold him for acting without my permission." Aizawa told him.

Kota gasped. "Really?"

"You'll get your chance to talk to him again. And when you do, put more emphasis on the 'thank you' part."

---

Mandalay and Tiger were doing their best to hold off Magne and Spinner. Having gotten the woman away from her magnet, Tiger engaged the villain in a brawl. However, Magne blocked all of the Pussycat's attacks. Mandalay, on the other hand, was using her skills and maneuverability to dodge Spinner's giant sword. But even she was starting to grow tired.

"You're not…A REAL HERO!" He yelled as he swung his sword at Mandalay. She grunted with each dodge, but her exhaustion was starting to weigh her down. The brunette could almost feel the stupidly large sword grazing her skin. "You brought this on yourself, girl!"

Mandalay jumped out of the way when he brought his weapon down, causing him to smash it on the ground. "Jeez, you're persistent!" She commented.

"As are you!" Spinner then surprised her by jumping into the air with his weapon. Mandalay gasped and looked up to see the lizard villain coming down towards her. "But it's time to knock you off your false throne!"

SMASH!

In a blur of great speeds, Wade came rocketing onto the battlefield. Destroying it with his feet. "Didn't anyone tell you never to play with giant swords?!" He quipped.

"Walker!" Mandalay gasped in astonishment.

Wade landed on the ground with a skid. "Mandalay! I've saved Kota!" He yelled to her the moment he stopped. "He's with Aizawa, safe and sound."

Mandalay looked at Wade in shock. "You saved him?" She asked, feeling great relief.

"Yeah, and I found out a little something interesting about our friends here." Wade said, still in Battle Focus mode. Though he wasn't paying attention, he did feel his arm starting to heal. That's a good thing. "And I've got a message from Mr. Aizawa. We need you to use your power to tell everyone!"

Dabi's words to Aizawa made it clear to the teacher that they were targeting the students. Wade's encounter with Muscular only solidified that notion. Wade was the best fighter in the class, with no one being able to beat him. But if he could get those kinds of injuries, then the teacher saw that the situation had become unavoidable. They all had to protect themselves and each other.

And so, Aizawa decided to let them off the leash.

"Tell everyone in Class A and Class B that Eraser Head has granted them permission to engage in combat with the villains!"

Hearing this, Mandalay nodded and relayed the message. All over the forest, the students were told exactly what they needed to hear by Mandalay.

"Everyone in Class A and Class B! In the name of the Pro Hero, Eraserhead, you are granted permission to engage in combat! I repeat, use your training. You may fight these villains!"

With the message out, Mandalay prayed that Aizawa knew what he was doing. She looked to Wade, who was panting while squatting slightly. "Get back to camp right now!" Spinner charged at her, so she did a high kick at him, but the villain blocked. "Those injuries aren't normal!" She said after taking in the damage down to his body.

"I will when I'm done!" Wade said as he began running away from the Heroes and villains fighting, activating Battle Focus yet again. "I need you to send another message to everyone! The villains are here for a reason! They're after Bakugo and I! You've got to let them know!"

"What? What do you mean?!" Mandalay asked, more confused.

"They're after my classmates! I don't know who else, but Katsuki Bakugo and I are on their list!" Wade yelled, rushing for the field.

"Wait, stop!"

However, as he rushed toward the trees, Magne looked at Wade. Her eyes widened. The rumbling from earlier could have only been caused by three people in the Vanguard Action Squad. And it sounded like one of them talked. It couldn't have been Ghost, he was in charge of the mission. Nor could it have been Dabi, as he's not the one to do that. Meaning it could have only been Muscular.

Magne wondered if the teenager was more powerful than that psychopath. With that in mind, Magne dodged another one of Tiger's punches and rushed at Wade. Intent on taking him out at that moment.

Wade's senses alarmed him of the threat, and he looked at Magne from the corner of his eye. He was about to fight back when his sense alarmed him of the other villain.

"Don't, Big Sis Magne!" Spinner exclaimed, throwing a knife before Wade and Magne. The muscular woman yelped as she jumped back, giving Wade the chance to get away. Activating his camouflage and disappearing from view.

"What the hell was that for, Spinner?!" She yelled at him. "He was the number target on the list!"

"Shigaraki is the one that wants him captured!" Spinner shouted.

"Uh, no shit! He's the reason we're here!"

"But that boy is someone Stain wished to save. Which means he was deemed worthy of being called a True Hero! If Stain spared him, then—"

That conversation was cut short when Magne and Spinner were knocked out by Tiger and Mandalay, respectively. "About fucking time I got a solid hit!" The woman said after kicking the lizard villain in the head.

Mandalay looked in the direction Wade ran off in but saw nothing. She didn't know how Wade disappeared, but there was no stopping the boy. All she could do was relay his message.

"Listen, we've discovered the villains are targeting students. So far, we know two people on their list. Both are from Class 1-A. Wade Walker and Katsuki Bakugo! Bakugo, you should try to avoid combat and stick to a group. Walker is currently coming to your aid. Wade, do the same. The moment you see one of your classmates, join up and get back to the camp."

As everyone that was safe could only wonder what the villains were wanting with the two boys, Mandalay prayed that Wade would make it.

---

Wade reappeared in the forest and rushed towards where he saw some smoke. Bakugo was teamed up with Todoroki, and they went in second for the test of courage. If they didn't go back to camp, then they're still out here. But where? He looked at his arm again. It's been five minutes since he used One-for-All to accelerate the healing process. Sure far, he felt most of his bones were put back together. He was able to move his fingers, but it was still painful.

Suddenly Wade's senses went off. Out in front of him, a giant dark shadowy hand came out of nowhere and attempted to crush him. Wade was about to jump out of the way, however, he was saved by a familiar face.

The hand slammed into the ground, as Wade and Shoji panted together. "Thanks, Shoji. I owe you—" Wade gasped when he saw one of Shoji's arms bleeding. That was the worst of the taller boy, as he had bruises all over his body. "Shoji, what the hell happened to you?"

"I can say the same to you, Wade," said the tentacle boy while holding the Spider-Man on his back with two of his arms. "You should be laying in bed, waiting for your body to recover. But you want to save your friends, no matter the cost."

"Well, look at you, knowing me more than I know myself." Wade quipped with a smirk. "But I don't know if you've noticed, but you're banged up, too."

Shoji sighed as blood dripped from his injured tentacle. "Yes."

"Shoji, what happened?" Wade asked worriedly.

"We were ambushed by villains, and I covered us. But the attack triggered Tokoyami's Quirk, even though he was desperately trying to hold it back."

Wade gasped, remembering what his bird-headed friend told him during the Sports Festival.

"My Quirk's offensive abilities get stronger when I'm in darkness. But that makes Dark Shadow aggressive and difficult to control."

Wade's eyes widened in horror. Now he understands why Tokoyami has been acting so weird the past few days. "He's lost control of Dark Shadow." He whispered in terror before a loud growl got their attention. In front of Wade and Shoji, they could see what kind of threat they were facing.

Dark Shadow was out of control. The once gentle, miniature shadowy creature that was shaped like Tokoyami during the day was now a monstrous creature that was destroying everything in its path. It was much larger with a monstrous head, glowing red eyes, and massive claws. And tangled in its body was Tokoyami.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME! YOU'LL DIE!" He yelled at Shoji and Wade. He still had some consciousness, but he was losing control of the Quirk fast. It would not be long before Dark Shadow took over completely and destroyed the entire area.

"Tokoyami!" Wade yelled at his friend, before Shoji used a hand to cover his mouth.

"Keep it down!" He hissed, quickly taking cover behind a tree as the monster moved past them. Crushing trees in its way.

"How did he get this way?" Wade asked.

"After Mandalay told us what was happening and that we shouldn't engage, we were both on high alert. Still, one of the villains got the drop on us. Even though one of my arms was cut off, I hid in the bushes and tried to cover Tokoyami."

Wade raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He asked, turning his attention to the bleeding hand.

"It only looks bad, but it's not like it's lost forever. My Dupliarms are capable of making duplicates upon duplicates." Shoji explained to a confused Wade, helping him understand. "Tokoyami didn't know this and lost it. He couldn't stand seeing me injured like that. The Quirk he'd been suppressing began to rage and take over.

Dark Shadow roared again as the two boys glanced at it. "When Tokoyami told me he had less control of Dark Shadow the darker it is, I didn't think it would explode like this." Wade said, shocked by the level of power displayed by the sentient Quirk.

"It's probably fueled by his righteous indignation and regret. He's tried to hold it back, but they made it wilder," said Shoji in agreement.

He took a step back but accidentally stepped on a stick. Snapping it.

"Look out!" Wade yelled. Dark Shadow lashed out at them. Shoji jumped out of the way as the monstrous Quirk smashed the tree they were behind.

"It started lunging at any sound or movement. A beast lashing out with indiscriminate attacks." Shoji said as Wade looked at Tokoyami, who was struggling to keep himself in control. But it was a battle he was losing.

"Forget me. Go! Find our classmates! Help them instead!" Tokoyami groaned, gritting his teeth as he tried to tame Dark Shadow. "Stop this. Calm down, Dark Shadow!"

Wade knew they had to stop Dark Shadow now. If that thing continues the way it is, it'll kill everyone it comes across, including the villains. No one would survive, and it wouldn't stop until the next day. Wade must do something, or else this night will turn into a bloodbath.

And Shoji was in the same mindset.

"His Quirk has a weakness to light. If we can lead them to a fire or back to the camp, we can contain it." He said, before looking at Wade on his back. "Wade, I know these are strange circumstances, but I can't just leave a friend behind to suffer. You forced your broken body to get you here because you're worried about Bakugo. If you still wanna save him, then turn invisible and get out of here. I'll distract Dark Shadow."

"Like hell I'm leaving you!" Wade quickly refused. "The fire and the camp are both too far. You'll be in danger if he—DUCK!"

Wade's senses alarmed the two just in time to dodge Dark Shadow slashing at them. "I know that!" Shoji exclaimed. "But to save people, you have to take risks. You should know that by now, Wade. You have to make a choice. Help Tokoyami or help Bakugo."

The web-slinger gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. He hated to choose between those two options, but he may not have any other option. He couldn't use his electricity, as he risked hurting Tokoyami, and it may not be enough to stop Dark Shadow.

However, he gasped when he realized something. "Bakugo's with Todoroki…" Shoji looked at him in confusion at first.

---

"Flesh. Pieces of meat!" Moonfish howled as stood above Bakugo and Todoroki using his Quirk. Just like how the villain was a nasty son of a bitch, his Quirk was just as creepy. Blade-Tooth grants the death row escapee the ability to enlarge and reshape his teeth into sharp blades that vary in both size and shape. He was even able to manipulate the length and direction of the teeth at will.

This ability allowed the villain to commit his vile killing spree that got him placed on death row. Now he was free to use it again.

Moonfish sent a dozen tooth blades towards Bakugo and Todoroki. The duel Quirk user summoned a wall of ice to stop them while holding Kosei Tsuburaba from Class 1-B on his back. However, the blades were stronger than the ice, and pierced through it, forcing the two boys to dodge them.

"Teeth attacks? Seriously? It's time to blast this freak with everything I've got!" Bakugo yelled, getting sick of holding back. They haven't been able to make a dent in the death row convict, and it annoyed the exploder.

"You can't!" Todoroki yelled at him.

"If the trees burn, just cover them with ice, stupid!"

"A big explosion will impair my vision, though. I may not be able to see the fire. And how are you gonna get close to him anyway?" Shoto questioned the person he was teamed up with. Normally, he was calm and cool-headed in dangerous situations, but Bakugo was wearing down his patience with his constant complaining of not going all out on Moonfish. No wonder Wade couldn't stand being around him.

Bakugo growled and glared at Moonfish. However, his and Todoroki's attention was caught when a series of big explosions. And they were coming their way.

"INCOMING!" Yelled a familiar voice. Moonfish turned his head in confusion.

That's when they saw both Wade and Shoji running towards them as fast as they could. Behind them, Dark Shadow chased the two, destroying everything in its path.

"Bakugo! Todoroki! Give us some light!" Shoji yelled.

"And make it snappy, will ya'?!" Wade yelled as Dark Shadow roared.

"MORE FLESH!" Moonfish yelled in depravity and sent one of his tooth blades at Wade and Shoji. However, Dark Shadow interjected with a roar and destroyed the blade and part of the ice wall.

Wade and Shoji jumped out of the way when it happened. The shadowy Quirk's claw landed on Moonfish and had him pinned to the ground. Both Bakugo and Todoroki gasped when they saw this.

Looking back at his friend, Wade saw Tokoyami in tears, screaming as he desperately tried to regain control. This plan wasn't perfect, but it was their best option to get to Bakugo and get Dark Shadow under control. They lured Dark Shadow here using Shoji's duplicate arms as bait so that he'd follow them with attacking their real bodies. This was all so he could save them both.

"Bakugo!" Wade yelled to Bakugo, whose eyes widened in shock.

"Wade and Shoji, and is that…Tokoyami?" Todoroki asked in shock. Dark Shadow roared as he smashed more of Shoto's ice.

"We need some light right now!" Shoji exclaimed through one of his tentacles. "He's out of control!" The tall boy narrowly dodged a strike from Dark Shadow as Wade pulled him away using his webbings.

"He's attacking blindly. I'll use my fire!" Todoroki said, placing Tsuburaba down. He was about to use the power when Bakugo stopped him with his hand.

"Not so fast," The exploder said.

Moonfish was still conscious, and when Dark Shadow got off him, he used his teeth to push himself up. Drooling from his gaping mouth as he lifted himself into the air. "Flesh. Slabs of meat. No good. Can't allow it. I'm the one who gets to slice them open. DON'T STEAL FROM ME!" He howled and fired his blade teeth at the monster.

However, they passed through Dark Shadow. The shadow Quirk then grabbed Moonfish's body. "You don't matter. Insignificant bug!" Dark Shadow roared, crushing the death row convict, easily breaking his blade teeth.

This made Bakugo smirk in approval. "Now finish him!"

Dark Shadow roared as he swung Moonfish around, slamming him into multiple trees. Dealing major damage to the villain and knocking out a few of his teeth, before he was thrown away. The insane villain was knocked out when his back was slammed hard into a tree.

"Not enough! It's not enough!" Dark Shadow growled, growing bigger. He was about to go on and destroy more.

However, his rampage was brought to a stop when Bakugo and Todoroki rushed toward the beast and activated their Quirks. Dark Shadow squeaked like a puppy as the explosion and fire shrunk it down to its normal size. Freeing Tokoyami.

The bird-headed boy crouched down on the ground, panting from what was the worst and most hellish experience he's ever had. It was frustrating. Even after all the training, he still couldn't get ahold of Dark Shadow in the dark for even a second.

Bakugo scoffed in disappointment. "I'm a terrible match for you, birdboy."

Wade ran over to his friend and crouched down next to him. "Thank you. You saved me." He said with a sigh.

Todoroki looked at the knocked out form of Moonfish as the villain laid against the tree. "We could barely defend against that guy, but you beat him instantly." He said, never realizing just how powerful Tokoyami was.

Shoji joined Wade and walked up to Tokoyami as he was in a fatigued state. "My friend, are you okay?" He asked the person he was paired with. "You did what we needed you to do."

Wade nodded with a smile. If they were going to get it to Bakugo and Todoroki, they needed Tokoyami to let go for that single moment and just let the monster take over. And it worked. However, this still didn't make his friend feel better.

Tokoyami hung his head in shame. "Shoji. I apologize. You too, Wade. I'm still far too immature. Anger consumed me, and I let my Quirk take over. The influence of the darkness, combined with my fury, spurred Dark Shadow into a frenzy. Until…it got too strong. I couldn't contain it, and I ended up hurting Shoji," Tokoyami gritted his teeth as he punched the floor, angered in himself for doing something so unforgivable as hurting his comrades.

"We'll deal with it later. That's what you'd say if our roles were reversed," Shoji said with a smile under his mask. Tokoyami gasped when he heard this and looked up at him. Wade joined in and smiled at the bird-headed boy. Seeing both of them smile at him made Tokoyami nod to them.

Wade stood back up and looked at everyone. "Alright, back to business." He said to the others. "We've got to get Bakugo out of here before they come for him and me."

"Are they trying to kill you two? Why?" Todoroki asked.

"No, they're trying to capture us. That's why we've got to get back to camp and fast. It's the safest place in this forest, so long as the teachers have regrouped there."

"I understand," Tokoyami said with a nod. "So our mission is to get you and Bakugo back to safety by serving as your protectors."

"That's right." Wade said before thinking of their next move. "It's possible the Pussycats are still fighting in the clearing. Going that way will take us longer, and we risk running into another villain. We'll have to cut straight through the forest."

"We don't know how many enemies are here," Tokoyami said, pointing out the flaw of the plan as Shoji picked up Tsuburaba's body. "We might come across some by chance."

"That's where Shoji's Quirk and my spider-senses come in. Todoroki will freeze the villains, and only if you're okay, Tokoyami, we'll use Dark Shadow now that we can control him." Wade told the boys with a frown. "I've still got my legs and good arm while my other arm is still healing. But with a group like this, I think we'll have a chance."

"I'd be fine by myself!" Bakugo yelled.

"Like hell you will be, genius!" Wade snapped back. "You're a target. You can't go alone."

"We'll surround you and Wade as we go," Shoto said.

"I don't need any of your protection, damnit!" Bakugo shouted.

Wade took in a deep breath and activated Battle Focus again. "Let's go." Shoji said, beginning to walk in front of the group

"Don't ignore me!"

"Already doing it!" Wade said with a smirk.

"Just make sure you keep up," said Todoroki.

"Don't tell me what to do!"

The group of five boys entered the forest. They walked for a while, keeping on high alert for any villains. Tokoyami walked behind Bakugo and was the one that was watching their backs.

The forest was completely silent, with the exception of the sound of the forest fire. As they walked for what was likely 3 minutes, Wade felt his arm healing. But this time, it was slower. Wade didn't understand it, but in his mind, he told himself that there was so much more he had to learn about his Quirks. But for now, his only concern was finding the others and getting them to safety.

Suddenly, Shoji stopped, making the others stop too. "There's someone up ahead." He said, listening to it with his tentacles.

"Is it one of us?" Wade asked.

"No. I don't recognize her voice…." Shoji paused for a moment before his eyes widened in shock. "It's Asui! Ochaco's in trouble!"

Hearing one of his girlfriend's names leave his mouth, Wade bolted ahead as the other boys ran to catch up.

Wade jumped from tree to tree before flying out of the forest and over the path. There, he saw what was going on. His bubbly girlfriend had Himiko pinned to the ground, while Tsuyu was hanging from a nearby tree. Her hair was pinned by a knife. But what got Wade's attention was that the villain had stabbed Ochaco in her left thigh with a needle from a silver canister. He could see that it was sucking out her blood through a tube that went to the two large cylinders strapped to Himiko's belt.

"Get your hands off her!" Wade yelled, shooting a web-line at the ground and launching himself towards the two girls.

Seeing the Hero-in-Training coming towards her, Toga quickly threw Ochaco off her, pulling the needle out of her, and jumping away. Resulting in Wade punching the ground where she once was.

"Stop!" Ochaco yelled after the crazy girl as the others rushed over.

Toga looked back at the brunette and said, "There's too many people here now, and I don't feel like getting killed tonight. Toodles."

However, as she was about to leave, she took note of something. Or rather someone that Toga found to be very attractive to her. That moment came when she looked eyes with Wade as he glared at her. She's seen his picture before, but now she was seeing him in person.

And Toga thought he was hot. The villain gasped as a bright pink blush enveloped her face.

"Get her!" Ochaco yelled, standing up to go after her, but was held back when Tsuyu rushed to her side.

"It's too dangerous." She told her. The frog girl glanced back and watched as Toga ran off into the forest. "We have no idea what kind of Quirk she has."

"Ochaco, are you okay?" Wade asked, worried when he saw the cuts on her leg and arm.

"It's not bad, babe. I can still walk okay. You're the one that looks terrible!" Ochaco said, blushing at how worried he was for her and seeing him without his shirt.

"We can't stand here and talk." Shoji said. "Let's move."

Powering down, Wade smiled and hugged Ochaco with his one good arm. It made his girlfriend blush again. "I'm so glad you're okay." He said, before pulling away to look at her and Tsuyu. "Now let's go. Come with us so we can protect Bakugo and make our way to camp. We could really use your help."

Tsuyu placed a finger on her chin and tilted her head. "If you're protecting Bakugo, then shouldn't he be standing here with you guys?"

Wade turned around to look at Bakugo. "What are you talking about? He's right—"

He was gone.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Wade shouted as he started to panic, wondering where the exploder went off to. They were in crisis mode now. They had all their bases covered and were doing so well. If he ran off to do his own thing, Wade's gonna strangle him. He hopes that's what happened.

But sadly, it wasn't.

"Nice trick, eh?"

Wade gasped and looked up in the direction the voice came from. It was then that he saw somebody standing on a branch of a nearby tree.

This villain was Mr. Compress. He was a tall, slim man with pale skin. His face couldn't be seen, as it was covered by a white mask with a black geometric design on it. Over his head, he wore a black balaclava with a hole for his mouth as well as his eyes and a tall brown top hat that had a red ribbon tied around it and a pale feather sticking out, on the left side. His attire consisted of a dark yellow, double-breasted overcoat with buttoned shoulder tabs and a high collar, which reaches below his knees, over a dark orange shirt that had the collar left upturned and a green striped bolo necktie with an oval-shaped azure brooch hanging around his neck. He also had black dress pants and knee-high white boots with wedged heels and black toe-caps, and plain dark red gloves. Additionally, he was carrying a silver walking stick with a gold handle.

"I took the lad you're talking about with my magic. A talent like his would be squandered if he were cast as a Hero," said Mr. Compress in a gentlemanly manner as everyone stared at him in shock. In his right hand, he held a small marble, and it didn't take long for the others to realize what happened to Bakugo. "We'll provide him with a grander stage where he can truly shine."

Wade glared daggers at Mr. Compress. "Give him back!"

"'Give him back?' What an odd thing to say. Bakugo doesn't belong to anyone. He's his own person. Don't be so arrogant, Wade Walker." said the villain, angering the boy even more.

---

Meanwhile, Momo couldn't believe what kind of position she was in. When Mustard's gas attack started, she provided everyone that was in the forest with gas masks to avoid breathing in any more of it. The only other person with her was Aoyama and Yosetsu Awase from Class B. When Hagakure and Jiro were knocked out by the gas, she told her partner to get them back to camp while she went with Awase to help the rest of his classmates.

What they found was nothing she was prepared for.

When they reached the far end of the route where they were supposed to grab their name tags for the test of courage, they found Ragdoll, who had gone missing when the attack began. She was barely alive, beaten and bleeding, with her communication device broken on the ground. Laying in a pool of her own blood, the Hero suffered grievous injuries.

Panting while on her knees, Momo used the staff she formed to try and keep herself from falling over to the ground. Bruised up and with blood on her face from a head injury, she grunted in pain as she looked up. Standing next to her was Awase, who looked at the villain with fear while holding a shield Momo formed for him.

And then there was the person responsible for those injuries.

Across the clearing and starting in front of Ragdoll's body was Ghost, or Daniel Walker to Momo. He was unstoppable. Momo thought that his Quirk was just to turn invisible. But she was wrong. Horribly wrong. Nothing about it made sense to her. When she saw what he did, she was amazed, but also terrified.

On the ground in front of the villain were streaks of what could only be described as ink. The colors consisted of black, blue, pink, and yellow. Both Momo and Awase had splatters of ink on their bodies too. All were where Ghost had hit them.

Glaring at the two weakened students, Ghost saw his chance to finish off the students. Crouching down, he raised his hands and then slammed them down. Dragging them across the dirt, Ghost created two large streaks of ink from his hands, one blue and one pink. The villain then reached down, and his hands went into the ink streaks as if putting his hand into a pool of water. Pulling out, he conjured a katana sword from each respective streak. Both colored the same as the ink they came out of.

Seeing the weapons, Awase quickly ran in front of Momo. "You're not getting to her, man!" He yelled at the villain, holding the shield defensively.

Ghost tilted his head for a second, before holding up his katanas. But then, the swords reformed and turned into throwing glaives. This shocked the two students, and Ghost threw the glaives at Awase.

"Whoa! Hey!" He yelled, quickly blocking each of the throwing weapons, which became stuck in his sword. However, just as Awase thought he had successfully blocked the attack, the throwing glaives started to beep with a flickering light. "Oh crap!"

Awase threw the shield at Ghost, but the villain swatted it away with his arm. Off to the side, the devices exploded into a blue and pink explosion, as Ghost started walking towards them.

"Holy shit, what the hell is this guy?!" Awase yelled out in shock.

Reaching into his hoster, Ghost pulled out his pistol and was about to take aim when Momo shouted out to him as loud as she could in her injured state.

"Daniel Walker!"

Ghost stopped and looked at her with slightly widened eyes.

Momo panted before continuing. She had to try and get through to him. "Your name is Daniel Walker! I know you because I know your son, Wade. Please! I don't know what's going on, but you have to snap out of it! You're not a villain, you're a—"

"I'm sorry, but you have me mistaken for someone else." Ghost said, aiming his pistol at her.

Momo yelped and flinched, but the villain stopped when there was a sudden alarm sound coming from Ghost. Lowering his pistol, the villain looked at his watch. The timer on it was over. He placed his hand on his earpiece.

"Time's up. We're leaving now." He said in a cold voice. "You did accomplish your missions?"

"Funny you should say that, my dear Ghost, because I have Katsuki Bakugo in my hands as we speak, and Wade Walker is standing right in front of me." Mr. Compress responded on the other side of the communicator.

When she heard this, Momo gasped, and her eyes widened at Ghost. The villains have Bakugo? And her darling was in danger? She had to think of something and something fast. What would the worst-case scenario be, and what would be the smartest thing she could do right now to save her boyfriend and classmate?

"Then you've failed your mission to get both students." Ghost said, glaring as he looked away from the two students. "Take the target you have back to the rendezvous point. I'm bringing Ragdoll."

Hearing that, Momo had an idea. Letting go of her staff, clenched both her hands into fists and used her Quirk to create two items. "Awase…" She muttered to the boy with her, who looked down at her. "I have a plan."

"Excuse me? I have Bakugo with me as we speak, and Wade is right in front of me! I can take him now."

"No. We follow orders. Get back to the others. We're leaving now." Ghost told Mr. Compress before ending the transmission.

His ears heard the sound of a pin pulled and someone throwing something at him. Ghost turned toward the students and fired his gun.

Hitting a smoke bomb.

Ghost could only gasp before it went off in a large cloud of red smoke that explained across the entire clearing. He coughed and looked around to see what was going on, but saw nothing. With his gas mask back on his face, Awase rushed into the smoke as fast as he could. Momo had given him a small object the size of a button and told him to use his Weld Quirk to attach it to Ragdoll's body.

"I don't know what's going on, but here we go!" He said, running to Ragdoll's body. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ragdoll!" Awase saw her exposed back and slapped the device on her. Then he used his power, which allowed him to fuse things, both organic and inorganic, at a subatomic level.

The moment the teenage boy welded the device on the injured Pro, he quickly ran back the way he came. Dodging a few shots fired at him. He ran back to Momo and picked her up, carrying her as they ran away from the villain.

"No way that's coming off." He said.

"Thank you so much." Momo said, before falling unconscious.

As the smoke cleared, Ghost looked around for the students. However, they were gone. It didn't matter, his mission was finished. So, he picked up Ragdoll and carried her to the rendezvous point. Not knowing about the device on her.

---

Mr. Compress sighed. "That Ghost, taking everything so seriously." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

Wade gasped when he heard the villain name used by his father. "Dad? Where is he?!" He shouted up at Mr. Compress.

"Focus on getting Bakugo back, Wade!" Todoroki yelled, summoning a wave of ice to attack the villain in the tree. However, Mr. Compress jumped into the air, avoiding the ice.

Seeming floating in the air, Mr. Compress asked, "Why the aggression? We merely wish to show Bakugo that there are options besides the fanatical world of heroism he's drowning in." He landed on the top of another tree and stared down at the kids. "It's important to choose a path that aligns with your core values, after all."

Wade growled up at the villain before Shoji exclaimed, "It's not just Bakugo. Tokoyami's gone!" Wade gasped and looked around. To his shock, Shoji was right. He snatched two of the strongest classmates without a sound. What kind of power was this guy using?

"And then there's you, Wade Walker." Mr. Compress said, getting Wade's attention. "We know about your father, that's why we brought him here. For a little family reunion. So, I'm giving you the chance to see your daddy again, if you come with me and the League."

Wade growled at the villain as he glared. "I wouldn't be monologuing right now. You haven't beaten us just yet."

"A bad habit of mine." Mr. Compress said, twirling the marble in his hand. "I was once an entertainer, you know. It's always good to give your audience something they can hook onto. While I wasn't able to snatch our #1 target, Wade Walker, taking Tokoyami wasn't part of the plan, but I think it's a good move on my part. Poor Moonfish, our dear 'blade tooth'. He may not look like much, but he's a dastardly death row devil whose last appeal was denied."

"Geez, I wonder why?" Wade asked sarcastically. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"When I saw the avian take him down so easily and violently, I decided he should join our troupe," Compress said, twirling both marbles in his hands before grabbing them in a fist.

"You're not taking them anywhere, you bastard!" Wade yelled.

"Wade, calm down!" Todoroki said, summoning a large glacier and attacking Mr. Compress with it. The ice shot forward and destroyed nearly a mile of the forest.

However, just as Shoto thought he had beaten the villain, his voice called out from above. "Apologies, but sleight-of-hand and escapology are my specialties, not combat," Mr. Compress said, up in the air after avoiding the ice onslaught. "I'm not foolish enough to fight Hero candidates from UA. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go. Your father is not a patient man."

As the kids watched the villain fly off, a sense of defeat washed over them. "They're going to take them…our friends."

"Like hell they are!" Wade yelled and started running after the villain. The others followed after him, and together, they chased after Mr. Compress as he hopped from tree to tree.

"Damnit, this guy's quick!" Todoroki exclaimed.

"I really wished Iida was here!" Ochaco said, making the Class B student float so she could pull him along while running.

Mr. Compress looked down at the kids. "These ingenues aren't as big of a deal as I expected." He said, taunting them as he continued casually skipping through the tree.

"He's pulling farther ahead!" Shoji said, seeing Mr. Compress go further beyond his sight.

"No, we can make it!" Wade yelled. Having an idea, Wade looked to his girlfriend. "Ochaco, make us float!"

"Huh?" The brunette asked.

Wade looked to Tsuyu, who was hopping alongside him. "Tsu, you launch us as far as you can using your tongue." He said to her before looking at the guys. "Shoji will hold Todoroki and me. You'll have to use your Quirk to correct our trajectory through the air. Measure the distance with your eyes, Ochaco, so that you can release us at the right time."

"I see what you're going for." Shoji commented.

"Wade, wait! You're still going to fight with your injuries?" Ochaco asked with a deep concern for her boyfriend.

Even though his healing factor was boosted whenever he used Battle Focus, it was only able to heal his arm halfway in the times he used it. He knew that now, they could take the punishment of combat. But if he had to use his full power again, he'd be right back where he started. And then there were the multiple other injuries that he received from his fight with Muscular. They healed, but Wade was still in really bad shape. No one would have been surprised if he lost consciousness at any moment.

Wade knew the risks, but his determination to save and protect those in trouble overruled any idea of stopping to rest. He had to have Bakugo and Tokoyami, and he had to save his father.

Lifting up his right arm was painful, but Wade still clenched his hand into a fist. "Wade, stop! You should stay here—"

"If I could tolerate the pain, then I can fight!" Wade said to Todoroki. "So are we doing this or what?!"

The others looked at one another and nodded. Together, they stopped and put their plan into motion. Wade and Todoroki stood on Shoji's right and left. The taller boy grabbed them, as Tsu wrapped her tongue around them.

Ochaco activated her Quirk on Todoroki and Shoji. However, she stopped at Wade. Grabbing his face while making him float, she pulled him into a kiss. "Good luck." She said to him. Wade smiled lovingly at her and nodded. "Go ahead, Tsu!"

"Make sure you've got a good grip on them," Said the frog girl. Using all her strength, Tsuyu flung the three boys into the air and across the forest with her tongue. The boy yelled as they flew towards Mr. Compress, who turned around and…

---

When Ghost made it to the retrieval point, he dropped Ragdoll's body on the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"Woo! Ghosty scored," Said a voice behind him. Ghost turned around and saw Dabi walking over to him with another person. "And he scored a babe."

This was the oddball of the team named Twice. He was a rather well-built man wearing a black and gray bodysuit that covered his body completely, along with gray boots. The upper half of his mask was gray with white eye sockets, while the lower half covering his mouth was black. Twice also sported red and green wristbands.

But while he was part of the team, Ghost found him to be annoying.

"Man, I'm so pumped up! Our boys totally got the job done!" Twice exclaimed, before changing tones and demeanor like a switch. "Or maybe not all the way."

Dabi walked up to Ghost and looked down at Ragdoll. "You did a number on her."

"I told her that she could come with me warm or I'll take her cool. Luckily I knocked her out before I had to kill her." said Ghost, before looking at the two villains. "So, where are the others?"

"We can only assume they were defeated." Dabi said.

"Huh? Lame!" said a girl's voice. The three men looked to see Himiko standing there, having reached the retrieval point with a smile. "I'm the only one here?"

"Report," Ordered Ghost. "How many people's blood did you get?"

"One person's!"

"Just one!?" Twice exclaimed. "Hey, what gives?! Weren't you supposed to get at least three?"

"That's just the way it went down. I thought those brats were gonna kill me." Toga said nonchalantly.

"Doesn't matter. When Mr. Compress gets here, we'll leave." Ghost said.

However, Twice examined Toga. "You're looking a little too happy right now. Strange. Shouldn't you be full of shame?"

Thinking about Wade made Toga giggle as she said, "Yeah, but I made some great friends, and I found a cute boy I'm interested in!"

"Is it me? No thanks, babe! I love you, too!" Twice said, his multiple personality disorder in full effect.

"Both of you shut it. You're too loud." Dabi ordered.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

CLASH!

All of a sudden, Mr. Compress came crashing to the ground as Wade, Shoji, and Todoroki grabbed onto him and slammed him against the earth. The villains were taken aback by this and looked at the Heroes-in-Training. "Sorry, but your flight is canceled, magic-man!" Wade quipped.

"Woah, woah, what's this?! Oh, hey, wait, I know these kids!" Twice exclaimed as Toga gasped happily when she saw Wade. "Who are they?"

Crouching as he stood on Compress' back, Wade glanced up and saw the other villains. Then he locked eyes with his father.

"DAD!" He yelled out to him.

Ghost glared at the boy. He was about to draw his pistol when Dabi beat him to the punch.

"Out of the way, Compress," He said, conjuring a ball of Blueflame in his hand.

"Got it!" Compress exclaimed, before his body glowed in a bright green light and materialized out from under the kids.

"What the—" Wade was cut off when his senses alarmed him that something really bad was coming his way. "LOOK OUT!"

The name of Dabi's Quirk lived up to its name when the villain sent a torrent of blue fire at the three UA students. Wade jumped up as Shoji and Todoroki jumped to the side. Even from where he was, Wade could still feel the heat. He quickly shot a web-line to his right and pulled himself out from over the top of the fire before he could fall into it.

Having split up the boys, the villains sprung into action. Twice rushed towards Todoroki.

"The spider guy is our Number 1 target. But you Shigaraki's kill list! No, they weren't!" Dabi exclaimed, pulling out a sharp measurement tape from his wristbands. Todoroki summoned a stream of ice to throw Twice off balance. "So hot!"

Sensing the needling coming at his face, Wade quickly dodged it as it grazed his black hair. He watched as it retracted back to Toga, who was running wildly at him. "Hi, Wade! My name's Toga!"

The crazy girl jumped at him, but Wade flipped over her before she could stash at him with her knife. "Whoa, hey!" Landing behind her, Wade turned around as she faced the weapon.

"I've been thinking since I saw you…that you'd be so much cuter if you just bled a little more! I can help!" She exclaimed with crazed delight and charged at Wade with her knife. Ready to make him bleed.

"Wade!" Shoji yelled, knocking Toga away. The girl bounced off the ground before flipping around and landing on her feet. Skidding across the ground before she came to a stop.

"So, that's how it is. You want to come between us? To be honest, you're not really my type." Toga said, giving Shoji a death glare that sent a shiver up his and Wade's spines. "But I'll cut you anyway."

"She's crazy." Shoji said.

"And apparently horny for me. You think you can take her?" Wade asked, before turning to Ghost. "I've got some business to take care of."

Ghost glared at him before looking at the crater that Compress landed in. All that was inside it was a Marble, however, it glowed before turning back into Compress.

"Ugh, I can't believe you kids wrecked my exit. Unrehearsed amateur." he said, dusting himself off.

"You want a professional, how about I professionally kick your ass until you give back Bakugo and Tokoyami!" Wade yelled, pointing at him with his bio-electricity sparking.

Ghost turned to Mr. Compress and asked, "You got the target?"

"I did tell you, didn't I?" Mr. Compress asked smugly as he reached into his pocket to present the marbles. But to his confusion, he didn't feel them.

Shoji saw this and grabbed Wade's shoulder. "Wade, Todoroki, we're done here! He gave away his best trick. I'm not sure what your Quirk is, but it had to do with those marbles, right? The ones you'd stashed in your pocket?" He asked Compress. Holding up his hands, he showed the two marbles that the villains were looking for. "I'm guessing these are our friends, right?"

"Dude, nice!" Wade exclaimed.

Ghost glared at the kids, while Compress looked impressed and laughed. "Well, color me impressed. Just as I'd expected from someone with so many hands. How splendid."

"Well, that's one job done." Wade said, before turning back to his father. "Just one more—"

"Nope!" Wade was cut off when Todoroki formed an ice wall between the three of them and the villains. Then Shoji grabbed Wade and started running for the trees.

"Wha, hey! Let me go!" He yelled.

"Not going to happen, Wade!" Shoto said as he ran with them. "I know you want to try and get your father back, but now is not the time!"

"Moron," Dabi said and aimed his hand to incinerate the kids.

However, he didn't have to. All three boys stopped in their tracks when an all too familiar purple portal appeared in front of them. Blocking their path and staring down at them with his glowing yellow eyes.

"Kurogiri!" Wade exclaimed in shock at seeing the warp villain again.

Kurogiri looked at the villains and opened smaller portals for them. "It's been five minutes since the signal. Let's go, Ghost." He commanded.

"Sorry, Wade. But I'll be seeing you later, 'kay?" Toga said, waving to Wade before walking into her portal. Twice did the same, by diving into his. Both portals closed. Leaving only one open for the three remaining villains.

"Dabi, grab the woman." Ghost said, nodding to Ragdolls on the ground. He then turned to face the boys. "I'll get the marbles back."

"Don't worry," said Mr. Compress. He was about to enter the portal when he stopped to turn back to the students. "They were so proud of themselves for rooting through my pockets that I thought I'd let them gloat."

"What are you talking about?" Wade snapped.

"Allow me to explain the basic tenant of magic. If I'm flaunting something shiny…" Mr. Compress took the moment to remove his mask partly. He smirked at the kids and continued to say. "...it's because there's something else I don't want you to see."

He opened his mouth to reveal two shiny blue marbles on his tongue. And in them were Tokoyami and Bakugo.

"But how!?" Wade gasped in shock. "Then what did Shoji…"

Mr. Compress answered that by snapping his fingers. The marbles in Shoji's hands were released. His shock, they were just two shards of ice.

"Is that my ice?!" Shoto exclaimed.

"That's right. During the freezing attack, I prepared dummies and slipped them into my right pocket," said the compressing villain. Revealing how his Quirk worked.

"Well, isn't that a neat trick." Dabi said with a smirk as he carried Ragdoll through the portal on his shoulder. He stopped and looked back at Shoto. "Must make you mad, right? Poor little Shoto Todoroki."

And with that, he disappeared through the portal.

"Get back here!" Wade yelled, running towards the villains with Shoto and Shoji.

"A little bit of misdirection. Please forgive me. I adore a twist ending." Mr. Compress said, as he began to disappear into the portal slowly. Being the showman he was, he bowed his head. "One last bow, and then the curtain fall—"

BLAST!

All of a sudden, a blue laser beam shot from the bushes nearby and struck Compress' mask. It was none other than Aoyama, who had followed the villains from the shadows. He was too afraid to face them head-on, but knew he could stop his classmates from being taken.

This caused Mr. Compress to spit out the two marbles. Seeing this, Wade fired a web-line at them to catch the two boys. However, just as it was about to get them both, Ghost's hand reached out and swiped one of them.

"No!" Wade shouted, stopping as he pulled the one he caught back. Catching it in his hand.

"Confirm it now. Release them." Ghost commanded Compress.

"That laser ruined my finale!" The villain complained. Nonetheless, Compress snapped his fingers before disappearing into the portal.

The one in Wade's hand turned into Tokoyami. But the one in Ghost's hands turned into Bakugo. Now having one of the team's intended targets, Ghost grabbed Bakugo by his neck. Shocked by where he was, the exploder looked at the villain, and his eyes widened to see Daniel's face looking at him.

"Game over." Ghost said, as the portal slowly pulled him and Bakugo into it.

Seeing Bakugo being pulled in made Wade gasp. "Bakugo!" He yelled, before running towards his rival to save him. But he was slowing down. His body felt so tired, and he was aching everywhere. It wouldn't be long before his body shuts down.

As he was pulled in, Bakugo stared at Wade as the Spider-Man desperately tried to reach him. "Stay back, Wade!"

Seeing Bakugo's face disappearing, Wade knew what he had to do. One more push was all he needed. And that final push came when he activated Battle Focus and jumped forward, rocketing himself at high speeds, but it wasn't fast enough. So, Wade shot a web-line and it connected with Bakugo's chest through the portal.

Bakugo only had time to gasp when it happened.

Wade pulled Bakugo out of Ghost's grasp and the portal….

…while his body continued flying forward towards it.

Time seemed to slow down as the two rivals passed one another, they locked eyes with one another as time seemed to slow down. Bakugo, who would have usually glared at Wade with disdain, looked at him with what could've likely been concern for him. But Wade didn't have concerns about what would happen to himself. He let go of the webbing and allowed himself to go through Kurogiri's portal. Bakugo landed on the ground, sat up, and watched in stunned silence. As he was pulled in, Wade shredded one tear as he smiled at his friends and classmates. Finally succumbing to his pain and exhaustion, he closed his eyes just before his head disappeared into the portal.

No one, not Bakugo, Todoroki, Shoji, or Tokoyami, could move as more of Wade's body disappeared into that dark void. Leading into the jaws of the enemy. No one could imagine what he was thinking doing something like that, or what the villains would do to him. They didn't want to imagine it. Wade was the best of them and the greatest of friends. They knew that he was destined to be a great Hero. They couldn't imagine the light that always shined from him being put out by those that would destroy everything they held in high regard.

On that fateful day, the Heroes of Tomorrow aimed to be what they could only hope to become. But the villains won. They won when Wade's right hand, which was the last part of him they saw, crossed into the portal. Disappearing before Kurogiri vanished.

The Heroes of Tomorrow have failed.

To be continued…