A/N: And here we are. I tried getting this out a few days ago, but college and work hit me like a truck.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

*Cough* Also check out my Persona content *Cough*

(Kyouka's House)

When Izuku had woken up that morning, he was still on cloud nine from the night before. His date with Kyouka had gone perfectly. As he stepped up to the front door, his excitement to see her again was overwhelming.

*Knock* *Kno-*

The door suddenly swung wide open with Kyouka standing on the other side. She pushed him away, closing the door behind her.

"Kyouka wh-"

"We have about 15 seconds to come up with an excuse to not have dinner with my parents tomorrow night. Go!"

"I-I-...Well...I-I don't know! I'm not good at lying!"

"Well we gotta think of something or we-"

"Too late!" Kyouka groaned as the door opened up once more to reveal Kyoutoku and Mika. Mika smiled at Izuku, knowing full well he was trapped. "So Midoriya, how about it?"

Izuku looked back and forth between Kyouka and her parents. "Y-...Yes?" Kyouka facepalmed next to him as he shot her an apologetic look.

Kyoutoku smiled, "Wonderful! 6 o'clock tomorrow good for you?"

"S-Sure."

Mika's eyes suddenly widened, "Oh, I have an idea. Why don't you bring your mother along? We haven't even met he-"

"No!" Everyone went silent at Izuku's interruption, confused by the outburst. "U-Uh, my mom is just pretty busy with her job. M-Maybe some other time." Kyouka squinted her eyes at Izuku, but kept quiet for the time being. "I-I- guess I'll see you tomorrow at six. We better go, Kyouka."

Kyouka was still suspicious, but she followed him. They walked to the station, boarding their train while still in silence. As soon as they sat down, the purplette turned to Izuku. "Hey...does... your mom doesn't know about us, does she?"

Izuku sighed, fiddling with his fingers. "N-No. I-I'm so sorry. I jus-"

He was stopped as his hands were grasped by Kyouka's. "Hey, it's okay. You said it yourself. You're not comfortable with sharing stuff like this with her. I'm not mad, I just wanted to make sure. Hell, my parents wouldn't know about us if they didn't see us kiss. I like my privacy."

Izuku smiled, "You're really not mad?"

"Mad? No. A little concerned? Yes. How long do you plan to keep it from her?"

Izuku shrugged, "I-I don't know. I've thought about it, but I just get choked up when I try to tell her."

"Does anyone else know? Besides my parents that is."

Izuku sighed, but nodded. "Just one. Toshinori, my mentor I told you about."

Kyouka squeezed his hands, "So you're more comfortable sharing with him than your mother?"

Izuku turned to look out the window and spoke quietly, "I guess I am."

Kyouka wasn't particularly sure how to handle the situation. She knew Izuku had some sort of disconnect with his mother, but it might've been worse than she thought. A relationship was a pretty big deal. Especially your first one.

And he couldn't even tell his mother about it.

It was time to get to the bottom of this.

"What did your mom do?"

Izuku turned back to her, "What?"

"All you told me was that your mom did something that caused you to grow that distance from her. If you're not ready th-"

"You're right." Izuku gripped Kyouka's hand back. "If I want this to work, you should know. I can't keep hiding stuff from me."

Kyouka smirked, "Well, not everything all at once. We gotta keep things interesting for years to come."

A small smile graced Izuku's face, "Fair point, but I think I should share this now." He kept his voice low, careful not to speak loud enough for any other passengers to hear. "Back when the doctor told me I was quirkless, to say I was devastated is an understatement. I was...broken. I didn't speak, I barely blinked, I couldn't even tell if I was breathing or if my heart was still beating. As soon as I got home, I replayed my favorite video that I told you about. Just watching All Might save those people over and over again. When my mom came in to check on me, I asked her…"

He paused, Kyouka could see slight pain in his eyes. The memory was clearly vivid in his mind and it still has an effect on him.

He continued, "...I asked her if she thought I could still be a hero."

Kyouka grimaced. "And she said no?"

Izuku scoffed, "I almost wish she said no. But she just...cried. She cried, hugged me, and just kept saying she was sorry over and over again."

Kyouka looked down to her lap, "You think she didn't believe in you."

"There's a fine line between thinking and knowing."

"I'm sur-"

"No." Izuku turned to look at her, his expression uncharacteristically angered slightly. "She didn't. No one did."

Kyouka knew Izuku didn't like this side of himself. He didn't like being angry, especially at other people. It was no wonder he didn't like talking about his past. It was nothing but a million reasons to be pissed off at people.

Izuku might've been the living definition of pure, forgiving, heroic, etc. But, he was still human. And humans had hearts. Hearts that were vulnerable and could be hurt. Many tried to keep all that hurt inside, never letting it free because of the negativity it brought.

Izuku was no exception.

She cupped his face, quickly bringing their lips together. Releasing his lips, both blushed. But, Kyouka kept her gaze steady. "People believe in you now."

Izuku smiled, "I know. Thank you for being one of them."

"Anytime." She leaned her head on her shoulder. "Why do you wish she said no? That's basically the same thing."

Izuku frowned, "It really isn't. Not to me."

"Why?"

Izuku opened his mouth, but then closed it. "I don't know. It just does."

'Okay, clearly that's a lie. I can't push him too much. Baby-steps, Kyouka.' She kept quiet, not wanting more stress on him. "Her situation must've been hard, you know? I can't imagine that question was easy for her to answer either. I doubt she even fully knew how to answer."

"...Yeah."

'Definitely the wrong thing to say.' She understood why he was hurt by Inko. She really did. But, Kyouka couldn't say she didn't understand what Inko was saying either. Like she said before, she didn't think a quirkless hero was 100% impossible.

...But she couldn't deny that it would essentially be impossible to be an official hero. All of the hero schools had entrance exams, and they were all only suitable for those with powers.

As much as she thinks Hagakure and Mineta passing the entrance exam was surprising, they had quirks.

Even if not battle-oriented, Tooru was invisible, so the robots likely couldn't see her. If she found some weak point in the bots, it would probably be much easier for her to get to them.

And as much as she hated the little perverted pipsqueak, his quirk could slow down and stick the robots together. Maybe even have them stick to walls or find some way to tear their limbs off.

Once again, unlikely. But, not impossible.

Izuku wouldn't even have had those small advantages.

As a mother and an adult, Inko definitely would've known the reality of the situation. She would've known how small his chances were. Not to mention the danger he would be in.

Kyouka couldn't imagine being in that situation. Not in Inko's place, or Izuku's.

"Let's just focus on the present. Like the fact that you're now in U.A, with a quirk, and to top it all off, you're dating the coolest girl ever."

Izuku's frown vanished, a laugh escaping his lips. "That is all true."

"You're damn right it is. Our stop is coming up, c'mon."

(U.A High: Girl's Locker Room)

"So, what do you guys think this special training is gonna be?"

The Class 1-A girls were all changing into their hero costumes in the locker room. Aizawa had informed them that the class would be embarking on a trip to a special facility to undergo training.

Tooru responded, "I dunno, but I just hope it goes better than my battle test. Todoroki got Ojiro and I out super quick."

Mina smirked, "Maybe we'll get to see Jirou kick ass again."

Kyouka jumped in surprise as she fastened her belt. "Wh-What?"

"C'mon, we all saw it. You absolutely destroyed the other team by yourself! Uh, no offense, Yaoyorozu."

The rich girl was at her locker brushing her fingers through her hair, undoing any knots. "It's quite alright. Even I have to admit that my loss was... unexpected. At the very least, I didn't expect it to happen so quickly."

Mina's sly grin grew wide, "She was probably trying to impress Midori."

"I'm not dignifying that." Kyouka turned back to the mirror inside of her locker. 'Why do I even have this thing?' Sighing, she grabbed her torn shirt, throwing it over her tank top. She began fixing her hair, her purple locks ruffled from the wardrobe change. She hummed to herself, thinking about how Momo was brushing through her hair. 'I wonder if Izuku would like that better.'

Being self-conscious about your body was one thing. But, being in a relationship made it even worse. Now she was doing everything in her power to look good for Izuku. Which, in her mind, sadly never turned out to be enough.

Maybe some changes were in order.

Kyouka grabbed her jacket, exiting the locker room and making her way out to the front entrance of the school. There a bus awaited her, along with the rest of 1-A. Some of the boys were already there, including Izuku. He gave her a wave, a small smile and blush adorning his face.

God-damn it, why was he so adorable?

She made her way over to him. Both of them leaned against the gate away from the rest. "What's up, Green Bean? I see your hero suit is all patched up."

"Y-Yeah, luckily Kacchan didn't bust it up too badly. They managed to fix it quickly. Although, apparently someone from the Support Course saw my gear and specifically asked for me. A student named Mei Hatsume. Power Loader asked for me to stop by the workshop tomorrow to talk about changes and upgrades to my costume."

"Already? We just got our suits."

"Well, I think they want to get a better grasp of my quirk. I doubt the student forms gave them enough to go on to stop my bones from breaking."

"Fair enough. And speaking of change…" Kyouka grasped a strand of her hair. "Do you think I should grow my hair out?"

Izuku shook his head, "If you really want to. But, I really like your hair. I've a-actually always liked that hairstyle."

Kyouka lifted a brow, "Really? Why this hairstyle?"

"I-I- don't know. Just one I've seen before and took a liking to is all."

Kyouka squinted her eyes at him in suspicion. It was obvious he was avoiding the question. But why? Where would Izuku have seen this exact hairstyle and really liked it? This was Izuku, so maybe a hero? A comic-book character? Someone from a movie?

...Oh.

"...Is it because it's one of the exact same haircuts Ramona Flowers had?"

"W-What!? N-No! O-Of course not. I-I've nev- uh, who? Who even is that? I've never even s-seen that movie or read the comic. Besides, sh-she had so many hairstyles with multiple different colors! Why w-would I pinpoint just the one with short purple hair with two long strands in the front?"

"If you don't know who she is, how do you know it's from a movie? And comic? And that she had ever-changing hair? And you can describe one of the styles in oddly specific detail?"

"...Um…"

Kyouka chuckled, "So, when were you gonna tell me about this little crush?"

"...My last will and testament?"

Kyouka continued to laugh, "Did that influence your attraction to me?"

"N-No! No! But…"

Kyouka's smirk grew wider, "But, what?"

"I-I can't lie and say it's n-not a perk."

Kyouka laughed into her hand, looking around to make sure no one was looking. She quickly pecked his cheek. "You are so weird."

"Thanks...I-I think."

"Well, at least I know who I'm going as for Halloween."

Izuku perked up, "A-Are you serious?"

The bus horn honked, signalling for the class to board. Kyouka patted his cheek as she walked past him. "You'll see."

Izuku watched her walk away, his heart fluttering at the thought. "...When did my life become so amazing?...Oh, right. When I met her." He made his way onto the bus, taking a seat next to Kyouka as they waited for the rest of the class to arrive.

Kyouka began running her hands through the long strand of hair on the left side of her face. She smiled to herself, happy to know Izuku liked that part about her.

Her eyes widened. 'Uh oh.'

And there it was. Her greatest enemy had appeared.

Her brain.

All of the negative thoughts immediately began to rush in, ruining all of the happiness she had felt.

'I...I can't compare to Ramona Flowers. She's gorgeous in that movie! And I can't be the only person with this hair. What if there's someone who-'

"Are you okay?" Kyouka was startled out of her train of thought to see Izuku looking at her concerned. "You look pale."

"I'm always pale."

"I mean like, sickly pale. Like you were scared."

Kyouka cleared her throat, shaking her head. "No, I was just thinking about dinner tomorrow night."

"O-Oh. Yeah, I'm nervous, too. But I'm sure we're just blowing it out of proportions. I mean, your dad approved of me last night. And your mom already likes me."

"Y-Yeah, you're right." Kyouka breathed a sigh of relief, happy he believed her. It was so strange how Izuku was like a security blanket, but also the source of her fear. It was like being afraid of a thunderstorm and being comforted by a pillow that looked like a cloud. She felt so comfortable in her own skin when he was around, but he was the reason a lot of her bodily issues grew ten times their normal size.

She knew he liked how she looked, but she just didn't understand why. And she didn't have the courage to ask. For some reason her mind had a personal vendetta against Izuku, doing its best to convince her that Izuku was lying or would eventually come to his senses and look for someone better.

"By the way," Izuku suddenly said. "I-I think you're far prettier that Ramona."

Kyouka's jaw slightly dropped, "U-Um, thanks."

"I-I know you found it funny, but I just didn't want you to think otherwise. Just in case it sounded like I-I did or anything."

"Hey, it's cool. Everyone has crushes on actors and stuff. I-It's just hair, dude."

Izuku nodded, "R-Right. Sorry, I-I just didn't want it to sound like I still liked her or anything. Not that I liked her in the first place! I-I just thought she was very...a-attractive...b-but, I think you're much more attractive...um…"

Kyouka facepalmed, her laughter bubbling in her chest. "How do you go from extremely smooth to a bumbling idiot so fast?"

"I...I'm smooth?"

"So all of these lines I've fallen for were nothing, but a complete accident? Yeah, that's about right." This was exactly what she meant. Now the negative side of her mind had completely vanished.

Izuku Midoriya truly was a one-of-a-kind.

With him around, things would be okay.

(USJ: Mountain Zone)

'The universe just loves proving me wrong, doesn't it?'

Kyouka looked at all of the villains surrounding her in the mountain zone. It was just their luck that as soon as they get to the USJ, villains start popping out of nowhere. Now she was being used as bait to drag All Might there. Luckily, she wasn't alone. Izuku was to her left, and to her right…'Please be someone good. Please be someone good. Please be someone good.' To her right was Momo, already creating a bo staff from her body. "Oh thank goodness."

Momo looked back to them, "Do you two need weapons?"

Kyouka nodded, "Yeah, a katana will do just fine."

Izuku shook his head, "I'll be okay."

The purplette glared at him, "So you plan on breaking your bones?"

"...Escrima sticks, please."

"That's what I thought." Momo created the weapons, handing them to her teammates. The trio stood back to back, waiting for the villains to make a move.

Izuku whispered, "You know how to use a katana?"

"Sort of."

"What's that supposed to mean? Where'd you learn?"

"Anime." Izuku and Momo both looked at Kyouka with a brow raised. "It's better than nothing, isn't it?"

"Fair enough." Izuku's body began to glow, green lightning enveloping his body. "Should we form a plan?"

"I got one." Kyouka plugged her jacks into hand-speakers. "KICK SOME ASS!" She punched the ground, sending soundwaves out to shake the landscape. The villains around them began to stumble, their balance being knocked off.

Izuku couldn't help but smile at her inner fire showing. "Again, fair enough." He jumped forward, slamming his escrima sticks into a villain. With the attack being powered by a small portion of One For All, it caused the thug to fly back into other villains, knocking them to the ground.

Izuku sprinted at more villains, sliding under and hitting their legs as he went. Jumping back up, he slams his sticks into their heads, knocking them out cold. He looked around, watching his Kyouka and Momo easily take down bad guys.

A man with hooks coming out between his fingers tried to run up to Kyouka from behind. Izuku quickly threw one of his escrima sticks, hitting him directly in the temple. He ran back to her, re-entering their position of back-to-back. "If new hero students can beat them with ease, these guys definitely aren't trained or particularly intelligent."

Kyouka plugged in her boots, blasting soundwaves into the crowd. "Well, that's good at least."

"How's Yaoyorozu?" They looked over to see the ponytailed girl flipping around and over enemies, bashing them in the head or legs.

"...I think she's doing just fine. Maybe she was a ninja in another life?"

"I just hope everyone else is handling this as well as us."

...

(Flood Zone)

"WE'RE SO DONE FOR!"

Denki grabbed onto Mineta, "PULL IT TOGETHER MAN!"

*SLAP*

"Ow! Why would that help me?!"

"I dunno! That's what they do on TV all the time!"

Tsu turned over to the boys, "Guys?"

Mineta clutched his head, "We gotta get off this boat! But how? They're everywhere!"

"Guys?"

Denki sighed, "I won't lie to you. We might have to sacrifice someone."

"Hey!" They boys turned to Tsu, their eyes wide. "Kaminari, just threaten to shock the water."

"...What?"

"Just. Threaten. To. Shock. The. Water. Ribbet."

"...Huh." Denki charged himself up, sparks flying everywhere.

The villains looked up and saw what was happening. "Holy shit! Everybody out of the water! He's gonna fry us!" They all began to frantically swim away, climbing out of the water and running to safety.

"That…went much better than expected."

(Mountain Zone)

"Kyouka move!" A villain whose quirk allowed him to rocket out his hands and bring them back with coils connected to his arms fired his hands at the punk. Izuku leaped forward, grabbing the coil connecting the hands to the thug's body.

He yanked hard, the villain flying towards them. Kyouka quickly plugged in her hand speakers, slamming her first into the villains cheek and blasting sound into him. The villain fell to the ground, a few teeth missing and his ears ringing.

Kyouka looked at her fist, "That...was awesome. But, ow." She shook her hand, trying to ease the pain. "Remind me to send a request for brass knuckles to the Support Studio. Is that all of them?"

Izuku looked around, "Yeah, I think so. Where's Yaoyoro-?" Izuku was interrupted by Kyouka slapping her hand over his eyes. "W-What are you doing?"

"Just don't look. Yaoyorozu, what happened?!"

Izuku heard Momo say, "I had to pop a shield out of my back to stop a blow from the last villain. But, he's been handled."

"Are uh...you need my jacket or something?"

"It's okay, I can just create another outfit."

Izuku's eyes widened from beneath Kyouka's hand, 'Oh.' Izuku covered his own hands over Kyouka's, just to make absolutely sure he saw nothing. "I-I'll just wait in silence."

Kyouka sighed and whispered, "You better not be picturing her topless."

"I-I'm not, I swear." Izuku whispered back. Really, he wasn't. In fact, the idea of a topless woman just gave him another image. 'Stop imagining Kyouka topless. Stop imagining Kyouka topless. Stop imagining Kyouka topless. Stop imagining Kyouka topless...being in a relationship has changed me.'

Momo's voice called out, "You can look now." Kyouka lifted her hands from Izuku's face, both relieved that it was over.

Kyouka shook her head, "You really need to change your costume."

"But my quirk is most effective wh-"

"Just…" The punk girl lifted a hand to stop her. "...think about it, okay? Let's go." Kyouka began walking away, then stopped. She looked all around the mountain Zone, then turned back around. "How the hell do we get down from here?"

Izuku scanned the area, not seeing any way down either. "Well, this is a facility meant to be extremely realistic. We were probably meant to climb up and down like a regular mountain."

"Oh, I see. So the Flood Zone gets a damn waterslide, and we get a Temple of Doom bridge. Very realistic!" Kyouka exclaimed, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"C'mon, I'll carry us down. I shoul-"

*BOOM*

All three teens turned towards the source of the sound, their eyes meeting a small crater holding the bruised and battered body of their homeroom teacher down at the center plaza of the building. Izuku immediately rushed forward, Full Cowl rushing throughout his body. "Come on!" Kyouka and Momo followed behind him, the former leaping on Izuku's back. Momo followed Kyouka's example by grabbing onto the punk. Izuku began leaping down the rocks with swiftness and ease, landing at the bottom and allowing the two on his back to climb off of him.

The greenette began to step forward, but One For All suddenly shut down, body no longer enhanced. He looked down at his body with confusion, "What the-?"

"Izuku, look." He followed Kyouka's finger as she pointed at Aizawa. Their teacher's face was still in the dirt, but barely shifted to look at them. His eye glowed red before he closed it, putting his face back down.

It was a warning. He was telling them to stay away.

Izuku didn't know exactly how fast Full Cowl was. He didn't even know how much of his power he was using. It was just enough where his body didn't hurt. However, even if he boosted his power to where it hurt to move, he still didn't think he would be fast enough to get Eraser out of there. They were standing about 20 meters away, and that monster was still close.

Momo stared at the beast, "What is that thing?"

Kyouka shivered, "I don't know, but I can't tell what's scarier. Handy-Man, Shadow Ball, or Bird-Brain."

The grayish-blue haired man turned to look at the teens. With his long unruly hair and the hand on his face, how he could see them they did not know. Izuku gulped, "I-I don't think he liked the nickname you gave him."

Kurogiri appeared behind Shigaraki, "I'm sorry, but one of the students got away. His quirk made him too fast for me."

"Kurogiri," Tomura growled, "if you weren't our only ticket out of here, I'd turn you to dust." Kurogiri inwardly rolled his eyes as Tomura began scratching his neck. "We came for All Might only, not a dozen pros. We can't handle them all. It's game over, for now at least."

Kyouka squinted her eyes, contemplating what she was hearing. "Someone got away and is alerting the school. Pros are on the way, but the villains are retreating."

Izuku's eyes widened, "They're just gonna leave? We can't just let them escape, they're after All Might."

Momo's gaze moved over to Aizawa, his broken body, limbs, and near disintegrated elbow clear to see. She moved her eyes over to the large creature pinning him down, not even a scratch on him. "...We might not have a choice."

Kyouka lifted a hand to silence them. "Wait, both of you be quiet. He's saying something."

She caught the back half of his sentence. "-wound the Symbol of Peace's pride and leave a few dead kids." Kyouka's eyes widened as a black portal suddenly appeared before her, an arm covered in severed hands shot out at her face.

Izuku's world slowed down as the image of Kyouka decaying flooded his mind. His body seized up…

A swirl of colors blasted in his mind, shooting through his body.

"Don't…" His body glowed bright, his green sparks arcing off of him at an extreme abundance. "TOUCH HER!"

A large pulse erupted from him, his electricity blasting in a large circumference. The blast knocked everyone down, but was focused into Tomura. The villain flew back, skidding across the ground. Once he came to a stop, he experienced small spasms as the energy was still affecting him. "What the hell?" Tomura shakily propped himself up, his body still quaking as the shock was fading."

Kyouka groaned as she stood back up, her hands slightly shaking. Momo was still trying to get back up next to her. She felt like she had just rubbed her socks on the carpet for an hour. "Izuku?" Their eyes met, and somehow he looked even more confused than her. "What was that?"

"I-I-...I don't kno-"

"Nomu!" Izuku was suddenly grabbed by the arm, lifted up into the air by the monster. Nomu raised Izuku high, coming face-to-face with the teen.

Kyouka's eyes widened, 'How the hell did he get over here so fast!?' She lunged at the Nomu, her sword at the ready.

...Only to be grabbed by the collar of her shirt and lifted up right next to Izuku. "Oh you've gotta be kidding me!"

Tomura stood back up, still hunched over in pain. "I'll admit, you got the slip on me newbie. That was a pretty cool ultimate move. But, honestly it just makes me even more pissed off."

Momo was still crouched down, trying to figure out how to help her friends. But she froze. Her mind wouldn't operate. Thoughts on what to do overflowed her mind, her indecisiveness rendering her useless.

Tomura raised his voice, commanding over his beast. "Nomu. Kill th-"

*BAM*

A large gust of wind blew throughout the entire facility.

"Fear not…"

Dust billowed by the door, a massive silhouette emerging from the clouds.

"I am here."

Out of hundreds, even thousands of videos of All Might Izuku had watched in his 15 years of living, never had he ever seen the Pro Hero look so utterly pissed.

Tomura chuckled to himself, "The final boss."

"I had a gut feeling something was wrong, so I cut my meeting with the principal short. That's when I found Young Iida. What he told me made my blood boil." Toshinori ripped off his tie, letting it drop to the ground. "So I suggest you all surrender now before I let my anger out on you."

Kyouka looked down at Nomu. It had not even flinched or turned when All Might arrived. It's dead eyes just stared straight forward. Whatever that thing was, it was never or no longer was human. As far as she could tell, it didn't think for itself. It only acted on Shigaraki's orders, fighting whoever he told it to. Nothing but a tool.

So if it's just brain-dead right now, then…?

Kyouka lifted her sword up, stabbing it down directly into the exposed brain of the creature.

"ARRRAAAAGGHHH!" Izuku and Kyouka both fell to the ground as Nomu suddenly dropped them, the monster wailing out in pain. It began to stumble around, trying to gain it's bearings.

Tomura yelled at it. "Nomu! Listen to me!" But, he was ignored. Nomu no longer listened to orders. 'His super regeneration must be going overdrive trying to fix his brain around that sword. But that quirk isn't' strong enough to fix a brain, at least not correctly. My Nomu's finished.'

'How is that thing not dead!?'

It raised up its fist, about to slam down on the teenagers. But in the blink of an eye, Izuku, Kyouka, and Momo were near the entrance staircase. Aizawa was behind them, now completely unconscious. Any villain that was standing before was now out cold, and All Might stood between them and Nomu. The beast was still hollering, punching at anything it saw from rocks to just the air.

Kyouka's eyes widened, "Did All Might just bring us here? I didn't even blink." She received no verbal response, only Izuku slamming into her side, his arms wrapped around her.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just thankful my plan didn't backfire and ended up with that thing crushing us."

"Jirou! Midoriya!" They both turned to see Ochako running down the steps towards them. "Are you guys alright?"

Izuku nodded, "Y-Yeah, we're fine. Thanks to Kyouka."

Kyouka shrugged, "It's what they get for leaving the brain completely exposed like that. Uraraka, help me wrap up Mr. Aizawa." The brunette nodded, grabbing the remains of the hero's scarf tightly coiling it around his broken and decayed arm.

Izuku looked back at the battle. All Might was still watching the Nomu run around, throwing punches at nothing. Shigaraki was screaming at it, trying to give it commands to no avail. Izuku was still worried. It was subtle, but Thirteen had shown three fingers to Aizawa when it was revealed All Might wouldn't be there.

His three hours were up.

All Might was running on completely on fumes.

Nomu ran at Tomura and threw a punch, but the villain fell through a black portal, landing back near Kurogiri.

Tomura growled, "He's useless now! We have to leave or we're done for. Get us out of here."

"As you wish."

"I don't think s-" Toshinori was about to go after the duo, but Nomu's blind rage led him toward the students. All Might rushed over, grappling Nomu into a suplex and slamming him to the ground. The shockwave from the slam shook the ground. Nomu began to flail wildly, still having no control over his own actions. His hand hit All Might's face, the hero grunting in pain, but still keeping his grip on Nomu. Toshinori brought his fist back, launching it forward. "Smash!"

*BAM*

The hero's eyes widened as Nomu didn't even acknowledge the hit, continuing to move frantically.

Tomura hummed to himself, suddenly intrigued. "Sorry, but Nomu has shock absorption. He was perfectly designed to kill you. You'd have a better shot tearing him apart, piece by piece. Although, that wouldn't work either with his super regeneration." He sighed, 'Although, it won't do much with that sword in his head.'

Kurogiri spoke up, "Shall we leave?"

"Wait." Tomura stopped Kurogiri from summoning a portal. "You know what? Teleport us a safe distance away, get us a good view. If he's weak like our sources say, then this might still be interesting." They vanished in a black mass, reappearing at the top of the mountain zone.

Izuku could see them at the top of the mountain. They could easily slip away from up there. He took a step forward, ready to run.

"Don't!" Izuku jumped at All Might's words, the hero staring at him as he tried to hold down the Nomu. "Young Midoriya, stay put! Those two are too dangerous! Find the rest of your class, get everyone out of here!" Nomu flung his head back, hitting All Might and getting out of his grip. He swung his open fists in all directions, slashing All Might across the chest multiple times with his nails. Nomu sped towards the stairs once more, his speed faster than anyone except All Might could see. The Pro Hero tackled Nomu, sending them both into the water of the splash zone.

Toshinori swung down repeatedly on Nomu's head as they sunk further to the bottom of the pool, but the hits did nothing. Nomu scrambled away, kicking All Might in the stomach before swimming up and grabbing onto the bottom of the boat. It tore it's way through the bottom of the vessel. All Might hit the bottom of the pool, using the ground to leap out of the water and onto the boat. He was met with the sight of three of his students.

Tsu, Denki, and Minoru were still on the boat, not being able to leave. Until All Might had knocked them out, the villains they scared out of the water surrounded the body of water, leaving the fight at a stalemate. Nomu's arm smashed through the deck, the monster shrieking as he tore through the wood like it was wet paper. Toshinori quickly grabbed onto all of three of them and jumped back to the entrance. Izuku was rushing back from the landslide zone, more of his class in tow.

"SKRAAAAAH!"

Nomu leaped from the boat, landing in the center plaza. He screeched and continued to flail, his movements spastic. They seemed more like muscle spasms than actual punches. All Might let the students step down, he turned back to look at Nomu. 'His brain has gone completely haywire. My hits do nothing, and it's like he doesn't even care that I'm fighting him. It's like trying to wrestle an animal with rabies. If he was just focusing on me, it'd be easier to deal with. But, now he attacks anything that moves, even the students. And with how rabid he's become, collateral will be horrific.' Toshinori's thought process was interrupted by a heavy cough, the familiar taste of blood filling his mouth. 'And I'm already pushing my limits here. This needs to end. Now.' The Pro turned around to his students, "Everyone, get out of here. I can handle this. Young Iida and the other heroes should be here soon. Once emergency services arrive, make sure Aizawa and Thirteen receive immediate attention."

The class began to pile out, carrying the injured heroes outside. Izuku was unmoving, his knowledge of All Might's limits kept him from leaving his mentor behind. Toshinori nodded to Izuku, signalling that he would be alright. Reluctantly, Izuku followed Kyouka and the rest of his friends out the door.

All Might cracked his knuckles, "So!" he yelled to Tomura at the top of the mountain. "Shock Absorption, huh? I can work with that." He began taking steps toward his opponent. "You've come here with this monster, hurt my colleagues, attacked and tried to kill my students, all in the name of what? I assume to kill me? I'll admit, this is the toughest opponent I've had in years. However, the results will still remain the same. My defeat is never an option, because…" The colors of One For All bloomed in his mind, the power of his predecessors coursing through his body. "I am the Symbol of Peace!"

The hero zoomed over to Nomu, his fist pulled back. "SMASH!" The punch landed directly into Nomu's face. He wasn't dazed, but his balance was knocked off. Nomu punched at Toshinori, the hero ducked under the attack and uppercutted the monster's beak. "You've lost all control, so your movements are sloppy!" All Might fired on all cylinders, his fists becoming nothing but blurs as he punched Nomu. The monster continued to slash and flail, cutting all over All Might's arms. "Your quirk is shock absorption, not nullification. So that means you have limits! If you were made to best me, then I'll just have to do better than my best! Beyond 100%!" Nomu wailed, opting not to use his limbs. He opened his mouth, biting down hard on one of All Might's fists. It broke multiple teeth, but it still managed to snag the hero with his sharp teeth. Toshinori grunted, but found an opening. He grabbed the handle of Kyouka's sword still lodged in Nomu's head, yanking it free.

"GRRAAAAH!" Nomu wailed in pain. His super regeneration was trying to repair the cells in the brain, but it wasn't taking. Whatever cognitive power Nomu used to heal itself was gone. It wouldn't be long before the creature was brain-dead...or, at least more brain-dead than it already had been. But, the damage it could cause in that little amount of time was too much. Especially if he managed to escape the USJ facility. It needed to go down.

"Here's one final lesson for you! You never would have been able to defeat me, even at your full strength!" All Might grabbed onto Nomu's fist, pulling him down as All Might fell on his back. "Because a real hero…" He placed his feet on Nomu's stomach, kicking him straight up into the air. "...will always find a way for justice to prevail!" All Might rolled back, jumping at full power. "That is the true meaning of…" He flew past Nomu, planting his feet in the ceiling and jumping off. Once more, One For All shot through his muscles. His fist collided with Nomu as he rocketed back down to the ground at blinding speeds. "PLUS ULTRAAA!"

Toshinori punched Nomu straight into the ground. The resulting explosion destroyed all of the lights and doors into the building. The center of the dome blasted off, wind gushing out and swirling the clouds above. The ground for miles shook, the students outside tried to keep their balance. The dust cleared, Nomu's head steaming as he laid in the crater spreading nearly the entire diameter of the USJ.

(Outside the USJ)

All of Class 1-A was staring in awe as debris from the dome began falling. The building was nearly blown apart from that blast. All Might truly was the best. Izuku regained his balance as the quaking finally stopped. His anxiety was getting to him. Was that earthquake from All Might or Nomu? What if All Might couldn't maintain his hero form? 'I'm the only one here that knows. If he's in trouble…' Izuku looked over to Kyouka, who looked back at him.

Her eyes widened, "Noooo. I know that look. That's your 'I'm probably about to do something stupid' look."

"I-I...I have to check on him!" He took off in a sprint for the door.

Kyouka groaned, "No you- Ugh!" She chased off after him, telling Ochako not to follow and that she'd bring him back.

...

(USJ)

All Might chuckled as he cracked his neck, "I really am getting old. That would've only taken 5 punches if I was still in my prime." He turned his gaze back up to Tomura and Kurogiri, still on the mountain watching him. "Well? Are you gonna come down and finish what your creature couldn't? I'll wait."

Kurogiri turned to Tomura. "He is battle damaged and tired. Perhaps we can team up an-"

"No," Tomura sighed. "We're done here. He was wrong. All Might isn't weakened at all. Get us out of here."

"Are you su-"

"Now."

Kurogiri nodded, a black portal appearing behind them.

All Might frowned, 'Damn, they're getting away. But, I can't move. One step and I'll pop right out of this form. I'll just have to save them for another day.' He heard footsteps behind him. Toshinori craned his neck to see Izuku on the steps running down to him. The teens eyes looked up to the villains, their bodies vanishing into the portal. "Young Midoriya, I said to wait outside with your classmates."

Tomura locked eyes with Izuku, their gazes unwavering. "...Midoriya, huh? I'll remember that." With those final words, they were gone.

*POP*

All Might sighed in relief as he went back to his weakened for-

"Izuku!"

*POP*

All Might quickly flexed back up into his hero form, the strain immediately coming back. Izuku didn't even turn around, he knew what was waiting for him. 'Just accept the hit.'

*SMACK*

Izuku rubbed the spot on the back of his head where Kyouka had just smacked, her glare burning a hole in his soul. "What the hell is the matter with you?! What if the fight wasn't over! Yo-"

"*Ahem* I'm sorry to interrupt, but I think it'd be best if you two went back outside. The other Pros will be here any second. Oh, Young Jirou. You can have this back."

Kyouka looked down at the sword being handed to her. The blade was covered in the blood and gray matter of Nomu. "...You can keep it."

Izuku outstretched his hand, "I'll take it!" Kyouka and Toshinori both looked at him questioningly. "W-Well, it's a sword All Might used in a great battle. It's the ultimate collector's item."

All Might shrugged his shoulders, "Sure, why not?" He handed Izuku the sword, his successor staring at it with awe. "Now, go on. Join your class."

Izuku's eyes widened, realizing that All Might was barely holding on at the moment. The dust still blowing from the shockwave was disguising the steam flowing off of the hero's body. "U-Uh, yeah let's go, Kyouka." He quickly grabbed her hand, dragging her out of the building.

*POP*

"Oh thank goodness," Toshinori said as he flopped onto his back, blood pooling in his mouth. He spit it out on the ground, sitting up and checking his wounds. He gasped as more footsteps approached, but calmed when a familiar hand laid down on his shoulder.

Midnight was crouched down next to him, the other pro heroes standing besides her. "It's just us. Are you alright?"

Toshinori popped his neck, "About as much as I can be these days. Three hours is probably gonna be even more tiring from now on." He groaned as he stood up, Nemuri helping him. "All thanks to this guy."

Ectoplasm walked up to Nomu, tilting his head, "What the hell is this?"

"The villains referred to it as Nomu. It was genetically designed to kill me. Luckily, I didn't fight this thing at its most competent. It had grabbed Young Jirou, but she managed to stab it in the brain."

Snipe remarked, "An exposed brain? Pretty big design flaw."

"Either way, it definitely had the capabilities to end me. It may not have had control of its actions, but that meant he couldn't control his strength either. Every hit was like being punched in the face by...well, me."

Midnight gazed down at Nomu, "Who could have the capabilities to make something like this?"

All Might frowned, the most likely answer leaving a terrible taste in his mouth.

He feigned ignorance, "...Who knows?"

...

Izuku watched as Aizawa and Thirteen were loaded into ambulances, driven off to receive treatment. Izuku, Kyouka, Ochako, and Tenya all sat together on the ground near the front entrance. Class 1-A was waiting for one of the Pros to come back and drive them back to school to receive their stuff.

Izuku gasped as he looked at his sword, "Ah! Wait! He didn't sign it!"

Kyouka shook her head, "You are such a dork."

*Bzzzt*

Izuku pulled out his phone to see a text from All Might. "Meet me in the teacher's lounge once you get back. I'll be there shortly. It's important."

Kyouka nudged him, "Texting your mom?"

"Oh, no I-...I should probably do that, shouldn't I?"

"Dude, we almost died. Yes, you should." Kyouka gasped, whispering so the other two wouldn't hear. "This is the perfect excuse to not have dinner with my parents tomorrow!"

"I think we both know that's not gonna work. Besides, I thought we agreed that we were blowing this whole thing out of proportions."

"Stop being right." Izuku smiled, even after a crisis Kyouka made him calm and happy. She might not know it, but she was a miracle worker. "By the way, I really liked that sword. We need another brainstorming session soon. I got a new gear idea. You know what, I need some de-stressing. How about tonight?"

"Sure. I have to do something after school, not to mention calm down my mom when she learns what happened. I'll be over later." Soon, Present Mic showed up to drive the bus. The class boarded, the events of the day lingering in their minds. However, most of them didn't fully comprehend what it would mean for the future.

"Ah, you're here." All Might closed the door to the teacher's lounge, making his way to the sofa across from Izuku. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah. The villains weren't that powerful. I think they were just lackeys."

"That's good...but, also bad. Lackeys mean they have someone to follow."

Izuku nodded, "That Shigaraki guy?"

"I hope so. But, I have a bad feeling he's not what we really need to fear. At least for the moment."

A look of confusion appeared on Izuku's face. "What do you mean? Who?"

Toshinori sighed, "I won't lie. I've been avoiding telling you this, but...it's time you know the origin of One For All. You need to know about All For One."

(15 Minutes Later)

Izuku clutched his head in his hands as he tried to fully process everything he was told. Toshinori sighed, "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I know I should've told you this before giving you my power, giving you the choice to back out. But...I just didn't know how. How do you tell a kid whose dreams you're about to make come true there's a maniac out there trying to kill him?"

Izuku shook his head, "I-It's...It's fine. I just…He knows me now. Shigaraki, he looked right at me when he left. He knows my name. I'm so stupid."

"No, you're not."

"No one has ever beaten him?"

"Technically I did, but obviously I wasn't thorough enough."

"And now I'll have to…"

Toshinori shook his head, "Not if I have anything to say about it. If he's out there, I'll beat him before he even utters your name."

Izuku nodded, "Even if I do face him, this changes nothing. I'll...I'll get stronger. I'll beat him. I'll live up to my own dreams, and the ones you want for me."

Toshinori chuckled, "Most would try to find a way out of it. But, you...I couldn't have picked a better successor."

Izuku rubbed the back of his head, "Th-Thanks. But…"

"What is it?"

"It's n-nothing."

"Young Midoriya." Toshinori reached over and placed a hand on his pupil's shoulder, signalling for him to speak his mind.

"...It'll sound selfish."

"We're all selfish, Young Midoriya. Some of us just choose to indulge in it."

"I guess...I-I guess I'm just tired of even the very little amount of good things that have ever happened to me being stripped away every time. I already knew I would make enemies as a hero. It was inevitable. But, apparently I already have them. And because of that I have to give up the best thing that ever happened to me."

"What are you talking about?"

Izuku looked down at his lap, sadness in his eyes. "With All For One, and the guys from the USJ, with this target on my back...I'm a danger. The most powerful man in the world is after me and everyone I care about. I-..." Izuku swallowed hard, tears brimming in his eyes. "...I need to s-stop dating Kyou-"

*THWACK*

"OW! What was that for?!" Izuku rubbed the spot on his forehead where All Might had just karate chopped.

"For being stupid...Okay, maybe not stupid per say. But, just hear me out." Izuku nodded, waiting for Toshinori to continue. "Look, I know that a lot of my relationship advice is basically useless to you. And this may sound reckless, but don't give up on your love-life. Don't let All For One win. He should not, cannot, and will not have control over any part of your life."

"But what if I-"

"Young Midoriya, I saw the cards I was dealt in life. It wasn't that love wasn't an option, I simply devoted my entire life to being a hero. I don't want that for you. Sometimes I think about what it would be like if I did have somebody. Maybe, just maybe, if I had someone that I loved and cared for like you do Young Jirou, then I wouldn't have this damn wound. Maybe my caution to stay alive and live my life with them would have saved me from my arrogance and drive to destroy All For One without hesitation. I started my path believing love to be a distraction or an exploit that could be used against me. Your path doesn't have to be that way. You need to see that love is what saves us in our darkest hour. Young Jirou will give you more strength and hope than I ever could as a hero or a teacher." Toshinori stood up from his seat next to Izuku, putting a hand on his head. "One of the main goals as your mentor and predecessor is to make sure you don't make the same mistakes that I did. Someday, my power will finally fade. I won't be able to stand beside you or defend anymore. At least, not in battle. That's where Young Jirou will come in. In fact, she's already begun to replace me in that regard. Don't take that for granted. Stand beside her as well. You won't regret it. And she won't either. I'm sure that if you told her all of this now, she would still choose to stand with you."

Izuku processed everything Toshinori had said, thinking about how many cherished memories with Kyouka he had obtained in only a couple of months. Really he thought about how much he cherished life again because of her.

All For One be damned.

"...O-Okay. I promise, I won't give up on her. On us."

Toshinori smiled, "Good. You two will be happy together." His mind shifted to the idea of All For One fully returning, the idea of threatening Izuku and his loved one darkened his mind. 'I'll make sure of it. He already took Nana, I won't let him take away someone else we care about. He won't come near you. No matter what it takes.'

Izuku wiped his eyes, "Y-You say you're not good at emotional stuff, b-but you're really wise when you need to be."

"What do you know? I am. Although, my brain took a lot to process all that. I kinda have a headache now." The Pro rolled back his shoulders, groaning at the popping in his muscles. "Now I have to go handle damage control. At least I don't have to do any of the paperwork. And the time off from school will give me the chance to work on my lesson plans. Nezu is really making me work for my position here."

"You have lesson plans?"

"Eh, more or less."

"Does that mean you're completely winging it?"

"I'm gonna pretend you weren't just completely right."

Izuku chuckled as he watched All Might exit the room, the teen sighing as his mind continued to process it all. He didn't know if staying with Kyouka was the right choice. If something happened because of him, he'd never be able to live with himself. He did know one thing.

If he was going to stay with Kyouka, he was going all in. No more being afraid. Kyouka was perfect. She was the girl of his dreams.

Enough testing. Time to make it official.

It was time to ask Kyouka to be his girlfriend.

...Now, he just needed to figure out how to do that.

A/N: Yeah I didn't focus a lot on the other students, because I felt it was pretty unnecessary here. It's not way any of you are here for.

Also, Izuku's power will be elaborated on next time. It's not the same as his power from Thank You

Also, to anyone who accuses me of projecting my crush on Ramona Flowers onto Izuku...

You right.