The episode started with the Noumus attacking All Might's group. Shigaraki remembered AfO saying 'I'm here for you' just as the other League member began to be teleported away by the black sludge. All Might and the other heroes tried to grab them, but they all vanished, leaving only the Noumus behind.

Curses and complaints filled the room as the ones who had caused so much trouble managed to get away once again. Still, they watched the screen intently, with hope and weariness and anxiety all mixed together. If there was anything they'd learned from watching these episodes, it was that a lot could change between the beginning and end of each one. In this case, whether that was a good thing or a bad thing remained to be seen.

The police were shown fighting against the Noumus, but their bullets weren't very effective. A couple of Noumus were quickly taken down by Endeavor's flames, and he went on to fight others. Tsukauchi told Endeavor he couldn't get into contact with Best Jeanist and that their part of the operation may have failed.

For once, no one had anything bad to say about Endeavor. Despite all his personal flaws, no one could deny that he was being especially efficient right now and that was exactly what was needed in this fight.

The other reason no one said anything about Endeavor was that the detective's comment reminded everyone just what was happening at the Noumu facility and how much danger their classmates were in. Worry for them was running too high for anyone to think much about the #2 pro.

All Might called from the hole in the building, and asked if Endeavor was alright. Endeavor scathingly said that he was doing fine and that All Might should get going already. All Might agreed to leave it to him, and turned to go.

'At least he's gotten his priorities figured out, ' Todoroki thought 'for now at least.' There was a reason he'd interned with his old man, despite how he was treated by him, and the way he was fighting right now was a good demonstration of that.

The scene changed to the remains of the Noumu facility. The fallen pros were shown: battered and possibly unconscious. Best Jeanist at least was shown to be awake, and shook as he looked at AfO with wide eyes. A rhythmic sound was revealed to be AfO clapping.

Neither the students nor the teachers could fault the pro for the way he was shaking. If the pros had all felt the same thing the 1A kids had in the last episode, then it was no wonder, and they all could admit that they'd be trembling in that situation too. (not all of them would admit it to others, but they could acknowledge it in their own minds at least).

AfO congratulated Best Jeanist on being able to use his quirk to yank the other pros away from AfO's attack. He said that Best Jeanist must have nerves of steel to be able to do that so quickly. In that moment, with his wide eyed trembling, Best Jeanist didn't look like he had nerves of steel.

"Is...is he mocking him, or being serious?" Momo asked, tentatively breaking the silence that had fallen across the room.

"I believe All for One is sincerely praising him." All Might said. "Monster he may be, but he has always shown an appreciation for quirks that are both strong and used well."

Midoriya shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Best Jeanist was shown remembering their mission briefing, and how they were told that the League had a mastermind behind it that was just as powerful as All Might while also being cautious and crafty. The mastermind wouldn't show himself unless he was sure he could win.

Despite his discomfort at sharing any sort of similarity with All Might's nemesis, Midoriya was quick to shift back into fanboy mode. It was more subdued than his usual, due to the tension in the room, but internally he praised Best Jeanist's quick and skillful use of his quirk, as well as his intelligence in figuring out just who All for One must be. The villain was right about one thing, Best Jeanist certainly deserved his spot as the number 4 pro hero.

"W-well, we'll show him!" Hagakure said, trying to gain back her usual bravado. "We'll get Bakugo back still! And I bet we'll even catch some of the other League members."

Some tried to join her efforts and voiced their agreement, while others noticed she hadn't said anything about defeating All for One himself.

Despite his fear, Best Jeanist pushed himself up and tried to attack All for One. The attack was easily countered by one that resulted in blood spurting from the hero's abdomen and him collapsing.

Cries of shock and fear went up around the room.

"What was that?!"

"Did he just get a hole in his stomach?!"

"It must have been something else! Otherwise..."

"Is- is he dead?"

"No, he can't be!"

Momo, Midoriya, Iida, Kirishima, and Todoroki all felt their insides twist with fear and anxiety. How could they stand up to something that took out Best Jeanist so easily? Seeing that, maybe those visions of death the other Midoriya mentioned weren't just their imagination.

AfO pointed out Best Jeanist's skills again, but said he didn't need the hero's quirk, since it wouldn't mesh well with Shigaraki's temperament. While he said this, a close up was shown of Best Jeanist, and his eye was twitching.

Seeing the small movement calmed the rush of panic that the villain's attack had brought on. Best Jeanist was still badly hurt, but he wasn't dead. There was still a chance that he could make it if he got medical attention.

"He makes it sound like he's, ugh, shopping around for a quirk he could give to Shigaraki." Mineta said, feeling nauseous at the idea.

"Or use for himself. He mentioned taking Ragdoll's earlier, I think, and I don't think he would hand that one off to him, or anyone else, when it's so useful to him." Midoriya muttered.

"That's one way to keep track of Shigaraki I suppose...and his enemies." Todoroki said.

Midoriya nodded, but his mind was spiraling in another direction. If AfO did have Ragdoll's quirk, would he be able to use it to know he and the other students were there? But you had to have seen someone before to use it, right? And AfO didn't have eyes, but he must be seeing somehow but maybe that alternate sight hampered the quirk's effectiveness? Would he be able to find them because Ragdoll had seen them or did stealing a quirk reset things and make it so AfO would have to 'see' someone himself to use it on them? Midoriya shook his head to clear it, and forced himself to climb back out of the hole. There were too many unknown variables for him to come to any conclusion, he should just wait and see what happened and then try to figure it out from there.

The scene changed to the 1A kids hiding behind the remains of the wall. They knew they should try to run, but they were so scared that they could hardly breathe, much less move.

Aizawa and Yagi both felt torn. As much as they wanted the kids to be as far away from that place as possible, they also feared that any sort of movement would draw the villain's attention.

The kids were brought out of panic mode when they suddenly heard Bakugo's voice, as they boy was deposited in front of AfO by the black goop.

Bakugo shuddered as the sudden urge to gag overwhelmed him. 'Stupid, shitty, teleporting sludge shit.'

AfO apologized to Bakugo as the rest of the League members popped into existence in the exact same way. AfO told Shigaraki not to let this failure discourage him, and told him to try again as many times as needed. He held out a hand, in a manner very similar to the flashback they'd seen to Shigaraki's childhood, and said this was all for him.

Yagi felt like a piece of paper that had been carelessly crumpled into a ball. He still didn't know what had happened to his mentor's family, but he could only assume it had been something awful, something that had left Shi-, something that had left the boy all alone. Whatever it was, it had left that little boy ripe for the picking by All for One. If what his nemesis said was anywhere close to the truth, then the boy had been ignored during his time of greatest need. After being treated like that, what child could resist a man who said he was going to change the whole world just for them?

Once again, All Might found himself thinking 'If only I'd been there...'

Bakugo looked at AfO, but either from fear or common sense, didn't try to move against him. Midoriya scolded himself, reminding himself that he'd come here because he'd been unable to move before, and that lead to him being unable to save Kacchan! He couldn't let his fear stop him now, Kacchan was right in front of him!

"That's true, he is, but he's not the only one." Tsuyu pointed out.

"Yeah, the whole rest of the League and the scariest, most dangerous villain in existence is right in front of you too!" Kaminari agreed.

"Two of the League are passed out." Todoroki said.

"Yeah, but that doesn't help with the whole All for One thing does it?!"

"This was just supposed to be information gathering. I said that a bunch right? That it was just stealth?" Kirishima asked helplessly. He felt very similarly to Midoriya, he didn't want to just stand there when Bakugo was so close, but he'd never thought they'd have to do it right under All for One's nose!

"Well, if you can pull off stealth, now would be the time to prove it." Bakugo said with a snort. Kirishima couldn't help the hysterical giggle that followed.

Midoriya reasoned that AfO didn't know they were there, or he wouldn't have spoken so freely. He could tell Bakugo was only about 6-7 meters away from his position. He could make it there in a second with his quirk, but could he get away afterwards? But even if he could it would leave the others in danger.

Midoriya's classmates were once again in awe of how his mind worked. That he could calculate that much, all while nearly frozen in fear, was astounding.

Bakugo clenched his jaw as he stared at the screen. 'I told you not to follow me Deku, don't get yourself killed.'

He needed a plan...but no plan would work if he couldn't make himself move. Midoriya started to step forward, but was stopped when Iida grabbed his shirt. The camera showed that Iida had also grabbed Todoroki, and that Momo had latched onto Kirishima. Both Momo and Iida told themselves they'd protect the others, and urged themselves to think of some way to get away.

Aizawa felt a surge of pride for his class's president and vice president. Even when things had gone so horribly wrong, they were still conscious of the responsibility they had taken on when they agreed to this 'mission'. They were still trying to protect their classmates from this new danger.

He was also proud of Midoriya, though in a different way. He didn't think Midoriya was actually about to try and grab Bakugo, like the on-screen Iida probably feared, he just needed to prove to himself that he could move if he really needed to. The fact that Midoriya could manage to do that, despite the affect that All for One clearly had on those around him, spoke to Midoriya's determination and strength of will.

Over with the students, Uraraka gently patted Iida's back, and sent Momo a grateful look. "You're both doing a great job as the class leaders."

Todoroki nodded in agreement.

"I'm glad you're looking out for us." Midoriya said. He didn't think he was really about to try and grab Kacchan, not yet, not until the timing was perfect, but the statement still stood. "We'll get out of this somehow, and we'll do it together."

"Yeah, same here!" Kirishima said, gaining back some of his enthusiasm. "If we put our heads together, we can definitely figure a way out." 'And hopefully grab Bakugo along the way.'

A few more voices of agreement chimed in, and Momo and Iida both felt buoyed by their classmates' support and determination. They looked at each other, gazes resolute, and nodded. They would all survive and save each other, no matter how hopeless it seemed.

All for One suddenly said "You're here after all, aren't you?" Iida's eyes went wide.

Every single heart in the room skipped a beat, and the audience became just as breathless as the boy on screen.

Then All Might came shooting down from the sky, and punched at AfO with both fists. AfO kept his ground, but it was clear that it took effort. All Might declared that he'd make AfO return everything, and AfO asked if All Might would kill him again.

The emotions in the room rebounded so fast it could have given someone whiplash. The moment All Might descended on AfO there was a collective gasp before the students burst into cheers and exultation. It didn't matter that AfO didn't go flying like other villains would have, or that this was a villain All Might had failed to take care of once already. All that mattered to them was that he was there, and that meant that their classmates weren't alone anymore.

From his seat next to Midoriya, All Might took a deep breath, bracing himself. He told his other self to end things this time. It didn't matter if he killed All for One, or imprisoned him, but one way or another things had to end here, before young Midoriya or any of the other students or anyone else could be dragged into it. Something touched his elbow, and he looked down to see young Midoriya offering him a towel. He gave the boy a grateful smile, and took it.

Recovery Girl arrived a moment later, and insisted he lay down and be given space. The students around Yagi made no fuss about this request, their automatic care for young Midoriya easily transferring to a new target.

A shockwave rose up from the impact of the two powerful humans. Bakugo and the League were sent flying, and the other 1A kids had to brace themselves even with the wall for protection.

"My apologies, young Bakugo."

"Shut it, I don't care how far I get flung as long as you take that fucker down!"

AfO mocked All Might for how long it took him to get there, and said he was clearly weaker. All Might shot back that AfO was too based on that mask of his. After seeing how AfO stood up against All Might's attack, Bakugo put together that AfO was the League's leader.

Bakugo snorted. Partially to cover up his small wince as the pain factor made him feel the impact of that fall, and partially because of how long it took him to figure that out. 'Not like he announced his title or anything, but the kind of presence he had...not just anyone can make you feel like that just by being there.'

All Might declared that he wouldn't make the same mistake he did six years ago. He would get Bakugo back, and make sure AfO was captured, and the whole League along with him! He leaped forward to punch him, but AfO's arm bulged and a force sent All Might flying back. He crashed through several buildings before he came to a stop, and numerous buildings were already shown to be partially toppled over from the force of the blows exchanged.

Yagi's body went rigid, and did his best to ride out the waves of pain that went through him at each impact. He felt each impact, felt the way the rubble raked against his skin. But, aside from the creaking of his jaw, he didn't make a single sound of distress. He'd had worse pain from previous fights, including the last one he'd had with All for One, and a petty part of him didn't want to give his enemy the satisfaction of giving in. Young Midoriya's hand found his, and he grasped it back tightly. He could endure this.

His own silence made it so he could clearly hear the gasps of surprise and worry that went up throughout the room.

"Uh, they would have evacuated the area around the Noumu facility right? That's why all those windows are dark, right?" Sato asked, a little desperately.

"But, didn't we see people around after Kirishima and the others got dressed up?" Sero asked.

"I'm sure there was a subtle evacuation that took place before the attack that was launched on the Noumu facility." Nedzu reassured them. "We wouldn't want to alert villains to the attack, but the safety of civilians would take priority over that. Some people may have been missed due to them being out and about, just as your classmates were, but others should have been instructed to leave. Though, since we didn't anticipate a fight between quirks as powerful as All Might's and All for One's in this area, it is unlikely the evacuation will have covered enough area to avoid casualties."

Well, now they were worried for civilians on top of being worried for their friends,classmates, and teacher.

AfO listed off the quirks he'd just used, and mused about how fun they were and what he could add to the combo.

"He doesn't sound worried at all..." Ashido noted nervously. All Might shook his head, which prompted Recovery Girl to say

"From the stories I've heard, I imagine that man would sound casual and in control even on his deathbed."

Bakugo called after All Might, but AfO said that the hero wouldn't die from that. Then he instructed Shigaraki to take his people and Bakugo and go. His fingers changed color, extended, and shot into Kurogiri. Magne desperately asked AfO to transport them since Kurogiri was still out, and AfO explained to her that his teleport quirk was only gained recently and was much more limited compared to Kurogiri's.

Izuku wrote down every bit of information that All for One gave out about the black goop based teleporting quirk, and willed himself to remember it all. He was completely oblivious to how some of his classmates shuddered at what was being done to Kurogiri.

"If he only got it recently, then maybe when we get back to our timeline he won't have it yet." Tsuyu said. Momo nodded.

"That's a good point. If we looked for someone with a quirk that functioned just as he just described, then we might be able to find the person who has it now and keep them from coming into contact with All for One."

"We'll definitely look into it, but don't hang too much hope on that." Present Mic said. "If he's really lived since the time quirks first started showing up, then his idea of 'recent' might not be the same as ours."

Ojiro looked at AfO in thoughtful confusion. "Why would he bother telling Bakugo All Might would be fine? Figured a villain would like their victim to be freaked out."

"Maybe he thinks Bakugo will be less likely to try lashing out if he's less worried." Shoji suggested.

"Or perhaps he merely wants to maintain the image he has cultivated, and reassuring Bakugo was part of that." Tokoyami said.

Koda thought that the villain probably just didn't want Bakugo's yelling to interrupt any of his speeches.

AfO used something called 'Forced Quirk Activation' to make Kurogiri open a portal despite being still unconscious. AfO told them to go, but Shigaraki was hesitant to leave AfO behind. Then, All Might suddenly burst back out of the rubble and hurtled toward AfO. AfO told Shigaraki to keep thinking and that he still had a lot of room for growth, then met All Might head on. Mr Compress grabbed Dabi, and then told Shigaraki to grab 'his own piece'. All the villains turned to look at Bakugo, and the boy smiled and got into a fighting stance.

Students and teachers alike were on the edge of their seats, worried about if All Might would be able to defeat AfO, and what would happen to Bakugo now that the villains were paying attention to him again.

Izuku took just enough time to write down what he'd seen of the quirk AfO just used, then turned his focus onto All Might. With his mentor up and fighting again, he wanted to be aware of everything that was happening.

Bakugo nodded to himself, glad to see that his other self wasn't doing anything embarrassing and was ready to fight for his freedom. There was no way any version of him was submitting to the villains without a fight.

All Might tried to go after Bakugo, but was cut off by AfO. Izuku was shown watching the fight from behind the wall, and quickly surmised that All Might wouldn't be able to get to Bakugo and that Bakugo was surrounded and couldn't run away. Bakugo was also analyzing his situation, seeing how the League was more dangerous now that they were in crisis mode, and knowing he had to stay out of Compress's reach no matter what.

"Huh, you know, Midoriya and Bakugo sounded kinda similar just now." Uraraka said.

Todoroki nodded in agreement. "Just don't let Bakugo hear you say that."

Aizawa swore that, with the stress of seeing Bakugo fight for his life and with Midoriya witnessing everything and possibly planning something dangerous, he could actually feel his hair turning gray.

"Dang dude, six against one! Keeping that up for any amount of time is so manly!" Kirishima said. He was also dreading what might happen to Bakugo, and to them, but figured that the room could use more positivity.

"Not like their trying to kill me." Bakugo's words were dismissive, but his shoulders relaxed slightly after Kirishima spoke.

All Might tried to get to Bakugo again, but AfO sent him flying again. Midoriya badly wanted to help, but also remembered what that police chief had said about using their quirks to cause injury without permission or supervision. The others from 1A were shown remembering words from their classmates, before they left, and knew that they couldn't fight.

All Might grunted and shuddered when he hit another building, and bit down on the cloth to cut off anymore noise. Midoriya squeezed his hand.

Aizawa, while still feeling like the color was being leeched from his hair, was at least glad to see that the message of not using their quirks to fight until they got a license really had sunk in for the group. That was probably aided by their crippling fear, but he would take it. Though, if push came to shove, he'd much rather they use their quirk and get in trouble for it than have them be hurt or killed trying to avoid doing so. He could probably come up with a story about All Might giving them permission. And like Bakugo said, he was still functioning under Aizawa's first allowance of quirk usage.

Midoriya was desperately trying to think of something they could do to save Bakugo and allow All Might to fight to the fullest. His mind laid out the positions of everyone like pieces on a board, trying to find just the right route and instant to get to Bakugo. Bakugo kept dodging every blow while Midoriya thought. Something occurred to Midoriya, and he told the others he knew how they could save Bakugo without fighting. Todoroki wanted to hear it. Midoriya admitted that his plan wouldn't work if he himself took a key role, but that it would if Kirishima did it instead.

Bakugo's arms were crossed across his chest, and his right hand rhythmically tightened and relaxed around his left bicep. He wished his other self could really fight back, but it was clearly taking everything he had to just keep from getting dragged away by the villains again. He also hated to admit that Deku was probably right. Even if it meant fighting six on one, even if it meant hurting All Might's chances at victory, his other self might refuse help if Deku was the one he saw leading the charge. Would he really consider his pride more important than making sure the villains could be defeated? He'd never really thought about how messed up that was before.

Meanwhile, Kirishima wished that this other Bakugo wouldn't be so picky about how who he was rescued by, but also felt strangely pleased at the idea that Bakugo would accept help from him even if he wouldn't accept it from others.

The rest of the class didn't quite get what Midoriya was really talking about yet, and figured he meant that Kirishima's quirk would play the key role in whatever he was planning.

They were once again impressed by how quickly Midoriya's mind ran through the options for routes and came up with a solution. Whether or not it was a good solution remained to be seen, but Midoriya's track record had been pretty good so far, and people found themselves becoming more hopeful that all of their classmates would make it out of this in one piece.

Todoroki asked for the details. Just as Midoriya was about to explain, the scene changed back to All Might fighting with AfO.

"Stop leaving us in suspense!" Hagakure begged.

"Yeah, my poor heart can't take it!" Sero agreed.

AfO asked if he was saving his strength due to Bakugo being close by, and pointed out how such things must make it hard for 'heroes'. Meanwhile, Bakugo himself was shown thinking about how his presence was hindering All Might. The scene changed back to the 1A group, just after Midoriya's explanation. Midoriya said that Bakugo must realize that All Might was holding back for his sake.

"Caring about others is a part of what makes us heroes! A good hero will do it no matter how difficult it is!" Iida said sharply.

"Yeah! Just because its hard doesn't mean its not worth doing!" Uraraka agreed. Midoriya nodded along, his hand on his chin.

"I also find it hard to believe All for One himself isn't holding back somewhat due to the presence of Shigaraki and the others. But I guess the words don't have to make sense if the only goal is to rile up your opponent."

"It always kinda weirds me out how Bakugo and Midoriya can know each other so well and think so alike about some things yet still not get each other at all about other things." Jirou muttered.

"They're relationship and history is a complicated one." Momo agreed.

Midoriya said the plan would only work once Bakugo was a specific distance away from the League members. Momo turned to Iida for his opinion. Iida admitted it was a gamble, but one that didn't put themselves at much risk and could turn the tides if it worked. "Let's do it!"

Mic's head bounced with the force of his nodding. "Something that will get Bakugo out without much risk to yourselves? That sounds like a good plan, liking this plan a lot."

Aizawa watched the screen intently, nervous but hopeful. He didn't want to make judgement calls until he saw the actual plan, but it seemed like they'd put real thought into whatever they were about to do. Certainly more than they'd used when deciding to go there in the first place anyway.

As the students got into position, the plan was finally shown and explained. Midoriya's and Iida's quirks were used to propel themselves, while they used a Hardened Kirishima to break through the wall. As the villains turned in surprise, Todoroki used his ice to make a ramp for the trio. The three rocketed up the ramp, launching themselves higher than any League Member could reach. AfO may keep All Might busy, but that meant All Might was also keeping AfO busy. At the right moment, Kirishima reached out a hand and called for Bakugo to come with them.

The whole room seemed to hold its breath. Students sat on the very edge of their seats, and teachers looked on with desperate hope.

Bakugo's eyes widened slightly at the sight of Kirishima reaching out, then he let out a small huff. 'Of course Deku knew he couldn't be the one in that position.' He thought wryly, disparagingly. 'I've been turning down his hand since we were four years old.'

Shigaraki tried to grab Bakugo, but the boy was too quick. Taking advantage of the villains' surprise, he let off a huge explosion. It sent him flying up at just the right angle to grab Kirishima's hand. With a grin, he asked if they were stupid.

"Yes!"

"That was awesome!"

"You did it!"

"Their not out of the woods yet."

"Ah come on, let us have this."

Kirishima laughed "Considering that we're there at all? Yeah, we might be kinda stupid."

"But you also just got together and pulled off that awesome rescue, which means you're also really smart!" Kaminari pointed out.

"That just means that Glasses, Ponytail and Deku are smart, not him." Bakugo said with a grin. He was enjoying the look on the villains' faces too much to do anything else.

Kaminari gasped and pretended to faint over Bakugo admitting Midoriya was smart. Bakugo ignored him.

Iida told Bakugo to use another blast on his mark, which of course got Bakugo arguing over who would say 'when'. While the villains were busy watching the four students flying away, Todoroki and Momo sneaked away.

Aizawa, along with the other teachers, were all able to breath a little easier. Two of the students were getting out of there, seemingly unnoticed by the villains at all, while it seemed like the other four would be safely out of range soon.

Momo, while very glad that the plan seemed to be successful, couldn't help but feel a little put out that she didn't seem to contribute to it at all. Ah well, she supposed knowing when not to do things could be just as important as knowing when to act. Plus she could help protect Todoroki should any of the villains decide to switch targets.

Shigaraki shook with rage as he said 'you show up everywhere'. Even All Might took a moment to sweatdrop at his protege's unexpected appearance. The League tried to think of something, but both of their usual distance fighters were down for the count. Magne called Spinner and Compress over, and while she used her quirk to launch them she got a quick quirk explanation. Compress was sent flying toward the students, but was brought up short when Mount Lady suddenly grew large and caught him with her face, which caused her to be downed again.

Noise filled the room, though this time it was a mixture of both cheers and the sympathetic 'oof!' sound people tend to make upon seeing a hard hit.

"Did she really have to use her face?" Sato asked.

"She had been knocked out earlier, maybe by the time she woke up and figured what was happening she didn't have time to do anything else." Ojiro reasoned.

"A sacrifice of such magnitude should not be sold short." Aoyama declared.

Magne tried to pull off the move again with another League member, but was brought up short by the arrival of Gran Torino, who quickly zipped through the group, knocking people out.

The cheers were unanimous this time. With both Gran Torino and All Might around to keep the League busy, the students were sure that the rescue wouldn't be cut short!

All Might prayed that the kids' joy was not misplaced. If Bakugo and the others were truly successful, then that meant he could fight his enemy in earnest. He could finally finish this. He tried not to think about how hard it had become for him to keep watching whenever Shi...whenever All for One's protege came on screen.

While Izuku did cheer for the arrival of Gran Torino, a part of his mind couldn't stop from worrying. All for One had nearly killed All Might the last time they fought, and All Might had almost killed him. He knew that All Might had been getting weaker over time, but had no idea how true that was for All for One. True, they had seen that the man didn't have eyes anymore, but he was sure there were quirk that could help with that. Having few data points or clear observations to theorize with made Izuku very uneasy about the fate of his mentor.

Gran Torino said that Midoriya was becoming more and more like All Might, in a bad way. All Might's thought that he didn't expect Midoriya to come there after what happened in Hosu. He said the word 'teenagers' like it was a curse.

"Hey, don't say 'teenagers' like that! It's not like we all went." Kaminari complained.

"Yeah, the rest of us had the good sense to stay behind." Mineta agreed.

"Though not enough sense to warn anyone about what they were doing." Mic pointed out, and Aizawa made a noise of agreement, which made the other students look vaguely guilty.

"Sorry..." Izuku said. 'Considering how we ended up being in the right place to help, I can't say I regret it. Still, us being able to do that, rather than being taken out like the pros, was more luck than anything else.'

"It was indeed a foolish errand, my boy, but I can understand your reasoning. It's fortunate that your presence ended up being a boon, rather than ending in tragedy. But, you do seem to have a talent for turning situations around." All Might gave him a smile, which Izuku returned.

"Oh, maybe that's your secret hidden quirk, always managing to be in just the right place at just the right time!" Uraraka joked.

"Heh, feels more like the wrong place at the right time, but I get what you mean."

"It certainly would explain how you get wrapped up in so many dire situations." Iida agreed as Recovery Girl shoved the towel back between All Might's teeth.

AfO got up from where he'd been flung, and recognized Torino as 'Shimura's friend'.

'Don't you dare say her name!' Yagi raged internally.

All Might declared that now he didn't have to hold back.

The more observant members of the audience saw how All Might had been holding his hand to his mouth just before he said this, and it reminded them of how he'd do that to hide bloody lips in the past. Was All Might already pushing the bounds of the power he had left?

Izuku suddenly remembered that All Might had more than just time and health weakening him, he also had passed on OfA to Izuku. AfO didn't seem to pass on anything to Shigaraki though, so would that make it an uneven match?

AfO used Forced Quirk Activation again, but this time on Magne. Suddenly, all the League members went flying toward Toga, who stood in front of the warp gate. They were all flung through, but Shigaraki tried to resist, his thoughts going back to AfO offering his hand and calling him Tenko. Still, he fell through in the end, and the gate closed. AfO said that Tomura had to keep fighting.

"Ah, I see. All for One also wishes to fight without reserve, so now that there is no hostage to recapture, he's sent away his minions. He's clearly put much time into training Shigaraki after all, and the other members will support him." Tokoyami observed.

Unbeknownst to Tokoyami, his words made the gnawing pit in Yagi's stomach grow bigger. Just how old had Tenko been when All for One found him? What did he do to him all those years?

All Might went in to punch AfO, but suddenly Gran Torino got covered in black goop, then teleported right in front of All Might's fist. All Might reeled back and apologized, but Torino still hung limp. AfO said he only showed up to save Tomura, but he'd fight if All Might was going to.

People gasped when the hit landed, and Yagi paled.

'Please let me have seen in time, please let Gran Torino be okay!' he begged.

"He must want this to be a one on one fight." Shoji said.

Bakugo stiffened at that comment, because he found that he could understand that. It felt similar to how he wanted Icy Hot to use his full strength against him at the Festival, he wanted the fight to really show where he stood against his opponents power. He shivered at the idea of having thoughts even vaguely similar to this villain.

AfO said that All Might had taken out plenty of AfO's comrades before, and had been seen as the Symbol of Peace while doing it. He taunted that the view from on high must be a good one.

Recovery Girl sniffed. "I highly doubt you felt any actual attachment to those 'comrades' of yours, so don't try to spin it like you're avenging them or some such."

"He's probably just trying to psyche All Might out." Aizawa said.

All Might grabbed Torino and punched again, but was soon blown back by the force of it while AfO seemed undamaged. Behind All Might, civilians were shown in the rubble, with various pros helping them out. AfO taunted that All Might couldn't truly fight without reservation.

A number of colorful curses went up throughout the room. The sound of them did a good job at covering up any noise of pain All Might produced.

"It seems we did not evacuate as much as was needed." Nedzu observed.

Seeing the rubble and the fire, those who had grown up with All Might as the Symbol of Peace couldn't help but remember the video they'd all watched of him, the one of his big debut. It inspired so many because of how many he saved so quickly, and all with a smile. Now they feared that if things continued this way, any videos taken here would end much differently.

All Might told him to shut up, and raged that he always did this. AfO toyed with people, he manipulated them and stole from them and mocked them when they were just trying to save their lives. He would never forgive it!

All Might shot forward, and punched AfO into the ground.

"Yes!"

"You tell him All Might!"

"Get him!"

"He's going down!"

Gran Torino woke up and saw All Might steaming. He gravely told All Might he was at his limit. AfO, seemingly unbothered by the blow, said that All Might seemed upset.

"Oh screw you!" Hagakure yelled.

AfO said that he'd heard that same line before, from the previous holder of One for All. The episode ended there.

All Might was shaking with rage at this point.

"Cue up the next one."

Nedzu looked him over, then said "I think we'll take another short break actually." All Might glared at him.

"No, I ne-"

"Toshinori."

Recovery Girl's soft voice made him look down.

"Please, take a breather. If you don't, you may miss something important."

Yagi forced himself to take a breath. She was right. If he didn't go into the next episode with a clear head, then he might miss something that would help him take this bastard down once they got back to their own timeline.

He did some breathing exercises in his room while the others mingled nervously. Those were harder with only one lung, but they would work well enough for this.


"Thank you."

"Huh? What was that?" Kirishima asked. Bakugo glared at him.

"Don't make me say it again Shitty Hair."

"Okay okay, I admit I heard you, and I won't make you repeat it. Besides, you don't need to thank me for something like this."

Bakugo was relieved for one brief, glorious second.

"But I bet the others would love to hear it from you! I'll go with you to find them!" Kirishima enthusiastically grabbed Bakugo's arm and dragged him across the room while he loudly protested.

Other students in the class watched as Bakugo was dragged around, and they saw how he actually did quiet and seemed to say something before being dragged over to the next person.

"I'm glad he's up for saying 'thank you', even if Kirishima is kinda helping it along." Tsuyu said. "I'd be worried about him if he wasn't."

"More worried about him than usual?" Shoji asked.

"Yeah, because now that we're on a break, I think I get what Midoriya really meant about Kirishima in this episode. It wasn't that they needed Kirishima to break through the wall, Midoriya could have done that with his quirk. I think it was because Midoriya knew Bakugo would hesitate to take his hand, but that he wouldn't do that to Kirishima."

Shoji's eyes widened. "I hadn't thought about that. You really think he would have done that even with the villains to escape from and All Might holding back and everything?"

Tsuyu shrugged "He might have."

"Yeah, I think she might have a point." Sato said. "Stuff between him and Midoriya runs deep, and most of it is pretty bad. Maybe he wouldn't have actually refused to go if Midoriya was the one reaching out, but even hesitating could have given the League enough time to grab him and take him away."

"A dark thought indeed. However, his willingness to show gratitude here and now indicates that his real self may not be as far gone as his counterpart." Tokoyami interjected. Shoji nodded.

"I hope you're right. Things would have gone downhill fast if they hadn't managed to rescue Bakugo. If they captured him then, the League might have gone after the others."

"Then they'd end up hurt...or captured...and All Might would be even more distracted." Koda nervously ticked off the possibilities. Tokoyami lay a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Let us focus on how things really turned out, rather than how they might have."


After Kirishima and Bakugo had made the rounds, and Bakugo wondered off to recover from being social/sappy for a while, Aizawa gathered the other teens from the episode together.

"I want to make it clear that I still don't approve of what you all did to end up in that situation." Aizawa began "However, I also want to congratulate you. Iida and Momo, you kept your responsibilities and priorities in check during a highly stressful and dangerous situation. You did everything in your power to keep the others safe after things went wrong, and that is to be commended. Midoriya, you came up with a plan that put you and the others at only a small amount risk while also making it possible for your classmate to be rescued, and you all worked with him very well to pull it off. That is also to be commended. You all showed incredible bravery. If you show that kind of fortitude during your regular school work as well, then I have no doubt that you will all grow to be successful heroes."

"Thank you sir!" The group all chorused. Momo's and Iida's eyes were shinning from the praise. Midoriya looked like he might cry, and Kirishima's grin was so big that it would have looked terrifying on anyone else. Todoroki's nod made for a the most subdued reaction, but it held the same genuine gratitude as the others.

"I suddenly really want a group hug. Can we start another group hug?" Kirishima asked eagerly.

"Not with me you can't."

Kirishima took this to mean that just the students should have one, and proceeded to bear hug Momo and Midoriya. Iida was quick to join, saying something about bonding and team building, and managed to snag Todoroki while he did so.


Once everything, and everyone, had managed to calm themselves, they started in on the next episode.