A.N.

Episode 50 of the anime people! LET'S GOOOO!


Almost everyone in the room felt much better after having a day to relax and a couple nights to sleep. The worry they had for this future without an active Symbol of Peace still preoccupied them of course, but the worry had been given time to settle and become more manageable. Their short break had also allowed the students to find their own determination again. If All Might wasn't going to be able keep shouldering the burden of a peaceful society anymore, then they'd just have to do their best and become great heroes as soon as they could so that they could band together and take that burden on in his place! Hopefully with some help from class 1B and any other heroes, new or old, that were willing to take it up with them.

The episode started with a brief flash of All Might's saying 'you're next' to Midoriya once again.

Those words made the watchers' worries spike briefly before it settled once again. They reminded themselves that All Might wasn't dead, just retired. There would be fallout from this fight, and they had no way of knowing what all it would entail, but they would find a way to deal with it.

Midoriya's chest tightened at the words, but he did his best to breathe through it. He reminded himself that All Might was okay, he was safe and right here, and that the full responsibility of One for All wasn't solely his just yet.

The scene changed to the police department. Someone was giving a debriefing about how the noumus were pretty much the same as the ones they captured before, and that they were in the process of investigating the warehouse and bar, but that they didn't have any new information yet. The police in the room talked about how they failed to catch any members of the League, and how they had traded in the Symbol of Peace just for the battle to end in a draw.

"Well that seems a little pessimistic." Hagakure said. "I mean, All for One has been captured. Even if the others got away, that seems like a pretty major win."

"They lost their leader, and we lost ours since All Might gave up the last of One for All. Neither of them is dead, they're both just unable to keep doing what they had been doing. That sounds a lot like a draw." Shoji pointed out.

"I get that, but they're big bad is in prison and unable to do anything at all while we still have All Might! Sure he can't fight like he used to, but he can still make appearances and talk to people and stuff. We clearly came out better there!"

"That's true...but the villains aren't dealing with everything concerning civilian casualties too."

"Oh...yeah...that's a good point." Hagakure had forgotten for a bit just how much damage had been done during the fight. That kind of thing wouldn't matter to the villains.

"All for One doubtless had many resources, which may now be unavailable to the League due to his incarceration. Whether or not that sets them back as much as our own losses remains to be seen." Momo said diplomatically.

One of the police in the room pointed out how there was no longer an unbeatable Symbol of Peace, which would affect both civilians and villains.

All Might's heart hurt, his conflicted feelings warring within it.

He couldn't help but mourn his place as the Symbol of Peace, he'd built up his life around it and had done his best to do the most good he possibly could through it. But seeing all these episodes made him realize that being a Symbol had caused people to become overly dependent on him and the image he projected. He'd begun to think that it truly would be better to share that burden, and distribute the weight more equally among the heroes. And he believed that if anyone could live up to that and inspire people to keep hoping, it was this class. He knew they could make something great, perhaps something even greater than what he'd done in his time as a Symbol.

But he also knew that if it happened so abruptly, like was being shown here, that it would cause villains to try rising up and civilians to lose hope. He had faith in his students, but they wouldn't be pro heroes for a couple more years at least. How many people would be hurt in the aftermath of this fight? How much would society change during the transition?

One person commented that this was what they got for relying on one person, while another worried about what people would do if they realized how much damage they could cause by just gathering together a bunch of idiots.

Some instinctively wanted to protest the words of the first man, in an attempt to defend All Might, but they held back. They'd seen enough now to know that he was right, and that relying so much on All Might alone had more drawbacks than they'd realized before.

"Well, that seems a tad unfair." Present Mic mused. "The members of the League aren't genius's, but I wouldn't say they're complete idiots."

"I see what you're saying, but I also see what the man up there is saying. The League members are made of people they scouted or ones that volunteered. Only a couple have any connection to a famous villain, All for One, while the others are much closer to everyday people. That could give other groups the idea to gather more people to start trouble in an attempt to become 'the next big thing' as it were." Nedzu explained.

The man continued, saying that Shigaraki's plans were showing signs that the man himself was maturing, and that with current events there would be less checks on people's actions.

That was something the students and teachers had started wondering about. With All for One gone, would Shigaraki be able to step up as the main leader, or would he be too preoccupied with the loss of his mentor? How prepared was he, and just how much had All for One left behind for him?

He pointed out that the League grew stronger and more influential with every failure. Another man asked if he was saying that this whole fight was a part of their plan. The first man said he didn't know, he just knew that they needed to catch the League.

"Do you really think this could have been planned?" Mineta asked. Kaminari immediately shook his head.

"No way! Who the heck PLANS to go to prison? That doesn't make any sense!"

"Shigaraki seemed pretty freaked out at the idea of being sent away for this to have been the plan all along." Kirishima pointed out.

'That doesn't mean it wasn't All for One's plan.' Bakugo thought grimly. He had no idea why the villain would get himself sent to jail, but he could see the bastard not telling Shigaraki about any of it. The very idea that it had been on purpose made his stomach turn. The idea that he'd not only caused All Might to burn out the remains of One for All, but that it might have been what that bastard wanted all along...he didn't think he could handle it if that turned out to be true.

All Might's mind whirled at the possibility that what the police man was saying was true. What would All for One gain from that? Was he planning a mass break out? How? What had he done to make sure the League would do what he wanted in his absence?

Nedzu mulled the idea over, and found that All for One getting imprisoned on purpose made some amount of sense. With how much Shigaraki looked up to All for One, being separated from him could inspire him and force him to grow quickly as a leader, effectively making this the move of a martyr. Or it could make Shigaraki completely lose faith in himself and cause the remains of the League to crumble. He looked forward to seeing which would happen.

The police had no time to wait around being called 'villain reception'. Something needed to change.

All Might was reminded of how annoyed he got when people looked down on the police, he knew from Tsukuachki just how much work the police put into investigating and such, but there wasn't anything he could do about that right now.

The teachers agreed that something would need to change, and were curious to see what those currently in power would come up with (including what their other selves would do). It would tell them a lot about who all had the most power to change things right now and what they're values were. That could be very useful information.

Many students lamented the fact that they were still too young to become real part of that change, while others felt relieved they wouldn't have that kind of pressure on them just yet.

The scene changed to a room with All Might, Tsukauchi, and Gran Torino in it. Both All Might and Gran were bandaged, but All Might was the only one in a bed. He grimly informed his friend and his mentor that he'd used up the last of OFA, and that the Symbol of Peace was dead.

"You're not dead, you idiot." Recovery Girl chided.

"I know I am not, but with my quirk gone-"

"Not being able to use your quirk doesn't change what you did or the fact that people are inspired by you. I'm willing to bet plenty of people will continue to take comfort from your presence, even if you don't stop villains anymore."

'Hmmm, that is something to consider.' Nedzu thought to himself. 'All for One may have just become a martyr to the League, but the reveal of All Might's true form at the end of the battle could just as easily turn him into a martyr for the citizens. And martyrs can have plenty of influence on the thoughts and actions of those who choose to follow them. If that's how people view it, then the Symbol of Peace is not 'dead', his role has just been altered.'

Yagi still spoke with determination though, as he said that there was still something he had to do. Gran guessed that he was referring to the revelation that Shigaraki was Shimura Nana's grandson. The detective asked about why neither of the hero's was involved with the family. Gran explained that, after Nana's husband was killed, she gave up her son so that he would be kept away from the hero world. She made them promise not to get involved with him no matter what, and Tsukauchi noted how sad it was that the promise had backfired.

"I can't imagine having to go through that..." Uraraka said softly. She thought about her own parents, and wondered how she would feel if they sent her away in order to protect her from something. She would understand, and do her best to move forward, but that wouldn't stop her from being lonely and missing them. Or what if she was the one doing the sending? If she had to run away to keep her parents safe from something...she'd feel awful, knowing they were worrying and missing her.

"I agree. It was likely made worse by the fact that he had to be taken care of by strangers, rather than friends or other family members." Iida noted.

"I wonder how old he was..." Izuku murmured. He couldn't help but think of Kota. Part of the reason he grew to be so angry was because he was too young to fully understand the kind of sacrifice his parents had made, so he saw their deaths as a kind of abandonment. Was Shimura Nana's son old enough to understand? Would it matter if he was?

Yagi once again felt his heart clench. He had tried to follow Nana's wishes, but that had only resulted in him failing her, even after she was dead.

Yagi said he planned to find Shigaraki. Gran refuted him, and asked what he would do if he did find Shigaraki. He reminded All Might that, no matter who he was related to, Shigaraki was a criminal, and said that All Might couldn't afford to forget that.

While many others in the room nodded along in agreement, Midoriya frowned in thought. He agreed that they shouldn't forget the things Shigaraki had done or what his goal was, but was it right brush aside his origin like that? What if was it revealed that Shigaraki was originally coerced into joining with AFO? Would that make a difference?

He joined UA because he wanted to be a hero and save people. He didn't like the idea of classifying someone as 'beyond saving', even if that person was a villain.

Unbeknownst to Midoriya, Yagi was having very similar thoughts. Was his mentor's family member really beyond hope? It looked like All for One had been reaching out a helping hand to the boy in the past, but was that true? What had happened to cause the boy to take All for One's offer?

Gran said that he and the detective would investigate Shigaraki, and that All Might should go back to UA and focus on teaching. He said that even if the Symbol of Peace was gone, All Might was still alive.

"Good to see a hero talking sense once in a while." Recovery Girl said, fondness coloring her usual scolding tone.

"Well, with both of you agreeing you must be right!" Yagi joked. "I'll do my best to keep that in mind when I retire for real."

Izuku's voice explained what the rogue 1A students had done after the fight. As they took Bakugo to the police, Izuku noticed how quiet he was.

Kirishima and a few others glanced at Bakugo, curious and worried about how solemn he was being on screen. Bakugo didn't acknowledge the looks.

Then they all went home. Todoroki was shown arriving at his home, where his sister Fuyumi told him how worried she was after he didn't return from his visit to their Mom.

"So you covered for your absence by saying you were visiting your mother?" Momo asked.

"Apparently." Todoroki said.

"Kiddo, if you're gonna tell a lie about where you are, you should choose a different one. Last I checked, hospitals like your mom's keep visitor logs, so someone could fact check you if they had high enough clearance." Present Mic said. Aizawa glared at him.

"Don't give my students advice like that, Yamada."

Something shook the building, causing Fuyumi to flinch. She explained that 'he' had arrived back home a little while ago, and had been like this ever since. Shouta walked down the hall toward the noise, thinking about how the position of '#1 hero' had changed now that All Might had to retire.

"Oh yeah, I didn't even think about that." Sato said, then frowned. "But he wanted to be number one, right? He should be happy about this, why does he sound so angry?"

Bakugo thought he knew why, but chose not to say anything.

"Maybe he's just training really hard for his debut as number one." Kaminari suggested doubtfully.

Painful memories flashed through Todoroki's head before he opened the door. The room was in shambles, and filled with numerous small fires. Endeavor sat on the floor, angrily declaring that he couldn't accept it like this!

"Well that's rough buddy, because it's happening whether you can accept it or not." Jirou quipped.

Bakugo sighed when he realized he'd been right about why Endeavor was raging. It was like when he watched himself beat Todoroki at the Sports Festival. Icy Hot hadn't given it his all, and Bakugo had been enraged that he'd been given a position he hadn't actually earned.

"Shouldn't someone do something about all those fires?" Ojiro asked.

"He knows how to put them out." Todoroki said distantly. He was glad that those brief moments of flashback hadn't brought him any pain.

He'd already guessed Fuyumi didn't know about his involvement because Endeavor hadn't informed her. He didn't find it surprising, his father barely paid attention to her most days. But now he wondered if his father even knew, or cared, about Shouto's actions. If he'd been like this since he found out All Might would be retiring, he may not have registered anyone telling him about his son.

The class felt a collective spike of dislike toward Endeavor upon seeing Shouto remembering those images. With Endeavor being so helpful in recent episodes they'd started to forget how much of an asshole he was in his personal life.

Izuku was shown returning home to his worried mother. He went to his room and lay down in bed and looked at his phone. He wondered if he did the right thing before dozing off.

"I will repeat: Going there in the first place was a very bad decision, but you all handled the change of circumstances well. You five found a way to help with minimal risk to yourselves, and Bakugo fought very well, especially given how many he was up against." Aizawa said.

Bakugo looked a bit surprised to be included in his teacher's praise.

When Izuku awoke in the evening, he saw something on his phone that made him jump out of bed. Inko was surprised to see her son hurriedly leaving the house. She told him food was almost ready and he just said "Later!".

Izuku grimaced. He'd already worried her a lot, what could he have seen to make him run out and brush her off like that?

"Midoriya! It is highly disrespectful to run out before dinner with no explanation, and unwise not to tell her where you are going!" Iida chopped the air in agitation.

Midoriya nodded vigorously in agreement.

The scene changed to Dagoba Beach, where All Might stood. Midoriya ran down the beach, desperately calling for him, and All Might ran toward him doing the same.

Then, when they got close enough, All Might punched Midoriya in the face.

Laughter burst out throughout the room. The sound of it covered up Midoriya's yelp of pain, so only those closest to him heard it. Uraraka and Iida comforted him, but even they were doing it through some giggles.

"I'm s-sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh at you being hurt." Uraraka said breathlessly. "It's just- he- and you-"

"The timing was rather perfect." Iida admitted.

Midoriya held a hand to his face, but he was smiling too. The pain didn't spark any resentment in him. He'd told himself before that he'd accept any scolding if it meant All Might would be okay. He figured this was just paying his dues for that.

All Might was looking at him with some regret though, so he sent All Might a thumbs up to let him know they were okay.

All Might scolded him, saying that everything was almost in vain and demanded to know who he took after.

Recovery Girl couldn't help but laugh at that, and Aizawa muttered something about a pot calling a kettle black.

All Might admitted that he was effectively retired. He tried firing up One for All, but was only able to change his form for a couple seconds before he shrank and then spat up blood.

The real Yagi yelped both from his on screen pain, and from Recovery Girl smacking him with her cane and telling him to stop doing stuff like that while he's still injured.

Yagi ranted about how Izuku kept running out and hurting himself no matter what All Might said. He turned quickly, making Izuku flinch in anticipation of another blow. But instead All Might knelt down to hug him, and told him how proud he was that he'd gotten out of that fight without any injuries.

"That is indeed an accomplishment to be celebrated, my boy." Yagi said with a smile. He knew that this Midoriya had gotten plenty of talks about this incident, and didn't need another scolding. He did deserve to know how happy Yagi was for him though.

"I just avoided getting hurt, it shouldn't be that big of a deal." Midoriya looked down.

"Context is important, young Midoriya. This shows that the other you has made real progress with One for All, and I have every confidence you will be able to do that same when we leave here."

Yagi said he would devote himself to teaching Midoriya from now on, and that they would move forward together. Midoriya began to cry. All Might joked about how he'd already told him to stop being a crybaby, but he was tearing up too.

While Midoriya wailed, his voice said that his face throbbed as he fully realized this was the end of the era of All Might.

Tears welled up in many eyes as students and teachers alike took in that idea. Like Jirou had said earlier, things were going to happen whether they accepted them or not. So they needed to accept a world where All Might could no longer function as the Symbol of Peace. That didn't mean they wouldn't mourn. For most of them, All Might had filled that role for their whole lives.

"All things must come to an end, but that only makes room for a new beginning." Yagi said sagely.

"All M-might..." Tears streamed down Izuku's face.

"I should have devoted myself toward training you sooner, my boy. I'm sorry."

"N-no! You still had a job to do! People to save!"

"Training you is a part of my job now. My other students too, of course, but you especially. It's what you need, and it's what you deserve. I haven't fulfilled that duty as well as I should have before. I let a resource like Gran Torino's knowledge go unused because of my own hang ups with the man, when I should have prioritized getting you the help you needed sooner. I'll do my best to remedy that once we are able to train together again."

"I don't want you to take time away from saving others for me...but maybe we could contact Gran Torino so I can work with both him and you while training for the Sports Festival?"

Yagi smiled and ruffled Izuku's hair. "That is an excellent idea." then he pulled young Midoriya into a hug, trying to communicate how much he cared about being there for him from now on. He hoped that the boy's answering squeeze meant that the message had gotten through.

The scene changed to UA, where Nedzu was addressing All Might, Aizawa, and Vlad King. He thanked All Might for his service over the years, but also brought up how some thought that All Might shouldn't continue teaching. People were saying that the children would be larger targets now that All Might couldn't fight any villains that might attack, and that this turn of events wouldn't have happened if All Might hadn't started teaching.

"Wait, are they saying that All Might wouldn't have had to retire like that if he hadn't started teaching, or that we wouldn't have been attacked if he hadn't started teaching?" Hagakure asked. Momo hummed thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure. I can see why people might get either idea from an outside perspective, given the timing of everything. Still, when you know the whole story, you can tell that's not true. If All Might hadn't started teaching us then the events of the USJ might not have happened, but I don't see how him teaching or not teaching would have affected events like the Noumu attacking the city during our internships, or the attack on the summer camp. Plus we know full well that All Might was already on his way to retirement given what had happened with One for All, so his teaching wouldn't have affected that either."

"Well either way, I think it's dumb to try and pressure him not to teach just because he can't fight anymore." Ashido huffed. "It's not like he's the only hero at UA, and we got attacked even when he wasn't around at the summer camp. He should be able to teach all he wants now that he has the time for it!"

Nedzu pointed out that people were uneasy, but that just meant they had to step up and do better. They had to protect with more strength, and instill that strength into the students. He said he had a plan he'd been considering for just that purpose, and he was counting on the teachers to convince the parents to agree to it. He handed over a piece of paper that was titled "Notice of the Introduction of the UA All-Dorm System".

"You can be pretty inspiring yourself when you want to be, sir." Yamada praised the principal's confident speech.

"Thank you! Hopefully the parents will be just as inspired by my writing." Nedzu said with a smile. He'd been thinking about just such a plan himself while watching these episodes, so he was happy to see he was somewhat on par with his other self. With his quirk being limited, he had been worried he was missing things he might have thought of normally.

"Dorms...as in...living on campus?" Koda asked softly. Living with the class sounded fun, but he'd also never lived away from home before, so he was nervous about the idea too.

"That sounds awesome! Like a constant sleep over!" Kirishima said.

Uraraka just hoped that living on campus wouldn't be expensive. She was already living away from her parents so that part didn't bother her, but they only had so much to spare for her living arrangements.

The scene changed, and Aizawa and All Might were in a room talking to a couple. The man was saying it wasn't 'rocking' of them to go to dorm system so suddenly after his daughter was injured.

Jirou had perked up the moment she heard her Dad's voice. When she heard what all he was saying, she sighed. "Come on Dad, don't make things difficult, I was just knocked out."

"Oh, are these your parents?" Momo asked, looking at the couple with interest. "You look a lot like your Mom."

Jirou smiled "Yeah, I get that a lot, I think I inherited plenty from my dad too though."

The rest of the class was also very interested, since the only parents they'd really seen so far had been Midoriya's mom and Todoroki's parents. Plus a little bit of Iida's and Uraraka's parents. It was also interesting seeing into a friend's home for the first time.

Jirou felt a little self conscious about that last part, since they saw Momo's lavish home in a previous episode, but she loved her home and her parents. She didn't mind her classmates seeing some of it like this, especially with all they'd already been through.

Aizawa tried his best to reassure the man, and bowed while promising to turn Jirou into a fine hero. Jirou came in then and told her teacher that he didn't have to bow. Apparently her father had already decided to agree to the plan, because he'd been so inspired by All Might's last fight and at the idea of someone 'so rocking' teaching his daughter. So inspired in fact, that he cried. That started Jirou and her Dad bickering while the teachers watched.

Some of the students giggled, and Jirou blushed "Oh geeze, sorry about that! You guys were probably super uncomfortable."

"It's quite alright, young Jirou! I'm quite touched that your family continues to have faith in us." That was quite the understatement on All Might's part. Despite the words of Recovery Girl and his reassurances to himself, a part of him had been very worried that losing his quirk would cause people to lose their faith in him. He was incredibly relieved to find that, at least for one family, this wasn't the case.

"I'm glad you and your family are willing to give us another chance." Aizawa agreed.

The two teachers rode in the backseat of a car. Aizawa admitted that he expected to face more opposition, and then offered to buy All Might a drink. All Might laughed and said that wasn't like him. Besides, he couldn't drink, and was expecting the next house to be harder.

All Might felt even more pleased now. The way things were worded just now implied that Jirou's family had been the norm rather than the exception, so that likely meant the other students' families were willing to trust them too. He also appreciated the show of appreciation from Aizawa. He felt the two of them were on better terms these days, especially after what Aizawa said to him after the last episode. He was glad to see that seemed to be happening in this other timeline too.

"I appreciate the offer, young Aizawa. Maybe we could eat together some time instead."

"Maybe." Aizawa allowed. He was also glad that he hadn't lost the faith of his students' families, but was also worried about which house they were going to next.

The next house was the Bakugo's. His mother, Mitsuki was shown. She said she'd be counting on them, while also hitting Bakugo over the head. Bakugo yelled at her not to hit him, so she hit him again and yelled that this was all his fault for being weak and getting caught. Bakugo's father, Masaru, tried to calm them down, but that only made the yelling increase. All Might wondered what was with the darkness in this family.

The suddenness of the first hit and how cheerily Mitsuki spoke made a couple students chuckle at first. That quickly died off at the sound of Bakugo's yelp, and by what Mitsuki said next.

"It was not his fault!" Kirishima instantly denied.

"Yeah! I mean, there were Noumus there and everything! Even All Might had trouble with those, and the rest of them weren't a joke either!" Sero agreed.

"We were all caught off guard, even the teachers! I mean, no one was supposed to know about us being there!" Ashido added. She didn't notice the way Aoyama hunched in on himself just then.

"It doesn't make sense to frame it like that." Izuku said. He picked his words carefully, knowing that Bakugo would hate the idea of his peers pitying him. "If it's Kacchan's fault for getting caught, then it's also the teachers' fault for not stopping the villains sooner, so it doesn't make sense to blame him but still have confidence in them." He also felt it was his fault for not being able to save Kacchan, but he didn't think the other boy would like hearing that.

"I agree." Aizawa said, turning to look at Bakugo. "This didn't happen because you were weak. This happened because we didn't have the right protections. If we had, then neither you or Tokoyami would have gotten captured, and the others wouldn't have gotten attacked. The attack and everything that followed, none of that is the fault of your or any other student."

"Indeed. My confrontation with All for One was a long time in the making. It would have happened eventually no matter how the attack on the camp went." All Might added.

"Okay, okay, I get it." Bakugo hurried to say. He didn't want to talk about this, not here in front of everyone, and possibly not ever. Because, right here and now, with his guilt eating at him, he found his Mom easier to believe than his teacher and classmates. Besides, they were over reacting. They didn't know his mom like he did; that was just the way she showed she was worried.

The other students didn't say anything, but they all felt upset or uncomfortable seeing the way Bakugo's mother spoke about the incident.

They asked if Mitsuki was really okay with the dorm plan. She said yes, and that she was actually happy about it. She said Bakugo's attitude came from the privilege of being talented and having a good quirk, and getting praised for shallow stuff as a child. So she was happy to hear how Aizawa spoke about him on TV, and that she felt UA must be keeping a close eye on him. The family bowed to the teachers, Bakugo being forced into it. She said he was hopeless, but asked them to train him into a good hero.

Students started to feel conflicted about the whole interaction. From what they could tell, Bakugo had been overly praised and given too much leeway at his old schools due to his talent and quirk, and that did seem to affect his attitude for the worse. But they didn't think calling him weak and hitting him like that were very helpful in that department either. So they felt she wasn't exactly wrong, but that she wasn't completely right either.

Well, either way UA did seem to be helping Bakugo, so they were glad she didn't try to hold him back from attending.

Izuku watched the interaction pensively. Mitsuki's behavior had sometimes made him uncomfortable as a kid, but he'd thought it was just because of how different she was compared to his own mother. Now he wondered if he'd picked up on the more problematic things she said and just hadn't been old enough to realize it back then.

Aizawa wondered if Mrs. Bakugo acted like that in an attempt to balance out how the rest of the world treated her son for being born with such a powerful quirk, becoming strict to make up for teachers and peers that acted like he could do no wrong. If so, he could appreciate the idea behind the actions, but felt she had missed the mark in this case. It was far from helpful to victim blame in a situation like this after all. Though, with Bakugo's pride he might not appreciate being placed in the 'victim' role, so maybe she understood that and was actually trying to make her son feel more in control? It was hard to say with such a short interaction. Still, he couldn't help but feel that her words about 'weakness' affected Bakugo in negative ways, and made a note to possibly address that with her back in their own timeline.

Bakugo himself just hunched in on himself, embarrassed and angry that his class was seeing him like that.

(A part of his mind desperately clung to the words of his classmates and teachers as they said this whole thing wasn't all his fault, but he couldn't fully accept the idea just yet)

All Might smiled whispered to Aizawa that he would buy him a drink.

The silly joke broke some of the tension in the room, and made a few people laugh.

The teachers walked out, and Aizawa noted that Midoriya's house would be next. Before they could leave, Bakugo came out to talk to All Might. Bakugo asked All Might what Deku was to him, and All Might said that Midoriya was his student, just like Bakugo. Internally, he apologized for not being able to tell him more than that. Bakugo was called back inside by his mother, and as he left he said it was alright if All Might didn't want to tell him.

"Heh, looks like Bakugo sees right through you, big guy." Yamada said with a chuckle.

"Understandable, if I had witnessed All Might's words, and Midoriya's reaction to them, I too would not believe their relationship to be so simple." Tokoyami said.

"Not to mention how much you both hung out before summer break." Todoroki pointed out. "Why don't you tell him something? It's clear he suspects something, and All for One just got arrested so you don't need to worry about him finding out. Assuming he didn't already know."

"Other me told him it was fine, stop grilling him about it, Half and Half!"

"He doesn't have to answer me either."

"Calm down boys, it's a fair question." All Might intervened. "Young Todoroki makes a point. All for One isn't able to take advantage of my connection to young Midoriya now, but his organization still could. It's hard to say if he actually told Shigaraki, but given his hatred for me I don't want to paint an even bigger target on young Midoriya's back." All Might sighed then, and sounded much more tired as he continued. "And perhaps I've simply grown too used to keeping secrets and trying to keep all the burdens to myself."

"Well, that certainly won't be a problem now, not the secrets part anyway." Mic pointed out. "You've got a whole room of people you can talk freely in front of now."

"Heh, yes I suppose so." That would be nice. He didn't want to burden the students with his personal problems anymore than they already had been, but it was nice not to have to watch his words quite so much.

All Might told Aizawa to go to the next house while he talked to the Midoriya's on his own. Both Inko and Izuku were very stiff as they welcomed him in, and Inko was clearly freaking out about All Might being there. All Might saw into Izuku's room as he passed by it.

People laughed good-naturedly at Izuku's mom being just as star struck as he'd been once upon a time, then laughed harder when All Might saw Izuku's room and tactfully decided not to comment.

Izuku groaned. "He saw my room...he saw everything..."

"Midoriya, I feel the need to point out that All Might is right here and has been aware of your...decorating tastes for some time." Iida said. Izuku shook his head.

"That doesn't help the second hand embarrassment."

"Is it still second hand if you're getting it by watching yourself?" Uraraka wondered.

Izuku just groaned again.

Now all three sat at a table, and All Might brought up the dorm plan. Inko said she was against it, much to Izuku's dismay.

Izuku, who had just been slumped in embarrassment, suddenly tensed and sat back up. His mother wouldn't actually keep him from UA, would she? She couldn't!

Inko spoke about how, ever since her son's quirk miraculously appeared, he kept getting hurt more and more. She brought up the fact that Izuku was close to losing the use of his arms. She said that after watching All Might's last fight, she was grateful to him, but she was also scared. Izuku looked up to All Might so much, and that if he continued to follow similar path, into a fight like that one...she wondered if he might have been happier remaining quirkless and watching heroes from afar.

"No!" Izuku shouted, then was surprised by his own vehemence. He couldn't help it though. Maybe if he'd never known anything else, if All Might had never visited him after the fight with the sludge villain, then Izuku could have found some happiness in the life his mother had just described. But not now. This was all he'd ever wanted, and he'd made so many good friends! He couldn't imagine his life without UA now.

Inko reminded him that she'd said she'd support him even through her worry, and that she knew he wanted to go to UA. But after everything that happened...

She stared tearfully, but resolutely, at All Might. Izuku watched her, and realized that this was the consequence of ignoring his mother's feelings for so long.

As quickly as his emotions had spiked, he felt them plummet again. Of course this was happening. Just like his own voice had said, he'd ignored how much pain his mother must have been in every time he got hurt. He hadn't even told her where his quirk really came from, which meant she had so little context for everything and that must have made everything hurt all the more.

"Everyone has their limit, and it seems your mother has reached hers." All Might said. "Young Midoriya-"

"We need to tell her when we get back." Izuku interrupted.

"...yes. Yes, I believe we should."

Izuku nodded. He should have told her from the beginning, he realized that now. Maybe not every single detail, but enough to know what her son was getting into. She'd been trying to support him better since he got One for All, and he should try to meet her half way. She'd kept him going through the years, and he loved her, so that was the least she deserved.

She said that she didn't have to nerves of steel needed to entrust he son to the school as it was now. No matter how great a hero All Might was, she couldn't let her son keep going to a school that failed to protect him.

"Taking a stand with All Might like that? Your mom said she doesn't have nerves of steel, but she definitely has balls." Bakugo said, which made Izuku chuckle wetly.

As scared as he was about her decision, a part of him was moved at how she held her ground for him. Would she have done the same if he'd been more honest about how often he got bullied growing up?

The students became thoughtful, either looking down and away or at each other. They wondered if their parents would have had this kind of reaction if they had been hurt more, and if they only got to keep going to UA because they'd avoided the worst of everything.

Iida wondered if his own parents had been harder to convince given what happened during the internships and to Tensei. But they were a hero family, they knew the kind of risks that came with the job and were used to dealing with them. The same could not be said of Mrs Midoriya.

Izuku desperately tried to refute her words, saying it was his own fault he got hurt because he didn't follow the teachers' warnings. She said that if that was the case the school bore responsibility for that too. She said she didn't want to take Izuku's dream away from him, but that there were other schools with hero courses. Izuku suddenly ran away, slamming the door behind him. All Might thought about how painful it must be for Izuku to have to give UA up when he wanted to follow in All Might's footsteps so badly.

"My boy, just so you know, even if you could no longer attend UA for some reason, I would still choose you. I'd stay with you and keep teaching you to be a hero, no matter what hero course you were in, or even if you weren't in one at all."

"Huh? But, wouldn't I need to be in one to get a license?"

"Oh, there are a couple of ways to get a license without going through a high school hero course. They simply aren't taken as often because there are more hoops to jump through, and because they are aimed at an older age range." Nedzu explained.

"Oh." Izuku wasn't sure what else to say beyond that. He supposed it was comforting to know there were back up options, but he was far more comforted by All Might's reassurances.

It didn't have to be UA, he realized. The most important part wasn't UA itself, but what it represented and the people he had met there. But, if it was necessary, he could deal with having to go to another school. As long as it allowed him to be a hero and to still succeed All Might, that's what was important. He would really miss his friends and classmates though...and even the teachers now that he thought about it.

Before Inko could go after him, Izuku ran back in. He showed her the letter from Kota. He explained that, even if he was useless and worried her, saving this boy made him a hero. It made him so happy! So it didn't have to be UA, anywhere was fine! Because he would become a hero!

All Might said he already was a hero, then changed into his muscular form. He said Izuku was already so much more than just someone who was following him. Then he knelt down in front of the Midoriya's. He apologized for doing things out of order, and said he believed Izuku was the right person to succeed him.

The students gaped, first at the sight of All Might's lopsided, larger form, then at the sight of him kneeling on the ground. None of them had ever seen the man bow so deeply to anyone before. That level of respect and contrition from All Might of all people...they weren't sure they'd be able to take it if it was directed at them.

Once they got over their surprise, Uraraka and Iida looked at Izuku proudly. Izuku's dedication to being a hero, to saving people no matter what, was always an amazing thing to behold. This was why he inspired them so much.

"It's about time." Aizawa said, as All Might brought up Izuku being his successor. His words held more relief than bite this time. He was glad to know All Might seemed to be taking his promise to Midoriya seriously, and was really trying to be a better teacher now.

Izuku was stunned and Inko just seemed confused and distressed. She asked what was all this was. All Might said it was an apology for being negligent in his teachings. His own path was paved in blood, but from now on he would walk with Izuku. He would do his best to keep Izuku's path from becoming like his own.

Inko suddenly remembered Izuku crying at their computer.

All Might said he couldn't blame her for feeling the way she did, but that the teachers of UA also knew that things couldn't continue like this! He begged her to look not at what UA was but at what it could be, and to allow him to put his all into guiding Izuku. He would protect and raise Izuku even if it cost him his life!

Izuku's heart clenched at All Might's words. "I don't want you to die! Especially not for me!"

All Might lay a hand on the boy's shoulder "And I don't intend to, not if it can be at all helped. I know well the pain of losing your mentor in One for All, and will do everything within my power to make sure you don't experience the same thing. But if there were no other option left, I would be willing to give everything to keep you safe."

Aizawa thought about what All Might said a little earlier, about looking at what could be rather than what was. He felt that played a big part in teaching in general. All Might had looked at what Midoriya could be when he offered his quirk to the boy, just as he looked at his new class each year and tried to decide what they could be one day. All Might had done well in seeing Midoriya's potential, better than he himself had, actually. He hoped the man would keep his promise here, and help Midoriya find his way and avoid All Might's mistakes.

Inko fell to her knees. She said she didn't like that either, because All Might was Izuku's reason for living. She wanted her son to be happy, so she urged him to live so he could protect and raise him. If he could promise that, she would allow Izuku to continue attending UA. All Might promised.

Inko asked if Izuku understood as well, and Izuku tearfully promised not to make her worry. She softly asked All Might to look after her son.

"Ah yes, passionate people often declare their willingness to die for something or someone, but I never thought that showed their devotion in the right way. Once you die, everything is over for you after all, you don't have to deal with any further consequences. The true sacrifice is in living for something." Nedzu mused.

All Might looked at young Midoriya, who had turned to look back at the screen when his mother had started speaking again. He watched as the boy's eyes filled with happy tears at his mothers agreement, at the clear love and concern she showed for him.

'You're part of my reason for living too Mom. I love you so much...' Izuku thought, so caught up in his own feelings that he didn't even notice how teary eyed some of his classmates were getting.

Despite Midoriya Inko not being present, Yagi mumured "I will live for him. I will protect him. I swear it."

The scene suddenly changed to Tartarus, which was labeled as a 'special prison for villain criminals'. All for One was shown, restrained and being wheeled around in a chair, but he was smiling.

A jolt seemed to go through the room as the touching and emotional scene was replaced with the foreboding image.

"Uh, why is he smiling? He just got put in prison, he shouldn't be smiling!" Sero said. Kaminari nodded faintly in agreement, too unsettled to voice his own incredulity.

AfO's voice stated that he'd lost, but that All Might was wrong. By choosing to become closer to his students, he'd missed his chance to leave, his chance to die. All for One said that a teacher is supposed to help their student become more independent. He was sure he'd set his own up with everything he needed to do just that. Shigaraki would be fine, he would take all his hateful feelings and experiences and move forward.

The camera showed the League members, crowded together in a small room, all watching Shigaraki

At the end AfO said "Next, it's your turn."

People shivered at the echoed words. No one liked the parallel being drawn between the two powerful men and their proteges.

"So All for One is trying to pass on a torch of sorts too." Recovery Girl mused. "For someone who has been on top and in control for so long, it seems strange for him to trust someone else to take things up for him."

"W-well, it shows what he knows! Our class and the heroes are way better than the League, and now that he's out of the picture we'll find a way to beat them!" Kirishima turned to Bakugo. "Right Bakugo?"

Bakugo didn't respond. He didn't get angry, didn't voice any agreement or disagreement, he didn't acknowledge that Kirishima had spoken at all. He just stared intently at the screen.

Kirishima felt like his skin had somehow groan tighter. When had Bakugo not boasted of eventual victory? Had things gone so wrong that even he was beginning to doubt they would win?

Unbeknownst to either of them, Bakugo's silence disturbed quite a few people in the room.

"What does he mean that All Might missed his chance to die?" Mineta questioned tentatively.

"He probably sees death as the only way for a current or previous carrier of One for All to extricate themselves from this particular conflict." Nedzu said. "Just as he seems to think that growing closer to his students will end up being a weakness for them, for you all of you." Nedzu looked around the room "Do you think that's the case?"

"No way!" Midoriya immediately refuted. "We're going to be stronger because All Might is still around to support us!"

"I agree." Recovery Girl cut in. "Giving students support, and letting them know they can get help from those around them, does not make them weak. If anything, it is teaching heroes to compete and be so independent from each other that has lead to the weakening of the hero system."

"Yeah! All Might's over here showing us that he may be down, but that doesn't mean we're out! Once we get back there, let's show the villains what a united front of heroes can really do!" Present Mic shouted.

The teacher's words worked like a charm, replacing fear and dread with confidence and determination.

While the students started to rally and pep each other up, the teachers looked at each other, and hoped that's how it would really work out.


A.N.

Class, upon seeing the Bakugo family interacting: This explains SO MUCH.

On a more serious note, I know that opinions on Mitsuki Bakugo are...mixed, to say the least. Some say she's definitely abusive, others say she's not, some go for a middle ground, but what I think most everyone can agree on is that it's really not okay to victim blame your child for getting kidnapped by a group of powerful villains. Plus, whether she's straight up abusive or not, I also think it's clear that her own viewpoints and how she talks about them bear some responsibility for Bakugo's own issues.