I don't own My Hero Academia or Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.

Please enjoy this story to your heart's content and please stay safe out there!


Chapter 21: Does the Sheep Count the Sheep?


There was simply no end to the twists and angles that paved their path. Each turn around a corner led the trio into an entirely new environment of bizarre geometry or imagination too childish for an infant. Gravity itself at times didn't seem to hold any dominion as some areas bent up into a perfect ninety degree angle without a single pebble falling down. There was even an entire river of Neapolitan ice-cream cutting across a street to form a sticky sidewalk for a row of houses made entirely out of sweets! The more they traveled further into the dream world, the more Midoriya noted that things seemed to stop and start at random.

"Of course it does, kid," Lenny said after over hearing Midoriya intense muttering. "Outside a dreamer's own imagination, the World of Dreams doesn't have a concrete foundation. It simply came into existence the moment the first human began to dream and just kept piling on top one another. Mixing together without a rhyme or reason until it's a mess of upside downs and spirals that screw themselves into one reality and then the next. A beautiful mess mind you! It's the perfect place for imagination to grow legs and run wild through the ocean of thought. It's not a bad swimmer too if you catch my meaning. One that swims through the air to the heart of the blazing sun and snatches its golden light to gift dreams a unique spark."

"A lot of it seems to be based on food," noted Uraraka, eyeing some of mouthwatering delights forming a banquet for a host of hungry little fuzzy creatures with wide pointed ears and big eyes.

"That's always been a thing," shrugged Lenny before casually swiping a large sugar plum from a white powdery tree and stuff it in his mouth. "I think it has do with the fact that people were born hungry. There hasn't ever been a dreamer I known that hadn't one dream were they gorged themselves on their favorite snacks. Can't say I blame them though. The things they come up with are delicious and have left me, admittedly more than once, so bloated that you roll me down a street like a bowling ball. Though I will say that my favorite food dream has been the Straw Berry Fields." The Walrus closed his eyes for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Ah… what beautiful creations I made there."

Scratching his chin at the ever shifting dreamscape, Midoriya digested the information greedily. While most of his focus was on saving those trapped in this strange land, this was a once in a life time opportunity to learn about something so bizarre. He cursed the fact that he didn't have his notebook with him otherwise he would've wrote everything in meticulous detail and in triplicate. Suddenly a thought occurred to him and turn his bright eyes back to Lenny.

"Lenny, you mentioned that this world gives out a certain unique spark sometimes when dreams mix together… does that mean that dreams have the potential to influence their dreamers?"

The Walrus raised a surprised eyebrow down at him, a glistening strawberry half way passed his mouth. "I knew you were insightful, kid, but the way you catch onto to things is pretty scary."

"S-Sorry! I didn't mean—!"

"Relax, kid. Just rustling your featherless wings." The Walrus grinned before swallowing his strawberry. "As to your question, yes. The world of dreams does have a certain influence over some individuals. A very few mind you. People who are have a certain… shall we say impact about them? Yes, I think that is a good way to put it. These people have powerful imaginations that draw this world around them like moths to flame.

"Of course such a gathering of fantastical human subconscious around these individuals would leaving a lasting impact on them. Even when they wake up the dream sticks with them to create new ideas. However the opposite can also be true. Sometimes it's the World of Dreams itself that changes, big or small, to these impactful people. Although that number is even fewer. I only met one a couple generations ago—nice fellow even if he was tad eccentric trying to chase down a white rabbit—but I have heard that a few others have popped up recently."

"White rabbit?" asked Uraraka.

"Yes, a white—." Suddenly the walrus stopped in his tracks, his mustache flared as he snorted. "Eyes up, kids... it's coming."

Both Midoriya and Uraraka stilled at the warning, their eyes scanning the area around them but didn't see anything that hinted at a nightmare. Suddenly a bell tolled solemnly behind them, a haunting sound that sent a foreboding chill down their spines. Snapping around, Midoriya blinked when he found himself in a desolate hallway made of cold brick and only lit by dim light pouring through a row of windows. While there was no obvious sign of the nightmare, there was an unmistakable oppressive air that he was all too familiar with by this point.

The bell rang again, deeper than before and seemed to beckon the trio forth.

"Is this it…?" asked Uraraka, uncertainty edged its way into her voice as she eyed the hallway.

"Yep…" answered Lenny, his eyes nervously trying to take in everything at once as if expecting something dreadful to pop out at any moment. Finally he turned to Midoriya and said, "Well, kid, here we are and we can't go back now until our business is done… I hope you know what you are doing."

Midoriya could only silently agree with the fat walrus, though he still had some lingering doubts. He was determined to save everyone, but he didn't quite understand how to go about it. Beating Uraraka's nightmare was pure chance and his own was caused by something he didn't have the faintest clue. Did all the nightmares have specific rules to them or was there only so much punishment they could take? And what kind of horror would he face this time? Uraraka's was based on her own insecurities over her parents and their family business, but this looked entirely differently. Simple yet held a menacing atmosphere that promised all kinds of horrors. Maybe if they—

"Hey kid… your muttering like obsessive gambler who trying to figure out the odds of the lotto."

Blinking, Midoriya immediately went red as he didn't realize that he doing his habit again. "S-Sorry! Force of habit!"

"He does this a lot, doesn't he?" Lenny asked Uraraka.

"Yeah, but I find it cool," she answered with a smile. "When Deku starts muttering like that, expect him to come up with an awesome plan to save the day!"

Feeling warmth flush down his cheeks at the bright smiling girl's words, Midoriya felt his embarrassment died down. Shaking his head, he decided to simply plunge on forward and plan around whatever they came across. "All right… let's go!"


Clattering footsteps reverberated off the cold brick as the trio slowly plunged into the heart of the nightmare. The bell continued its sad toll, growing more somber the further they went and never once pausing. If anything it grew louder the further the heroes went. They were getting close now, there was no doubt about it, but tone continued to send discouraging echoes with every step they took. Almost like the bell itself was warning them to stay away… or mocking them for their daring to delve where no man would willing go.

Never the less, Midoriya refused to turn back with his tail between his legs. Even with chills crawling beneath his skin, he wouldn't bulk away from saving someone enduring their worst fears. And with both Uraraka and Lenny by his side, his resolve was only that much stronger to weather what lay ahead. Yet as they continued onward with no end in sight, a question began to bubble in his brain.

"Given the old architecture and bell ringing… are we in some kind of church?" he muttered out loud.

"It feels like one, doesn't it," agreed Uraraka.

"Hmph. If it is, it's seen better days without a janitor…" grumbled Lenny as he fished out a cigar from his coat before clamping loudly into his mouth.

"But why a church though?" repeated Midoriya, eyeing the corridor with a critical eye. "An old Western Church if I'm correct, probably from the middle ages… That doesn't make any sense."

"Kid, you're in a nightmare where everything and anything can happen. 'Sense' was left at the door the moment our dear dreamer decided to let the sand man in."

"That's true. Everything I seen so far has been one crazy mess… but in a nightmare, it's bit more fixed according to what the dreamer's subconscious, right?"

The Walrus paused from lighting his cigar as he considered Midoriya's question. "Yeah, that's correct, but why does that matter?"

"Because in Japan there isn't any kind of old Western Church like this. At least not something this ancient anyway…"

"That's right!" exclaimed Uraraka with a clap of her hands. "I haven't seen anything like this before in all of Japan."

"But why does that matter?" persisted the Walrus.

"Because whoever this is not from Japan," explained Midoriya, sweat starting bead across his cheek as a dreadful suspicion took root in him. "Or at least that's if my theory is correct anyway… But if it is, then that narrows down the number of candidates for this nightmare…"

Suddenly a low murmur filled the corridor, halting the trio in their tracks. While both U.A. students immediately got battle ready, Midoriya craned his neck to try to pick out what the whispers were saying. It was incoherent, a quiet buzz that developed into a growling babble the closer they got to its source. Though the words he did pick up weren't all that appealing. Fiend, devil, traitor, and so much more. It only fueled the dread and the speculation of what lay ahead. One thing was for sure, gleeful anticipation oozed off the growing voices and echoed off the uncaring walls.

Stepping passed one final archway, the trio enter a huge courtyard. Bleak columns of cracked brick lined a square center with dry mud caking the floor. A single dead tree stood at the back, its limbs cracked and drooped at its sides till it resembled a petrified parody of a skeleton. Yet what captured Midoriya's attention was the crowd of people all squished together around a giant scaffold that stood at the center of the courtyard. Their faces were muddled and blurred by a menacing shadow casted by a clock tower looming a stone's throw away. It let out another terrible dong, cold and foreboding that mingled together with the cries for blood by the clamoring mob as if to welcome the latest attendants to show.

"What the…?" uttered Midoriya. Outside of books, movies, and videogames, he never seen an execution scaffold before. Just looking at it made his mouth go dry. Was this what the dreamer feared the most? To be executed in front of a ravenous mob?

A sudden movement mercifully pulled Midoriya's sight away from the dreadful spectacle. Turning his head to the side, he spotted two figures standing side by side not too far away and underneath one of the archways between the columns. One was dressed in dark robes that seemed to meld into the very shadows of the corridor. The other, however, was a familiar face and confirmed Midoriya's suspicions.

"Gyro…" he uttered, his eyes glued to the Italian as he leaned solemnly against a stone pillar. Despite wearing a uniform that seemed to be from the European renaissance era—wearing a square cap and long purple apron with a spade pointed up at the chest—Midoriya could instantly tell that it was his friend.

"Gyro?" repeated Uraraka, snapping her head around till she spotted her classmate. "Oh my gosh, it is him!"

"I see, so he's a friend of yours…" observed Lenny, puffing out a small cloud of smoke.

"Yes… I had a feeling it was him, but I'd hoped I was wrong," admitted Midoriya. In truth he was hoping that the rest of his class had been spared from this horrible fate. Alas whatever was behind the nightmares had other plans in mind. Steeling his resolve, Midoriya immediately took a step forward to his friend, only jolting back a step as Lenny laid a huge hand on his shoulder.

"Wait kid," he said, "that one beside your long haired pal… it reeks of the nightmare."

Both Midoriya and Uraraka went rigid at the walrus's declaration. If it was anything like the shades they fought last time, then all they needed to do was beat it quickly before it tried anything. The question was how to approach it while Gyro was so close by.

Just as Midoriya was thinking up a quick strategy, the shadowy figure move closer to Gyro as the bell rang out once more. "It's time, Gyro," it said, its deep voice boomed across courtyard, gluing the three intruders to where they stood. "You can't delay it any longer, you must proceed with your duty…"

Not a word came out of Gyro's lips as he stared solemnly at the scaffold.

"You knew this was the only path you could take… you tried to run from it, but you can't any longer…" A shadowy hand landed on the Italian's shoulders while the other pointed to the increasing loud mob. "Listen to them, Gyro… Listen to them! They demand justice and yet you deny them with your childish stubbornness… You had your chance to change this fate, but you wasted it on a fool's path…"

Gyro continued to look on silently, but Midoriya saw a slight tremor in his friend's hand as he clenched tightly to the cold stone support. Just what was the shadow talking about?

"I… I still have time…" Gyro finally uttered, his back still to the figure. "I can still gain the support I need… I can—!"

"Do nothing! Your utter failure to win the Sport's Festival showed the world that you are not a savior… Not a hero." The figure pulled back his hand with a disappointed sigh. "Perhaps you could've at one point, but without the support and fame that you desire, you can't get the amnesty for your charge."

"Amnesty…?" repeated Uraraka, her brow furrowed as she couldn't take her eyes off the shadow. "What's he talking about?"

"Perhaps blondie got busted on some kinda crime and he's afraid of capital punishment," suggested Lenny.

If this was anyone else, Midoriya would've agreed with such a thought. Many people feared of getting in trouble and even more were terrified of the ultimate punishment. Naturally it was prime nightmare fuel for anyone. But Midoriya could tell that wasn't the case with Gyro. The way he was dressed and the how figure mentioned words like "charge" and "duty", it was obvious that he wasn't the one being executed. The thought tickled his brain for a moment until a distant memory fluttered to life. One where Johnny mentioned how the terrorist Stand user attacked Gyro in the USJ and the reason behind it.

Suddenly the crowd went into another uproar, hissing and booing as they pressed together tighter around the scaffold. Like his companions, Midoriya turned to the execution stand… only to pale as someone climbed on top the execution stand. It was a little boy. Perhaps no older than eight or nine, he had short black hair, save for a tall blonde quiff front and center of his head. Despite being locked up in chains, he didn't looked scared or depressed as he stood at the center of scaffold. If anything he had a naïve expression as he peered across the rancorous crowd that demanded his blood.

"No way…" muttered Midoriya, his eyes stretching wide while cold horror washed over him. His companions were no better, with Uraraka covering her mouth in pure shock while Lenny glared in righteous indignation. However they paled in comparison to Midoriya's own horrible realization as the final piece of the puzzle clicked into place. Hastily he turned his gaze around to see Gyro's unmistakable dismay that confirmed the truth.

The bell rang out another one last dreadful boom, more thunderous than any other, as the shadowy figure pointed at the little boy, its features becoming more hellish by the second. "It's time, Gyro," it declared with finality. "Your duty awaits! You must perform the execution now or have the boy suffer a crueler fate."

"Hold on, what?!" cried Uraraka, tearing herself away from the boy to stare slack jawed at the nightmarish figure. "Why?! Gyro would never do something so awful! That's too cruel and inhumane and… and…." She tried to say more, but shock numbed her tongue.

The increasing fiendish figure ignored the bright eyed girl, instead he pulled back its hood. Despite its demonic feature, Midoriya jolted back a step. It looked like Gyro! "No… that's not right…" he said after taking a moment to collect his thoughts. While there were similarities, the figure looked older than the horse jockey, with rigid lines etched into his face, and having a more stylized facial hair. There was also a firm seriousness in his gaze that would settle for nothing but absolute obedience. With all the little hints he seen and from what he remembered from Johnny, this could only be Gyro's father. Or at least his nightmarish mockery.

"Gyro… this is your final chance to make right what you failed to do," declared the faux father. "You must execute the boy. It's the law and you know your duty. Now perform it!"

"I know!" snapped Gyro, finally turning to face the figure, but much like Uraraka before with her parents, he could not see the demonic features. "Dammit I know… Just… I… I…" Whatever anger he had quickly left him and he found himself unable to continue to look at his fake father any longer.

The nightmare let out another disappointed sigh at his son's refusal to do what he was told. "Very well… if that is how you want to do things, Gyro, then perhaps an alternative can be done." Desperate hope lit aflame in Gyro's eyes as he quickly met his faux father's gaze once more. Yet instead of compassion he had hope for, there was unmistakable cruelty and scorn. "You must take the punishment of the condemned."

If Uraraka wasn't already shocked before, then she was absolutely aghast the mere suggestion that her classmate take his own life. Midoriya too was disturbed, but in truth he wasn't nearly as stunned as his bright eyed companion. He suspected something like this might happen, especially with all the obvious buildup that fake was putting on with his constant insistence to Gyro. It was all too similar to how Uraraka's fake parents' own schemes, but it begged the question of why would both parties suggest such a thing when they could've simply attack or kill their hosts.

It was a burning question that tried to take over Midoriya's mind, but he swiftly put it aside. Such questions and answers were for later. Right now he had a job to do.

"The time for gawking is over, kid," muttered Lenny, casually dropping his cigar before stamping it out with firm stomp. "That thing already has a noose around blondie's neck and he's about to tighten it the rest of the way… if you got any plans, now's the time to put them into play!"

Midoriya gave a quick nod, before gesturing to both the walrus and his classmate. "Follow my lead." Without a word he led sprang forward, weaving his way through the columns until he was within range of his target. "Get away from him!" With a quick lunge, he slammed a fist right into the faux father's surprised face. Midoriya didn't use One For All in his attack, still unsure of its stability in the dream world, but judging by the satisfying crack he heard as the nightmarish figure reeled back, it must have hurt like hell.

"Midoriya?!" yelled Gyro, he gaze fixed on the fallen faux father before swiftly turning to the fluffy green haired boy. "How did you get here?! And what the hell do think you're doing?! That's my—!"

"That isn't your father, Gyro!" Midoriya knew he didn't have time to explain everything, but hopefully Gyro would pick up things quickly if he simply destroyed the fake. It was his plan from the get go after Lenny pointed the nightmarish fake out. He figured that by destroying the main horror of the nightmare, then the rest should collapse; much like how Uraraka's own broke apart.

Scrambling into a crotched stance, the hellish creature hissed vilely at Midoriya, its eyes burning with murderous intent, before rising to its full height. Yet it paused when it felt a sudden swipe at its head. Snapping around in a split second, it saw Uraraka beaming with determination before suddenly floating upwards. Lashing its arms out like claws, it tried to grasp onto anything to latch onto. Thick fingers wrapped around his waist, ceasing his violent motions before Lenny piledrived into the floor. Stone cracked open with a mighty snap as the full weight of the Walrus came to bear on the false father. It didn't have a moment to let out a groan before fading into a black mist.

Gawking at the trio, Gyro pinched his cheeks before saying, "Could someone please tell me what the hell is going on?! And why there is a freaking fat walrus in a monkey suit?!"

"Hey, I've been trimming my figure a lot lately!" huffed Lenny as he got up from the broken floor before tentatively poking at huge gut.

Midoriya scrubbed a hand throw his mess of green hair as he tried to think of the best way to calm down the Italian before the nightmare fell apart. He could've waited until afterwards, but he thought Gyro deserved an answer, especially since he just saw his father get crushed like that. "It's a bit of a long story, Gyro, but—"

"Ladies and gentlemen!" A harsh yet familiar voice drowned out whatever the fanboy had to say and ceased all sound in the courtyard. "We apologize for the delay, but the current executioner refuses to do his duty! This cowardly act is regretful, but do not fret! For the execution of the condemned will be done by my honorable hand!"

Feeling every single strand of hair stand on end, Midoriya spun around to gape at the sight of Gyro's fake father stood standing beside the boy on the scaffold. There wasn't a hint of a scratch on his person as he towered over everyone. If anything he looked even more demonic than ever before; growing wicked horns while his jaw split open to reveal teeth that were sharper than knives.

"No way…" Midoriya uttered disbelief. The nightmare should've ended with the shadow's defeat, so why was it not only alive but seemingly getting stronger?!

"No… No!" Midoriya blinked before swiftly turning back around to see the absolute horror on Gyro's face. "Stop! Don't do it!"

"Ignore the cries of the deluded and the treacherous," denounced the faux father as spread out his hands wide, revealing sharp claws and jagged bone poking out his robes. "They are hallow and nothing but desperation that lacks conviction! You all know it to be true! And now as punishment for his failings, both to his duty and not taking the olive branch that I provided, he shall watch as his charge is executed!"

"Damn you, stop!" Gyro took a tentative step forward. Fear shone off his face as tears glistened in his eyes, but Midoriya could see the desperation starting to take hold of him as well.

"It's too late! Now know despair!"

"Deku!" cried Uraraka, watching with horror as the demonic fake turned to the boy, a clawed hand slowly inching towards his throat.

Not hesitating for a moment, Midoriya quickly bent down to pick up one of the broken stones from the new cracks in the floor. Part of him knew deep down that the boy was merely a figment of Gyro's psyche, but he would be damned if turned his back on anyone who needed saving. If nothing else, then for Gyro's sake. Standing straight up he aimed carefully before letting loose the jagged rock in one powerful throw. It cut through the air with a buzzing whoosh before slicing through the demon's arm. Midoriya didn't have time to contemplate how One For All once again didn't tear apart his arm as the fiend let out an unholy screech that shook the courtyard, forcing everyone to cover their ears least they go deaf.

Recoiling from the boy, the hellish creature turned to glare at Midoriya. "Interlopers!" it cried. "Kill them! Let none interfere with this sacred rite!"

Immediately the mob turned around to face the trio of intruders, any semblance of humanity was gone and in place was a horde of blood hungry demons. They cried horrible screams and howled fiendishly before slowly making their way towards them with a menacing gait.

"Now you done it, kid," grunted Lenny before he quickly stood in between the horde and his companions.

"Sorry, but it's the best I could think at the time…" apologized Midoriya. "But we can't stop now, we got to save that kid."

"Are you mad?! Hell's vanguard's between us and the brat! Besides he's just—!"

"We got to save him for Gyro! He's important to him and maybe that'll help us beat the nightmare!" Inwardly the fanboy prayed that would be enough considering the rate of things going downhill. "Uraraka! Can you float over the mob and grab the boy? Lenny and I will plow our way through and keep them busy!"

"On it!" acknowledged Uraraka, quickly using her Quirk to float along the columns before heading towards the scaffold.

"What're you guys doing?!" demanded Gyro. "You're going to get yourself killed! I can still stop my Dad, I can… I can…!"

"Gyro," said Midoriya. The Italian blinked when his reckless friend suddenly gave him a shaky, but confident smile. "That thing isn't your dad. Do you think your dad would honestly do something cruel to you? Don't worry… we'll save you from this nightmare soon…"

Turning to face the lumbering horde, Midoriya quickly fell in line behind Lenny. The walrus let out a great bellow before charging headlong into mass of demonic nightmares. Bodies flew everywhere as he bulldozed a path through the mob, casually grabbing and throwing anyone foolishly close before moving onto a new target. Some crumbled into mist the moment they collided with something hard, others merely crashed into other fakes and fell to the ground, leaving a scrambling mess of bodies and mist as Lenny tore into them wildly.

Midoriya was close behind the walrus every step of the way, needling and twisting through bodies as he headed straight for the scaffold. Some lunged at him, claws and boney limbs threatening to rend his flesh, but all were blew away with a flick from his finger. Once more it was a shock to find that he didn't feel any pain nor aches with One For All despite the heat of the moment. Even with his concentration keeping the image of the egg in the microwave, there was no way he should have any intact bones at the moment.

Again he questioned whether this was because of the world of dreams, but now was not the time nor place for such thought. Indeed, the point was driven home as two pairs of hands snuck up on him and grabbed his feet and yanked to the floor. Grunting, Midoriya turned to aim another air-shot at the demons only for Lenny to lift them up and spin them around like scrawny clubs into the crowd.

"No time for dilly dallying, kid!" he roared before slamming his makeshift weapons into mist. "Get a move on! I'll deal with these pathetic sods!"

"Right!" Leaving Lenny to bust heads with the mob, Midoriya sprinted to the scaffold. Reaching its steps, he spotted Uraraka quickly floating passed several black tentacles that flung after her. She was closing in on her target, aiming to swipe the boy away, but she needed an opening first. One that Midoriya planned to provide as he leaped up onto the wooden podium. Paying the intruder him no heed, the fake father reached out with its remaining hand to grab the little boy by the scruff of his neck and held him up high. Sparing not a second, Midoriya moved quickly, bracing himself to tackle the fiend off the scaffold and release the boy in the process.

What Midoriya didn't count on was faux father to swiftly turn on his heel and held the boy innocent boy like shield.

Feeling his brow reaching his scalp, Midoriya didn't have a moment to gasp before instinctually lurching to the side of the immoral monster.

"H-Hey, watch out!" cried Uraraka, as Midoriya stumbled right into her path before slamming into him. They crashed together before rolling off the side of the scaffold with a heavy thud. Midoriya coughed hoarsely as Uraraka accidently kneed his gut, but he pushed passed the pain and quickly got up onto his feet with his classmate in tow. He couldn't stop now, not when he was so close to saving the kid!

"See how these deluded fools fall against the justice of the law, my son?!" the demonic dad hissed. "This is the fault of your inaction! Now bear witness to how a true executioner does his duty!"

Letting the boy back down, the creature produced a shadowy black blade from his fingers before holding aloft the neck of his victim. Feeling every nerve screaming at him to save the boy, Midoriya scrambled up the staircase with Uraraka close behind even as the sword was pulled back for the coup de grace.

Gleaming balefully in the light, it came down hard on the boy, but came to a complete halt as a gleam of polished green slammed right into the fake's arm. It hissed in surprised, staggering back a step before looking down to see a Steel Ball twisting deeply into its darken flesh. Its bloodshot eyes grew wide at the spinning sphere, its mouth agape as if it couldn't believe what he just happened.

Although he too was a bit shocked by the Steel Ball, Midoriya smiled as he turned around to see Gyro, his clothes changed back into his hero costume, glaring intently at his so-called father. "Hey, hey… what kind of crap was that? That sloppy form, that painfully slow motion with your arms, and that half-assed technique… any self-respecting executioner wouldn't be caught dead doing something that low like some kind of gameshow host! And I'm more of a dumbass for buying that shit! If my dad—my real dad!—knew about that, he'll never let me hear end of it…

"But most of all… How dare you…" A gleaming cross burnished to life under Gyro's right eye, burning fire of pure wrath as sneered down at the fake. "How dare you mock the Zeppeli family by using anything but our family's Steel Balls?! Using anything else is an insult to nearly five hundred years of my family's history! And there is one response to such an insult… by properly showing you how to perform an execution."

The ball imbedded in the fake's arm spun intensely, cutting off whatever retort the demonic fake was about to say as flesh and bone twisted into obscene angles. So intense was the spinning steel that smoke fumed from the flesh. A horrible screech escape the demon, flailing around his arm helpless to try to dislodge the spinning sphere, but all it did was cause his arm to contort even more and crackle unnervingly with every motion he made. Desperate, he tried to grab the Steel Ball with his remaining hand. Grabbing at the spinning ball, he chomped at his bottom lip till a thick trail of blood leaked at the corner of his mouth before yanking with all his might.

Only to blink as the ball easily snaked its way of out his grip before spinning onto the back of his hand. Before he could even twitch, the Steel Ball burst off the hand and right into the fake's face. A sickening crunch could be heard throughout the courtyard, both Midoriya and Uraraka having to look away least they lost what remained of their dinner at the awful sight. Stiffening, the fake stumbled back a step until he reached the edge of the scaffold. With long last step, he plummeted to the floor, his neck snapping upon impact and ending him for good.

Several cracks formed around where he fell, spreading like an intricate spider web all over the courtyard before a resounding snap rang out for all to hear. With the demise of the fake, the nightmare had come at last to end. Punctuated by a resounding dong from the towering bell; a final send off to the victors.


Stumbling to the floor, Midoriya looked up and noticed that all the scenery was once more the wacky insanity he'd come to be familiar with the world of dreams. Their exit from the nightmare was by far the most smoothest they had since this ordeal started, simply phasing from one reality to another and this time with no flying through the air. Something he was grateful for he was starting to get sick of the sudden freefalls.

"We're back!" cried Uraraka.

"It would seem so, lass," confirmed Lenny before leaning to help the brunette up from the floor. "Heck of an exit, but worth it if it meant getting rid of those nasty nightmares."

"Yeah… that was certainly something," commented Midoriya, slowly standing up but paused when a thought occurred to him. "Where's Gyro?"

"Here!" cried the Italian as he stood at a perfect ninety-degree angle on the side of a nearby bus with cat-like features. "I know I asked this before and I didn't get straight answer back then, but… could someone please explain to me just what the hell is going?! And why am I defying every law of gravity?!"

Midoriya scratched the back of his head for a moment before calmly recollecting everything that has happen to his classmate. Like with Uraraka, he tried to be as sensible as possible despite the fact that such a concept didn't exist in the world they were in. But to his surprise, Gyro took the details in stride. Despite his initial outburst, he quickly calmed down and listened to everything his friends had to say. After a few questions on his part, he finally understood the situation they were in.

"So basically we're stuck in the land of literal make-believe and the only possible way out is to break up any nightmare we can find with therapy sessions."

"Heh, that's an obscure way of putting it, blondie, but it fits with this place," confirmed Lenny.

Gyro flashed the Walrus a golden grin. "Thanks, I thought hard on that one… But that doesn't explain why I'm stuck to Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro." The giant creature let out mischievous meow before stretching out contently. Gyro stumbled at the sudden movement, but managed to right himself before giving the hybrid a mean glare. All he got in return was a happy purr.

"Yeah, yeah. Have some patience. All you have to do is just walk down."

"…That's it?"

"That's it." At Gyro's deadpan expression Lenny let out a huff. "Look, it ain't that hard, blondie. Just walk down and then match your footing with your new angle. Don't worry about gravity. That's all in your head. In this place, if you believe something is real, or the least convince yourself that it is real, then it is. At least for the individual anyway."

Midoriya turned sharply at the Walrus, his words sparking an epiphany in him. "Lenny… what you just said, does that also work on the subconscious level?"

"Hmm? Yes, why do you ask…?" Suddenly the Walrus slapped his forehead hard. "Of course! I should've figured that's why you and the lass were so convinced to save that kid from Blondie's dream."

"Huh? I don't get it…" admitted Uraraka.

"It's just as Midoriya pointed out, lass. When you saw that kid, you rushed to save him. Sure you gave a good reason for it, but you subconsciously did it because you believed he, a dream, was real. That's pretty dangerous all things considered and I'm an idiot for not warning you about it."

"Why? Seems pretty useful when getting down giant cats," said Gyro as he carefully stepped down onto floor.

"Because, Blondie, in this world, if you believe something too hard, you'll lose yourself in it. The world of dreams can create things or shape concepts around a subconscious thought, if it is strong enough anyway, but if someone convinces themselves that they are part of a dream, or worse, a nightmare, then it would be extremely difficult for you get away from it. Your mind will instinctually believe they are part of the dream, confusing it with reality and losing yourself forever in a lie until you ultimately perish…"

Midoriya gulped as the full weight of Lenny's words hit him hard. He didn't realize how close he was to losing himself to such a dangerous line of thought. In the future, he would need to be extra careful with how he approached nightmares. Yet there was one last nagging thought he needed to be sure of. "Lenny… does the subconscious also effect someone's physical abilities in this world? I mean, Gyro did just fixed his own gravity, but… what about natural abilities?"

Lenny lifted an eyebrow at him. "You got some kind of problem with your body, kid?"

"N-No, no. It's not that. It's just…" Midoriya scratched the back of his right hand for a moment, trying to think of a response that wouldn't give away One For All's secret. "I haven't really gotten the hang of my Quirk before I came here. I normally break every bone in my body when I use it, but now it feels… normal. Like I don't have to worry about it breaking or overwhelming me when I use it."

Lenny cupped his chin for a moment, his bushy mustache bristling at his touch, before he said, "It seems to me that you had a desire deep down to fix the flaw with your power for some time. That desire allowed this world to manifest it in a way that would seem the most natural to you. Though don't get any bright ideas, kid. Just because you're fixed up here, doesn't mean that you are going to bench pressing buildings in the waking world. Doesn't work like that I'm afraid. In fact you could say that recognizing this detail will cause you more problems in the long run."

"What do you mean?"

"Let me put in a way that might help you understand. Imagine if you will that you are a great big egg. Now imagine that you suddenly sprouted legs and started walking. You keep walking and start climbing this great big hill, taller than anything you experienced in your life, and once you start going down the other side, it hits you—you're an egg! With that shock in mind your legs disappear and you start rolling down the hill until finally you smash into something with a great SPLAT! Now all your yolk is spilled out everywhere and no mop to clean you up."

"Basically a paradox…" Midoriya gulped at that vivid metaphor, but the message was clear. Though it did damper his initial jubilation that he could use his Quirk without dangerous hiccups.

"Now don't get your knickers in a twist, kid. This process is inevitable at this point, but that doesn't mean it's immediate. Heck, I don't know when the change will happen. It could take all day or happen right when you're about to deck someone. But until then, don't do anything extreme. Understand, kid?"

"Right…" Laughing sheepishly, Midoriya looked down at his right hand, where his scars were. Having a stable One For All sounded wonderful, something he dreamed of doing back in reality. But with the unknowable time limit wrapped loosely around his neck like a hangman's noose was anxious to say the least. Not knowing when his Quirk might go haywire was something he couldn't afford to have. Not now when so much was at stake. But for a brief moment, he wonder just how far he could go with his power unrestricted. A true taste of what the future had in store for him.

"With my power at max, I can save countless people from their nightmares just like All Might would. Though the risk of it going off the rails at any time is a problem… I wonder if there is a way to slow down the process through this world's rules. Maybe if I can study some strong dreams or nightmares with strong distortions then…" He stopped his muttering for a moment as he realized how insensitive that sounded to his classmates who endured so much thus far. "I'm sorry, Uraraka, Gyro. I didn't mean—!"

"It's ok, Deku," beamed the smiling Brunette. "I know that's just how you roll and get fired up. So don't worry about it all!"

"Yeah, that's just your thing, man," agreed Gyro. "Do what you gotta do if it helps you out."

Midoriya bristled under their honest compliments. It made him feel fuzzy on the inside. Still he wanted to make amends anyway and thus turned his attention to the blonde horse jockey. "Still, I'm sorry for bringing up something unpleasant like that, Gyro. Especially with how it distorted your dad and made you doing something rather pleasant."

"Y-Yeah, it was unpleasant… But hey, we kicked that nightmare's ass all the way to the Atlantic Ocean! So we don't have to be bothered by that crap ever again…"

Midoriya paused at that the chuckle that left his friend's lips. It didn't sound genuine in the slightest. If anything it sounded… forced. Not only that, but just for a split second, there was a certain distance in his eyes. A mask similar to one Johnny wore before his breaking point… He didn't want to doubt his friend, especially now, but it was clear to Midoriya that Gyro was hiding something. As to the what or why, he could only guess that it had to with how his nightmare was framed.

"Hey, Lenny…" said Uraraka, snapping Midoriya out of his thoughts. "I have a question, if you don't mind."

"Ask away, lass, though I can't promise I will have all the answers in the world bundled up in my pocket," answered Lenny.

"Well… why didn't Gyro's nightmare disappear when we defeated his fake dad?"

"That's what I've been wondering," admitted Gyro, scratching a square patch of hair on his chin as he turned to face the Walrus. "From what you guys told me, that should've knocked us out of that… that hell, but it didn't."

Lenny hunched over for a moment, a hand brushing his bristly mustache once more, until he stood up with an apologetic face. "Sorry, but I haven't the faintest clue…"

"It's because Gyro Zeppeli finally rejected my tragic play that I set up for him."

Stiffening at the sudden answer, Midoriya quickly spun around. Not a soul was in sight, but there was an intense ominous air that blew away the bright dreamlike atmosphere. It was like someone had poured a bottle of midnight ink over everything and mixed together with splatters crimson that contorted into something absolutely dreadful. Even beings like the cat-bus fled as if the darkness were chasing after them. Unease creeped into Midoriya the longer he stared at the increasingly distorted landscape until a flicker above caught his attention.

Looking up he finally found the voice's owner… and knew without a shadow of doubt in his heart that he was staring at the face of nightmares.

Standing with graceful ease on top a large zig-zagged light post was not a man, but something clearly that wore its skin. Its clothing consisted of a dark blood red robe that hugged tightly to his body, outlining a very gaunt figure underneath. Only made more disturbing was the way the robe seemed to pulse, as if the leather that made it up was still alive and trying to writhe out of the dark stiches that held them together. Midoriya thought he saw faces form in one side for a moment or two! Pencil shaped legs jutted out the dark bottom of the robe before ending into a pair of boots that curled into spirals with onyx colored bells ending at the tip. Topping off the eeriness of its choice of clothes was a golden pin, by the far the most normal item of it, with the word "Endless" written on it and embedded in a black tie that tucked itself in the robes. Yet what drew everyone's eyes was not its strange clothes or boney physique. Rather it was the bone white mask that was nailed into its head. There was no mouth, no nose, but two empty sockets that drowned out all light and offered only the certainty of an endless void.

Struck with silence, Midoriya and his classmates were rooted to where they stood under the black gaze that stared down upon them. All except Lenny. Hissing vehemently, he trudged himself in front of the teenagers, straightening himself to his full imposing height to sneer at the creature. "Keep back… That thing… it reeks of nightmares… but I can tell it wasn't spawned from anything here… It's an abomination!"

"My, how rude for you to say, o'great and terrible creature of the beach," said the red robed creature; its voice was smooth like velvet and dripped with promises that no man has ever known. "Whether this be our first meeting or the last, one should always remember the dignity of manners that separates us from lowly beasts. But if you so wish, I shall hold my tongue and dose it honey if would pacify thy own beastly nature." Its speech, Midoriya noted, had a hint of an accent, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. If anything it sounded like something he heard once in a Shakespearean play

Lenny bellowed lowly at the sharp insult, his hair stood on end and shook with rage, but remain firmly where he stood. "Come down here and stay that to my face. I'll be sure to show what separates me from other animals…"

The creature chuckled, a menacing sound similar to a wasp's wings fluttering in the ear. "A kindly invitation that I'm afraid I must decline. The stage isn't set for such abashed and anticlimactic showdowns. There must be build up, action, and drama before we reach that final act! But I shall grant you one little morsel to gouge upon—though I doubt it would fill the pit that is your paunch of a stomach—for it is as you said. Much like the lively youth behind you, I am not from this world of fantasy and dreams."

The causal admission took everyone off guard, but it reinforced a suspicion that Midoriya had been harboring since the start. Now all that was left was to confirm it. "You… you're a Stand User, aren't you?"

The red clothed figured paused for a second, its gaze turning completely to peer down at the messy head of green. It stared for but a moment before pulling out its boney hands and clapping slowly. "My, my! Stupendous! Marvelous! And above else, well done, my boy. However, I should clarify, so that there are no misconceptions between two intellectual minds, that I'm not my user. I am the Stand. And before you ask, no my user isn't here. He's asleep in reality, dreaming and bringing form to the thought that is me. But I must ask, what gave me away?"

"Combined with the fact that so many nightmares start popping up and how different they are from normal ones, but too consistent with the rate they appear to be natural… It can only be done from an outside influence or power. But this place, this world… it follows laws way too different from the reality Quirks are built upon. However… a Stand doesn't have such limitations… And finally your own admission from not being from this world."

"A brilliant deduction! With such little information you solved my mystery with flying colors. Such wit deserves a fitting reward—the reveal of yours truly!" With a grand flourish, the Stand bowed deeply. "Voila! You stand in the presence of the magnificent master of fantasy and craftsman of the stage of dreams. A harbinger of the vile, the sick, and the cruel thought produced by man, but also a scholar of the deranged and patron, as well actor, of the most exotic arts. A king by any other name in this realm, a god to my audience, but alas such are merely artifices to one's own true name—Dream On."

Lifting its face, the blank white mask was no longer simply that of two vacant eyes, but now a twisted smile cut across face, revealing row upon row sickly yellow teeth.

Uneasy crept up Midoriya's spine the more he looked at the horrid grin, but he refused to back down from the fiend. Neither did his friends falter as he stood by his side, ready to take down the architect of the nightmares they endured. Yet it was Lenny who furiously fumed the longer Dream On's speech droned on. "A god?! Bah! You're nothing more than parasite who's tainted the endless dream of this world!"

Dream On chuckled once more, straightening himself while his mask molded like clay and became more gaunt and imperious with high cheekbones. "It is a presumption title. I do prefer something more akin to a playwright, for I do set the stage for such wonderful nightmares for my audience."

"Is that what we are to you?!" demanded Uraraka. "A captive audience?!"

"Precisely, my dear! Though I would also add your both captive audience and actors to my plays. "

"What I want to know," started Gyro, a shadow cast over his eyes as he glared hard at the Stand, "is why you made our nightmares like that?"

"That?" The mask changed once more, taking a fuller face with one eye closed and the other having an eyebrow raised. Its smile, however, was still vicious. "Tut, tut. For a boy who attends a prestigious school, you sure lack in elaborating what you have to say."

"You know damn well what I mean! Why the hell did you make my nightmare have to do with my father?! Just what is your deal, Bastardo?!"

"Ah, finally! You asked the right questions." Dream On's mask twisted vividly for a moment before settling into a smiling skeleton's face. "To answer your first question, I can bring forth to life any one of my victim's deepest and darkest nightmares. Not to say I read your minds, that would be inappropriate, but rather you already created the script, I merely set the stage for the play. However, I can affect the actors and themes if I so wished—I do hope you enjoyed the devilish appearance of the characters, I consider that my personal touch to these epics. And of course I can simply enter any nightmare that I so wish and influence it to my design.

"As for your second question to 'what's my deal?' Let me ask you a question: other than survival, what is the main driving force of intelligent life? Answer—Entertainment!"

"Entertainment…" repeated Midoriya, freezing in dreadful horror, he couldn't rip his gaze from Dream On's wicked grin.

"Yes! Entertainment!" He held aloft his hand, as if he was holding the world in his palm. "There is nothing more simple and pure than one seeking such pleasures that keep them going and going through the slog of the day. It reliefs the tedium of life and banishes the utter boredom that creeps upon those who waste away doing nothing. And to me… the best entertainment is the drama that comes from the humanity's darkest nightmares. The struggle a dreamer gets battling their demons and worse fears, the hope they have when they think they escaped their hell, only for them to tumble down the endless pit of despair! That is the best form of entertainment! And to cap it all off with the final act of ultimate hopelessness—suicide."

"You can't be serious!" Midoriya felt absolutely sick, the Stand's utter depravity proved to him that there was no low for it to sink.

"Oh but I am. Granted there is one other reason behind the suicide bit. My strength is only as good as quality of despair I feed off my victims and the number of nightmares that I can infest. The more there are, the stronger I become. But if they suddenly wake up, well… that would ruin my fun. However, I found a work around. After tasting despair's ultimate form through suicide, what power I gain from a nightmare is mine eternal. And tonight's harvest shall be my biggest yield yet! The stage is set for a wonderful finale and we're only at act one!"

Listening to the bellowing laughter that clattered out Dream On's lips boiled Midoriya's blood. He wanted to rush up and knock down the villain, but he knew that such hot headed thinking would only get him in trouble. Instead he pondered over the information the Stand gave, but paused when a thought occurred to him. "You're awfully free with revealing your powers and flaws… What's your game?"

Ceasing its bellowing, Dream On's mask morphed once more, this time forming that of a pale devil. "Like I said before, because it's entertaining! If I wanted to, I could've easily killed you all now and let my nightmares continued on without interruption. The way you managed to break out of your nightmares without knowing how was so very amusing that I couldn't help myself simply being an observer than taking center stage. However, a play where one opposing side is overly powerful is boring. I want a challenge to make my victory sweeter! That's why I mentioned the flaw in my nightmares—they can only be weakened and destroyed by their dreamer rejecting them."

"You're awfully confident for a wannabe Shakespeare knockoff," growled Gyro.

Dream On shrugged, his mask returning to its once faceless feature. "Perhaps, but it does keep everything interesting. If you don't wish to believe me, then that's up you. I shall await you all in my ultimate stage either way… that is if you prove your worth to me as starring material. And to give you incentive, I shall reveal one last juicy morsel. You three children aren't the only ones of your school that my nightmares ensnared."

Midoriya felt every single blood vessel in his body freeze up at the suggestion. "Who?!"

"That is for you to find out. I'm weary of these monologues and I must adjourn from this act, but if you're determined to be a player, then continue onto the second act! I look forward to your progress with bated breath."

With one last flowery bow, Dream On faded away with a lingering chime from his bells.

Dead silence filled the air even as the scenery and bright colors returned to their natural wackiness and abnormality. Midoriya's stomach twisted at the idea of more of his classmates, his friends trapped by that fiend, but that was only scratching the surface of the awful possibilities. Was it only his classmates that were caught or was every class ensnared? Were teachers involved? Other citizens? The idea of the very heroes Midoriya looked up too forced into this horror show was the cruelest of jokes.

"Well? What're we waiting for?" Midoriya blinked, turning around to see Gyro adjusting the straps to his belts, making sure that each of his Steel Balls were nice and secure. "A golden ticket to the Wonka factory and signed by Elvis Presley? We got a job to do and no sense standing around."

"Yeah!" agreed Uraraka with a pump of her fists. "That creep was… was just the absolute worse and I'm not going to let them hurt any more of our friends!"

"Heh, nicely put, lass," grinned Lenny, fishing out a cigar before lighting it with a flick of his thumb. "That wannabe hack of a playwright needs a good boot to the head! And a good kick to the rear that'll send him flying to moon if I had my way."

Gyro flashed the Walrus a golden grin. "Damn right! The guy thinks he's the next Shakespeare or Dante, but all his fluffy speeches are nothing more than a fart in the wind. So let's go show him what we think of his plays about our friends?"

Staring at the vicious smile plastered over the tall blonde's face, Midoriya couldn't agree more with him.


It didn't take long before they ran into another nightmare. It was different from Gyro's in every way, being set in a modern hospital and looking absolutely spotless. However it didn't take a minute for the four to find that something was off. There was no staff to be seen. No nurses pushing carts or doctors with clipboards or even janitors cleaning here and there. It was as if the place was abandoned. Unlike previous nightmares, Midoriya didn't have the faintest clue whose nightmare this was. While he always seen them as a place of healing and respite, he knew that some viewed hospitals as horrible institutions. Places where people die or experience horrible instruments during surgery. This nightmare could've belonged to anyone. And he didn't know where to start looking for the host.

However Gyro surprised him by making steady strides down the empty hallways, not bothering to peek in any of the patient rooms they passed.

"Um, Gyro, where are we going?" asked Uraraka, a bit confused by the sudden confidence in her classmate.

"If this hospital is anything like my family's, or anything that meets world standards," started Gyro, never once breaking his stride, "then there should be an information desk nearby. We grab a patient registry and go through the names until we find the sleepyhead running this joint. And if what that melodramatic prick said is true, then chances are we'll run into a name we're familiar with."

"That's ingenious, Gyro," approved Midoriya. It was the simplest, yet most effective way to solving the nightmare's mystery and allowed them plenty of room to think of a game plan to rescue their trapped classmate. Assuming this eerie place was a product of one of their peers.

Striding into the open information center, Gyro immediately headed to the main desk and started cleaning out drawers. Midoriya and Uraraka quickly followed his lead, flinging open every nook and cranny and examining every document they could find. All the while Lenny stood by, puffing his cigar and keeping watch.

"Come on you son of a bitch, I know here somewhere—EUREKA! Found it!" Lifting up a clipboard with decently sized list of names, Gyro immediately pored over it, skimming over names and flipping through pages without missing a beat. Both his classmates cluttered around him, examing names on the list as he continued his search, but neither recognized anyone on it. That is until Midoriya finally one that he immediately caught his throat.

"Rei… Todoroki," he whispered, but it was enough for both Gyro and Uraraka to do a double take.

"Todoroki?" repeated Uraraka, her eyes growing wide as implication hit her. "You don't think…!"

"She's related to our ice boy alright…" answered Gyro, pointing directly at the information underneath Rei's name. There they could see a list of relatives including their classmate: Shoto Todoroki.

"Oh no…" She suddenly paused as she put a finger to her chin. "But wait, why is Todoroki's mom on the patient list? If this is nightmare, then shouldn't he be on it instead?"

Midoriya frowned sadly, but remained silent. The truth was far more heartbreaking than either of his friends realized. The fact that Todoroki dreamed of his mother meant only thing and he didn't dare waste a second longer. "Where is Rei-San's room?"

"Uh, let's see here…" Skimming through the paperwork, Gyro stiffened when he finally found what he wanted. "…She's been committed to the mental ward of the hospital… and is scheduled for a lobotomy soon!"

"If this is really Todoroki's dream, then he'll be there… Let hurry!"

Grabbing a map from the help center, everyone rushed through the hallways as fast as their legs could carry them. Even with Lenny trailing behind, puffing and wheezing that he would settle for a long nap in an octopus's garden, they quickly made to the entrance of the mental ward. Unlike the rest of the hospital, this place showed worsening signs of corruption and rot. The walls peeled and flaked off, releasing a pungent odor of rust that threatened to gag them. Still they pressed on. Midoriya grew more determined the further they went despite how the atmosphere worsened around them.

"We're almost there!" yelled Uraraka, one eye carefully navigating the map. "Just a few hallways more and we should get there!"

"Good, I was getting sick this mockery of hospital décor anyway," said Gyro before slamming open another door. What he didn't expect, however, was pure drop awaiting him. With one step already through the doorway, he would've fallen completely into a bottomless void, but Midoriya, ever quick on his feet, yanked him back by the collar before the laws of gravity caught up with him.

"G-Gyro!" yelled Uraraka. "Are you ok?!"

Coughing hoarsely for a second or two, Gyro gave the bright eyed girl a thumbs up. "Yeah… Yeah I'm ok, but you could've been a bit gentler, Midoriya…"

"Sorry," apologized Midoriya before turning to the void. Only to find it wasn't empty as they thought. Inside was several bridges sloping and angling all over the place, leading from one entry to another. There was also shadowy outline of a thin, stringy tendril twirling at the far edge of the void, just short of being out of their line of sight, but still visible enough to know that it was completely unnatural.

"I don't understand," muttered Uraraka. "This should've led to the second to last hallway!"

"It's not that hard to understand, lass," said Lenny, putting a large reassuring hand on her shoulder. "If our fastest route was blocked like this, then that could only mean that our resident playwright is behind it."

"So much for trying to even out the playing field…" Growling Gyro, slowly moving to the edge of the faux void to get a better peek at its vastness.

"He did say he wanted a challenge, but he never said that he wasn't going to give us one in return, Blondie. Honestly, I thought he was going throw a lot worse like crazy surgeons or evil nurses at us."

"Dude… don't jinx us right when we're so close to the end. It's basic horror movie logic 101!"

As the Walrus puffed out a shrug, Midoriya put his brain to work. Since Dream On was going to be adding on difficulties, then he needed to think three steps ahead of him. "Uraraka, is there any other way to the mental ward?"

Looking back at the map, Uraraka carefully single possible entrance way and exit in order to find a detour. "Looks like there is another corridor we can take. But it's going to take longer and there's no knowing if it isn't cut off like this one."

"We'll have to chance it." Ushering Uraraka to lead on, Midoriya quickly followed with Gyro and Lenny close behind. They cut through several rooms and sped through many long corridors, all the while the hospital grew bleaker and blacker. In fact the walls and floor no longer rotted away, instead they seemed to melt, with thick sludge sloping down like overcooked marshmallows. And the stench it produced almost made Midoriya choke with how it clung to his lungs, but he kept it together.

Finally they reached the corridor they needed to get too, but as soon as they opened up its door, the void welcomed them once again.

"The hell?!" growled Lenny. "How are we supposed to get to the ward now?!"

"Is there another way around, Uraraka?" asked Midoriya, trying to keep himself calm, but much like Lenny, an edge of frustrated laced his voice.

"No! This was the last way we could've taken to get there!"

Midoriya ground his teeth, his mind a flutter with thought, but none produced an idea that could get them were they needed to go.

"Hey, Uraraka, can I see that map for a moment?" asked Gyro. Blinking at the sudden question, Uraraka gave him the map without a second thought. "Thanks. Now let's see here… Nyoho! I thought as much."

"Huh? Did you find us a way around, Gyro?" Raising an eyebrow, Midoriya tried to peek over his friends shoulder, but Gyro was already on the move.

"Even better. I found us our short cut!" Pulling out a Steel Ball, he spun it in his hand for a moment, letting it gain speed while the golden cross appeared under his eye. "Let's go, Ramble On!" With a great heave, he threw the spinning sphere into the wall.

Despite how out of the blue the action was, Midoriya was more caught up with the name. "Ramble… On? Is that a super move, Gyro?"

"Not really, but I decided that a Stand with no name is just as bad as a horse with none. It feels incomplete... I spent sometime after the Sports Festival coming up with something good. Something fitting. And this is what I came up with."

"Ok, Blondie," Lenny huffed with a fold of his arms, "but why are you trying to bore a hole into the wall?"

"Not really boring this time around as much as finding out if things have changed all around us. If everything had changed, then we would be in manure a mountain high… However…" He grinned viciously just as an eyeball popped up on his Steel Ball. "Looks like that isn't the case! That dramatic prick only settled for something as halfassed as blocking the regular paths, but he didn't think to change the empty rooms adjacent to the mental ward! So with that said… Midoriya. Would you care to do the honors?"

Blinking as the pieces fell into place, Midoriya let out a grin that would've done All Might proud. "Right! Stand back!" Everyone made way for him, leaving plenty of room so that they wouldn't get caught up in the inevitable shockwave. With great care, he crafted an image of One For All infused in a hand—hopefully the right amount of power that wouldn't blow away the building—before pulling it back. Taking a deep breath, he slammed into the wall with a mighty smash! "DETRIOT SMASH!"

Thunderously the wall simply blasted apart. Scattering dust and bits of blacken debris everywhere, everyone stood in awe at the wreckage that was wrought. Not only was the wall destroyed, but more than a couple rooms and the doorway to the mental ward were none existent at this point.

"By the Mad Hatter's broken tea cup!" swore Lenny, what little remained of his cigar, that wasn't torn apart by the shockwave, fell shamelessly to the floor. "I knew you were strong kid… but I thought you were exaggerating just how much power you got in your muscles!"

"It's really amazing, isn't it?" beamed Uraraka.

"Yeah, but he could've toned it down a notch," commented Gyro, tapping one dangling piece of sheetrock that instantly crumbled away. "I know I said you had the honors, but man, you really went to town."

Midoriya flushed at that. He didn't mean to go overboard, but now he saw even regulating his full power to one hand wasn't such a good idea after all. At least the building didn't collapse and he didn't feel any pain from his attempt. "A-Anyway, let's go find Todoroki!"

"Already on it." True to his word, Gyro had a Steel Ball rolling through the new opening. Everyone followed behind it at a certain distance, just in case any bad guys came, especially after all the destruction that took place. Surprisingly, that didn't happen. Nobody came to investigate and other than the initial roadblocks, there wasn't a hint of a security to be seen. It made Midoriya anxious. There was no way that after everything that had happen it would be this easy.

After wandering the undamaged half of the mental ward, they finally came to their location: the lobotomy theater. Just standing in front of its doors was unnerving to say the least, not helped by an unpleasant orange glow filtering through its cracks. Still they couldn't stop now. Kicking open the door wide open, they charged in.

Unlike the outside, the theater was cleaner than expected and far wider than anything that could be considered normal in a regular hospital. It was just short of the Sports Festival's coliseum in scope and scale! The ring to the operation center was big and had a glass dome encasing it from top to bottom. At the center was a host of machines and tools, vile and twisted to carry out the procedure that would turn anyone into a vegetable, but thankfully were clean, meaning the operation had yet to take place. However only three individuals standing next to the operation table held Midoriya's attention.

Todoroki stood silently aside, wearing no scrubs or medical equipment—merely an observer to the horror show that was about to unfold. The icy mask that usually hid his emotions was nowhere to be seen, making it easier for all to see his growing anxiety and unspeakable terror.

Standing adjacent to the operating table was a beautiful woman with hair woven out of snow. There was an tiredness to her face, as if her liveliness had been chipped away one day at a time and what little remain were little more than dying embers. Her grey eyes held the same exhaustion, though there was intensity to them as they stared at the table in front of her. There were many similarities to Todoroki, but why wouldn't there be? She was his mother after all.

She quivered slightly as she was suddenly dwarfed by the final figure. Unlike Todoroki and the dream-substitute of his mother, Endeavor was completely changed by the nightmare. Though he was tall in life, he was almost a giant now and nearly every part of his body was set ablaze instead of only a few bits. He glowed hellishly, almost to the point of blinding, but Midoriya could see the clear devilish additions to him. Such a scaly tail with a spade at the tip or the sharp horns that crowned his head. Finally his eyes literally burned blue with an intensity that would've melted anyone with a glance. It was a miracle that everything wasn't already burnt to a crisp.

"Let's get this over with," growled the hellish hero, glaring heatedly at his wife while a clean-looking doctor materialized right next to operating tools. The wife flinched at his words but obediently got on the table.

Seeing this same song and dance so many times already, Midoriya knew that it was better to act now than let it run its course. "Stand back, everyone!" He lifted up a finger and prepared to destroy the dome without causing too much destruction this time. With a deep breath, he was about to let loose when he felt something touch his leg. Something cold.

Blinking, he quickly looked down to see malformed arm of ice attached to an equally disjointed body of a man wearing a patient garb. It looked up back at him, it's face horribly stretched apart and disfigured, having multiple features that were beyond abnormal for any kind of Quirk. Worse, it looked like parts of flesh had been stitched together!

The shriek that came out of its mouth was worse than thousands of needles scrapping against glass, freezing Midoriya where he stood. Taking advantage of his numbness, ice quickly shot up his leg… only to be chipped away by a Steel Ball.

"Move Midoriya!" Shaking himself free of his stupor, Midoriya obeyed Gyro's order and jumped to the side just as a different Steel Ball took the mutant in the head. Blood and teeth flew everywhere, but the deed was done as patient faded into black mist instantly.

"Are you alright, Midoriya?!" cried Uraraka.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine…" he answered, kicking away some of the remaining ice. "What was that though? A patient?!"

"About time we finally ran into the nightmare's pets," said Lenny. "Was wondering where they were."

"Wait a moment…" Gyro paused just as he caught his Steel Balls. "If that was a patient… then where are the rest of them?"

On que, dozens upon dozens of mutated patients rose from the isles. Each one had parts of their bodies covered in ice and fire, some more extreme of either element. They growled and groaned at the intruders, frost and flame blending together into mini hurricanes as they blocked their way to the dome. One of them let loose a commanding cry that set the others charging forth in a mad rush.

"You just had to say something, Blondie!"

"Oh you're one to talk, you jinx! Now get to fighting!" Throwing his Steel Balls, he took two mutants in the head before having the balls pop off to attack another pair. Their bodies twisted in tandem, crashing into others before spinning back to their master.

The ensuing chaos allowed Lenny to charge forth, meeting the tide with open arms before barreling recklessly into a group. Crunches and bone-crackling snaps rang out from under the Walrus's bulk, but he didn't waste time before picking up one icy patient and slammed him into another with literal fiery hair. Other patients quickly swarmed him, clubbing him with thick icy arms or setting parts of him ablaze. But the walrus was made of sterner stuff, shrugging off the blows and the burns to continue his own brand of mayhem with the nightmarish mutants.

Not all had focus on Lenny. More than a few charged at Gyro, quickly closing the distance and ready to unleash their corrupted Quirks upon him. But like before, they continued to face the power of the Spin, twisting and colliding into one another all the while the Italian danced around the theater, his golden cross shining in the line.

For his part, Midoriya was a bit more preoccupied with keeping his distance, using rapid fire shockwaves from his fingers to blow back the raging horde. With no actual control over the incredible power of his unrestrained Quirk, he didn't dare unleash his full might, not yet anyway, least the theater came down on their heads. That left him on the defensive, but he knew that such tactics were no good. These distorted patients were nothing more than a distraction, something to slow them down while the main nightmare whittle away Todoroki's will.

To prove his point, the demonic Endeavor pushed Rei further onto the table, securing her tightly to leathery straps the doctor brought in. "It's your fault that it came to this… If only you just stayed out of the way of my legacy, none of this would've happened. You could've ruined everything I built! Now you're nothing to me now but a useless and broken liability."

"Rei" whimpered pitifully, but made no attempt to struggle. Tiredness dulled her eyes as she resigned herself to her fate. All the while Todoroki watched on, unable to move, but not saying a single word. However the sheer terror on his face spoke louder than any word. Completely and utterly enthralled by the reality of the nightmare.

Unable to stand such a horrible sight, Midoriya made a break for the dome again. Slipping under a particularly large patient, he closed in with a finger raised, only to halt suddenly. Several nightmarish mutants started trembling violently and screeching out horribly. Fire spewed out of some of their mouths, adding their already hellish flames, while others had icy spike and blocks violently emerge from their bodies, even from sensitive places like their eyes. Not only that, they grew bigger in size, towering over even Lenny, but just short of the nightmarish faux hero behind them. Bellowing out challenging roars, they renewed their assault on the heroes with unholy vigor.

"Holy crap!" exclaimed Gyro. "When did could these guys roid out?!"

"How should—Ugh!—I know?!" snapped Lenny, slamming a heavy fist into the soft side of a patient, only to have an icy retort to his face. Blood seeped out the corners of his jaws, but he refused to go down.

"Midoriya!" Gliding through the theater, Uraraka grabbed the fanboy by the shoulder and hoisted him into the air, narrowly avoiding a whirlpool of ice and fire that surrounded them. "What's going on with these guys?!"

Midoriya asked himself that same question. Wondering why the mutant patients didn't go all out at the start. Only to realize that it was actually was the reverse. It wasn't that they strong to begin with, rather they were getting stronger! But how and why were they getting such a boost? Frowning at the question, he turned his head back to the center of the theater, spying Todoroki becoming more and more distressed until he finally remembered the Stand's words. "Of course! Dream On's feeding off Todoroki's despair!"

"Then hurry up and shut that down before we get thrown onto the operating table next!" yelled Gyro, carefully angling one Steel Ball to ricochet off a patients neck, snapping with an awful crack, before having it crash into a torrent of fire, spinning its trajectory to melt a wall of icy that tried to encase him. However, the patients were getting closer and closer to cornering the Italian after failed assault.

"Right! Get me closer, Uraraka!"

"On it!" Determination shone off her bright face before weaving through the air with passenger in tow. They zipped and flew passed many icy arcs and pillars of fire, freezing and scorching parts of their clothes and bodies here and there, but ultimately made it to their goal. Midoriya didn't hesitate to pull back his arm this time. He knew the risk, but he had to chance it least his friends get overwhelmed by the growing horde.

"Toss me!" he cried. Uraraka obeyed and he was sent hurtling towards the Dome. Concentrating as best he could to maintain a reasonable amount of power, he shot his arm forward towards the glass. "DETRIOT SMASH!"

With a thunderous clap, the dome detonated into powder along with everything across the room getting annihilated. Todoroki was thrown on his back while the nightmarish doctor was sent flying into his machines, destroying them and himself instantly. However Midoriya had yet to stop his descent. Instead zipped right towards the source of this nightmare. The false Endeavor couldn't even blink before a bone-shattering punch to the head. Flung into a wall with an awful crack, Endeavor slumped to the floor, his horns crumbling off along with the flames dying away.

"H-How…" he coughed, black blood spewing from his lips. "T-This sensation… It's like his…."

With one last spew of dark liquid, the demonic fake faded into nothing.

Todoroki was stunned to say the least. Staring at the dispersing mist of his fake father, he turned to his rescuer, disbelief etched into face. "Midoriya?! How… why?! What are you doing here?!"

"This isn't real, Todoroki!" Midoriya knew that there wasn't any time to explain everything, hence he wanted to be quick and to the point with of the whole problem. "That thing wasn't your father and this place is nothing more than—!"

"Why did you have be born?"

Midoriya stilled at the accusation. Turning around he saw Rei Todoroki staring over him to glare at her son.

"Mother…" uttered Todoroki, whatever confusion he briefly had with his classmate was swept away by renewed dread.

"I was happy before… without you, without him… But then you came into my life and brought out the worst in him." She closed her eyes, tears leaking at the corners as she couldn't bear to look at her son any longer. "I tried… I really did try to be a good mother to you, but every day, every second of being with you made me think of him… He may be gone now, but you have his eyes… his cold, merciless eyes…"

Every word she said caused her son to tremble, his face twisting into one of sorrow and self-loathing. It was then Midoriya realized he made a crucial mistake. He had assumed that Endeavor was the source of Todoroki's nightmares, and he fitted the role perfectly, but he was dead wrong. His mother's rejection was the true nightmare!

"Don't lis—!" That was all he managed to utter before gagging violently as something yanked him back by the collar. He was flung out of the dome, crashing into several seats before coming to a halt. Coughing hoarsely, he rose slowly up, wincing as his body hurt all over. Rubbing his neck for a moment, his head shot back and forth for the one who dragged him out only to have his arms constricted suddenly. His eyes went round as he looked down to see a restraint jacket working around his body, tightening painfully till his lungs started to burn.

Sucking a sharp breath through clenched teeth, Midoriya struggled against the living straight jacket. However to his shock, the fabric didn't simply rip apart the moment he used One For All's power. Instead it bended and stretched out like some kind of super gum before slapping back into place. Even at one-hundred percent, Midoriya couldn't break free from the abnormal straight jacket!

"If only I hadn't met him…" continued the faux Todoroki mother, opening her eyes to reveal their once gentle color turned blood red and cruel with black sclera. "No… He would've pursued me until I gave him you. Just to produce your Quirk… Why… Why did it have to be this way… Why did you have to inherit his power?!"

The more accusations she flung at her son, the stronger the bindings around Midoriya became. No, not just straight jacket, but the mutants too. Their bodies turning more monstrously demonic and their Quirks becoming akin to natural disasters in barely human shape. The hard pressed defenders, already being pushed to the limit by the horrifying onslaught, were doing everything they could to simply not be overwhelmed!

It was madness incarnate and at its center was Todoroki, his eyes, glistening with tears, staring directly at the thing that called itself his mother. Yet with that despair came a sad conviction that bloomed in his eyes. "If… If could I make myself… disappear… would that help ease you, mother?"

Midoriya jolted at the implication, not helped by the wicked turn of the faux Rei's lips.

"Yes… I think that would finally relief the pain that I see every time I see your face or that damnable power that you have"

After a moment of hesitation, Todoroki nodded, his eyes dull and lifeless as he slowly walked over to the many sharp medical equipment that had been flung around earlier. Midoriya grew more frantic with every step he took, wildly flailing in the elastic jacket to no avail.

Finally, just as Todoroki bent down to pick up a particularly nasty-looking scalpel, Midoriya yelled, "YOUR POWER IS YOUR OWN!"

Halting just a few centimeters away from grasping the blade, Todoroki's eyes twitched towards the messy green haired boy. Unyielding green meeting icy gray and blue, both eyes intense before Midoriya took a deep breath. "Was what you told me in the Sports Festival a lie then?! Your power isn't a curse! Nothing about you is and certainly not your left side! So don't forget why you wanted to be a hero!"

He would've said more, yelled until his lungs went dry, but the straightjacket grew suddenly, covering the whole of his mouth and threatening to suffocate him.

"Hold your tongue, boy…" hissed Rei, her form more demonic than ever before. "My son is a mistake and he's going to—!"

Her tirade swiftly silenced as a current of ice swept across the floor and covered half her body. Blinking in disbelief, she turned her head to the source of the ice… only to lean back by the raging inferno that melted the center of the theater. Todoroki glared balefully at the fake, his despair gone like the wind, and its place was a raging typhoon. Layer upon layer of ice encased his right side while a raging inferno engulfed his left, creating a true unstoppable force of nature.

"…Thanks, Midoriya," he said, his voice amplified by the theater's high walls. "I needed that to think straight... To remember the promise I made with my mother."

"You wrench!" cried the false Rei, her muscles expanding and contracting, breaking free of her restraints and the ice before leaping off the table. "You dare live and make my life hell?!"

"You're nothing more than the demons that I couldn't let go… until now." The fire in Todoroki's eyes burned brighter than the very flames that he produced. He then raised his left hand towards the demonic creature that charged at him. "Begone!"

The tower of flames fell upon his command, engulfing the thing that pretended to be his mother and everything in the room. Consuming it all in a blaze that burned away the rot of the dream…


Gasping hoarsely, Midoriya tapped at his mouth then the rest of his body, the straight jacket was nowhere to be seen. He looked around and saw that his friends were alive, if more than a bit roughed up. Not only that, but the scenery was back to the bizarre nature of the Dream World! They had finally defeated the nightmare.

"Midoriya…" Blinking, the green haired fanboy turned to see Todoroki, his eyes somber and lacking the melancholy he had once had. Though there was a small, but unmistakably grateful smile gracing his lips. "Thanks for saving me, but… can you tell me what's going on?"

"S-Sure, Todoroki… Though I think you might have some difficulty believing me."

Todoroki's eyes drifted to the craziness all around them, particularly some giant, cartoonish flowers doing a conga before planting themselves in a valley of golden clouds.

"Try me."


Author's Note: First off, I want to say I hope everyone has been healthy and safe during this crisis we are experiencing around the world. It has been trying for everyone and I wish this virus thing would go away so that things would calm down, if only a smidge, so that we can all catch something of a breather. Until then, please stay safe, keep your distance from people, and try to relax. I know that last one is hard, (I know it all too well), but it's better to find something calming to do than go insane over stress.

Without further ado, I shall say that I'm back! Or least for now anyway. Ever since this virus thing has happened, work has slowed a bit. College had to adapt to something very TEDIOUS that made my work, both academic and none academic, very stressful and overloading. But here I am, still in, relatively, one piece. I did start this chapter, planning it anyway, during March, but then the virus happen and finals and what not, so I had to push back to May. Then I ran into a different problem, I both overestimated and underestimated how long this chapter was going to be. You see, I ORIGINALLY, planned to get five nightmares done in one chapter. But then I realized that I needed to established some backbone to the world of dreams to give it more life than a plot device. Furthermore, I also had try not only flesh out certain nightmare scenarios, but also hint to future story arcs like Gyro's. So I had trouble finding the right pacing for the chapter until finally I reached something that worked. Granted that meant that the other nightmare scenarios will be pushed back a chapter, but for pacing and good story, I think it's worth it. Besides I realized that having simply a 3 chapter arc would be boring, no matter how big each chapter was. So I will have 4 chapters for this arc, which we already half way finished with, then FINALLY MOVE ONTO THE FREAKING WORK STUDY ARC! I plan to get that done this year, hopefully, but with how things are and trying to keep my sanity in the process, progress might be slow. But I will try none the less.

However this leads me to something I've been meaning to talk about for some time. While my focus and excitement for this story is still very strong, I need to make time to do other projects. Like other fanfiction, such as a Fate Grand Order x Bloodborne story I've been thinking of doing for some time, and also my personal original none fanfiction story, (Which I hope will get published one day), that started but put off because of the Coronavirus and College. So with that said, I don't know when the next chapter for this story will be done, but I hope you understand where I am with this. Don't worry though. If there is one story I won't be abandoning, it is this one. Unless I grow old and gray first anyway! :P

But anyway, time for chapter related stuff!

First off, the chapter's title "Does the Sheep Count the Sheep?" is from Guilty Gear. It's Bedman's theme, a character who is dream/nightmare master who uses the dreamworld to fight and/or torment his victims much like Dream On!

Speaking of which, I hope you enjoyed Dream On's appearance! I personally like him thus far. He's not totally complete yet, you'll see what I mean later, but he's that one villain that loves the sound of his own voice and tries to be hammy as possible. Hence why I made his dialogue into monologues half the time. He's supposed to be a tiresome windbag, but one that will kill you if you dare interrupt or upstage him.

Also Dream On isn't Death 13. Personally, I felt Death 13 is WAY underdeveloped as a Stand. It's limited to the dream of the user, but it can't invade other dreams. In fact, when developing Dream On, I didn't think of Death 13 at the time since I thought of it as so low on the totem pole of Stands. No, no. The real inspiration for Dream On comes from comic book Villain, Dr. Destiny from DC, Nightmare King Grimm from the game Hollow Knight, and any shakespearean villains. All three blended together to create a powerful Stand that can influence an entire world of the subconscious and become a terrifying force of nightmares. Speaking of which, here's its stats!

Dream On : Am Automatic and Parasitic Stand that only activates when its user is a sleep and dreaming. It's a Stand that not is aware, but also intelligent and cunning with its creativity. It's main power is influence and invade other people's dreams and bring forth their worse nightmares. The more despair its victims get, the stronger it becomes. If a victim commits suicide in their dream, Dream On's power gets a permanent boost in power, otherwise it simply fades away once a dream wakes up. It claims it that it can't peak into other people's memories, but it can vividly detail a nightmare of the worse fears or horrors of a victim. Outside of waking up, the only way to defeat Dream On is by rejecting its carefully crafted nightmare, but it's easier said than done.

Parameters:

Destructive Power: A

Speed: C

Range: B

Persistence B

Precision: C

Development: A

As for Gyro's Stand name. Now I know some people are going to be pissed about it, but the thing is "Scan" isn't a Stand name nor a band/song/artist name. Simply put, it was just a skill name Gyro used in SBS and simply calling it "Scan" in this story felt off. It didn't roll off the tongue. So I decided to go with "Ramble On" by Led Zeppelin as both tribute to Zeppeli name and also because the song having similarities to what is store for Gyro himself. Besides, Scan, Ramble On, is merely the first form of his Stand. Ballbreaker is the final form.

With that said, I think I'm going to close this author's note. It's gone off long enough and as much as I would like to simply respond to all the messages left behind again, and there are a lot of them that I wish to respond to, I will say that that I really appreciate and every one of your reviews! They keep me going even when I feel down or doubt my work. Thanks for everything guys! Until then, I hope you all have a wonderful day and stay safe!

Sincerely, Count Chaos.