Disclaimer: I don't own Boku no Hero Academia

Chapter 24:

"Chief. Chief. Chief." The principal of U.A. High School, Nezu, nodded his head to the three chiefs of police who he had just walked up to. The two men and the woman in front of the mouse-bear-dog principal nodded at the small furry creature in respect.

"Principal Nezu," the Chief of the Osaka police department greeted. "I did not know U.A. staff would be attending this meeting." The woman with long blond hair that had silver streaks in it and some wrinkles on her face scratched her chin as she looked at the smaller figure. "Will All Might be here?"

"No," Nezu replied in his high-pitched voice. "Only I was invited here. I do not believe any other heroes at all are coming, not only U.A. staff." Nezu said it, because at the same time he thought about why it might be that the U.A. staff was not being fully trusted.

"Ladies, gentlemen." One of the chiefs was about to respond to Nezu, but they turned and looked towards a seven foot tall woman who was almost as wide at the shoulders walking into the room. "Please, take your seats," the huge woman said, walking over to one of three chairs near the front of the room herself. Her chair was in the center of the three, and two men took seats at the ones on her sides. One was a light-skinned man who looked older than everyone else in the room and had long white hair to match that partially covered up his eyes with bangs and fell from his chin almost to the floor. On the woman's left though as she sat down, was a figure the U.A. principal had seen more recently.

William Wilson nodded towards the small mouse creature who had looked his way right as he was looking over, and Nezu nodded respectfully back at the judge. Everyone other than the three officials in the front of the room sat around the semicircular table that stretched around the rest of it. There were high-ranking police officers from several cities there if the chiefs could not come to this themselves, and a few other government officials taking part in the meeting.

The large woman in the center of the front of the room started speaking as soon as everyone had taken their seats. "You all know why we are here. Over the past two months, villains have come out of hiding, and crime has started increasing along with them. Murder, drugs, costume-trafficking, they all rise with the increasing appearances of villains." Everyone around the room nodded and had frowns on their faces at this information, but it was nothing new to these people at the top of the hero society. "While these things are on the rise however, public opinion of, Lifebringer, rises as well."

The main official in the center of the room stared straight forward at the middle seat in the semicircle table where the principal of U.A. was sitting. "This is a problem," she continued. She looked to her left at Judge Wilson who kept a serious and deep frown on his face behind his long tusks. Although they knew the name of the mysterious figure who was going around saving lives all over Japan, that figure had started to be reported even by main tv stations as the most popular name for him online. Less people were using his name, giving police officers near incidents where he appeared a reasonable excuse to say that they did not know who it was who appeared to save the recently deceased.

Everyone in the room hummed to themselves or murmured something under their breaths, and many of them looked towards Nezu who kept looking towards the official taking charge of the meeting. The large woman with short curly brown hair narrowed her gaze towards Nezu, then shifted it around at all the police officers whose cities the boy had been appearing in, whose cities' medias reported good things about him and were making their job more difficult by the day. "Today, you have all been called here so that we may come up with a solution," she said. "To discuss an answer, to the Zach Sazaki Problem."

Inside the top floor of an empty office building in central Musutafu, five men were gathered in a side room that did not have any windows. They could not have the lights on anywhere else on the floor and risk being seen through the windows, as it was long past closing hours of the office and would seem suspicious, despite the fact that one of the five men in there owned the building. Seiki Ganji was an eight foot tall man who wore a business suit that he had worn to work that morning, unlike the two on the opposite side of the table of the small side room, closer to the door.

The two who were closer to the door were more cautious about their identities. Both wore masks, and both of their costumes were dark, though Lavamander's had more color with dark red highlights on his elbows, neck, knees, boots, and gloves. Most of his costume was black though, just like the man who was farther from the table, leaning back on the side wall with a foot up against it and an annoyed look on his face. The bottom half of his face was visible under the bottom of his mask that only dropped to his nose, but his eyes were not visible which made it seem like it would be impossible for him to see.

The other two men in the room stood on the left side of the table in relation to the building's owner. They were both thin men, one of whom was a police officer and was uncomfortable about being in this room at the moment. Naomasa Tsukauchi wore his usual trench coat and a matching hat, his hands were in his coat's pockets, and his hat was dipped down more so the rim shadowed over the top half of his face. Meeting in secret like this, he thought, but he kept a steady gaze as he turned to Ganji. Lavamander had just shown up, and Ganji stepped up to the table to start speaking. "Surprised you came," he said, looking to Lavamander and then over to the darker man leaning on the wall.

"We're it?" Lavamander asked. The man had scales on the bottom of his face that almost blended in with his light skin, but they got more defined down his chin before disappearing under the red of the costume on his neck.

Ganji grunted and then said in his much lower voice than Lavamander's, "You're the only two who replied."

"Hmph," Lavamander leaned back and then turned to his right to face the two standing there. "Guess a meeting with All Might isn't worth as much as it used to be."

All Might sweatdropped as he looked towards Lavamander. Tsukauchi looked like he wanted to say something back after that, and All Might spoke quickly first, "I understand. I am glad you came however, Lavamander." The scaly man leaned his head back some more, then he humphed again and nodded once at All Might. "You too, Webb," All Might said over to the man whose head turned All Might's way even if he did not have showing eyes to meet the retired hero's with.

"So why did you call us here?" Lavamander asked. "And with a cop present too," he added, turning to the man in the trench coat. Tsukauchi did not introduce himself yet, but Lavamander could tell from a single glance.

"This is Detective Tsukauchi, a personal friend of mine," All Might introduced. "He already knew about the existence of this society as well."

"Enough with introductions," Ganji said in his deep voice. Everyone turned his way, and he said while looking at All Might, "What is it you asked us here for?"

Tsukauchi frowned at All Might, but he kept his mouth shut to let the hero at his side speak first. These men and I, will never be able to meet eye to eye, All Might. We have long since passed the time of vigilantes in hero society. Sometimes they show up, and on occasion the police will let them go. They're not organized like this though. The vigilantes who do occasional acts of heroism with their Quirks to try and help out, would never be able to join this organization. No this- collection, since I can't even call something without a structure like this an organization. The anti-hero society. A select few at the top of the police brass know of them, and they have a few connections with certain heroes as well. It's so secretive that I thought it was a fake rumor when I first heard the idea, and it's not being a cop that gave me this in, but only my relationship with All Might. Still my friend, I wish you had not invited me to come with you, not this time…

"I have come, to ask for a favor," All Might said. "Your society is kept a secret despite the good you do, and also to prevent any need for the Police Force to attempt to capture you-"

"Which they would fail at doing," Lavamander remarked. He turned to Tsukauchi and added, "Though I'm surprised you actually didn't bring any other cops with you."

How does he know that? Tsukauchi wondered. Lavamander's Quirk, is unknown to me. His name suggests something about lava and salamanders, and those scales as well, but can he tell at this moment? Or did he search the building before coming in here? The detective frowned at the figure in front of him who was wearing a costume that was technically illegal considering he had no Hero License, the man who was very powerful from what All Might had told him

"What is this favor?" Ganji asked. He did not interrupt as rudely as Lavamander, but he also wanted All Might to stop beating around the bush.

All Might lost the hesitation on his face, the slightly nervous look he got when Lavamander confronted Tsukauchi again. He took a deep breath and then narrowed his dark eyes down, and he said, "I wish to save, Lifebringer." Ganji leaned back where he was standing, humming and looking down at the smaller men on his left. He lifted a hand and started scratching his chin that had a thin black goatee on it. Lavamander tilted his head to the side, checking if All Might was serious, then he frowned and pulled back too though with a less thoughtful look on his face. All Might continued, "There is no way to get him out of the villains' clutches, without the result being that he is arrested along with them. You, who stand on the line between hero and villain, are the only ones I can turn to for this."

"Sorry, All Might," Lavamander said as soon as All Might sounded like he might be finished. All Might turned to the man who he considered the strongest of the three in the room, and he frowned at the man's shaking head and disapproving look. Lavamander wore a black cloak that fell behind his back but could be pulled around his entire muscular body, his black mask was made of some sort of steel and had a lifted black visor over the eyes and slits for his mouth before. The mask started at just below his mouth but went over the top of his head, more like a helmet, so All Might did not know if he had hair or was bald. Lavamander looked into All Might's eyes with his dark red ones, and he shook his head once more before continuing in a lower voice than before, "Although it is pretty common knowledge, most people don't seem to care. But we all know Zach Sazaki chose to step through that portal at the court house."

Tsukauchi's gaze lowered and the rim of his hat shadowed over the top half of his face even more. All Might frowned at Lavamander's response, then he turned to the right at Seiki Ganji who crossed his arms again after thinking for a minute. "Lavamander is correct," Ganji said, though he gave All Might a slightly apologetic look afterwards. "I know he is your student, and he may be doing some good in the world," Ganji shook his head and then hardened his expression. "But he joined the League of Villains of his own free will. Those, who destroyed Camino Ward. How many died that night, All Might?"

All Might grimaced deeply, but then he said, "Sazaki almost died that night too." Ganji frowned more at the former hero who continued, "Yet he still chose to follow the people who nearly killed him. But he did so to save lives," All Might bit down in a frustrated way, and he looked back towards Lavamander, before turning towards Webb. Lavamander dropped his visor back over his eyes, and Webb might not have had eyes at all under that mask, not that All Might had ever seen him without it on. So he turned back to Ganji whose eyes he could look at, "All I am asking for, is that someone tries to help him. He is all on his own."

"'How long will it be before he becomes a villain, with only villains influencing him?'" Ganji said. "Is that what you are afraid of, All Might?" All Might hesitated in responding, and that made Ganji continue in an even stronger tone, "In that case, I am even more against it. You said so during the boy's trial. You do not believe in him, and whatever you want to say to counter that, you just confirmed your feelings to me. He is surrounded by villains and you fear he will become one? Would you feel that way if it were any of your other students? No. You feel this way, because the boy makes poor decisions, villainous decisions."

All Might frowned deeper at what Seiki Ganji was saying, but then his eyes turned huge and he turned his head right to Tsukauchi. "Actually, All Might," Tsukauchi began. He looked into his friend's eyes apologetically, but then his expression became more stern and he said, "I have to agree with them."

"Damn it," Lavamander muttered. "I don't like it when cops agree with me," he said under his breath.

Tsukauchi tried to ignore the man and just continued to his shocked friend, "As much as I know you want Sazaki to just be, a misunderstood child, I don't think he is. He recently turned sixteen, did he not?" All Might frowned lower and lost his shocked look, but still had a frustrated one on his face. "You told me yourself that he is an intelligent person, mature for his age. I can't consider someone like that as anything other than a danger, even if he did save my sister's old roommate from her university." He added that because he thought All Might might bring it up as he had told his friend the story already.

"I don't like any villains," Lavamander started. "But the League of Villains really rub me the wrong way. Going after kids every time. Going after you All Might, forcing you into retirement. I hate those bastards." His eyes darkened under his visor, and he crossed his arms over his chest like Ganji was doing across the table from him. "That kid's one of them now, which makes him just like all the others to me. Sort of," he added, grimacing behind his mask that he added it on at the end.

Tsukauchi nodded in agreement at that, and All Might turned to his cop friend, then to Ganji, then back to Lavamander. And then All Might's eyes turned from the three vocal opponents of what he was requesting. He looked across the room at the man wearing all black, whose skin was tan under the bottom of his mask that covered the top of his face. "Webb?" All Might asked, confused as the man lowered the leg he had against the wall down to the floor.

Ganji never mentioned anything about it to the third anti-hero in the room, but he did let out a low growl at the sight of a smudge of dirt on his wall where Webb lowered his foot from. "You got something to say?" Lavamander asked, turning to Webb who leaned off of the wall while turning away from All Might.

Webb walked towards the door without saying anything, but he stopped when he reached it. "I'll go."

All Might's eyes opened huge. "What do you mean?" Tsukauchi asked, stepping away from the table and closer to the side where Lavamander and Webb were. "That makes it sound like you know where they are. Do you have information-"

Webb's head turned sideways so Tsukauchi was staring at the top of his mask. The man in black frowned at him, and he said in an annoyed voice, "I don't work for you." He turned back to the door and said, "But if All Might thinks he's worth it, I'll check it out."

Now All Might wanted to ask him something similar to what Tsukauchi did, but Webb opened the door first and looked about to leave. All Might bowed the top part of his body and the man in the doorway hesitated. "Thank you, Webb."

The man in all black waited another second, then he stepped out and closed the door behind him. He turned and headed towards the door for the stairs leading up to the roof. Zach Sazaki. Lifebringer. That's not a very good name for a villain.

"Have you noticed? There have been less reports this week."

"Maybe less people are dying?"

"That's not it. If anything, villain activity is up."

Midoriya glanced towards the kitchen where he saw Kaminari and Kirishima talking in louder voices than either of them thought. He was walking towards the area in the common room with the couches and soft chairs where he saw Uraraka, Tsuyu, and Iida sitting around near the tv. It was a Sunday and everyone in Class-A was lounging about and recovering, after the full-class-training-session they had the day before which wound up being way more intense than any of them expected when Aizawa sensei showed up during it.

The green-haired boy who had been in a good mood as he was heading over lost that smile as he neared his friends. I noticed that too Kirishima. Less people are being saved by "Lifebringer." He hasn't disappeared, but if he's not saving people, what is he spending all his time doing? I can only think, the villains are giving him tasks other than bringing people back to life.

"Hey Deku," Uraraka turned her head to look over the couch. She got a confused look on her face for a second, but Midoriya's expression lightened up as he faced her too so she smiled again.

"Mirodiya-chan, are you feeling alright?" Tsuyu asked him as he sat on the couch next to her. He turned and said he was fine with a surprised look, but the girl with the Quirk: Frog tilted her head as she thought there was something wrong for sure.

"We were just talking about next Term's hero internships, Midoriya-kun," Iida said. Most of them were wearing casual clothing, but Iida had on a collared shirt even while they were all relaxing in the common room. Midoriya half wanted to ask if he was going somewhere, but he also considered that Iida was just wearing it during his relaxation.

"So much happened this time," Uraraka said, letting out a long sigh and shaking her head. "It was nothing like the first one, not that Gunhead's training wasn't hard too," she added, thinking back on the first semester more fondly and doing a quick punch out in front of her.

Iida looked towards Midoriya who gazed back towards him, and then the tall class rep said with a small smile, "Yes, nothing like the first time." Uraraka saw his smile and look at Deku, and then her eyes popped open wide.

"Oh right!" Uraraka exclaimed, covering her mouth with one hand afterwards like she spoke carelessly. She had totally forgotten about how the other two had met Stain during the first internship, and they quickly told her not to worry about bringing it up.

"What's going on?" Midoriya asked, turning to the tv screen the other three had on while they sat around. The volume was on low, but they were watching the news and something interesting seemed to be happening.

"It's over already," Uraraka told the boy who turned back to her in confusion. "They're just showing old footage now. Endeavor stopped some villains in Chinji City." Uraraka's voice got softer, and she added, "There were eleven people injured, and four died."

"That's terrible," Izuku said, turning back to the screen. He paused as he kept staring at it, and he asked, "How, long ago was it?"

"An hour or so," Tsuyu replied. Midoriya's frown deepened as he kept reading the bar that just appeared on the bottom of the screen with the same numbers Uraraka just mentioned on it.

The other three around Midoriya saw his deepened frown, and their expressions fell. Asui Tsuyu looked towards the screen again, and she grabbed the remote that was next to her and turned up the volume. They watched as the news anchors showed back up behind their desk again, the three who had arguments about incidents and had been talking about Endeavor's quick arrival and save. One of them was not talking as much as the other two though, and then he spoke up when they asked what he thought about all this.

"My only question is, where is Lifebringer?"

Both of the other anchors lifted their eyebrows at him, while the kids sitting on the couches in the Class-A U.A. dorm stared at the screen with wider eyes as it was brought up. They were all thinking about it anyway though, as another man who had goat horns sticking out of his head remarked, "Perhaps he didn't hear about this."

"It's the biggest news all day," the first man retorted. "And we've mentioned the casualties several times."

"Well with such a big event, with police and heroes everywhere, it's not like he can just pop in and save them," the third spoke up. "With that much police presence around, doubt even his portal-taxi can get him out of there."

"Need I remind you, the one using the portals is a villain who…"

"… the heroes fault for trying to capture him anyway!"

"Let's just agree to disagree. He didn't show up here, but Endeavor saved who knows how many dozens who could have been injured or killed from this villains' rampage."

"But, he didn't save everyone."

"No one can."

"You sure about that?"

Midoriya's eyes opened wider, then Tsuyu pressed a button on the remote and turned off the tv. Everyone spun towards her in surprise, then Midoriya noticed something. When he turned towards her he saw over the back of the couch, seeing Kaminari and Kirishima not far behind. Mineta had come out of the laundry room and was holding a basket in his hands with his clean clothes in them. He looked the other way past Iida and saw Yaoyorozu standing midway across the common room from the girl's side where she had stopped and stared at the news Tsuyu had put at a loud volume.

Tsuyu frowned and lowered her head, putting the remote down next to her. She pursed her lips without saying anything. Those acts, are the same acts as those of villains. I thought that, I believed it. I was wrong though- at least, I think I was. But… In Tsuyu's mind she saw Shigaraki Tomura reaching his hand out for her face, putting his hand on her to try and kill her. If not for Aizawa erasing his Quirk in that moment, she knew she would have died. She thought about that, and then she had to purse her lips more and bite down inside her mouth. In her head she saw Shigaraki, and she saw Kurogiri next to him, and then the girl Himiko Toga who attacked them in the woods… and then she saw Zach. She did not see the short-haired version of him wearing a mask like she had seen on the internet, she just saw him wearing his blue gym uniform, his hair spiked up over his head.

Tsuyu thought about Zach next to all those villains, then she shook her head around and opened her eyes while staring down. She thought about the same boy, only this time she thought about when she had rushed to the hospital after getting Kaminari's text that he had woken up. Right when I got there, I saw him. Zach, was terrified. Tsuyu thought about how he was led out of the hospital in cuffs, how all the reporters had swarmed him and the police, but he was looking towards them. He had looked towards us, Aoyama, Uraraka too, and he had such a desperate look in his eyes. He was pleading for our help- and that's the last time I saw him.

The mood of the dorm had just gone far down, and Mineta spoke up after looking around and seeing everyone's faces. "Oi oi, what do think this means? I don't, really get it, but," he looked up and to the right at Kaminari and Kirishima. "Where'd Zach go?"

The two on his right looked down at him, and Kaminari opened his mouth to respond, only he could not come up with anything. Kirishima frowned deeper, but he shook his head after a few seconds. "He has a plan," he said, a soft but assured tone in his voice that Kaminari nodded quickly in agreement with.

"But, he didn't save everyone." "No one can." "You sure about that?" Midoriya's eyes focused on the black tv screen. He wanted to ask Tsuyu to turn it back on, but he shook his head thinking about the last thing he heard. No. No one can reach everyone. Is that, why he's slowing down? Does everyone expect too much from him, even though it hurts him? Even though he feels so much pain? Or is it something else? The villains could be doing this on purpose. People were getting used to Lifebringer showing up at times like this, so making him stop could have everyone wanting him back… but, he hasn't stopped. He's still active, but he's slowing down. How long until he stops completely? And once he does, what then? What will he be doing? What, might he already be doing?

A/N Thanks for reading! Lifebringer's popularity is on the rise, All Might asks for help from a secret society of anti-heroes, and people start to notice Lifebringer is showing up less often... No Zach this chapter as time passes quickly through the fall term. Where is he? What is he doing? Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Leave a review below!

gods-own chapter 23 . 10h ago

good stuff

Thanks!

zerom1v chapter 23 . 9h ago

Is the coma permanent? I never heard again of Ganeshi.
Can Zach take the person away from the coma if he uses nightmare twice on the same persone? Or with lifebringer ability?
Hope Zach can keep to his moral code of not killing anyone

Who knows? And I made Ganeshi up. Figured it didn't need to be canon exactly when whole new people exist in this world, and now more new characters are going to show up as they did this time. We'll see more about Zach's powers... soon. And can Zach hold on? Midoriya's worried, Lifebringer appearances are slowing down... what has he been doing? Thanks for the review!

D-Koy24 chapter 23 . 7h ago

Tell Kaminari to step off!
Nice work seems Zach's gaining their trust even more,I'm worried about next chapter, I think they will somehow get involved with murdering villains infront of a hidden camera to make it really a point of no return

Haha, Kaminari figured to back off, but a flirt's a flirt. Zach makes his decision, but what is he doing now? "One more step" might be a step too far... Thanks for the review!

Roxas Itsuka chapter 23 . 6h ago

Interesting chapter. Loved Kuroiro and Kaminari in this chapter. Nice to see Monoma has been redeemed. Looking forward to seeing Zach using nightmare in the next chapter. Will the villains they are fighting the eight precepts of death?

Thanks! Monoma's class seems to have forgiven him... No Zach this chapter though. Also I just looked up what that last part meant, and yeah still haven't read the manga, so doubtful they're showing up in this. Thanks for reviewing! Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

ShadowJack chapter 23 . 9h ago

So nightmare serves as the knockout function? Does it boost his strength somewhat? What was that mist that kinda comes off from him in Nightmare form? Can Zack resurrect anything now within the time limit? Is there a number of times he is limited to for one person? Can he resurrect things with the head crushed? Will his left hand start changing? ( I ask this because he was a late bloomer right, age 7? So what if he experiences more changes? Just some prediction/thoughts... Great Chapter!

So many questions, so few answers. Actually, 0 answers. More will be revealed soon, but I like all the predictions questions. So much to think about when it comes to Zach's power after all. Glad you liked the chapter, and thanks for the review!