Death

by tmb1112

Death is a Quirk that can only kill. A perfect Quirk for a villain, but what if the boy who manifested that power just wanted to be a hero? Enrolling in U.A. might not be enough when all your Quirk can do is kill people. Follow Zach Sazaki from his first day in Class A on a story that spans years, as he learns to be a hero, finds out more about his Quirk, and too much to summarize!

79. Chapter 79

Disclaimer: I don't own Boku no Hero Academia

Chapter 79:

Zach Sazaki lay back on his hospital bed in the early afternoon of the third day of his hero internship. He had just woken up again after taking Roady's advice and getting the rest he had needed very much. When he got back up, the others who had been in the room with him were all gone, and there was a change of clothes next to his bed from his own belongings back in Feruchia. He figured Daisy or Keiko had come to Mosu Esupa, and he told himself to thank them whenever he met them later.

He was hesitant to get up. Zach pushed his thoughts away from why it was he was just laying there though, thinking instead on the events of the night before. Why? Was the Chemist, and the Apocalypse, was it that important to you? Shigaraki didn't even try… Dabi's eyes. Zach's teeth clenched but he calmed himself after a moment while staring up at the ceiling over his bed. Why didn't they try? Are they done with me? After spending so much time, I can't see Shigaraki finished that quickly. Then why leave me be? Why not kill me? Or at least try, so that I would have had my excuse to kill Shigaraki. Zach's eyes darkened as he thought that to himself, and he almost looked around to see if anyone had spotted him thinking it.

Not with Death, because I can't get you with it anymore. But I'd slit his throat. Stab him in the heart, and Dabi… Dabi. Zach closed his eyes and his teeth bared harder again, "…think of it as a birthday present." Dabi appeared in his mind the night he had saved Zach's life, the first time. Then blue flames filled his mind and Zach heard a screeching voice of agony, and he saw a girl inside those blue flames yelling his name and for him to help her. Zach snapped his eyes open and swung his legs off the bed, because he did not want to think about this anymore.

As he got up though, he was reminded of the reason he knew he had been laying back for as long as he could. Villains don't talk to the cops. They, they have a code most of the time. Plus the villains are so brutal, that snitches get the worst… But Chemist- yet, yet Hydro and Shooter must not have said shit back after VTS. Maybe they knew. Maybe the cops asked where Kurogiri had taken me, so they knew Shigaraki was going to try and turn me. Maybe they knew a prison break was coming in the future so they were holding out, not snitching because they believed they'd get out. But villains called me Reaper, others might have said things when I was in there. I knew that going in when I'd be recognized was risky. I tried cutting Chemist off when he shouted at me, but how much could he have said? After being arrested, did he tell more? Am I fucked?

Zach got dressed, and he grabbed his phone off the side table it had been put while he was asleep. In a bag on the floor next to his folded change of clothes, he saw bloody costume that he realized was his own even though it was barely recognizable. He put his white pants and belt into the bag with his shirt while getting changed, and he thought, I should take a shower. I'm pretty sweaty- Kendo saw me without my shirt on. Zach sweatdropped as the thought came into his head in a semi-embarrassed way. Even the girls in my own class, they've seen my left arm when I occasionally wore tank tops working out. Actually, were there cameras on me? Probably not after I took the shirt off at least. What actually happened last night? I didn't ask Roady, and I fell asleep right after.

He was planning on heading out of his room right after he got dressed, but he stopped and headed over to the tv in the room first. Zach turned it on and sat at the edge of the bed closest to it while turning on the news at a low volume. He did not want anyone outside to hear the tv and come bother him, so he kept it low and turned on subtitles. The news was talking about the incident in Mosu Esupa, and Zach was surprised as he turned it on just at the right moment.

The screen had been showing some news anchors talking with a small box in the corner of the view of a camera panning around the rubble of the warehouse and surrounding area. That image changed though as a visual covered the screen with four rectangular orange boxes going vertically through it at equal sizes. In each of those boxes was the face of a man near the center-top, their villain names and real names above, their Quirks below their faces, and three of them had 'Tartaros Escapee' written beneath their Quirks. Three of the four boxes dimmed with a black shade, while the box in the middle right of the screen tinted red and a brighter red 'X' crossed over the box.

Zach listened closely as the news anchors talked about Breakneck's capture, and he read the subtitles on the bottom of the screen too. His focus shifted to the one of the four who was not a Tartaros Escapee though but was being considered one of the ringleaders of the operation. All three of the boxes that had dimmed blacker meant that those criminals were dead, and Zach kept a frown on his face as he stared at Dandy's picture. How'd it happen? Did Midoriya… or did the Apocalypse just take him out? The anchors started talking about Dandy as well, his box spreading to cover the whole screen and lightening back up.

"…was explained earlier today at a preliminary press conference held by the nationally ranked top three heroes who arrived at the scene to end the battle." Zach's eyes opened wide, then wider as the screen changed to show the press conference that had been televised live earlier but not all of their viewers may have seen.

Endeavor, Hawks, and Best Jeanist?! Zach stared at the screen with wide eyes. Endeavor was in the middle of the group, and Zach watched closely as they started the recording of the press conference near the middle of it. Apparently most of the battle had been televised from the air as the press helicopter had arrived around the same time the first villains were starting to escape the warehouse. Endeavor was explaining the end of the villain Dandy which a reporter had just asked about, "Yes, Kamikuro Gonbo, the villain known as Dandy was killed in this raid. It was not a result of villain on villain violence or necessary force by a hero, but the drug he took to make him so powerful which caused his demise…"

Not mentioning Apocalypse. That's good. Zach hummed to himself while leaning back from the screen. Aside from not making a panic because of the idea of that drug, it's a good move to weaken villains. Despite how powerful Dandy got, if the cameras did get some good shots of him doing damage, this will discourage the use of Trigger for all villains in the future. Most villains will assume it was Trigger that killed Dandy, and Endeavor's talking about the other villains who used Trigger now and lost their cognitive abilities which allowed for an easier capture. Some smarter villains will know that Endeavor's using this to instill fear among villains and stop them from using Trigger as quickly, but those are the villains who wouldn't be using it anyway. It's the dumb ones who use Trigger quickest, and they're going to be the easiest ones to convince that Trigger causes more harm than good.

The press conference got cut off as a reporter asked a different question, then Zach got off the bed and turned off the tv. He did so because the first things those news anchors started talking about was the escape of the League of Villains who had interrupted the raid. Damn, I knew it. Zach cursed to himself while walking out of the room. Six people died- six good people died. Did I know any of them? Does that matter- of course it does, but it should still hurt even if I didn't. It does. Zach loosened his fists that were starting to clench at his sides, feeling more sad than angry at the moment. Dabi and Shigaraki got away to fight another day, to plan more devious deeds and kill more people. What did I do? I didn't stop Breakneck or Chemist, or Dandy. I didn't capture the League… What about the other League members? Maybe I should have watched for longer. But, I need to figure out what's going on from more than just the news. The news doesn't know everything. I know who will though.

Zach walked towards a door down the hall that he had gone to that morning after he woke up and staggered to Roady's room. Before he went back to get the sleep he needed, he had one other person he had to check on after finding out that Roady was alive. Zach leaned into the doorway and he knocked on the door twice while looking towards the bed and the short woman standing on a chair next to it. Recovery Girl had a disappointed look on her face and was being very serious with Midoriya, but Zach's interruption caused her to sigh and get off of the chair anyway. She had a lot of patients to look after around the hospital she had been requested to come to, including another U.A. student a few rooms away who had suffered a concussion.

"It is good to see one of you managed not to injure yourself-" Recovery Girl began while walking towards the other student in the doorway. She started frowning deeply at the boy who grimaced like he regretted not getting hurt. Zach realized why she started glaring at him, and he tried losing that look despite the regret he did feel that he had come out virtually unscathed. "Though you went too far again," Recovery Girl added in a softer voice when she was nearing Zach's side.

Zach's eyes lowered down to the short woman who sighed at his look. "That much pain," she whispered. "It is not good for you-"

"I'll be fine," Zach assured the old woman who was sounding sweet to him despite her scolding tone. "Thanks for coming up here," Zach added. Though if you were here sooner, could Roady have- Geez, don't even think about that. 'What if's don't mean a thing.

Recovery Girl shook her head and murmured something while heading out of the room to go check on Kendo. Zach turned back to Midoriya's bed after she was gone, and he headed over quickly to the chair at Midoriya's side. "You okay?" Zach asked while sitting next to him.

Midoriya sat up and Zach's eyes shifted from his left arm down to his right leg which was wrapped up in a cast like his arm was. "You had to go all out, huh?" Zach asked.

"It still wasn't," Midoriya began in response. He lifted his right hand and rubbed it on his forehead, as this was something he could not say to Recovery Girl when she was scolding him over using his power despite the damage already done to his body. He felt guilty just as he saw Zach did when Recovery Girl mentioned him not getting wounded, though Midoriya felt bad that he could still move his right arm and left leg. Especially the movement of his right arm that he clenched its hand into his hair for a moment, because he thought to himself that the reason he had not gone all out sooner was because he was afraid of permanently losing it. The reason he was not beating himself up more though, was that he believed no one had died from just what he had done. I couldn't beat him though, Midoriya thought to himself while lowering his hand.

Midoriya let out a small breath to gather his thoughts, then he replied, "Apocalypse, is just as you said."

"I'm sorry," Zach whispered. Midoriya's eyes opened wide at Zach's instant apology, and his breathing started picking up speed as he thought about something the Chemist had told him. Zach continued though, "If I had shot sooner. I just didn't want-"

"You shouldn't have shot at all-" Midoriya cut in.

"He died anyway," Zach whispered. He had lowered his gaze for a second when apologizing since it was hard seeing Midoriya's broken body that he considered partly his fault. "I knew it would probably kill him, and I could see in his eyes that he was going to inject himself. I kept hesitating, holding out for hope that he wouldn't use it. Then when I shot at him I already knew it was, I didn't really believe it would… I must not have, because I couldn't convince myself to just run up and touch him afterwards."

Midoriya stared at Zach in silence for a few seconds when Zach had finished giving his apology. Izuku did not know how to respond to him. He's apologizing for not killing him. That's, that's weird. You shouldn't have to apologize for something like that, as easy as it would be for your Quirk to kill him. Instead of trying to counter Zach's apology, Midoriya changed the subject in a low voice, "Zach, Chemist talked about-" Zach stared into Midoriya's eyes with his own starting to shake, growing wider and full of fear at what Midoriya was starting to say. The fact that Zach was having that instant reaction made Midoriya freeze, because it was hard not to believe it now when Zach looked so afraid of what the Chemist could have said about him.

"Was he, caught? He was right?" Zach said, as he suddenly realized he did not know for sure if they had managed to get the Chemist out of there. Shigaraki didn't get him. Unlike the Apocalypse, Zach felt a bit of relief as Midoriya told him Chemist had been captured, but that relief was replaced by fear again as he wondered what that could mean for him. How much did he know about the League's operations? He was just the Chemist. He was the man who made the drugs, and he was a pretty important "piece" of Shigaraki's, but he wouldn't have known all the things I did. Yet, he knew who I really was. He knew my real name when I first saw him…

He wouldn't know everything I did, but he does know I was there when he presented the Apocalypse. I called him a sick fuck, I talked shit about his work, and I had reasons behind it more than my own personal feelings. I hated him so much just seeing the way he talked about science like the people he was experimenting on didn't matter. So I felt good when I had solid reasons for why his experiments were failures, for why he was not doing as good a job as he made it out like he was. And when he threatened me that day I was in his lab, I went Nightmare and scared the shit out of him with a smile on my face. I enjoyed that, because I hated him so much. If he hates me as much as I hate him though, he'll do whatever he can to get me arrested won't he? Unless he's afraid I'll be thrown in the same prison as him? Or unless, he knows what Shigaraki's real plans for me are? Does Shigaraki have plans for me?

"Zach," Midoriya started as he looked into his friend's dark eyes. "You had, power in the League of Villains?" It was worded as a statement but Midoriya rose his tone at the end showing Zach could deny it if he wanted to like it was a question.

Zach's eyes darted to the side and back at the door behind him. Then he looked at Midoriya and started shaking his head which made Midoriya purse his lips. Zach could see his friend was having trouble believing him, and the fact that he was having trouble with that hurt both Midoriya and Zach. "Really, I didn't," Zach whispered. "Chemist might have thought I did, because I treated it like I did when I was around him. Because, I really hated him." Is this true? "I threatened him, and I acted like a big shot around him," Was it only with him? "But the Chemist himself didn't have a lot of power. Whatever he told you, I, I can't say it's not true." What could Chemist have told you? Not enough to make you hate me, right? "But it's not like you think."

"I believe you," Midoriya whispered. He nodded at Zach whose eyes widened as he thought Midoriya's disbelieving look a few seconds ago would be harder to flip. Zach himself had been doubting his own thoughts though. He did not know if what he was telling Midoriya were excuses, or lies, or if he was telling the truth the best he could. Midoriya could see all of that on Zach's face though, because Zach was not trying hard to hide what he was thinking while pleading for him to believe it. "And, if it is true," Midoriya continued. "Then you got the Apocalypse to stop being made, right?"

Zach's eyes widened that Chemist had told Midoriya that. He thought about what Shigaraki had said after he had remarked something about Chemist's experiments, "Good point, Reaper. Well doctor?" He thought about the silence on the other side as Chemist tried to come up with something, and how Twice had called out that the scientist was a dummy, and how he had laughed along with the schizophrenic man. "Don't waste any more of the Quirk-Destroying drug on these experiments. Keep the remaining Apocalypse you have yet to use though, whatever you have left…"

Zach nodded at Midoriya, and his curly-haired friend gave him a small smile at the sight of that. I don't know how you did it. It sounds like you had power, but I'll believe that you could have just pointed out flaws. I can believe that you stopped that, while still acting as much like a hero as you could. Tricking the villains, "Using everything," as you say. "Thanks Midoriya," the black-haired boy in front of Izuku said softly. "I'm glad you're on my side."

"Always," Midoriya responded, and Zach smiled more at the sound of that.

Then Zach shook his head as he wanted to get away from the sensitive heartfelt mood that just filled the room. "Want to call All Might?" Zach asked. Midoriya looked surprised and sat up some more, then winced from the pain in his right leg as he moved like that. Recovery Girl's treatment had helped, it healed his back up quick, but he was going to need another dose or two during the day to be able to get up and moving again.

"I, haven't yet," Midoriya replied, and he realized he probably should get to that, as he had already called his mom. There were some things he wanted to discuss with All Might on his own, but he nodded in agreement with Zach that they should call him at least just to let him know that they were okay right now. I defeated Breakneck too. I knew when he would attack, and I predicted him. Just like you said we could. Midoriya smiled as he thought about the advice All Might gave them the evening before.

"I saw you beat Breakneck, out the corner of my eye," Zach started which surprised Midoriya as he had been thinking of the same thing. Zach had thought about their call with All Might the night before too though while he was getting the phone out. He added while sending a video call request to their teacher, "Nice job. I totally let him get away."

"After you trapped him up in the second floor room…" Midoriya started, but then he stopped as the phone Zach was holding up stopped buzzing and a man's face appeared on it. Zach scooted his chair up a bit towards the head of Midoriya's bed while moving his phone down to point back at the two of them at the same time.

"Hey All Might," the boys greeted their teacher.

"I heard from Recovery Girl that you were doing alright, but I am glad to see the two of you in good spirits," All Might began to the boys he saw over his phone camera. He was sitting behind a computer in the main office of U.A., and Mother Russia and Cementoss glanced over as they realized who had called All Might. All Might stood up after answering though and he started walking off to have his conversation in a more private place.

"Tell them they should have caught Shigaraki!" Mother Russia yelled towards All Might who got a sweatdrop on his face. Both of the boys who heard that deep feminine voice laced with a thick Russian accent also sweatdropped and hoped their homeroom teacher did not punish them for that.

It only made the mood of the conversation light for a second though, but as All Might walked into a side lounge next to the office he could see both of the boys on the other side of the line looking more grim at what Mother Russia said. "You did well. It is a shame that the League once again slipped away, but do not beat yourselves up over it." The two looked at All Might in surprise as he knew what they were thinking, then All Might continued, "So, Breakneck turned out to be in the same operation you were already raiding."

The boys nodded and started talking to their teacher all about the raid the night before. All Might sat on a couch in the lounge and nodded along with them as they recounted the night, and Midoriya and Zach would look at each other as they talked after a certain point when they retold things the other hadn't heard about yet. Midoriya and All Might's eyes opened wide as Zach started talking about the conversation he had had with Breakneck on the second floor of the warehouse. He talked about Stain leaving the League of Villains, the villains who Breakneck said sounded cult-like about him, and then he mentioned a video he had seen online recently regarding that same Cult of Stain. He at least thought it was the same cult that he imagined had started up for real that day, then he got back to mentioning about how Breakneck said All For One was not really back despite being broken out of prison.

When Zach was finished, All Might began, "This is all very useful information, Young Sazaki. Most important is in regards to the decrease in size of the League. Getting this information-"

"I thought I could get Breakneck to talk if he thought he was the one stalling me for time to escape," Zach cut in with a darker look on his face. "But I was too cocky. He stalled just like I wanted, but he escaped-"

"Yet in the end, Young Midoriya still captured him," All Might countered. "Do not feel bad, as Breakneck would likely not have given up the same information in the hands of the police. I doubt he will say a thing now that he is again in captivity." Zach nodded along as that made some sense, but he felt bad about the damage Breakneck had been able to do after getting out of the room Zach had trapped him in.

Midoriya continued on with why he did not go to assist Zach, saying he left to fight Shigaraki. This time it was Zach's turn to go wide-eyed, as Midoriya let them know that Shigaraki knew about One For All. He was trying to kill him, and Midoriya admitted that he had almost succeeded. In fact underneath his hospital gown on his back he had bandages wrapped around him still as well as on his left arm around his elbow which Zach could see out from beneath Midoriya's sleeve. Recovery Girl's first treatment that she just gave him might have mostly healed them up, but she told him to keep the bandages on until the next time when she would remove them.

Zach grit his teeth as Midoriya talked about those injuries, about Shigaraki touching him and using Decay. All Might's eyes shifted from Midoriya for a moment to the other boy in the camera angle whose eyes filled with more regret as he heard about this in detail. It was while he was outside bringing people back to life. Once again it was a time when there were no good options, but thinking about that never stopped him from feeling the guilt over not being there. All Might thought about the promise Zach had made to him after the Sports Festival too, and why he knew Zach had chosen an internship close to Midoriya's. To have picked it to protect your friend, only to allow so much injury to still come to him. I know it must be frustrating.

If I didn't, tell them about Apocalypse, maybe Midoriya would have treated his fight against Dandy differently. Midoriya had started talking about the fight against Dandy now, and Zach just listened instead of retelling what he had been up to at the time. All Might was surprised at the power Midoriya was describing, but he was also surprised as Zach's look of regret went away. If he thought it was just normal Trigger he might not have been as careful. It is Midoriya, so he might have been fine anyway, but I have to think it was in part because of my warnings-

"Zach warned us about the Apocalypse beforehand so I knew-" Midoriya cut himself off, even as Zach was nodding along feeling like he had just been confirmed in what he was thinking. He darted a look at Midoriya whose eyes were wide like he realized he probably shouldn't have said that aloud.

"You knew about that drug, Sazaki?" All Might questioned. Midoriya looked back at the phone and his eyes were still wide, though All Might's grew in size too as he realized he had left out the 'Young' right there. "Shonen," All Might finished a few seconds later, like he had just forgot to add the 'young' for a second.

Zach sweatdropped at both of their looks. What do I do? I already told Kirishima. But, when I told him about it, I let him know really seriously that what I was telling him was just between the two of us. I told him it was a secret he couldn't tell anyone else. I've told Kaminari a ton of stuff like that, more than anyone, but All Might and Midoriya. One of my teachers, and Midoriya's very idealistic. Not that I haven't already discussed this in front of a dozen heroes. Midoriya probably heard me called Reaper though, heard that I had some power while with the villains, enough at least to help cancel the production of Apocalypse. "Um, yeah," Zach finally responded as he was hesitating for too long there that he knew Midoriya must have been feeling guilty. He tried playing it off like he had not just thought deeply on it as fast as he could, "I didn't think we'd be going up against it though. Apocalypse was always just experimental. I don't think it had ever been used like this before, for actual combat. No one would be dumb enough to use it in combat, or so I thought. Dandy was though…"

Zach trailed off and he grimaced thinking about Dandy. Midoriya started frowning deeper himself too, and he continued retelling his fight against Dandy in a lower voice. He talked about the building collapsing, the top heroes arriving, and then Dandy's death. He was very detailed about Dandy's death which made All Might grimace himself as Midoriya got a look in his eyes talking about seeing something that brutal. "It was televised as well," All Might added. The boys looked at their teacher who was grim but tried to give a positive note just as Zach heard Endeavor do. He mentioned how it would keep many villains from using Quirk-enhancing drugs in the future, something which relieved the two who had seen what a group of villains readily injecting with Trigger could do. They had seen it on a few occasions now actually, though the Sports Festival had been a more controlled chaos than what they had walked into last night.

All Might then shifted the topic from Dandy and drugs back to the boys who had called him. "I also saw both of you during the live broadcast. Young Midoriya, it is thanks to you that the helicopter crew survived. Even if Hawks was the one who got them safely to the ground," All Might added as he could see Midoriya getting ready to argue. Midoriya nodded after a second though as he thought about how Dandy really would have torn that helicopter apart if he had not pulled himself out of the warehouse rubble when he did. "And Young Sazaki," All Might continued. "Well, the situation outside of the warehouse was out of control before you arrived. To have used that, Nightmare form of yours, and then to have brought back lives in succession…"

Zach's eyes started opening huge, and All Might's eyebrows lifted up at the sight of that. "Oh? Haha," All Might chuckled to himself and brought a hand up to scratch his head with. "I thought you must have planned for that."

"No," Zach whispered. But if both of those things were on camera in succession, that's great! I was always so afraid of people seeing Nightmare form, seeing me look like a monster, but there are enough crazy Quirks in the world that it's not that bad. Especially if I'm bringing good people back to life afterwards. I get why All Might thought I planned ahead for it, because that's something I definitely wanted to do. Getting people to accept Nightmare form. I wonder if that's enough though…

"Good, you're up." Zach and Midoriya looked over the phone towards the door where a bald woman was standing wearing her hero uniform. It was not damaged so they thought maybe it was a new costume, but Wonderlass had been visited by Best Jeanist not too long ago and he had helped fix up some large rips in her costume. "I have some things I need," she paused as she heard a voice on the other side of the phone saying her name in a quiet way. "Is that All Might?"

Zach turned his phone so All Might could see the woman in the hospital room with them. Then Zach and Midoriya both opened their eyes wide as a smile spread over Wonderlass's face. She walked up towards the bed and crossed her arms over her chest while grinning down at the man on the screen with sunken cheeks and a pointy chin. "A stud, as always," Wonderlass said, and the two boys behind the phone lowered their bottom lips with their eyes opening wide. "Even without that muscle form of yours," Wonderlass added with a more sly smirk.

The muscular woman with red eyes that had small blue irises in them narrowed those eyes at the man on the other side of the phone who had a bead of sweat rolling down the right side of his face at what Wonderlass was saying in front of his students. Then his awkward smile lowered itself, and he gave her a more serious look. "I heard that you went too far again," All Might began.

Wonderlass's eyes narrowed more and her smile flattened out. He could see in her eyes a look that said 'Do not mention my shortened lifespan in front of these kids.' All Might frowned, but Wonderlass then said aloud still with her flattened lips, "My whole body was destroyed after Super Moves, but unlike you old man, I regenerate." She uncrossed her arms and flexed them so her muscles showed even through her baggy dark costume.

All Might sighed and rubbed his forehead for a moment, then he smiled at the woman who also seemed to be in good spirits to him. She seemed in way too good of spirits to the boys, especially Midoriya, who had not seen her act this way since he started interning with her earlier that week. "You've always been too reckless," All Might said.

Wonderlass's sly smirk returned, the right corner of her lip curling up most. "I thought you liked that wild side of me-"

"Ack- ka, a-hem," All Might coughed a few times into his fist, then he said loudly, "Would you look at that? There is much work to be done even over break as a U.A. teacher." Zach and Midoriya's jaws stayed dropped even after the phone call ended. Zach turned his phone around with his eyes huge as All Might just ended the call like that. What the Hell just happened? He thought while staring blankly at his dark phone screen.

"You, get cleaned up," Wonderlass said while looking at Zach who got a look saying 'who me?' on his face. "There's a press conference for those heroes involved in the planning of the raid. Anyone who can walk will be out there." She turned to Midoriya next who started frowning with a disappointed look and like he was going to try and go out himself even with his broken leg. "You and I need to have a talk. And don't think about getting out of that bed. I don't want the old bag yelling at me any more today."

Zach cracked a grin as he stood up from the chair next to Midoriya's bed. Even someone as intimidating as Wonderlass can get scolded by Recovery Girl.

As Zach walked for the door, he darted his eyes back down to his phone that was buzzing again. He thought for a brief second that All Might just needed to regain his bearings after Wonderlass had flustered him, but he looked down at his phone and his eyes opened wide at the sight of whose name was calling him. Midoriya turned from Wonderlass who was walking towards him and looked at Zach who had a more nervous look on his face than Midoriya imagined was on his own. He got confused for a second wondering who might be calling Zach, then he saw Zach gulp and pick up. Zach was turning out of the door, but though Midoriya did not hear him, he saw Zach's lips move in a recognizable pattern since they tapped together twice after saying what looked like 'hey.'

"Hey Momo," Zach said.

"You're alright."

"Yeah, sorry for-"

"I was so worried," Momo cut in before Zach could finish saying 'sorry for worrying you.' He frowned deep and rubbed the back of his head with his left hand while stopping in the hallway. "Why didn't you tell me?" She asked in an angrier, more upset voice.

"I thought it was just going to be a normal drug bust," Zach tried to counter.

"I don't believe that," Momo replied without hesitating. "Because you called me last night right before it."

"I can't just call-"

"That's not what I'm saying," Momo cut him off so fast that Zach's eyes opened wide. He pulled the phone from his head a bit so she would not hear how he started breathing heavier all of a sudden, just as the girl on the other side of the line was doing. Yaoyorozu took in a deep breath and then pulled the phone closer as she had gathered her thoughts. He had missed her last two calls, and he had been dreading her getting mad at him which was why he did not call her after waking up the second time and seeing the second missed call. "I saw you on tv," Momo continued, her voice calmer as she tried telling herself that she shouldn't be mad at Zach for calling her. She was just glad to hear his voice after all, glad to hear he was fine.

"You did?" Zach asked. He wondered who else had even though he had glanced through the class group message earlier to see some people had talked about it.

"You were incredible out there. I was very worried, and you should have said something beforehand if you were going to call… but I felt I had been worried for nothing," Zach's face brightened and he leaned back where he stood in the hall. He rubbed his left hand behind his head and smiled so wide as Yaoyorozu mentioned how he had defeated the villains and then how she saw him go right to bringing back people who had been killed by them. It was very similar to what All Might had just told him a minute ago, but Zach's heart was pounding so much faster this time and he felt like there was a skip in his step as he headed back towards his hospital room.

He did not want to be rude, so he asked her how her night was and if it was eventful at all too. Yaoyorozu tried scolding him for attempting to change the subject, but he countered defensively that he really was just interested. That made the tall bubbly girl in northern Honshu pause for a moment only to say that nothing had happened, then she got back to asking about Zach's night. He went into what he had gotten out of Breakneck, talked about Roady who he had told her about before and about his leg, but how Roady was happy to be alive. Yaoyorozu just responded to him that she was glad it sounded like the two of them had become friends, since the last time they had talked Zach had described most of his internship so far and it did not seem like Roady liked him very much. Zach smiled even wider at that and opened his mouth to tell her something, but then he froze and closed it with a smile growing on his face he was glad she could not see since it was only a voice call.

I'm not going to tell anyone! That's going to be awesome. Surprise! I have a motorcycle! …I mean, that is if I'm actually able to keep that. Now that I think about it, is giving someone a motorcycle really that easy? Plus can I really get my license by the end of the internship when I've barely ridden one at all- though maybe last night alone could mean something? Zach hummed to himself, then he told Yaoyorozu it was nothing as she asked him what he was thinking on. Zach reached his room as he was brushing that off, as he wanted to surprise her now more than anyone with it.

In the room was another hero who was wearing casual clothes like Zach but had his costume gathered up in his hands. Zach also saw the man holding up a pair of white pants and a bloody shirt that should have been white too, and he glanced towards his bag and got a dark look on his face. "Oh Lifebringer," the man who turned to him said, a friendly look on his face that made it impossible for Zach to keep looking at him like that. "I'm sorry for touching without asking, but I figured your costume could use a good wash. Can't be wearing those at the press conference, can you now?"

Zach lifted his eyebrows as the Canadian man was actually just being nice to him. He nodded and thanked Samwell, then he moved the bottom of his phone back towards his mouth and said, "Yeah sorry Momo. I might actually have to be getting ready for-"

"A press conference?" Momo asked, having heard the other voice say it over the phone. "I'll be watching-" she said, freezing as she got 'watching' out of her mouth as she wondered why she just told him that.

"Oh, well," Zach said, his cheeks getting a little red after she said that too. She'll be watching? Like there's not enough pressure on without you saying something like that. "Thanks," Zach said, though he wondered if that was actually the right response to what she said.

"You're welcome," Yaoyorozu replied.

Zach's bottom lip lowered as he no longer knew what was going on. He figured he must have responded wrong to have set up that as the only response she could say back to him, and he quickly said, "Sorry." He pulled the phone away and ended the call, and then he dropped his jaw as he realized what he just did. Zach brought his phone up and pressed it against his forehead while letting out a groan, closing his eyes and shaking his head as he felt like an idiot.

Samwell chuckled at the boy as he neared the door to go head out and get their costumes cleaned. "You'll get a hang of it," the Canadian told him in a reassuring tone.

Zach lifted his head and looked at the muscular Canadian in surprise. He opened his mouth to ask him something, but he stopped when he saw Samwell's expression lose its friendly expression. The man was walking past Zach's side and had thought his face was out of view, and Zach started staring at him as Samwell walked away. He watched the man in a red t-shirt smile at a nurse walking his direction, and only now did he see how fake that smile looked. Oh man, Zach thought, and he turned while sliding his phone back into his pocket. His awkwardness over how that phone call ended was pushed aside for now as he walked to the television and turned it back on to the news. I need to figure some things out, Zach thought.

He may have been able to quickly get over what just happened, but a tall teenage girl sitting in the back seat of her pro hero's car threw her head back and put her face in her hands. She felt like yelling out in frustration, and the sidekick in the passenger seat was desperately trying to stifle a giggle at the sight of Yaoyorozu in the back seat. "'You're welcome?'" The young woman with puffed out cheeks whispered, then she burst out in a fit of giggles while Ballerclava let out a small chuckle herself in the driver's seat. "I don't know what you were replying to, but I feel like that could've gone a little better there Creati-"

"Don't be mean Shiro Swan," Ballerclava began. "She is clearly new at this."

"Maybe we should give her some pointers then, yeah boss?" Shiro Swan asked, the woman in her mid-twenties in a white combat skirt grinning while turning her head. Yaoyorozu lowered her hands from her face and Shiro Swan's eyes widened a bit at the girl's face which looked like she was really upset by how that ended. The two of them had not heard her friend say 'Sorry' and then cut off the call though, which made the terribly awkward feeling Yaoyorozu felt when she responded like she did a dozen times worse.

"We're on the job," Ballerclava said. Shiro Swan nodded and turned back forward while Creati shook her head in the back seat to focus as well, even if they were not at the town yet where they were headed. Then Ballerclava added, "So we'll wait for tonight when we're off duty." A giant smile spread across Shiro Swan's face that had looked serious for a moment, while Yaoyorozu's eyes opened wide and her cheeks bright red as the pro hero scheduled some girl talk that she now had to figure out a way to avoid.

Back in central Hokkaido, Zach buried his face down in his hands and shook his head around while clenching his eyes shut. "I'm such an idiot," he whispered, and he rubbed his palms into his eyes. He rubbed his black glove on his right and the scar tissue of his other palm into his left, then he brought his hands down and rose his gaze to the screen again. He stared at the pictures of five police officers and Russell from Team Canada who were being talked about respectfully by the news anchors. Those men were also questioning the need for their deaths though, bringing up failure in the planning, weakness of the heroes involved, though they also accounted the use of Trigger. One of the anchors mentioned how the playing field seemed to be skewed in favor of villains with a drug like that out there, but the other remarked to 'tell that to Dandy,' which was dark but true and the other anchor nodded thinking about what he had witnessed live last night that they were not allowed to show replays of because of its grotesqueness.

Zach thought about what they were talking about though before they scrapped the conversation using Dandy as an example. Maybe it's not as good as I thought. Endeavor keeps villains from using Trigger, but a lot are going to know it was Apocalypse. Many are still going to take the risk of Trigger if it's between that and capture. Yet making the drugs out to be the biggest problem here ruins any chances that heroes can start using drugs to even the playing field. Not that we should- but I don't think we necessarily shouldn't. Especially if the kinks… Zach turned towards the door of the room as he saw a burly tan-skinned man walking down the hall. The man turned in and spotted him watching tv in some casual attire, and Zach looked him up and down as Bouncer Man walked in.

"Did you hear about Roady?" Bouncer Man began right after entering the room, and Zach grimaced deeply and started nodding his head. "No, not that," Bouncer Man said quickly, making Zach lift his dropped gaze in some confusion. Bouncer Man chuckled and he said to the teen, "As bad as that is, ya' saved his life. Don't look so disappointed." Zach's eyes widened a bit, then they shot open huge as Bouncer Man continued, "I meant, did you hear he just popped the question to Popfire?" Zach gawked at the larger hero who chuckled again and said, "Heard he did it out of nowhere while laying in his hospital bed. 'Course she said 'yes,' but I didn't see it coming at all."

Right after I walked out of there, Roady proposed to his girlfriend?! Whoa… That's crazy! "That's, crazy," Zach said aloud too while getting up to his feet. Offering me his motorcycle, proposing to Popfire, it's like he reevaluated everything. Maybe it doesn't take dying to do something like that. You don't need to die and come back to life for revelations. Or maybe what's important just became more clear with a near-death experience? Whatever it was, I should go congratulate him, in a bit.

Zach looked at Bouncer Man whose smile lowered back down as he was thinking seriously about something from the night before, but Zach's eyes shifted off of the taller man's while staying focused on his face. Bouncer Man saw Zach looking towards the medical tape over his cheek from just next to his lip all the way over to his ear. Then Zach's gaze shifted down to Bouncer Man's right arm held in a sling in front of his chest. "Damn Dandy," Bouncer Man said when he saw where Zach was looking, and he rubbed his arm for a second with his good hand. Then he pointed up at his cheek and changed the focus to the wound Zach looked at first which he'd rather focus on than how Dandy had snapped his arm like a twig. "After Underguard came-to for a minute and reinforcements came at the south entry point," Bouncer Man started explaining. "We went back in and found Roady tying up the last of a group of five villains."

Zach's eyes widened more as he realized which group that was, and he had a bad feeling in his chest as a face appeared in his mind. "Hydro?" Zach whispered.

Bouncer Man shook his head and he grinned this time instead of looking grim and disappointed as he had been for the start of the explanation. "The small one, Fez," Bouncer Man started. His grin lowered back down to a flat lip and he tssked for feeling good about it even for a second. "I took charge of getting those five back to the perimeter with some cops while the others kept moving forward with Roady. Had some cops helping me, and three of the five were unconscious for it. As we reached the south exit of the main lab though, another group of heroes who had just arrived were rushing in. Fez was tied up and did not look able to move, but he activated his Quirk as Bladewave neared me, apparently entering the range of his ability."

"What did he do?" Zach asked hesitantly. Bouncer Man's grin when he asked about Hydro had him hopeful, but Bouncer Man was speaking in a dark tone that had him not wanting to smile.

"Slashed his binds, then my face as one of the knives on Bladewave's costume whipped about." Bouncer Man paused and he reached up to scratch below his medical tape. "He was trying to get Hydro, but I knew he would and stopped him. The other still-conscious villain, going by Needler, got Fez to free him though." Zach grimaced deeper as he thought about the guy who spat black needles. That villain had almost hit him while he was reviving Plucky, but luckily Sky-Girl's defensive red wind barrier had protected him. Bouncer Man was not finished though, and Zach grimaced even more as he said, "Fez started running off dragging Needler who Roady had shot in the legs, but Bladewave's blade that looked to fall out of Fez's power snapped out one more time when Lady Lucky started chasing them. Slashed deep across her back, but it did not hit anything vital."

Zach felt relieved at the sound of that and actually let out a breath he had been holding there for a second. I ran off to chase Breakneck instead of fighting them. If I had stayed, I could have used Death and knocked all of them out. "After that, did anyone catch…" Zach's question was answered by Bouncer Man's deeper frown but the big man shook his head anyway even after Zach trailed off. "Oh," Zach muttered. They must have gotten to Shigaraki before the escape portal. How many villains got away with him? How many did he even bring with him in the first place? Two others escaped, who I could have stopped. I wouldn't have known all those things about the League though, wouldn't have been able to share that information that might help out with other villain raids in the near future. Two villains. Is the escape of two villains, worth that information? If they kill people… but if that information saves people!

Zach rubbed the side of his head, then Bouncer Man asked if he knew about the press conference. Zach nodded and said Samwell was washing his uniform so he could wear it as he wondered if Bouncer Man would be asking that next, then he asked the large man if he would be taking part. Bouncer Man replied that it was his arm and that he could stand, so he would be out there with the rest of them. Only Spunky, Roady, and Deku were being kept out of it from what he had heard, and Zach asked how Spunky was doing only to grimace at the extent of her injuries Bouncer Man started speaking on. "Anyway," Bouncer Man said as he turned back in the doorway. "It'll be outside the front of the hospital at four. Don't be late."

"I'll see you down there," Zach replied as Bouncer Man turned to start away. Zach took a deep breath once the bigger man was gone and he sat back down on the edge of his bed. He kept the news on to make sure he was all caught up on everything that had happened by the time the press conference began. While he was watching though, his mind was racing as he thought about what the reporters might ask outside. Plan ahead. What will they say? What will I say? If things were leaked from the planning meeting, just try to deflect away from stuff that'll potentially screw me. Don't plan for just avoiding the bad though. Push the good. How can I use this press conference to my advantage? How can I do even more good, even off of the battlefield?

---

"I just want to start my response by saying that Russell Hightower was a great hero. He was my friend, a protector, and he died a hero's death in the service of the innocent he swore to…"

Zach stood down the line to the left of Team Canada on the small stage set up for them outside of the hospital. Kurt stood forward in front of his other three team members who were getting choked up by their leader's eulogy for Russell that the reporters all quieted down as it happened. Zach thought about something and then grimaced, but he could not help but think, This will get them to calm down and treat this like less of a fanfare event. He had been nervous for a minute there since getting up on the stage as the crowd of media presence in front of their press conference were shouting questions at all the heroes. Kurt's heartfelt message about Russell and how his death was one worthy of a hero had many of the reporters suddenly changing their tones and pulling back a bit as they could not keep going like that anymore.

Zach did not like thinking about it though as he knew Kurt well enough in the day he had known him that he did not think the polite and cheerful leader of Team Canada had thought about that beforehand. Kurt continued with something that made Zach turn his head to look right down the line a bit, as he had not known what the other heroes going up there were going to say before they gathered. Bikergang had mentioned to him that he would be expected to answer a couple of questions if asked, and that was all the others had prepared him for this. He had readied himself on his own enough though, and now he was just waiting for his turn and listening to the others. "…his body back to Canada, where we will be staying as reports of increased villain activity at home has made it a necessity. To the people of Feruchia we're sorry that we could not stay for longer. However we hope that our help here, especially in last night's raid, will succeed in lowering crime in the surrounding area including the city we have made our second home this past month."

Camera flashes went off as Kurt finished, and reporters threw their hands up as the police chief of Mosu Esupa stepped back forward at the center podium of the stage. They started calling out and looking to the short chief of police who had black mutton chops on his cheeks and the short snout of a pig sticking out the middle of his face. Chief Muggins looked around and then pointed at a woman near the front row who called out as others put their hands down, "Sasha Collins, WWT. My question is for Underguard."

Underguard looked over at the woman while stepping forward himself from next to his young sidekick. Rubbergirl had a bandage wrapped around her head, and her left arm was in a sling with more of her torso wrapped under her green coat and black uniform. She had come out despite protests from Recovery Girl, saying that Mosu Esupa was her hometown and that more than the Feruchia heroes she needed the scared people of the town where she worked to see she was standing tall. Standing tall hurt her ribs that were not broken anymore but were still bruised after Recovery Girl's repeated treatment, but Rubbergirl did not let that pain show on her face.

"At the earlier press conference it was reported that you were in charge of the planning of this raid," Sasha began. The reporter with long black hair tied in a ponytail had a business suit on, a pair of thin glasses in front of her eyes, and a pointy red tail waved behind her and then pointed at Underguard as she changed her tone, "Considering the extent of the damage caused last night, the excessive loss of life, why were there so few heroes involved in this raid? Shouldn't you have called in a hero like Endeavor, Hawks, or Best Jeanist who had to come anyway before things got to the point they did?"

"A hero of their caliber appearing in this small town would have tipped off the villains," Underguard replied deeply through the black mask on the bottom of his face. He had his goggles on too but his green hood was down which revealed his scraggly blond hair that was not combed or anything for the conference. "Considering Breakneck's Flashstep, and the possibility of intervention from Kurogiri, I believed the fact that we had the warehouse under surveillance would not have stopped the villains from escaping should they have caught wind of my plan."

Zach was staring forward again, but he heard in Underguard's last sentence the use of the first person twice. "I believed," "my plan," he's accepting that the fault is his alone even though he's defending himself. It was his operation but we all worked on it. He shouldn't have to take the fall.

Underguard continued, "I also considered calling more heroes without bringing in the big shots, but this is a small town. Any large number of heroes arriving in town had the possibility of tipping off the villains, so we moved in with the people we had on hand."

"To still say that after the deaths of five police officers and a fellow hero-"

"I admit though, that my plan failed," Underguard continued while still looking forward over the crowd and not specifically at the woman who tried to interrupt him. "And I take full responsibility for those deaths. I will accept any punishment the review board deems fit. The intervention of the League of Villains was unexpected, and there should have been more heroes on standby in the occasion that a confounding variable like this occurred where reinforcements were needed. For the failure to foresee and plan accordingly, I deeply apologize." Underguard bowed his head and body to the crowd in front of them. Many reporters took pictures and some cameramen zoomed in to televise him live on their tv stations.

Rubbergirl's fists tightened which hurt her entire left arm, but she could not help it. She managed to hold her tongue though which Zach was surprised by, as even he wanted to jump in there and say that none of them could have predicted it. It's like Softy told me. I blamed myself so much for not planning well enough for VTS. I couldn't have foreseen everything though. And I had to leave there, or I would have really become a… I was so close, and I knew I had to leave even if the plan wasn't a hundred percent- but I thought it was! Just like we left the station last night, so confident that we would be able to take down Dandy's operation. We knew there were risks, but the risks of doing nothing outweighed them. It's not your fault Underguard.

"Next question," the police chief said, frowning and looking around the crowd that started shouting all at once and swinging around their arms with microphones held in them. Sasha Collins backed up after seeing a stern look from the chief darted at her back when she had interrupted Underguard, and she doubted he would call on her again. She had gotten a good question out though and to the leader of the raid too so she quietly accepted she was out and just started jotting some things down on a tablet she had with her to write her story. "You," Chief Muggins pointed at a man farther towards the back who was being more civil than most of the others.

"Excuse me, Wonderlass. Leo Kudo from KG-TV." He glanced behind her in an obvious way when she took a step forward, then he said, "Reports have that the U.A. student Midoriya Izuku, hero name Deku, is interning with you this week. We saw him last night, but he's not up there with you. Did something happen after-"

"He's fine," Wonderlass said. Her voice was curt, and stern, and the man who just got cut off felt sweat form on his face at the look she was giving him. The other heroes were staying professional. They had been somber when Kurt spoke about Russell, they had smiled at people on their ways to the stage if the people asked about their injuries and had flashed the cameras smiles too at first to show they were fine. A lot of them sweatdropped too though at Wonderlass's gruff voice which sounded annoyed like she did not know why the man was wasting time with the question. Deku had not been reported as one of the deceased, and she said he was "fine" which was apparently all she was going to give as she took a step back to where she had just been standing on Bikergang's right and Underguard's left.

Zach was one of those sweatdropping as he looked a few places to his right at Wonderlass. He only looked at her out the corners of his eyes as he did not want her to see him staring over past Bikergang who he stood next to between him and Bouncer Man. He was a bit confused as he glanced her way, I don't get it, All Might. She's like your opposite. At least in the media's eyes she's got no charisma and is frowning on camera like-

"My question's for Lifebringer," Zach cursed mentally and focused his attention straight ahead and then to the short woman with a crew cut of blue hair over her head. He did not hear if she had said her news station or name or whatnot, and he had not even noticed the police chief had picked another person already. Too busy focusing on unimportant stuff at a time like this, Zach thought while resisting the urge to shake his head, and he just stepped forward instead. He focused his mind as best as he could and kept a straight face despite knowing there were a lot of people watching him right now through those cameras pointed at him. Just the reporters ahead of him and the heroes behind him alone were a lot.

He knew he had to compose himself a certain way because six people had died, at least on the side of good, and he also knew he could not look too grim or people might assume the reasons why he would look that way. They're watching me. Keep up appearances. What does the public think of me? Shigaraki let me get away again. He didn't even try! My report at the end of last year, I wanted him to know it was a mistake leaving me to my own devices. If he's not going to try and stop me though, even after I showed at the Sports Festival that I won't be broken- even if he has a new plan for me! I'll make him feel like an idiot for letting me get away. I made my mark. I've made a difference. Now, what I say matters. It's what I wanted before the Sports Festival, and as much as you thought that would break me it gave me exactly what I needed.

"Last night, we have reports that you saved six people- or should I say, you brought six people back to life," the short-haired woman began. Zach could hear a 'but' coming but he could not help but feel appreciative that she actually cut back there as if saying that he saved more people than just the ones he brought back. "Yet six others still passed away and were not revived," she continued. "The bodies of the fallen officers and your fellow hero were not all in worse shape from what reports from those who were revived claim, but you yourself look uninjured-" the reporter slowed down and she looked a bit to Lifebringer's left side farther right on the stage, where a woman in a green and pink hero costume that had recently been washed of all her dying fluids had started to take a step forward only for Vixen to grab her younger colleague by the arm.

"So why didn't I save everyone?" Zach finished for the woman before other people's attentions could be brought to Plucky who he spotted out of the corner of his eye. She looked in towards him while realizing she should not be making an outburst at a reasonable question like this, and her eyes widened as she swore she saw Zach darting his eyes away from her like he had finished the question himself to prevent her from doing just that. "I have my limits," Zach replied to the question. He looked the woman in front of the stage in the eyes and spoke in a low and regretful tone but also in a strong, loud voice. "Bringing back several people in a row as I did last night takes its toll, and each time I can feel myself getting weaker."

He paused for a second, then the youngest hero on the stage continued, "That, along with using my Quirk to fight made me too tired. It took too much out of me until the point I passed out, and by the time I had woken up it was too late for me to try and save the others."

Perfect. One question in and I've already pushed what the next one will be. Bikergang said I won't have to answer too many, so that was a good first one to start on. I just mentioned using my power offensively, so the next question will clearly be…

The next reporter Chief Muggins pointed to was cut off by the woman who had just questioned Zach who called to him, "You say you used your Quirk to fight last night-"

The chief started frowning at her, and he opened his mouth to say something only for the other reporter to hold back himself and just pull out his notepad as this was the exact question he wanted to ask. So Chief Muggins allowed it and the blue-haired woman continued after a pause where everyone quieted down. "Yet Lifebringer, at your court case last year you gave a statement under oath on what Death could do." Zach felt his heart start speeding up but he did not let his expression react to hearing that at all. It was not exactly what he was expecting, but the next part of what she said did go along with what he had predicted, "The transformation into, the thing you turned into last night, is something that had been speculated on extensively. Before now though, we had no footage of you switching between as you are now and that dark form of yours, nor a public confirmation that this was you. Lifebringer, did you lie at your court hearing? What is that ability you showed last night that you have not disclosed to the public?"

"I didn't lie," Zach lied. Keep as close to the truth as possible in case the truth ever does come out. Never put yourself in a hole when things can be uncovered and your own words can be used against you. "That form you saw, I call it my Nightmare Form." And quickly before everyone can get freaked out, he thought. "I call it that, because for years I didn't believe it was real." The others on the stage with him looked in towards the boy who stood just a little in front of their line. He continued strongly and with a half smile on his face like he was embarrassed by what he was saying, but he did not look afraid of the question that had made all of them nervous for him.

"Back at my trial, I was still just learning about my Quirk, about Death," Zach explained. "It has only been in recent months that I've trained to be able to use in combat."

Inside of the hospital a boy sat alone in his room watching his tv with wide eyes as Zach quickly averted what had been a question that made Midoriya sit up from his bed fast. He was almost about to lean back again, but his eyes widened as he stared at his friend who continued without hesitation.

"When I was a kid I had caught glimpses of that form and never let myself believe it. I had thought it was, well, a nightmare," Zach explained, shifting his eyes from the woman he was speaking to around the other reports and at cameras too. "I was always told not to train my power, to hide my Quirk and never use it, but it's because of that that I wound up killing people with it before. In Nightmare, I can capture villains much easier as the form spreads Death around my body to make my Quirk non-fatal." Zach paused and looked back at the woman who had questioned him and who was looking at him with wide eyes at his response and how well he was speaking to them despite the harsh wording of her question.

"It required a lot of training, but I can use my Quirk to fight now without killing people," Zach finished.

The reporter who had almost asked a question but let the last one ask a second part cut in now as soon as Zach finished and before everyone else could start shouting for attention. "That sounds remarkably similar to a line in a report online claimed to be written by you for U.A. and leaked-"

"Wait until you are called on," Chief Muggins said in a deep voice, steam coming out of his snout and his eyes narrowing at the reporter calling-out out of turn. He accepted it on the last one but he was not having this press conference fall into chaos.

Other reporters looked to Zach now too to see how he would respond though, and a few raised their hands with similar questions ready, but Zach just backed up to the line with a semi-nervous look on his face. It appeared more like he was embarrassed, though he just backed up with no comment since the police chief made it seem like he did not have to answer. Not denying it there pretty much confirmed it though, but Zach already knew that just as he knew he had worded his response in a very similar way to a quote from his own report.

Inside the hospital, Midoriya leaned forward towards his tv and stared closely at the boy the camera was now zooming out from. The police chief asked for a question for another hero not Lifebringer since he had answered a couple in a row now and it was turning into a Lifebringer-questioning session more than a press conference on the raid. Midoriya could not tear his eyes off of his black-haired friend though. He thought back on the night Zach had talked to him about his report, the day it happened when Zach finally stopped keeping it a secret and was willing to discuss his ideas with him.

"I'm glad you liked it, but it's not like that. I'm not going to do anything about it right now." Midoriya gulped while seeing Zach going back to looking professional like the other heroes around him. "…there's not much I can do. We're still in school Midoriya. But, even though I don't like the media, and I don't like being on camera, maybe next time I am I'll mention a part of my beliefs. Just a little. I'll use the media's interest in me. Or tell small groups first, then let them spread what I say to others, and hopefully I hear those views outside of the people I first told them to. If I hear positive responses towards certain opinions I can push it farther. Use everything. You know?" I didn't know what you were talking about at the time. I was confused, and then you didn't really do anything with it for a while, just like you said you wouldn't. But, but…

Midoriya felt uneasy. That phrase echoed in his head again, "Use everything." No one's thinking about it, Midoriya thought. People are probably thinking hard about what you just said, but they're not thinking that you're hoping they're thinking so deeply on it. You mentioned how your Quirk killed people because you hadn't trained it, and people saw last night how strong you could be using it. You didn't straight out say the things you mentioned in your report, but you used the media's interest in you to push the conversation towards it, didn't you? Those looks, the way you spoke, what you said, everything. Midoriya sat back on his hospital bed, trying to quell his uneasiness by thinking about how what Zach said was not really a bad thing.

I didn't disagree with what he said. I just, I guess I really, just didn't think it was possible. You were so quick to dismiss it that night like you couldn't do anything, but you talked during the presentation about the next big event, and that came. Then your report came out… Was it, you? How else actually? You said you were confused and surprised to see it online too when I mentioned it, but you put it on there didn't you? Did you lie because you don't trust me, or because you think it'll do more if people don't know you were putting it out there yourself? It said 'Anonymous…' Zach, it's been two months, and you've started making your report into a reality. What you said will start a conversation on people training their Quirks sooner. Even if it won't support the need for everyone to use Quirks, maybe it will make people rethink having Quirk-training courses in primary and middle schools. So that children who do plan to be heroes are prepared by the time they enter high school. Are you thinking about that? Or is everything just one step towards the final outcome you want? I, I don't know.

As much as Midoriya was trying to tell himself at the start of his internal rant that he was fine with what Zach said, he was back to being hesitant and nervous because of it by the end. Your plans take place over long periods of time, and you always keep quiet about what you're doing. If I didn't talk to you about your report that night, I wouldn't even be considering that you had this all planned out. You make plans. You got the villains to let you come to VTS, and I don't know how you did that. But, I'm starting to. Midoriya thought about what the Chemist had told him, and his uneasy feeling got worse while he looked hesitantly at the boy on the screen in front of him. You weren't just saving people, or watching the villains… You were a spy. A spy who didn't report to anyone. You just, did what you did in the training forest, only over a long period of time. You didn't tell anyone what you were doing. You just infiltrated on your own. You did what you thought was right without caring about the rules, without telling anyone, without reporting to any authority but your own…

"So, you left a ten year old boy to live on his own? Is that what I'm hearing-" That's right, Midoriya thought, his heart pounding faster as he thought about the courthouse and when he had heard this himself. He thought about what he heard right after, something that had made his heart break at the time. "That is not a child!" Midoriya stared at his friend on the screen and thought, You were used to not having to report to anyone. Not having, any authority over you. You lived alone… "How could I bring that thing into my house? I was expected to raise it, next to my daughter?! That monster?" Were you willing to accept that people would think you were a villain, because of that? You didn't believe it though- you don't. I know, you have a better opinion of yourself than that, as much as you do blame yourself.

"…But more than any of that, and more than All Might's retirement, there's something unforgivable I'll never be able to atone for. Or at least- it'll take me my entire life, no matter how many people I save. She died because of me, and that's one thing I'll never make up for. I'll never get over," Midoriya thought about a conversation he had with Zach what felt so long ago now. It was after Zach had returned though, soon after he came back, but only four or five months ago. He had told Zach not to feel that way at the time, but his eyes grew huge with his heart racing faster than ever as he stared at his friend on the screen while thinking of what Zach had told him after he tried helping him that day. "If a hero kills an innocent person, then saves ten people, is that a good person? If a hero saves a few hundred people, but then goes out and murders a couple, are those crimes forgiven because things even out? No, right? How could they? People wouldn't think of someone like that as a hero. They wouldn't be a hero, not in my eyes, not in yours…"

"So if I'm to blame for hundreds, then how could any number ever be enough? I can't match up one death for one save, it doesn't work like that. When someone dies, because of you, how can you ever quantify that? Do you think I can just go: 'alright I'll save twenty thousand people,' and that will somehow make up for that life? There's no way, I could do something like that… not anymore." Are you, trying to make up for it? Something bigger than just saving… But Kirishima mentioned after the Sports Festival, when we were talking in the hospital, that you said you had changed the answer. So then is it not about that? Wait, it's not, about that? Then, Midoriya stared closer at the screen and at the small smile on Zach's face as Plucky answered a question regarding her death and finally got in a catty quip at the person who had questioned Lifebringer first. Is this just because you believe it will help out? You didn't stop just because you changed the answer. You, you're not doing this for you. You said those things, to try and change society… just to make it a better place.

Midoriya's right fist clenched next to him and he hated all the uneasy feeling he had felt before. Those feelings had vanished though and were replaced by the same thing he had felt when the last video of Zach getting tortured at the Sports Festival had played. When Zach claimed that Midoriya himself would be the one to beat Shigaraki, that Class A would destroy the League, as he stood firm to his beliefs even dangling off the ground and getting slashed by a maniac, Midoriya had felt the same admiration he was feeling right now. Even though no one would ever know you had been the one to make it happen. Your report would just be a stepping stone people might reference, but it's much more than that. You got people talking. Those internet threads with your report, are popular. More popular than I thought they'd be when I first saw it. And, and now that it's brought up on mainstream media, now that you've confirmed it was you by the way you acted and what you said, the fact that a hero who people look to already feels that way, it'll create the basis for a discussion. Most people wouldn't consider speaking about it because it was such a controversial topic, but the things you've said about it are all so common sense that it would be stranger for people not to start discussing it now.

I believe in you, Zach. I told you that I'm on your side. I want, I want to help you! Just like you've told me before that you want to help me, ever since you learned about my Quirk. You've said from the beginning that you wanted to help me be the next Symbol of Peace. You didn't question why All Might gave it to me, and that always gave me confidence. You just treated it like it was normal, like I must have been a good choice, or at least that's what I think you thought of me. Midoriya steadied his expression and he frowned for a second, I haven't given you that same support. I tried, to help you with the things you couldn't talk about, but you avoided them with me. Yet maybe you don't need help with your past. I thought I could save you, because I still felt guilty for failing so many times to do so. But you're not someone who needs to be saved. I get that now. You're someone who saves people. I might not be able to help you with your past, but I'll do what I can to help you with this moving forward. In the future, where you're always looking.

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A/N Thanks for reading! Lots of injured heroes, we lost Russell too in the chaos which I kind of foreshadowed during the fight as he stopped being mentioned at some point... but anyway! Press conference comes with Zach finally explaining his Nightmare form to the world. And he does so in a way that he's denying lying in court, and pushing for his report he doesn't come straight out and mention but nearly quotes in his statements. Some thoughts from Midoriya here at the end, a hinting of a past between All Might and Wonderlass maybe... ;) and Roady popped the question to Popfire apparently! Lots of falling action here from the Trigger raid arc. Or the Breakneck- or the Chemist/Dandy arc... I'll just say the Internship Arc (year 2). Hope you enjoyed, and it's the first time I'm posting two chapters in 2 days in a while, but I'm glad a lot of you reviewed in the past day for the responses below! Leave me a review telling me what you think of this one and predictions for what's coming up!

radoddish chapter 78 . 20h ago

*Cough cough* Endo *Thinks about Endoskeleton from FnaF*

Lol never seen that before. Looked it up and gotta say, he looks a bit more like Zach than Roady there... XD Thanks for the review!

Super Power Sensei chapter 78 . 17h ago

Three things...
One, will Deku's mom make a scene and try to get her son out of the hero business again? Because I want someone to slap her if she does.
Two, considering everything that happened in this arc, I can imagine Zach getting questioned/detained again for withholding information about Apocalypse. If this happens I'm gonna be mad.
Three, I feel sorry for whomever else Zach interns with. If Shouto is the hand crusher then Zach is the Dr. Dismember.

Mentioned Deku had called his mom early in this chapter (a couple of words I added in after reading this review and realizing I probs should at least bring her up :P ), though he didn't seem too worried about having to drop out. Zach gets grilled at the press conference for a bit but manages to evade anything too rough, but it still is the day after so we'll see... No spoilers though! The Hand Crusher will break your hands and Dr. Dismember will tear 'em off. What a team! XD Thanks for reviewing!

Oblivious ninja IJ chapter 78 . 5h ago

I saw this pop up when I woke this morning and thought it would be bad luck reading a story named Death before going into surgery, I know its stupid but being a person who imagines getting stabbed or crushed by a meteor at random times everyday... well dying for dental surgery might not be a way I'd wanna go though, maybe I shouldn't have taken my wisdoms out?

Hope it went well!

Shade11224 chapter 78 . 2h ago

Great chapter again and I actually enjoyed midoriya's fight scene. In all I guess it can be said that Zach is potentially op as fuck, but that is only if he turned villain as he could just kill a bunch of people and get a insane buff. Midoriya will always be the heavy hitter though because he can level a few city blocks at full power easy. Basically I really like this story because I'm in suspense for a punch in the gut and I'm trying to convince you subconsciously that Zach is stronger than he should be. Thanks for the chappy!
P.S. Are you writing these as you post them or do you have a bunch already?
P.P.S. You should put a in the bio and post this story on RoyalRoad.

Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for the review. Yeah Zach could def be more powerful going all out with his Quirk, as during his preparation for the Sports Festival he and Kirishima had some conversations about that. Kirishima was working on making his Quirk stronger on individual parts of his body while Zach was working at the same time to make his weaker. During the fights this arc we saw Zach being careful too with how much Death he was using and how long he was touching villains for, as he really does not want to kill any more people than he already has. Showed Midoriya's strength level at this point with last chapter, as well as some struggles he's having with his own Quirk too. As we are much farther ahead in this story than the anime or the manga Midoriya's got that real OP strength already, even if he still can't get up to 30% regularly... Don't know why you're feeling suspense for a punch in the gut. It's not like I always make bad things happen, to, Zach... Well! Thanks again. P.S. I did have this one finished before posting the last, but I'm just about finished with the next one so maybe that'll be out tom as I get to work on 81. P.P.S. thanks for the idea! Never thought about making a before so I just went and did that while mid-editing. Probs won't create an account on other writing sites and start posting as I've gone through trouble of trying that b4 on diff sites but it's a lot of bouncing around to post as many places as I can. Bout to put the in the bio though so yeah, glad you mentioned that though I'd be shocked (happily) if it actually gets used. XD

Minipa chapter 1 . 1h ago

Jesus Christ, 800,000 words in 3 MONTHS? You are beyond a freaking tank, you are beyond comprehension. You are the KING. Not only that you actually have good grammar. What are your secrets?
This isn't humanly possibly.
In short, you are freaking Amazing, like what the actual fuck, 800k words in 3 months.

YES! Haha, realized I hit 800k last chapter just out of the blue and I was like "huh, thought I was just at 700k. Well whatever," *shrugs* I'm glad you like my style too, and really no secret, just spend lots of time on this! Thanks for the review!