Abel scurried through the pedestrians waving plastic beads and jugs of pina coladas over the cobblestone street. He whipped around and saw the rest of his class rush past a marching band that played loud jazz music with partiers throwing beads at them from the balcony.

With the throngs of people walking around, Abel jumped up and poked his head over the different heads roaming past. Many of them where bald and shined under the bright sunlight. Few appeared much younger and roamed faster than the others around them.

"Excuse me," Abel approached an old man riding around in an electric scooter. "Have you seen a guy about my age? Really tall? Muscular? Looks like a porcupine?"

"What's a porcupine," The man asked.

Abel darted away towards the corner by an ostentatious street lamp. He ran up to a random couple making out on the pole.

"Excuse me," he said. "Have you seen a dejected porcupine around here?"

No answer.

Abel's head swiveled like a bobble head as he swam through the sea of dead people celebrating in the streets. He bumped shoulders with the marching band and cried out when a trombone slide smacked into his forehead. He gripped his throbbing face and ran towards the side of the street.

"Anybody," Abel shouted. "Have you seen a guy named Austin? Guy with thorns in his arms?"

"Really? That's your strategy? Just shout out his name?"

Abel turned his head towards the walkway into a bar. Synaes leaned on the brick archway wearing a silver dress that cascaded down to her feet. Her cane limp in her grasp, she pressed up her sunglasses that hid her otherwise unimpressed glare at Abel.

"Synaes," Abel said when the girl pushed herself off the wall and walked towards him. "Hey! How have things been-?"

Smack!

"Ow," Abel rubbed the top of his head with pain emanating from the crown.

"You perverts," Synaes said. "Busting into Austin's room like that."

"Look, Synaes," Abel pointed at the girl. "Right now we got bigger probs. We're all literally dead right now, and we bet to get Austin so we can escape back to Earth. Well, back to our version of Earth and then hopefully back to real Earth."

"I'm not going," Synaes said.

"Okay, this place is literally just a big amusement park," Abel said. "If you like it so much, we'll go to Knott's Berry Farm or something."

"Abel, we've already been scheduled to go," Synaes said.

"Go where?"

"On," Synaes said. "The train for us leaves in a couple hours."

"Synaes," Abel grabbed the girl's arm with a gentle tug. "We can get you back to Earth. There's a machine. I was in it! It can bring you back down."

Synaes pulled her arm away. "I don't wanna go back. There's nothing for me there. I'm ready to move on. I didn't want to become a Pro-Hero anyway."

"You don't mean that," Abel said. "Isn't there something down there you'll miss? Friends? Family? Whatever they eat in Iceland? Broiled penguin?"

"No," Synaes said. "Nothing."

Abel leaned on the brick wall next to Synaes and glanced at the drink in Synaes' hand. He sniffed the harsh alcohol permeating from it and cringed.

"Is that a daiquiri," Abel asked.

"Rum."

"Can I have a sip?"

Synaes faced Abel. Even with the sunglasses over her gaze, Abel could tell she rolled her eyes. She lifted the drink up to Abel. He leaned down and sucked on the curly straw in the large cup. The slush of the drink along with the tang of the rum tingled his throat.

Abel smacked his lips. He shivered with the liquid stinging his throat. He hacked his lungs out and doubled over holding his stomach.

A chuckle sneaked out of Synaes. "The alcohol is especially zesty up here. Much better than Earth."

Abel coughed and composed himself on the wall next to Synaes. "You know, I have someone I know up here. His name is Seth."

Synaes turned towards the boy and cocked an eyebrow. "Go on."

"He died in an apartment fire," Abel said. "After a Pro-Hero crashed into the building. He was reckless. Dumb. And you know what happened? What the news said the next day?"

"I bet they praised him," Synaes sipped on her drink. "Americans love reckless heroes."

"Pro-Heroes aren't better anywhere else," Abel gazed at the crystal blue sky unblemished by any clouds or airplanes. The sound of bright laughter with a blues guitar chugging inside the bar behind them made Abel shake his head. "Y'know, I'd like to see him again one day."

"Then stay," Synaes said. "This isn't complicated."

Abel sighed with his breath creating a puff of fog that evaporated over his face. "We still have a story to finish, Synaes. Don't you want that chance?"

Synaes kept her head aimed at the sill of her drink. Abel's heart quickened at the suspense of the girl who betrayed no emotion over her face. An elderly couple stumbled past them, laughing like hyenas in a drunken stupor before passing Synaes into the bar.

"I've never seen before," Synaes said. "I would like to do that."

Abel took a small step to Synaes. He grabbed the drink in her grasp and collected her hand underneath his. Synaes flinched at the warm hand above hers and turned to where she felt Abel's breath tickling her cheek. She could feel Abel's eyes burning into her face, a determined expression of pursued lips and an upturnt nose at the girl.

"Synaes, you have a gift," Abel said. "We all do. I wish it was something different, but we all have demons we have to fight. And just staying here, not trying to fight them back on Earth, that's being a coward. And I know you're not a coward."

Synaes set down the drink onto the brick windowsill and gripped her cane. She twirled it in her fingers and felt the cool metal slide between them.

"Let's find Austin first," Synaes said. "Then, I'll decide."

"Yeah," Abel shouted. "Let's find him!"

Find who," Austin said behind Abel.

"You," Abel said. "Me and Synaes are gonna find you. Alright, Synaes. So all we need to do is-. Austin!"

Abel spun around. Austin stood in a yellow Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts with a hot dog in hand. Abel spun around with the speed of a tornado and launched himself into Austin's powerful arms. Austin dropped his hot dog and wrapped his arms around Abel's slick spandex hero costume. His face flushed with Abel ruffling his hand through his short blonde hair and knocking his glasses sideways on his ear. Austin stumbled back with the thinner boy in his arms nearly touching his nose to the other boy.

"Austin, I can't believe it's you," Abel said. "We're like in Heaven right now! Well, outside of Heaven. So...I think this is like Heaven's gift shop or something?"

"Abel, do you mind," Austin said with a stammer at their close contact.

Abel leapt out of his arms and landed in front of him. "Sorry. I just was happy to see you. And you look good! Not at all decapitated. I saw what happened to you when I was turned into...whatever I am now. Didn't look fun."

"No, it wasn't," Austin said. "I was trying to sneak up behind that weird blonde guy and try to stab him in the ankle, but his powers made him notice me. And I'm pretty useless when out of close range."

"You're not useless," Abel smacked Austin's shoulder. "You have venom inside you. That makes you one of the coolest quirks in the school. I mean, James just glows really bright. Blake has to stab himself in the ass to use his quirk. And Megan? She just makes things go fast! But you...you make people stop in their tracks. I mean, look at Moxie. All she's done this year is use her quirk to make gumbo spicy. And now she had Deku's quirk. So the possibilities for you are endless."

Austin nodded and stretched a tight grin on his face. "Thanks, Abel. I appreciate it. Also, what was that about Deku's quirk?"

Abel cleared his throat. "Oh, yeah. Apparently Deku's quirk is called One-For-All. And Moxie now has it. Also, we have like twenty five minutes to get out of here before Steve Buscemi captures us and keeps us in the afterlife forever."

Austin blinked. "Huh?"

Abel reached over and snagged Austin's hand. "Look, I'd love to explain further, but we really got to get going if we wanna go back to Earth and, y'know, live? So, let's go."

Austin stood and pulled his arm back from Abel's grasp. Abel tried to tug harder, but the wall of a man would not budge.

"What is wrong with you?" Abel asked.

Austin walked over to Synaes and grabbed the cocktail from Synaes. "Look, Abel. It was fun and all, but me and Synaes already talked it over. If we need to be here, then we're here."

"Are you serious?" Abel shouted and threw his hands up in exasperation.

"It's all part of the plan," Austin said. "Besides, me and Synaes are having a good time up here."

"Since when do you care about plans?" Abel asked. "Besides, how do you know this isn't part of the plan? Maybe I was sent here to give you a second chance. A chance that, hello, we can have in the real world as opposed to that fake place we were trapped in. Y'know, I was the first person to be taken out of that world. You know what happened to me?"

Abel lay on the floor of the school's kitchen. A piece of a hot dog in his mouth, he gargled before dying on the floor from choking on the big chunk of dark meat.

"And I've been stuck here ever since," Abel said.

Austin looked over to Synaes. He stretched his neck and licked his luscious lips. "Look, Abel. It's been a fun ride. But I'm at peace with what's happened. I can be a hero up here. And when I get to go to Heaven, I can have all things I've wanted. Like this girl next to me."

Synaes smirked and placed a hand on Austin's chest. He ran a hand through her silk grey hair and breathed hard from the contact.

"By the way," Abel said. "When did this happen?"

"Oh, our first day at school," Austin said.

"What?" Abel shouted.

"We kept it a secret," Synaes said. "No real reason. I could care less if you all found out. But I figured keeping it clandestine was...hotter."

"She had a point," Austin said. "Besides, I learned I really like things involving food."

"Food?" Abel asked in fear. "So that day you smelled a lot like chocolate...?"

"I had an extra bottle," Synaes said. "And I did like how it tasted on you."

"Synaes, please," Austin said. "You're making me remember it."

"You act like we haven't already re-enacted it up here."

"Stop, both of you!" Abel said. "Look, I know things are probably great up here. You get free drinks and beignets and chocolate syrup bottles. But...Earth! Our families. Our chances to make an impact on the world. This right here is part of the plan. To get back and help our classmates get out of that digital universe. The servers are being shut down by Void Industries within the hour. If we don't get everyone out, then we'll all be here. Well, most of us. I can't imagine all of us would end up in Heaven. But my point is...even if you already made up your mind...think about our class. Our families. Could you live with yourself up here? Knowing you could've saved someone but didn't?"

Austin took his arm off of Synaes' shoulders. He drew a breath and clasped his hands together in front of his body.

"Abel," Austin said. "I never told you this, but my mom died just a couple years ago. Of cancer. I don't really got much else going on down there. I mean, I have my brother and sister, but they'll be fine without me. And I can be up here with my mom and watch over them. And time works differently up here, doesn't it? In a way, they could be up here with me first thing tomorrow. They might be old by then, but I'd still have them. I don't even know if I'll be a Pro-Hero. Let's be honest, unless you're in a big city, you ain't doing too much."

"There's crime in Kansas," Abel said. "And I'm sure there's some serial killers hiding in some cornstalks somewhere you can take down. Or at least an evil fake corn ring you can infiltrate."

"It's been real, Abel," Austin said. "But I don't got nothing down there. No future or nothing."

"You got me!"

Austin stopped, his breath hitching at the brunette taking off his star-shaped sunglasses. He squeezed them in his hands, the glass popping out and the frames snapping within his grasp. He glared at Austin and marched towards him. A serious look bearing down on Austin, Abel stepped right up to his chest and stared upwards at the boy.

"You got me, Austin," Abel said. "And you got our class. Your mom...I'm sorry about her. But she wants you to be the best that you can be. She wants you to be free from the past. To live your own life. To make something of your own life. I can't say we'll be the greatest heroes ever, but we'll do something that makes that pain in life worth it. And this moment...this is our chance, Austin. We may not have one like it again. And I'll be damned if I lose another person in my life if I have anything to say about it.

Austin's heart quickened at the sight of the serious boy. Determination swam through his dark green eyes that made his body stiff as a board. Abel's words reverberated in his ear like a yodeler in a cold cave. He thought back to the entire year. From first meeting Abel in the orientation to preparing for the Sports' Festival. All of those memories, while not happening in the real world, were real to him. What was also real were the members of Class 1-A that still needed saving. That still needed a chance back on Earth.

"What do we have to do?"

Shoto kicked open the door. Behind him, Izuku ushered his class into the confines of the Transport Department warehouse. At the reception desk, a tuft of white hair poked out from behind the metal sill of the desk. It moved around in search for some files as Shoto stopped right by the bell that gleamed under the fluorescent lighting above them in the quiet gigantic atrium. The walls were lined with red bricks with metal rafters that swung overhead giving the area a rustic, industrial feel. The loud hiss of a drill whirring into steel rang out from beyond the enormous steel doors etched into the walls behind the desk.

Shoto slapped the bell. It rang, but the head of white hair continued its search.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

A box slid on the floor. The rustling of papers and old manila files.

Shoto pounded the bell. Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Di-.

An old hand swatted the bell away from Shoto onto the ground. The short man stood up, his eyes coming only above the edge of the steel desk. His eyes covered in a black mask, the yellow cloak snugged tight around his soft and elderly body.

"I heard you the first thousand times, you dumb snow-cone," A crotchety voice barked out from chapped lips.

"Gran Torino!" Izuku yelled.

The old man covered his ears. "Stop screaming at me. Geez, I knew you would ruin the tranquility of this place when you got here."

Izuku jumped over the desk and enveloped the old man into a bear hug. He lifted up Gran Torino like a slip of paper and smushed him in his wake. "Gran Torino, so much has happened since you left. I defeated All-For-One like twice. And then I became the biggest hero in all of Japan and the entire world! And I got to travel around and I met Keanu Reeves and he was really nice and he played me in a movie they made about my life which was weird cause they cast Adam Sandler as Shigaraki which you think would be bad but he actually did a good job! And then I got a call from Principal Tommy and became a teacher, but I guess none of it actually happened in the real world. So I'm stuck with a bunch of my students, and now-."

Shoto grabbed Izuku and pulled him away from Gran Torino. The old man fell onto his feet. He gripped his chest and sucked precious air back into his lungs.

"If I was on Earth, I'd have a heart attack," Gran Torino patted his chest. He sneered at Izuku who blushed in embarrassment and scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry," Izuku said. "We're just really excited to get back out of here."

"Oh, right," Gran Torino opened the book. His finger scrolled down the list of people. "You're heading back to Earth. But I only see three names on here. You have a whole group."

"There was a mistake," Shoto said. "Stev-I mean, The Creator texted them about it."

Gran Torino turned his head back. A rotund security guard with a white uniform and matching pants about to burst at the seam snored the day away on a folding chair with a magazine in his lap. Gran Torino grabbed a manila folder and flicked it towards him like a frisbee. The folder spiraled and slapped the man on the face. He blinked and choked on his own spit before shaking his head in confusion.

"Carlos," Gran Torino said. "Did The Creator change the list?"

Carlos took out his phone. He unlocked it and scrolled over the screen. "Uh...the list is the same. But I did get the text and shared it with the techs in the room," he nodded his head back towards the doors behind him.

Gran Torino hummed and read the tablet in front of him. "That's very odd. Usually, he's pretty set on who gets sent and where."

"It's a new department, right?" Izuku said. "I'm sure there are just some kinks that need to be sorted out."

The old man shook his head. "I wish it were that easy, Midoriya, but people come up here all the time trying to lie their way through here. People who don't feel at peace with what's on Earth. Maybe I should call The Creator and find out."

As Gran Torino reached for the phone, Izuku placed his hand on top of the rotator phone and pressed down on it to stop the man from picking it up. The ring from the phone died with the metal muting on Izuku's hand. At this action, Carlos rose to his feet and grabbed a golden staff that sat on his utility belt. He pressed a button, and the staff elongated to a glowing yellow cane that connected the metal and the hand of the user. He walked over to the desk and stood next to Gran Torino in a protective fashion.

"Please, Gran Torino," Izuku said. "We don't have much time. There's an important mission we have to accomplish. And if we don't, my entire class will be stuck in that digital world and deleted from it when the servers are shut off. Kids who aren't supposed to be up here yet. Not for a long time. So please trust me, Gran Torino."

He sighed and brushed Izuku's hand off the phone. He picked it up and started to spin the numbers on the face. "I'd really like to, Midoriya. But I have to make su-."

Bang! The glass doors in the front of the room kicked open again. The glass smacked the walls from its momentum as three people strolled into the room.

"We made it," Abel said with Synaes and Austin in tow. "Just in the nick of time! Ready to head back down to Earth!"

Carlos, seeing Abel with his blue top hat, shut off the odd staff and holstered it in his belt. "Oh, it's Abel. How's it going, stupid?"

Abel sauntered up to the class and spun around while snapping his fingers. "Pretty good, you hot tamale! What's going on here?"

Gran Torino scanned the guard and Abel and narrowed his eyes. "I didn't know you two knew each other."

"Yeah," Carlos said. "When Abel first got here, he wandered around the whole building since we didn't let him out. I learned a lot from him. He knows one of my homies down on Earth. Y'know Raimundo? My cousin? He's down there with them, too."

Gran Torino faced Abel who had a goofy grin on his face. Then, he craned his head towards Izuku. After a few hard seconds of examination, Gran Torino shrugged and jabbed his thumb at the door.

"Good luck on Earth," Gran Torino said. "You're gonna need it."

The inside of the Platform was pandemonium. Flurries of labcoats flew in a haze of white polyester with squeaking black shoes scuffing the white tiles of the spacious warehouse room. Some typed as fast as their fingers could muster; their digits blurring on their computers with the speed of their typing. Smoke hissed out of bronze pipes that ran from the top of the walls down across the tile flooring towards four mechanical tendrils that surrounded the cobalt platform that the entire group stood upon. The large television screens showed frozen images of the different universes that were being monitored. In all of them, time had stopped.

Izuku tapped his foot with his arms crossed next to the center of the main platform. He looked upward at the ceiling, or lack thereof. In its stead was an ominous black abyss that seemed to morph from the metal rafters above into space and the unknown. He peered up at one of the monitors that had a countdown clock. Five minutes remained before the group was transferred back to the digital universe to save the rest of the students. Izuku's heart sprinted in his chest with every second that passed. He bit his fingernail and scanned the room at the scientists. One in particular, fresh-faced and as young as the teenagers on the platform, sprinted past and threw himself into a chair by an intercom. He pressed a button and leaned into the microphone.

"Synchronization at one hundred percent," he said. "Prepare for retrieval."

One of the women in a lab coat, tall and serious with a mane of purple hair, walked over to Moxie and reached out her hand. She pointed at the crystal around her neck. Moxie gasped and held her hands around the crystal in a protective fashion. The women rolled her eyes and gestured with her hand. "Don't worry. We'll give it back in a sec. We just have to return the energy and get time going again."

Moxie, with hesitation, pulled off the crystal and gave it to the woman. She snatched the crystal and walked over to the platform. She set it down in the center of the target area and gave a thumbs up. She ran off the platform as the teenager at the central console across from the crystal pressed a button.

"Retrieval and return," he said and pulled a lever upward. "In five...four...three...two...one..."

A loud boom rocked the foundation of the building. A bright flash erupted from the crystal as a blinding light ray zoomed upward, the golden light rising and then disappeared into the black ether.

On the screens, the television screens started movement within its frames yet again. Izuku looked and saw one of the universes with him crying before All Might in that sun-soaked backstreet in Japan. A flurry of other odd characters continued their stories within the giant monitors. However, his eyes locked upon one labelled "digital." In it, the rest of his class started to mull about in a strange white room right outside the Chamber.

"Synch Rate is now zero," the boy said. "All Universes now fully functional."

"We did it!" The woman hopped in the air.

The people in lab coats roared in approval. A few of them popped streamers that rained down confetti upon each others heads. One even cracked open a champagne bottle and sprayed it on his own face. Most of them clapped and patted each other on the back. The students stood and watched the celebration. Abel cheered and fist pumped while Shoto gave a nod of approval. James rolled his eyes while Katsu clapped politely at the uproar of joy.

"What's happening," Izuku turned to Shoto.

"You've defeated All-For-One," Shoto said. "And now, The universes have received their energy back to restart time. The main objective of this mission is a success."

"Oh, right," Izuku said. "I'm really happy about that. But I won't rest until our students are safe."

Shoto chuckled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Alright, team," the woman said and pointed at the students by the platform. "Let's get these lunkheads back home."

The teenager pressed another button on his console. "Transportation set for five minutes. Eleven subjects."

"Christ," she said under her breath. "We've never done that many at a time. This could shut us down for a month to recharge the system."

"Good thing we're not paid hourly," The boy at the console shouted back.

However, a rack of beakers and glass bottles shattered onto the ground. A few heads turned when a head slammed onto the brick wall behind the platform. Alistair grunted in pain when Austin lifted his collar up and held him up to the wall with his shirt balled up in his hands. Austin reared back his fist for a punch to Alistair's face on the menu.

"Ow," Alistair whined. "That really hurt, mister."

"I hope this hurts worse," Austin said. Right as he was about to punch Alistair, Moxie ran over and grabbed Austin's hand.

"Austin, it's okay," Moxie said. "Alistair wasn't in control."

"He smushed me with a statue of All Might," Austin said in an angry growl. "And he blew up Synaes' head."

"Well, on the plus side," Alistair let out a nervous laugh in Austin's grip. "I aimed for the head. It probably didn't hurt at all."

Austin's eye twitched. "Oh, it hurt alright. Though not as bad as this will."

Again, Austin attempted to punch Alistair. However, Moxie smothered the punch with her hand capturing Austin's fist. She muted the momentum and threw down Austin's fist.

"Stop it, Austin," Moxie said. "He wasn't in control. It was that All-For-One thing that was controlling him."

"How do we know that he doesn't have it in him now," Austin said. "Or that he won't try something on us anyway?"

"I'm not going back to my universe," Alistair said. "I've been convinced to go to yours instead, and I will live a quiet and peaceful life there."

"No, you won't," Austin fumed. "Cause even if you get back, I'm gonna make you pay for what you did to all of us."

"But I said I was sorry," Alistair said as a few of the other students approached the scene occurring. "And I didn't even do anything to some of you."

"You tried to end the universe," Leo said. "Stop time and wreck havoc on all of us. You wanker!"

Lloyd stepped forward and peered at Alistair still pinned to the wall by Austin's fist. "You allowed yourself to succumb to the power of Satan himself. You must repent for your ways."

"And I will," Alistair said. "I'll be entering a new universe with no family nor friends apparently," he gestured at the angry mob of students. "Isn't that punishment enough."

"No," Synaes said. "You must be punished further."

"Okay, how about this," Alistair snapped his fingers and breathed in for a short pause. "I'll become a vegan."

Austin frowned and loosened his grip. "What?"

"A vegan," Alistair said. "For life! That seems punishment enough, right?"

Abel shrugged. "That sounds good enough for me. I forgive him."

"Yeah, me too," Katsu said. He turned back around as the group argued around Alistair. He saw Shoto conversing with Izuku by a small television monitor that showed a fight taking place between Izuku and Bakugo. It appeared to be a fight occurring at night in an empty city. With the bickering behind him disappearing into the reverie of the sounds of the laboratory, Katsu approached Shoto and tapped him on the shoulder.

Shoto looked down at the boy and froze in place. He blinked and rubbed his mouth before letting his face relax into a sad glance.

"I'll give you guys a moment," Izuku said. He sprinted for his class gaining up on Alistair in the corner leaving Katsu with his former mentor.

"So," Katsu said. "This whole not being the real Shoto thing..."

"Katsu," Shoto said. "I am the real Shoto. I was playing a part in this scheme by Edith Void. This technology, when I first learned about it, seemed like a god-send to me. I thought I could escape reality. I'm like Bakugo in that way. Edith said that I could have my own child. Something I couldn't have with Momo. I went home thinking about it, and then I learned that I had brain cancer. Inoperable. So...like a coward...I thought I could run away. Hide in some perverse simulation. Except If I knew what would occur next, I would have left the very next moment."

"So all of the memories we have together," Katsu said. "You taking me in. Training me. It never happened for real."

"Not physically," Shoto said. "But they mean just as much to me all the same."

"That's six years of memories, Shoto," Katsu said. "Does that mean-."

"Your parents never came to pick you up when you were arrested for blowing up their home," Shoto said. "Void Industries paid off the police, knocked you out and took you from the station. They brought you to the facility where we are both currently housed and trapped in this digital world. What's especially cruel is that involving you was completely unnecessary. The AI could have generated anybody to be a son-like figure to me. Instead, they took a real child from the real world. And then...they took more and more. But something strange happened this time around. I asked specifically to not have any of my former class in the simulation with me. It would be the way I would know I was in a fake world. When Bakugo and Midoriya showed up, I knew something was horribly wrong. I didn't truly uncover the secrets until I sacrificed myself from being brainwashed by Alistair and All-For-One. When I got up here, they explained that Void had been kidnapping more children. When Bakugo found out, he voluntarily entered the world and assisted in kidnapping Midoriya who was also put in this world."

"So does Bakugo know about us," Katsu said. "Does he know innocent people are being thrown in there?"

"I hope not," Shoto said. "I'm certain Bakugo simply thinks of you and the other students as simulations that are trying to interfere with his fantasy. The only person he knows is real is Midoriya. He has been tasked with stopping the class from leaving the system under a lie told by Void. That you all are viruses and that if you escape, you will destroy the entire system."

Katsu tuned towards the television screen. Bakugo just defeated Izuku in the fight in the fake city.

"And he wants to keep the fantasy going," Katsu said. "Even if it isn't real."

"That's the thing about love," Shoto said. "It doesn't matter how real it has to be. It just...has to be."

Kastu nodded. He turned back towards Shoto and felt his nose tighten up. "So...when I do leave this system...you'll be dead. I'll never see you again."

"I can go back to the digital world with you," Shoto said. "But likely, I'm dead in the real world. Brain dead at least. And if that is the case, the plug must be pulled."

"No, Shoto," Katsu said. "I'm not doing that."

"Katsu," Shoto said in a stern voice. "I'm dead. My soul belongs here. Look at this place. Look at where we are. Heaven is waiting for me, Katsu. And it's waiting for you, as well. After you accomplish your life. After you live. I'll be waiting for you. And...and I hope when you do come...," Shoto cupped Katsu's face in his hand. "You'll be the hero you always wanted to be. The hero I taught you to be. Do you think I could trust that you would do that for me? If given the chance?"

With a sniffle, Katsu wiped away a tear. "Shoto...do you think my family ever looked for me? Do you think they even cared?"

Shoto pulled Katsu into a tight hug. Katsu cried into his shirt as Shoto rubbed a circle into his back. "Katsu...You'll always be worth looking for."

As the two embraced, Izuku stood in front of Alistair who was still being accosted by some of the students of his class. He held his arms out in a protective state along with Moxie who grabbed Alistair's arm in a show of solidarity.

"He wasn't in control," Izuku said. "We can't hold that against somebody. Especially if it's a power like All-For-One."

Austin sighed and lowered his fist. James, who held up a neon spike in his hands, squeezed it into submission as it disappeared in his hands. Synaes lowered her cane from being pointed at Alistair's neck.

"Look," Alistair said. "I am truly sorry for the pain I caused. I wish I could say I can make it right, but I know it will be a long road. I am ashamed of myself, and I promise that, whatever happens, I will make it up to you all in the real universe. Besides, yes. I did kill some of you in the digital world. But Edith Void is the one that allowed me in. The one that trapped you all in there to begin with. And that blonde guy is in on it somehow. So, after we get out of here and take those people down, I promise I will leave you all alone. And I'll...I'll end my life."

Moxie lowered her arms and grabbed Alistair by the side. The sad British boy faced the girl and kept away from her gaze as if her eyes were a laser that would blind him. Moxie pulled him in front of Izuku and held his hand.

"Listen y'all," Moxie said. "This boy here is just as much a victim of this as we are. He's been taken from his family. He's lost time and moments of his life. He's a human being just like the rest of us. Sure, he's from another universe. Sure, he was supposed to be a part of some other story that he will never finish. Sure, he's annoying and has a really punchable face! But...he's also really sweet and kind. And I convinced him to stop what he was doing until All-For-One took him over. So please give him a chance. He deserves a chance just like everyone."

The rest of the class glanced at one another. Some of them with curt nods. Others with resigned sighs.

"Well," James said. "I hope your universe is similar to ours. Cause I'm not helping you learn anything."

Alistair smiled. "Oh, of course. In fact, we have things like quirks as well. Except it comes from within and we expel it with wands."

"That sounds dumb," Synaes said. "No wonder you left that universe."

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The entire class turned around and saw the monitor blinking. The clock ticked down from three minutes. Next to it was another countdown. thsi one was labelled "Digital Universe Shutdown." That clock just ticked under thirty minutes.

"Transportation uploading," the teenager at the console shouted.

The woman scientist snapped her fingers and pointed at the platform. "You all! Time to get back home. Or, to whatever you call that place."

Izuku nodded at Moxie. His heart palpitated as he crowed his class towards him. Shoto pulled Katsu away and ushered him towards the teacher. The remaining students surrounded Izuku as his green eyes raked over the faces of the teenagers gazing at him. Leo had a nervous resolve that showed that, despite his apprehension, he was prepared. Lloyd and James both had determined faces that mirrored one another. Abel flashed a maniacal grin and smacked Austin on his shoulder. Synaes held a flat stare that betrayed more annoyance than determination. Moxie pulled Alistair in tow and squeezed her hand around his to assure him. Seeing all of the people that he came with to the Central Platform, Izuku cleared his throat and spun around to address each and every one of them individually.

"Okay, Class 1-A," Izuku said. "The other half of our class is still in the digital universe. I know it's been a surprise to know none of this school year was real. And also that my quirk is transferable," he nodded at Moxie who waved at him like a little girl. "And that apparently Heaven is real, which I'm sure says something profound about humanity's place in the universe. And that Steve Buscemi is apparently a God of some kind. I'm still not sure about all that. But anyway, we still have a job to do. When we get back, we have to gather up the other students and escape back to the real world. Shoto has told me that he knows the code needed to take our consciousness back to reality, and when we plug it into the system, it will bring us back to our real bodies."

"Edith Void only has two remote devices," Shoto said. "One for her and one for Bakugo. However, she had a backup code made in case the remotes were destroyed. She's already shut down the servers, but they have a one hour buffer period where the system will remain on in case somebody got stuck inside."

Izuku turned back to his students and paced in a circle. "Shoto will put the code in. Most likely, Bakugo will try to stop us, and it's possible other entities are put in the system to stop us. But as long as we get everyone out within the remaining thirty minutes, we can overcome whatever we will face in the real world. It's up to us to stop Kacchan and whatever else is thrown at us. If the exit chamber is destroyed, there's no other way out. But I know each and every one of you is ready for this. Remember all that I have taught you, and we will succeed!"

The other students exchanged looks. They gathered in front of Izuku and took a collective breath before they shouted in unison.

"YOU NEVER TAUGHT US ANYTHING!"

Izuku blinked and stepped backwards. "What?"

"We've learned literally nothing from you," James said. "You haven't taught us a thing."

"You just made us find a bomb and team up," Leo said. "I learned more outside of school."

"Techniques. How to improve our quirks," Lloyd said. "Practically nothing."

"I learned more from Bakugo punching me in the stomach," Abel said.

"Same," Austin and Synaes said together.

"You didn't even tell us old stories of fighting villains," Katsu said. "You just read from a textbook."

"This was my first class ever," Izuku stammered in embarrassment. "Cut me some slack."

From the corner of his eyes, Izuku saw the female scientist snap her fingers. "Hey, broccoli-head. Time to go!"

Izuku gathered his students and moved them towards the center of the platform. He breathed in and released the air in a slow stream that tickled the tip of his nose. Finally, he would be reunited with the rest of his students, and he could see the real world after the many months stuck in this strange prison. The lights around them dimmed as a hum crescendoes by the metal pincers that aimed at the students in the center.

The sound grew louder. Louder.

A light expanded from a small pinhole of an ovory glow into a small marble. Then, the size of a lightbulb. It grew in volume before encircling the tip of the pincers.

"Alright," Izuku said. "One more battle to fight. And remember kids, we do this until the end. Plus Ultra!"

At the central console, the teenager pressed a button. "Transportation in T-minus one minute."

"All systems go," The female scientist said. "Prepare for arrival into th-."

Bang!

"Stop! Stop everything! This is unauthorized!"

The silver doors flew wide open. From the doorway, a certain bald man covered in water and bits of unmelted icicle sopped into the room with a trail of ice water behind him.

Steve pointed at the group in the center of the platform with a golden staff in his grasp. It was illuminated and spurted out electric pulses from the top as Steve ran towards the center console. His shoes plodding and squelching on the tile floor, he pushed the teenager at the central console onto the ground and smashed his hand on a red button labelled "Emergency Shutdown." The lights in the room turned red with a loud alarm blaring over invisible speakers. With a shout, Steve turned around and jabbed the staff in the air at Izuku.

"This transport is unauthorized," Steve shouted. "They stole my phone and forged a fake transport list. Half of these people are dead and are staying?"

"What?" The female scientist shouted. "Is this for real?"

"Technicians!" Steve shouted. "Stop these people and arrest them immediately!"

The final battle begins. Don't worry, another fight is happening concurrently down on "Earth." We will see that soon!

Thank you. Please review and tell me what you think! See you soon!