Disclaimer: The intellectual property rights to Hellsing belong to Kouta Hirano, as does the My Hero Academia series, with Kohei Horikoshi.

Author's Notes: I'm back! I'll try to upload one or two more chapters before going back to university for the last time, after which I'll finally graduate. Anyways, please enjoy!


0.0


Ten Minutes Prior To The Vanguard Action Squad's Withdrawal:

"KUUUGGGHHH-gguhhhh…" The masked showman squirmed, trying desperately to escape the clutches of his captor. But with every passing second, his strength waned. Every ounce of blood flowing through him was rapidly being siphoned out. As his vision grew hazy and his voice weak, Mr. Compress slumped forward, now too feeble to even stand on his own two feet. "-help… sss-…-omeone"

*Shlick*

Consuming what was left of Mr. Compress, Alucard absorbed the drained corpse into his being with frightening ease. As the showman's memories flooded into Alucard's mind, the vampire laughed at the buffoon's worthless plan. How he had aimed to kidnap Bakugo and deliver a speech to his friends for the sake of demoralizing them further. Sadly for him, he would never have the chance to revel in delight at their devastated expressions. That narcissistic nitwit had stood out in the open for all to see, wholly focused on watching Bakugo. Natural for a stage magician, perhaps. But for a villain espousing his competency, this was a shameful insult to any and all showmen. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was the execution of Alucard's newest scheme.

Leaping silently from treetop to treetop, he searched for the ideal point from which to commence the second phase of his plan. He couldn't have any of Shoji, Todoroki, or Deku noticing him. Otherwise, the situation would spiral out of control. Angling himself in such a way so that Bakugo would be the only one in of the group to notice, Alucard spawned a shade and placed it in some bushes along their path. After waiting for them to pass, the shade morphed into a flock of crows and flew out of the bushes, startling Bakugo. As the clueless child looked to see what it was, his eyes locked with a pair of blood-red irises.

"Wha-?" He recoiled, believing it to be an enemy. Not exactly inaccurate. But regardless, his reaction was sluggish. Before he knew it, the tight forest corridor grew into an unending pit of shadowy despair. Deku, Todoroki, and Shoji were gone. There existed no horizon in this place, no moonlight, no greenery. Only darkness.

Unable to comprehend what had just occurred, the boy made a futile attempt to escape by causing a couple of explosions. However, after this proved pointless, he instead bumped into someone he had not expected to find.

"Ah, Bakugo! So glad to see you." Said Alucard, having once again adopted his "Alexander Anderson" persona. Spooked by the abrupt appearance of the classmate he most despised, second only to Deku, Bakugo reflexively leapt away. Recognition seeped onto the boy's face as he raised an eyebrow.

"Alex…?" He mumbled cautiously. "What're you doing here?" He asked, not realizing that it was he who had created this environment in the first place.

Alucard chuckled, covering his mouth with his fist. This boy really was helpless without his friends, wasn't he? Well, not that he was complaining. That just made his job easier.

"You see, my friend…" Alucard coughed playfully. "Circumstances have aligned in such a way that, if utilized now, will lead to an extremely favorable position for U.A." Technically. By extension, U.A. would see some benefits. But the primary recipient of the spoils would naturally be Alucard.

Bakugo shook his head, not sure how to interpret what he was hearing. Alex-kun was smart, sure. But this wasn't even making a bit of sense.

"And?" Bakugo retorted, his characteristically short fuse already growing shorter.

"And I believe that with your assistance, we can capitalize on this most glorious opportunity." Alucard clenched his fist as though he were closing a magnificent speech, but Bakugo was far from impressed.

"HA!" Bakugo sneered, dismissing the offer instantly. "Yeah right, bitch. Like I'd ever help you. If anyone's gonna annihilate those villains, it'll be me!"

Bakugo stuck his tongue out and rattled off more expletives at him, doing his best to draw his ire. But Alucard had anticipated such behavior from the rowdy man-child, hence why he'd so looked forward to what he was about to do.

"Ha-ha-ha!" Alucard giggled casually. But as his tone grew darker and the atmosphere ever more stifling, he gazed directly into his classmate's soul. "Forgive me, Bakugo. But sadly, this was never in question." As they spoke, the dark realm began closing in around Bakugo. The previously firm ground he had stood on now sank into an oily black muck, reaching out and grasping at his ankles like undead corpses devouring the living.

"Aaaghhh…!" He gasped, trying to leap away. But to no avail, as the void stretched around him. "The fuck're you up to, bastard?!" As the shadows ate away at his being, Bakugo tried in vain to escape. But his efforts proved futile. Soon, only his head was all that was left exposed. Glaring angrily at Alucard, the boy could only sit and listen to Alucard's parting words.

"Although you will not remember this encounter, I do look forward to seeing you once this is all over." Alucard gestured kindly, almost as if he were extending a helping hand. Saluting the hapless child, he slowly turned his back to him and began strolling away.

"MMMMPPHHHH!" Bakugo tried to scream, but his mouth had disappeared. All that came out was a muffled groan. Soon, nothing was left of the unfortunate child. Alucard giggled. He couldn't wait to find out what expression Deku would have when he learnt of this scheme. With that finished, Alucard went about setting up the third and final phase of his plot.

Back in the real world, the unusually placid Bakugo suddenly shook his head, rubbing his hair as if he'd just awoken from a long dream. Still lying on Shoji's back, Deku peered around at him and noticed his odd behavior.

"KACCHAN! WE HAVE TO GO!" The injured sack cried out.

Looking back at him, Bakugo's deep scarlet pupils narrowed with familiar aggravation. Sticking his tongue back at him, Bakugo, now under the control of Alucard, scoffed before rejoining his friends. Off in the distance, the No Life King smiled to himself. Slowly, his limbs began to ripple and fold as a fine mist billowed around him. A faint hiss was heard as Alucard emerged from the mist, having now taken the form of Mr. Compress.

Now all that was left for him to do was disappear with "Bakugo" in tow, address Deku and everyone else with Mr. Compress's farcical speech, and then join the Vanguard Action Squad as they made their escape. A simple task, and all it really required was that he played his role. It wouldn't be much longer before he could meet the infamous "All For One" face to face. After taking the time to prepare such an enjoyable sparring partner for him, the man certainly deserved it.

Alucard grinned gleefully as he followed his classmates from above, as well as alongside them. Waiting for the right moment to "kidnap" their treasured "Bakugo".


0.0


Back In The Present:

Deku sank despondently to the dirt.

This was… a total loss.

Vlad King-sensei apparently got the word out, because fifteen minutes after the villains escaped, rescue workers and firefighters showed up. Out of the 41 students, fifteen were in critical condition thanks to that one villain's gas attack. 12 had other injuries of varying degree. Thirteen got off without a scratch, and… one was missing. Of the six pros, one suffered a serious head injury. Ragdoll couldn't be found, having left behind nothing but a massive bloodstain.

On the other side, five of the villains were arrested at the scene. The two villains who attacked Mandalay and Tiger and who got soundly beaten by Mirko, later identified as C-Rank villains Spinner and Magne. The villain who'd spawned that noxious gas attack, Mustard. Moonfish, the villain defeated by Tokoyami's Dark Shadow. And finally, the man laid low by Deku himself, the murderous villain… Muscular. But with the exception of those five, the others vanished without a trace…

The summer training camp they'd all been looking forward to… ended in the worst way imaginable.


0.0


The Next Day At U.A.:

It was... a debacle. An indescribable failure, the likes of which he'd never dealt with prior. U.A.'s fuzzy Principal sat at the head of the meeting table, groaning internally as he read that day's news article. The other U.A. staff were seated around him, all of them listening closely to the news broadcast playing on the television. The air in the room grew tense as they watched crowds of citizens protesting this humiliating defeat.

"We established the training camp to prepare for the battle against the villains, and then they attacked it. The irony of it is embarrassing." Nezu sighed.

To think that he'd even sent Mirko along under the pretense that she was there to keep an eye on Alucard. And while that was one reason, the larger motive was for her to serve as backup in the event something like this happened. And yet the villains had arrived in far greater numbers than he'd anticipated. Just how many had joined the League of Villains since USJ?

"This whole 'Villain Revival'… We took it too lightly." He admitted. "They've already begun their war… The war to destroy our Hero Society."

"Even if we'd taken it more seriously, could we have prevented this relentless flurry of attacks? Most organized crime has been eliminated since the rise of All Might, so all that's left is the best of the worst…" Her trademark eye frame raised above her eyes, Midnight gloomily stared down into the table.

Nezu felt humiliated after what had happened. He'd set up so many precautions for this scenario, and yet somehow it had still come to pass. Was the Hellsing Organization withholding information, or were they too being deceived by the League of Villains? Perish the thought. If All For One could fool even them, what hope did they have of ever locking down Japan's villainous overlord? At the moment, none of that mattered. All that mattered was that All For One's machinations were starting to kick into overdrive, and they had to do something to stop him.

"Basically, we got too complacent in this peaceful era. Otherwise, there'd be no need for preparations… when we realized what was happening." Present Mic leaned further against his chair, eyebrows furrowed in frustration."

*THUD*

"I'm just mad about how useless I was… I was relaxing in a bath while they were out there fighting for their lives…!" Barely able to contain his self-loathing, Yagi Toshinori, currently in his "True Form", leaned forward with his elbows resting on the table. A visible dark haze had set in onto the Symbol of Peace, so downtrodden was he by this attack.

While everyone else was struggling to keep their heads together, Toshinori seemed to have let the gravity of the situation get to him. Nezu couldn't blame him. After all, he was the Symbol of Peace. However, it wasn't like he could be everywhere at once, and Nezu hoped he would remember that.

"I reckon we can pretend to be undaunted no longer… like how we went and held the Sports Festival just after that other attack. Lettin' a student get wrangled is one serious failure for U.A." Snipe rightly pointed out. "Wasn't just Bakugo those varmints stole. They took away the public's trust in us heroes."

"And the media's having a field day censuring U.A." Pulling out a tablet and a copy of that day's newspaper, Nezu showed them just how much attention was being drawn towards their greatest misstep. "We can assume that they intentionally targeted Bakugo because that crazed, violent image of him at the Sports Festival was widely disseminated. If they are actually able to win him over, then this educational institution is finished." Nezu replied, still wearing his usual uplifting smile. He, more than anyone else save All Might, needed to keep his composure.

"Speaking of lost trust, this seems like the right time to bring something up… It's absolutely clear at this point." Present Mic drew forward, lifting his nose up to the ceiling. "We have… A Mole!"

His suspicions weren't exactly unfounded. The circumstances surrounding this attack did imply a hole in their network of communication. The training camp had been selected because of its isolated location, and the fact that few people ever ventured there. They had even imposed an information embargo in order to keep it from reaching villains that U.A. students were going to be there.

"Only we teachers and the Pussycats knew about the training location! But we have to consider other suspects. If a student used the GPS function on his or her phone, then…"

"Cut it out, Mic." Midnight warned, refusing to even consider the possibility that a U.A. student might have leaked the info.

"Like hell I will! We have to take care of this, here and now!"

Tensions were beginning to rise as a result of Present Mic's accusations. Nezu was confident there wasn't a mole amongst their ranks, otherwise Hellsing would surely have informed him of it. However, he couldn't tell them that because that would mean revealing his deal, and that would make things way too complicated for him to handle right now.

"Can you even cough up proof that you're in the clear? We can't even declare that one of us ain't the traitor!" Said Snipe.

Offended by Snipe insinuating that he might be the mole, Present Mic crossed his arms and pouted like a child.

"Ummm…" He grumbled. Ignoring his silent tantrum, Snipe turned back around.

"Once we start suspectin' each other and jumpin' at shadows, we'll destroy ourselves from the inside. If we're searching for a mole, we shouldn't do it in a panic."

"For what it's worth, I happen to trust all of you." Nezu replied. He was certain that no one there was a traitor. He'd known them all for too long to even consider the possibility. "That said, I have no clear way to prove my own innocence." He admitted, adding that in as a bit of reverse psychology. He was certain that if any one of them investigated his past activities, they'd manage to find out about Hellsing. "Anyhow, the task at hand is to ensure the students' safety. In light of this potential mole… there's something I've been considering for a while now. That is…"

But just as he was about to make his suggestion, a blaring ringtone came out of the corner of his eye.

"YOUR PHONE IS HERE! YOU HEAR?!"

Toshinori frantically yanked his cellphone out of his pocket and accepted the call before rushing out the door in a frenzy.

"Sorry, gotta take this." He whispered embarrassedly as he stepped outside.

"WE'RE IN A MEETING! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO TURN THAT OFF!" Present Mic yelled as the door slid shut.

Following a momentary silence thanks in part to All Might's silly ringtone, the previously palpable layer of tension was somewhat diffused. Ultimately, Nezu and the other staff decided that to hold off for now and focus on the immediate issue at hand. Saving the young Katsuki Bakugo.

Once everyone else left, Nezu sat in his chair in silent contemplation. Organizing a rescue operation like this would present many problems. The most pressing of which was how they would go about figuring out the enemy's strength. Sure, Hellsing had given him plenty of details regarding that. But the only reason they could address it so calmly was because Sir Integra Hellsing had full control over the actions of Alucard, a being who'd proven to be far more powerful than anything he could have imagined.

So, the tiny furry Principal of U.A. was left with two options. One, let Alucard have his way and likely spawn an ocean of blood around young Bakugo… Or two, devise a battle plan which either diminished Alucard's role or removed him entirely from the fighting. However, the issue with the latter option was that there was no accounting for All For One. Japan's heroes could be trusted to handle all of his servants and minions, but All For One himself?! Even if All Might was the one to do it, there was no guarantee the Symbol of Peace could overcome Japan's Lord of Darkness a second time.

Was there any way to avoid a bloodbath while also opening a path for Alucard to be the one to face All For One in All Might's place?

As he wracked his brain over this massive conundrum, it slowly dawned on him how contradictory the whole training camp incident had been. One teeny tiny detail was blatantly out of place in this whole story.

Alucard had been there. Alucard had been there.

He could have easily prevented the abduction of young Bakugo. Had he set his mind to it, no man or monster on this planet could have come within a mile of Bakugo. Which begged the question… Had he let it happen?

Was it possible that, by letting them kidnap Bakugo, Alucard had created a golden opportunity of some sort?

"...uuuuuuuuuuuuuugghhh..."

Nezu put his head into his hands and sighed. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his cellphone and began dialing Integra. He needed to know if she'd given Alucard an alternative plan. He'd known Alucard long enough that he just couldn't tell if the vampire was motivated by altruism or sadistic intent.


0.0


As for Deku, the day after it all went down, he was brought to a hospital close to the camp. For two days, he fell in and out of consciousness, wracked with pain and a high fever. In the meantime, Recovery Girl visited to do some healing and the police came to question him… But he couldn't remember a thing.

Lying despondently in his hospital bed, Deku's bloodshot eyes stared up at the white ceiling, still unable to shake off the feelings of regret, desperation and… confusion… that lingered after what was most definitely the biggest failure of his life. The memory of Bakugo vanishing into the portal was still vividly present in his head. He just couldn't shake the feeling that he could have done something to prevent it, which only made him feel worse.

Craning his neck left, the wounded pup noticed a bowl of apple slices sitting on the desk next to him. Attached was a note that read

"Eat some once you wake up. And call me."

It was from his mom. She must have visited him at some point when he was still unconscious. Reading it, a wave of guilt poured over Deku as he recalled a conversation he'd had with her a while back. His mom had voiced her concern over his frequent injuries, begging him to try and look after himself more. Even drop out of school, if it were necessary. Her heart just couldn't take it, sending him off to school every day while suffering over the thought that it would be the last time.

"Wonder if… Kota's all right…" He mumbled.

Mandalay's nephew had gone through a lot that night at the training camp. Encountering the man who'd murdered his parents, delivering a message while in the middle of a battlefield, going through an entire existential crisis over his personal beliefs… That was a lot to experience for an elementary schooler. Suddenly, he heard the door open.

*Click*

"Hey, Midoriya! Wassup! Looks like you're awake." It was Kaminari. But as his friend waved excitedly, he realized that Kaminari wasn't the only one making a visit.

"Huh?" Deku peeped, his throat still sore.

*SHUFFLE*SHUFFLE*

As the entirety of 1-A crowded into the room, his hospital room suddenly felt much smaller than before. Todoroki, Shoji, Kaminari, Tsuyu, Uraraka… He was shocked to learn that so many of his friends had already recovered after all they'd endured.

"You see what's on TV?! The media's all over the school." Kaminari nonchalantly approached him, holding up his phone screen so he could look at the headline.

"Even worse than back in spring." Sato added.

"Here's a melon for you. We all pitched in!" Squeezing his way past his classmates' legs, Mineta happily plopped a nice, refreshing melon onto Deku's torso. An electric shock of pain shot up from the contact area, but he endured it and forced a thankful smile.

Now that he could get a closer look at them, Deku noticed the visible markings left behind by the events at the training camp. Shoji's arms were encased in bandages after receiving numerous cuts and lacerations. Mashirao was just strolling around in a hospital gown. The others had smaller and less noticeable injuries, but it wasn't difficult to see the tiny slits dotting their bodies. Tokoyami perhaps had the fewest scars, but the mental scars were plain to see.

"I caused so much trouble for you, Midoriya…" Sullen even more than usual, Tokoyami couldn't even muster the will to look him in the eye. He still deeply regretted losing control of Dark Shadow, despite how it ultimately saved Bakugo and Todoroki from Moonfish.

"Nah… I'm the one who should be sorry…" Shoji bowed his head low. Deku wasn't exactly sure what he was apologizing for, but maybe that was just the painkillers.

"Is everyone from Class A here?" Deku wondered. Iida walked around the crowd and stood in front of his hospital bed.

"No… Jiro and Hagakure are still unconscious, ever since being knocked out by the gas." That explained why he hadn't seen them after the whole thing, though maybe that was to be expected with Hagakure. "And Yaoyorozu received a terrible head wound. She's here at the hospital. Apparently, she only just regained consciousness yesterday. Anderson-san has some pretty serious cuts on his arms and legs, so he's getting those treated. So besides those four…"

"… All 15 of us came." Whispered Uraraka.

Alex-kun was here? Recollections of what happened in those last moments flew through Deku's mind, the most prominent being those final seconds as the portal was swallowing Kacchan. His arrogant smirk. That haughty wink. That wasn't Kacchan, he didn't act like that. That was more like…

Alex-kun…

"Of course Bakugo's not here." Todoroki's words stung Deku deep, yet also elicited a bit of confusion. He wanted to think more about it before jumping to any conclusions.

"Whoa, Todoroki…" Ashido gasped. Kind of a touchy topic to mention, no matter how undeniably true it was.

He had good intentions. But there was no denying that a key member of 1-A was missing. Regardless of his strange behavior, Deku still grieved over the fact that he'd been within touching distance of Bakugo and utterly failed to accomplish anything. No one could blame him for cracking under the strain of his numerous injuries, but all that did was make him question his other decisions.

If he'd fought smarter against Muscular, could he have been in good enough condition to actually do something? Maybe if he'd taken Aizawa-Sensei with him, or Mirko-Sensei, then they could have done a better job. But at the end of the day, Deku knew that it was all wishful thinking. All those dreams and hypothetical scenarios did was avoid the reality at hand.

"Recently… All Might told me something. About how sometimes we just can't reach some people who need saving… so we've gotta do our best to save those we can reach…" His head hung low, he could already feel his eyes getting watery. "But I… could reach him. All I had to do was save him…! My Quirk… is built just for that… But then it turned out like Aizawa-Sensei said it would."

You're totally useless after saving just a single person. Sensei's harsh words had hurt then and still stung now, but there was no denying how prophetic they seemed in hindsight.

"I… couldn't move my body…" Unable to contain his tears, Deku openly wept in front of his friends. As everyone stood silently in respect of his anguish, a single firm voice tore through the iron curtain.

"Then let's go save him now."

It was Kirishima. With Todoroki at his back, the two had approached Deku's hospital bed from the side, unbeknownst to everyone else. The redhead's voice was strong and resilient, unyielding before the waves of sadness emanating across the room. But faced with their tenacity, everybody else, Deku included, could not hold back their astonishment.

"HUH?!"

"Todoroki and I… we actually came by yesterday…"

It turned out that he and Todoroki had come to the hospital the day before, intending to pay Deku a visit. After accidentally bumping into each other at the front register, they decided to just go together. However, while on their way to his room…

"We ran into All Might and the police." Kirishima explained. That made Deku wheeze. Had there been some trouble when he was asleep? Luckily, that wasn't the case. "They were talking to Yaoyorozu. Apparently, she used her Quirk to create a transceiver and had Class 1-B's Awase stick it onto one of the retreating villains. She gave All Might a little phone-thingy which she said was receiving the tracking signal, and that they could use it in their investigation."

Kirishima went on to talk about the visible look of disappointment on Yaoyorozu's pretty face. She was frustrated that while the rest of them were off fighting villains and actively resisting, all she'd done was run from a rampaging Nomu and attached a tracking device to it. 1-A's vice president had been struggling with her self-esteem since the start of the school year, what with her poor performance at the Sports Festival and how she hadn't yet been given a chance to prove herself.

Deku could relate, having experienced many of the same issues himself. What had ultimately helped him drive past those obstacles were the lessons he'd learnt from All Might and Alex-kun. Those lessons went on to guide him through several tough situations, like his fight with Muscular. Maybe Alex-kun could talk to her… he would have to bring that up with him later.

"So you're saying that Yaoyorozu…" Iida was stunned. He could hardly believe his own ears upon realizing what Kirishima was implying. "… could make another signal device for us…?"

Memories of all his past mistakes came roaring back into Iida's head as he reared back in fury, deeply offended and enraged at how preposterous the whole plan sounded.

"NO. IT'S JUST AS ALL MIGHT SAID. WE OUGHT TO LEAVE THIS MATTER TO THE PROS! IT'S NOT OUR PLACE TO INTERFERE, YOU FOOL!" He screamed, practically shaking the entire building with his ferocity.

"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT?!"Kirishima bit back. "BUT STILL! I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING!" He had to clutch his chest from how high he'd raised his voice. "When I heard that they were after my buddyI couldn't do anything! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! IF I DON'T ACT NOW… FORGET BEING A HERO, I'M NOT EVEN A MAN!"

"Calm down, Kirishima. We get that you're a hothead, but in this case…"

"Iida is correct." Kaminari and Tsuyu combined in an effort to quiet him down, but that wasn't happening. This was undoubtedly the angriest Kirishima had ever been, and Deku had known him for a very long time so that said something. His face was even starting to take on the same color as his hair.

"I KNOW HE'S RIGHT! YOU ALL ARE, BUT…!" Kirishima knew that what he was suggesting was completely insane and probably illegal, but still. This was their friend who they were talking about. There was no way they would just leave him out to dry. Desperate, Kirishima spun around and looked Deku dead in the eye. "HEY, MIDORIYA! HE'S NOT BEYOND OUR REACH JUST YET!" He shouted.

Things were really starting to get heated in Deku's hospital room, and eventually all their shouting prompted the nurses to come by and urge them to keep it down. After Iida and Kirishima took some sorely needed deep breaths, everyone else finally had a chance to chime in.

"So you're gonna get this signal-tracker thing from Momo Yao…" Waving her fingers back and forth, Ashido tried to lay out the gist of Kirishima's plan. "… and follow it…" And this only served to further infuriate Iida. "… to go save Bakugo by yourselves?!"

"The villains did say we were on their hit list, but then they took Bakugo alive. Still, we can't be sure they won't kill him. Kirishima and I will go." Said Todoroki.

"YOUUU…" Literally shaking in rage, it looked like Iida was doing his best to stop himself from strangling them. "… HAVE GOT TO BE JOKING!" He shrieked.

His voice echoed down the hallways, but no nurse can to silence them since by now they'd been at this for long enough that the nurses had just given up and decided to give them their space.

"Hang on. Calm down." Shoji urged. "I get it. Kirishima's pain over not being able to do anything… and Todoroki's regrets over having Bakugo snatched away before his eyes. I regret it all too." One of Shoji's duplicate mouths rose to speak. "Still… this is no time to let our emotions get the better of us."

He was urging for caution, but caution was the one thing Kirishima and Todoroki could ill afford. Neither one of them could look Shoji in the eyes, probably because they just didn't see any other alternative. Deku was fully aware that if they waited too long, they may never see Bakugo ever again. Shivering in fear, Aoyama shuffled forward to Shoji's side.

"Let's just leave it to All Might… Besides, we're not allowed to fight anymore." Sweat pouring down his golden locks, he was visibly trembling in agitation. Whether that was from Iida's yelling or anxiety that he might have to go on another death-defying adventure, Deku couldn't tell.

"It's just as Aoyama says… Though I'm hardly one to talk, after having just been saved myself…" Said Tokoyami.

Tsuyu was the next person to step forward. Besides Iida and Yaoyorozu, Tsuyu was one of their classmates who'd established herself as a reliable voice of reason in times of strife. And they needed that now more than ever. Deku found himself wishing that Alex-kun could barge in through the door and offer his own opinion, but he knew he couldn't be overly reliant on him.

"We're all still in shock over Bakugo's kidnapping… So we have to think about this calmly. It doesn't matter how righteous our feelings are. If we start another fight…" The frog girl sighed. "If we break the law… then we're no better than the villains!"

None of them said a word. Not even the upbeat and perverted Mineta could scrounge up enough grit to make a pun. They all knew how dangerous Kirishima's idea was. Heading off on their own, fighting their way into the League of Villains headquarters, and rescuing Bakugo? All without the heroes help? It didn't matter who you were, that idea sounded preposterous. And everything Tsuyu said was true. If they did break the law, they were in a sense no better than the people they were fighting.

But was that really true?

Sure, it wasn't exactly the most moral solution. It would be far better if they left things up to All Might and the police. However… Deku could see Alex-kun having some thoughts on that topic. He'd probably disagree with the notion that they had to follow the law under any and all circumstances. He had firmly established himself as someone who was willing to break the law if it meant he'd get a better result.

*Shwoom*

The door suddenly opened as the doctor poked his head inside, concerned that he might be yelled at for intruding on their discussion.

"Sorry to interrupt. It's time for Midoriya's examination…" He declared meekly.

For a moment, Deku's classmates all stood in thought. Some, like Todoroki and Kirishima, were hesitant to leave. They still wanted to try and get Deku on their side. After all, everyone knew how much he cared for his fiery childhood friend/rival. Likewise, Iida was stubborn in his resolve. He believed that if he couldn't convince them to stop their antics now, he wouldn't get another chance.

"L-Let's get going… I'm worried about Jiro and Hagakure too…" Said Sero, exiting the room alongside the others. Soon, the only ones left besides himself were Kirishima and Iida. And as it turned out, Kirishima still had a little more to say.

"I talked to Yaoyorozu yesterday. If we're going, it has to be soon… tonight." As he was saying this, Deku noticed Iida freeze in place. "I'm not sure if you can even move in your condition, but you're still welcome to join us… because I'm betting this is hurting you more than the rest of us."

Kirishima wasn't wrong on that. Somberly staring at his bedsheets, Deku unconsciously clenched his fists. There was no denying how much he wanted to rush out of the hospital and go rescue Kacchan. Behavioral differences aside, his gut was still telling him that was the best option.

"We'll be waiting… outside the hospital tonight." Joining the others on their way out, Kirishima gave him one last glance before leaving.


0.0


Outside Izuku's Hospital Room:

Despite the bravado, Kirishima lost some confidence once he walked out the door. It was easy to act tough in front of Deku, but now it was truly beginning to dawn on him how dangerous it was. Entering enemy territory with little experience, information, or official aid? If anything went wrong, they wouldn't have any reliable backup to handle their mistakes. But while Kirishima was mulling over his suggestion, Todoroki decided that now was the time for him to confront a certain someone.

"Hey…" He turned and addressed his classmates. Iida, still incensed after everything they'd said, twisted with incredible fervor to look at him. "Iida, I understand that you're angry. However, I would appreciate it if you could set that aside for a moment and consider an entirely separate issue."

After the training camp, Todoroki had spent some time reflecting on his fight with the villain known as "Moonfish". He was a gifted student, so it didn't take him long to recognize their conflicting fighting styles. But that train of thought quickly lead him back to the inciting incident. Alexander Anderson leaving him to fight them on his own.

From what he'd heard following the whole ordeal, Anderson left to help Deku fight Muscular, after which he defeated a Nomu all on his own. Assuming those reports were not being exaggerated, the well of questions surrounding his origins only deepened.

Todoroki knew he made a mistake interrogating Anderson all by himself, much like how Yaoyorozu did after the Sports Festival. While everyone else stood aghast in the background, she tried to extract some much-needed answers from Class 1-A's wunderkind. Both times, Alexander had expertly dodged their inquiries and gotten out scot-free. It was clear now that they would need to be much more straightforward with their tactics if they were ever going to make him talk.

Todoroki had spoken to Yaoyorozu during their last meeting in her hospital room, and she'd agreed to join him later so they could interrogate Anderson together. But Todoroki also knew that they weren't alone in their sentiments. Others in 1-A had also begun suspecting something was up with Alexander Anderson, and now was his chance to bring them along and decisively corner their elusive classmate.

"Iida, haven't you noticed? How there are so many questions around Alex-kun's origins, and yet we never seem to get any answers?"

"Of course!" Iida snapped. "But I simply trust that behind that aloofness, he holds only the best of intentions."

Iida's stern nature hid an otherwise naïve interior, which was why he always sought to see only the best in those around him. Many times before, Todoroki had appreciated that aspect of his. But today, it was having the opposite effect.

"And what if he isn't? Wouldn't you like to know if he's doing something reprehensible behind our backs? What if he's actually a spy sent by the League of Villains?" Iida gasped at the thought. "I'm not saying he is, but there are just too many questions to ignore the possibility."

"Don't tell me you treat all your friends with this kind of scrutiny, Todoroki?!"

"Ugh…" Todoroki lifted a hand to his forehead, irritated by the mere insinuation. "No, of course not. But, again, Alex-kun is different. I just think that after we join up with Yaoyorozu, we can surround Alex-kun while he's here and finally get some real answers out of him."

Iida was practically bursting in outrage. He'd only ever seen the best in Alex-kun. Besides the Sports Festival where he'd accidentally ran off the racetrack, every single action the European transfer student had done always resulted in good things for 1-A. Sure, there was no denying that his strength was unnatural and his Quirk inconsistent, but those were inconsequential in the face of all he'd done for them.

"Todoroki…!" Iida fumed.

"Look, if you really don't want to come with us, that's fine. But if anyone else wants to, then you're welcome to join me."

Without another word, Todoroki spun around and began walking in the direction of Yaoyorozu's room. Meanwhile, everyone else just stood by, perplexed by how far things had spiraled out of control. This whole evening had started with them just going to give Deku a melon and some well wishes, but now it had turned into an interrogation. But as seconds drew by, more and more squeaks echoed across the hallway walls as 1-A students chose to accompany Todoroki.

Iida's jaw descended further and further down, closer and closer to the floor as he watched almost everyone from 1-A choose to hold a public court rather than focus on healing their injuries. All this would do was widen the rift created by the training camp debacle! Why did they so insist on doing this? But just as he was about to yell at them, the door behind him swung open.

*SHWOOOM*

"Wait…," Said Deku, prompting Todoroki to peer back at him. As it turned out, those thin sliding doors did a poor job of blocking their voices.

"… Let me go with you." Deku groaned, his arms throbbing inside the casts. The doctor urged the ailing child to get back into his bed, but Deku refused. Apparently, he saw something at the training camp that only Alex-kun could explain.

And just like that, with seemingly none of his friends on his side, Iida had no choice but to get in line.


0.0


Alexander Anderson's Hospital Room:

"They're coming for you." Mirko grumbled.

"I'm aware."

Laying peacefully in his bed, Alucard had long since deployed a shade to track the movements of his classmates. Although such a measure was hardly necessary since it was to be expected that Todoroki and Yaoyorozu would have grown tired and weary of his roguish activity.

Alucard had initially plotted a sneaky getaway, involving him being kidnapped by Mr. Compress, thereby provoking Deku and others to pursue him to the League of Villains hideout. However, this choice simply felt more… pure.

After Mirko paid him a visit, he took the liberty of divulging the details of his plan to her. Her impressions of it ranged from "This won't turn out well," to "You're insane. I love it." She still expressed her concern that this would cost him the trust and friendship of the entirety of Class 1-A, but Alucard said otherwise. By his calculations, the key members of 1-A, Deku, Yaoyorozu, and Iida had received enough favors from him to earn their admiration and respect.

And so long as they remained supportive of him, Todoroki would likely renege his resentment. And with those four now on his side, the rest would follow in turn. They were, after all, pursuing the same objective. There was little reason to kickstart a civil war amongst themselves, least of all against the strongest member of their class.

"You're not gonna run away?" His companion asked.

"Perish the thought!" He chuckled. After so much time spent chasing his metaphorical tail, their patience had begun to run thin. "They've earned this much." Alucard whistled.

Besides, everything was in control. Everything was in place for Alucard to properly introduce himself, as well as Hellsing, to Japan. He had already briefed his master on the details of his masterplan and received her blessing.

With his shade adopting Mr. Compress's countenance and another shade "borrowing" control of Bakugo, the chess pieces were perfectly positioned to wreak havoc in All For One's own territory. Even now, as Alucard gazed through the eyes of his familiars, he knew that everything was proceeding precisely as he had predicted it would. The unsuspecting Tomura Shigaraki was attempting to sway Bakugo over to his side, while "Mr. Compress" wandered in the League's hideout, methodically blending among their ranks while searching for All For One.

Alucard's plan was flexible. If he was unable to determine All For One's whereabouts, he would leave that up to All Might. If Alucard was fortunate enough to meet him, then the confrontation that followed would make for an exquisite battle of epic proportions.

Shifting back into his body in the hospital, he realized that most of 1-A were approaching his front door. Mirko gave him a questioning glare, wondering if she should stick around. He nodded back at her. Since he was about to effectively abandon his "Alexander Anderson" guise, it made sense to allow her to stay and have her own questions answered.

*SLAM*

As expected, Todoroki was the one to force the door open. Not giving Alucard a chance to respond, the boy discreetly froze his hands onto the iron railing of his bed frame. Manacles of ice, how quaint. As he entered, others followed close behind. First came Yaoyorozu, whom he had not spoken to in some time. The poor girl must have been somewhat disappointed, after how flirtatious he had been with her.

Next came Iida, Ashido, Aoyama, Shoji, the list went on. Surprisingly, none of them seemed at all troubled by Mirko's presence. In fact, Todoroki in particular appeared quite pleased to have caught them like this. As all of his classmates filed inside, they gradually began forming a circle around him, trapping him and leaving him with little room to maneuver. Even if he tried, there would have been no hope to escape. That is, if he were a normal U.A. student. Perhaps dear Todoroki intended to test Alucard's resolve. If he wished to flee, he would have no choice but to reveal his true powers. Otherwise, he would have to answer their questions.

The final person to enter wore a curious expression on his face. Brushing a loose strand of hair aside, the timid young child threw occasional glances at him. But for the most part, he ashamedly tried to hide from Alucard's gaze. Izuku Midoriya was experiencing a level of hesitance the likes of which he'd never felt before. But as he meandered into their ranks, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu stood proudly before Alucard's gaze.

They had no wooden stakes with which to run him through and pierce his heart, but this conglomeration of Class 1-A still made for an intimidating audience.

"You can't run anymore, Alex-kun." Said Todoroki, as though he knew what Alucard was thinking.

"It's time for you to take us seriously and explain who you really are!" Yaoyorozu yelped, valiantly trying her best not to blush in embarrassment.

Like a snake, Alucard carefully craned his neck from side to side, observing them and reading each of their movements. His scarlet-red eyes, always filled with warmth, now narrowed into reptilian slits. The pressure in the room rose with each passing second as the watchtower that was Alucard bore down upon them. The only ones unaffected were Mirko and Deku, the two most familiar with the vampire's demeanor.

And then, out of nowhere, Alucard's neutral expression flipped into an accommodating grin.

"What would you like to know?" He asked politely, like a butler responding to his master's request.


0.0


When Todoroki and the others left his room, Deku had absentmindedly listened to the doctor as he listed off the consequences of his overexertion. Forcing his body to launch a more powerful attack than anything it could handle had completely and utterly annihilated his arms. It was only thanks to Recovery Girl that he could still use them. However, without proper treatment and rehabilitation, the doctor told him he was likely down to only a few more uses before he'd lose his arms entirely.

After being given some time to think, Deku's mind began to wander. Back to the training camp. Back to that moment where he and Kacchan locked eyes.

The villains had been successful in abducting Kacchan. He and everyone else had done their best to prevent it from happening, even after Alex-kun fended off an unimaginably powerful Nomu all by himself, and they'd still lost. Who knew what was going to happen to Kacchan now that he was in the fiendish hands of the League of Villains? By all accounts, Deku should have been keeled over and weeping his eyes out.

And yet, for some strange reason, the tears never came. He wasn't certain as to why, but he didn't really feel that bad about their failure. While Todoroki and the others sullenly accepted Bakugo's kidnapping, Deku continued to just sit in the same spot where he and Kacchan last met gazes just as he was absorbed into the warp portal.

As the memories came flooding back to him, Deku wasn't saddened by what he saw. Instead, he grew puzzled. Perplexed. Mystified by what he had happened just as his childhood friend disappeared in the portal.

His wry grin. His cheeky wink. Sticking out his tongue as if absolutely nothing had gone wrong, and instead it had all gone according to plan. Playfully raising a finger, almost like he was asking him to keep quiet about it. None of those were things Kacchan would have done. No, if it'd been Kacchan, he would have flipped him off. Told him to screw off or something else along those lines. Acting so… casual while in the hands of his enemies just wasn't something Bakugo usually did. He'd never acted like that before, which is why Deku found it so baffling that it'd happened now. That wasn't Bakugo. It couldn't've been. That was more like… Alex-kun…

It was that realization which convinced Deku to disobey the doctor's orders and follow his friends on their way to Alex-kun's room. He had to know just what exactly he'd seen on that day.

"Alex-kun…? Do you have anything to do with Kacchan's abduction?" Intimidated by Alex-kun, Deku held his breath as he joined Todoroki and Yaoyorozu in front of his bed.

"Referring to the League of Villain's operation? None whatsoever." Beaming with his signature delight, Alex-kun tilted his head to the side. "But I have a feeling that's not what you're here for."

"…" He was right, as per usual. "Kacchan winked at me. He's never done that before, Alex-kun." Deku wrang his hands nervously. "In fact... that's a lot more like you."

In response to that, the European's smile grew brighter as he giggled in delight. He was enjoying this, and that was the most frightening part. The fact that practically nothing could knock him off his high horse. Then again, that's what made him feel so different, and why Deku looked up to him so strongly.

"Y~e~s, I suppose it is." Alex-kun craned his neck in a playful fashion.

"So… what I want to know is… did you take Kacchan's place somehow…?" The mere notion sounded ridiculous, but after seeing Alex-kun pull off the ridiculous time after time, it didn't feel so ludicrous anymore.

Even as everyone else in the room gasped in shock, Alex-kun remained silent. His clear, blood red eyes homing in on Deku.

"Midoriya, you can't be serious?!" Shouted Iida from behind, his arms already flailing across a nonexistent chalk board. "Alex-kun's never done anything like that! And even then, it's preposterous! You told me Alex-kun was right next to you when Bakugo was taken, remember?"

Iida's comments weren't exactly false. After the portal closed, the only ones left were Deku, Todoroki, Shoji, Tokoyami, Aoyama, and Alex-kun. There was no way Alex-kun could have taken Kacchan's place. Even if he could, the amount of planning and luck he'd need without them knowing made it feel impossible for one person to manage.

*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*

"I applaud your deductive skills, Deku dearest."

Their jaws dropped and their eyes went wide as Alex-kun, rather than laugh and agree with Iida on how silly Deku's suggestion was, applauded him instead. Alex-kun looked so pleased with him that it wasn't farfetched to think he wanted to give him a hug. But… what did that imply? Was there more to his Quirk than he'd shown them?

"But…" Flustered, Deku could hardly believe his own eyes. "… How? I thought your Quirk could only make familiars that added up to your total body mass?"

Stammering, Deku stumbled back before knocking into Todoroki, who'd waltzed behind him to prevent him from falling over. He looked pretty miffed, but in a way that seemed gratifying. As if he'd had these suspicions for quite some time and was happy to have them vindicated in such a fashion.

"Because Midoriya… He lied. That's not actually his Quirk." Todoroki said gruffly. "Am I right, Alex-kun?" Todoroki still seemed weary of Alex-kun, but now that he was starting to get more of the truth, it felt like he was becoming more comfortable. With less uncertainty, it was getting easier for him to maneuver the situation at hand.

"Indeed." Alex-kun coolly replied.

"Then what are your real powers?"

Real powers? Was he implying that Alex-kun was capable of even more than what he'd shown them? He could transform into a flock of crows! He could spawn insects to scout out entire rooms! He could use his black goo to block off an opponent's vision! What more could he possibly do?

"They are inn~umerable, my friend. Far too many to list here." Whistling, Alex-kun playfully summoned a wisp of black smoke, before morphing it into a hand and extended it outward before flicking his forehead.

But wait, thought Deku. He remembered the moments preceding their fight with that Nomu. The one that'd chased after he and Kota. When Alex-kun appeared to save them, he did so after firing off a pair of pistols. Well, they didn't sound like pistols. More like cannons. Nevertheless, if Alex-kun had more powers than just his "Composition", were those two pistols one of them?

"Then tell us what powers you used on Bakugo." Rubbing the red spot on his forehead, Todoroki proceeded with the questioning.

"Hypnosis, of course."

Hypnosis? That was a power wholly unrelated to anything he'd demonstrated previously. What did hypnosis have to do with creating oily black creatures and objects? And even more curious, what other powers did he possess besides those two?

"Why?" Yaoyorozu asked, finally deciding to chime in.

"To infiltrate the League of Villains hideout. Why else would I subject myself to that revolting child's personage?"

Yaoyorozu seemed more concerned by those final few words, not finding them all that necessary. Todoroki was still doubtful of how truthful Alex-kun was being, since there was still no guarantee that he wasn't lying. Deku, on the other hand, had been with Alex-kun for long enough to tell from the tone of his voice. He was telling the truth, which felt greatly reassuring. Knowing that perhaps his closest friend was legitimately on the side of good. But that wasn't the end of their questions.

"Who are you? You're not just some European transfer student, that's for sure." As Todoroki stepped back to ruminate over all this new information, Yaoyorozu took over as Alex-kun's interrogator.

"An agent of a foreign organization, one hired by your U.A. principal to act as a safeguard against your society's greatest menace."

"… The Principal hired you to fight All For One…?" She gasped. Her classmates were just as stunned as she was, their thoughts immediately being drawn towards Nezu. What did he have to do with this? Had he really hired a mercenary organization to deal with All For One? Most shockingly of all, it was through Alex-kun that most of them learnt of All For One's restoration.

"Not with that express purpose, though I will admit certain factors have begun influencing that outcome." Deku got a faint feeling that Alex-kun was hiding something when he saw him smirk.

But that aside, there were already enough revelations that evening. All For One was still alive, Nezu was cooperating with mercenaries, and Alex-kun was a being far more powerful than he'd let on. However, apparently that trove of shocking info wasn't enough for some amongst them.

"…But wait, you didn't tell us anything about who you really are." Todoroki noticed, pointing an accusatory finger at Alex-kun. He waved his arms dismissively in response.

"That information is beyond you, at the moment." Alex-kun grinned.

"Are you saying that if you told us, you'd have to kill us?" Hesitant to even ask, Yaoyorozu stuttered as she did anyway.

"Ridiculous." He snorted contemptuously. So, it wasn't because he sincerely wished to avoid saying it. Rather, there was so much for him to say that none of them would be able to comprehend it? "Though if you so desire, you need only seek out your dear Mr. Principal."

So, it was true then. Principal Nezu really was at the center of this whole mystery. If they wanted to learn more about it, they'd have no choice but to confront their own school head. But did that also mean going against the staff too? Were the students the only ones kept out of the loop? But then Deku remembered who else was standing in the room. A tall rabbit woman standing impatiently off to the side, tapping her heels on the floor.

"… What about Mirko?" Asked Deku.

"What about me?" She huffed.

"Did you already know all this?"

Mirko scoffed as if offended that he bothered even asking such an obvious question. But her humorous grin and friendly demeanor showed that she didn't mean it in any derogatory fashion.

"Yup. And let me tell you, there is no end to the secrets this guy has piled up in that little noggin." She chuckled, knocking Alex-kun on the head. He didn't seem bothered by her behavior. That was probably how she'd treated him during the internship week, so it made sense that he was used to it.

Deku might have been satisfied, but from the looks on their faces, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu still wanted to extract more confessions from their stalwart classmate. Both stood silently in front of the bed frame, straining to find more questions to ask. But whether it was Alex-kun's accepting smile or Mirko's jovial laughter, they just couldn't muster up the same willpower and rigor from before.

"*Sigh*… That's that, I guess." Yaoyorozu let her stern expression crumble as she backed off.

"Not yet. There's one more question we need to answer. The most important one, at that." Said Todoroki. "Are you on our side?"

Deku wanted to stand up for his friend and tell everyone there was no doubt he was on their side, but he knew he couldn't. After all, he had no evidence to back it up. However, in the face of that disappointing reality, he found his characteristic hardheadedness and raised his hand anyways. Unfortunately, his stubbornness was canceled out after Alex-kun hushed him down.

"Deku~Deku~Deku~" He wagged his finger. Gazing warmly at him, Alex-kun waited until he'd calmed down before turning his attention back onto Todoroki. "That has been the case since before we even met." He smoothly answered.

Todoroki tried to read him for any signs of deception, but to no avail. Deku knew from experience that the European was incredibly fluent in the art of body language.

After a couple more, far less significant questions were answered, the students gradually backed away from Alex-kun's bed. The tension began to dissipate as Deku realized that his arms had been throbbing in pain for quite some time, before excusing himself and returning to his own room. There would be time for more pleasantries at a later date, most certainly.


0.0


A Few Minutes Later:

"Well, that could have gone better." Mirko sighed.

"Really?" Alucard turned to her; his eyes gleaming in ecstasy. "I beg to differ. It went exactly as I hoped it would."

"Including Todoroki punching you in the gut?" She sneered.

Following his confession, Alucard had made amends with the ice-cold redhead, though only after he and quite a few others gave him his just desserts for the lies and deception. Deku was one of the few not to partake, since even if Alucard was not the person he'd originally believed, the boy still looked up to him.

"Including that." Alucard chuckled. Having played the unwilling spectator to his shenanigans, Mirko nevertheless had gained some valuable insight into his personality. Now that she knew what Alucard had done to Bakugo, she had no intention of sitting by.

"So what's the plan from here?"

Mirko was confident that the plan involved taking advantage of the fact that Alucard had taken control of Bakugo's mind, but she didn't know how exactly the vampire intended to execute it. All she really cared about though was where she stood in it. As long as she got to be in the front lines beating up bad guys, anything would do.

"They will wait until after they've saved Bakugo to demand answers from Nezu. For now, the children shall frolic across Japan in search of All For One's headquarters with Yaoyorozu's guidance." Alucard replied.

Yaoyorozu was a reliable young girl, she would serve as a capable guide.

"You don't think they'll ask for your help?"

Alucard bashfully covered his mouth and giggled. His classmates in 1-A would give their all to tracking down Bakugo themselves, yet even they knew that their efforts were ultimately a sideshow besides what was to come. With All Might working alongside his allies to locate All For One's hideout, the pieces were set for a clash of Japan's greatest powers. And he would be there, standing and waiting in the midst of it all.

"There is no point in asking. After all, they know I'll be there."

As Alucard chuckled menacingly, Mirko grimaced. She couldn't predict the scale of what he was looking forward to, but she had a feeling. With so many Quirk users focused into one area, someone like him was bound to show up and throw a wrench into the works.


0.0


Outside The Hospital:

Deku rubbed his shoulders, checking for any injuries or cramps. Against the doctor's orders, Deku was fully prepared to go all out again if it meant saving Kacchan. Even though he looked like a mummy with all the bandages wrapped around him, the resolute glint in his eyes shone brightly.

It'd been a few hours since Class 1-A had confronted Alex-kun, and the information he'd given them was… daunting, to say the least. Deku had suggested letting him join them, but immediately gave up after Todoroki glared back at him. He was still dubious on whether he could rely on Alex-kun again. Yaoyorozu tried to explain, telling him that Alex-kun seemed to have a plan already and that taking him along might just interfere with it.

That didn't exactly help calm Deku's nerves, but he still saw where she was coming from. It had always felt like Alex-kun's machinations ran far deeper than any of them could comprehend, only this time he'd said it to their faces.

Most of his classmates had chosen to stay home. Rather, they would remain on stand-by. If things got bad enough to where they needed backup or some kind of support, they would be there. Deku would have preferred to have then accompany him on this journey, but he couldn't criticize their decision. For this trip, the only ones going would be himself, Todoroki, Kirishima, Yaoyorozu and, oddly enough, Iida.

"I shouldn't… have gotten violent with you." Iida bowed his head low as he addressed them respectfully. Deku had never imagined Iida could act more respectful than usual, but here it was. "I apologize…"

"Seriously, Iida. Your reason for accompanying us isn't very convincing." Yaoyorozu sighed exasperatedly.

"I'm fine. Don't sweat it." Deku made an attempt to ease Iida's apologetic behavior, but there was nothing they could do when he got into this type of mood.

"It's precisely because I can't agree with what you're all doing that I'm choosing to accompany you." Iida adjusted his glasses. "If I think for even a second that it's going to devolve into a fight, I'll pull us out of there in a hurry!" It didn't matter to him how thorough Alex-kun's mythical plan was, all he cared about was keeping them all safe. "Think of me as a monitor… a Watchman!"

"Watchman Iida, huh…?" Todoroki scoffed. Pretty sure the correct term is "Watchmen". The word came from a western comic if he recalled.

Yaoyorozu rummaged through her skirt pockets in search of her tracking device while sternly agreeing with Iida's statement.

"The same goes for me. This is a job for the pros. Watching from the sidelines without interfering is what we should be doing." She empathized with Iida, but also, she wanted to see what kind of scheme Alex-kun planned to carry out. "But I understand how you all feel, so this is a good compromise. Don't forget that."

Yaoyorozu was hopeful, at least, that once they arrived and assessed the situation, her classmates would all come to the same conclusion as Iida and herself. That they were simply out of their element, and they would be convinced to turn around and come back home. She hoped that would be the case, but she had a distinct feeling it wouldn't turn out that way.

After making their way to the nearest train station, they purchased tickets to Nagano. The young U.A. students tried their hardest to act normal but, of course, that wasn't easy given their circumstances. There was no guarantee that they wouldn't encounter a powerful villain on their way there, so even now Deku stayed on his toes.

As a result, he looked pretty awkward. His eyes darting back and forth, tiny drops of sweat forming on his forehead, any ordinary bystander would have assumed the boy was ill or having a panic attack. That was, until...

"Wha-!? When'd you get here?!" Iida exclaimed.

"*TCH*. I saw this coming, but seriously..." Yaoyorozu and Todoroki could do little to hide their amazement. They'd come to expect this sort of thing from their erstwhile frenemy, and so had been somewhat prepared for this. However, no amount of preparation could snuff out the regularity with which he surprised them.

"Alex-kun...!" Deku's voice trembled with both trepidation and gratitude. As his dashing classmate smirked smugly back at them, he leaned calmly on the wall and surveyed their reactions with glee. It was like he was laughing at them with every minute action he took. From the times he saved their lives to the times he corrected them during class. Nodding affirmatively, Alex-kun suavely strolled over to meet them.

Much like his friends, Deku was frightened by how Alex-kun habitually knocked their shoes off. Surely, Yaoyorozu or Todoroki should have been able to sense his presence. Yet somehow, they'd missed him. Had he actually predicted their movements to this degree? But if that were true, just how deep were they within his grasp?!

Despite those haunting thoughts, Deku was also comforted by the arrival of Alex-kun. Because even after their earlier conversation, he still considered his mysterious neighbor to be his closest friend. A role model on the same level as All Might. The sight of Alex-kun reassured Deku, that maybe things would go just fine.

"Going somewhere?" Almost absentmindedly, Alex-kun stopped before Deku and helped him straighten his clothing. While the others recovered from the shock of his appearance, he calmly organized Deku's look.

"Don't act like you don't already know." Kirishima hissed. As much as it angered him however, even he had to admit that it would serve as an immense boon if Alex-kun were to accompany them.

"Will you be joining us, Alex-kun?" Speaking the question they all wanted to ask, Yaoyorozu relieved them of that burden.

"Naturally. After all, I cannot in good faith allow my friends to so haphazardly waltz into enemy territory." His upbeat chuckle and elegant demeanor seemed to melt the icy atmosphere, no matter how coldly Todoroki glared at him.

After taking some more time to gather themselves and explain the details of their plan to him, they boarded the train. Deku was the first to ask Alex-kun if he'd bought the right tickets, if he'd bought any at all. But with a sly grin and nod, his worries were swiftly silenced.

"All right, then. The coordinates on the tracker point to Yokohama City in Kanagawa. Specifically, Kamino ward. It should be about a two-hour trip from here in Nagano, so we'll arrive around 10 P.M.," said Yaoyorozu.

"Uh… did anyone tell the others the details of this mission?" Deku asked. He wanted to know what the others thought about Kirishima's idea, but he also wanted to check and make sure there was even a plan to begin with. Sure, Alex-kun probably had that on lockdown but he still wanted Kirishima to have given some thought to this whole operation.

"Yeah. And then they wasted time trying to stop us." Lackadaisically picking through the food in his bento, Todoroki described how practically everyone advised him to wait a little longer. Why even bother, they'd argued, when Alex-kun seemed to have everything under control. Case in point, they were right on the mark. But that didn't mean they should just give up and play spectator.

"Uraraka was really harsh about it, just to drive the point home." Kirishima followed.

"Uraraka? Really?" That was shocking to hear. He'd expected her to disagree with the plan, but for her to be one of its most critical detractors? That was uncharacteristic for the meek Uraraka, but that just showed how dangerous this mission was.

"Yeah. She thought Bakugo, regardless of if he's being controlled by Alex-kun, would consider it disgraceful to be the one getting rescued."

Words evaded him as Deku struggled to express how he felt when watching Kacchan, or rather "Kacchan" under Alex-kun's control, sinking into that murky portal. Though the memory of Alex-kun winking and raising a finger was still distinct in his mind, the young boy could easily imagine the animosity and hatred that would have been lingering in Bakugo's eyes, had he been himself. He wanted to ask now about that, but didn't feel like it was the best time. Besides, all that mattered now was saving Bakugo. What mattered most for a hero was helping others, regardless of if that help was asked for or not.

"Lemme say this much… what we're about to do is a selfish thing that won't be accepted by anyone, even Bakugo. If you wanna turn back, there's still time." Chewing on a mouthful of rice, Todoroki pointedly leered at them in search of any signs of weakness. He wouldn't blame them for turning back now, but he also refused to allow any indecisive souls drag down the rest of them.

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't completely sure about this! And with Alex-kun already having this all figured out, why shouldn't we be doing this? This dude's too smart for his own good. There's no way he's left us out of his plan." Kirishima grunted as he gnawed on an onigiri. Alex-kun remained silent, a cheeky smile his only answer.

That was true. Deku had firsthand experience with just how precise and dense Alex-kun's tactics could be. And assuming he'd only been playing around those past instances… then they were in for one hell of a sight.

"There's no turning back now!" Staring up at the ceiling, Deku clasped his hands together in anticipation of what was to come. His friends all grimly acknowledged the weight carried by that sentence, Iida glaring sternly, Kirishima silently nibbling on rice, Todoroki slowly finishing his bento box, and a bead of sweat rolling down Yaoyorozu's cheek.

This was it. They were heading into enemy territory with zero knowledge as to whether help was coming for them. Quietly, Deku peaked at Alex-kun's face. That ever-present sense of thoughtfulness and confidence hung in the air as potent as ever. Despite the many questions around him, Deku still had faith that whatever Alex-kun had planned was in the name of good. Now it was time to see whether that faith would pay off or not.


0.0


League Of Villains Hideout:

Chained to a chair in the middle of the bar, Katsuki Bakugo remained dead silent as his captors looked at him with idle fervor. Shigaraki, Dabi, Toga, Mr. Compress, and Twice stood all around him. Shigaraki was easily the most laid back of the bunch, sitting on a bar stool with one leg resting on the other. Bakugo was acting far more placid than they'd expected. But that was natural, since it wasn't Bakugo's soul currently in his body.

Gazing through both Bakugo's crimson irises and Mr. Compress's mask, Alucard watched them intently. This phase was crucial to the subsequent portions of his scheme. All he needed was to craft an ideal scenario through which he could introduce himself to All For One. After that, it was all up to how far All Might was willing to go to eliminate his nemesis.

Alucard was certain that Japan's Symbol of Peace would be devoting every ounce of time and strength to this operation, so there was little chance of a delay. But for now, that would have to wait as Shigaraki began his welcoming address. Sitting casually on his stool, Shigaraki and the rest watched with glee as the television broadcast showed images of Nezu, Aizawa and Vlad King attending a press conference.

Many amongst the crowd seemed set against U.A.'s heroes as the three addressed the several villain attacks that had occurred since the beginning of the school year. Though all three U.A. staff apologized vehemently for U.A.'s failure to adequately prevent those incidents, news reporters and citizens alike disregarded U.A.'s efforts at revamping the school's security system and instead heaped the blame right onto them.

Hardly unexpected, seeing as how that was the easy conclusion to make. In the end, it is not a true solution that these humans seek. Rather, they seek resolution. A swift and decisive end to whatever it is that inconveniences their daily schedules. It didn't matter to these imbeciles that effective measures take time and effort to execute, they sought to immerse themselves in a quagmire of fantasy. The delusion that a quick and easy solution is lying right in front of them, when in reality that is never the case.

Unfortunately for U.A., the society they worked so hard to uphold had concluded that the simplest way to quell their outrage was by declaring that it was the heroes and not the villains who were at fault. And while Alucard agreed that Aizawa and the other teachers failed by underestimating the villains' strength, the majority of the responsibility still lay on All For One's emaciated shoulders.

"Pretty weird, if you ask me…" Shigaraki rasped, elated to be hearing so much negative press about his hated enemies. "Why're they criticizing the heroes, huh?!" He sneered, stretching his arms out in disdain. "Their only crime was doing too little, too late! It's their job to protect people, but anyone can screw up now and then, right?! Why're people expecting them to be perfect?!" It was a rhetorical question he asked, of course. Extending his arms out at "Bakugo", Shigaraki appeared unaware that Bakugo's eyes were the wrong color. "Heroes today sure have it rough, I'd say. Am I right, Bakugo?"

Chained and handcuffed to the metal chair, Alucard could feel Bakugo's consciousness fighting to free himself from his influence. However, Alucard had performed this stunt far too many times in the past for a mere infant to break. Although, being subjected to the annoying musings of two children simultaneously was proving to be a challenge. Hopefully the boy would get to the point sooner rather than later.

"The minute that protecting people started coming with a paycheck, heroes stopped being heroes. Worthless scumbags like them aren't necessary." Dabi added.

"Save someone, and you get money. You get fame. Sounds weird to me. And in this society, where the precious rules are everything…" Shigaraki nodded. "…The people aren't cheering for the losers, telling them to fight another day. They're blaming them. Our war is based on a few simple questions. What is a hero? What is justice? Is this what society's really supposed to be like? Once we get people thinking about this stuff, that's when we've won." Shigaraki crossed his arms, waiting for Bakugo to react.

"And I know… YOU LOVE TO WIN!"

Were Bakugo properly listening to this buffoon's ranting, that equally fatuous moron may have been coerced into joining them. Though to be fair, Bakugo was so prideful that it wasn't unimaginable for him to remain resolute in the face of a whole room of more powerful opponents.

"Dabi. Untie him." Shigaraki gestured at "Bakugo's" restraints.

"Huh?" Dabi was shocked, as was Alucard to a minor degree. Was their leader truly so arrogant that he would allow a potential enemy to run havoc in his own base? "He'll go wild for sure."

"It's okay. We gotta treat him as an equal. We're scouting him, after all. Besides… Before he throws a tantrum, our little U.A. student here… should be smart enough to know he can't win."

Clearly, Shigaraki had not properly researched Bakugo. Now, none amongst them were aware that it was not Bakugo whom they were inviting into their ranks. But if it were, that boy would most definitely have swung at Shigaraki with intent to kill.

"Twice. Do it." Not wanting to take that risk himself, Dabi instead ordered Twice to do it for him.

"HUH, ME?! NO THANKS!" Twice cried out, shaking his head sporadically. But being the submissive dog he was, he inevitably gave in to his master's commands.

He was moderately disappointed in finding that these so-called "villains" were far from the inexcusable rebels they so claimed to be. In contrast to the disorder and havoc they desired to transform society into, they themselves still followed strict guidelines in All For One's organization. There was still a distinct hierarchical structure established in the League of Villains, which Alucard found ran against their principles.

Even now, they should have been vying for dominance. The weaker dogs scheming to backstab their commanders, and the commanders seeking out any opportunity to grow stronger and prevent those dogs from succeeding. All For One should have a target on his back, and these fools should have been aiming at it. If they sincerely believed they could bring about a more prosperous society, they were not "villains". Just a gathering of idiots.

Sadly, Alucard himself would be playing the part as one of those idiots. At least until Mr. Compress's role in this charade was fulfilled.

"We apologize for the rather forceful measures taken to get you here… and yet…" He sighed, trying to sound as sincere as he could manage while effectively speaking to himself. "… We need you to understand that we're no mere thugs working in the name of aimless evil. Not in the least. It wasn't by accident that we spirited you away."

After analyzing the memories of Mr. Compress, or rather Atsuhiro Sako, Alucard gained a more in-depth understanding of the intentions of Shigaraki and All For One's League of Villains. Essentially, All For One was an egomaniacal bastard who sought full control over Japan, of not the world. An immortal monarch who would rule over society until the end of time. And in doing so, he had honeyed his words to appeal more to those who stood in the middle of the moral seesaw.

They were not so different, Alucard and All For One. The only difference being one of them had seen the results of his aspirations and had thus been condemned to eternal damnation.

"Everyone here has a different story to tell, but we've all suffered… thanks to other people. Thanks to rules. Thanks to heroes. We've felt suffocated… You, more than anyone, should understand." Shigaraki walked closer to Bakugo after Twice had finished with his restraints. "It's up to you. Either follow your instincts and join us… or persist in that worthless existence they call 'society'."

In that moment, Alucard noticed that the camera installed in the corner of the ceiling had activated. Someone was watching them and had been doing so the entire time Shigaraki had been droning on about his ambitions. If he were to guess, the anonymous viewer was most likely All For One. And if that were the case, it wouldn't be long before the League of Villains esteemed leader would catch on to what was really happening.

*BEEP*

Right on cue.

"Tomura." An elegant, aristocratic voice emerged from the television screen nearby. As Shigaraki and everyone else in the room turned their attention towards it, none among them saw the tiny smile adorning Bakugo's lips.

"Master?" Shigaraki whispered. All For One had told him that he would be simply presiding over this meeting, seeing it as a test for Shigaraki's persuasive talents. So this was uncalled for.

"My precious pupil…" All For One spoke slowly, a hint of disappointment and anticipation in his voice. "Did you forget?"

"Forget what?" All For One's designated student was flabbergasted, unable to understand what it was he was being critiqued over. Was there something he had overlooked? Some fatal detail he'd carelessly ignored?

"The color of Katsuki Bakugo's irises."

"Huh?" Shigaraki stuttered, shifting back around and glaring at Bakugo's pupils. As scarlet red as before. Nothing had changed, so what gives? What had his master noticed that he hadn't?

Then, an image of that photograph from earlier resurfaced in Shigaraki's memory. That picture of Bakugo chained up in an iron coffin with his eyes beaming out in rage. There was one distinct difference between that and the Bakugo that sat before him now. While both had red eyes, the Bakugo sitting here now was almost glowing. Looking into them, he felt himself being immersed into an ocean of suffering. The wandering souls of the dead, all of them crying out for retribution.

"You've made a grave oversight, Shigaraki." All For One muttered, his tone not fitting the grim weight of his sentence. "However, …" he continued, "… the fault does not lie with you. After all, you were manipulated into making this decision. Am I right, Vlad Tepes of Wallachia?"


0.0


Katsuki Bakugo was being far more compliant than expected. That was the first clue. His demonic eyes were the second sign. Something wasn't right. But what definitively told All For One that something was amiss… was the fact that the mission was successful to begin with.

He had given Tomura Shigaraki two Nomu. The first was subtly dubbed the "Chainsaw Nomu", which Shigaraki then proceeded to hand over to Dabi. That one was meant to be a sideshow. A display piece, in the event the Vanguard Action Squad felt they needed a helping hand. It was the second Nomu that was intended to serve as the main course for the one All For One hoped was to receive it.

Ever since I-Island, All For One had worked with his associate, Daruma Ujiko, to devise a Nomu fit for a king. One capable of far more than any created prior, injected with a lethal combination of Quirks that would grind through any imperfect being. This Nomu was meant to serve as a test, as well as an offering. To whomever it deemed worthy to battle, the defeat of this Nomu would indicate that the victor was the No-Life King. The Impaler. And the one All For One sought to surpass.

While there lay the possibility that Yagi Toshinori might be able to overcome the challenge, they'd established with concrete certainty that he would be nowhere near the training camp during that operation.

And so, when the Nomu did activate and was then laid low by an unknown foe, All For One was confident that his greatest inspiration was very real. And very much a threat to his scheme. Surely, he had thought, the almighty Dracula would devour the delectable Vanguard Action Squad and make his way over, where All For One could achieve his ultimate aspiration. Proving himself against the invincible vampire and demonstrate to the world that he was its true ruler.

So imagine his surprise when Dabi and the other pawns returned to headquarters unscathed. Save for a few of them being captured and taken prisoner, the Vanguard Action Squad was largely intact. No missing body parts, no corrupted minds, no bite marks on their necks. This was nowhere near what All For One had envisioned.

And then he noticed Katsuki Bakugo's eyes. There lay an almost sadistic pleasure writhing within them that had never existed before. Yes, this was not U.A.'s rampant monkey. Instead, it was their cruel overlord. Dracula had adopted his form in order to infiltrate the League of Villains hideout. Which could only mean one thing.

He wanted to meet in person.

What an opportunity. It would be such a delight to finally meet the one who'd inspired him all those years back. All For One felt honored that the No-Life King had so graciously wandered into his premises without creating a mess. And after announcing to his underlings that Dracula, the Dracula, was amongst them…

It was only natural for his statement to be met with complete and utter confusion.

"Master…?" Shigaraki whispered, unable to comprehend just what his teacher was telling them.

"…?" At first scoffing in stupefaction, Dabi's face turned to exasperation as he unpacked the situation.

Toga and Mr. Compress both had minimal reactions. Instead, they turned their attention towards the subject in question. If All For One said something was wrong, then something was most definitely wrong.

"The fuck's he on about…?" Twice blurted out, a look of total bewilderment on his face. He had no idea who this "Vlad Tepes" character was, but the implication that they'd kidnapped the wrong target sent his mind spinning.

As everyone stood aghast while trying to figure out what exactly was going on, Katsuki Bakugo's lips began twisting upward.


0.0


All For One had passed Alucard's first test, catching on to the imperfections and inaccuracies in his appearance. That news pleased him. After all, killing this roach would have been a waste of time otherwise. Unfortunately, it appeared that All For One failed to discern that Mr. Compress was where Alucard was truly hiding, but such an oversight was forgivable given that the mask concealed his blood-red eyes.

The pieces were now in place for his entrance. All that remained for him to do was confronting All For One. After that, the rest of the puzzle would naturally take shape.

"What are you talking about, master…?" Flustered, Shigaraki turned from left to right, desperately trying to make sense of All For One's fraudulent statements. "What mistake?"

Through the television speaker, All For One audibly giggled. Alucard was preparing himself for the next step in his scheme as the insects around him slowly realized what their glorious leader was referring to, their gazes steadily inching towards Bakugo in the center of the room. Despite being freed from his restraints, the boy had made zero movements at escaping nor accepting Shigaraki's offer. Instead, a tiny smirk now dwelled atop his lips. As the atmosphere grew murky and tense, All For One's voice was the only variable keeping things in order.

"You overlooked a crucial detail, Shigaraki. Though I cannot place the blame wholly upon you, as it was partially mine for neglecting to inform you of your true opponent, that does not excuse the fact you have introduced a rogue element into our headquarters."

"True opponent…?" The childish insect mumbled. "... Rogue element...?"

As the League of Villains gradually grew more and more disorganized, none of them could spare a moment to glance at Mr. Compress. With the commotion growing more widespread with every passing second, Alucard took advantage of it and began dematerializing through the wall he was leaning on. "Bakugo" would stick around for a bit longer. Long enough, at least, to be rescued by All Might and his allies. Meanwhile, Mr. Compress was off for his long-awaited meeting with his boss. By the time Dabi noticed his absence, Mr. Compress was already long gone.

"Where'd Compress go? Did anyone see him leave?" Asked Dabi. Toga, the only one really in position to have spotted anyone passing through the door, shook her head. She'd been preoccupied trying to glean any sort of revelation from Katsuki Bakugo.

While Shigaraki and his agents muttered amongst themselves trying to make sense of their almighty leader's words, said almighty leader was leisurely setting himself up for an audience with his highly-esteemed guest. At last, it was time to test himself against the monstrous mastermind who'd terrorized Europe for centuries.


0.0


Police Agency Nearby:

The room was filled with the sound of people filing about, examining their equipment and readying themselves for what was to come. When All Might had been informed of young Bakugo's location, he'd held nothing back when gathering allies. Almost every hero in Japan's Top 10 rankings was present, including Mirko, Endeavor, Gang Orca, Best Jeanist and more. Along with them were police special forces brought by Detective Tsukauchi and Chief Tsurugamae. The mood in the room was palpably serious. Everyone was aware of the stakes at hand, and no one wanted to crack under the pressure. Some of them dealt with it better than others, such as Mirko, gloating about how excited she was to punch All For One in the face.

"Why do I gotta go and clean up U.A.'s mess...?" Unlike her though, Endeavor was less enthusiastic in his musings. "I got places to be."

Endeavor had always held a certain animosity towards All Might. However, contrary to his behavior, he never failed to answer a call to action, especially when it came from the man himself. And today was no different. As he spoke with a level of disdain and anger that would have intimidated even the likes of the bubbly Midoriya, his cooled flames and casual demeanor said otherwise.

"Oh, c'mon... you're an alum, aren't you?" Best Jeanist replied, calmly combing his already picture-perfect hairdo.

"This isn't just U.A.'s call you're heeding..." Said Tsukauchi. "Try to see the big picture, Endeavor." As much as they all wanted to avoid it, they all knew how much was on the line. "The preservation of our entire hero society is riding on this operation. We have to settle this now, with full force!"

The police force had truly pulled out all the stops for this operation. After all, there was more at risk than the life of one U.A. student. The fact the boy had been kidnapped had already set the stage for this tenuous situation. If they failed to rescue him and apprehend his kidnappers, public opinion would swing heavily against the heroes. The worst case scenario was Bakugo being persuaded to join the villains, in which case the public would be even more incensed. Everything hinged on this mission's success.

"I invited Bakugo to my agency in hopes of reforming his behavior." Best Jeanist sighed, shaking his head as memories of that futile effort resurfaced. "Never have I come across such a headstrong individual. We must hurry if we are to stop him from taking wild, drastic action."

"So you couldn't do squat to change him, huh? Heh heh..." Gang Orca smirked from the other side of the room. He'd advised against letting the kid work as an intern, and now they were finding out just why he'd so adamantly stood against Bakugo.

"The very roots of his hair were filled with that unshakeable pride." Best Jeanist had chosen to hold onto the belief that anyone could be reformed, just as All Might's principles stated, but Bakugo proved to be an exception to those principles.

But although they stood on opposing ground regarding the hostage, the two heroes knew that at the very least, this resurgence of villainy had to be uprooted before it took hold. If it were allowed to prosper, there was no knowing how far it could grow.

"They also took my partner, Ragdoll, away from us... so I've got a personal stake in this game!" Tiger growled, lamenting his teammate's abduction. The fact she hadn't responded to Mandalay's telepathic messages should have been a warning that something was wrong, but instead the Pussycat's chose to prioritize protecting the students over checking Ragdoll's status. While he didn't regret that decision, it'd nevertheless come back to bite them.

"Based on the tracking device placed by one of the students... we can assume these villains occupy multiple hideouts." Putting on his bulletproof gear, Tsukauchi continued from where he'd left off on the details of their mission. "That said, our investigation has determined the current location of the abducted student. We'll be sending the bulk of our personnel there. Retrieving the hostage is top priority. At the same time, we'll move in on the other possible hideout. By cutting off all paths of retreat, we'll be able to take down the entire organization."

"Toshinori." Hearing the short old man next to him speak, All Might craned his towering frame towards him. Anything said by Gran Torino was not to be ignored. "Recruiting me, of all people, must mean..."

"'Of all people'? Hardly... Gran Torino!" All Might pumped his fists determinedly. "With the situation as big as it's become... we can be sure he'll make a move."

"All For One..."

After what happened at Hosu City, and then the events on I-Island, Gran Torino had felt obligated to dip his toe back into this business. And while he hadn't really found anything that Principal Nezu and the other heroes hadn't already discovered, his presence alone was enough. The thought that All For One, the man who'd killed the previous wielder of One For All, was still lurking in the shadows and was now on the verge of restarting that age old conflict...

Gran Torino refused to sit by and watch. As All Might and his old mentor convened with the other heroes, Tsukauchi donned his headgear and stepped closer to the exit.

"WE'RE UP AGAINST THE CLOCK HERE! DON'T GIVE THOSE VILLAINS TIME TO PULL ANYTHING OFF! WITH THE EARLIER PRESS CONFERENCE... WE'VE TRICKED THE VILLAINS INTO THINKING WE ASKED ONLY THE PRINCIPAL TO COOPERATE! WE WANT THEM OT THINK W'RE IN DISARRAY! AFTER HEARING SUCH AN UNSATISFACTORY DECLARATION LIKE THAT... THEY'LL NEVER EXPECT THAT TODAY'S THE DAY WE TAKE THEM DOWN! IT'S TIME FOR PAYBACK!"

A dark gloom set in over All Might's cheerful smile. He wouldn't be able to smile as brightly as usual until All For One was either stuck in a cell, or if things got too out of hand...

It was time to put an end to this age old grudge.

"TIME TO TURN THE TABLES! HEROES!"


0.0


Author's Notes: Good to be back. I'll try going back to regular updates, but I am going into my final quarter before graduation so I might be a little inconsistent at points. However, I have come up with ideas on how I want to end this story during my break, so hopefully I can manage to keep it all in line. Thank you for reading, and I'll see you in the next.