THEN

SOME WEEKS AGO

Tenya was leisurely eating his lunch, Todoroki and Midoriya sitting by his sides. Across from them were Uraraka, Hagakure, and Asui. Situated in UA's cafeteria, they were discussing the upcoming final exam and what material they would most likely be tested on.

"We can't just study," Midoriya said, thinking aloud but not quite at his usual rambling volume or pace. "We have to stay in great physical shape."

Midoriya yelped as someone hit the back of his head with their elbow.

Everyone at the table looked at the assailant: Neito Monoma from class 1-B.

"Oh, sorry," Monoma said without sounding as such. Todoroki and Asui seemed to ignore him and went back to their food. "Your head's so big that it's hard to miss."

Midoriya rubbed his head as he tried to politely speak to Monoma. "You're from class B, right?"

"I heard you guys stumbled across the Hero Killer." Tenya froze, but he otherwise kept himself from visibly reacting.

"Uh, yeah," said Midoriya. "It, um, could've been a close call if not for, uh, Endeavor."

"So they say, but I've got an inside source that says there's more to the incident than simply class 1-A getting themselves into trouble again."

"But, there really isn't anymore to it than–"

"Does the name Diamondhead ring a bell?"

Tenya rigidly rotated his head to stare at Monoma. How did he know? While there was mention of a vigilante involved in the cover story that Endeavor had been the one to defeat and arrest Stain, Diamondhead was never named, and most news outlets and the media were more focused on the influence of villains and failures of heroes instead of the impact of vigilantism.

Midoriya sputtered, "What are you talking ab–"

"I was interning under Native's hero agency," Monoma elaborated. "Complications prevented me from being there when the Hero Killer was finally brought under police custody, but I'm perfectly aware of the situation."

How? No, the question was why. Why would Native inform Monoma of the truth? Why not tell him the cover story of Endeavor being the one to defeat the Stain?

"What's he talking about, guys?" Uraraka asked in innocent curiosity. Midoriya audibly gulped. Tenya took after Todoroki's example and remained silent and straight-faced.

"I just thought it was a disappointing effort," Monoma went on. "You throw yourselves into a troublesome position, thrusting yourself into the spotlight as soon-to-be heroes, but you needed the help of a criminal, a vigilante, to keep you alive until more pros arrived on the scene. A rather poor performance for students of UA, I'd say."

"Oh, yeah?" said Hagakure in a challenging tone. She pointed a fork at Monoma. "I'd like to see you try to take on a pro hero serial killer and live to tell about it. These guys were lucky that Endeavor got to the scene when he did! Right, guys?"

Todoroki said nothing. Tenya did the same, letting Midoriya nervously spout out an affirmative. As for Monoma, the provocation only made his smug smile wider as he turned to the three. "I'll commend you on putting up a good fight. The Hero Killer does have a body count and has crippled many pros already. The fact that you even lasted as long as you did should naturally be something you should be praised for. Yet most people are only talking about the misguided message of a madman instead of the hero students who survived him. Stain is in the spotlight now. After that entire ordeal, you don't even get the consolation of being in the center of attention."

Tenya didn't mind that at all. He had made mistakes and learned his lesson. He just wanted to abide by his pledge to stay on the path of being a true hero. Attention from the media or the public was undeniably a relevant component of a hero's career but not one Tenya had the time or the desire to focus on at this stage.

"We're just happy to be alive," Tenya said, controlling his voice to sound casual, to convey to Monoma that his goading wasn't having the effect he may have sought after, "and that Stain is behind bars unable to hurt anyone else."

Monoma opened his mouth to say something, but then he closed it. He and Tenya stared at one another, and Tenya wasn't sure what was going through Monoma's head as they did so.

Of course Monoma was judging him, judging all of class 1-A, but this… this felt different.

Finally, Monoma nodded. "You'll do better," he said. "Too bad you missed your chance during our internships to more formally debut your hero personas to the public. It gives class B time to make our names known to the world before you has-beens get embroiled in more drama."

Just more of the same from Monoma. Tenya decided to ignore him now.

"I bet at least a quarter of 1-A fails the practical section of the final exam. What will people say then? Were the USJ and Hosu incidents and the Sports Festival only flukes for class A? Is the underground hero Eraserhead adequately equipped to educate a group of rambunctious upstarts? Can such young souls like the son of Endeavor and the next Ingenium truly live up to–"

Monoma was cut short, his hostile, menacing aura evaporating in an instant as another student from class B, Itsuka Kendo, chopped a hand against the back of his neck. Monoma immediately stuttered and fell to his knees, the lunch tray he had been holding now being caught one-handed by Kendo.

"That's not funny, Monoma," Kendo reprimanded him. "You know what happened to Iida. Chill out." Kendo provided a reconilatory smile to Tenya and the rest of them at their table. "I apologize for him. I'm pretty sure there's a hole where his heart should be."

"It's fine," Tenya said. Honestly, he wasn't too offended. There was nothing Monoma could say that would make Tenya question himself any more than he already has after surviving Stain and dealing with the consequences of attacking the Hero Killer.

Regardless, Kendo offered an olive branch to class A in the form of information relating to the final exam. According to her sources, the practical portion could very likely involve combating robots as they had done during the entrance exam.

In turn, Midoriya entered his muttering state again. At the same time, Monoma weakly glared at Tenya and the others as he berated Kendo for sharing this information. Kendo hit Monoma again before dragging him away.

As Tenya's classmates resumed their previous conversation, Tenya kept his eyes on Monoma. He still didn't understand why Native would tell Monoma the truth, but if he had been holding onto this information for this long, then Monoma most likely wasn't going to reveal how Stain was really apprehended to the public. It was only more ammunition for him to twist, contort, and throw in the face of class A during school. The story of Endeavor's victory over Stain should remain intact, with the true roles Tenya, Midoriya, and Todoroki had played still a secret.

Privately, Tenya wondered what "complications" would have prevented Monoma from being there with Native when Stain had attacked. Had Monoma been relegated to Native's agency office building and thus out of the field? Already providing support to the pros or for the civilians in the wake of the Nomu attack? Perhaps held back by Diamondhead to prevent more reckless children from putting themselves in unnecessary danger?

Tenya put those thoughts aside as he returned to his lunch. He had more important things to worry about: today's upcoming heroics class, study plans for the final exam, and checking up on Tensei.

Not to mention committing more time to research the hourglass emblem worn on Diamondhead. There was apparently more than one vigilante in Japan who donned that symbol in their vigilante attire. If there was a single thing Monoma had said that was worth seriously considering, it was the fact that a criminal had portrayed a more heroic mentality than Tenya, a hero student who had left his post to try to commit a conscious act of murder.

Tenya had to be better, and he was curious how the likes of Diamondhead seemed to have maintained his sense of honor while serving as a criminal. Maybe there will be something worthwhile to learn there, too.

But for now, Tenya let himself get engrossed into another bout of Uraraka demonstrating some martial arts movements she had picked up during her internship and Asui commenting that she almost resembled Tenya when he emphasized things with his own hand-chopping motions.

Happy to indulge in some normalcy and to remove himself from his dark thoughts, Tenya resolutely denied Asui's claims, demonstrating his own hand waves for a live comparison.

NOW

As their group of newly disguised U.A. students exited the clothing shop and onto the streets of Kamino Ward, Tenya took a deep breath.

"That lady over there has a huge rack!" Tenya exuberantly declared, doing his best "scoundrel" impression and resisting the urge to scratch his fake mustache.

Fukidashi coughed into his hand, parts of his atypical head turning faintly red. "Uh, maybe that's a little too bold? People are already looking at us."

He was right. Some passersby were giving Tenya odd looks, so he tried again. "We're just a few scoundrels cruising for hot girls!"

Kirishima gave him a thumbs-up. "You still have the right energy, so close enough!"

"Great disguises," Yaoyorozu congratulated everyone as she placed sunglasses over her eyes. An odd costume choice considering that it was nighttime, but Tenya didn't draw attention to it. "We'd stand out in this district dressed like kids."

"Yaoyorozu," Todoroki spoke up, "couldn't you have used your Quirk for this to save money?"

In response, Yaoyorozu cheeks flushed as she scrambled to justify the expenditure on their costumes.

Meanwhile, Midoriya continued to chant, "Whatcha lookin' at?!" Tenya applauded his dedication for getting into character.

Tokage from class B snorted. "You guys don't look half-bad, but can we hurry it up?"

Tenya regarded the students from class B. Tokage wore a dress shirt with a black tie and was holding a suit jacket over her shoulder to let it hang over her back, a toothpick being held between her teeth. Fukidashi readjusted his fedora as he made a slight woosh sound that caused the lower part of his duster to flow with the accompanying breeze. Kuroiro popped the collar of his shirt up and was viewing a map of the area on his phone. Tsunotori was resecuring the horn-like attachments on Kirishima's head as she quietly lamented in her native language how no one else had worn similar accessories.

Wait. Someone was missing.

"Where's the receiver?" Kuroiro asked.

"Kendo should have it," Yaoyorozu said. "I gave it to her when I changed into my outfit."

"And Kendo is not here," Tenya announced to everyone. The rest of their group stopped what they were doing and searched around them. Between the other people walking along the street and the illuminating bright lights of the neighboring buildings, there was no sign of Kendo.

Tokage cursed under her breath. "She must have left on her own with it while we were playing dress-up."

But… why? "Why would Kendo do such a thing?" Tenya questioned out loud. Was she trying to sabotage them? Did she leave to report them all to the authorities?

"My money's on her thinking she can rescue Monoma and probably Bakugo on her own," Tokage answered, "without us."

"How could she even conceive such a thought?" Kendo always seemed to Tenya as an intelligent, sensible person. The ten of them going off to try to rescue Bakugo and Monoma by themselves was crazy and dangerous enough, but Kendo attempting to do it alone?

"You don't know her as well as we do," said Kuroiro. "She's got a dark side, in constant contest with her light. Same as Monoma, in fact, if only less pronounced."

Tenya didn't quite understand what he meant. In any case, Todoroki suggested, "We should talk as we walk. Yaoyorozu, can you make another receiver?"

"Of course." She created it and led the way as their group walked briskly down the street. "I still don't understand why Kendo would leave without us," she said under breath.

"You know," spoke Tokage, "she tried to convince us not to go with you guys. But when she said she planned on joining the Bakugo/Monoma rescue squad anyway, we all knew nothing was stopping the rest of us from tagging along. I'm not sure why she decided to cut us out entirely after finally getting here."

"Too worried for her friends?" suggested Tsunotori. "Worried for Monoma, and worried for us. Didn't like us coming, so she tries to sacrifice herself? By rescuing Monoma alone?"

Kuroiro grunted. "There lies a difference between self-sacrifice and suicide, especially considering the monsterous defeats six pro heroes and forty UA students suffered at the hands of the villains we're targeting."

"There is strength in numbers," added Midoriya. "Us staying together gives us more options when we get to the tracker's location. Kendo going alone–"

"Makes absolutely no sense," Tenya finished, still trying to determine Kendo's thought process, "unless…"

"Unless what?" Tokage prompted.

Tenya took a deep breath. "Kendo must know that we still have the means and intention to continue our search. The only reason why she would go on ahead of us is that she is somehow making preparations that will assist in our approach to the villain base and benefit our rescue attempt."

"But what could she even do?" Kirishima asked, frowning in confusion. "Her Quirk would probably cause a scene if she was using that in any preparations."

"She must know something we don't," Tenya concluded, a sense of realization hitting him.

Tokage scoffed. "Something that she couldn't share with the rest of us?"

Yes, perhaps something like Monoma's secret ability of being able to transform into a mutant-like form seemingly unrelated to his Copy Quirk.

From the things class B have said over the course of their trip to Kamino, it was clear that Kendo and Monoma were very close friends. Perhaps close enough for Kendo to know that those "Knights" referenced by Monoma and Diamondhead were hunting her best friend. Assuming this was true, Kendo might have information on the Knights that will make rescuing their captured classmates easier, but revealing this information would warrant an explanation on how she came across this knowledge, which could expose Monoma's secret.

Tenya still wasn't even sure what exactly that secret was. That villain at the camp, Mustard, had made reference to Monoma having fought villains in America. If he could turn into Heatblast, had he also turned into Diamondhead? In retrospect, Diamondhead's mannerisms had indeed resembled Monoma somewhat. Diamondhead had even mentioned something about being in a different form at some point before. Was whatever the cause of these transformations the reason why he was kidnapped? Or were the villains seeking purely vengeance for Monoma's apparent vigilantism?

Tenya had too many questions. None would get answered until they caught up to Kendo and successfully rescued Bakugo and Monoma.

As their group strayed further away from the crowded lit streets and more into the dense, darker blocks of Kamino Ward, a buzzing sound briefly let out. Someone just received a text message.

Yaoyorozu pulled out her phone from her purse. Her eyes widened at what she saw. "It's an address," she said, surprised yet delighted, "sent by Kendo." She looked at the receiver and glanced at the map open on Kuroiro's phone. "Yes, this address must be where the villains are hiding! Kendo has found them."

Her phone vibrated again. Tenya resisted the urge to push through and see what else Kendo must have sent for himself. He curled his fingers to form two fists and clenched, keeping himself from breaking into a run with his Quirk.

"She says to… bring masks," Yaoyorozu read. As everyone quickened their pace, she began generating the same gas masks she had supplied at the training camp the night of the villain attack. "The gas villain must be there."

Tsunotori grinned as she helped pass along the masks. "If Kendo spotted him, maybe he's in big enough space for my horns to aim, fly, and hit him. Pull off his mask maybe so his Quirk hurt him, too. Or get rid of gun. Then Mustard is useless."

"No!" Tenya said, maintaining their group's increasing speed down the street as he chopped down a hand in front of Tsunotori. "We are not directly engaging the villains. Our objective is strictly extraction. We have been over this far too many times than necessary!"

Tsunotori continued to grin as she scratched her ear. "Sorry," she said as she helped pass along the gas masks to everyone, "language not so good."

Fukidashi sighed. "Don't play that card again, Pony. Think about it, guys. If Kendo managed to find the villain hideout, then the pros must've, too, by now. When the fighting breaks out, if it hasn't already, then our job is to get our classmates out of the line of fire and nothing else."

"And don't forget," Yaoyorozu chimed in, "we all agreed that avoiding using our Quirks to confront the villains is paramount."

"Last resort," Tsunotori said, with a bit too much excitement.

"Only a contingency. We're back-up, not the front–"

Yaoyorozu's phone vibrated again. Another message.

She frowned. "'Luck only lasts so long,' is what Kendo wrote. She also… She wants us to bring a first aid kit… and pain killers..."

The implications from that message was enough for everyone to start jogging, stopping from outright running or sprinting only so that they would not draw as much attention to themselves. Either Kendo was seriously hurt, or Bakugo or Monoma were, or all of them. Any one of those scenarios was going to make this rescue operation that much more difficult.

Before long, they came upon a warehouse attached to the address they were sent. They donned their respective gas masks. The immediate surrounding area was deserted of civilians, thankfully. The building was also likely publicly listed as abandoned, as was the standard for villain sanctuaries.

Midoriya made a few quiet murmurings to himself before speaking up. "Half of us should approach from behind the building, but move quickly. Kuroiro, Tenya, Fukidashi, and Todoroki should go to the back. Bring Fukidashi's night vision goggles. Look for a window. The rest of us will spot for Tokage. She can float up on this side and use Kirishima's night vision scope. If one of us sees something, we'll call each other, but keep it subtle. Don't make too much noise."

Some of the class B students were about to give objections or comments, but Tenya and Todoroki quickly hurried onward and pulled Kuroiro and Fukidashi with them. Midioriya had lined out a solid plan, and there was little time to waste.

Once at the back of the warehouse, they all kept low as they hugged the wall. Fukidashi handed Kuroiro the goggles. Then Kuroiro used his Quirk to seep his body into the darkness of the building. The gas mask he was wearing also melted with him into his shadow, though the goggles didn't. From a distinct black shadow on the wall extended out Kuroiro's hand, holding the goggles. As the shadow, Kuroiro went up the structure until he reached an upper window. Kuroiro let his head pop out and peered into the warehouse through the goggles.

After a moment, Kuroiro said, "Oh, crap."

"What is it?" Todoroki asked. "Were you spotted?"

"No. I… Todoroki, you can use your ice to create a platform. The… The villains are a little preoccupied, so they won't take note of us. The rest of you should see this."

Todoroki frowned but abided Kuroiro's suggestion. The confusion was palpable between the four of them.

Once Tenya had a good view of the interior of the building, he blinked more than once while processing what he was seeing.

The vigilante Lucky Girl, known associate of the Hourglass Vigilantes during their escapades in Japan, was fighting thugs who were dressed from head to toe in knightly-looking armor.

Lucky Girl was running across an elevated catwalk. The thugs were projecting bolts of red lasers at her via oddly shaped weapons. They hardly resembled normal guns, but they were firearms of a sort, no doubt. Their discharges were far less loud compared to regular gunshots, to be sure Miraculously, none of the lasers hit her as she somersaulted and spun her body around in mid-air as she ran.

A couple knights drudged up a stairway to block Lucky Girl's path. They carried energy swords similar to the one wielded by the Forever Ninja. Lucky Girl hopped onto a guard rail and ran down it, jumping again to avoid the sword swings delivered by the knights. She spun her legs around to smash her feet against the knights' heads. The first knight was briefly stunned before being hit by friendly fire, laser bolts sent from his allies on the ground floor. As Lucky Girl jumped over the guardrail to fall below the walkway, she grabbed the second knight and pulled him down with her far enough for his face to hit the railing.

Landing on the ground, Lucky Girl weaved around more bolts sent her way. Tenya squinted his eyes. Was that some sort of glowing pendant hanging from her neck?

"Should we help her?" Fukidashi quietly asked. "That's… Kendo, isn't it?"

Yes, it wasn't hard to figure out that it was Itsuka Kendo under the mask. Same build, same hair color regardless of the change in hairstyle, and no sign of wherever else she could be other than here. Her last message to Yaoyorozu was also a quite telling clue. Moreover, she was wearing the same type of gas mask created by Yaoyorozu. Kendo must have kept the one she had received at the training camp and brought it with her here along with her costume. Lucky Girl could be no one else but her.

"She's doing well by herself," said Kuroiro. He handed the goggles back to Fukidashi. The light show created by the lasers along with the regular light bulbs lit across the warehouse provided adequate illumination. "For now. Her luck may yet falter. Comicman, you should–"

"Wait," Todoroki said, pulling out his phone and adjusting the settings so everyone could speak and hear each other. "Midoriya, can Tokage see what we're seeing?"

"You mean Lucky Girl fighting those – wait, what?!" There was the muffled sound of Tokage's voice. Midoriya's voice raised a pitch. "That's Kendo as Lucky Girl?"

"She doesn't seem to be injured," Todoroki continued, and Tenya realized that he was absolutely right. Though Kendo was moving very fast and was almost a blur at certain moments, Tenya was able to see that her movements were clearly not impeded by pain or any visible wounds. "She asked us to bring medicine and a first aid kit. Can you see Bakugo or Monoma?"

"Hold on." There was a slight pause.

"It's Tokage," came next. Midoriya must have tossed her the phone. Tenya peered further into the warehouse and made eye contact with her. Her upper body was visible through a window on the opposite wall. "Look toward the right – your left, I mean. Left most side of the building. I can see more Nomus–"

By God, she was right! Each one submerged under glowing liquid in vats of some kind, with only their exposed brains above the surface visible. They appeared to be inactive, at least, unperturbed by all the noise the knights were causing as they undertook their assault on Kendo.

"–and a body lying on the floor next to them."

A body, covered by white cloth and with green hair sprawled around her head… Ragdoll! Tenya cursed himself for forgetting that she too had gone missing during the attack at the training camp. It was only logical that she would be confined at the villain hideout as well. They should have accounted for her presence, but Tenya and his peers had all been too blinded by their want to rescue only their own classmates instead of including one of the courageous heroes who would have given up their lives to protect them.

"Yaoyorozu," Tokage went on, "there's a doorway near that side of the building. It's out of the line of sight from the villains. You go there, and bring Kirisihima to break down the door if it comes to that. Kuroiro, can you slither inside the building?"

There were thick bars in the window blocking their way in, but that wouldn't stop someone with Kuroiro's Quirk. "Yes, ma'am," he said.

"Head inside and bring Ragdoll to that exit. Make sure you aren't seen. I have absolutely no clue how Kendo isn't getting hit, but if her plan is to cause a distraction, then we need to take advantage of it."

Kuroiro nodded, into the wall once more. The shadow slipped between the bars and entered the warehouse.

Tenya turned away from the window. He saw nothing but an empty neighborhood with the only lights visible off in the distance over the rooftops. "Are there any signs of pro heroes or police nearby?" Tenya asked Tokage over the phone.

"I'm seeing smoke rise a couple blocks away. Maybe more of those knights intercepted them? Or the rest of the League are there? These thugs here look like a uniformed army instead of a collection of villains like at the camp."

Suddenly, gunshots rang out. From a real firearm that launched bullets, not laser bolts.

Tenya spotted Mustard on the catwalk. He was firing down at Kendo, who had been cornered behind a support pillar by the knights. The boy was still in his school uniform and wore his green helmet, but the front part of his mask with its filters was missing, exposing his bandaged face. The helmet had to have been repaired in the aftermath of the camp attack. Tenya deduced that Kendo had initially targeted Mustard and damaged his mask, and though he was still conscious, using his Quirk now would only do more harm against himself. Were the knights' helmets not built to filter out Mustard's gas? Or was Mustard too eager to participate in the battle than to risk knocking himself out to subdue Kendo?

In any case, it appeared that Kendo's words about luck running out proved prophetic, since Mustard managed to shoot both Kendo's pendant and her ankle.

The pendant's broken pieces scattered. As Kendo lunged for more cover behind one of the Nomu vats, Mustard called out to the knights to reposition themselves. Mustard placed a hand over his nose and mouth, the familiar purple gas flowing outward from him. Before he became lost in the mist, Tenya managed to catch a glimpse of him jumping to the ground floor and marching toward Kendo.

Mustard's plan was probably to track Kendo's movements once she was within the range of his gas. Then he would fire his gun again, and if she used her own Quirk to clear out the gas or to disable Mustard as she had done at the camp, then the knights would likely be able to line up their shots and also fire on her.

Kuroiro made it to the door with Ragdoll, but some knights who had fled toward that area of the warehouse were now concentrating their fire on him. He went for cover with the unconscious hero in tow. The door was shaking, no doubt falling under the pressure of Kirishima smashing his hardened arms against the material to break through, but it wasn't going fast enough. None of them would be able to assist Kendo.

This would make him a hypocrite, but Tenya couldn't afford to be useless again. Not here. Not now, when the pro heroes weren't here and the power to help someone in need was in his hands.

If the door was sturdy enough to resist Kirishima's blows, the bars in the window were probably the same. So, Tenya placed a hand on Fukidashi's shoulder. Just as they had practiced during the train ride to Kamino, Tenya uttered the code word, "Boom."

Fukidashi reacted immediately. He shoved Tenya and Todoroki off the ice pillar. As Todoroki summoned another longer platform to catch them, Fukidashi shouted, "BOOM!"

The resulting explosion was comparable to one of Bakugo's, smoke filling the air as the sound of the boom filled everyone's ears. The force of the explosion shook the entire warehouse. Fukidashi was sent flying backwards, his body flailing uncontrollably. Tenya quickly urged Todoroki to ensure Fukidashi wouldn't suffer a bad fall before activating his engines. Tenya raced up the wall, through the newly widened opening Fukidashi had created, through the smoke, and into the thick fog of Mustard's Quirk.

Tenya felt a bullet hit him squarely in the shoulder. The impact was sudden, but Tenya was undeterred. He barely even felt the pain, and judging from the way his body was pushed in one direction, Tenya turned toward where Mustard must have fired and sprinted.

The gas suddenly dispersed. It revealed Mustard who had removed his hand from his face and was gasping for air. He must have reached his limit for holding his breath. Mustard's revolver was pointed straight for Tenya.

A flying horn swept across the room and hit Mustard's wrist. Courtesy of Tsunotori, Tenya guessed. He didn't have time to check if she and the rest of their classmates had entered the warehouse. Mustard dropped the gun and nearly tripped over himself. Tenya let his leg be boosted by its engine and brought a roundhouse kick to bear on Mustard's head.

The attack met its mark. The villain lost teeth as Tenya's foot swept across his swollen face. Mustard spun around before falling against one of the Nomu vats to support himself. Even then, he dropped to his knees.

With Mustard disarmed and disabled, Tenya darted for Kendo. She was sitting against another vat, her hands clasped around her bleeding ankle.

As Tenya ran, he could see more fighting rage around him. Kirisihima had broken through and was drawing fire to himself, allowing Yaoyorozu to take Ragdoll outside and Kuroiro to begin popping in and out of the floor to sucker punch knights of his choosing. Todoroki and Fukidashi returned, the former unleashing his ice to immobilize targets and the latter spawning Japanese characters that acted as blunt weapons.

Speaking of, Tsunotori was firing her horns around the entire building to knock out more armored thugs spread across the room. Tsunotori was next to Tokage crouching behind a set of wooden pallets. Tokage must have used her Quirk to split her eyes and let them float near the ceiling, where they would allow her to inform Tsunotori where to direct her horns. There was an improvised hole in the wall nearby, probably created by Midoriya that allowed the girls class B girls to enter.

Tenya didn't have a good angle on where Midoriya currently was, but Tenya was confident he was busy subduing foes just as their classmates were, or perhaps looking for their classmates that were still missing.

Here they were, everyone in their impromptu rescue team actively engaging villains with their Quirks, just like back in Hosu with Stain.

All of Tenya's and Yaoyorozu's insistence on not using their Quirks to fight the villains…

… would have meant nothing if their inaction had allowed Kendo or Ragdoll to die.

Right or wrong, Tenya let his classmates fight while he came to Kendo's side. He helped apply pressure to her wound.

"Or you hurt anywhere el–"

Tenya couldn't get all the words out. Panic shone in Kendo's eyes. "There's someone else!" she screamed. "Another villain. The mastermind, I think. And the muscle. He left, but he has to be close."

The muscle? Did she mean–

"God damn it!" That curse was from Mustard. The young villain clutching both his face and his helmeted head. "My gear still sucks as armor," he ranted to himself, "Why can't I have something like Muscular's? At least his stuff is bulletproof."

If the villain Muscular was nearby–

There was another resounding explosion, at the warehouse's front entrance.

Tenya saw no fire or flames. This explosion was caused by a large section of the wall physically being smashed apart. Dust scattered and pieces of debris flung far enough to hit some of the knights. The sheer force of the wall being destroyed was enough to send Tokage and Tsunotori flying as well.

There was a large silhouette standing where the wall once stood. The figure pitched something into the building. As the projectile landed near Tenya's feet, he realized that it was Midoriya, his disguise in ruins with the remnant scraps stained with blood. Crackles of green lightning weakly sparked around him.

"Too strong," Midoriya wheezed out, grasping at his chest, over his heart. "Stronger than… before..."

Muscular stepped inside. He wore a red tank top, his large arms littered not with his enhanced muscle fibers but instead with odd dark red cylinders that appeared to be partially pushed into his skin. The villain wore a black, flat breathing mask with pipes extending from its sides and moving over his shoulders toward his back. Muscular cracked his neck, revealing his left eye. Tenya knew that he usually placed a prosthetic over his scar there, but this replacement looked metallic, glowing a hot vermillion.

"Hey there, kids," Muscular greeted with a sick smile. "The Midoriya kid gave me a pretty good warm-up. Nice to see him still kicking. Hopefully the rest of you can give a decent fight until the Omnitrix boy wakes up."

Tenya… Tenya was ashamed to admit it. He froze. He couldn't react, couldn't think, couldn't move.

Midoriya was their hardest hitter, had the highest damage output out of all of them even if it was at the cost of his own body, and now he could no longer stand, already pushed to the breaking point by Muscular.

Their only option was evasion, but was getting everybody to safety even possible now?

The knights, who had also been stunned into silence by Muscular's arrival, retrained their weapons on the hero students.

Then another voice spoke up.

"Settle down now, knights."

The voice was… affable almost, yet cold. Something about it sent a chill down Tenya's spine.

Out from a shadowy corner of the building walked another dark figure. Tenya couldn't clearly identify him, but his gait and posture suggested a calm confidence.

"And how was the field test of your new upgrades?" the newcomer inquired to Muscular.

"Went pretty well. Killed most of the cops, and the heroes barely scratched me. I heard on the police radio that they've called in some reinforcements. Don't know if All Might will be with them, and I'm down to only a few leftover shots–"

"No need to worry."

Black sludge appeared around the Nomu vats. The material completely consumed each Nomu still in their vats. The mystery villain's Quirk? Was this the mastermind Kendo mentioned?

Mustard's body wobbled as he tried to stand up. The mastermind beckoned a hand at him, and Mustard began the struggle to walk toward him. "I told you not to use your Quirk near the Nomu," the mastermind lightly rebuked. "They haven't all been prepared against sedatives, including your Quirk. Well, I suppose the implants the Forever Knights supplied will have to do for now."

When Mustard said something in response, it was too quiet for Tenya to hear. The mastermind replied with a chuckle.

"You'll find the life of villainy far more exhilarating with Tomura instead of the Forever Knights, I assure you."

Muscular flinched. Did his ear twitch? He turned to the front entrance of the warehouse. "Heroes are here," he announced, eerily grinning.

"In that case," the mastermind said, "I suggest you get clear or seek cover with Mustard. And prepare yourselves for a good show."

The mysterious villain's dark form began to shake.

Tenya covered Kendo's and Midoriya's bodies with his own, as best as he could.

Before he could even try pushing his legs off the ground, an unstoppable force hit Tenya from behind. Something cracked, and twisted, burning with shock.

Tenya stopped. Against his will, he slept, and he hoped the heroes would succeed at what he and his friends had miserably failed to do.