THEN

SOME WEEKS AGO

As Itsuka dragged Monoma across the cafeteria floor, giving a farewell to class A, she rustled his collar.

"So I heard that Diamondhead made an appearance in Hosu," Itsuka said casually, "and was with Iida when the pros came to take down the Hero Killer."

Monoma groaned. "Quite the generous vigilante," he said. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"I don't know." Itsuka lowered her voice but added a little harshness to her tone. "Last I checked, vigilantes like him were supposed to be keeping a low profile." Because they had agreed that attending the school to legally become heroes was more important in the long-run than trying to balance the workload at UA with vigilantism. "Not getting into street brawls with the Hero Killer of all people."

Monoma grabbed Itsuka's wrist to pull himself up. Once he was standing, Itsuka dropped his lunch plate onto his hands. "It was during my internship," he elaborated, also quieting his voice. "A villain was running amok, threatening the hero I was interning under and about to kill a fellow U. student. I couldn't leave Native or even a peon like 1-A's class rep alone in that situation."

"I won't argue with your intentions... or your results, I guess, but the risk was massive." The two came upon the table Itsuka had been sitting at before she had spotted Monoma goading Iida and his friends. They took their seats and Itsuka returned to her meal, but she maintained a glare on Monoma. "All those heroes in close proximity, I'm honestly surprised you didn't get caught."

"You know better than to underestimate me, Kendo."

"Yeah. I also know better than to overestimate you, Monoma."

Kendo knew how smart he was, how adaptive of a fighter he could be, but by himself, even he couldn't have gone unnoticed while transforming into and acting as one his combat-oriented aliens like Diamondhead when literally dozens of heroes were coordinating and operating in the same area. The heroes might've been more focused on the Nomu attack, but there had already been a couple close calls with pros during Itsuka's and Monoma's vigilante days before their enrollment at UA. Their secret identities getting out was always a very real risk.

"The only good reason I can think of you using the watch instead of just your Quirk," Itsuka said, "was because the hero you interned with knows about the watch and helped run interference against the other pros."

At that, Monoma nodded. "He did."

"So that must mean Native is a… custodian?"

"Plumber."

Right. That's what the secret alien law enforcement agents call themselves. Plumbers. "He's a Plumber?"

"His cousin is, as well as their grandfather. I met the grandfather once in America. The Plumbers I've seen on Earth are almost like one big extended family. Native is aware of life beyond the stars, but as a pro hero, it's not his specialization."

"But you chose him for the internships because he knew about you and the watch."

Sipping from his drink, Monoma nodded again.

Before today, before learning about Diamondhead's reappearance after his extended absence from the public eye, Itsuka had no clue that one of Japan's pro heroes knew about the Omnitrix. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Monoma chuckled. One of those annoying chuckles which meant that he thought knew better. "Kendo, you're not my babysitter."

Itsuka sighed tiredly. "I know I'm not. God knows I'm not supposed to be, but imagine if something went wrong while you were in Hosu when you were using the watch. As far as I knew, Native was just another hero, so if you were for some reason put out of commission, I'd have to call your aunt – who lives on the other side of the ocean – instead of calling Native and giving him any support I could give." She wasn't sure what exact kind of support she could have given in this hypothetical, and it would probably be Monoma's parents who contacted his aunt first, but Kendo stood by her point: she needed to know about these sorts of things.

Monoma shrugged, almost carelessly, but he was frowning. Itsuka's words were finally getting through his thick head. "I… suppose it would've been prudent to tell you about Native. I simply thought that if I had, he would have figured out you were the new Lucky Girl."

A part of Itsuka kinda regretted taking on the name and look of an obscure American hero as her vigilante identity. It almost felt like she was playing pretend hero instead of legitimately trying to be her own hero. It still felt weird even after Monoma's aunt sent over those charms – the "magical" charms that Kendo had to concede worked but had no idea how, but the mask and the outfit had stuck. It would be more trouble trying to rebrand her vigilante look after a point anyway. "If Native already knows who you are, why would it matter if he knew about me? Your family already knows who I am."

"It was my aunt who taught me that the more people who know about your familiarity with aliens, the more likely it will mean that you will always become embroiled in alien-related conflicts and politics."

Itsuka already knew that. "And?"

Monoma set aside his lunch tray and leaned closer to her. "I don't have a choice in being involved with alien-related endeavors. You have a choice, Kendo. I won't deny that working with you this past year against villains has been… fantastic." Monoma turned away. Itsuka knew this kind of earnest complimenting was more embarrassing for him than his more dramatic, enthusiastic praises of class B's Quirks and grades. "I made some good friends in America, but I'll admit that none of them are as intelligent and reliable as you. The more I think about it, the more I think that it would be a waste for you to get caught up in alien business when you have so much more to give as a regular pro hero."

This disagreement again? Itsuka rubbed her temple in frustration. "You and your aunt try to paint just the knowledge of aliens as something that will turn the world upside down for the worst. As if advancements in technology in the past haven't caused crazy but beneficial changes in society. Or as if Quirks haven't played a big part in how world civilization has shaped itself today with heroes at the forefront." History wasn't Itsuka's best subject, but she knew enough. "I really don't want to argue about this again, but what I will say is that it won't matter one bit whether I run into a situation that explicitly involves alien stuff or only involves humans with alien-like Quirks. I'm going to jump into it and resolve the problem like any sensible hero."

Itsuka flipped a fork in her hand to poke the dull end against Monoma's forehead. A harmless hit, but he still cringed in a mix of surprise and ire.

"We're still both heroes." Vigilante or not, alien powers or not, magical charms or not, that's what they were. "We might be wearing different costumes than before, but that hasn't changed. You made fun of class A for not setting good enough examples as heroes, but don't you forget about the rest of us, and I don't mean just me. Any hero worth their cape is going to take the initiative to stop villains and save people regardless of whatever nuance an alien brings to the table. Trying to push me out of the more abnormal side of your life only makes all of our jobs harder, because it's not just you that alien shenanigans affect, whether people out there know it or not."

Monoma didn't immediately respond. He leaned back, stewing on Itsuka's words.

Seriously, they've been working side-by-side, in school as hero students and on the streets as crime fighters, and Monoma still can't let it sink in that partnership depended on good communication? On trust?

It was undeniable that Monoma was full of himself. Itsuka just hoped his attitude didn't evolve into a misguided messiah complex or something else just as ridiculous…

"So," said a voice approaching from behind Itsuka, "is class B's big sis scolding her little brother again?"

Itsuka resisted audibly groaning. Instead, she turned her head to see Setsuna Tokage saunting toward them with a teasing grin.

"Please, Tokage," Neito said dismissively, getting out of his funk and returning to normal as he pointed between himself and Itsuka. "Do you really think a woman of such inconsistent temperament could be related to a model of heroism like myself?"

"Nothing inconsistent about a big sis trying to do damage control for 1-B's bratty brother," Tokage said as she sat next to Itsuka. "Can't be helped that your 'model of heroism' makes you act like such a trash human being."

Another one of their classmates chuckled as he took a seat next to Monoma. "At least he's honest," said Juzo Honenuki. "Since you've made your stance known to everyone during the Sports Festival, I hope class A will get to hear the brunt of his complaints now instead of us."

"Then Monoma will praise us more!" That was Tsunotori. Accompanying her were Fukidashi and Tetsutetsu. They also made themselves comfortable at the table. "Instead of criticizing us."

"I praise and critique my fellow class B compatriots plenty!" Monoma claimed. He pointed at the table with Iida, Todoroki, and the other 1-A guys he had been hounding earlier. "It's those losers in class A who need a proper reality check."

"You've got a horrible bias," Honenuki observed, chewing loudly on his food. "What's even the difference between us beyond them getting more coverage on the news because of factors outside their control? Besides the Sports Festival, I mean."

"That's exactly it!" Tetsutetsu screeched. Although Itsuka liked his gusto and spirit, he could be a bit too loud and blunt for her tastes. "Class A has got a headstart on us in becoming heroes. We need to work harder if we're going to let the world know they aren't the only students in the hero course at UA."

Tokage shook her head but smiled in good humor. "We're only just about finishing our first semester. Comparatively, our upperclassmen are miles ahead of both 1-A and 1-B; more real-world experience, more brand recognition, better and larger networking..."

"Class A has fought real villains!" Tetsutetsu reminded them. "Sure, some of us ran into criminals during the internships, but class A has held their own on their own! Without pros watching their backs for most of the time! We need to prove that we can pull our own weight, too."

"We'll get our time to shine," Honenuki assured.

Tetsutetsu grinned. "Sooner rather than later." He stood up and called out to Kirishima, the redhead from class A, though Itsuka was ninety percent sure that he dyed it. They exchanged a "manly" back-and-forth about acing the final exams. At least their rivalry was much healthier than Monoma's constant badgering.

Distracted by Tetsutetsu making a scene, Itsuka had almost missed out on Fukidashi speaking softly to Monoma. "You've already helped us out with our Quirks," he was saying. "I know it might be a pain asking for more help since you're always so busy–"

"Finals are coming up," Monoma interrupted, patting Fukidashi on the back. "Sacrificing some of my own time to ensure my linguistically challenged friends pass the finals with flying colors is more than worth the investment."

Tsunotori pumped her fists into the air. "Ace language parts of tests with Neito's tutoring!"

Monoma chuckled. One of those sinister-esque chuckles before delving into a monologue. "Come now, Pony. I'm not so well-versed in the tongues spoken in my home country and that of my extended family that I consider myself a true connoisseur on the intricacies of the English and Japanese languages," he said exactly while trying to flaunt his speech. "You need only to refine your sentence structure and grammar usage, and all Manga requires is to expand his vocabulary."

Itsuka sipped on her drink, watching Monoma go over the broad strokes on what they would be studying for the written part of the final.

She felt a burst of pride. It had been a pretty tough road to make peace between him and their more abrasive and careless classmates throughout middle school, until they could all trade jabs and jeers without the risk of a real fight from breaking out because of one step taken too far. Even with Monoma's antagonism with 1-A, his supportiveness of class B and their acceptance and teasing of him in return was something that Itsuka couldn't help but smile at.

Then she frowned. God, if Tokage had a mind reading Quirk, Itsuka can just see the "big sister" jokes never ending if she used it right now. Lecturing Monoma one minute on his judgment and decision-making, and then beaming at him for his improved social skills the next.

Itsuka swiped an apple from Monoma's tray and took a bite. Wanting to think about something else, she asked Tokage and Honenuki what their study plans for finals were. If they had gotten into UA through recommendations, they must have some strategies that she could take a page from.

NOW

Itsuka blinked. Things were… dark. Dusty. She coughed out dust and immediately winced. Her body ached all over, and her ankle still felt like it was on fire from that gunshot. Something heavy was on top of her, too, and she could still feel one of the splinters of her broken charm stabbing into her cheek.

A few weeks after her and Monoma's close call with the Wild, Wild Pussycats, Monoma's aunt had given them a few extra tools for their vigilante work. In Itsuka's case, one of the standouts she had received was the Charm of Luck – a little stone with a pattern on it that glowed whenever Itsuka let it hang from her neck. It was apparently a recreation of the original charm that a friend of Monoma's aunt had left in Plumber storage.

The superpower behind the charm was granting good luck to whoever wore it. Typically for whatever can go right for the wearer in that moment of time, it will go right. The downside was that the good luck didn't directly affect the charm itself. If someone, for example, was trying to shoot the charm with a gun, then while Itsuka wouldn't be hit, the charm wouldn't be protected, and if the charm was destroyed or broken apart, then bye-bye good luck.

That was what Mustard had done, and now Itsuka was down one lucky charm and up one bullet in her ankle.

She has actually never been shot before while working as Lucky Girl. She's been bruised and been through enough hand-to-hand fights, and been shot at, but a gunshot wound was new.

And it hurt.

Every bit of soreness and weakness she was feeling now definitely wasn't helping. That big villain, the mastermind in the black suit and breathing mask had… caused some sort of big explosion. Itsuka remembered Iida pulling her and Izuku Midoriya together, shielding them from the blast.

Itsuka had hoped sneaking into the villain base alone as Lucky Girl would minimize casualties to herself and her friends and classmates. If… If any one of them died tonight or were crippled for life…

Finally, Itsuka's vision began to return. She could see Midoriya lying on top of her. Tenya Iida was on top of him. They were both bloody messes, but she could feel them breathing. They were alive.

Then Itsuka felt herself being dragged across the ground, the two bodies over her also being pulled. Forcing her head to turn, she widened her eyes at what she saw.

Placed together in a little circle were more piles of Itsuka's peers. They were all in pairs: Tokage and Tsunotori, Kuroiro and Kirishima, and Fukidashi and Todoroki. Itsuka noted that she was also wrapped together with Iida and Midoriya. Each of them were bundled together in long threads of blue cloth. These fibers extended to a single figure at the center of the makeshift circle. He was shirtless, revealing his own injuries to the world, and he had a wild look in his eye that Itsuka recognized as panic, but the hero kneeling down was steadfast, swiftly looking over the new set of bodies in front of him.

"Are there any more of your friends we should know about?" the hero asked. "We've already evacuated Momo Yaoyorozu, and Ragdoll with her."

Best Jeanist had saved them. The heroes were here.

"Neito Monoma," Itsuka croaked out. "K-Katsuki Bakugo. They're still – I don't know–"

Itsuka was cut off as Best Jeanist pulled her and the others into the air, throwing all of them behind him.

She saw him extend more fibers from his clothes, but they became lax when someone delivered a punch that made a decent depression in the ground shaped like Best Jeanist's silhouette.

It was Muscular, outfitted with those steroids or whatever strength-based boosters Itsuka had overheard Mustard talking about.

His speed was also enhanced, proven when Muscular took one step forward and caught Itsuka in mid-air by her arm before she got too far away. With Best Jeanist down, some of the fabric sticking her with Iida and Midoriya fell apart. Those two continued flying with the rest of their classmates while Muscular leered at her.

"What, run out of luck? Was that charm all the magic you had? I thought Lucky Girl was all about the occult and stuff?"

Behind Muscular was that mysterious black-suited villain, floating in the air. Below him was that kid, Mustard.

"You killed them," said Mustard. He was on his knees, his arms hanging loosely as he stared at the ruins around them. "All of them."

"Not yet we haven't!" Muscular shouted, tossing Itsuka up before grabbing her throat. She scratched at his oversized hand, contemplated using her own oversized fists to fight back, but he pressed his thumb against her throat. Just one little push, intentional or by accident, and he would more than likely break through and make Itsuka stop breathing entirely. "The girl's supposed to be in-the-know about the Omnitrix, right? Does that mean she's also off-limits, or can I add her to the kill list with the Midoriya boy and the rest?"

"I'm not talking about her!" Mustard exclaimed, growing heated. He turned to the mastermind villain. "The Forever Knights! They were helping you! Helping us! We might not have gotten Monoma without the Forever Ninja. Why'd you kill them?"

The mastermind shook his head. "Their organization and creed are on the decline. They won't be a factor worth acknowledging for very much longer."

"But they still owed–"

When the mastermind turned around to look directly down at Mustard, the kid shut his mouth and said nothing more.

Suddenly, bursts of black sludge appeared in the air. They looked like the same stuff that had suddenly covered each Nomu before the warehouse was destroyed. However, no Nomu were in sight now. From the pockets of black mud out popped the rest of the members of the League of Villains – two of them laid flat, probably unconscious – and Katsuki Bakugo.

"Master," said the lanky villain with the gloved hand covering his face.

"So," the mastermind greeted as he set himself on the ground, "you've failed once more Tomura. But you must not be discouraged." He went on to encourage the hand villain in a fatherly tone. It was… strange, this man who must be the real leader of the League of Villains to act so kindly after causing so much destruction.

Muscular shifted his feet, looking away from Itsuka. "Number one's airborne and on his way here." He tightened his grip, making it that much harder for Itsuka to stay conscious. "What do you say, boss man? Do I have a shot?"

The mastermind looked up into the sky. "With your modifications," he told Muscular, "I'd wager you have a higher chance of success of defeating All Might in his current state than the USJ Nomu, but as things are now, I require you to challenge a different opponent."

"You don't mean this girl, right?"

"If she involves herself, that's her prerogative."

Then, almost without warning, All Might was here.

Itsuka would be crying in joy and relief if she still had strength to do it.

The mastermind villain caught All Might's fists in his own hands. The two were pushing against each other with so much intensity that a torrent of wind was generated around them.

"I'll have you return my students, All For One."

"Have you come to kill me a second time, All Might?"

Another explosion of dust and force went off. Itsuka could only dimly hear the screams let off by Bakugo and the villains when they were caught in the blast. She could feel the air pressure push against her own body, but Muscular still had her in his grip, and he moved with the blast, landing by sliding along the floor without skipping a beat.

The noise alone was deafening. It took a minute until Itsuka could open her eyes and be able to hear again. By then, All Might and the villain leader were exchanging more blows, brawling over the battlefield of a wrecked city block.

Muscular still had Itsuka restrained in his grip. One of the unconscious villains was missing, the one with the staples and burn scars. The black smoke villain was still down, but above him swirled a teleporting warp portal. The rest of the League who were still standing shifted their gaze from All Might's fight to the lone Bakugo. All Might kept trying to get closer to Bakugo, but All For One kept getting in his way.

Nervous sweat running down his face, Bakugo showed everyone a self-confident grin that reminded Itsuka a fair bit of Monoma. "This is gonna be fun," he taunted at the face of overwhelming odds.

If Bakugo was here, and so were the leaders and the strongest fighters of the League, then where was Monoma? He couldn't be in some other facility held by the Forever Knights, right? The main villain, All For One, had spoken poorly of the Knights, so the League would probably want someone with Monoma's powers under their own authority instead of leaving him with another faction. If that was the case, then where was he?

Itsuka's train of thought stopped short when Muscular slammed her against the ground. She instinctively bit down, unintentionally biting her tongue. She tasted blood in her mouth and felt it on her face, the second slash from a cut probably made by her head being buried in the rubble. Muscular then rested his foot on Itsuka's back, keeping her from moving.

"So Bakugo is still on the capture list," she heard Muscular say. Itsuka spat and wondered if she should keep doing that to make sure she wouldn't choke on her own blood. Was that how that worked? "What about the rest of the kids? Best Jeanist tossed most of them over there, and I got Lucky Girl here."

"Oh!" Was that the girl in the school uniform? She sounded way too excited. "I heard about her! Does this mean she was at the training camp, too? No one told me. She looks amazing!"

"You can have her if you want, I guess. But there's at least one high-speed hero on their way here. There's probably not enough time to look for the other kids' bodies and take our time, so how's about Toga take some blood samples from Lucky Girl, I knock explosion boy's lights out, and we get on our way?"

"I'd like to see you try, steroid junkie," Bakugo challenged.

Itsuka could see it in her mind's eye. Muscular would smirk before becoming a blur of motion. He would knock out Bakugo's teeth, or maybe body slam him. Whatever the murderer was in the mood for. Then his psychopath pal, that girl with the knife, would come at Itsuka and try to literally bleed her dry, if the things class A had said about the knife girl were accurate.

All Itsuka had to do was smack her away with Big Fist. That would put the girl out of commission for a little bit. Then… Then there were half a dozen other villains who were still a problem. Was it half a dozen? And Itsuka didn't know how much she would be able to move once Muscular got off her. With her injuries…

She felt the weight pressing her down remove itself. There was no other choice. Itsuka forced herself upward with her good foot and stretched out her arms as she expanded her fists.

Fortunately, her good luck didn't seem to have quite run out yet. As she had imagined, Muscular was making a beeline for Bakugo, but before they hit each other, a large round yellow object sprouted from underground. Spinning at a rapid rate, the object rolled into Muscular and caused the villain to fall on top of the League member in the fancy mask and hat. When Muscular tried getting back up, the round object stopped rotating and instead opened up, revealing one of Monoma's alien transformations.

Cannonbolt used his claws at the ends of his fingers to swipe at Muscular. The villain raised his arms to block the attack, but Monoma managed to make a tear where Muscular's prosthetic eyeball was. Electricity flashed from Muscular's face as he gasped and clutched his wounded eye. He kicked at Monoma, who went with the momentum to grab onto Bakugo before shifting back into Cannonbolt's rolling form.

The villain in the black and gray bodysuit extended a sharp edged tool from his wrist to try to stop Monoma. It failed completely as there was practically nothing on earth Itsuka knew of that could chip or penetrate Cannonbolt's natural armor plating. The tool broke apart easily as the villain stepped back to give Monoma a wide berth.

However, when Monoma suddenly opened up his body, an explosion of fire burst out of him. It was Bakugo, freeing himself from Cannonbolt's hold.

"What are you doing?!" Itsuka screeched, half a second before realizing that Bakugo must not know it was Monoma wearing an alien's skin trying to rescue him. Bakugo looked over his shoulder to meet Itsuka's eyes. She tore off her mask. "Recognize me? It's Itsuka Kendo. That guy is here to help us!"

Bakugo's facial expression changed slightly. Confusion, then understanding. Before he could speak, Monoma spread out his body and caused another fiery explosion – he must've copied Bakugo's Quirk – that kept the eager villains at bay and directed him down a path directly toward Bakugo and Itsuka. Monoma hugged them close to his chest and returned to his rolling form.

It was dark again, and every part of Itsuka's body felt just about ready to give up and stop doing anything ever again, but she was actually half-willing to submit to those feelings now that she knew Monoma was here and still fighting. They weren't safe yet, but now she knew he was alive.

When Monoma stopped moving, he released her and Bakugo. She felt him catch her with one of his giant hands while Bakugo just tumbled on the ground.

"You're hurt," Monoma said in Cannonbolt's deep voice. "Badly."

Itsuka had thought the pain killers she had asked Yaoyorozu to bring were going to be for Bakugo more than anyone, since from what she knew about him, he would have probably resisted captivity under the villains with everything he had. She had asked for those meds only partially just in case Lucky Girl had gotten seriously hurt enough. Maybe she should have asked for Yaoyorozu to bring a few cannons or rocket launchers instead, to take out All For One and his followers before he had knocked everyone down. Before Kendo was shot. Before everyone in their little rescue squad were beaten by one move from the League's big boss.

"Who the hell are you?" Bakugo screeched.

"I'm the hero who just saved your sorry butt," Monoma shot back. He gently set Itsuka down. "Now I want you to take care of Itsuka and the rest of your classmates, keep an eye out for any incoming pro heroes, and I will make sure the League stays off your backs. If you go on your own and let anything happen to her..."

Monoma didn't say any more. Ignoring Bakugo's yells, he turned into a ball again and went back toward the villains.

Itsuka reached out a hand for him. She wanted to help. She had to.

Her hand fell. Against her will, her eyes closed shut.