Boku no Hero Academia: Izuku's Harem Academia

Disclaimer: This is a mature-rated fanfiction story of Boku no Hero Academia that I am writing for erotic fun. Needless to say, this story is AU, the characters may seem OOC to some and there will be smutty lemons. Also, I own nothing of the series other than the fanfiction stories that I make.

Chapter 8: Tooru and Tsuyu, Inevitable Confrontation

Not long after Shouko's interview with Taneo, she and Izuku were in the common bedroom with the other Dorm 1A girls. Momo had already made a fourth pair of balls, labelled as Fourth A and Fourth B respectively, and placed them into the box along with the other seven balls. Just like the first time, Izuku shook the box vigorously before the nine girls took out one ball each. The results were as follows:

First Pair: Tsuyu and Tooru

Second Pair: Melissa and Mei

Third Pair: Shouko and Ochako

Fourth Pair: Mina and Kyouka

Odd: Momo

"Yay! We're the first pair!" said Tooru who threw her arms into the air jubilantly.

Tsuyu smiled as she looked forward to having sex with Izuku. She then had an idea and mentally spoke to Sumomo, "Sumomo-chan, can you tell Tooru-chan an idea that I have just thought of?"

Sumomo's mental image grinned as she replied, "Will do, Tsuyu-chan!"

As soon as Tooru got the message, she grinned at Tsuyu and gave her a thumbs up as she liked the idea.

Momo was about to consider joining the first pair when Sumomo mentally spoke to her, "Sorry, Momo-chan, but Tsuyu and Tooru want to have Izuku for themselves today. They're planning something pretty kinky which requires their… unique set of abilities."

Although Momo was surprised by the unexpected message from Sumomo, Momo decided not to press on the issue and instead asked Melissa and Mei, "Do you two mind if I join you two for tomorrow night's activities?"

Mei grinned at Momo and replied, "Not at all! In fact, Melissa-chan and I have been wanting to have a word with you about something?"

"Oh, what would that be if I may ask?" asked Momo.

"Well, it mostly involves getting the necessary materials for making a number of support items, including tracking devices. Given your quirk, Hatsume-san and I have been thinking of asking you for your help in obtaining the said materials," explained Melissa.

Momo rubbed her chin thoughtfully and said, "I see. All right, we can have our discussion tonight then." She then asked, "Which one of your rooms should we have the discussion?"

Melissa raised her hand and said, "Since Hatsume-san's room is pretty… messy, let's have our discussion in my room."

"What can I say? I like having my babies nearby," said Mei who was obviously unrepentant about her messy room.

While Momo, Melissa and Mei were making arrangements to discuss on the provisions of required materials, Mina playfully wrapped her arm around Kyouka and said, "So, should we discuss on what we should do this week, Kyouka-chan?"

Kyouka blushed as she knew what Mina was planning to talk about and said, "Only if we both agree not to do anything that would get us expelled."

Mina wore an expression of mock hurt as she replied, "Kyouka-chan, you shouldn't have so little faith in me!"

"So says the girl who is already planning to get into Midori's pants," said Kyouka who had a deadpan expression on her face.

"And you don't want to?" asked Mina who then added, "We're the last pair for this round after all and who knows what will happen with both the girls from Class 1B and Midnight-sensei."

Unable to deny her interest in having sex with Izuku or refute Mina's response, Kyouka looked away with a blush on her face.

As for Ochako and Shouko, they looked at Momo and Ochako said, "It seems that Momo-chan has something important to discuss with them, Shouko-chan."

"So it seems," replied Shouko who was a bit disappointed that Momo was occupied with Mei and Melissa. However, given the nature of Momo's quirk and the topic she was discussing with the two inventors, Shouko knew better than to begrudge them for having her attention at the moment.

"Well, since we are allowed to have sex with Deku during school hours, why don't you and Momo come up with a plan to have sex with him at school?" suggested Ochako who then added, "I can team up with Tsuyu-chan or one of the other girls if I want to do the same."

Surprised by the suggestion, Shouko thought it over for a minute and then said, "That's a pretty good idea, actually. Thank you, Uraraka-san."

Ochako smiled in return and said, "No problem, Shouko-chan!"

As for Izuku, he smiled at the different groups of girls in the harem and was grateful that they could get along with one another. He could only hope that such peaceful interactions would continue in the future.

--A short while later…--

Izuku waited outside the common bedroom at Tooru and Tsuyu's request. Apparently they had something planned for him and he was both worried and excited about it. He did not have to wait for long as Tooru soon said, "De-kun, you can come in now."

Taking a deep breath to prepare himself for whatever was coming next, Izuku opened the door and quickly entered the common bedroom. As he stepped inside, he realised that the room looked empty. However, he knew that Tooru was invisible and Tsuyu could camouflage herself and thus rhetorically asked, "I'm not alone in this room, am I?"

As if to answer the question, a familiar pink tongue wrapped around Izuku to restrain his arms. Tsuyu then emerged from her hiding place above him. As expected, she had camouflaged herself and he could see her naked skin change colour as she landed behind him. Suddenly, he felt a pair of hands pulling down his trousers and boxers to his ankles and he knew who it was as he spoke plainly, "Tooru-chan, I see that you're naked too." Due to his past sexual experiences, he was not as jumpy or easily flustered as before. That said, his heart was still racing and his face was flushed as he wondered what Tooru and Tsuyu had in store for him.

"Yup, and we're going to have a lot of fun, De-kun," said Tooru while stroking his member with her hands. Izuku shivered in pleasure while Tsuyu released him from her tongue so that she could take off his shirt. He noted that Tsuyu's arms were covered in mucus as she wrapped her arms around him. Tsuyu then placed her hand onto his face so that she could turn his head to the side to face her and give her a kiss.

While Tsuyu was kissing Izuku and inserting her tongue into his mouth, Tooru started using her mouth and tongue to pleasure his erection. Due to Tooru's invisibility, as well as Tsuyu's distractingly sensual kiss and intimate hug, Izuku was unable to anticipate what Tooru would do to his penis until she was literally touching it. The fact that Tsuyu's skin was coated with slimy mucus and her hands kept on stroking his chest and abs only made her embrace all the more distracting. That said, Izuku did notice that Tsuyu was still using her camouflage as her skin kept changing colours to match with her surroundings.

Izuku was close to ejaculating when Tooru suddenly stropped kissing, suckling and licking his member and let go of her grip onto it. Izuku stopped kissing Tsuyu to ask what Tooru was doing when he suddenly felt a pair of soft orb-shaped objects pressing against his phallus. Surprised, Izuku gasped and his penis twitched in response to the new sensation. He the heard Tooru cheekily ask, "So, can you guess what's pressing against your dick?"

As Tooru started to rub his shaft against whatever she was pressing against it, Izuku quickly responded, "Y-your butt!" It was an educated guess but he suspected that his phallus was rubbing against her vulva or even her anus.

"Bingo!" was Tooru's cheerful reply before she started to rub her backside against his member even more vigorously than before. Then, just as Izuku was about to orgasm, Tooru inserted his penis into her womanhood. Unable to bear the pleasure, Izuku ejaculated while his member was deep inside of her. Tooru did not orgasm but she felt happy to know that Izuku had been reduced to post-orgasmic putty.

Izuku was trying to recover his stamina when Tooru pulled herself from his still-erect member and Tsuyu started to stroke it with her mucus-covered hands. As he had just ejaculated, his penis was very sensitive and he hissed due to the intense stimulation Tsuyu was giving him. Tsuyu then used her tongue to "attack" Tooru's ejaculate-filled vagina. Moaning in pleasure, Tooru kissed Izuku as slid her tongue into his mouth while her hands pressed against his mucus-covered chest. As for Izuku, he reached out to stroke Tooru's sides and hips.

Before long, Izuku was about to ejaculate again and he stopped kissing Tooru to say, "T-Tsuyu-chan… I'm going to cum again!"

Tsuyu stopped pleasuring Izuku's member in response and said, "Can't have you cumming too soon, kero." She then instructed him, "Izu-chan, turn around." As Izuku turned around, Tsuyu spread her pink lower lips which contrasted from the rest of her camouflaged skin and said, "Make me feel good too."

Izuku needed no further instruction so he quickly inserted his member into Tsuyu's nether part. Acting on instinct, Tsuyu wrapped her arms around his neck and planted her feet onto his hips so that his phallus could penetrate her more deeply while his hands held onto her mucus-coated bottom. Due to her frog-like quirk, she was able to hold onto him in spite of being covered in slimy mucus. As for Tooru, she was still being pleasured by Tsuyu's tongue which wriggled and coiled about in her vagina. She also pressed her invisible body against Izuku, causing the mucus on his back to rub onto her chest and stomach. She stroked his chest and teased his nipples as she hugged him from behind before she started to rub her breasts against his back.

Since Tsuyu's tongue was busy, Izuku did not kiss her on the lips. Instead, he kissed her on her forehead, cheeks, tip of her nose, neck and collarbone. Tsuyu loved the feeling and croaked happily as Izuku kissed her lovingly. Tooru suddenly got and idea and mischievously started to tickle Izuku's sides. Izuku's penis almost slipped out of Tsuyu's womanhood due to the sudden tickling and he tried to stop himself from laughing as he spoke, "T-Tooru-chan… s-stop… tickling me… please!"

In spite of being invisible, Izuku could have sworn that Tooru wore a smug grin as she giggled and replied, "Nope!"

Unable to resist the tickling, Izuku laughed, while thrusting his phallus into Tsuyu's vagina. Tsuyu could not help but giggle at the silly situation as she affectionately nuzzled against Izuku's freckled face.

Before long, Izuku, Tsuyu and Tooru orgasmed at the same time and Izuku had to sit down due to his growing exhaustion. He could not help but realise that laughing while having a second round of sex was rather exhausting. As for Tsuyu and Tooru, they had to separate so that Izuku could sit down to recover.

While Izuku regained his breath, he noticed that Tsuyu had stopped camouflaging herself and instead hugged Tooru with her mucus-covered body. Izuku gulped as he saw Tooru's body become increasingly visible due to the coating of slimy mucus on her body. Tsuyu then presented Tooru before Izuku and asked, "Do you like what you're seeing, kero?"

Izuku did not trust his voice and simply nodded. Tooru then lay down on her back while Tsuyu spread her legs open from behind. Tsuyu then inserted her fingers into Tooru's private part, coating it with mucus to make it partially visible. Izuku's penis became erect with sexual excitement as he approached the two, intent on plunging it into Tooru's presently-visible loins.

Tooru, who was longing for another round of sex with Izuku, got her wish soon enough as Izuku plunged his member into her nether part. She moaned in pleasure as she wrapped her legs around Izuku's waist. As for Tsuyu, she turned around and sat on Tooru's face so that she could pleasure her private part with her mouth. Tsuyu shivered in pleasure as Tooru tried to lick every drop of semen out of her vagina.

While Izuku was having sex with Tooru, he heard a familiar disembodied voice in his head saying, "Use… 1%…"

Surprised by what he had heard, as he knew that the voice did not belong to Sumomo but rather Nana, Izuku stopped thrusting and mentally asked, "What?"

"I said… use 1%… of One For All…!"

"Izu-chan, what's wrong?" asked Tsuyu who looked at him curiously. Even Tooru stopped licking Tsuyu as she tried to look at him to find out why he had stopped thrusting his hips.

"Would you two believe me if my quirk is telling me to use 1% of it while having sex?" asked Izuku.

Both Tsuyu and Tooru blinked in surprise before they remembered that Izuku's quirk, One For All, had the "spirits" of its previous users inside of it. Completely forgetting their lust, Tsuyu stopped sitting on Tooru so that she could turn around to face Izuku while Tooru sat upright to ask, "Really? One of the past users said that?"

"Pretty much," replied Izuku. He tried his best to ignore the fact that Nana seemed to be moaning in pleasure as she spoke to him.

"So, you want to give it a try, kero?" asked Tsuyu.

Izuku hesitated before he said, "To be perfectly honest, I've never thought about using it that way and, now that I have, I not sure if it's a good idea."

"Why's that?" asked Tooru.

"Well, for starters, I don't want to accidentally hurt you while having sex. I mean, it is One For All we're talking about," answered Izuku.

Even Tsuyu winced at the mere idea of having a broken pelvis as Tooru replied, "Okay, fair enough." Tooru then asked, "Are there any other reasons?"

Izuku nodded and said, "Well, you know that I was originally quirkless, right?"

Tsuyu quickly understood what Izuku was worried about and asked, "Are you worried that we'll only value you for your quirk-enhanced sexual performance once you start using it, kero?"

"That's… one way to put it," admitted Izuku who then added, "Also, it's not a quirk that I was born with and, sooner or later, I will need to pass it on to someone else."

Both girls felt sympathy for Izuku as they knew that he had suffered due to being quirkless in the past. As such, they both hugged him and Tooru said, "De-kun, you don't have to use your quirk while having sex if you really don't want to. I mean, not everyone can use their quirk freely while doing it after all."

"Shouko-chan is a good example, kero. I highly doubt anyone wants to get burnt or frozen while having sex," said Tsuyu.

Sumomo's mental image smiled reassuringly as she mentally spoke to Izuku, "Plus, I can help you out if you really need some quirk-enhanced sexy times, Izu-kun."

Izuku chuckled at Tsuyu's blunt yet undeniably true statement and Sumomo's kinkily kind offer. He could feel his hesitation and fear wash away as he felt their affection and concern towards him. He then said, "Thank you, all of you."

"You're welcome, Izu-chan," said Tsuyu who smiled happily in return.

"So, you want to continue?" asked Tooru.

Izuku blushed as he replied, "Well…"

--Meanwhile, in Kyouka's room…--

Kyouka was eavesdropping on Izuku, again, when she flinched due to a loud yell, "OH MY GOD! YOUR QUIRK'S AMAZING!"

Mina, who was pleasuring Kyouka's naked body by rubbing her breast with one hand and inserting her fingers into her vagina with her other hand, blinked in surprise and asked, "Was that Tooru-chan?"

Kyouka blushed as she replied, "Yes and, before you ask, Midori is using 0.5% of his quirk while having sex with her."

Mina whistled as she swore, "Hot damn, I've got to get myself some of THAT action!"

Kyouka blushed as she could not help but actually agree with the pink-skinned girl.

On a side note, all the other girls in Dorm 1A heard Tooru's screams of pleasure followed by Tsuyu's croaks of pleasure. Needless to say, they got hot and bothered and could not wait for their turn to have sex with Izuku.

--The following day…--

Izuku became a blushing mess when he realised that he was the centre of attention from everyone, again. However, unlike last time, even the boys were wary of him as though he could suddenly turn them into girls whom he could then seduce. The less said about the homosexual and bisexual boys who wanted to "get to know" him, the better.

Luckily for him, the girls of Dorm 1A and Class 1B were happy to "escort" him to prevent anyone from getting any ideas of taking advantage of him. However, even they could not protect him from certain things such as Midnight's interest in him after Sumomo told her about how he used One For All during sex, Neito's proclaimed belief that Izuku was an insatiable sex fiend who would even target members of his own gender and Katsuki's growing anger towards Izuku for reasons unknown to him.

Eventually, Izuku had to be separated from the girls due to being in the boys' changing room with his male classmates. Katsuki, who would prefer to confront Izuku in private but could not due to the girls who were constantly by Izuku's side, decided to take his chances and aggressively demand from him, "Deku, what the fuck did you tell those bitches?!"

"E-excuse me?" asked Izuku. In spite of his growing confidence, he was still jumpy around Katsuki due to being bullied by him for years and was surprised by the sudden yelling.

"You heard me, what the fuck did you tell them?!" repeated Katsuki.

"Hey man, why are you so upset about?" asked Eijirou.

"Yeah, did the girls know something embarrassing about you or something?" asked Denki.

Katsuki yelled at the other boys, "That is none of your fucking damned business!" He then turned his attention to Izuku and said, "This is between me and Deku." His eyes burned with rage as he asked again, "So what the fuck did you tell those whores of yours?!"

For the first time in his life, Izuku felt truly angry towards Katsuki because he called the people who actually gave a damn about him whores. He glared at Katsuki with righteous fury in his eyes as he growled, "You really want to know, Katsuki?" Katsuki was so shocked by the look of anger on Izuku's face that he hesitated while Izuku spoke, "All I did was tell them the truth about what my life was like before I got into U.A. High School."

Katsuki's eyes widened in shock before his face contorted into rage again and yelled, "So you just told them your fucking pitiful sob story to get into their pants? You're even more-"

Suddenly, Izuku punched Katsuki with 5% on One For All which he called forth subconsciously. The sudden punch was so unexpected that not even Katsuki could respond in time before it knocked him off his feet. Shocked by the punch and the growing bruise on his left cheek, Katsuki could not even muster his infamous anger when Izuku coldly spoke, "I may have told them the truth, Katsuki, but it was THEIR choice to accept me for who and what I am. Also, why the hell do you even care about what goes on in my sex life? Even Mineta-san is less spiteful about it than you are right now and you didn't even care about it at first!"

"H-hey man, let's not do anything violently unmanly, okay?" said Eijirou who stood between Izuku and Katsuki to prevent them from fighting.

"You want to know why I'm giving a fuck about it now?" asked Katsuki who then got up and yelled, "It's because of what that Half-and-Half-bitch said about you being quirkless until the age of fifteen yesterday, on the fucking news for EVERYONE to hear!"

A moment of tense silence passed before realisation hit Izuku like a light bulb which was suddenly turned on and he sheepishly said, "Oh yeah, she did say that. I totally forgot about you when she said it at that time." Katsuki's jaw dropped in shock as Izuku continued to speak in an apologetic manner, "Sorry about it, but we couldn't just let an ideology as dangerous as that of the Meta Liberation Army be allowed to spread." Izuku's expression became solemn as he added, "Shouko-chan and I both suffered because of people's obsessions with 'desirable quirks' and who knows how many more are suffering because of it. The idea of valuing someone based on their quirk is already bad enough as it is and the Meta Liberation Army would only make it arguably worse."

"Now that Midoriya-kun mentioned about it, he did say that his quirk manifested for the first time during the entrance exams," said Tenya who had a thoughtful look on his face as he recalled the day when Izuku literally broke every bone in his right arm and legs to save Ochako from the giant zero-pointer robot.

Fumikage asked, "But why would Midoriya's past as a victim of bullying be of any concern for Bakugou… unless…"

All the boys in the changing room other than Izuku stared at Katsuki with shocked and appalled expressions on their faces as they came to a common conclusion that Katsuki was one of the people who bullied Izuku in the past. In fact, given Katsuki's behaviour and the way he fought with Izuku during the first battle trial, it would not be difficult to imagine Katsuki being Izuku's chief tormentor during middle school. Eijirou, who considered Katsuki as a close friend, was the most appalled among the boys. He knew that Izuku was a victim of bullying due to past interactions with some of Katsuki's past classmates but he never expected Katsuki to be one of the bullies let alone the chief tormentor. Any sane person should know that heroes were supposed to protect the innocent, not beat them down even further.

Unable to meet the appalled and judging eyes of the boys, which were almost as bad as the cold and judgemental eyes of the girls who apparently already knew Izuku's side of the story, Katsuki growled, "So what are you going to do now that other people know your pathetic sob story? Have the whole fucking school turn on me because of what I did to your worthless ass in the past?"

Izuku had a look of pity in his eyes as he spoke, "Katsuki, as hard as it may be for you to believe me, ruining your chances to be a hero was never my intention when I told the girls in my harem about my past or when Shouko-chan made that statement."

Katsuki glared at Izuku and volatile sparks flew out of his hands as he yelled, "That's fucking bullshit and you know it! If ruining my chances of becoming a hero is not the fucking goal then why the fuck did you even bother to tell them?"

Not surprised by Katsuki's response, Izuku sighed and replied, "If I really wanted to ruin your chances of becoming a hero, I wouldn't need to do it in such a roundabout way. I could have just sent a letter to Nedzu-sensei to let him know about everything that I have suffered in the past because of you and make sure you never even enter U.A. High School. There's even the option of making a police report on unlawful usage of quirks and, considering that the police force has at least one person with a lie-detecting quirk, not even our middle school teachers can deny the truth."

Although unable to deny the logic in Izuku's statement, Katsuki still repeated his question, "You didn't answer the fucking question. Why the fuck did you even tell them?"

"That's because they deserve to know the truth about me before they get into a physical relationship with me," said Izuku who then added, "And I'm forever grateful that they have accepted me in spite of it, Katsuki."

Katsuki was about to yell again when the suddenly noticed one important fact. Izuku had not been calling him by that disgustingly cutesy nickname, "Kacchan", the whole time. Stunned by the revelation, Katsuki did not say a word as Izuku spoke to him, "Look, we're already getting late for training and I don't want to keep Aizawa-sensei waiting." As Izuku walked past Katsuki, he added, "If you really want to continue with this conversation, then we can do it at another time. Just know that the truth of what you have done to me in the past could have been revealed a lot earlier than now but was not because I chose to keep it a secret and even asked the girls to do the same for me. Shouko-chan's statement was really an accidental implication regardless of the fact that it is true."

After Izuku left the changing room, the other boys decided to follow his lead and leave the room. As they left, they looked at him as though he had suddenly become a villain to be feared or judged. Unable to meet their eyes, especially Eijirou's, Katsuki trembled due to barely-contained emotions as he thought, "That bastard… he finally decided to stop thinking of me as his fucking friend, didn't he?" Flashes of memories filled his mind from the time when he still considered Izuku as his friend to the day he saw Izuku weep after All Might's fight against that terrible villain who was the true leader of the League of Villains. As Katsuki recalled his memories, including his numerous attempts to put Izuku in his place as a mere pebble in the road and his cruel "suggestion" to Izuku on how to get a quirk, he came to a bitter realisation, "I… never gave him any reason to even give a fuck about me, did I?" In spite of his best efforts to hold back his tears, his eyes still became wet with as he thought, "Why is my chest feeling so cold and heavy? Why am I having trouble getting fucking pissed at that useless Deku? Why… does my chest hurt so much…?"

Alone in the changing room, Katsuki wept for reasons which he could not fully comprehend…

--Later that day…--

Izuku sighed as he could feel the thick tension in the air. As soon as the boys in Class 1A found out about Katsuki's past as Izuku's bully if not chief tormentor, they had started to distance themselves from him. The girls, who had literally seen Izuku's memories, were already distant from Katsuki since last week and had shown no signs of stopping any time soon. Although he could not blame any of them for doing so, he still believed that Katsuki was not beyond redemption and had in fact gotten better lately. However, even he could not deny the simple truth that he currently cared the girls of Dorm 1A and Sumomo even more than Katsuki. Unlike Katsuki, they did not see him as less than human for being born quirkless. Also, there was no denying that Katsuki had never once apologised to Izuku for his atrocious behaviour and actions towards him in the past let alone try to make amends.

It should be noted that Ochako once asked Katsuki if he felt insecure and jealous towards Izuku some time after the final exams. Although Katsuki predictably refused to answer her question, the memory of that question made Izuku wonder if Katsuki had felt that way ever since he somehow managed to enter U.A. High School. In fact, as hard as it was for Izuku and even his harem to actually believe in it, there was the possibility that Katsuki felt that way towards Izuku even before they started middle school. Considering Katsuki's pride and superiority complex, which were fuelled by the excessive praise that he had received from both his peers and his teachers over the years, it certainly seemed to be a plausible explanation. That said, why would a supposedly talented boy with a strong quirk be scared of a quirkless boy who was admittedly adamant of becoming a hero?

Nemuri, who was teaching the class and was already informed of the situation via Sumomo's mental messaging, sighed and said, "All right, something has obviously happened today and I can tell that no one is really paying attention because of it." She then sat onto the teacher's table and asked, "So let's end this class and instead talk about whatever it is that's troubling all of you." After a moment of silence, Nemuri turned her attention towards Izuku and asked, "Midoriya, what exactly happened just now." Mentally, she added, "Please play along. We both know that this issue between you and Bakugou had gone long enough as it is."

Izuku, who had received Nemuri's mental message via Sumomo's mental messaging, sighed and said, "Katsuki and I got into an argument just now. It… brought up a number of ugly topics to light for everyone in the boys' changing room to discover."

"I'm assuming that the topics are related to the ones that the girls in Class 1A and myself already know, correct?" asked Nemuri who already knew.

"That's one way to put it," replied Izuku.

"So how exactly did that argument start?" asked Nemuri.

Jirou raised her hand and said, "Bakugou was yelling at Midori about Shouko-chan's statement to that journalist about Izuku being bullied for years due to being deemed as quirkless. Trust me, his yells were loud enough for all of us to overhear it."

"And since Bakugou reacted so badly to the announced news, it's safe to say that the boys now know what you girls have already known since last week, yes?" asked Nemuri.

Unable to keep quiet about it, Tenya asked, "But why all the secrecy? Surely such a serious matter should be made known to everyone from the start!" He then stood up and pointed at Katsuki as he spoke, "Allowing someone with a history of bullying others to attend this school isthe height of embarrassment for a top-tier national academy of U.A.'s calibre!"

Katsuki gritted his teeth and was about to stand up to yell at Iida when Nemuri cracked her nine-tails and said, "Bakugou Katsuki, if you attempt to start an argument or a fight or even try to leave this class, I WILL bring Nedzu-san into this mess, understood?" As aggressive and prideful as Katsuki was, even he knew better than to get on Nedzu's bad side and thus sat down with a furious scowl on his face.

After a moment of tense silence, Hanta said, "Iida's got a point though." He then turned his attention towards Izuku and asked, "Why did you keep quiet about it and even told all the girls to not say anything about it?"

"Not that telling to girls to keep quiet about it did any good as far as being inconspicuous is concerned," said Denki who explained, "Even I noticed that the girls have been looking at Bakugou as though he's scum just as bad if not even worse than Mineta, the undisputed biggest pervert in the whole school." Mineta simply nodded in agreement with Denki as he had also noticed the disdain which the girls had been showing towards Katsuki lately.

"Their eyes of abyssal disdain and restrained hellish fury were clear for all to see," agreed Fumikage.

Izuku sighed and said, "It's complicated."

"Define complicated," said Eijirou who wanted to know the truth.

"Before Katsuki's quirk manifested, we used to be close friends who liked the same hero, All Might. However, when Katsuki's quirk manifested and everyone praised him for being both talented and having a strong quirk, things started to change between us. It only got worse when everyone realised I was quirkless. Even I thought I was quirkless until it manifested for the first time during the entrance exams into U.A. High School," explained Izuku who lied about the manifestation of his quirk to hide the truth of One For All.

Katsuki, who knew that Izuku had somehow received his quirk from someone, felt his jaw tighten in displeasure as he could not afford to reveal that fact. After all, unless Katsuki was wrong, that quirk originally belonged to All Might and he would be damned before doing anything that could be used against the man who inspired him to be a hero. He had already caused enough damage to the former pro-hero by letting himself get kidnapped during summer camp.

"So you're telling me that Bakugou, who used to be your friend, became your biggest bully because you no longer fit the 'cool group' since you're quirkless at the time?" asked Rikidou who was frowning.

"That's one way to put it," replied Izuku.

Katsuki was sorely tempted to just leave the classroom but one look at Nemuri's stern gaze was enough to remind him that she would get Nedzu involved if he even tried to leave. As such, he was forced to stay seated and put up with whatever "shit-talk" was going to happen soon.

"But why keep quiet about him?" asked Mezou who then added, "Even if he used to be your friend, it doesn't change the fact that he chose to end the friendship and become your bully."

"While that is true, and it would make sense for anyone to distance themselves from their tormentor, I chose to keep chasing after him in spite of the fact that he keeps putting me down in the process," replied Izuku.

"You're not going to say that you a masochist with romantic feeling for Bakugou, are you?" asked Minoru who had a disgusted look on his face. He had nothing against guys being attracted to other guys but even hopeless perverts have limits and standards. It was one thing to masturbate to fictional pornography but the idea of actual rape and abuse victims being trapped in unhealthy relationships with their tormentors left a bad taste in Minoru's mouth.

Izuku gaped for a moment before he yelled, "W-why in the world would you even think of that?!"

"Considering that you somehow got Todoroki as a member of your harem after he got turned into a girl, even you have to admit that people will think that you're not completely heterosexual," explained Minoru.

Nemuri snorted in amusement as she spoke, "Mineta does have a point, Midoriya."

Unable to make a proper counterargument, Izuku sighed and said, "All right, you have a point there." Aside from Midoriya and Katsuki, everyone else in the classroom felt amused by Izuku's reaction. Izuku then explained, "Questions of my sexuality aside though, I have always considered Katsuki as someone who, while undoubtedly unpleasant to say the least, is amazingly talented and gifted. If being like All Might was my childhood end goal, then catching up to Katsuki who was closer to me than All Might was my first step to reaching that goal. The fact that I didn't have a quirk for years and lacked Katsuki's talents only made my desire to catch up to him all the stronger."

"So you really were looking down on me, you fucking bastard," growled Katsuki. Everyone turned their attention towards Katsuki as he started to tremble and rant, "You… a pathetic piece of shit who kept trailing behind me no matter how much or how hard I beat you down. A fucking small fry who somehow got into the same hero school as me." Katsuki's voice grew louder as he continued to rant, "How the fuck did I end up following the back of a nerdy shit-head who was trailing behind me?! Why the fuck am I so weak that I became the reason for All Might's end?!" Everyone in the classroom was surprised if not shocked by the revelation as Katsuki cried while yelling, "Were my aspiration wrong?! Is that the fucking reason why even someone as worthless as Deku can look down on me, never mind everyone else in this classroom and probably even this whole fucking school?! Is that… the reason why… I… can't… shake this damn feeling of worthlessness in me?!"

Not expecting the revelation, no one knew what to say, except for one. Izuku got up from his seat and said, "Midnight-sensei, may Katsuki and I be excused to leave? I… need to settle things 'the manly way' as Kirishima-san would put it."

"If you two are going to have some sort of slug-fest, I'll allow it on the provision that I stand by to oversee it and I let the other teachers know about this," said Nemuri who then added, "The last thing any of us need is you two breaking one another."

Izuku nodded and said, "Thank you, Nemuri-neechan."

--A short while later…--

Izuku and Katsuki, who were both dressed in their P.E. uniforms, stood opposite of one another. Katsuki's head hung low but Izuku could feel his glare from beneath his spiky bangs. Nemuri, who stood a short distance away, said, "Is there anything you two need to say before we start this fight?"

Katsuki was the first to speak as he spat, "Deku, I have always fucking hated you for looking down on me, for even thinking that you can somehow catch up to me and even beat me. The fact that you have actually gotten this far… disgusts me to the point I want to just fucking puke."

Izuku sighed before he spoke to Katsuki, "For all that it is worth to you, I do not believe your aspiration that a hero will always win in the end is wrong." Looking at his badly-scarred right arm, Izuku recalled the people whom he had saved, "Tsuyu-chan and Mineta-san during the USJ incident, Iida-kun and Native-san during the Hosu incident, Shield-san during the I-Expo incident and Kouta-kun during the summer camp attack. The only reason why I could save any of them was because I was determined to to defeat the villains who threatened them. If I had failed to defeat the villains, who knows what would have happened to them." He then recalled his fight with Shouko during the sports festival, accepting Sumomo during his first night at the dorms, comforting Tooru who was distraught over the possibility that she had led the villains to summer camp and helping Shouko to decide if she wanted to remain as a girl or change back into a boy. Clenching his right fist, he added, "However, winning the day will only lead to hollow victories if we fail to protect and save those who are in need of our help." Turning his attention back to Katsuki, Izuku said, "Your aspiration is not wrong, but it should not be the only aspiration to uphold, Katsuki."

As hard as Katsuki tried to ignore it, the cold and hollow feeling in his chest grew after hearing Izuku's words. Gritting his teeth in furstration, Katsuki created explosive sparks with his quirk and growled, "You're really pissing me off, Deku."

"And you're in need of a appointment with Hound Dog-san," said Izuku as he called forth One For All at 6%.

Seeing that both boys were ready to fight, Nemuri lifted up her nine-tails over her head and said, "When I crack this nine-tails, you two may start." At the count of three, she swung it down to make a loud cracking sound.

As soon as the cracking sound was heard, both boys charged at one another. Katsuki used one hand to propel himself forward with explosive force while his other hand was ready to strike Izuku. However, Izuku suddenly crouched low and dodged to the side. He then spun in mid-air and landed on all fours in a familiar-looking pose, avoiding the explosive attack in the process. Surprised by the unexpected move, Katsuki was barely able to avoid Izuku's spinning flying kick. The blond boy was about to attack again when Izuku suddenly stood on his hands so that he could kick his face like some sort of battling break dancer. Barely avoiding the kick, Katsuki was forced to retreat and his eyes widened as he realised, "That fucker's…"

--Meanwhile, in Class 1A…--

The students of Class 1A were watching the match with the aid of a Momo-created spying drone. Although they could not hear the fight, they could see it happen. The boys were shocked as Minoru asked, "Did Midoriya just use Asui's move to dodge and launch a flying kick?"

"And that last kick, it's like one of Ashido's dance moves!" exclaimed Eijirou.

While the students were all huddled around Momo, Shouta, who was already notified by Nemuri, was contentedly napping in his yellow sleeping bag. Nemuri was already keeping an eye on the two boys who obviously needed to settle their differences and the rest of the class were too engrossed with the fight to cause any trouble. As such, sleeping while on the job seemed to be perfectly rational for the apparently sleep-deprived pro-hero and teacher.

--Back at the fight…--

"You think using Frog-Bitch and Raccoon-Bitch's moves will help you beat me, you worthless bastard?!" yelled Katsuki as he quickly tried to attack again. However, Izuku did not retreat but instead got back onto his feet and quickly used a move which he learnt by sharing his memories with both Uraraka and Shouko. He dodged the incoming explosive palm strike and punched Katsuki in the face. However, Katsuki was not considered talented for nothing as he quickly turned his head to reduce the incoming damage and released an explosive blast with his left hand to blow Izuku away.

Forced to leap back to avoid the full brunt of the attack, Izuku's eyes widened as Katsuki used his explosive ability to quickly leap into the air and then propel himself towards him from above. Well aware of Katsuki's high level of airborne manoeuvrability, Izuku called forth 7% of One For All and forced his mind to stay blank instead of analyse as he waited to react to Katsuki's attack.

Unaware of Izuku's countermeasure, Katsuki created an explosion so that he could land beside Izuku and hit him with an explosive palm strike. However, rather than hesitate due to over-thinking, Izuku immediately reacted by grabbing Katsuki's outstretched palm and throwing him onto the ground. Izuku was very thankful of Uraraka's memories of her training under a pro-hero named Gunhead as it had allowed him to learn the value of keeping a clear or empty mind while anticipating an enemy's attack. If he had tried to analyse the attack, he would have been caught off guard for sure.

Suddenly, Katsuki used his other hand to create a blinding explosive flash of bright light to blind Izuku. Unable to avoid the blinding flash, Izuku was temporarily blinded which gave Katsuki enough time to pull Izuku down and deliver a head-butt from below. Disorientated by the blow and blindness, Izuku let go of Katsuki's hand and staggered back, allowing Katsuki to get up and punch Izuku in the stomach. Izuku almost vomited due to the strong punch but he withstood the pain and yelled, "Compared to getting punched by Muscular, this is nothing I can't handle!" Izuku then used one hand to grab onto Katsuki's fist while his other hand balled into a fist to a punch into Katsuki's stomach. It should be noted that Izuku was using 7% of One For All when he punched Katsuki in the stomach.

Katsuki, who was not prepared for the sudden counter attack, nearly vomited but he refused to admit defeat and tried to attack. However, due to not only his physical injuries but also his growing sense of self-doubt and self-loathing, Katsuki could not muster the strength to attack. His body slumped limply as his tears streamed down his face which was contorted with sheer frustration.

Realising that Katsuki had essentially given up, Izuku placed Katsuki down and sat down opposite him. In spite of being the winner of the fight, Izuku was honestly not satisfied with it as he knew that Katsuki was struggling with something on his mind for the whole fight. He sighed and asked, "Katsuki, do you remember me saying that someone entrusted his quirk to me? Nemuri-neechan knows about it too and she chose this place so that no one else can overhear us."

A moment of silence passed before Katsuki asked, "Why did All Might choose you to inherit his quirk after the incident with that sludge-fucker?"

"That is because, in spite of being powerless, Midoriya-shounen was, and still is, more of a hero than anyone else."

Surprised, both Izuku and Katsuki turned their attention towards the speaker who was Toshinori. Walking alongside with him was Nemuri and they both approached the two boys.

"After witnessing his actions during the sludge villain incident, I judged it my responsibility to help him become a hero," explained Toshinori who then added, "And not you who was already strong enough to have the potential to become one, Bakugou-shounen."

Katsuki laughed humourlessly as he bitterly argued, "All I wanted was to be strong like you but look at me. I'm so weak that you ended up like this and… I can't even beat that worthless shit stain any more."

"No, you're not weak nor are you responsible for my current condition," said Toshinori who revealed his injuries and explained, "That villain whom I fought with back at the Kamino incident was responsible for causing me to lose part of my respiratory system and my entire stomach. Ever since I got my injuries, both my health and my ability to fight as a hero declined. Losing my ability to be a hero would have been inevitable even if you never got kidnapped, Bakugou-shounen."

"Do you… know about what I did to Deku, All Might?" asked Katsuki.

"Yes, I do. Aizawa-san, Nemuri-san and Nedzu-san also know about it," replied Toshinori.

"So why am I still here? Why am I not expelled yet?" asked Katsuki.

"Do you want to be expelled?" asked Toshinori.

"No, but I can't do shit if you decide to expel me, can I?" replied Katsuki.

"True, but we will not," answered Toshinori who then explained, "For one thing, Midoriya-shounen did not want you to be expelled for what you have done to him in the past. He made a convincing argument that you're a victim of a quirk-obsessed society, at least more so than most would be willing to consider, including yourself. Also, for all your faults and issues, you do have an admirable drive to be a hero who never loses. That said, just as Midoriya-shounen has come to understand the value of winning fights so that he can save and protect the innocent, so must you learn the value of saving and protecting the innocent in order to achieve true victories."

Katsuki remained quiet as he thought, "I… never thought of it that way…"

Toshinori knelt down and placed a comforting hand onto Katsuki's shoulder to say, "You're still young and there is still time to learn from your past mistakes and ultimately redeem yourself." Toshinori thought about the time when he, in a moment of cynicism, told Izuku that he could not be a hero without a quirk as he continued to speak, "Even I have made mistakes that I still regret even to this day. However, I must urge you to seek counselling from Hound Dog. It is clear that you need them even if you refuse to admit it to even yourself."

"It's… one of the conditions for me to continue staying here, isn't it?" asked Katsuki.

"If need be, yes," replied Toshinori.

Katsuki took a deep breath and said, "All right, I'll take Hound Dog's fucking counselling." He then turned his attention towards Izuku and said, "But first, you're going to tell me how the fuck you ended up having sex with so many girls. I can imagine Round Face and Frog Face wanting to fuck you, I can accept Glasses Blondie and Half-and-Half having feelings for you for some fucking reason and fucking everyone knows that Midnight-sensei is called the '18 Only Hero' for a reason. What I don't get is how the fuck you ended up dragging the rest of our female classmates into your damned harem."

Sumomo mentally spoke to Izuku, "Don't worry about telling him about me Izu-kun. Momo-chan's drone has flown away after your fight has concluded so I can reveal myself to Baka-Gou." She then cheekily added, "Also, Nemuri-chan is planning something special for tonight after seeing you win the fight!"

Izuku blushed bashfully as he admitted, "Well, I had some outside help…"

--One long explanation later…--

Katsuki's right eye twitched as the glared at the pink blob of slime in Izuku's hands which was trying its best to glare back at him. However, given its cute appearance and beady "eyes", the glare failed miserably in intimidating the short-tempered blond boy. He took a deep breath in a rare attempt to calm himself a little before he growled, "I take it back. I now wish to have my ass kicked out of this school if only to avoid this cluster-fuck of a situation which might as well as be the plot of some fucking third-rate porno." He turned his attention to Izuku who was grinning sheepishly and asked, "Seriously, how the BLOODY FUCK did you manage to get tangled up in this mess, Deku?!"

"Honestly, I have no idea," admitted Izuku.

Nemuri giggled at the admittedly amusing scene while Toshinori looked away awkwardly with a blush on his face. Katsuki ignored the two decidedly unhelpful adults and rubbed his forehead as he spoke to Izuku, "I shouldn't have fucking asked about your fucking harem. Now I not only have to help keep a secret about All Might's quirk, which every girl in your fucking harem already knows by the way, but I also have to keep a secret about your fucking Slime-Bitch who has been helping you find the spy by making a god-damned harem of all things!" Katsuki was sorely tempted to use his explosive quirk onto his own head just so that he could get concussed badly enough to simply forget the whole thing which was giving him a massive headache.

The pink slime actually puffed its cheeks angrily at the insulting nickname and used her copy in Nemuri's head to take over her body and say, "I, Sumomo, would like to say that you're not one to talk about fucking messed up situations, Baka-Hoe."

Katsuki was stunned for a moment before he growled, "What did you just fucking say to me, you slimy bitch?"

Brain-Jacked Nemuri (BJ-Nemuri), placed her arms akimbo and said, "Think about it, you have been so fucking full of yourself because of all that bloody cock-sucking praise that you got from basically everyone in your early life that you couldn't fucking even stand the idea of Izu-kun wanting to be your equal or even just help you. If that doesn't fucking scream being prideful to the point of having a mother-fucking superiority complex, I don't even want to know what kind of shit does." She then pointed at Bakugou and said, "Also, don't think we've forgotten that you actually told Izu-kun to commit suicide to get a quirk and that you never once apologised to him or tried to make amends for the shit you've done to him, Baka-Hoe. Had Izuku been any less wonderful of a person, who knows what kind of fucked-up shit would have happened because of you being a horrible ass-hole to him for over a whole fucking decade."

Unable to argue back, Katsuki looked away with a spiteful click of the tongue. If Izuku was guilty of clinging onto the memory of Katsuki being his childhood friend in spite of everything that the blond boy had cruelly done to him, then Katsuki was guilty of being too prideful to the point of acting no differently than a villain towards Izuku. As much as Katsuki hated to admit it, he came to realise that what he had done to Izuku was "fucked up" and he was actually extremely lucky that the situation between him and Izuku did not worsen to the point of no return. Still, he had what remained of his pride to uphold as he glared at Izuku and said, "This doesn't change anything, Deku. I'm going to become the next No.1 Hero even greater than All Might. Beating your shitty ass even after you fully master that quirk will only make it easier to prove to everyone that I'm the best."

Izuku, who was glad that a common understanding had finally been achieved between himself and Katsuki, smiled and said, "I also plan to be the best I can be and I won't let you beat me without a fight, Katsuki."

"Then I suggest that you spend less time fucking your girls and more time training your fucking ass off," growled Katsuki who then added, "You can't rely on borrowed moves if you plan to beat me, you fucking copy-cat."

Izuku blushed and argued, "I didn't plan to make a harem you know."

"No, but even I can tell you're milking it for what it's worth, you fucking pervert," said Katsuki.

Izuku tried to argue back but was unable to say anything in his defence. As such, he sighed and said, "All right, you win this one, Katsuki." He could have said that at least he was getting some sexual action but, as far as he knew, Katsuki did not really care about such things which made the argument pointless to point out.

Katsuki smirked with the satisfaction of being the winner of the admittedly petty argument and the fact that Izuku was even willing to talk to him about "stupidly pointless shit". Although Katsuki would sooner die than admit it, the realisation that Izuku still "gave a shit" about for him in spite of having a literal harem of girls who cared for him gave him a sense of relief that alleviated the cold and heavy feeling in his chest. He knew that the others would not be as willing to accept him but at least he had some hope of redemption unlike before when he felt like he was abandoned by everyone and, as hard as he tried to deny it, had only himself to blame.

Before long, both boys went to the clinic to receive medical treatment before returning to class…

--Later that evening…--

Izuku sighed as he dragged himself to the place where he would be meeting the girls of Dorm 1A, Class 1B and Nemuri. After his fight with Katsuki, Izuku had to face the wrath of Chiyo's disapproval as she treated both boys' injuries with her quirk. He and Katsuki then had to attend classes, while exhausted, and were questioned by the boys of Class 1A as soonest possible chance. Thankfully, Izuku was able to excuse himself to leave as he had to attend "extra classes" even if it meant "abandoning" Katsuki to the questioning. Izuku almost smiled at the betrayed angry look which Katsuki had on his face as he left Katsuki to his fate. Although going back to the happy days of early childhood when both boys were simply children who were not even old enough to have their quirks was no longer possible, Izuku was content with the common understanding which they currently shared as proper rivals who no longer had reason to bitterly fight each another let alone hate one another as actual enemies.

Izuku stood before the door of the training room where Midnight was holding her special class and took a deep breath to steady his nerves before he opened it. Standing before him were the girls who had copies of Sumomo in their heads. Midnight stood tall and foremost with a confident and sensual smile on her face and eyes which shone with both desire and genuine affection. The girls of Dorm 1A, who were led by Ochako, Tsuyu and Shouko, wore genuinely warm smiles which made his heart swell with a sense of joy that seemed to drive away both his earlier fatigue and the lingering demons which once plagued his very soul due to years of past abuse. The girls of Class 1B, who were led by Ibara, seemed to have made theie decision about something and Izuku could guess what their decision would be. Although Izuku honestly had no idea what the future would hold, he was prepared to face it head on and win the day like a true hero as he smiled and asked, "So, what are the plans for tonight?"

--Meanwhile…--

"I see, so the tracking beacon in Hagakure-san's body was indeed being used by the League of Villains," said Nedzu who was speaking on the phone.

The person whom Nedzu was speaking to was a tall man with short black hair named Tsukauchi Naomasa. A detective who was also a close associate of All Might, he readily agreed to help investigate the matter of Tooru's tracking beacon after Nedzu and All Might told him the possibility of it being used to keep track of Class 1A's movements. As it turned out, much like Tooru herself, both her parents and her family doctor were innocent and were merely unwitting pawns of a villain's malevolent intentions. The issue was the tracking beacon itself as the manufacturing company was one of the many "puppet companies" created by All For One to hide the production of his artificial humanoid monsters that possess multiple quirks known as noumus. Since the tracking beacon was made by his own "puppet company", getting the necessary information to keep track of Tooru would have been a simple matter for the ancient villain.

"Yes, it was, Nedzu-san," replied Naomasa who then explained, "However, there's more that you and All Might need to know."

"It's about the noumus contained beneath the factory that made the tracking beacon, correct?" asked Nedzu.

"That's correct," confirmed Naomasa who then explained, "We did not find any noumus in the facility and it seemed that it was in use until recently. Either the villains knew that we were coming and acted accordingly or there was at least one villain with a warping quirk who took all the Noumus to another location before we could find them. Either way, this is a concerning matter as either the League of Villains is still going strong in spite of the recent loss of All For One…"

"Or there is at least one major backer who is unaccounted for," concluded Nedzu.

"My thoughts exactly," replied Naomasa.

"Very well, please continue with the investigation and let the police know about this. I will report this matter to the Hero Public Safety Commission myself," said Nedzu.

"Duly noted," replied Naomasa who then disconnected the telephone line.

Nedzu sighed as he pondered over the recent discovery. Although it was reassuring to know that neither Tooru's parents or her family doctor were knowingly helping the villains, the possibility of the League of Villains making a comeback was certainly worrisome. The League of Villains was not the only villain group pro-heroes had to deal with though as numerous villains groups started to either form or grow as a result of All Might's retirement. Among them was a yazuka group known as the Shie Hassaikaiand a growing number of people who followed the ideology of the Meta Liberation Army. Although Shouko's admittedly justified criticism about people being too obsessed with quirks has made the public more critical about the ideology of the Meta Liberation Army, there was no denying that the number of followers was still growing.

"Or perhaps they have always been followers and simply decided to be open about it now that the Symbol of Peace has retired," thought Nedzu who then thought, "There's also the matter of Midoriya-san's previous schools. While I may be willing to consider leaving out the names of the children involved in causing harm to Midoriya-san, the teachers who have essentially allowed him to be abused by others, including Bakugou, must be brought to justice. Now that Midoriya-san and Bakugou have more or less settled their differences, the investigation can proceed without further delay. Who knows, we might even uncover someone associated with the Meta Liberation Army." As a former victim of abuse due to being treated as a mere lab-rat with a mutant-type quirk, Nedzu was determined to make everyone realise that quirk-related discrimination should not be tolerated by any just society.

--End Chapter--

Author's Notes:

I originally planned to have Katsuki defeated by Izuku in a fight after he fails the licence exams (much like canon) and suffer a prolonged period of getting ostracised by Izuku's growing harem. However, when someone commented about when Kastuki was getting his deserved humiliation, I recalled about Shouko's statement and decided that sooner might actually make sense in this case. Also, Katsuki will NOT be easily forgiven by the girls or some of the guys.

I sincerely hope that Katsuki getting beaten by Izuku, and getting a massive headache from the whole Harem Plan idea, to the point of wishing he could give himself amnesia via explosively violent concussion, would placate the people who hate him for now. Don't get me wrong, he was a piece of shit in early canon and he never once apologised to Izuku for that let alone try to make amends for it in canon. Even so, as shitty as he is due to being so prideful that he cannot even tolerate the idea of someone like Izuku striving to reach his level of "awesomeness", it cannot be denied that his pride was at least partly caused by a society which obsesses over "desirable quirks".

At any rate, be ready for some sexy smut in the following chapter (to make up for the somewhat lack of smut in both the previous chapter and this chapter) and be sure to leave your comments or constructive criticisms.

Until next time, go beyond, plus ultra!