They had moved on to the next stage of Project: Indestructible. The power boots. Or Izuku had moved on to it while Mei tinkered with the A.I that would be monitoring the armor. They had enough shock absorbing fiber to weave it into the boots and Izuku was doing just that. Thank God they had leftovers. It would take a while before they could afford to take Yaoyorozu out for dinner again.

With the help of the boots, he could easily leap between buildings but that wasn't good enough. Mei had wanted to implement the jet pack technology into the boots, but they hadn't figured out how to contain so much power in so little space. For now, they had to make do with monstrous leaping and kicking power.

There was a knock on the door and Izuku actually caught himself growling in annoyance. Who dared to interrupt his work?! Some of Mei's bad habits had started rubbing on to him. Mei let out a defeated sigh and turned to look at the door.

"Yes?"

Power Loader peeked in.

"You two busy?"

"Extremely." Mei said and Izuku had never heard someone fit so much contempt and annoyance in a single word.

Power Loader didn't recognize murder even when it was staring him in the face.

"Too bad. You're coming with me. 1-A is doing rescue training today and we have to man the equipment." Power Loader said.

"Have someone less important do it. I don't do grunt work. It's bad enough that I have to waste four hours of my day doing… ugh… school work." Mei said.

"Students are expected to do school work." Power Loader said.

"No. People less intelligent than me are expected to do school work. I just want your facilities." Mei said.

"Well, that doesn't change that this is still a school and some things are expected from you." Power Loader said.

"No." Mei said.

"Soon you'll do it because I tell you."

"No!"

Deku would have pleaded Mei to do as their teacher told them but Izuku Midoriya wanted to get back to work and hoped Mei could get them out of this nonsense. His work was too important to ignore now.

Power Loader looked at Izuku.

"Thirteen will be there."

Izuku's eyes widened.

"… the space hero?"

"The very same."

Izuku jumped from his desk and grabbed Mei.

"Let's go!"

"Traitor." Mei complained.

Power Loader led them to the rescue training facility that was a theme park of natural disasters. The sheer size was over-whelming and the equipment and different terrains were divine. Mei looked like Izuku felt when there were new heroes to meet.

"You want us to man this place? Why wasn't that your opener?"

"I'm your teacher. I shouldn't have to bribe my students." Power Loader said.

"Didn't stop you with Izuku." Mei said.

"Midoriya is a good kid. He deserves some leeway."

Mei grinned.

"What?" Power Loader said suspiciously.

"Must be tough that he wasn't all that excited about meeting you." Mei said.

"Below the belt, Hatsume." Power Loader said.

"… could you stop talking like I'm not here?" Izuku said.

Power Loader gave them both earpieces, so they could stay in contact and got working. They went through the machinery of all the terrains that would be used for training that day and kept each other's updated. They were almost done when the students started arriving. Power Loader grit his teeth behind his mask.

"Dammit. Next time less sass."

Izuku was barely listening. He could see the hero Thirteen waiting for class 1-A led by the hero Eraserhead. Not even spotting Bakugou amongst the students could sour his mood. Could he ask for autographs later or would it be weird since he was a student now?

"Screw it. It works well enough. Let's get to the control room so we can get started." Power Loader said.

Before they could move, black mist started forming in the training park. A small army of people stepped out of the mist led by a man covered in severed hands. The man was followed by a grotesquely muscled black monster with an exposed brain and bulging eyes. Izuku stared at them his agape and even Mei was too shocked to say anything. What was going on? Was this part of the training? To see how the students handled surprises?

"Hello U.A! We are the League of Villains and we're here to kill All-Might!" The man with the hands shouted.

Panic followed the villain's words. Eraserhead returned order to his class and tried to lead his students out but the doors were locked tight. Power Loader pulled Izuku and Mei for cover before reaching for his earpiece.

"Eraserhead. Thirteen. This is Power Loader. I'll be right there."

"Can you burrow into the ground and get help?" Izuku could hear Eraserhead say through the earpiece.

"The floor is too tough for my claws. When is All-Might getting here?"

"He's not. He's sick." Eraserhead said.

"Goddammit! Guess this is on us." Power Loader said.

Power Loader turned to look at them and for a moment he seemed conflicted when his duties as a hero and a teacher clashed.

"You… you two need to look for cover and stay hidden until this blows over."

"… will you be alright?" Izuku said.

Power Loader grinned.

"Don't worry, Midoriya. We're heroes. Just another day on the job."

"I hope you're right about…" Mei said.

Black mist swallowed them and Izuku had just enough time to grab Mei before he fell through the darkness. The fall felt like it lasted forever until it suddenly ended and Izuku slammed onto the deck of a ship. Then Mei slammed into him and knocked the wind out of him and accidentally kneed him in the crotch. Izuku let out a high-pitched squeal.

"Oh… shit. Sorry, Izuku." Mei said.

"You two alright?"

Izuku turned his head to see a lean girl with faintly amphibian features and long black hair. Hiding behind her was a guy who only reached Izuku in he waist and looked like a cartoon sketch. He was close to tears and trembling. Izuku recognized both of them from studying the Quirks from class 1-A. Tsuyu Asui and Minoru Mineta. Asui had been threat number one in his mind. Mineta on the other hand… his ability to create glue balls wasn't exactly useless but… the only thing that had really stuck out were his looks. His weird looks.

"They… they might be villains." Mineta said from behind Asui.

"They have our uniforms." Asui pointed out.

"I've never seen them before." Mineta said.

Mei got up and was mindful not to cause anymore crotch themed damage.

"That's because you've neve been to the Support Department. I'm the super genius Mei Hatsume and that's Izuku Midoriya." Mei said.

"… hi." Izuku said weakly. God, it hurt!

Izuku heard splashing and they looked over the edge of the ship. The sight made him forget his pain. The black mist had dropped them into the middle of the sea rescue training grounds and the half-sunk ship was surrounded by water. In the water were a dozen villains with Quirks suited for the sea. They looked at them hungrily.

"Kids! Come out and play!" One of the villains yelled.

"Kiss the darkest part of my ass, douchebag!" Mei screamed back.

Mineta turned pale.

"Oh God! Don't… don't piss them off."

"Never show fear to a douchebag." Mei said.

Izuku looked at the villains and tried to decipher their Quirks. All of them were laughing confidently but they kept their distance and it hit Izuku. The villains didn't know their Quirks. Why else had Asui been dropped into an environment she could excel at? Plus, people who ganged up on kids were probably not known for their backbone. So, they were dealing with cowards only dangerous as a group with lacking intel.

Mineta started crying. How had that guy made it into heroics? Luckily Asui had enough courage for two.

"Do you have any good Quirks?" Asui said.

"Super vision." Mei said.

"… I'm Quirkless." Izuku said.

Asui looked at him surprised. It was rare to meet someone without a Quirk.

"Oh. I'm sorry." Asui said.

"He's gifted at other areas." Mei said.

"I want to go home!" Mineta bawled while crying his eyes out.

"… it will be alright." Izuku said.

Asui looked at Mei.

"Do you have a plan? Since you're so calm and all."

"You can bet your spandex I do." Mei said and took out her card key: "You'll use this to get to the control room and turn on all the areas here. To full power."

"What?" Asui said.

"They're not designed to kill and should give the villains something else to think about. Besides murdering us. When all the machines work together, this place should blackout. If the teachers are half as smart as me, they'll figure out that shenanigans are afoot." Mei said.

Asui looked at the villains who were getting closer.

"I… don't think I can out-swim them all."

"… I have a plan." Izuku said.

Izuku explained them his plan and Mei nodded approvingly.

"Just one problem. I… how do I use the equipment?" Asui said.

"Izuku. Give her your earpiece." Mei said.

Izuku did as he was told and Asui plugged it in her own ear.

"I'll guide you through the facility, so you can get to the control room while avoiding the villains. Got it?" Mei said.

"I think so." Asui said.

"Hey, it's only our lives on the line." Mei said.

Asui jumped into the water and the villains swam after her. Some of them. Not as many as Izuku had hoped but it was at least a few less threats to worry about. When the villains going after Asui were cluttered together in a straight line Mineta started throwing his glue balls in their path. When the balls made contact, they stuck to the villains and trapped them letting Asui make a clean get away.

The villains looked at their sinking comrades and then turned to glare at them. Izuku wished he'd planned further than Asui's escape. The villains forgot their worries and started climbing on to the ship.

While Mei was using her telescope vision to find Asui the safest path to the control room and then guiding her through it, Izuku and Mineta defended the ship with anything they could. Mineta bombed the villains with his glue balls and Izuku threw anything at them that wasn't nailed down. Why couldn't he have his shock gloves with him?!

I'm going to die, Izuku realized.

If this didn't work, he was dead. And not just him but Mei and Mineta as well. The same dreadful calm that had taken over him with the Sludge Villain washed over him again. But now… there was an exhilarated edge to it. He was fighting against villains. Like a hero! There were even comrades putting their life on the line fighting by his side.

Mineta was giving him strange looks and Izuku realized he was smiling.

They fought with all the desperation of cornered rattlesnakes but there were too many villains. Far too many. Soon, they were cornered. Mei was still shouting instructions in her earpiece, but her voice had turned grim and furious. Mineta was crying and still throwing glue balls at the villains but they knew now what to expect and dodged them easily.

Adrenaline was burning in Izuku's veins and his heartbeat was a thunderstorm. He felt immortal. Invincible. Indestructible! A new plan formed in his mind. All he needed was to buy time. A minute or two. Or maybe just seconds.

Izuku laughed.

The laughter actually made the villains hesitate and Izuku smiled like All-Might. He brushed aside his bangs to reveal his scars.

"I never explained how my Quirk works, did I?" Izuku said and pulled off his glove.

The sight of his maimed hand made the villains shudder.

"It's called Pain Receptor. Anything I touch, dies screaming. Who's first, motherfuckers?!"

Izuku couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. Who was this guy staring down villains and bluffing them with an empty hand? Was it really him? The villains hesitated for a moment.

A moment was all Asui needed.

The ship started rocking when the artificial waves crashed against it. Rain hit them like a hail of bullets. They had been expecting it and had just enough time to grab hold of the railing. The villains weren't as prepared and were thrown into the water filled with Mineta's glue balls. Izuku held on to the railing for dear life. He only had to hold on a little longer. Soon the machinery would short-circuit but the rain had made the railing slippery and the waves kept coming. He was slipping!

Izuku lost his grip.

"No!" Mei screamed and tried to grab him.

All that accomplished was that they were both thrown into the water. Mineta's glue balls didn't distinguish between friend and foe. The glue trapped them and pulled them under. Izuku and Mei tried to desperately stay afloat but to no avail. They sank deeper. Ever deeper. His lungs were burning.

No! Not like this! He couldn't die like this! Not when he was so close to his dream! Mom! All-Might! Anyone! Please! He didn't want to die! Not like this!

Small hands grabbed the collars of their uniforms and pulled their heads above the surface. Mineta had taken a lifebuoy from the ship and was using it to keep them all above the water. Strain twisted his face and Izuku went limp so as not to make his job any harder. Mei followed suit. Mineta started the long torturous swim to shore.

For a moment it looked like Mineta could make it. He was immune to his own Quirk and swam through the glue balls. The waves had stopped, and the villains were incapacitated. A small part of Izuku wondered how many of them had drowned. Not all them would have been able to breath under water.

Then Mineta's strength gave out. He tried to pull them back up, but Mineta was small. Too small and he was spent.

Invisible hands took a hold of Izuku and Mei and pulled them ashore. Izuku didn't see anyone but he felt someone's breath on his cheek and their arms around him. There… wasn't there an invisible student amongst 1-A? Toru… Hagakure?

"Holy shit, guys! Holy shit!" Hagakure gasped after pulling them on dry land.

Mineta fell next to them gasping for air.

The facility had gone dark, but light burst in when All-Might kicked the doors open.

"Worry not! For now, I'm here!"

The man with the severed hands sicced his black monster at All-Might but monsters had never been able to best gods. This day was no different.

After the villains made their escape, Izuku and Mei were cut free from the glue. They sat amongst the other students and waited for Recovery Girl to come check their injuries. Power Loader, Eraserhead and Thirteen had gotten the worst of it and Izuku prayed they were alright. The black monster had been merciless. Even more worrying was how Mei had fallen completely quiet.

"… you alright?" Izuku said.

Mei looked at him blankly.

"… yeah. It's just…"

Mei had been able to keep her cool during the attack. When they were safe she dared to break down and cry. She clung to Izuku who hugged her and realized he was crying too. On the outside. Behind the tears he was smiling. He'd done it. He'd faced down villains and come out on top. For a moment he'd been a hero. Even without a Quirk he could be a hero. Nothing could ruin that. Ever. He still had his dream.

Shuichi came close to getting down on his knees and begging Dabi not to take him to see Toga again, but he knew better. Showing weakness in Shi Hassaikai was a death sentence. Death might come immediately or a week later, but it would come. There was no mercy for weakness amongst the yakuza. He was sweating buckets when they arrived at Toga's lair and it was a lair. Predators had no homes. Just lairs.

When they entered the dark room, Toga was so absorbed in a video she was watching on her phone that she didn't even notice them come in. Headsets covered her ears and Shuichi could hear the faint echo of words. Toga looked… hypnotized. Her face was completely empty.

"Toga." Dabi said.

Toga looked up and took off the headset. She got up and did a curtsy.

"How ya like the new threads?"

It was the first time Shuichi noticed that Toga had switched her old uniform for a U.A model.

"Who did you kill to get that?" Dabi said.

Toga laughed and Shuichi's last meal turned sour in his stomach.

"Kill? Dabi, yer girl Toga is now a hero in training. We don't kill people."

"Whatever you say. Did you get it?" Dabi said.

Toga's grin revealed a row of blood stained teeth.

"Maybe. Ya ready to talk about my reward?"

"There's nothing to talk about. Just tell me what you want." Dabi said.

Toga used her phone to shine light on the walls. They were covered in pictures that hadn't been there the last time. Pictures of the Quirkless freak that had fried slime boy and the pink-haired bitch that had sucker punched him. The walls were lined from top to bottom in pictures of them. In some pictures they were alone. In some together. All of them had the eyes scratched out.

"Them. I want 'em. And a room that locks from the inside. Where the three of us can get to know each other."

Shuichi shuddered and Dabi… swallowed. He brought to mind a man who was dealing with the Devil and was just know realizing that maybe, just maybe, he had bit off too much. The fever in Toga's eyes was turning super nova. Shuichi had thought she looked like a junkie when they first met, and he'd been right. She was an addict preparing her next fix.

"There… is a student in class 1-A. Todoroki. His hair is half red and half white. He… he has…" Dabi said but couldn't continue.

Old pain washed over Dabi's face and Shuichi saw a glimmer of the man behind the scars.

"A large… burn scar over his eye."

"Yup. I know him." Toga said.

"He's under my protection. If you just so much as look at him funny, I'll kill you." Dabi said.

"Watch it, Dabi. I might fall for ya. People rarely survive that." Toga said.

Blue fire started forming around Dabi. Shuichi begged in his mind that Dabi would do it and burn that monster off the face of the Earth. Send her back to whatever hell she'd crawled out from.

"Do. You. Understand?" Dabi growled.

Toga's grin grew wider.

"Do we have a deal?" Toga said.

The blue flames went out.

"Yes."

Toga laughed.

"I know. I always get what I want." Toga said and played with her phone for a moment.

Dabi received a new message and he opened the video file hungrily. Shuichi peeked over Dabi's shoulder and saw All-Might… fight. No. He saw All-Might trounce a huge monster with black skin and an exposed brain. In the background he could see people disappearing into black mist. All-Might was able to keep it together until he thought he was alone and then he shrank into the skeleton slime boy had described.

Dabi smiled.

"I'll be right back."

Dabi picked Overhaul's number and walked into the hallway. Shuichi nearly clung to his ankles and cried for Dabi not to leave him alone with Toga. The moment passed, and he was alone with the monster.

Toga placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Wanna see something cool, scale boy?" Toga said.

"… sure." Shuichi said and tried to sound braver than he felt.

Toga showed him a video narrated by the pink-haired girl.

"Best friends turned rivals will face in the U.A tournament! Katsuki Bakugou believes that might makes right while Izuku Midoriya will rise up to prove him wrong! Project: Indestructible will fuck Bakugou with its titanium dick in the finals! And the whole world will watch! Plus Ultra!"

"Mei, Mei, Mei. Cute, lil', pink Mei. Titanium cock would have rolled off the tongue so much better." Toga said.

Shuichi felt like Toga was expecting him to say something and he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

"… the editing was pretty bad."

Shuichi almost swallowed his tongue. Why had he said that?! Just keep the beast happy and get out alive!

"No one's perfect. Not even yer girl Toga." Toga said when another phone started ringing.

Toga picked up the other phone and when she answered the call her voice changed. And not just her voice. Her posture. Expression. Her everything. Shuichi felt like he was looking at a different person.

"Hi, dad. Sorry I missed dinner, but I was hanging out with friends. I'll eat in town. See you later." Toga said and hung up.

Toga smiled at his confused expression.

"The uniform came with a new name and family. It's been a while since I played family."

This thing… this creature wasn't human. At least Dabi and Overhaul were human. But this? It had to have crawled out from some dark cave and was only wearing a human face. Shuichi looked at the pictures decorating the room.

"Those two… what are you planning to do to them?"

Toga didn't have to think about her answer.

"Carve 'em up and fuck the remains."