A/N: Got mixed reactions from the last chapter. It was nice hearing the various opinions and reactions to what occurred, especially there at the end.

Thank you to King Eli, ILiekFishes, Gamelover41592, HankFlamion18, DrunkenPanda, Ander Arias, jaciro500, dragonfighter11, MIKE202303, AyumuMatsuoXIII, luffy180, davidhatter16, Ryan Marshall, bajy, jaimegc, and creativesm75 for taking the time to leave a review. And as always, thanks to my beta, kylekatarn77.

Also, since this chapter is being posted on the 19th of August, 2019, this marks ten years writing fanfiction and posting on this site, which is crazy to realize honestly.

Chapter 25

The bus back to U.A. from the camp was still several hours away, chugging along the narrow mountain highways. Of the forty students and two instructors who had made the trip out to the training camp, only twenty-nine of the students and one teacher would be aboard the single bus needed to bring them back to campus, before they'd be allowed to return home. One teacher along with ten students was enroute to the Tarravuin Specialty Hospital, one of three in the country that serviced the pro hero industry exclusively. The League of Villains had kidnapped the final student, one Izuku Midoriya. Toshinori starred at the email he had received, a copy of the one sent to Principal Nedzu from Aizawa that informed the face of U.A. what exactly had occurred. The reports from those students who'd been present when Midoriya had been captured spoke of a young villain that had encountered him, along with Bakugou and Todoroki on the day the Hero Killer Stain had been captured. Her description reminded him of an odd series of serial killings to the west. That the League could recruit as young as the heroes-in-training he was helping prepare for their debuts as pros was as frightening as the suspicion there could be a traitor either in U.A. or in the hero community around the school.

After reading the email several times, Toshinori could only come to one conclusion about the undercurrents which led to his protégée's kidnapping: the League of Villains, if not directly led by All for One, was involved with the villain that had crippled the career of All Might and murdered his predecessor, along with however many others who possessed One for All and stood against the efforts of its incidental creator. The general populace might not know, but his days as the Symbol of Peace had been numbered for years.

My days as All Might are nearly over, Toshinori briefly thought. It's too easy to see the last day coming… He shoved the thoughts away, horrified and scared that it had even come to him. His transformation into All Might only lasted for a couple hours on a good day, and as Midoriya grew stronger, he grew weaker. He had always thought of his quirk like a fire, and it seemed as Izuku's blazed brighter, Toshinori's dimmed.

I knew this would occur. The same happened with my own master, and then she died at the hands of All for One. I can only hope we rescue young Midoriya from his captivity before they can use him to once more strike against us.

He was afraid of how the public would react, learning that villains had captured the young man who had so publically declared he would inherit the mantle of Symbol of Peace. He knew that Aizawa and Nedzu were, even separated, preparing for the inevitable press conference where they had to admit to their errors and mistakes.

And then there is the matter of Inko. Toshinori sighed, standing. He had volunteered to be the one to tell her that her son had been captured. It was the type of house call no teacher ever wished to make, and the fact it was him doing it that made it all the worse. The walk from the offices of U.A. to the nearest transit station wasn't terribly long, but it felt like an eternity as he was caught up in his mental troubles.

As Toshinori sat on the shaking train, watching station after station pass, he couldn't help the sudden reaction to clench his hands. I should be out there looking for Midoriya, he thought, not waiting on the sidelines and delivering the bad news. And yet…here I am.

He nearly missed the station where he had to get off, but just before the doors could close, he jumped to his feet and slipped through. A group of lazy teens glanced at him and sniggered. The sight of them enjoying their youth was a reminder, no matter how uncomfortable, just why Toshinori had dedicated to the life of being the Symbol of Peace. Everything he had sacrificed was for small moments like that, where people could reap the wonders of peaceful life, where they don't have to struggle for everything in their lives.

I did it with a smile on my face, so that they would be relieved to see me—or so it had to be in those early days.

It would've been easy to drift into a nostalgic haze as he walked the streets of Midoriya's neighborhood, but the looming shadow of the news he had to deliver pressed upon him with every step. And as he approached the apartment structure where they had lived since he first met that bright ten-year-old boy with the purest heroic heart, doubt and fear reached to wrap around his own heart.

Toshinori stopped when he reached his destination, first on the sidewalk as he stared uncomfortably up at the building, and then again as he stood before the door. His right hand spent several seconds just hovering before the door, hesitant to cross the final distance and knock.

Before he could do so, it opened. Inko Midoriya stood on the other side, frowning up at him. "Has…has something happened to Izuku?" she asked, eyes red and cheeks puffy. "He hasn't called me back and I know he was supposed to be home today."

"I should come inside," Toshinori whispered, his voice betraying him. It took all of his will to force the words out. "I don't think you want this information to be, uh, public."

Horror filled Inko's gaze, as if her worst nightmare was suddenly her reality. "Is…is he alive?"

Toshinori gestured inside and she flushed. Once inside, he removed his shoes and followed her to the main room. They sat down and he finally said, "I…I have failed both you and your son. During the training camp, a group of villains associated with the League responsible for the attack on U.A. in February captured your son. We're doing everything we can to rescue him."

With that, he stood, moved around the table, and slumped into a bow, knees on the ground and forehead pressed against tile. He closed his eyes, holding back the tears he felt threatening to spill over since he first heard the news.

"I swear on my life and on my title as the Symbol of Peace, I will bring Izuku back. Even if it costs me everything."

There was a long moment of silence, and then a chair slid back on the wood floor and soft feet padded towards Toshinori's hands.

"Please," Inko whispered, "do not promise me. Go and save my son. For if…if you're there…" She paused, sniffling, and Toshinori glanced up. Tears and snot streaked down Inko's face as she struggled for words. "If yo-ou're there, eve-e-rythi-ing will-l-l be fiiinee."

Toshinori wasn't sure if he rose or she collapsed first, but in a sudden blink, he had drawn the grieving mother of his pupil into his arms, providing what comfort he could. His heart pounded with a thunderous pace. Those words were the ones he needed to hear, the same reassurance he gave others as All Might. He wasn't the Symbol of Peace because of some marketing guru or advertising firm. It was because he held within him the hearts and dreams of the heroes who came before and it was his duty to ensure the torch of justice was passed along to the next generation.

And I can only do that with Midoriya safe, he realized. I do not know if I ever realized the impact I had upon him. It's clear just from his mother's words how important my example is to him. I cannot let her down, not now. Never.

"He will be back to you soon," Toshinori whispered. "No matter what I have to sacrifice, even my smile."

It was his most solemn declaration since his mentor had left him to face their greatest foe, the one he could only hope had yet to get his hands on Izuku Midoriya. Otherwise, the future he had fought for could very well be jeopardized.

Katsuki stomped into Tarravuin Specialty Hospital. Most of his fellow classmates were there, visiting the few from their class who'd been injured during the attack. He struggled to hold back his anger when the stupid administrative lady at the front desk tried to ask for his ID, even though she'd seen him head up to see birdbrain, grapes, and the bug whisperer that morning.

"Fine, just go!" she eventually shouted at him, loud enough to draw the attention of whoever had reason to be at the hospital so late at night.

"Could've just allowed me go on without stopping me," Katsuki snarled back, turning away. As he headed for the room, he muttered, "Dumb bint."

A short elevator ride later, he reached the fourth floor and pushed past the sleepy C-list pro hero guarding the door into the ward where his injured schoolmates were being held. Kirishima and Metal Kirishima sat right outside the door, watching the approach with careful, wary gazes. He couldn't blame them, since the last time he had been up there he had nearly exploded into a fiery rage.

Maybe Dad is right and I should see a therapist. He's been trying to get Mom to see one for years. Bakugou snorted, drawing confused looks from the two watching him. Once Deku is back and I've blasted that crazy bitch, then I'll talk to him about it.

"Hey, you all right?" asked Kirishima. If he wasn't sitting here or at home, the redhead had been at Katsuki's side since Deku had been stolen. They, like him, had been caught flat on their feet when the portal arrived. He had hated himself and all of the rest for letting Deku get captured.

"Why waste the breath to ask a question when you already know the answer?" growled Katsuki.

Kirishima glanced away, frowning so his lips were curled in over his teeth. A moment, long and tense, passed before he blew out a sigh. "Because I want to hear you tell the truth, Bakugou. We all know Deku's kidnapping has hurt you most."

"Fine," Katsuki bit out, as harsh as his quirk. "You want to hear the truth? I'm so fucking pissed off at those fucking villains that I want to rip their limbs off, blast them into fucking atoms, and then shove all of those blasted atoms down their throats until they choke and die." He punched the nearest wall, leaving an imprint of his knuckles. "The longer everyone waits to go after him, the more angry I get."

"Then perhaps we should go after him," Kirishima suggested. "Rescue him, I mean. It's sort of our fault he got kidnapped in the first place. None of us, not even him, could've expected what that chick would do. Blaming yourself for it ain't healthy, Bakubro."

Katsuki frowned at Kirishima, blinking. "What the fuck did you just fucking say to me, you little—?"

"Language!" shouted metalhead.

Teeth gritted, Katsuki grumbled, "Don't tell me what to do, metalbreath."

"Metalbreath?" he muttered, glancing at Kirishima.

"Bakugou's just like that."

Snarling, Katsuki walked past them and towards the wardroom where the injured students were held. He knew with his attitude and frustrating fury that he shouldn't be around them as they recovered, but the only other option would be to retreat, and that would be the same as giving up. As far as he was concerned, the mission wasn't over yet. Deku was still in the hands of the villains, and until his only true childhood…acquaintance came home, part of him was still in that forest in the middle of nowhere.

"Bakugou?" asked a feminine voice. He turned, red eyes pulsing with anger, and found the tall girl with dark hair and darker eyes from his class. His mind raced for a name or even her quirk, but found nothing.

"What do you want?" he asked, growling.

"I—" She hesitated, gritting her teeth. Before he could walk away, she sighed and continued. "Eraserhead had me make a device so they could find Midoriya. I…I made a second one, just in case."

Katsuki blinked, momentarily wondering how she could produce such a device. And then the realization of what could be done with it struck him. He grinned, not his usual feral smirk or some other threatening expression, but one close to joy. She flinched.

"Have you told anyone else about this?"

"N-n-no!" she forced out, stumbling through a stutter. "I had been struggling with whether I wanted to tell you, but, uh…"

"Thanks for telling me," Katsuki said, shocking her. He then took the device from her hands without asking and stomped into the room where everyone else would be. Members from both of the first year hero classes turned and stared at him as he entered. Eyes, curious eyes, angry eyes, uncertain eyes, all turned to face him.

Katsuki knew exactly what he needed to say. "I need volunteers for a rescue op. Who ain't a coward?"

Izuku's neck itched. As desperate as he was to scratch it, he couldn't nor would he ask anyone nearby to do it for him. Shigaraki could kill him—accidentally or on purpose, he wasn't sure which it would be. He did know that the apparent villain leader would be pleased to do so. Teleporter and bartender Kurogiri was quiet, except while providing what sounded to be therapy for their leader, though Izuku was certain he had never studied whatever was required to be a therapist. The other villains he didn't know at first—the scarred fire user Dabi, scaly Stain worshipper Spinner, the quiet, top hat wearing Compress, and the fully clothed and psychotic Twice—all jeered or mocked him whenever they gave him the time of day, which fortunately was rare after those first hours in their hands.

It was Toga that frightened him most, and it was Toga he had to deal with the most. The blonde bounced between cooing over him as if he were a child and threatening to drink his blood until she got her fill—or he died. Izuku was certain she was bipolar, though he wouldn't dare say so to her face.

She'd kill me just for that, or worse.

"You ready to speak with the brat?" muttered Shigaraki. He was sat before a small screen on the far side of the bar. It was odd, being held in such an inconspicuous place, but it was almost fitting for what he had seen of the League.

"I am," answered the man on the screen. He was cloaked, with only a great, terrible outline. Izuku felt his gut drop, for he had a sudden, terrible realization. That's All for One, isn't it. I've fallen into the hands of the enemy.

Shigaraki stood, holding the screen, and carried it over so both he and the screen were before Izuku.

"All for One," Izuku said, staring at the screen.

The man chuckled. "So Toshinori has told you about me. I wondered if he would be willing to tell you about his greatest failures, but it appears he has gained wisdom. Not enough to stand aside, but he would never do that after what happened with his mentor."

Izuku scowled. The man he was now speaking with had killed All Might's predecessor and injured the Symbol of Peace terribly. "What do you want from me?"

"To speak with you," All for One said. "After your declaration, I have been keeping a close eye on you, Izuku Midoriya. A fascinating figure, you have turned out to be. I have also kept a close eye on your childhood friend, Katsuki Bakugou."

"Why?"

All for One snorted. It was odd, mechanical, and curdled Izuku's gut. "I have long paid close attention to those who have inherited my brother's quirk—his true one, that came from my gift of power. Tell me, what do you know of the vestiges?"

Izuku paused for a brief moment before the words, "Never heard of them," rushed from his mouth. It was both the words he wanted to say and the ones he clearly shouldn't have considered uttering. There was a flash of light on the other side of the screen and he got a glimpse of the man's face. While a terrible mask mostly covered it, some of All for One's mouth was exposed and turned up into a feral grin.

"You are a poor liar, Midoriya, but then few who have possessed my brother's quirk have been decent liars. Even he was a poor one, though I think I knew him so well that naught a single one of his lies ever got past me."

"Clearly one did," Izuku replied, scowling. "Else All Might and I wouldn't be here. I know enough about you to know you'd never let a hero with the vision to stand against you live, unless you were incapable of killing them."

All for One didn't immediately answer. He leaned back, a hand rising to rub his chin in a slow, ponderous manner. Izuku tensed, glancing above the monitor at Shigaraki. He only stared down, scowling. The look wasn't meant for him in particular, or so he told himself.

"I never suspected what I gave my brother would mutate into the quirk that you and All Might possess." He paused, and Izuku felt a sudden terror. "I have long wondered if I could take it back, both what I gave him and what he already had. We will see if that is so, Midoriya Izuku, and you will help me, willing or not."