His sides burned. He wasn't going to let that stop his fast-paced stride, but that didn't make him immune to the physical toil he was pushing himself through. Find Compress. That was the goal he was tasked with completing, and something he desperately wanted to accomplish if it meant mending this whole wretched situation just a little bit. So he never paused, not even to rest a moment as the ominous pinnacles of ice and fire loomed in the rapidly approaching distance. Because he worried that if he let up his pace even a little that his mind would catch up with him, and he couldn't stand to listen to the inner turmoil that threatened to surface.

Why had I thought…

No. Go forward. That's all you can do.

Even this much felt overly reckless, though. Maybe it wasn't his place to think that, since the other members of the League appeared to be getting targeted much more heavily, but everywhere he ran in this apocalyptic town felt like he was headed directly into the midst of danger and eminent destruction. Especially now, as he honed in on the grand-scale battle of the elements unfolding just ahead. Anyone in their right mind would do well to steer clear of such threatening obstacles. Unfortunately for him, he felt like he owed this much to Toga and Twice. He couldn't do enough to prevent the damage that had left Toga in such a compromised state, and the longer he spent away from the vulnerable duo the more he began to feel worry eat away at him. This was a timed situation, and amidst it all the ongoing chaos wasn't about to let up enough for him to take a break.

The streets were unnervingly empty. Despite how thoroughly inhabited this social space appeared at a glance, there was nobody here to meet him. It occurred to him that the troops of this cultish hierarchy had already zeroed in on what they wanted. So if he kept going in this direction, there was no question that he'd be forced to fight through throngs of manipulated minds yet again.

Something on the path snagged his foot, and Tokoyami staggered mid-run, managing to catch himself before falling to the ground. It was the first thing to have slowed him down since he'd begun searching for the others, and the moment of hesitation made his head spin. He grit his teeth.

What the hell…

His eyes were drawn to the earth, where there was a crack in the pavement. Ice seeped from the earthen scar, journeying away from the crack like reverse hail. It made him actually stop and observe what was happening around him closer. Upon further inspection, this wasn't the only source of peculiar ice. All around him, if he looked hard enough, he could see all kinds and icy flecks and chunks being drawn towards the same direction he was headed. This didn't bode well for him, or any of them, really. Mr. Compress was supposed to be close to where Dabi was, right? Knowing Dabi, that was a horribly dangerous decision that he understood all too well.

Another column of blazing blue flames lit up the sky, much closer than before, and swirls of ash clogged the air.

He could hear them now, maybe only a block or so away. Steadying his ragged breath and steeling his resolve, Tokoyami broke into a sprint to clear the rest of the distance. There were people now. Swarms of them, heckling the source of the clashing fire and milling through the streets looking for a target. They began to notice him, too. An inevitable conclusion, but one that instilled dread in him nonetheless.

"He's on the hit list!"

"That's the fake hero!"

Tokoyami winced as several pairs of ravenous eyes honed in on him. Their craven judgment and ill intent were focused on him entirely. He skid to halt, feeling his will to progress falter, and ducked into the nearest hedge. Branches tugged at his cloak and scraped at his scars, but he broke through the other side of the wall of foliage. He could hear the frustrated growls of those Liberation soldiers on the other side, trying to follow after him. A little detour shouldn't cost me, right?

It's not like he could possibly lose sight of his destination.

Tokoyami hopped a fence and raced through a scattering of suburban houses, circling back to the part of town that was currently being razed to the ground.

Without a doubt, he was drawn to where their adversaries were clustered the most densely. He could see the start of a tattered crowd, aiming long-ranged quirks towards the fight of the elements, screaming threats, and struggling to regroup amongst the maelstrom of ice and hellfire.

Where's Dabi.

No. No, that's not who we're looking for.

But what if he's in trouble.

Mr. Compress would be in more trouble. And regardless, this is about making sure Toga can recover.

He couldn't see either one of them, though. Surprising considering how much they'd normally stand out, even in a crowd of other quirk users. But he was short on time, and it really didn't feel like he could afford to take this situation in from a distance.

Tokoyami hoisted himself on top of a brick wall and cupped his hands around his beak. "Compress!" he yelled out for the world to hear. "Where are you?!"

That caught the attention of the nearest people all at once. Without a second to waste, someone broke free from a small group and charged towards him. A metal-enforced fist flew at the wall he stood on, and the impact caused the stone to crater in on itself. In that same instant, Tokoyami pushed off from his perch, launching himself over the barbarian. When his feet hit the ground, he was already back to running.

The people who'd turned their attention to him did so with hate in their eyes and bile on their tongues. These civilians didn't even need Curious's rousing journalism to inform them of how much they should loath the villains they were contesting. Somehow, that hurt even more, but he figured by now he'd be better off burying these emotions and accepting the fact that they would never stand down from what they believed in.

A flustered answer from the depths of the crowd finally reached him. "Tokoyami! Is that you?!"

Tokoyami drew his sword.

He weaved his way through the people, shoving them aside with Dark Shadow and fending off their weapons with his own. Someone's razor-sharp teeth bit through his quirk, clanging together, and Dark Shadow clawed back with barely restrained ferocity of a similar level. A metal club went sailing towards Tokoyami's head. The assailant was wide open, and Tokoyami ducked his head and stepped right into her radius. A forceful jab from the pommel of his katana was enough to bring the soldier down for now. Every other aimlessly vengeful individual he avoided until he could see Mr. Compress in his entirety. In times like these, his obnoxiously colored overcoat helped him.

Tokoyami fought back a few more people to clear his way over to the desolate League member. He couldn't help the stab of annoyance he felt coiling in the pit of his gut, knowing he had to drag this man from the grasps of these angry enemies. But his timing couldn't have been better.

Mr. Compress looked a bit worse for wear than the last time he'd seen him. He didn't have to worry about getting his prosthetic arm fixed anymore because it had been ripped off almost entirely at some point since they were last together. Thinking about it, it hadn't even been that long since they'd all been in a group. Less than an hour…? And yet so much had managed to spiral out of control in that brief span of time that it was getting progressively harder to keep up. Now wasn't the time to reveal that kind of weakness, though. He could accomplish his commitment to Toga here and…

And what after that? Hide in one of the buildings and wait this travesty out? Run as far as could until he found an actual hero? That felt like his gravest uncertainty, and he dare not dwell on those thoughts. He was here for a reason, after all.

Dark Shadow fended off anyone who dared to approach so that Tokoyami could speak without interruption.

"Why, you're a greater mess than I!" Mr. Compress exclaimed. "What happened?"

"It's… it's Toga," Tokoyami wheezed, finding it hard to grab ahold of the words he needed now that he was faced with the person he needed for once.

"Figures!" Mr. Compress huffed indignantly. "I swear, I turn my back for a moment and everyone scampers off! Shigaraki and Spinner went in the same direction, that much I know, but I couldn't catch wind of where Toga had gone off to. And Twice! He was just here, so what happened there?! That left me with Dabi, and I swear that man doesn't care a smidge if I get burned!"

Tokoyami took in that information, but he couldn't just stand here and listen to his complaints. He caught his breath enough to say what he needed. "She's badly hurt. I-I left her with Twice, but they're alone and—Compress, you have medical supplies, right?"

Mr. Compress perked up at that, as if it wasn't very often that he was needed for something like this. "Ah! Hmm, I'll need to check my marbles. Spare me just a moment, will you not?"

Tokoyami held back the aggravated groan that rose to the back of his throat and did as he was told. Generally speaking, such a public and open place wasn't a good environment for rifling through your pockets. But it would take some time to find a better location, and that was something they were painfully short on. Remembering the poor state that Toga had been left in, he defended Mr. Compress from the onslaught of brainwashed fools that dared to challenge them. Apparently Mr. Compress had attracted enough attention on his own. He definitely wasn't the most battle-oriented member of the League, and these people knew it. How he'd managed to get this far without being even more injured, Tokoyami wasn't sure. Especially when someone as deadly and careful as Toga had been brought down to such a detrimental level.

Tokoyami circled around the magician, warding off potential enemies, and his quirk did the same so that they could cover him from both sides, allowing nobody to slip past. It gave him the chance to see the entirety of the battlefield he was dealing with.

He must've had a bit more notoriety as a fighter, because people who'd previously been trying to aim cheap shots at a vulnerable Compress were a bit more wary now that he was on the scene. The person who'd attacked him on the wall was approaching fast, but Tokoyami didn't think he'd be too much of a problem to deal with.

Mr. Compress had said that it hadn't been so long since he'd been with at least Twice, and maybe that was true, but he'd held his own for at least a while now. Even though all he had to fight with were those…

Tokoyami caught sight of someone who was crouched next to an injured civilian – no, MLA soldier. He had to remember to make that distinction or he'd wind up getting hurt by these people. But true to nature, he couldn't ignore the sight of someone bleeding out on the streets.

Dark Shadow hissed and swiped at someone who was trying to edge closer to Mr. Compress, but the quirk still had the time to share his thoughts.

Fumikage? What's wrong? Er, besides everything going on, that is…

Tokoyami stopped to focus in on what he was seeing. That person… has a strange wound. It's like a chunk was taken from their side.

Dark Shadow tilted his head questioningly. Hm? Did something fall on – hrrk!

"Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami reeled away from the sight of the injured individual, sword at the ready. I can't get distracted like this! The wall-crusher had caught up to them and had gone straight to targeting his quirk. Dark Shadow's form convulsed from the blunt hit, and Tokoyami worried if that was enough to force the quirk to retreat. But he didn't, and Tokoyami was at his quirk's side in an instant. He slashed at the man with the flat of his blade, forcing him back. If this person was set on being his opponent, then so be it.

Their confrontation didn't last as long as he thought it would.

Before they could even properly engage, Mr. Compress stepped up behind the man. Tokoyami was about to yell at him to step back – a hit from this guy would topple a geezer like Compress, and Tokoyami didn't want to deal with more injured League members, especially the ones he wasn't particularly fond of. But he never got the chance.

While Tokoyami and Dark Shadow had this person's undiverted attention, Mr. Compress had come unnervingly close without his knowledge. Tokoyami felt a chill go up his spine as the magician extended his right arm out towards the oblivious man.

"Don't—!" Tokoyami choked out. And then the man before him vanished before his very eyes.

Tokoyami dropped his sword. He stared numbly at the place where that person had just been standing, but the only one before him now was Mr. Compress. Concealed by a mask, he was impossible to read. But Tokoyami could swear he was smiling behind the splintering façade that concealed his identity.

"What's gotten into you, boy?" Mr. Compress huffed, pocketing his newest marble like it was so simple to strip someone of all their power and control like that. "Pick your sword back up and let's go find the others. I have the medical supplies we'll need after all. If you can just escort me to where they are, then I can see to patching Toga up the best I can. I'm no medic, but I can still… is something wrong?" Mr. Compress fiddled with the small orbs in his hand, rolling them between his fingers with practiced ease. "You have a frightening expression on your face."

Dark Shadow was bristling at his side, claws curling and uncurling nervously. The quirk retrieved his sword, bringing it back to him, but he never ripped his eyes from Mr. Compress.

We just need the supplies. Compress can… stay here.

"…Tokoyami?"

"I think you can fend just fine for yourself, can't you?" Tokoyami spat, a harsh edge to his tone.

Mr. Compress wilted under his accusatory glare. "P-pardon? Do you mistake me for someone fit for the frontlines?" He staggered back like he'd been hit, when really it was only his pride that had been wounded. "Because I assure you I am not! I can only pull off such victories if my opponent is distracted, and the bigger the target, the more difficult it is to compress! I can't keep up my parlor tricks for very long, you know!"

It was true that his quirk was circumstantial more than anything, requiring a window of opportunity to work on people. And as he'd noted before, the man wasn't in very good condition after already having to stand his ground alone in this dreadful place. But seeing Mr. Compress unabashedly use his quirk like that in front of him had left a bad taste in Tokoyami's mouth. Even after all this time, he still held strong to his grudge on the trickster. Mr. Compress had been his first real impression of the League all those months ago, and it was an encounter he'd never forget as one of his greatest failures.

"You would up and leave me here?" Mr. Compress said. Only he didn't sound confused or fearful – just disheartened.

Tokoyami found himself faltering. "Y…you'll only slow me –!"

Tokoyami didn't get the chance to finish that thought. The world had a way of telling him when things are better left unspoken, and this was one such instance. He was interrupted by a wall of ice spilling into the streets around them. It crumbled into sizeable chunks and scattered the people that had been gathering around them.

"Watch it!"

Even with so little time to process what was happening, Tokoyami knew that warning anywhere and could feel the moment the air began to warm. Acting on instinct, Tokoyami reached over and grabbed onto Mr. Compress's empty coat sleeve, yanking him into the nearest nook situated between the buildings. A column of blue flame swirled through the streets in the wake of the ice. People screeched at the fiery contact, racing to cover and desperately trying to evade the warring duo. When the fire had petered out, Tokoyami stuck his head warily back into the street to see the extent of what was unfolding.

Dabi stood rigidly in the center of the street ahead, steaming and panting heavily. Facing off against him was a person he hadn't seen before – an ambiguous figure in an oversized parka – but judging by the way ice clung to them, they were the source of the frozen tyranny. Ice and fire. In any instance, it should've been obvious which one would win over the other. But Dabi, at a glance, looked like he was already running too hot for what he was used to. Continuous flame output was never something he was meant to do, even if the conflagrations themselves were impressive. Tokoyami realized that he'd never actually seen Dabi engaged in a fight that pushed the limits of his quirks. The only times he's seen the fire-user get caught up in these sorts of things, it was typically his weaker physique that would end the fight before it began. Outside their training sessions, the only "fights" that came to mind were back in the bar when Gran Torino had knocked him out and that night where they'd first encountered Overhaul only to be swiftly done in by Rappa's brute strength. So seeing Dabi square off in a battle of the elements like this was yet to be seen. And already Dabi looked so… drained.

Is this… a fight you can win…?

Mr. Compress shifted beside him. Tokoyami hadn't released his sleeve, but he felt like he shouldn't let go just yet. The man cleared his throat to get his attention. Tokoyami didn't bother looking up at him, keeping his attention trained to Dabi in case something broke out between the two fighters.

"You know," Mr. Compress began, unperturbed by Tokoyami's behavior. "Dabi never warned me to watch out. If anything, I came ruefully close to being swept up in those blasted flames several times before you came along. I find that to be just a bit inconsiderate!"

Dabi spared a quick glance in their direction. Tokoyami raised his head higher, revealing himself from the crevice, and he locked eyes with him. Could Dabi feel that Tokoyami held his doubts about the promise of victory?

"You're open!"

Dabi's opponent cackled and launched more ice in their direction. Dabi sprang to the side, bringing the ice-users attention to the opposite direction of where Tokoyami and Mr. Compress were hiding. Another blast of flame, smaller than the others he'd seen thus far, brought the MLA soldier's attention to him alone. Even in the midst of an uncertain fight, Dabi was drawing the fight away from them.

Tch. I should be able to do something here.

Tokoyami pulled Mr. Compress further away from the road. Behind them, Dabi was maneuvering the fight away as best he could, but it was easy to tell that such a feat was difficult if he wanted to save his own skin.

"Compress… do you think if I gave you the direction, that you'd be able to find Toga and Twice? I didn't encounter many people while coming here to find you. So… so that I can stay here and help…"

Wha—! What about Toga? She's still dying, isn't she?! Dark Shadow fretted, berating his conscience with everything that he should be doing.

Mr. Compress took his mask off, surprising him. A frown pulled at the corners of Mr. Compress' mouth, and warm brown eyes looked down at him in disappointment. "I hate to say this, really I do, but we're of no help to Dabi right now. The best we can do for him is leave before we threaten his chances of victory further. He never held back his flames even while I was near, so moderation isn't the issue here, but if we linger that could be… distracting."

Tokoyami's hold of his sleeve relaxed. Mr. Compress was only holding one of his marbles now, and he was certain that it was the one containing the much-needed med kit that Toga and Twice were waiting on. For all the time he spent training with Dabi, he hadn't thought that a time like this would be thrust upon him. Leaving him behind in the thick of battle felt strange. Worse still was the fact that he was doing so to bring together the other members of the League, uniting them and striving to preserve their safety if that was even still an option.

This shouldn't be my reason for standing here. I wonder, Mr. Compress, if you could've possibly predicted that something like this would happen that fateful night when you snatched me from my classmates' sides?

"We should leave now while we can," Mr. Compress continued, donning his mask again and scouring the streets. The fight of fire and ice was steadily drifting away from them, and in the wake of that upheaval the people from before had yet to recover. Evidently that ice-wielder didn't have as much consideration for their surroundings and the people inhabiting it as Dabi did. And that was setting an admittedly low bar. "Quickly now, before anyone else catches on."

This time, Mr. Compress was the one to lead him along. He lightly tugged Tokoyami by his cloak, pulling him back into the open street, and they raced across the pavement to reach the wall where he had initially appeared.

Tokoyami hoisted himself back onto the brick structure, sparing one last fleeting glance in Dabi's direction. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen if Dabi managed to keep this up. This was the kind of fight that wouldn't last long at all in the state he was in. Of course, he wouldn't dare say such things to Dabi's face – such trivial concerns would be ridiculed – but that didn't mean the feeling wasn't still there.

Mr. Compress hopped onto the wall beside him with more agility than he'd expect from the self-proclaimed old man. What was he, in his 40s?

Actually, though, Tokoyami had never really seen the magician in action. If this encounter with him was any indication, then he really wasn't sure what to expect.

Tokoyami took the lead from there, weaving his way through the clusters of neighborhoods and storefronts. He managed to get back into the motion of gaining as much distance as quickly as he could to reach Toga, growing numb to the pain he'd received following that brutal exchange with Curious and her followers. He had to take the initiative in this, or else he risked coming too late. Even if it meant getting help from Compress, getting in Dabi's way, helping Twice, and saving Toga – all things he never could've imagined himself doing just a few months ago. And the more he thought about it, the more he wondered… When did his view of them begin to change like this? At what point had he become willing to go through such troubling tasks for their sake? It was hard to believe that this was all spur of the moment advances – that it was only these specific turn of events that had coerced him into acting on their behalf. So at some point along the way, he had to have… started caring about what happened to them.

I hate this. I hate this so much. But I can't stop, either.

He pushed himself harder, running through the deadened streets faster than when he'd first come down this way. No time to be thinking about such things. I'll leave them behind.

…Leave them behind?

Tokoyami's thoughts stumbled into Dark Shadow's. Shit. I didn't lose Compress, did I? He hadn't been paying attention.

Tokoyami slowed down and looked behind him, worried that he might've left the villain in the dust.

"Careful now! What's the holdup? Don't tell me you're getting tired after all that!" the villain chided.

Tokoyami jumped at how close the voice was. Sure enough, Mr. Compress had stayed with him every step of the way. He nearly bumped into him with how well he'd managed to match his pace the whole time. If anything, he felt that the man could even overtake him if this were a race. Yet there he stood in his gaudy yellow coat, arm missing and mask cracked, as if such a task was of no consequence despite his ragged outward appearance.

Tokoyami hummed. He didn't want to admit that he was impressed by the man's tenacity, but he was curious. "You're keeping up a lot better than I thought you would. I thought your quirk was your only useful merit."

Mr. Compress scoffed, offended by the bold choice of words. Tokoyami had found that speaking this way got him to talk more. "Show an ounce of respect, young man! I'll have you know my villainous tendencies has some famous roots! My name is not one to be taken lightly, so to speak. I've trained for much more than just a few parlor tricks!"

Tokoyami nodded. He thought he understood, but there had to be much more behind those words. Maybe once this was all over, he could question him a bit more about what he was all about. But for now, he was just grateful not to be held back by him. "Right… Let's keep going. We're almost there."

Tokoyami caught sight of the alleyway. Without anyone to stand in their path, they'd made quick work of getting this far. Strange, though, how there'd been nobody to meet them considering how densely packed this city proved to be in certain places.

A devastated wail split through the air, ringing in Tokoyami's head like a wave of icy, all-enveloping water.

"Togaaaa!"

Toga.

Twice!

They're in danger!

We're too late!

His heart thumped wildly in his chest, but he was already running as fast as he could just to meet them. The alley was right there! Its dark entrance gaped before him, more foreboding than he ever could've imagined. Only for two figures to walk out from its depths to face them.

"Twice…?" Tokoyami rasped, looking on in stunned apprehension. Sure enough, they were both the spitting image of Twice's unmasked face: short-cropped blond hair, neatly stitched forehead scar, and sad, haunting eyes. He… they couldn't possibly be the real ones. But they couldn't be clones, either. That wasn't something that Twice did. Ever. It had been a self-assured rule that Twice had been adamant about for as long as Tokoyami had known him. It wasn't just that, though. The figures blocking their path didn't feel like Twice either. Even his clones retained the personalities of the originals. Their outfits, too. Tokoyami couldn't possibly imagine seeing Twice outfitted in a clean white suit like this.

Dark Shadow reared his head out from behind him, mirroring the scowl that rippled across Tokoyami's face. "Get out of my way," he growled. He didn't know what they were, but they only got one warning.

Mr. Compress stood ready at his side. "Whatever they are, I see them only as enemies standing in our way," he confirmed coldly, reaching for whatever capsule could aid him in this situation.

The fake Twices made their choice when they charged right for them.

He hoped they weren't human. They seemed much more like a by-product of somebody's quirk. If that was the case, then he wouldn't have to hold back. "Black Ankh." Dark claws materialized over his hands and he lunged forward. A well-placed slash to each of them and they stumbled back, moving awkwardly like battered puppets. He shoved his way past them, figuring Mr. Compress could keep them preoccupied while he rushed to the sides of the other League members.

More screams sounded off, closer this time, and Tokoyami zeroed in on the entrance of the alley where he'd left them behind. "It hurts! Hurts! Hurts!"

What have I done. How could I leave them like that for so long?

We're so close! Please, just hang on!

Again. That gut-wrenchingly pained voice. "IT HURTS LIKE HELL, BUT I'M STILL HERE!"

Tokoyami skid into the alley, feet moving faster than his mind could process. He stumbled into the nearest building wall, only to shove himself off it. What was going on. Why were there so many Twices in suits. What were they doing to him? To Toga?

And why.

Why, out of nowhere, were there now more Twices than ever? An onslaught of Twices. Countless bodies that continuously multiplied seemingly without end. The writhing battalion of monochrome suited men spilled through the alley and into the streets, surging in waves. The wake of a reckoning like no other.

This was incredible.

This was horrible.