Mina felt time come to a stand still as everything shattered and fell to the floor. Her legs wouldn't cooperate. Nothing made sense, and yet it also clicked into place. Mina tried to choke out a few words, but the monkey's paw around her throat tightened around her larynx with the intention of crushing it. Her heart had been broken all over again and hope had been soiled. Mina had so many questions. Only one kept recurring. That question was "Why?"

Mina could barely move. Her muscles screamed at her. This was combat. She was up against a dangerous villain. She could figure out what was going on after. She had to stop this monster dead in his tracks. Or its tracks. Mina wasn't sure anymore. She hadn't previously considered the gender of Noumu, though minus was definitely of a different breed. And now she knew why that was, but not who did it and for what purpose. To kill her? To break her spirit? To paralyze her with hesitation and emotional trauma? So far, they seemed to be doing a good job of all three. Mina stood her ground, wiping the blood off her face.

"Izu…please…is that you? Please…no…"

The beast merely roared at her, staring back with familiar green eyes, twisted and perverted by some unknown force. Was it the league of villains? Some offshoot group/ How did they do this? When did they do this? Why did they do this? Her mind raced. This answered a few questions she had previously but raised so many more. Chief among them was why? Why him? Why her? Why couldn't she just be at peace? She was supposedly the new symbol of peace but she wasn't anywhere close to Izuku's level. And now, that peace she fought for eluded her even more. The hope she had found again had been corrupted. And the blood in her veins burned more than the acid she could produce. Tears streamed down her face as she screamed, rushing forward with her version of the Detroit Smash: the Andromeda Smash. She rushed, having found her footing. She was so overwhelmed with emotions, so she decided to channel them in this battle.

"Mina?" A familiar voice rang out, grabbing Mina's attention, which was all the time the beast needed to leap at her with a powerful kick that Mina barely dodged. What was Uraraka doing? This wasn't exactly a good time for her to come looking for her, mina thought. "Stupid, lousy, supportive friends who house you and look for you when you're missing." She hissed. Trying to add levity to a situation devoid of any. It was hard for her to joke. She was facing the reanimated corpse of her fiancée, in Noumu form. No. This was somehow different. Either way, she didn't want her friend getting hurt. This was her battle. Nobody else's. She appreciated help, but not here. Not now.

This was enough of a distraction for minus to take advantage of. It slammed Mina into the floor and tossed her aside, giving chase. This was one of the most horrific enemies she had faced. Regardless of if it was Izuku or not, which the heroine was still wrapping her brain around, this was not an average Noumu. She suspected it had a master nearby, probably that same chap-lipped, hand-faced bastard that took Izuku from her in the first place. There very likely was some programming. However, despite the creature's undead origins, it behaved less like a mindless zombie and more like a predator. It was toying with her. It hunted her down. It could strategize, at least from what little Mina could decipher. Combined with that and the psychological warfare it waged without uttering a word other than her name, this was somehow more terrifying than any Noumu Mina ever faced, and they had exposed brains. Because if Izuku really was in there, that was far more horrific than the USJ attack ever was.

Mina landed serendipitously in a heap at Uraraka's feet, as she achily pulled herself up. She saw the shock and concern in her brown-haired friend's eyes as they looked at each other. Mina grunted as she got up on one knee.

"Ochako…Stay…Stay back!" she groaned.

"Mina?"

"NOW!" the pink hero shouted, not worried about waking people anymore, given that the violent battle would likely have done that already. It got even louder as the sinister figure leaped out of the shadows of her ruined apartment and landed before the two, in an even more familiar pose. Even if this wasn't Izuku, it sure as hell was a twisted effigy of the man Mina loved and Ochako respected immensely.

Before Ochako could object, Mina pulled her out of the way and made a run for it. Ochako nearly fell over as she was dragged. Showing surprising control for a monster, Minus stopped on a dime and gave chase, leaping over the two women and landing with a thud.

"I can't let you fight alone." Ochako insisted.

She knew Mina was a hero, one of the best. She knew she was accomplished and now held the mantle Izuku once held, albeit reluctantly. But not even a team could handle this guy, let alone one person, especially when she didn't have full control of her power. It was surprising how careful Mina was with it. She was always sort of impulsive and carefree, and yet now, she was far more guarded, as if she was trying to be Izuku in the hopes of bringing him back. Ochako knew what a dark path that obsession could be, though she could only empathize so far. Only Mina herself knew how she truly felt. Only one other person came close. Little did the gravity hero know, he was right in front of them.

"Sure, you can. Besides, I don't want that thing wrecking your car. You just bought that thing."

"That's what you're worried about, Mina? You really are Deku's girlfriend." The brunette shook her head, smiling despite the situation they were in and the absence both women felt in their lives. They had each other, at least, though that probably wouldn't last much longer.

Mina hissed out orders. "We can reminisce later. Stance!" They could catch up again when their lives weren't on the line.

The two heroines squared off against what was once Izuku Midoriya, now a puppet without strings. Mina stood her ground with Ochako on her right, for support. The two got into position for a move they came up with in UA. Ochako questioned when it would ever be necessary. She certainly wasn't questioning it now. However, it proved futile, as the creature, still fought back, despite recoiling in pain.

Its skin burned, yet it slowly recovered. It appeared to have regenerative capabilities. Though it remained unknown if there was a limit to those capabilities, much like the Shock absorption Noumu from USJ all those years ago. All Might had managed to send it flying, though Mina would later find out from Izuku that his power had diminished. Mina herself didn't have much control of One for All. Only a few months at most. She was used to controlling her own quirk, for certain. She had acid since birth. A secondary quirk on top of that? It was more than she was used to and she was surprised she didn't break her bones more often, like Izuku did when she first met him.

And now, here they were. A substitute Symbol and a reanimated puppet, clashing for survival when they had previously planned on spending their lives together, not just as heroes, but as husband and wife. She was happy. Things could get hairy in their line of work, but they always came out on top in the end.

Minus lunged, aiming for Mina, but swerving at the last minute as she braced for impact. A strong punch to the ground released a shockwave that separated both women from each other and knocked them off their feet. Seizing an opportunity, the beast leapt into the air after Uraraka, who tried sending rubble at her foe. Undaunted by this desperate ploy, Minus delivered a savage knee drop to Ochako, slamming her into the ground with a pained scream.

"URARAKA!" Mina responded in a panic, sliding to her friend's aid, only to get backhanded. It felt odd though. After being sent across the yard, Mina knew why. She wasn't just hit by a hand. She was smacked by her now unconscious friend, battered and bruised. Mina panicked. She checked her friend's pulse and breathing. Luckily, they were fine, but she needed to get out of here. She needed help. Unfortunately, what was also needed was a diversion. Someone to hold off this aberration. Once again, Mina was on her own. Mina grabbed Ochako quickly after recovering as fast as she could. She fired tactical bursts of acid to keep the creature off her while she took Ochako to her car, which was somehow mostly unscathed, save for some dust and scratches on its sky blue paint job. That was one miracle Mina was happy for. She fumbled through her unconscious friend's pockets for her keys and opened the locks, carefully depositing the hero known as Uravity in the backseat. Once her friend was situated, Mina made a quick call.

"Hello, this is Alien Queen. I have a situation and I need someone to take my friend to the hospital. She's out cold." Mina called frantically into the line as soon as someone responded. Time was running out. They were under attack, so she had to cultivate a sense of urgency.

Mina was asked if she needed backup. She hesitated, thinking that working as a team might be more beneficial. She had a lot of friends who could help. And if this thing was once the best of them, she needed all the help she could get. However.

"No thank you. I must settle this on my own. Your help in tending to Uravity will be enough." She hung up and ran away from the car. She couldn't waste any more time. Minus was about to land on the car and Mina had to counter. With a 10% Full Cowl leap, she kicked the monster out of the way and landed on its chest, getting bucked off almost immediately. If this hadn't been a life or death struggle, it would be a god reminder of the playful shenanigans Mina and Izuku got up to at home. It hurt just to imagine them, especially if he was in there. However, if he could fight through the pain, she sure as hell could.

Mina decided on a different strategy. Her Izuku was still in there somehow. She still had so many unanswered questions, but she only cared about answering one of them right now: Was there still hope. She was determined for the answer to be yes.

"Izu?" she muttered, loud enough to grab the monster's attention, but soft enough to reason with it.

The beast stopped, albeit reluctantly, as if it was at war with its own movements. It was clearly listening, but slowly approaches, as if compelled by programming. The creature lumbered closer, stopping every few steps. Its pupils shrunk as it went into attack mode, Mina bracing herself to intercept. She was in over her head, but she refused to drown. Not anymore. Here he was, in front of her. She wasn't expecting such a nightmarish scenario, but she refused to fall prey to it. Not anymore.

"Izuku…please...please still be in there. I won't give up." Mina continued. She was terrified and battered, but she had been both of those before. This was traumatic, to say the least. Losing someone and having them trotted out as somebody's toy. Whoever did this would face a reckoning. That was at the very back of Mina's mind though. She had to be brave and she had to be careful. She was evasive, but still hesitant to attack just yet. She tried her hardest to reason with it, with him. The only thing that greeted her words were roars and attacks. Mina was pinballed around by her mutated late-fiancée., fighting in vain for several minutes before she managed to melt a finger. She sighed. She would keep trying to reach out, but she could see, that she had to go all out. Even the acid rain attack was half-hearted. She couldn't do that one anymore. Not with her partner knocked out.

From the shadows, two figures watched. They now had perfect seats to the show, everything they had orchestrated unfolding before them. The current symbol of peace being killed by the hand of her revived lover and direct predecessor was not only a poetic end, it was also highly satisfying on several levels. To have been responsible for your greatest enemy's death? Check. Using an experimental quirk to revive him as a pawn? Check. Having him kill the woman he loved? Check and check. Ending that infernal legacy of All Might's? That would be even sweeter.

"I'm glad the boys in the lab whipped up our puppet. It took months, but to have something with the power of a Noumu but the mind of an apex predator…it's just too good, Kurogiri. I don't even feel like revealing ourselves. This is a show I want to take my time watching."

X

Mina looked out of the corner of her eye, she could swear she saw two figures sitting on a nearby rooftop, but it was hard to make out and she quickly returned her attention to the threat ahead. This monster was somehow created from her dead fiancée. How, she wasn't sure. Why? She had a few guesses. None of that mattered in this moment. Survival was key right now. She was facing an enemy on equal footing with herself, possibly even greater. However, Mina had something to fight for. She had her friends. She had her family. She had the citizens. And more than that, she had something she thought she had abandoned. She had hope.

Mina skidded on her feet, sliding out of the way with all the grace she had as she aimed her acid with her wrist blasters, keeping a distance before getting up close again. A combination of ranged and melee attacks was a solid strategy. That's what Izuku probably would have said. Being with the guy for a decade really had an influence on Mina, and not just because she had his quirk now. His quirk. Mina had to chuckle mentally at that statement. For a while, he didn't feel like it was his, despite inheriting it and using it. He didn't feel worthy. And yet, time and time again, while he had failed on many occasions, he had proven that he was more than worthy of the power he held. A gift from his idol. His mentor. His father-figure. And now, Mina was wielding it, feeling just as inadequate. If she survived this, she would have to find a better wielder. Maybe she could give it back to Izuku if he comes back. In this case, she imagined what he would say. She had decided that he would tell her something like what he told Todoroki in their first year, at the Sports Festival. "This is your power, Mina."

She steeled herself, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She knew how stupid that was. She knew it went against her training, and yet, she did so anyway. She prepared herself like she was ready to dance, her opponent as her partner. This morbid cosmic humor of this situation was not lost on Mina as her eyes shot open. She leaned backwards as she dodged a punch from Minus. She hadn't done much to the monstrosity. She couldn't break through with her words. Not very effectively. It pained her, but she had to fight.

She was sent careening into a nearby building by a stray kick, launched like a football across the lot. She recovered mostly, but it hit her like a freight train. She wiped the spit and blood off her mouth and got back into form. This would go differently than last time. She was caught off guard then, and several times tonight, but she was already getting used to her opponent's movements. Given the situation, that was the easiest thing to deal with in this fight. However, just because she knew the move set, didn't mean this would be an easy boss fight.

She was off like a shot, same as Minus. She was like a speed skater in the Olympics, swift and focused, a determined gracefulness evident in her movements as she zigzagged towards her opponent. She was knocked down almost instantly.

"T-that easy to read, am I? Try this then." She smirked, trying to hold back the shakiness she felt within. She missed Izuku. Sorely. Dearly. There were times she had even hoped that something would happen to her and she could be reunited with him. She was tired and she wanted him back. But she was reminded again of why she held this power. She was reminded of why she was chosen. She was reminded of all the things worth fighting for again. What's more, she had an impossible dream dangling before her, and she was ready to live up to it all: her school's motto, her full potential, and the legacy she was now part of. Thinks may have gone south, but she was able to jump much higher now.

She started breakdancing fiercely. This wasn't a distraction tactic or a joke. This was a tactical move. This was a hobby, a passion, and a method of spreading goo from her feet. If she couldn't evade him that easily, she would make it harder for him to move without being at a disadvantage. Stockpiled power, stockpiled stratagems. Mina went to the top hero school. She ended up in a loving relationship with the top hero. She was friends with the best of the best. She herself was among them. She was beyond ready to show what she had in that decade and take this beast to school herself.

"Hey big guy, you look angry. Try smiling. I got a great quote you might love if you're who I think you are.

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!"

She summoned the strongest acid she could muster and released it in the hugest possible wave she could summon. If this foe was tough, there had to be a soft spot beneath that armor. A way to end its terror. There had to be a way to get to Izuku. And if he was lost to her truly, she would mourn all over again. She would very likely fall into depression again. But she couldn't give in, even when faced with darkness. She was a symbol, a pillar, an inspiration, and a hero. More than that, she was Mina Ashido.

While the acid melted away at the shrieking monstrosity, she wasted n time, leaping forward, her body sparking with electricity as her body went to work. She remembered every dance move, every backspin and split kick, unleashing an elegant and animated assault.

She kept up the assault, looking to keep melting and smashing until he relented. She really didn't want to destroy the creature, if it truly was Izuku, but she would subdue it no matter what, bring it back to a lab. If she could bring him back somehow, she would do so. She would find a way and go beyond. Even if it was a ludicrous idea, it was a ludicrous world. Things she thought impossible when she was younger had revealed themselves to her. Izuku returning to her would just be one of those she had hoped. She didn't have as much control as her predecessors. She hadn't been in the role nearly long enough and the inherited quirk stockpiled power, so she had more work ahead if she survived this, if she even wanted to keep this damn quirk. It was cool and had its perks. She had come up with new moves and ideas for more, but she wanted things to go back to how they used to be more than she wanted to fill Izuku's shoes.

She sprang back into an upright position again and delivered a devastating uppercut with her Andromeda Smash.

"Izuku…. Not sure if this is how it works, as I've never faced stuff like this before…I can't do this alone. Please come back." She whispered under her breath as she pressed on, not allowing another opening. All these motions were hers. Not All Might's or Deku's. They were 100% Alien Queen. Sure, she borrowed some and put her own spin on things, just like Izuku did when she taught him breakdancing, but he would leave her mark on One for All and on this lab-borne monstrosity wearing her love's skin. Not that she knew that. How could she? There were no robots or read-outs or exposition spouting robots. She still hadn't heard from the crime lab. She didn't expect to. At least not so soon. All she had were hunches and punches. Izuku used to tell her that line a lot. He thought it was funnier than it really was. Mina choked back tears and readied herself once more. She would end this and, somehow, twist fate in her hands. She wasn't sure how, but she would have Izuku back, even if she had to dig for him.

However, her moves weren't the only ones memorized. As if my instinct or some muscle memory left lingering within the abominable meat puppet that was once the hero, Deku, lingering flames burned themselves out slowly. One second was all the creature needed to grab Mina's leg and ragdoll her across the parking lot. Luckily for her, she was able to recover. Less lucky for her was her opponent's resilience. She was chipping away at the limits of its abilities, but she hadn't finished this fight yet.

Mina wiped blood from her mouth and held back the tears she wanted to cry. She could weep later, one way or another. She still had a job to do, and she would not lay down until it was done. She kept her opponent away from Ochako's car. Not wanting the Gravity hero to have to deal with the inconvenience, or for her life to be threatened further. She would live, but she needed a visit to a hospital. Unfortunately, the only one who could help was Mina herself. There weren't any other heroes around to the dark eyed woman's knowledge. Suddenly, an explosion rang out and grabbed Mina's attention.

X

The two villains on the rooftop watched with full attention at the fight below. Kurogiri seemed slightly uneasy, but Shigaraki refused to move, watching with a grin beneath his trademark mask. Alien Queen might have been unleashing an all-out assault, but the master villain was not worried. He had put a lot of work and resources into this project and he was sure any sign of victory on the pink heroine's end would be washed away in a large wave of power and despair, leaving her battered and bloodied like her predecessor, with whom she was now locked in mortal combat.

"Sir, this would be safer to observe from the bunker. He may be giving pursuit still. He is a formidable opponent and a top hero. We had tried recruiting him for a reason all those years ago."

"Calm down, Kurogiri. There were a few reasons we tried recruiting him. It all failed in the end. Regardless, we can make a hasty escape if we must. Plus, we have our little science experiment. Reviving a corpse is tricky, but I always found creating and disposing of them far easier." The man sighed in bemusement as he scratched at his neck.

Their conversation was interrupted by a nearby explosion and a rough, cocky voice.

"Hey there, boys. The fuck you watchin'? Mind if I join?" the man said with a bloodthirsty grin, as smaller explosions went off in his palms. It was Katsuki Bakugou, and he had finally caught up.

"I have some questions for you assholes."