In retrospect, Izuku was starting to miss Nezu's training methods.

Sure, playing a game of tag while being swarmed by deadly robots may have seemed terrifying at the time, but he sure learned a lot in the end. Nezu also usually had some goal behind each lesson that he was sure to reinforce throughout it.

This was in comparison to All Might, who didn't really teach much beyond how to exercise and diet for muscle growth. To be fair to his mentor, him and most of the world vanished around the time he should have taught him how to use his Quirk and act as a Hero.

In short, each Hero had their own way of training. And Izuku was pretty sure he had figured out what kind Mr. Oguro preferred.

"Fly!"

"Ah!" Izuku flinched as a fist came flying towards him, and he used Danger Sense to barely avoid the attack, jumping back. Mr. Oguro thrust his cane forward in a stab, and he weaved out of the way of the blow, moving away from the man again.

"I told you to fly!" Mr. Oguro shouted.

"And I told you that I don't know how!" Izuku shouted back, letting out a sigh of frustration.

It was only the evening after he had woken up, but with one final healing session with Katsuma, he had been cleared to practice with his Quirk. His left arm was removed from its cast, and as long as they didn't go all out, they were free to test out One for All. That led to Mr. Oguro dragging him off right after dinner to one of the training grounds nearby.

The retired Hero was insistent on teaching him how to use the Nana's Quirk, Float, as his constant shouts had surmised. But over the past hour the two had done nothing but jump around in a game of cat and mouse. They split off for a moment, both taking a breather.

"It doesn't seem like this method is working." Mr. Oguro said with a grunt, resting on his cane. If his old injuries were tiring him, he didn't let it show. "I figured some good old pressure would get you floating around in no time. Maybe if we get you falling from a great height? Hey boy, how good are you at landing techniques?"

"Not very." Izuku replied, staring at Mr. Oguro with concern. He couldn't help but feel concerned at the direction their training was going. "Are you sure you should be teaching me like this?"

"Give me a break! I'm more used to the 'learn by doing' field of practice. I'll figure something out eventually." Mr. Oguro said, brushing off his worry.

"You trained the Crawler, right? Can't he fly?" Izuku asked, thinking of what he'd seen of the Sidekick in action through American news. While the specifics of the Crawler's (or Skycrawler as he was now known in America) Quirk appeared to be a form of repulsion and attraction, it also somehow allowed for flight. "What did you teach for him to learn to do that?"

"He learned how to do a lot of stuff himself. I'd gone off to clean up my own messes before then." Mr. Oguro simply shrugged, before appearing deep in thought. "But I think I know what's causing me so much trouble with teaching you. The two of you are completely different when it comes to your talents."

"How do you mean?" Izuku asked.

"Koichi always wanted to be a hero, but instead of all that analyzing and planning, he just did stuff. When in a fight, his actions were almost entirely subconscious. Whenever pushed to his limits, he'd start using new techniques without even realizing it. It usually took a while for him to catch up with his own instincts." Mr. Oguro explained. "You on the other hand, can't help but think through every single detail. It's not bad to figure out how bad the Villain's Quirk is while it's flying at you, but it is a problem to be so busy muttering about it to bother dodging in time. I swear if you didn't have a Quirk like Danger Sense reminding you of incoming attacks you would have been dead a dozen times over yesterday!"

"You're… not entirely wrong." Izuku sighed. "But there was so much to keep track of during the fight! It was hard enough for me trying to juggle using four different Quirks at once, but then I had to manage an opponent that kept pulling out multiple Quirks of their own. How am I supposed to keep track of everything all at once?"

"You're not supposed to, kid!" Mr. Oguro replied quickly.

"Huh?"

"You think All Might is busy thinking about how much strength he has to hold back when punching a villain to not turn them to paste? Or that Endeavor is always fretting about what temperature is flames need to be in order not harm civilians he's saving?" Mr. Oguro asked. "Of course not! They don't have to worry about their own abilities because they have used them so much that they know them by heart. When a Pro jumps onto the scene, the only thing they should be using their brain power for is how to stop the Villain."

"So basically, I need to be able to use my Quirk on instinct?" Izuku put together.

"Pretty much. Of course, you don't have it easy with all your extra abilities. That's why you need to unlock all of them as soon as possible, so you can start working them into your instincts." Mr. Oguro explained.

"I don't know. I feel like it would be better for me to work on mastering the Quirks I already have access to." Izuku said, going through the previous Holders Quirks in his head.

First there was the generic Power Stockpiling that had once been the sole ability of One for All. While it was incredibly versatile in its use, the amount of the stored power he could currently use was also incredibly limited. With Melissa's Full Gauntlet in his possession, he was originally able to call upon 25% across his entire body. But after it was shattered in his fight with Nine, Izuku could barely reach 5% before feeling the strain now.

Then there was Fa Jin. While losing Full Gauntlet didn't technically weaken the Quirk, its accessibility had been severely hampered by the Support Item's loss as well. It built up kinetic energy that could be used for a burst of speed and power. But it built up that energy through motion though, and since he was slower than before, Fa Jin took longer to build up.

Danger Sense was also added to the list of Quirks weakened by his lower power output. It still warned him of danger perfectly fine, but the timing for avoiding attacks was much shorter now with his slower reaction time. There was also unfortunately no change to the splitting pain in his head whenever it activated.

Fortunately, Smokescreen hadn't been affected at all like the rest of his Quirks. Though that was almost entirely due to it only allowing Izuku to turn into a living fog machine. While normally it would be a useful Quirk for distraction and disengagement, Nine had made it apparent that it wouldn't be useful in every fight.

And that just left him with one final Quirk available to him currently…

Izuku summoned forth Blackwhip, swinging a tendril towards the nearby bench and wrapping around the bottle of water on top of it. He managed to wrangle the projected limb back to him, taking the water bottle in his hand and drinking from it.

"You're getting better with those freaky tentacles of yours at least!" Mr. Oguro said with a laugh.

"Please don't say it like that." Izuku said with an exasperated look towards his new teacher. He swung his water bottle back towards the bench with Blackwhip, but ended up using too much force, and the bottle flew over and hit the wall behind the bench. "Dang, thought I had it figured out now."

He had quickly begun to realize that his most recent Quirk was likely going to be the hardest to get a handle on. The Quirk itself was amazing. The strength and versatility available to him was incredible, especially after he figured out that the whips can emerge from anywhere on his body. But that exactly was the problem.

Smokescreen was an incredibly basic ability that didn't require much thought in its use, and Fa Jin and Danger Sense added perfectly with the natural strength enhancement of One for All. He had gotten the hang of using them all in tandem throughout his previous training and fight with Nine. But Blackwhip was something entirely different. While the previous Holder's Quirks could be seen as useful additions that he could call upon when needed, Blackwhip was almost too useful.

"I assume you've got something going on in that head of yours?" Mr. Oguro asked, and Izuku realized he had been muttering to himself for a few minutes.

"I think I get what you mean now. I thought I understood how to use the other Quirks in tandem with One for All, but now that I've got Blackwhip I feel like I have no idea where to start training again." Izuku explained as he summoned some smaller tendrils from his fingers, playing around with them experimentally.

"That's why I want you to unlock Float as soon as possible. So that you don't get paralysis by unlocking some new ability in the middle of combat." Mr. Oguro said, striking a fighting position and lunging forward. "Now come on! Let's see if you'll learn to fly if I start tossing you over my shoulder high enough!"

Izuku immediately began to retreat from his opponent again with a panicked yelp, before letting out a sigh.

'I miss training with Nezu…'

Nezu let out a sigh as he sipped from his tea, staring out the window of his office wistfully.

'I miss training with Midoriya already.' the principal finally admitted. The last week had practically been a vacation him. No worrying about student applications or budgeting concerns. Just him training two of the most talented teenagers he could have gotten his hands on, with no one in sight to reel him in.

Unfortunately, the realities of life had eventually returned, and he once again had a school of children to manage. Children much younger than he was used to handling. Even with the few help that was brought over, Nezu could see the trouble they would cause.

Not to mention that he would have to defend them from Villains.

If he still had his staff of Pro Heroes with him, it wouldn't be much of a concern. But now all he had were a couple dozen JSDF members acting as security. And while they had spirit, that wouldn't do much against a man who can control the very weather itself.

The defense system may be effective still, but it was only meant to be a stopgap until the Heroes or other authorities arrived. It couldn't hold out against a continuous assault from an army of superpowered monsters. Not that it mattered, since there is a good chance their shapeshifter could just walk in with the right disguise.

High Spec's quickly helped him run through potential scenarios he could follow to deal with the Villains, but none of his current options were pretty. Which is why he was making this very important call. He turned back to his screen as he heard the sound of it finally going through.

'I'll have to thank Melissa for this suggestion later.' he thought as he put on a smile for the two older figures on the other end of the line. "Thank you so much for answering my call, Mrs. Pleione, Mr. Ogata."

"Anything for a friend, Nezu." Pleione replied.

"Hmph. I had believed this call was about the incident last night. Why is the acting director of I-Island here as well?" Mr. Ogata questioned impatiently.

Nezu silently sighed. Before the Rapture, Mr. Ogata had been the Minister of the Infrastructure within the Japanese government. But after the Rapture, he was the highest-ranking member of the government who had not vanished, making him the acting Prime Minister. The portly man looked like he had aged a decade in the past week, and Nezu couldn't blame him.

"Do not worry sir. I invited her here in order to discuss how to best deal with these new Villains." Nezu said. "The one who can control the weather, along with his gang of superpowered thugs and monsters."

"How does that man even exist though?" Mr. Ogata asked frantically. "And why does he have that Quirk of all things? It's not really him, is it?!"

"We are still looking into it. But we can confirm he is not the man who you are so worried of." Nezu assured the man. All for One the Quirk was terrifying enough. The idea of the man himself still existing was enough to send even the government into a panicked frenzy. "Did any of the troops that were sent out find where those Villains came from?"

"No, they did not. But they did find plenty more of those terrifying multi-Quirked monsters wandering the streets. They seemed to be all heading in one direction though, U.A. High." Mr. Ogata said. He sent a file showing the reports of the few military personnel that were able to respond to his emergency summons. The locations of the Nomu seemed to be close together, and they were all moving as a group towards his school. "We don't have the manpower to deal with a threat like this currently. Especially if we require heavy artillery to counter them like a couple from last night. How do you expect to fight something like this, Nezu?"

A good question. As the man had said, there was no way they'd be able to mobilize a force large enough to wipe out this approaching army of Nomu. Outside assistance was impossible, as they would be dealing with their own problems. Not to mention this force didn't factor in the Purple Oni's or Nine himself. As much as Nezu hated it, there was only one plan that Nezu could think of that would ensure the children's safety.

"Quite simply, Mr. Ogata, I don't plan to fight!" Nezu declared.

"W-What?!" The man seemed baffled by his decision. "Do you mean to leave U.A. then? Where else would be safer though? The only better defended spot in Japan is Tartarus, but that requires a practical army of specialists to manage. An army we don't have. Where else in the country would be safe?"

"I believe, Mr. Ogata, that he doesn't plan to move them to somewhere inside the country." Pleione guessed, giving Nezu a knowing look.

Mr. Ogata looked baffled at the insinuation. "You mean to take all the children to I-Island?!"

"You can't deny it is one of the safest places on earth." Nezu said.

"But can you even move them there safely?" Mr. Ogata continued to question.

"The leader of the Villains known as Nine is after the Quirk of one of the children in particular. He wouldn't risk having him be killed by attacking us while in the air, which will be our fastest method of transport." Nezu explained. "And even if he follows us all the way to I-Island somehow, he wouldn't be able to get past the security. Weather Manipulation may be an incredible power, but I-Island is built to withstand tsunami level waves and tropical storms. He would likely incapacitate himself long before doing any lasting damage to the place."

"Hmm… When you put it like that, it does sound like a good plan for keeping the children safe. But it doesn't do anything about the army of monsters and possible Supervillain wandering around Japan. How do you plan to deal with that?" Mr. Ogata asked pointedly.

Nezu closed his eyes in thought. That was the real question, wasn't it? How could their country deal with such a dangerous threat without the power of other Quirked people? While enough firepower could likely deal with this threat, Japan wasn't exactly in a position to start lobbing missiles on their own territory, even if they had the men with the expertise to do so. Everything was scattered enough that the risk of hurting stray bystanders was enormous. What they needed were people specialized in fighting others with Quirks.

What they needed were Heroes.

"As much as it pains me, the only people who could fight a threat like this are Heroes." Nezu said. "I believe I'm on the cusp of a breakthrough with the Rapture, and if I can guarantee the safety of those I've been entrusted with, then my work will be much faster."

It was becoming clear that the Vestiges in One for All had come in contact with something, and believed whatever it is was responsible for the Rapture. If he could train Midoriya enough that he could freely talk to them, they could get a wealth of information, including how to possibly bring back everyone. He just needed to keep the boy safe until then.

"I-Island has also been making progress into identifying the cause of the Rapture." Pleione added quickly. "If Nezu were able to meet with my team, I think it would speed up uncovering the truth of this cataclysmic event."

Nezu could see Mr. Ogata exhale deeply, furrowing his brow in deep thought. While he and Mrs. Pleione had brought up excellent points on why they should move the children, they were also telling him that the best plan of action was to essentially leave Japan defenseless until they miraculously found a solution to humanities greatest crisis.

Eventually, the man steeled himself. "I'd like to saw there's some other way, but there really isn't, is there?"

"None that don't involve keeping the children in the line of fire, sir." Nezu admitted.

"Then we'll do it! As long as I-Island is fine with that, I mean?" Mr. Ogata said, glancing over at the islands current head.

"It's fine, Mr. Ogata." Pleione confirmed with a smile.

"Perfect. I'll begin discussions on procuring a plane and pilots for the transfer. It should hopefully only take a day to prepare, so be ready Nezu." Mr. Ogata said.

"Understood. I'll be waiting for the good news." Nezu said as the man hung up, leaving just him and Pleione alone. "Well, that was certainly a productive meeting."

The old woman let out a sigh as she stared at him curiously. "On the cusp of a breakthrough, Nezu? It's only been a couple days since our last meeting. How could you have possibly discovered anything of value in your position? Have you been holding out on me?"

"Sounds like you've been doing the same, Mrs. Pleione." Nezu shot back playfully. "How about this? Once I arrive at I-Island, I'll tell you my secret source if you tell me yours."

"I might just take you up on that offer." The scientist admitted, surprising Nezu. "With the threat of All for One still around, even if weakened, we don't have the time to take things slowly and secretly anymore. We don't have time for distractions against the coming threat."

"Does that mean…?" Nezu questioned.

"Yes." Mrs. Pleione nodded. "Once you arrive in I-Island, I'll fill you in on the secret I've kept from you. The very secret that resulted in I-Island's foundation in the first place."

In a lone laboratory within I-Island, a single man toiled away at the work in front of him. He had lost track of the time, not that it truly mattered in this place. The megastructure floated along the pacific currents through time zones so frequently that the Island itself kept to its own clock. Besides, most scientists here only slept when they could no longer function without it.

Samuel Abraham was one such man. He was the assistant to David Shield, as much as he hated that title. He was an expert when it came to Quirk functionality, co-creator of one of the most powerful inventions of this century! Yet all anyone remembered of him here was being the helping hand of the man who used to work with All Might.

Not that he hated David mind you. The man and his daughter were like family to him. But David still let their greatest work be buried by the Board. It was supposed to be their Magnum Opus! But the Board had taken one look at it and considered the thing a 'safety concern'. Their names could be famous across the world, but David refused to fight to get their work back. It took months of arguing to even agree to his plan to steal the Quirk Amplification Device.

And now it all meant nothing.

Stealing back the device now would be impossible. Without any Villains to work as distractions, he would never get the chance to retrieve the device. Not that it matters, since the only people who could use Quirks now were a bunch of children. How were they supposed to properly compensate him for his creation?

So now he was stuck working with the work Mrs. Pleione had sent him. It was data about different Q-Field readings that she wanted him to sort, but it was impossible to read. He had requested more information about the source of the data to assist with his work, but was simply told it's classified.

He let out a sigh as he took a step back from his work. He glanced out the window and let out another one when all he saw was empty streets and unlit building lights outside his lab. It was hard to keep the motivation going with how empty the world outside was.

There was a ping on his private computer, and he glanced down at the notification in surprise.

'An email? Who the hell would be messaging me?' he thought as he navigated to the email. 'Oh! Maybe it's Melissa? Mrs. Pleione had told me she was at U.A. High now, wasn't she?'

He excitedly clicked on the new email but froze when he saw the sender.

'What?! But… that name! Those are the Villains I had contacted to help retrieve the device!'

That was impossible, wasn't it? They all had Quirks, didn't they, or else they wouldn't be Villains. There's no reason he should be receiving a message from them. He quickly began to read the letter sent to him and found his confusion only growing.

~ Hello, Samuel Abraham.

I am sure you are wondering who we are. As you can probably guess, we are not the Villains you originally contacted. However, we are still Villains all the same.

It doesn't matter who exactly we are, or how exactly we found out about your little plan. What does matter, however, is that we want to plan a little trip to I-Island. And we figured since you extended the offer to one group, you would be fine if ours took you up on the offer instead.

You will be letting us onto I-Island, secretly, within the next couple days. You will do so not just because we hold your career and life as a free man in our hands, but also the life of someone precious to you as well.

Did you know that Melissa Shield is at U.A. right now? We do. And we can go visit her whenever we want. If you are unable to provide us with what we want, we may be forced to take more overt methods of entry. I'm sure threatening the daughter of one of the Island's top scientists would be more than enough to get an entry pass.

We hope to here from you soon about our future work opportunity.

From 9 ~

Samuel scanned his eyes over the message again and again, hoping to find some sort of clue that it was all a joke, but there weren't any. He did, however, find a few images attached to the message, all of Melissa within U.A. High. At a cafeteria, in a lab, even in a dorm room sleeping peacefully.

This was real. He was being blackmailed by real Villains!

What did they even want? Did they want the device? They had to be, right?

He was starting to realize that maybe going behind David's back to contact real Villains had not been a very good idea. Now Melissa had ended up threatened by his own mistake.

It was a terrible idea to follow the order of these scoundrels, but he had no choice. Even if he came clean, it was apparent that U.A. was compromised. Messaging them about the threat would only increase Melissa's risk. He had no other choices available to him.

Wiping the sweat that had begun to gather on his forehead, he shakily moved the mouse over to the reply button.

Next Chapter: Overseas Overture