Chapter Sixteen:

Standing in front of an artificial city, All Might said, "Here is where we'll fight. Your objective is to either put these handcuffs on me or have one of you escape."

Izuku stared blankly. His stomach had gotten sick for real. Next to him, Katsuki was a vibrating mass of rage. Izuku couldn't understand how this murderousness wasn't obvious to All Might. Katsuki was even spitting small sparks in his fury. Maybe a teenager simply didn't register on All Might's sense of danger.

Even when All Might put on the special compressed weights, Izuku felt no relief. He just knew that as soon as the fight started, Katsuki would pounce on him and prevent him from running. From there, every single scenario for this exam ended in disaster.

Just before Izuku puked, All Might declared, "Match begin!"

Katsuki whirled around and immediately sent a wave of explosions at Izuku. Having expected this, Izuku dodged and ducked behind a building. If he let himself get dragged into a fight then his miniscule chance at reaching city bounds would be gone.

"Aargh! Aargh!" Katsuki bellowed as he burned straight through the wall in hot pursuit. Izuku ran.

All Might called, "Uh, boys? You're supposed to be attacking me, not each other. I'm the villain. Young Bakugo, I think you've misunderstood the purpose of the exam."

Katsuki wasn't even shouting about wanting a rematch any longer. He was only howling like a wounded animal. Izuku took that as a very bad sign.

As he rounded a corner, Izuku dared glance over his shoulder. Spittle flew from Katsuki's mouth as he charged. His eyes were bloodshot. With his hair gelled straight, he looked like an honor student gone rabid. Kacchan with straight hair wasn't Kacchan, but rather an unholy abomination. He'd lost his sanity along with the spikes in his hair. Izuku ran faster. I think he's seriously out to kill me!

Unfortunately, Katsuki had added a transparent gas mask added to his costume, and Izuku did not think that he would be provoked into taking it off again. Even if not for the mask, Izuku didn't dare risk gas after last time, even though he had better control now. His trauma said nope.

If only Izuku could make it out of the city, that would be his only hope at victory.

But even in his insane state, Katsuki was using his explosions to move faster. Izuku tried blasting down a building with his laser to block his path. Katsuki burned straight through the rubble.

In a flash, All Might shot through the air and landed in front of Izuku. "Nice try, but I won't let you escape so easily." The villainous smile on his face looked shaky. All Might sounded confused at how this story was veering off script.

This was exactly what Izuku had expected to happen based on all the scenarios he'd imagined during the van ride. Of course All Might would stop him. Now, the exam was basically over.

All Might saw the desperation and fear in Izuku's eyes. The hero hesitated. In that moment, Izuku saw a chance to slip past.

Katsuki tackled Izuku from behind.

The two boys rolled in the dirt, punching and kicking. Katsuki didn't even use his explosions. He just exchanged fist blows, growling with each one.

Izuku let Katsuki pin him on his back, just to get a good shot with his naval laser. This had better work. His belt hummed and started to glow.

Katsuki raised his fist. Fire burned over his knuckles. Tears fell from his eyes onto Izuku's costume.

Kacchan was crying. Kacchan never cried.

Izuku's laser didn't fire. Why? Why was this happening now? Quirks responded to emotion. Izuku had never once in his entire life had trouble summoning up the will to use his laser, so why wouldn't it work right now when he needed it?

Katsuki's fist remained shaking in the air, not coming down. Both of them were frozen. The entire world seemed to stand still in time.

All Might loomed over them and grabbed Katsuki by the back of his shirt. "I think this has gone on long enough, young Bakugo. You've failed."

Katsuki howled. Explosions rocked his body, uncontrolled and directed at himself. All Might grabbed Katsuki's arms to point the explosions away and protected the boy with his own body.

Sheer desperation gave strength to Izuku's limbs. He lunged forward and slapped the handcuffs on the number one hero's wrists while he was distracted.

All Might looked down at his cuffed wrists. "Huh?" Next to him, Katsuki collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Izuku stood up and dusted off his clothing. "Ha! Our strategy succeeded! Katsuki and I pretended to be fighting each other so we could lure you over. Dirty tricks count, right?"

All Might blinked like a deer in the headlights. "Um, young Midoriya, that didn't look like a fake fight."

Izuku picked up Katsuki and moved his jaw, ventriloquizing: "We beat you, shitty teacher!"

"Uh…" All Might gaped.

"See? We're best buddies!" Izuku slung Katsuki's limp arm over his shoulder and growled, "This means we passed, right?"

All Might actually flinched away from the force of Izuku's glare. "Er, yes, you did put the handcuffs on me. But…uh…are you all right?"

Izuku knew All Might didn't believe him and didn't care, just as long as they passed. Somehow, he'd been saved by All Might's gullibility. (Or kindness, but Izuku wasn't feeling charitable toward any U.A. staff at the moment.) "Katsuki could use a visit to Recovery Girl. I'm fine." Izuku would be fine as long as his mother was safe.

But after this, Izuku feared Katsuki would only hate him even more.

The students of Class 1-A had assembled in the classroom, except for Katsuki who hadn't left the infirmary. According to Recovery Girl, he'd been healed—his burns had been very superficial thanks to All Might—he just didn't feel like getting out of bed. Izuku shifted his feet under his desk and tried not to worry. He didn't have the right to worry about his former friend.

Nezu strode into the classroom. "It is I, your principal! Aizawa is still indisposed, so I will be presenting the results of the exam to you. I'm in a rush, so I'll get straight to the point: you're all going to the summer training camp! The exam was nothing but a logical ruse."

As the other students cried out in shock, Izuku remained deadly silent.

Standing up, Izuku walked up to the podium and locked eyes with Nezu. "So you screwed with us all for fun." The uncharacteristic profanity and malevolence from Izuku brought silence to the classroom.

Nezu's ears flattened. "Ah, it was in order to push you to reach your full potential."

In a deceptively calm voice, Izuku said, "I'm going to rip out your fur until you're bald."

Nezu typically considered himself a rational creature, but the feral look in his student's eyes aroused a deep primal fear inside of him. In that moment, he became prey in front of an apex predator. Nezu turned and fled.

Howling, Izuku chased the principal out the door while the rest of Class 1-A gaped in stunned silence.

Katsuki lay on the infirmary bed, having not moved for the last hour. A faint breeze drifted through the cracked window. Distant chatter floated in from the hallway.

Kirishima kicked down the door. "I heard you passed your exam! How was your epic battle against All Might? It must have been quite a fight if you got too injured to return to class."

"Go away," Katsuki growled, rolling over and putting a pillow over his head.

Mina followed Kirishima into the room. She asked, "Did you hear yet that it was all a ruse? We're all going to the training camp anyway. I wouldn't have studied so hard for the written if I'd known! But I suppose that's why they didn't tell us. Some people did not take it well. Midoriya chased Principal Nezu around the school twice screaming incoherently before he finally collapsed from exhaustion. As punishment for ripping off a chunk of Nezu's fur with his teeth, now Midoriya has to attend supplemental lessons with those of us who failed."

Kirishima ran his fingers through his hair. "It was an odd reaction from Midoriya given this isn't even the first time our teachers have lied to us. That made us wonder if something…happened…during your exam. Especially since you two haven't been getting along recently."

Katsuki hissed like an alley cat. "Go away!"

"Nope. We're not going away until you talk to us." Kirishima poked Katsuki's shoulder. This earned him another hiss and a shove.

Mina pointed at Katsuki's straight, flat hair. "You look great like this. You should keep it this way always." She couldn't keep a straight face. She fell over laughing, clutching her stomach.

This finally provoked Katsuki to sit up, throw off the blanket, and scream, "Fuck off, Shitty Hair and Raccoon Eyes!"

Kirishima shook his head sadly. "Bro, do you really think you're in any position to criticize someone else's hair? How did yours end up straight again for the exam? I thought you'd finally washed out the hair gel."

Katsuki's lip twisted. "I went back to see Best Jeanist and ask him for advice. His advice was stupid."

Kirishima's face sobered. "Was it advice about whatever happened between you and Midoriya?"

Katsuki's face crumpled. For a moment, it looked like he might be about to cry. Then his usual scowl formed on his face. "Whatever. I'd better go to class and help with the shopping or whatever the hell else." He stood up.

Kirishima stepped in front of Katsuki. "Wait! I know something went down between the two of you at the Sports Festival. I couldn't hear from the stadium, but it looked like Midoriya said something that hurt you really bad. You two haven't spoken ever since. It's gotten to the point where it's ruining the atmosphere for the whole class. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Want?" Katsuki puffed up. "Why would I want anything from you shitheads?"

Mina said, "Well, we want to talk to you about it. I'm tired of the sprinkler system going off in the classroom. You ruined two of my Ripley notebooks."

Katsuki's shoulders hunched over. He sat down on the bed again. His friends patiently waited. Looking at the ground, Katsuki said, "Izuku crossed a line. He went after my worst insecurity, and he knew it. There's no way he would have done that just to win the Sports Festival." The words poured out of Katsuki in a rapid torrent. He clutched his gelled lump of hair. "I must have done something to anger him, but what? Would he have snapped just because I interrupted his athlete's oath? He told me not to do it but I didn't think he cared that much! Wait. Could it be that he's still holding a grudge because I won his favorite All Might card in a game of marbles when we were four? Did he finally realize that I cheated? I knew my doom would fall upon me if he ever figured out that I cheated!"

Kirishima and Mina exchanged a mutual glance of satisfaction at this great progress. Then Kirishima sat down next to Katsuki and patted his back. "What did Midoriya say when you asked him why?"

"Asked him?" Katsuki stared as if Kirishima was speaking a foreign language. "I gave him plenty of opportunities to tell me. I thought for sure that he would come over to talk to me the first time I set fire to the classroom, but he didn't even look in my direction."

Mina blinked. "That's why you've been exploding everything in sight? Wouldn't that just make Midoriya think that you're angry, and he should stay away from you?"

Katsuki snorted. "You don't understand how our friendship works. Ever since we've been little kids, whenever I cause trouble, Izuku always comes over to find out what's wrong, stop me, and soothe things over with the adults. When we were little kids, we used to fight a lot, but Izuku would always follow me around and pester me until we made up. If he didn't come fast enough, then I would break a few things, then he'd come running."

Mina groaned and clutched her head. "I don't believe this! You break stuff to get Midoriya's attention? Are you a toddler? Is Midoriya your mom?"

Katsuki scowled. "I thought if I made us fail the final exam, then Izuku would definitely have to come talk to me. He's always chased after me ever since we were kids. I've screwed up loads of times. If Izuku isn't coming this time, just how angry must he be? What did I do?"

Mina sighed. "You want to make up with Midoriya, so you destroyed stuff important to him until he came to talk to you? I don't believe it. On second thought, knowing you, I do believe it. Dude, you have issues. Actually, you have the whole subscription."

Kirishima shook his head. "Even if Midoriya started this fight, it sounds like you're to blame at this point too. You owe him an apology for sabotaging the final exam at least."

"I'll apologize! I've apologized loads of times ever since we were kids!" Katsuki stuck his lower lip out. "As long as Izuku apologizes first."

Kirishima and Mina exchanged a more exasperated glance. Kirishima said, "Look, the Sports Festival was partly your fault since a straight A student should have known better than to ignite carbon monoxide. Also it sounds like Midoriya has been taking your crap for years. It's not fair for you to expect him to always be the one to reach out first."

Mina chimed in, "Yeah, you shouldn't abandon him the first time he decides it's his turn to be the tsundere."

"Stop calling me a tsundere, Racoon Eyes!" Katsuki shouted.

Mina said, "Midoriya went through a lot with all the crazy media attention. Given all his rapid changes in behavior, there might be other stuff going on his personal life that we don't know about. If your childhood friend is having a hard time, then maybe you should be the one to extend a hand."

Katsuki chewed on his lip. "Izuku did say that his dad is dying, but that's probably not it."

"You moron!" Mina chopped Katsuki on the head. "Of course that's why he's been acting odd lately!"

Rubbing his head, Katsuki said, "Nah, he hates his dad."

Kirishima cried, "Even so, he'd surely have mixed feelings. Poor Midoriya…no wonder he's seemed upset and terrifyingly feral lately…we should all have reached out to him more!"

Katsuki shook his head. "Nope, it's definitely something else. That deadbeat could die slowly in front of him and Izuku wouldn't bat an eye. When Izuku cares, he's ride or die. But when he doesn't care, he gets stone cold. Usually the nerd is overflowing with caring for every bloody living thing—it takes a lot to push him to past his limit. Only his shit father has ever done it. I guarantee Izuku doesn't care about that bastard. Now if his mom was in danger, that would explain a lot. Huh, surely it couldn't be…he would have told me if something was wrong with Aunt Inko…"

Mina threw up her hands. "Midoriya's dad is dying, and you just assumed that his anger had to be all about you? Some people get angry as a result of grief. Or maybe he could be mourning that he never had a good relationship with his father."

Kirishima nodded. "It's way more likely that Midoriya is upset about his dad than an All Might card from over a decade ago."

Katsuki frowned. "You don't know how seriously Izuku takes his All Might merchandise. Besides, when I told him that his dad would be no loss to the world, he laughed."

"You told him what?" Kirishima gasped.

"Did you seriously tell Midoriya that his dying father was no loss to the world?" Mina practically sobbed. "No wonder he completely snapped! I commend him for putting up with you this long!"

Katsuki said, "But his dad is an asshole."

Sadly, Kirishima shook his head. "Midoriya went nuts to the point where he attacked our principal with his teeth because you're insanely insensitive, bro."

Hopping up and down, Mina chanted, "Apologize! Apologize!"

Katsuki's forehead wrinkled. "He's definitely not mad because of what I said about his dad. I'm sure of it."

"That's not the point," Mina said. "You should give Midoriya one free pass for the dying dad, especially because it sounds like he's given you a lot of passes over the years. This time, it's your turn to apologize first."

Katsuki grumbled and mumbled under his breath.

Kirishima clapped his hands together. "As your friends, we'll arrange a chance for you to talk to Midoriya-bro. Remember, no explosions!"

Kirishima and Mina cornered Izuku in the classroom. Mina said, "Given the difficulty that you've had with reporters pestering you, we don't think it's a good idea for you to go on the shopping trip for the training camp."

"I understand," Izuku said. He was so tired, he just wanted to rest. Despite gargling twice, he still had the taste of fur in the back of his mouth. It was a miracle Nezu hadn't expelled him. Especially since he'd left a large bald spot and teeth marks on the principal's head. Maybe Nezu had lingering guilt over the Sports Festival.

"But there's something very important only you could do." Kirishima grabbed Izuku's arm and tugged him. "This would be a big help to the entire class."

"Super important," Mina said, pushing Izuku from behind. "My last surviving Ripley notebook is counting on you."

Between the two of them, they shoved Izuku into an empty classroom. "We'll be back in an hour," Kirishima said, closing the door. Then came a scuffling sound.

When Izuku turned the doorknob, he realized the door wouldn't open. They'd wedged something on the other side. What on earth was going on? Surely they hadn't figured out he was a spy and captured him to hold for the teachers? No, that would be ridiculous, he was catastrophizing.

Someone cleared his throat.

Turning around, Izuku realized that he was not alone. Katsuki stood in the corner.

Izuku paled. Could this be an assassination attempt? What had he ever done to Kirishima and Mina, for them to aid in his demise? Trembling, Izuku said, "H-hi, Kacchan. Before you attack me, let's talk."

Bowing over and holding out an All Might card, Katsuki shouted, "I'm sorry!"

At the same time, Izuku bowed and shouted, "I'm sorry!"

Eyes closed and his hand shaking, Katsuki said, "You can have my All Might card! Just please don't stop being my friend!"

Izuku was in a mild state of shock. "Why are you apologizing to me?"

Katsuki cracked one eye open. "Because I'm an insensitive ass, and Kirishima and Ashido told me that I shouldn't have said that your dying father is no loss to the world."

"Why not? It's true."

"That's what I told them, but they didn't believe me." Katsuki sounded mildly indignant about it. "Also I shouldn't have nearly killed both of us at the Sports Festival and tried to make us fail the final exam."

"Fine, you can apologize for that, but I forbid you to apologize for trashing my dad." Izuku rubbed his forehead, still trying to figure out what was going on. "So you tried to kill me at the exam…because you thought that I was after your All Might card?" That would be a valid motive for murder from a fellow fanboy

"No, the card has nothing to do with this. Apparently. Ha-ha." Katsuki hid the card behind his back. "I had to do it because you kept ignoring me."

"You ignored me first!"

"I was ashamed after I blew us up at the Sports Festival. I didn't know how to talk to you. So I thought it would be easier if you talked to me first. But you didn't!" Katsuki sounded deeply betrayed.

Izuku massaged his temples. That did sound very Kacchan. "I thought I'd crossed the line, and you'd never want to be friends again. I'm so sorry for what I said at the Sports Festival. I didn't mean it. I didn't know if I could beat you fairly because you're talented. I was deliberately poking at your insecurities to make you take off the gas mask. I lied to win."

"But why?" Katsuki demanded.

There lay the crux of the matter. Izuku still didn't know how to explain himself. He looked at his feet again and mumbled, "I'm sorry."

"Did something happen to Aunt Inko?" Katsuki asked.

That guess struck a little too close to the mark. Now Izuku had no choice but to explain himself before Katsuki figured it out. He considered recycling the story he'd told Shouto. But if he claimed that his mom was sick, Katsuki and his parents would want to visit her in the hospital, and it would get extremely messy from there. Plus two sick parents would start to look less than coincidental. He'd have to use a variation. "Sort of. We're still very dependent on my father's money." Actually Inko's job had covered all their expenses since middle school, but Katsuki didn't know the details of the Midoriya family finances. "He used that to force my mother to come to America and look after him while he's sick. Then he stole her passport and wouldn't let her leave until we 'repaid the money we owed him,' aka his child support. He put down a bet on me winning the Sports Festival and told me he'd let Mom go if I won."

"That bastard!" Katsuki vibrated with fury. "Did he hurt her? I know he hurt Aunt Inko back when you stayed at my place when we were little kids. Just from the tiny bits the old hag spilled around me, it sounded bad. You should have told me! We could have flown to America to beat him up! Is your mom back now?"

If Izuku said yes, he anticipated that Katsuki would want to see his mom. "No, my dad was lying. I never should have trusted him. As soon as he got the first payout, he just wanted more money. My mom hired a lawyer and the Japanese embassy is working on getting a new passport for her."

"Good." Katsuki scowled. "If he survives his illness, I can be your alibi while you murder him."

"But you can't lie, Kacchan."

"I can do anything if I put my mind to it! Our middle school play was a long time ago. I blame our stupid drama teacher for failing to explain the role of Hamlet to me in a way that didn't make me fall asleep. How was I supposed to know that when he talked about Hamlet being on fire for revenge he didn't mean it literally? Anyway I'm a great liar now."

Bullshit, Katsuki could neither lie nor see through lies. At the moment, the latter was a relief. Katsuki had swallowed the story. Now Izuku had to desperately pray that Katsuki, Shouto, and Toshinori never compared notes about the similar but slightly different stories he'd told to each of them. Izuku said, "Please don't tell anyone. I don't feel comfortable having a lot of people give me condolences for my dad, then having to explain why there's no need, then going into the horror stories of my childhood. I'd rather only talk about this with people who understand, like you." A tiny touch of flattery had always been effective at getting Katsuki to do what Izuku wanted.

Katsuki nodded. "I feel you. The extras didn't believe me when I tried to tell them about your dad. This will stay between you and me—a secret between friends."

The word "friend" nearly broke Izuku's heart and put it back together again, because he'd never thought he'd hear that again from Katsuki. "I'm sorry, Kacchan." He sniffled. "How can you forgive me for the unforgiveable?"

"You forgave me for shitty behavior a million times, nerd. Did you think it only went in one direction? I owe you a thousand forgivenesses. You'll never run out of them."

"I'm glad you're my friend. I didn't mean what I said. I want to be rivals with you forever. I've always thought that you're cool. You've got such an amazing ability, and you're smart about using it, and I wish I had your self-confidence." Tears built up behind Izuku's eyes. "That's why I looked up to you ever since we first met."

Katsuki looked away and swallowed. "I look up to you too. I'm not sure when it started, but at some point I realized that you have what I lack as a hero. You keep your cool, you always extend a hand to other people, and you have a knack for pulling victory from the worst circumstances. That's why I figured if you hated me, then I must be the one in the wrong even if I didn't know what I'd done."

Izuku burst into waterfall tears. Clinging to Katsuki, he cried, "I'm sorry! You're going to be a great hero!"

Katsuki hugged him back. "We're going to be heroes together, duh."

Except Izuku couldn't give Katsuki that. His dream had already died from the moment he'd fallen into All for One's clutches. He cried even harder, until his legs went out from under him and he ran out of tears.

Setting down his chopsticks in his empty bento box, Izuku said, "That was delicious. Thank you, Mr. Yagi."

"I'm glad." Toshinori fiddled with his hands. "You look a bit down today, so I was worried."

"Huh?" Izuku realized his eyes must be red and swollen from crying. "It's not like that. I was crying happy tears. I had a fight with one of my friends, but we made up."

"Do you mean young Bakugo?"

"Yes." Izuku frowned slightly. How had Toshinori known that? Perhaps the whole school knew after watching the drama of Katsuki exploding everything in sight. Izuku shook off his sense of oddness. "Actually, I've been worried about you. How are you feeling after Tomura Shigaraki escaped from custody?"

The smile dropped off Toshinori's face. He looked at his hands. "I can't deny that I've been stressed. I failed young Shimura."

"No, you didn't," Izuku insisted. "If anyone failed, then it was All Might." Normally Izuku would not slander his idol like that, but he'd throw anyone under the bus in order to make Toshinori feel better.

"Yes, I've reached the same conclusion," Toshinori said sadly. "All Might has been getting weaker. Otherwise, he would have been able to capture Tomura."

"What makes you say that?" Izuku asked, anxiety and defensiveness for his hero swirling around inside of him. With All for One scheming in the background, All Might could not afford to weaken.

Toshinori exhaled. "Years ago, All Might was seriously injured in a fight with a dangerous villain. That man was the shadowy ruler of the underworld, and their fight is unknown to the public."

In other words, this had been how All for One had gotten his injuries. No one except All for One could have done such great damage to the number one hero. Izuku felt chilled to the bone. "Why are you telling me this?" Izuku did not want inside information about All Might, not when he might be forced to reveal it to All for One under duress.

Toshinori's gaze overflowed with warmth. "Young Midoriya, ever since I first saw you save young Uraraka at the Entrance Exam, I knew you had an incredible heroic spirit. Everything since then has proven me right. You care deeply for others, like when you helped young Todoroki unlock half his quirk and covered for young Bakugo in the final exam. I'm impressed with your intelligence and your versatile use of your quirk. Most of all, I'm grateful to you for inspiring me to try to save Tomura Shigaraki. You gave me hope when I needed it the most. During your fight with Overhaul, you saved Tomura's life. Many heroes would save a civilian, but very few would save a villain. You're the most heroic person I've ever met."

Izuku swallowed, a little misty-eyed after that flattering tribute. Before All for One, Izuku would have longed to hear someone say those words, but now his happiness came mixed in with a hefty dose of guilt. "I don't deserve such praise."

"You do," Toshinori said, eyes blazing with passion. "I told you that I was born quirkless, but I didn't tell you that I later received a transferable quirk from my mentor, Nana Shimura."

Izuku distinctly remembered All for One telling him that All Might had a transferable quirk. It seemed unlikely that there were two such miracles. But at the same time, his mind refused to believe it. He could not reconcile his images of sickly Toshinori with the unbeatable All Might. "I-I don't understand, how can you possibly be All Might?"

"You figured it out! You're brilliant, my boy. That's why I want you to become my successor." Before Izuku's stunned eyes, Toshinori swelled and changed. Muscles sprouted from his body. His hair tufts stood up. He boomed, "Please inherit my quirk and become the ninth successor of One for All."

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: The Tragedy of All Smite

All Might: I'm so excited to have a chance to pretend to be a villain! I always have great fun designing my character. It's a harmless way for me to let off steam, and I like to bolster my precious hero students' confidence by letting them beat me.

At the Final Exam:

All Might: You're just going to ignore me. I spent WEEKS planning my villainous monologue, and you're both ignoring me.

#

Omake: Incorrect Quotes, Monty Python

All Might: Er, young Bakugo looks unconscious.

Izuku: (Puppeteering Katsuki's body) He's pining for the fjords.

#

Omake: The Teacher Meeting

Nezu: Why didn't anyone help me when Midoriya chased me around the school building twice?

Yamada: I'm salty that you didn't tell me about Oboro.

Midnight: I, too, am holding a grudge over that.

Cementoss: I could have thrown up a wall between you two, but I assumed this was all part of a plan to get Midoriya to open up about whatever has been troubling him. After all, surely our legendary terrifying principal wouldn't be scared of a high schooler!

Nezu: Right. It all went according to plan. Muhahahaha.

Cementoss: Why are you wearing a hat, principal?

Nezu: The next person who asks me about the hat gets a pay cut.

#

Omake: Never Wave Merch in Front of a Fanboy

Katsuki: So…if you're not actually angry at me…then give back my All Might card.

Izuku: Never. That's mine now.

Author's Note: This chapter comes with a lovely art commission by PossiblyCringe. I adore the colors and shading. Izuku's primary fear this chapter was his mother's death but Katsuki with straight hair came as a close second. I cannot emphasize enough that Izuku would not normally fear Katsuki, but a Kacchan with his hair gelled straight is an UNHOLY ABOMINATION. Delete the spaces to get the tumblr link:
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possiblycringe/712238655980371968/commission-for-aimportantdragoncollectors-fic