Izuku scratched another address off his list.

"On to the next one, I guess."

"Why doesn't Hawks just send his feathers out to do the searching?" Neito asked.

"I'd rather not tip off the villains that we're closing in. If they see the feathers, they'll know. So, we stick together and search the buildings individually."

"Fine."

Hawks gave Neito a small smile. "I know, kid. I want to find them too. Now, remember to stick close to one of us, okay? You need to be ready to copy someone's quirk."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

"I just want you to be safe. I want all you idiots to be safe. Izuku, have you finished with those bombs yet?"

"Yeah, they should be good. Kacchan, you bring that container of your sweat?"

"Super gross that you asked me to bring this, but yes, I did. Here," Bakugou said, handing it off. Izuku took it and filled each of the six bombs, which were made from the shells of the grenades that Kacchan had on his hero uniform. As they did the search, Izuku would work on them, setting them up so they had remote detonators instead of timed. Once he finished filling the reservoirs of each grenade, he split them, handing half to Neito and keeping half for himself.

"Okay, Neito, tap the detinator to the bomb or bombs you are about to use and it'll automatically sync up. Then you're good to go. Save these for if you're ever without a quirk. If you need to borrow a quirk from someone from the League, I would suggest trying to touch Compress or Twice. They're quirks would be easiest to use. Shigaraki has a great quirk, but getting anywhere near him is dangerous. Spinner has a mutation type quirk so I don't think it would be useful for you to try to copy. Kurogiri would be a great quirk to copy but I don't think you'll have a chance to touch him. Then there's All For One. I don't really know what would happen if you borrowed his quirk, but it could be worth a -"

" No ," Hawks snapped, shooting them a stern look. "If All For One is there when we show up, you kids will stay far, far away. If we find the League's hideout, we are not moving in until the rest of the heroes are there. We will call Eraserhead and we will stay put to keep an eye on the League. We only make contact with the League if they attack us first. Bakugou, you are in charge of keeping these three idiots from rushing in when my back is turned."

"What was the point of us coming here if we weren't going to fight?" Shoto asked, a hint of anger in his voice. "I came here to get my friends back. I'm not going to let anyone, not even you or Bakugou, get in my way."

"Shoto," Izuku hissed, grabbing his friend's arm. "We don't need to start fights with each other right now. Besides, if you think Kacchan is going to try to stop us, you're dead wrong."

Shoto glanced over at Bakugou, who just shrugged. "I'm not known for my rational decision making. I probably won't stop you if you try to jump one of those League bastards."

Hawks was about to snap at them when Izuku put his hand up, catching everyone's attention and making them freeze.

"I think they're in there," he whispered, creeping closer to the building they had been approaching. Shadows moved across the windows, some smaller, some larger. The larger ones far outnumbered the smaller, and their shapes were vastly varied. "They have Nomu with them."

"Shit. Are we positive that it's them?" Bakugou asked.

Hawks detached one of his smallest feathers and sent it up towards one of the windows on the upper floor. Slipping through the crack between the window and the window sill, the feather fluttered into the building, immediately picking up the vibrations of movement and speech.

Hawks nodded. "It's the League," he whispered, eyes closed and focusing on what was being said. "They're saying something about going back to talk to Eri when she wakes up. Maybe they drugged her to get her here? I'm not sure. But they… wait… shit, get down!"

The window exploded outwards as Hawks flared his wings, trying to shield the boys. Shoto and Izuku grabbed for each other, both boys trying to protect the other. Neito grabbed Bakugou's exposed wrist, copying his quirk, while Bakugou raised his other hand, skin smoking as he prepared to set off an explosion.

A Nomu, massive and winged, burst from the building, shrieking and howling. Spirling down at them, it extended its clawed feet, its talons glinting. Hawks let out an animalistic cawing sound before flying up to meet it, the two tangling together in the air as they scratched and grabbed at each other. More Nomu followed the first, each different from the last, though all terrifying.

"Go!" Hawks screamed, sending out a few feathers to try and stab the incoming Nomu. "I'll handle these guys! Go get help!"

"They'll already be on their way!" Izuku yelled. "This is loud as fuck; they'll have heard by now!"

A Nomu slipped past Hawks, trying to bite at Shoto, only to get a massive explosion to the face. Neito's hand was extended out, smoking from the blast. He winced, shaking out his hand.

"Damn that shit hurts."

"You get used to it," Bakugou said gruffly before setting off his own explosion at an incoming Nomu. "IcyHot! Help Hawks with these bastards! Copycat, Izuku, and I will get inside to find everyone!"

Shoto nodded, not bothering to bicker. He let ice and fire creep up his arms as he squared off against the pack of Nomus. A slightly crazed glint shined in his eyes as he sent out a wave of flames, clearing a path for the others.

Neito took the lead, barreling forward and lashing out with small explosions at any Nomu that tried to get close. Izuku followed him, tightly clutching the sharp kitchen knife he had brought from the dorms. When a Nomu managed to get past Neito's defenses, Izuku stabbed it straight through the hand, causing it to let out an ungodly scream. Izuku ripped the knife back out and then slashed at the creature's face, driving it backwards.

Finally, Bakugou took up the rear of the charge, protecting the other two from the Nomu that tried to close in from behind. As they reached the foot of the building, Neito reached out and touched Bakugou again, copying his quirk and giving him some extra time. Izuku grabbed hold of Neito, letting the blond blast them both up and through the broken wall of the upper floor. Bakugou followed, timing his blast so that it would burn a couple Nomu. When they landed on the edge of the wall's opening, Izuku launched one of the bombs he made down at the Nomu. When the creatures started to gather around it, curious about what the boy had thrown, he detonated it, killing at least 3 of them and injuring others.

Neito flinched. "I feel bad that they died. They used to be people."

"Not like they can be saved. Unless they were like Kurogiri. But they aren't so it's pointless to feel bad. They were basically already dead. Shut up! "

The three spun around in surprise, not expecting anyone to be there.

Standing inside the room was Twice and Mr. Compress. Compress looked as clean and dapper as always, even when sporting his new robotic arm. Twice, on the other hand, didn't look like he was doing well. His suit was dirty, with rips and tears in various places. His mask had a hole, just large enough for a piece of his pale hair to poke through. His erratic behavior was worse than the last time Izuku had seen him, and the poor man was physically jittery, almost as though he wasn't sure what to be doing with himself.

"Uh, hey guys!" Izuku said carefully, clutching his knife tightly. "Any chance you'll just let us collect our friends without a fight? You know, for old time's sake?"

" Sure! As if!"

Compress shook his head. "While you were a rather enjoyable comrade before your defection, Twice and I are employed by Shigaraki, and in extension, All For One. I think you and I can both agree it is not wise to betray him of all people."

Izuku shrugged. "Figured you'd say that, but thought it would be worth a shot to ask. Any chance you can at least give me a hint where you are keeping them?"

"None of your business! In the basement. Better hurry! "

"Twice!" Compress hissed.

"Sorry! It just slipped out! Part of me still likes Toga! She betrayed us! We should kill her! Hurry up, Deku, and get her out of here!"

"Go," Neito said, never taking his eyes off the villain. "You two go get everyone. I'll hold these two off."

"Alone? Are you sure?"

"I can handle them, Izuku. Bakugou, can I get a high five for the road?"

Bakugou held out his hand without comment, letting Neito give himself one last boost of Bakugou's quirk. He then grabbed Izuku's arm and started to drag him towards the door leading out of the room. As he started to cross the room though, Compress made a move to attack.

An explosion rocked them all, sending Compress flying backwards and Izuku and Bakugou flying towards the door. Looking up from where he landed on the floor, Izuku saw Neito standing there, legs spread wide to form a strong base, one arm out, palm smoking, and the other hand wrapped around his wrist to brace it. His shoulders were heaving from his heavy breathing and his eyes were locked on the villains.

"I won't let you touch them," he spat out, tone darker than Izuku had ever heard it.

"How did you -" Compress started, only to shake his head. "You're not supposed to be the one with the explosion quirk."

"Yeah, well, I'm just full of surprises."

Bakugou grabbed Izuku's arm again and dragged him from the room, leaving Neito alone with two villains.

--

The sounds of fighting could be heard from outside and upstairs, though the room didn't shake or tremble at all, not even when there were explosions.

"It seems someone has found our base," All For One said easily. "Luckily, this room is secure. It would take nothing less than All Might's strongest punch to break through these walls."

"I know, Sensei," Shigaraki said petulantly.

"I wasn't explaining to you, I was explaining to our guests. Now, Shirakumo, I suggest you wake the little girl you are holding and have her use her quirk on me this time."

Shirakumo glared up at All For One, cradling Eri even closer to his chest with his bound arms. "That's not gonna happen."

"Your bravery is admirable, but I can assure you, this will be happening. Wake the girl."

"She's unconscious from quirk exhaustion! It's not like a nap or something; I can't just wake her up!"

"Then Young Toga, you will have to substitute. Please bite Eri, ingest some of her blood, and use her quirk on me."

"Doesn't work like that," Himiko snapped. "Neito tried copying her quirk once and he wasn't able to use it. She has to have a certain amount of energy built up to use it. I would be able to take her form but that's it. So you're shit out of luck."

All For One tutted condescending, making Spinner flinch as he glanced between Himiko and the villain. "Such language! Rather unbecoming of a young woman."

"Go fuck yourself," she spat.

Shigaraki let out a snarl, stepping forward menacingly. All For One dropped a hand down on Shigaraki's shoulder. "No, Tomura, we still need her alive and healthy. I promise you, you will get your chance at revenge."

"When, Sensei? We can stay here for as long as we need; the bunker is impenetrable. I can hurt her now and wait for her to be better before we make her use her quirk. Or we can wait for the little brat to wake up and get her energy back. Or don't you have some sort of quirk that we can use? Like an energy replenishment quirk? I don't understand why you are rushing! No one can get to us!"

Before All For One could respond, the doors behind them slid open, a beeping noise from the electronic locks ringing out in the tense air. Crouched beside the door, were two boys: the one with green hair was staring at the keypad still, tools raised, and the blond was staring at the opening doors in surprise.

Both boys looked over at the gathered villains and prisoners before slowly standing.

"Shit," Bakugou said, hands coming up and starting to smoke. "Didn't think you'd actually get the door open."

Izuku raised his knife. "You should never doubt me, Kacchan."

"Run! Just run, Izu-kun!" Himiko screeched, pulling at her restraints. Hitoshi, on the other side of the room, was struggling as well, muffled sounds coming from behind his muzzle.

All For One grinned dangerously.

"Deku. We finally meet face to face."

"Well, face to lump. I have a face, you don't."

Bakugou let out a snort, elbowing Izuku. "Dude, are you fucking stupid?"

"No. I'm just not scared of a shit head like All For One. Oh, hey Shiggy. Didn't see you there. Spinner, have you played any decent video games lately?"

"Can I kill this one, Sensei?" Shigaraki asked, glaring at Izuku.

"No, I need Deku alive. The hero boy, though, you can certainly kill. I see no use for him."

Shigaraki grinned, already moving forward. Spinner followed, looking unsure. Bakugou shifted, placing himself in front of Izuku.

"Get the others out of here. I'll hold these fuckwads off. Avoid the big guy," he whispered.

Izuku nodded, eyeing All For One. As Spinner lunged forward, swinging his sword towards Bakugou, Izuku dodged out from behind his friend. He slashed across Spinner's arm, making the man scream in pain before continuing onward, avoiding Shigaraki's wild swipe and making a break towards his friends. Twin sets of explosions behind him let Izuku know that Bakugou was fighting like a hellcat, doing everything he could to stop Shigaraki and Spinner.

Just when Izuku was a meter away from Hitoshi, something caught the back of his neck, stopping him in his tracks. Then, with a jerk, Izuku was thrown into a wall, hard enough that the world seemed to spin after he landed. When he was finally able to pry his eyes open, he found All For One leaning over him, head cocked as though he was inspecting something that he found vaguely interesting. Through the ringing in his ears, Izuku could hear Himiko and the blue haired man yelling, though he couldn't make out their words.

"You know, if you had just been better behaved, I may have gifted you a quirk," All For One said, making something in Izuku's chest tighten and his breath come in shorter bursts. "I could have given you something powerful. Powerful enough to get back at those that have hurt you. That boy, Bakugou; he hurt you, didn't he? He burned you, threatened you, bullied you into a deep depression. In a sense, because of his mistreatment towards you, you met the League. If he hadn't told you to jump off a roof, you likely would have never climbed to the top of that building and leapt into Kurogiri's warpgate."

A startled snarl came from behind All For One, Bakugou having heard what he said. Shigaraki took the opportunity to try to grab at Bakugou, who shook off his shock just in time to dodge. Hitoshi was making strangled noises as well, staring at Izuku with a mixture of sadness and concern.

All For One smiled. "Oh? Did you not tell your hero friends? Did you not tell them how weak you are? How your will is as weak as your body? Poor, poor little Deku. Couldn't be a hero so he tried to kill himself. Sometimes I wonder if it would have been better if you had never fallen into the League's hideout. But then, I remember your brain. How brilliant you are. All that pain and suffering hardened your heart. Forced you to study more. Just think; if you did have a quirk, all this analysis skill would be wasted, Deku."

"You talk too much," Izuku bit out, finally rolling over onto his stomach to try and push himself up. All For One kicked him, knocking him back to the ground.

"Quiet, boy. I am offering you a chance to live," All For One said, his voice hardening. "When you've lived as long as I have, you see a lot of things. Meet a lot of people. Yet, I can count on one hand the number of people who's intelligence possibly rivals my own. You, Deku, would be included on that list. I would hate to see that brain of yours destroyed. So, you have two options. I can take you to the doctor to be turned into a High End Nomu. Perhaps you could replace Kurogiri as Tomura's closest ally, now that he's gone. Or, you can stop this nonsense and return to our ranks, where you belong . Look at you, Deku. You can't win. You aren't like them . Your body is weak. You can never be a real hero. One hit and you're incapacitated. But, if you join us again, we will protect you. You can work from the shadows. Make real change in the world. What do you say, Deku?"

When Izuku didn't say anything, All For One sighed.

"Is this about your little hero friends? Yes, I can see that you've gotten rather attached to them. How about we make a bargain? You like those, don't you? Return to us, to your first and true family, and we will allow them to leave here today. I will still require Eri to use her quirk on me, but your friends will live today. Perhaps, if you're good, I'll even let Shinsou keep his quirk, at least for now. They can all walk out of here, even Sir Nighteye."

"What about the blue haired guy?"

"Izuku! No!" Himiko screamed, struggling again. "Don't make a deal with him!"

"Quiet!" All For One snapped before turning back to Izuku, who had finally managed to get himself into a kneeling position. "That would be Oboro Shirakumo. Former hero student. He has spent the better part of his life as Kurogiri, our most successful High End Nomu. Little Eri made a mistake and accidentally split the donors for Kurogiri. Unfortunately, we can not allow Shirakumo to leave. He knows far too much. But the rest will be free to go."

Izuku kept his eyes downcast. "Even if I offer you information along with my allegiance? I know things, things you wouldn't expect me to know. I can trade it for Shirakumo."

"Ah, that hero spirit is still buried inside of you, isn't it? Wanting to save everyone. I have a counter offer. Instead of the experiments that I have planned for him, I could simply take his quirk and kill him in a swift and painless manner. Perhaps… perhaps you could have his quirk, Deku. Would you like that? He has a very versatile and interesting quirk. He can create clouds, you see, and can solidify them as well. He can even move them how he pleases. Would you like that, Deku? Would you like to have a quirk all of your own?"

Izuku finally looked up, his green eyes round with shock and something akin to wonder.

All For One smiled, knowing he had won.

"I could have a quirk?"

"Yes, and it wouldn't damage your mind either. It'd be perfect. You would be perfect."

Slowly, Izuku reached out a hand towards All For One, fingers lax. "Shake on it. Swear to me that everyone besides Shirakumo will leave here alive, with their quirks, and that you'll give me Shirakumo's quirk. Then I will join you. I will remain loyal. I will never waver. I will tell you everything I know."

All For One's smile grew. He reached out and took Izuku's hand, helping him to his feet.

"Of course, my boy. I swear it." Releasing Izuku's hand, All For One turned to look at Shigaraki and Spinner, who were still fighting against Bakugou. "Tomura, that's enough."

Shigaraki dodged another blast from Bakugou, retreating back a few steps. "Sensei, you said -"

"Plans have changed."

"Izuku, you damn bastard! Don't you dare -" Bakugou started to shout, only to be cut off when All For One sent some sort of projectile at him, striking the boy across the head and knocking him out.

When Izuku made a noise of protest, All For One simply shrugged. "We don't need him interrupting, now do we? Tomura, see about getting Sir Nighteye up. I doubt you will be able to roust him, but you should be able to at least get him off the floor. Deku, follow me. We have a quirk to transfer."

--

With a screech, Hawks dived at a Nomu that was getting a little too close to Shoto for his comfort. Raking a hardened feather across the creature's back, Hawks then swung around and stabbed through a second, just as Todoroki sent a spike up through the first.

"Where are the other heroes!" Shoto shouted, sending a wave of scorching flames at a pack of Nomu. "Shouldn't they be here by now?"

Hawks kicked another Nomu back, keeping it at bay. "They must not have been as close as I thought! This building was towards the outer edge of our search field."

"Well, they need to hurry! We can't hold these things off forever!"

Hawks grimaced as he saw a pair of flying Nomu hovering overhead, looking for an opening to attack the heroes. "Keep working on these ones here! We've got company in the air!"

With that, Hawks took off again, launching himself up to meet the Nomu.

Shoto ducked under the arm of a Nomu, sending a bolt of ice through it as he passed. He could feel himself tiring out. He really didn't have long before he would succumb to quirk exhaustion. They needed to get these Nomu put down so they could go help the others. Every time Shoto glanced back at the building, he would see flashes of fighting on the upper floor. There would be a flash of flame, the glint of a blade, sludge oozing out of the hole in the wall; something big was happening up there and Shoto wasn't there to help.

A pit of dread had formed in Shoto's stomach as he continued to fight, realizing it had been some time since he had heard the sound of an explosion. Was Bakugou alright? Did Neito have anyone to copy a quirk off of if Bakugou wasn't there? Where was Izuku? Was he the one with the knife? Have they found Hitoshi yet? What about Eri, or Himiko? Were they still alive?

Sharp claws caught his upper arm, ripping through his shirt and rending his skin apart. Shoto screamed in pain, stumbling backwards and pressing his other hand to his skin, now slick with blood.

The Nomu didn't stop though. They were still coming, almost as though the scent of blood was urging them on.

Shoto didn't hesitate. Thinking of what Izuku had said to him once, Shoto set his jaw, pressed his hand to the cuts, and lit his skin on fire, cauterizing the wounds. For the second time in less than a minute, Shoto screamed.

His arm still smoking, the smell of cooked meat in the air, Shoto turned back to the fight, ready to take on more Nomu.

--

Neito had run out of time with Bakugou's quirk.

He knew it would happen eventually, but that didn't mean he wasn't startled when it happened. Neito had raised his hand, ready to set off another explosion to keep Compress and Twice at bay, but nothing came out.

Compress cocked his head curiously. "Oh? No more explosions? Interesting."

He then threw a marble at Neito, which burst into a set of knives. Neito barely ducked in time to avoid being stabbed. The knives drove themselves into the wall behind him, each with a solid thunk .

As Neito straightened, he grabbed one of the knives and held it tightly, just as Himiko had taught him to. He found Twice and Compress standing before him, along with what appeared to be two sets of Dabi.

"Congratulations, its twins," Neito snarked, earning himself a half deranged laugh from Twice.

"You're funny! No he's not! He reminds me a little of Toga. Do you think they're friends? Can we be friends?"

"Shut up, psycho," one of the Dabi's snapped while the other gave a bored, half smile.

"This should be fun," the second one said before sending a blast of scorching blue flames towards Neito.

Neito dodged again, grunting as he rolled across the floor, narrowly missing another jet of flames. Popping back up, he managed to jam the knife through the chest of one of the Dabi's making it melt into a pile of goo. Immediately, Twice was working on creating another duplicate, this time of Spinner. Neito ducked under a swing from Compress and tackled Twice, ripping off one of the man's gloves and touching his skin.

A set of hands grabbed him and threw him off of Twice, sending him slamming into the hard ground on the other side of the room. Looking up, he saw that the fake Dabi had been the one to grab him. The Dabi was playing with a small ball of fire, twirling it between his fingers as he stalked towards Neito.

Desperately, Neito activated the borrowed quirk, trying to create someone, anyone, that could help him. His first creation was just a lump of sludge, which melted away into a puddle. The fake Dabi laughed, shaking his head.

"Aw, can't figure out Twice's quirk? How sad."

Squeezing his eyes tightly shut, Neito tried again conjuring up the image of the two people he wanted to make, focusing on every detail as best he could.

A high pitched giggle caught his attention, making him open his eyes.

Standing in front of him, shielding him from the villains, were Himiko and Shoto, or at least copies of them. They were wearing their gym uniforms, though the colors seemed a little off. The copy of Shoto was a bit too tall and Himiko's hair was a bit too messy, but it was them, clear as day. The copy of Himiko had picked up Neito's dropped knife and was twirling it menacingly.

"Aw, Dabi! Don't hurt my new friend! I actually like him!" she giggled, her yellow eyes tracking each of Dabi's moves.

Dabi shrugged. "I don't really get a say in it, you know. Gotta do what Twice says since he made me."

"Fair enough. No hard feelings then, when I turn you into goop?"

"Course not. Same for you?"

Himiko giggled again. "Oh, you won't get the chance to."

The copy of Shoto grinned that crazed, manic smile that Neito secretly wished he could see more often. Then, a burst of orange flame engulfed the double of Dabi.

--

The explosions could be heard from across town. The heroes, who had broken into smaller rescue teams to cover more ground, all looked up as they heard the ruckus. Small black dots lifted into the air, which they all quickly realized were Nomu. Another, smaller dot rushed up to meet them, this one red.

"Fuck," Vlad King hissed, turning and running towards the commotion. Mic and Aizawa were hot on his heels. "They found the League."

"Should we call it in to the other teams?" Mic asked, panting.

"Why bother? Everyone already knows by now."