Hey everyone! With this chapter, I'm pretty sure this story is reaching 300k words in length!(Outside of the author notes of course). Rejoice in the days I have lost in this creative endeavour, lol!

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"This means someone is talking."

'This means someone is thinking to themselves.'

This means it's a flashback.

*This means it's a sound effect!*

{This means I'm speaking in a different language!}

Angel in a Gilded Cage

The moon hung low in the long, spotless, transparent wall that the Hyperion executive office called a window, casting its pale rays down onto the ever shifting curtain of clouds masking the world below. The room's(building's, company's) owner sat back in his opulent chair.

Mr. Blake stood at attention on his right, holding a silver tray laden with a plate of braised pheasant on one hand, the meal's cost rivaling that of a three story house. It sat there halfway eaten and growing cold, the man's attention solely on the holographic screen hovering over the surface of his desk. He absently swirled perfect cubes of ice in a crystal rocks glass, sparkling with a pure amber whisky.

With every wave of the man's offhand, the images scrolled by on the holoscreen, his smirk widening with every headline.

YUEI ATTACKED ONCE MORE!

STUDENTS STOLEN! LEAGUE STRIKES AGAIN!

ALL-MIGHT ABSENCE CAUSES KIDNAPPING!

HERO SCHOOL BROUGHT LOW! PRINCIPLE GIVES NO COMMENT!

"Look at all this, Jimmy. Not two months ago, Yūei was being lauded as the "bastion of tomorrow's justice"!" He faked a stalwart narration and chuckled. "Now they're a fricken joke! Goes to show that even with all of their fancy powers and stupid costumes, in the end, they're all still human."

"Indeed sir. Most humiliating." Blake nodded.

With another flick of his wrist, the screen moved to another headline, complete with a picture of the once prestigious academy, a swarm of reporters and angry civilians clamoring at the gates, the latter jeering and waving protest signs.

It had been two days since the attack and the media storm surrounding the whole incident had proven to be equal parts satisfying and thrilling. Seeing those who thought themselves so special, that they were above everyone else just to be brought so low, it filled the man with delight, feeling himself on the verge of laughter. He pushed down that inclination in order to take a sip from his glass, letting out a relished sigh.

The League had performed beyond his expectations, which had been low out of a sense of disdain for the sad excuse for a criminal organization. After how badly they had been trounced at the incident in spring, he had seen them little more than a group of miscreants throwing a tantrum at society.

But lo and behold, they had actually accomplished something significant and by extension, unwittingly furthered his own machinations. The public's faith in Yūei and the heroes of Japan had been shaken. The school had been attacked a second time, not too long after the first and this time, two students had been taken.

One of them being the man's most prized possession that he sought to reclaim.

His hand tightened around his glass as his smile faded.

He should be ecstatic. Angel had been removed from the infuriating reach of that damned academy and was ripe for the taking. He was expecting a transmission from his man on the ground anytime now, signaling for their extraction.

But… the thought of his baby girl in the clutches of those disgusting terrorist scum nearly drove him to wretch. It was taking everything he had not to "intervene". All it would take was a single phone call and whatever squalid hole the League called a hideout would go up in flames.

He knew he couldn't do that though. This was a delicate situation. Angel needed to be extracted quietly and without a trace linked back to him. No one must know he was involved, being the reason why he sent Wilhelm in the first place.

His enforcer wouldn't dare talk, if he knew what was good for him.

Most of all, he couldn't risk anything happening to Angel. She was too valuable to him.

'Bear with it a little longer sweetie. Soon, you will be safe with me, where you belong. If they've touched a single hair on your head… there will be no place on Earth that they can hide in from me.'

Halfway across the world, Izuku laid in a hospital bed, in a room all alone. The midday sun leaked in through the spaces between the blinds. The muffled sounds of gurneys wheeled by, accompanied by idle chatter from the institution's staff.

He paid no mind to it or anything really. Painkillers dripped from the bag suspended over his bed, funneling down the tube inserted into his arm under the bandages and casts that had been put over his limbs. Thus, his mind was properly addled and barely able to focus, though that might be in part of the shock of what had transpired two days prior.

He had been drifting in and out of consciousness the whole time of his visit. He barely registered Recovery Girl's visit to treat his injuries, same for the police who came to ask him questions. He couldn't remember their questions, not that he thought he could provide anything his friends and classmates hadn't already. Or at least he would had thought that if he was able to do anything but stare blankly at the ceiling, idly drawing lines between the dots in the ceiling tiles.

He let out a sigh. There was only so much of that he could do the way he was now.

Tilting his head to the left despite the stiffness in his neck, his eyes rested on the bowl of peeled apples on the bedside table. A note rested against it, written in a familiar curl that made his heart ache.

His mother made those for him last time he got hurt on the playground, standing up to…

He didn't want to finish that line of thought.

Izuku turned his head back up and exhaled again. He tried to think of something else, as feverish as he was right now. Randomly, his thoughts went to the little boy from the trip, Kota. He had been rather upset last time he saw him.

"Hopefully he's okay." He muttered to no one, least of all himself. If anything it served as a break from the monotony.

He was about to get a bigger one as the door to his room slid open.

"Ah! Midoriya-kun! You're finally awake!"

He turned his head with a start.

"Kaminari-kun?"

The spiky haired blonde turned down the hall. "Hey guys! He's finally up!"

Izuku blinked. "Guys?"

The next instant a large group of his peers piled in. They were all dressed casually, a few of them sporting some fresh bandages, but nothing compared to him. They all gave him looks of relief or concern, often a mixture of the two.

"Good to see you're alright Midoriya." Tokoyami said as they approached the bed.

"Okay might not be the right word. He's messed up. Hope this will help!" Mineta stated, lifting an expensive looking melon over his head.

"Don't be like that." Uraraka told the smaller boy, her voice missing the usual heat she has when talking to the class lecher. She turned her gaze to Izuku, a sad and fearful look on her face. "Sorry if we're intruding Deku-kun, but we really wanted to see you."

He gave her as much of a head shake as he could. "Don't worry about it. I'm happy to see you all too." He muttered as his eyes scanned the crowd, being a little difficult to see everyone from where he lay. "Is… everyone here?" He asked, a sliver of hope accidentally slipping in.

"Not quite." Iida said, stepping around to the foot of his bed, wearing a solemn frown. "Ashido-san and Aoyama-kun had to go into extensive care. Theirs were the most life threatening after yours, but they are expected to make a recovery. Asui-san and Sero-kun are still unconscious from the villain's poison gas but I heard they will be fine. Yaoyorozu-san has been in and out of it due to a blow to the head, but nothing too serious.

"That makes more than a quarter not here. Especially since two are missing." Todoroki added, getting several nervous looks.

"Dude! Don't remind him!" Jirou hissed too late. Izuku's eyes widened as his memories came flooding back.

Bakugo, Angel. The latter's eyes as she slipped into the darkness, gone, stolen.

"Izu…ku… I'm… sorry."

"All-Might once told me that no one person can save everyone, so that's why you have to save those that you can reach." He started to shiver, clenching his teeth in frustration. "Then why… why couldn't I save them?!" He choked. "They were right there! I have this quirk, this power… but I still failed! It's just like sensei said, if I just run in and try to save everyone the way I am… I'll just end up broken and useless! I tried to reach out for them…"

Tears ran down the sides of his head, blurring his vision. "But I couldn't move!"

"Then let's just not screw up this time."

The whole room paused and turned. Kirishima pushed to the front and stood over Izuku, looking utterly unfazed despite what he just said.

Izuku blinked at him. "Huh?"

"Don't tell anyone, but… Todoroki and I were here yesterday." He glanced at the bi-coloured boy behind him for corroboration, getting a nod. "We happened to pass by Yaoyorozu-chan's room, where she was talking with the police and All-Might. Apparently she was able to stick a transmitter to one of the villains before they escaped. She made a tracking device for All-Might, to follow them to their lair."

Iida jolted. "Wait. You're thinking of asking her to make one for you? You idiot!" He snapped. "We're just students! This is something that must be left to the professionals, we can't get ourselves involved!"

"I know that already! I know that it's really stupid!" Kirishima yelled back, clenching his fists. "But you weren't there man! We were so close to saving them, Baku-bro and Angel-chan! You don't know what that's like, to come so close yet just to fall flat right when they needed us! As a hero, no, a man, I have to make up for fucking up when it mattered the most!"

"Guys! Keep it down! We're all really upset about this whole thing, but we can't do anything about this!" Kirishima said.

"Iida-kun's right. We'll just get in the way." Hagakure agreed.

Kirishima growled and shook his head. "I hear you, really, I do! You're all right and this is probably a stupid ass idea, but still! Midoriya!" He turned. "The point is, we can still reach them! They're not out of our grasp yet!"

Izuku swallowed, not knowing what to think. Deep down, he knew that Iida and the others were right. All-Might and the rest of the pros told them to stay out of the crisis. They were still first years, kids, unfocused and trained only for a few months. They were more likely to get themselves or someone else killed if they tried to get involved and the whole thing really should be left to the best.

But wasn't that the kind of thinking that would have gotten him nowhere in the first place? Back when Bakugo had been taken hostage by the slime villain and when he ran in without a second thought? If he hadn't done that, All-Might wouldn't have been pushed to act, he wouldn't have been offered One for All and he wouldn't be here right now.

And Angel's eyes. He couldn't get the sight of them out of his head. She needed help.

"Everybody, let's calm down a bit." Jiro stepped between Iida and the Kirishima-Todoroki partnership. "Say that you do get this tracker from Yaomomo. What then? Are you just going to follow it and rescue Bakugo and Hodunk by yourselves?"

Todoroki nodded. "More or less. If the League's goal was to kill Angel or Bakugo, they would have just done it when they had the chance, in front of us even. They must want them alive for something. Therefore, Kirishima and I will be going." He said, making Iida twitch and stomp in anger.

"All the more reason not to get in the way! You're not thinking logically here!" He roared, taking a step forward before a large hand held him back by the shoulder.

"Jeez, take a second to breathe Iida-kun." Sato told him. "You have to consider their feelings here. I was with them when our friends were taken, though not to the very end. I get how shitty that must feel." He turned to the opposition. "That being said, Iida is right saying that we're letting our emotions get the better of us here. This is not something that can be decided in a fit of anger."

Kirishima grimaced and looked to the floor.

"There's also the fact that our permission to engage in combat has already been rescinded." Tokoyami said, crossing his arms. "If you two go and fight the villains, using your quirks without a license, you'd be little better than them. That's vigilantism, not hero work."

With that fact, the last nail was driven in. Everyone went silent.

A few seconds passed before Uraraka stepped forward, her loafers shuffling maddenly loud on the linoleum floor until she came to a stop between the two sides.

"I'm going too."

The whole room gasped. Iida nearly fell over from shock.

"Uraraka! Not you too!"

"I'm sorry Iida." She turned, giving him a sad look. "But I need to do this."

"But what about your dream?! If you go through with this, you will be expelled, blacklisted from every academy in the country! You'll be throwing away your chance to support your parents!" He pleaded, more concerned for her own well being than the following of the law.

"I KNOW!" She yelled, making him stumble back. She sighed and her eyes dropped. "I know. I'm on thin ice after what I pulled during the term exam. Aizawa-sensei made that clear enough. You're right, I did come into this school so I can make money, make a better life for my family. But can I really call myself a hero if all I do is get pushed to the wayside and do nothing? I spent that whole night in the lodge, scared out of my mind, but most of all, I hated myself. How I just sat there, doing nothing while all of my friends were outside fighting for their lives. And now Angel-chan… my best f-friend…"

Tears began to fall and hit the floor. She wiped her cheek and met Iida's gaze, her lip wobbling as she glared not out of disdain, but determination. "How could I look my mom and dad in the eye if I just left my friend to fend for herself, again? I'm going and none of you will stop me."

The whole room was quiet once more, the only sound coming from Iida, his mouth hanging open and flapping as he struggled to think of anything to say to talk Uraraka out of her foolhardy course. The rest of the group watched on in awe and sympathy at the situation that was tearing their class apart. All of it centered around Izuku, who was waging a war between what he knew was the smart thing to do and what he felt was right.

They all jumped at a knock on the door, a tired looking doctor standing in the opening. "Sorry if I'm interrupting anything, but I need to perform Midoriya-san's checkup."

"S-Sorry doc! W-We'll get out of your hair. Come on guys, let's go see how Asui-chan and Sero-kun are doing." Kaminari laughed nervously, prompting the gathering to disperse and head out the door.

"I'll… just leave this here." Mineta said, placing the forgotten melon next to the cut apples and scampering after the rest of the group, leaving Kirishima who looked down to Izuku.

"I've already asked Yaoyorozu about the tracker. If we're doing this, we have to move tonight. I don't know if you can walk, but I'm just letting you know. I have a feeling you're the most disappointed out of all of us. So if you do show, meet us at the front doors."

He gave him a pat on the back and a small, empty smile. "Either way, see you man."

With that, he turned and left.

It had been a few hours since his classmates left. What transpired afterwards left Izuku even more of a swirling, conflicted mess than before.

On the bright side, he was now free from his casts and most of his bandages. The doctor and a nurse sawed open his casts and he could move again. Apparently Recovery Girl had worked overtime while he was asleep for the last two days. His bones were fixed back together and his various cuts and bruises erased.

If only it had been that simple.

The doctor then informed him that he had been injured beyond what he had experienced before. In his desperation to save Kota, he had unconsciously pushed his body beyond its built in limit. Normally, the human body would hold back a percentage of its strength to prevent damage to itself. In life threatening circumstances however, that limit is lifted instinctively, a sort of frantic strength as he described it. Under normal circumstances, it would have caused some damage that could be handled.

But Izuku had pushed his body to the brink, past it and then some. Perhaps in combination with the still foreign power of One for All, how he kept going for a long while afterward and his previous injuries, it had caused severe permanent damage to his body, specifically to the ligaments in his arms. The doctor warned him that if he continued hurting himself like this, they would lose all mobility.

Izuku had been stunned silent at the news, an irrational part of him saying that it wasn't true. It was hard to refute with the new, ugly scars covering his arms and his mangled right hand, in addition to the long purple one along his shoulder, a souvenir from the fire villain.

He ran his fingers along the tight, white cloth of his fresh bandages. Even though his limbs had been wrapped, he could still see them and feel the grooves on his flesh like they were claw marks left on a table leg by an unruly cat.

Yet another thing for him to think about in making a decision on joining Kirishima and Todoroki or not.

Once again, he was faced with a dilemma. Potentially throw his heroic dreams if not his life in rescuing Angel and Bakugo, or leave it to the pros.

Iida and the others had made really good points, they really did. Trying to find the League's den, which could be crawling with even more dangerous villains or those Nomu things, it was a risky endeavor beyond description. And even if they did succeed, he could kiss his time at Yūei and subsequently his childhood aspirations goodbye.

But… could he really just sit there, while his dear friends sat in the hands of those murderers?

He didn't know what to do and that fact cut into him harder than any of Stain's daggers.

Suddenly, a knock at the door. Izuku started and looked. Was it Kirishima,Todoroki or Uraraka, wanting to talk about their plan? Perhaps it was Iida or someone else, wanting to make sure he didn't go through with it? Was it the doctor or a nurse, to deliver more bad news?

Rather than keep himself in suspense, he called out; "Come in."

The door slid open and he immediately felt blood rush to his cheeks, making him worry that it might reopen one of his remaining cuts.

It was the Moxxi Hodunk, or in this case, Mad Moxxi as she was wearing her hero costume and full regalia. It was a mix between a purple jacket and a corset with white and black striped sleeves and a fanned collar, the front cut so deep it was almost criminal, putting the slope of her bosom on full display and squeezing her figure like a boa constrictor. She wore a matching striped thigh sock one one leg and fishnet legging on the other, both leading to her white high heel boots. A leather belt hugged her waist, a holster hanging off her hip. A top hat was nestled on her slick hair, styled to curl around her face. Speaking of, her skin was coloured snow white with rosy red cheeks and her lips were ruby red with lipstick. A pair of round rimmed sunglasses shielded her eyes. She appeared like a mad hatter or harlequin, except sexy of course, which she certainly pulled off.

"Hello Midoriya-kun." She greeted, her quiet tone throwing him off for a second. In the few times he had met her, he had never heard her so serious. "I hope you don't mind if I talk to you for a minute."

Unable to refuse the requests of a gorgeous woman on his best days, all Izuku could do was nod dumbly. Moxxi closed the door behind her and walked over, the clicking of her heels sending spikes of fear through Izuku with every step.

Had she overheard the plan to go after the League? They hadn't been very quiet afterall.

Or worse, did she blame him for Angel getting kidnapped, for failing to save her?

In the time that he had to fret about that, Moxxi pulled a chair over and set herself down a couple feet across from him. The angle that her body was facing him as she sat making him glance away, what with those two huge "things" hanging in front of him.

Finally seated, Moxxi let out a long, drawn out breath and he perspired more.

"So, Midoriya-kun…"

'Here it comes!' He grimaced.

"How are you feeling right now?"

He froze and raised his head. Much to his surprise, her face was devoid of any sort of anger or hate. Rather, she appeared quite sad despite the clown makeup.

"I… I mean, about as well as I could be I guess." He answered slowly, unsure if this was some kind of trick. The woman's expression remained the same as she nodded softly.

"I suppose that's all we can really hope for these days. You look like you really took a pounding, heh." She joked only to pause when he almost choked on his spit. "Sorry, the ah, innuendo is a defense mechanism. I know I look this way, but I was a mess until a few hours ago." She admitted and only then did Izuku notice how her shoulders shook with almost every breath.

"N-No, it's okay. It's just… well…" He hesitated before finally biting the bullet. "I just expected you to hate me-"

"-for not saving Angel when you could." She finished, a little smile growing at his surprise. "I knew you would think that. From what I saw of you the two times we met, I could tell you'd probably feel guilty over swatting a fly. Then again, I already knew how selfless and self deprecating you were before we even met."

"What do you mean by that?"

She let out another breath, blowing one of her lustrous bangs out of her face. "Angel of course. After she recovered from the entrance exam, she told me all about this amazing green haired boy. How he helped her when she was about to break down, then again when she was about to be crushed by the giant robot. Not that the school would have allowed that to happen, but that's besides the point.

Then a few weeks later after the first day, she had more to tell. How kind you were, how you would ramble on about quirks and heroes and how adorable it was."

"A-A-Adorable?!" He sputtered.

"Hm, that might have been me, at least that's how it sounds. Regardless, I grew used to hearing about you amongst the rest of her friends. What I'm trying to say is that you left quite the impression on her and I have to say, from what I've heard, you've left one on me too. That's why I knew that you would have risked life and literally limb here, for her. And I couldn't be more happy that she has you as a friend."

Mouth open and mind reeling, Izuku could scarcely believe what he was hearing.

"You… you really don't blame me?" He asked.

Moxxi reached up and removed her glasses, fixing him in place with her mesmerizing emerald eyes. He somehow knew that she wasn't using her power over him, but he couldn't look away.

"Honey, let me give you a little advice. In life, bad things just happen and sometimes, no matter how hard you fight and scream there's nothing you can do about it. Things like villains and casualties and all chief among them, but more mundane things too.

I've been through God knows how many breakups, divorces and uh, familial conflicts than I can count. Each time, I would agonize and wonder what I coulda, shoulda, woulda done differently. But after a while, I just realized that it doesn't matter.

When I heard the camp was attacked and Angel was taken, my first thought was that I should have volunteered as a chaperone, then I could have saved her. But in the end, we can't change what happened. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can think of what you can do now."

Izuku sat there in awe. A simple question, one that made his mind all the more clear.

What could he do?

He lowered his gaze as he became lost in thought.

Moxxi took his silence as her cue, giving him a gentle ruffle of his hair. "In anycase, that's the reason why I swung by. I wanted to check up on you to make sure you didn't do anything foolish because you thought you were to blame. Looks like I was right. But I've got to get going." She stood up and replaced her glasses. "Don't tell anyone I told you, but the rescue team is heading off within the hour. We've got a definite lead to where those girl-snatching gutter trash are hiding and I'm going to put my boot between that Shigaraki's legs." She snarled.

Then her angry expression melted as she slipped her fingers between her breasts and retrieved a folded piece of paper.

"I volunteered to hand you this after I heard everything you went through. Take some comfort that you did manage to do something that night and leave the rest to us." She told him as she leaned down and pressed it into his palm."

She strode over to the door and slid it open, throwing a firm, reassuring smile back at him. "And I promise you this, as a hero and a mother, I'm going to get her back. And those League bastards are going to wish they were never born."

With that, she closed the door behind her.

Izuku stared at the portal in a daze, her words echoing through his head.

What could he do now? He had an idea, but was it the right one?

He glanced down at the paper in his hand. He slowly unraveled it, revealing a message, the penmanship rather rough and childish if that word fit.

"Dear Midoriya-san. Sorry for punching you in the balls. Thanks for saving me when I didn't deserve it or even knowing me. Get well soon and good luck at school.

Kota.

PS: I'll punch you again if you make the nice wing lady cry. So don't. Thanks."

His lips settled into a fine line.

He knew now.

It felt like night would never come, the hours crawling by at a snail's pace. The stress and worries that Izuku had with his course of action stayed with him, but he kept himself focused, trying to come up with plans for every possible complication he could think of.

When the orange skies finally bled away to black, he pulled on his hoodie(with great difficulty he might add) and started making his way through the hospital to his destination.

If there was one thing that gave him any sort of pause in his step, it would be the phone call he made to his concerned mother. He did it to assure her of his well being and to also give a non-specific excuse as to why he wasn't coming home tonight.

It was his mother's final line before he hung up that weighed him down.

"Izuku… I… I think you shouldn't go to Yūei anymore."

It appeared that regardless of what happened tonight, he might not be returning to Yūei.

He swallowed.

One issue at a time.

An elevator dinged as he passed by and out stepped Yaoyorozu, dressed in a light dress and pants. A large bandaid was stuck to her forehead. As soon as their eyes met, they both froze. Her fist tightened on the strings of her purse. He knew where the tracker was at any rate.

After a few seconds of silence, he pursed his lips and gave her a knowing nod. He felt relief when she gave it back.

Without a word, she fell in next to him and they continued to the doors ahead and finally stepped outside. Standing in the path were their co-conspirators, the two boys and single girl turning to face them.

"So you really came, Deku-kun." Uraraka smiled slightly.

Kirishima gave him a nod and turned to the lynchpin to the whole operation. "Yaoyorozu-san, are you in or out?"

The tall girl thumbed her purse strap. "I…"

"Hold it!"

They all jolted and turned. Had they been found out?

The answer wasn't so clear. Stepping out from behind a nearby tree was Iida, blocking their path.

"Iida-kun." Kirishima hissed, almost like it was a curse.

The boy bared his teeth in frustration, fists squeezed tight at his sides. "Why..? Why are you guys doing this?! You hypocrites! You two, you once chastised me for my own foolish crusades who got away without punishment. Why are you making the same mistake that I made?!" He demanded.

Half of the group looked at him in confusion, the only two knowing what he was referencing being Izuku and Todoroki. The night with the hero killer, when he acted rashly to the point of chasing a serial murderer by himself for revenge.

"Don't you guys see?! We represent our school, the one that is being attacked by all sides right now! Who do you think will take the fall, huh?!" He continued.

Izuku shook his head and stepped forward. "Iida-kun, it's not what you think! We know we shouldn't be doing this, but-"

He didn't get to finish the sentence as Iida's fist cracked against his cheek. He stumbled back, just barely hearing the gasps behind him over the stinging on his face.

"YOU DON'T GET IT! I HATE THIS WHOLE THING JUST AS MUCH AS YOU GUYS! BUT I'M THE CLASS REPRESENTATIVE! I'M WORRIED ABOUT THE WHOLE CLASS! NOT JUST OUR LOST FRIENDS! DO YOU THINK I WANT TO SEE YOU LYING THERE IN THAT BED, BARELY ALIVE LIKE MY BROTHER?!" He bellowed, his angry shouting slowly devolving to sobs.

"If you all go off on this mission and you don't come back the same, just like Tensei… are my feelings that meaningless to you?" He asked, gripping Izuku's shoulders.

Guilt hit the bottom of his stomach like an anchor. Of course he cared. But they still had to do this.

There was also something he wanted to correct. Todoroki did it for him.

"Iida-kun, we're not planning on fighting at all."

The other boy looked up, perplexed.

"That was our idea the whole time, a cover rescue operation without combat. Our way of fighting without actually fighting!" Kirishima explained.

"I was hoping you'd say something like that." They all turned to Yaoyorozu in the back. "I was planning on coming along as a chaperone of sorts. If things get too serious, I will pull you all back without fighting. I am the vice-rep afterall."

"Yes! Thank you Yao-momo!" Uraraka cheered.

"That was the plan the whole time Iida-kun." Izuku said, wiping at the mark on his face before returning his gaze up to his friend. "We will be doing our part without breaking the law. Rather than nothing, this is what I can do now, because I want to save our friends!"

"A pacifistic rescue mission…" Iida muttered. "...if that's true, I'm coming too!"

They all gaped at him. Perfect, Safety Drill Iida wanted to come with them.

"S-Seriously?!" Uraraka gasped. He nodded.

"As I'll ever be. Let's get going before I change my mind."

"Don't forget ussss!"

The teens froze at yet another surprise arrival, turning back to the front doors. Running after them was Baha Tina, waving her arms exuberantly with her crazed grin wide on her face.

"Y-You?!" Iida questioned, pointing at her as she came to stop in front of them. "What are you doing here?!"

"Duh, I'm coming with you guys! I passed by your room while I was getting cookies from the vending machine and heard everything! This Tina wants to help, muchachos!" She announced, pointing at herself with her thumbs.

"But why?" Todoroki asked, getting a snort in response.

"I can't let you crazy class A SOB's have all the fun right? 'Sides, those League of Vomit tools made one fatal mistake; they messed with Tina's man! I'm getting Katsuki-cat back and they're getting these hands!" She said, waving her fists around for emphasis.

Izuku blinked. "Wait, did you say us?"

Baha nodded. "Yeah, that guy over there." She pointed over her shoulder and the group's eyes widened in shock. Out of everyone in their class, none of them had expected him to want to join.

"Koda-kun?!" Yaoyorozu gasped and the shy boy nodded, stepping behind Baha.

"Oh that's your name? I was going to call you Sir Hornyhead von Dinosaur."

Koda nodded again, appearing to be relieved that he wasn't going to be given such a wacky nickname.

"Koda-kun, bro, we really appreciate you coming to help us, but… I mean, this is going to be really dangerous." Kirishima muttered awkwardly, scratching his head. "Are you really going to be okay coming with us?"

That was a good question. Izuku knew how nervous the animal-whisperer was. He considered him more skittish than even himself back in middle school and that was saying something. He hardly ever got to see him most days as he always sort of melted into the background.

At Kirishima's question, Koda seemed just as scared as it made him out to be, but he still gave them a firm nod.

"Are you sure man? I kinda think it'd be better if you stayed here and let us know if the heroes come looking for us. Anyone else think-"

"I!" The world froze as Koda's mouth opened. "I-I want to c-come with you guys."

They all stared at him, struck dumb by what they heard. None of them could quite believe it.

Koda clasped his hands together and rubbed them. "I a-am scared… but Angel-chan w-was my first friend at Yūei. N-Now she's in trouble. I… I can't stay behind and do nothing."

He gave them all as much as a resolute glare as he could, none of them actually ever seeing his brows point downwards before. "S-So I'm doing this because I know she'd do the same for me! I'm coming and t-there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

No one said a word, not even Baha, who just looked confused from being out of the loop.

"Well… you heard him guys." Uraraka broke the silence, looking around the circle with a smile. "Looks like we're stuck with each other."

"Heh, I'd say so. Welcome to the team Koda-bro!" Kirishima laughed, shaking off his doubts and clapping Koda on the back. A shaky, but thankful smile grew on his face as he blushed.

Izuku felt admiration and joy at the shy boy's acceptance in the group. Who were they to deny his desires to save someone they cared about.

"If there are no more surprises, let's get going before someone notices us." Todoroki said and started leading them through the hospital's front gate.

They were eight hopeful hero students with a mission. They were going to save their friends without fighting, fortune be damned.

"Woo! Rescue party is a goooo! Let's save those muthahumpas!" Tina cheered, flashing devil horns to the night sky.