All-Might walked into the office with Detective Tsukauchi at his side. The moment the door closed, The large man was enveloped in a puff of smoke - the hero disappearing from view for a few seconds only to reveal his gaunt form.

It had been… A long day, he decided with a sigh.

His quirk, One for All, was unique amongst quirks. The ability to stockpile power, and the power to transfer that quirk to another person. With each subsequent wielder, the size of that stockpile grew. All-Might was the eighth and most current host, and as such the amount of power available to him was not inconsiderable. It was what allowed him to rise the ranks to become the number 1 Hero.

Of course, ever since the injury he received from fighting him he had been growing weaker, something that he absolutely hated. Where before he could hold his muscular form for days if needed, he was now reduced to less than half a day.

He had spent the morning going about the city assisting in the prevention of multiple crimes, only to overestimate how much time that would take, and how much time he would have left. Though tired, he had still planned on going to teach at USJ, had he not been waylaid by the principal who had pointed out to him that the time he had available wouldn't last through the entire period.

Better to be a little late and make it through the entire period as opposed to getting there on time only for his time to run out during the middle of class.

All-Might found himself clenching his fists.

He should have chanced it.

It had been many hours since he had arrived at the USJ to help apprehend the villains that remained, and the rest of the time had been spent assisting with the coordination of the police and medical personnel, making sure the students were alright…

He tiredly sat in one of the open seats, grateful for the opportunity to finally relax, and looked at the Detective, one of the few people that knew his secret. "Alright, how bad was it?" He asked bluntly, silently bracing himself.

Tsukauchi opened the file he brought and gestured for All-Might, "Almost one hundred villains throughout the whole facility," He stated with similar exhaustion, "Most of them apparently came from small time gangs throughout the city, along with some muggers, a couple of serial killers, and rapists." He shook his head, "This is probably the largest number of arrests made in the last decade, even if the two leaders got away. We're having to bring in other precincts to process everybody."

All-Might felt his heart freeze at that, even knowing that all of the students made it out alright. "One hundred," He breathed, shuddering at the thought, "How in the world did they keep this kind of operation quiet? And how did the students survive?!"

Sure, they might have been talented, but it still would have been one hundred adults against two teachers and twenty kids. Eraserhead and Thirteen were pro-heroes and could take care of themselves, this was true. But Eraserhead was an Underground Hero - more used to working in the shadows - while Thirteen was a Rescue Hero. Add in that they were protecting the students as well?

Quite frankly, All-Might considered it nothing less than a miracle that there were no deaths.

The Detective nodded in understanding, "We're still in the middle of processing and interrogating everybody involved, but from what little we've learned they prevented word from getting out by not telling the lower echelon anything. They had been approached by the leader sometime within the last week, and had only been made aware of the plan to attack USJ yesterday."

All-Might looked up in confusion, "They joined for an attack on U.A., the largest Hero School in Japan, on the word of a man they knew nothing about?" He asked incredulously.

"More like they joined an attack on U.A. after seeing the creature that said man brought with him." Tsukauchi corrected. "They were convinced that the creature, a 'nomu' according to them, had a chance against you. After that? Well," he shrugged, "with the stakes as high as that, many of them were willing to take the chance."

That… Made sense, he was willing to admit.

His mind went to the remains of the large creature. He had been told that it had a scarily powerful regenerative quirk, and Aizawa stated that it had been unnaturally strong. Knowing that drove in just how devastating a quirk the leader had. Despite it trying to regenerate, by the time All-Might had gotten around to looking at it, half of it had already disintegrated. The police had taken the remains, and with any luck they'd be able to learn something from it.

They sat in silence for a moment while All-Might continued reading through the report. After a while, Tsukauchi spoke again, "Your students were smart." He stated absently, glancing at another page before correcting himself, "Well, most of them."

All-Might looked at him quizzically, and he waved his hand, "They were seperated into the various areas, and it's obvious the villains were trying to divide and conquer, with many of the villains in zones that were beneficial to them and their quirks. But, with the exception of a couple of groups, most of the students hid and relied on ambush tactics. The ones that didn't were actually strong enough to take on their enemies." He smirked tiredly, "You have a promising bunch of students my friend. Promising, but very terrifying. I don't envy your job."

The Number 1 hero began to sweat as he thought and acknowledged the validity of that statement. If they were this strong after taking classes for only a week, then how scary would they be after a year? Two years? He shuddered.

And with that thought…

The gaunt blond sighed as he put his head in his hands, "I messed up."

He admitted, causing Tsukauchi to frown at him.

"It's not like you could know that something like this would happen," He pointed out cautiously, and All-Might snorted.

"Not for that," He sighed, "Everybody keeps telling me to choose a successor, that I'm getting weaker. Nighteye, Gran Torino," He lifted his head up and looked at the detective, "Even you. And yet I've been ignoring all of you, not willing to acknowledge that my time is running out."

It was so easy to forget… One for All still burned within him, and so long as he ignored the aches and pains of his body he could pretend that everything was well with the world. That's what had happened that morning. He helped stop one crime on the way to the school, and after that it was another. He hadn't paid attention to the amount of energy he was using, and he kept thinking that he had enough time. Enough time to help one more person, enough time to fight one more villain, before he was needed at the school.

And then he was out of time, and as Nezu had pointed out to him, even if he could still transform he wouldn't be able to stay so for the entire class.

Tsukauchi raised an eyebrow, "It's not like you've been idle. You've been looking for a successor, haven't you?" He countered, "And didn't Nighteye give a recommendation?"

All-Might grimaced, "Mirio Togata. Currently a third year student. He's been interning at Nighteye's."

There was a pause for several seconds. "... And?" Tsukauchi prompted.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly, "And what?" He asked rhetorically. "Mirio is strong, perhaps the strongest student in U.A. right now, and Nighteye's training has turned his technique into something truly formidable. He's charismatic, is extremely smart, and desires more than anything to be a true hero."

"But?" Tsukauchi prompted once more. "Everything you've stated sounds positive, and yet I notice that you have yet to make him your successor."

"I've always..." All-Might stumbled as he tried to figure out how to put it into words, "Whenever I thought about passing on my quirk, I thought I would just know." He winced. That wasn't exactly right… "Mirio is strong, and his heart is definitely in the right place, but the way he was chosen was sooo… Logical." He tried, "It's all statistics. Nighteye chose him and has been training him, wanting me to choose him, all before I even met the kid." He sighed, "Passing on One for All shouldn't feel like a, a, transaction. Nana didn't choose me because I was the most 'logical' person." He coughed, covering his mouth to prevent blood from flying onto the desk. "Not that it looks like I have much choice now," He finished half heartedly.

Thankfully Tsukauchi nodded in understanding, "So you still need to find somebody then." He stated simply, "and isn't that why you decided to take a teaching position?"

His head sank once more, "Yes," he admitted, "Though I haven't really looked yet."

He snapped his head up in surprise when the detective snorted, "Well you've only been there for less than a week," He stated wryly, "And you've never truly taught before. As your friend who has seen you attempt to be a tutor, I'd say you've got a lot on your plate. Remember," His voice became softer, "You're just as human as the rest of us Toshinori."

"... Maybe so," He admitted reluctantly, "But I'm only going to get weaker from here on out, and as Nezu pointed out to me, I need to better balance my workload."

He watched as the other man chuckled, "You never were good at planning," Tsukauchi agreed, even as he began collecting the files. "And, if you want a recommendation…"

All-Might stood up and stretched, disappearing once more into a cloud of steam as he changed into his buff form before looking at the detective curiously.

Tsukauchi gazed back, "Try spending some time with this Mirio." He suggested. "Knowing you, you've probably been avoiding it…" He smirked as All-Might looked away at that statement, "But maybe you haven't gotten that feeling you're looking for because you haven't given him a chance, and you're determined to not have it. So spend some time with the kid, keep an open mind, and then make a decision. If you don't get the feeling, then you don't get the feeling and you can go back to looking for somebody else. But you shouldn't let your irritation with Nighteye restrict your options."

All-Might stood still for a moment as he thought it through before nodding, "A most excellent idea," he rumbled, smiling at the now much smaller man, "Thank you for your assistance and advice, and good luck with everything on your end." He finished as he walked out of the office.

Tsukauchi gave a small smile at the door, which soon faded as he looked at his computer and all the tasks he had to do.

"Still one hundred villains to process," he murmured as he shifted in his chair.

He was going to need a lot of coffee before this was over...


Yaoyorozu Manor

The door opened, and Momo practically staggered into her room and collapsed on the bed with a groan. Almost immediately, Tiki dashed out of her bag and looked at her with concern in her eye.

"Are you alright?" She asked, understanding in her voice.

Momo had spent several hours with the rest of the class talking with the police and giving their statements. Upon finally getting back home, she had been called by her parents. They had quickly made sure that Momo was alright, and then had spent a good half hour attempting to convince their daughter to give up the idea of becoming a Hero, something that Momo was still determined to become.

They had relented, but the argument had been emotionally draining. On top of all of that had been the fight and using Miraculous Cure. She was feeling exhausted.

Momo was able to raise her head enough to give a wan smile, "I'm fine Tiki, don't worry about it."

TIki blinked slowly as she looked at her wielder, contemplating her for a second. Her instincts were telling her that something was off with Momo, and the kwami of good fortune knew better than to ignore those feelings.

"Today was pretty rough, it would be alright if you weren't alright." She disagreed, quickly grabbing a cookie from one of the stashes that Momo had planted throughout the room and laid down on Momo's bed with her.

She just hummed in response, shrugging half-heartedly at Tiki's words, but Tiki looked at her in concern still. If Momo truly didn't want to talk about it then she would let it be, but she was always the type to try to help wherever she could.

Plagg would always complain that she nagged too much, where he was the type to wait patiently for the right moment to say just the right words of encouragement.

Those were his words, of course. She called it being lazy.

She finished her cookie in silence before speaking up again, "I know what you said to your parents, but are you still alright with becoming a Hero?" She asked softly.

Whatever else that happened, Momo had nearly died… The suits provided by the Miraculous transformation were supernaturally tough, providing a degree of safety that most could only dream of. But against the power of the Black Cat enhanced with some kind of quirk?

Her question got a reaction out of Momo, who flinched as her eyes shot open.

"What! No! T-tha, I…" She looked down as if she was ashamed, and Tiki looked at her in confusion as she tried to figure out the reason for those emotions. She was lacking in context, and it was worrying her. "Did I do badly enough that even you are questioning my ability?" She asked glumly, and Tiki shot up in alarm.

"What?!" She shouted in surprise, "Momo, why on earth would you feel like that?"

Momo seemed to draw into herself unable to even look at the kwami, "I… I failed, didn't I?" She asked quietly, "You've said that the Black Cat and the Ladybug are equal, and yet in the end I wasn't able to do anything against him. From the beginning he had me on the defensive, and I wasn't able to do anything against him." She took in a shuddering breath, "Even Midoriya, who you've said should avoid combat due to being a Butterfly, had to come in and save me. It was he and Kirishima that saved everybody, not me…"

"Momo, look at me." The girl looked up slowly to see the gentle eyes of her kwami, while she felt tears prickling at the corner of her eyes even as she berated herself for them.

"Momo. You did an amazing job out there today," Tiki said with a soft smile, "You took out an entire squad of thugs all by yourself, and were then able to dodge the attacks of the Black Cat who was also an experienced Villain, knowing that a single touch might kill you. Then, while you were dodging, you were able to think of a plan to end the fight using the capabilities of a Butterfly's Champion after only knowing about him for a few minutes."

Tiki flew in and gave the girl a hug, and after a second Momo returned it gratefully, hiding her face as best as she could.

"I couldn't be more proud of you."

"Even if you had failed, which you didn't" Tiki stressed, "do you really think that I would abandon one of my bugs after one setback?" She pouted at the black haired girl, "Do you really think I'm that callous?"

The girl flushed in embarrassment, "I'm sorry," She apologized, "It's just… after my parents…"

Tiki sighed, feeling disappointed in Momo's parents. They loved their daughter, no doubt about that, and like any parent they didn't want to see any harm come to their child. Tiki would never disparage them for that. Rather, it was the way they attempted to prevent their daughter from becoming a hero that frustrated the kwami. Even this latest attempt had them belittling their daughter and her capabilities.

"I just wanted to make sure that you were alright," She assured Momo, "I've told you that the Miraculous were created to help humanity, but the thing is, you are also part of humanity. And us kwami's are very protective of our wielders." She dashed over to the cookies and grabbed one, bringing it back to Momo and placing it in her hands. "If you don't feel comfortable with it, then we won't EVER force you."

She saw Momo relax upon hearing that, and Tiki breathed a sigh of relief. She had suspected that Momo would have confidence issues, and it was unfortunate that this had occurred before she had been able to prove to herself that she was worthy enough.

Then again, she doubted that Momo would feel this way if she didn't have a Miraculous. With her quirk and station in life, she already set very high standards to prove to herself and others that she truly deserved it. Add in having a Miraculous? Those standards would only raise. Not only that, but Momo had no doubt realized that she and Midoriya were given their Miraculous in response to the Black Cat being stolen and activated. To then see that objective before her and fail to achieve it? How could that not be a failure?

And yet, to Tiki, it wasn't a failure.

Oh, if they had gotten Plagg back she would have been overjoyed, that was true. But his current wielder was obviously very talented in his own right, quite probably having a quirk that aligned with Plagg's destructive nature. Knowing that, Tiki was far more concerned with Momo's safety. Momo was still young - they could afford to be patient.

"Alright, that's enough talking." Tiki chided, "It's been a long day, and we both need our sleep."

Momo chuckled lightly but didn't argue, and within moments exhaustion soon claimed both of them.


Midoriya Residence

Nooroo felt very conflicted.

On one hand, Midoriya had charged directly into combat at first opportunity. In this case it was good that he had done so, and Nooroo was of course glad that Tiki's wielder was alright… But he was fully aware that Izuku had no intention of hanging back from the beginning.

The Butterfly was the most fragile of the Miraculous - they were designed to stay back and direct from a distance, to provide support and advice. Just because it worked out well this time didn't mean that it wouldn't go horrendously wrong next time.

Nooroo didn't want to see one of his good Butterfly's fall so young.

On the other hand… He looked at Izuku in concern, the boy pacing rapidly in his room, his panicked mumbling not having slowed down in the several minutes they had arrived, his emotions exuding guilt and despair…

Well, a lecture at this time would not be beneficial.

"Izuku," Nooroo ordered, concern for his poor butterfly letting him be more stern with him, "It's all right, the doctors made it to him in plenty of time. With a bit of rest, he'll be as good as new!"

Izuku turned to face the kwami with a troubled look in his eye, "B-b-but he got injured because of me!" He cried out shakily, "If I hadn't made him a Champion, then he wouldn't have gotten so injured!"

Nooroo shook his head firmly, "Izuku, he was already fighting." He gently reminded the boy, "All of the students were. It's probable that you making him a Champion actually saved his life, and the lives of who knows how many of the other students."

While he didn't look convinced, Izuku was at least calming down, and Nooroo pressed on, "It was his choice. We might have given him the ability, but it was his own desire to protect, and that wasn't something that we gave him."

"But w-what if I had chosen somebody else?" He asked, wincing when he saw Nooroo give a non-committal shrug.

"It's possible." He said slowly, "But it's impossible to know for sure." He fluttered closer to the boy, the other butterflies coming in as well to offer their own support. "I am the Butterfly Kwami, our power is the power of transformation and evolution. Without feelings, people aren't willing to change. That's why we can sense people's emotions. The stronger the emotion, the stronger we can make them, and at the time Kirishima had the strongest feelings of everybody." Nooroo rubbed against Izuku's hair comfortingly, "We went with the best option we could with the information we had. And it worked - we all lived!"

Izuku finally calmed down, but Nooroo could feel that he was still flooded with guilt.

This was one of the trials that most Butterflies went through. To have to send others to battle in their stead, how could those who called themselves heroes be content with that?

"You should talk with him," Nooroo suggested, "See how he's doing. I'm sure he'd love the company!"

Izuku brightened for a second, grabbing his cell phone before wilting slightly, "I don't have his number," He murmured.

"Well, why don't you try asking that Mina girl in class tomorrow?" The kwami suggested, It looked like they knew each other."

Izuku bit his lip, "I guess…"

Nooroo giggled, "It's way too late tonight anyways, he's probably still asleep. And besides…" He felt a surge of emotion incoming quickly and hid a grin, "I think you have something else you'll need to worry about."

"Huh?" He looked confused for only a second before the door to the apartment slammed open.

"IZUKU!"

Izuku winced slightly as Nooroo cheerfully hid. He opened the door quickly, "Hey Mom! Everything is f-gurk!"

Nooroo smiled happily as he saw his wielder's mother smother him in tears and hugs. She had clearly heard about what happened and had been worried sick about her boy.

He quickly grabbed a leftover cinnamon roll and brought it over to his little bed, his butterflies surrounding him and covering the flowers around him as he listened to the boy and his mother.

That should distract Izuku from any depressive thoughts, and hopefully he would be able to get Kirishima's number tomorrow to talk with the boy. Nooroo remembered how the boy looked, even as he was being taken away in the ambulance, and he was sure that the boy didn't hold anything against Izuku. Talking with him about it would put Izuku's fears to rest.

Listening to the duo, Nooro fluttered happily as he felt Izuku's (and his mother's) anxiety drop, and he let himself drift off to sleep.

His wielder would be alright.


League of Villains

The door was torn open and then slammed shut, already decaying from a careless touch. Shigaraki stalked to the middle of the room with clenched hands, his entire body shaking in his anger.

Plagg drifted over to the desk carelessly, glancing at the trembling man. One sharp poke oughta do it... "Well, congratulations." He offered with a barely concealed snicker, "with an overwhelming force you attacked a group of school kids, and you promptly got your tail handed to you. Villains worldwide would be proud of -"

CRASH!

Nailed it.

He watched as Shigaraki lost it, destroying his desk and computer system in one go as he gave a wordless shout of anger, soon turning his glare on the kwami.

The unstable man took several heaving breaths, "You…" He hissed, "This was YOUR fault!"

Plagg snorted at that, "Hate to break it to ya, but even I've got my limits." He responded dryly, almost jumping when Shigaraki lashed out and grabbed him tightly.

"Our plan was perfect," He growled out, bringing the little god close to his face, "All-Might should have been there, but he wasn't. Nomu should have been enough to wipe out anybody we came across, but he was matched by this mystery hero. The men we brought were low level trash, but even they should have been able to deal with some half pint brats! But they couldn't!" With each exclamation he violently shook Plagg, who rolled his eyes in irritation.

"And how exactly is that my fault?" He asked lazily as he phased through Shigaraki's hands, "If you remember, I was kinda with you the whole time. Not like I could do much."

A growl was his only response, and Plagg scoffed at how un-catlike it was, even as Shigaraki's glare increased.

"You messed with me," He hissed out as he roughly scratched his neck, "When I saw that girl, you made me lose my mind!"

Plagg very carefully didn't react, only giving a shrug, "Maybe you just dislike kids?" He suggested, "Or maybe it's the color red?" He tsked, "My poor wielder, becoming bull-like instead of cat-like."

Shigaraki sneered, "I suppose this is the real reason nobody knows about you, isn't it?" He spat out, "Nobody remembers the losers after all, and with the bad luck that comes from using you, I can't imagine any of them actually succeeding!"

Plagg drifted lazily through the air, "You know, you keep on complaining, but nobody is forcing you to keep me." He yawned, "If I'm such a nuisance, then just get rid of me."

He wouldn't. Very few people ever did. Shigaraki was furious and complaining now, but Plagg knew how much he relished the feeling of power that came from wielding the Miraculous.

Just as he thought, Shigaraki ignored him, punching the wall instead. Said wall then disintegrated when he wasn't satisfied with simply punching it.

The man took a few minutes to relax, soon giving a mocking laugh, "Or maybe your users just couldn't stand you?" He ground out, "Yes, I could understand that. How many of them just tossed you aside after you broke them I wonder?" He turned an eye filled with anger towards the kwami, who had gone strangely still. "Did I get it right?" He snorted, "You keep on talking about being a 'hero', but, with these powers, how many of them just decided to do what I'm doing now? Your powers revolve around destruction after all, I can't imagine many of your wielders would have much in the way of an intelligence score. Probably made it easier for you to push them to die that much faster! Heh, I can see it, moving from person to person, pushing your own foolish agenda, a constant row of gullible fools, just like modern 'Heroes'! How long do they last till you break them? A year? Maybe two?!"

Silence reigned for several seconds as Shigaraki took several more deep breaths, calming himself down, when suddenly his senses all activated at once, his combat instincts suddenly screaming at him. He looked around the room quickly, not seeing anything out of the ordinary till he realized that the room seemed to have gotten… darker. His eyes darted towards Plagg, about to demand what was going on, and yet when he looked in the kwami's eyes his body immediately froze.

That single moment when a deer sees a wolf, when a mouse sees a cat, there is a moment when they become paralyzed with fear. It was instinctive, the moment when one creature suddenly faces that which it instinctively knows is a more powerful predator. And right now, though Shigaraki didn't understand, he was somehow staring at one such predator despite how small it looked.

The air around Plagg seemed to be coated in a veil of darkness, glowing green eyes slitted with barely concealed anger, something that he had never seen on the kwami. Contempt, irritation, frustration, but never true anger.

"Do you know why I like cheese so much?"

When Plagg spoke, it was with a calmness that was a harsh contrast to the atmosphere he was exuding. He didn't wait for Shigaraki to answer, "My wielder invented it for me - Inaya. She was just a servant girl to this Arabian merchant at the time, but she wanted to make me a gift. It was pretty sour, and the texture wasn't that great, and… She made it for me. And it was the best thing I had tasted."

He floated closer to Shigaraki, who almost took a step back before restraining himself, "I remember ALL of my kittens," he hissed in the other's face, "Be they good OR bad, well known or not! Bastet, Herakles, Richard de Lion, Edward Teach, Adrien Agreste! Those are only a few of those who are mine." He listed off, his anger now freely showing as the darkness seemed to warp around him.

"Say whatever you want about me," He finished with a low growl, "But do NOT insult my kittens."

And with that he flew away, the lighting returning to normal as Shigaraki let out a shuddering breath. He stared at the spot where the kwami disappeared, not able to gather the energy to be furious with him, before leaving in a huff. As he did so, he refused to admit that, for the first time, he had been honestly terrified of the kwami he wielded.


Unknown location

All-for-One leaned back in his chair, the machines around him beeping loudly within the silence of the room.

He had just gotten the report on how the 'raid' went from Kurogiri. That Tomura failed was disappointing, but not completely unexpected. This was the boy's first time after all. All-for-One had given him the task to help him gain experience, and in that he could say that it was a success. The young man had planned the attack, gathered the forces, and executed it with only minor inputs from himself. Truthfully, the only loss was that of the Nomu, and that could be replaced relatively easily.

Shigaraki had lost a battle. But, at the same time, he had learned from it, and there was still a war that could be won.

What was truly surprising though was who had managed to beat him. Or rather, who hadn't beaten him. Without All-Might being there, there shouldn't have been anybody that could have defeated the combined forces of their Anti-All-Might Nomu and the empowered Tomura.

Hearing that they had lost and that All Might hadn't shown up, for a moment he had honestly thought that he had finally revealed himself. The Turtle Hero. The one from whom All-For-One had… acquired Shigaraki's ring from.

All-for-One hummed lightly as he reminisced. The first time he had met the old man had been unremarkable - barely worth remembering really. It was only years later when he saw him once more that he realized he must have a longevity quirk.

He had already stolen such a quirk, but longevity could come in many forms, and if he could find one that could heal the wounds he received from All-Might… Though even if it didn't, quirks such as those made excellent bargaining chips.

An attempt to steal that quirk soon led to him discovering that that old man was, somehow, quirkless. One phrase later however, and he discovered that that old man was also far from powerless.

The old man managed to get away, but not before he damaged an intricate chest that the Turtle Hero was trying to escape with, resulting in him discovering a rather plain silver ring that had fallen out.

All Might still thought he was dead, so All for One needed to lay low anyways. This gave him a lot of time on his hands, and with all the analysis quirks at his disposal, he attempted to sate his curiosity regarding the ring.

It… 'resisted'. Something he had never seen before. The answers that should have come from the stolen quirks were not forthcoming, and what he did discover was fractured. But it was enough, and it was with great eagerness that he bestowed the ring to Shigaraki to bolster his own abilities and quirks.

The little spirit that came out of the ring was surprising, but not unwelcome (to him at least). That such beings existed simply increased his curiosity.

It was rather unfortunate that the creature refused to give any answers beyond what he was obliged to, and after the first time he had attempted to use his quirks to find out more about it… (an entire empire falling beneath the waves amidst lightning and screams... a fire raging unnaturally throughout the city and turning everything into a desiccated husk that wouldn't. Stop. Burning... an asteroid falling to earth, the air screaming at its passage as it landed amidst a land of ice and snow, the whole world shuddering at its impact)

He shuddered.

No. Never again.

Regardless, even if he did not wish to talk, the spirit had no choice but to grant his strength to Shigaraki. And in that, his power was most impressive.

Which is why he was so surprised to hear that the raid had failed as badly as it had without either All Might or the elusive Turtle there. There should not have been a total route.

Were the children of this generation that impressive? Or perhaps... The Cat and the Turtle were not alone?

It would make sense - the chest was too large for just one after all. But how many could there be? And why would the Turtle Hero give such artifacts to children? Would it not be more beneficial to give them to established heroes such as All-Might?

Both Cat and Turtle were animals, and the outfit that Plagg gave Shigaraki was distinctly a cat, so it would only make sense that the other spirits would manifest as animals as well. IF, for some reason, similar artifacts were given to children, it would only make sense that their hero costumes would follow the same theme.

All-For-One thought back to Kurogiri's report. There had been several that had stood out to the teleporter, and of them there were a few that had animal-like characteristics.

The first, and most likely, was the 'Dragon'. He was strong, strong enough to hold back their strongest Nomu for several minutes. Perhaps he wasn't a student? He would need to check to see if Ryuko had a child, even if it was put up for adoption. Also, as likely as he thought it to be, did a dragon qualify as an 'animal' in this situation? Or were their choices limited to normal animals? Alas, he doubted Plagg would tell.

There was the 'Butterfly', one that apparently aggravated Kurogiri to no end. However, Kurogiri hadn't noticed anything unusual about him beyond the ability to fly. He did not display an unusual ability, nor did he have a substantial increase in strength of speed. As such, All-For-One had his doubts.

There was also a 'Frog', who had been rather adept at taking out the common thugs. She had been both athletic and agile, and while she didn't show any special ability she might have kept it in reserve. A talented girl with a mutation quirk, and a promising suspect.

Lastly there was a girl that held off Shigaraki while he was using the ring… Unfortunately, the description that Kurogiri provided didn't sound like any particular animal. The most distinguishing features were red with black spots. Perhaps a lizard? A fish? He wasn't sure. But while that lowered her chances as a suspect, her ability to dodge Shigaraki kept her on the list. Furthermore, Shigaraki had certainly felt something when she had arrived, something that completely threw him in a rage.

Not that Shigaraki was the most stable of protégé's, but it was still something.

He mused about it for a while longer before dismissing those thoughts. It was too early to make any decisions yet. Patience had brought him this far, and he could exercise it for a little while longer. The students weren't going anywhere after all, and the elusive Turtle would have to show himself eventually.

All-for-One had several quirks to compel people to tell the truth, and even though they wouldn't work on spirits such as Plagg, he was confident that they would work on one such as Nino Lahiffe.

It was just a matter of finding him.


Elsewhere

CrimsonRiotJr added OchakoUraraka

CrimsonRiotJr:

Hey Infinity Girl!

CrimsonRiotJr changed OchakoUraraka's username: InfinityGurl

InfinityGurl:

Kirishima? I thought that you'd still be in the hospital! Are you alright?

Why are you creating a chat?

And why am I the only person in that chat?!

InfinityGurl changed username: GravityGirl

CrimsonRiotJr:

Doing great!

RecoveryGirl came by and fixed me right up!

But it was pretty bad I guess.

And a lot of my back still needed to heal slowly

So they gave me some painkillers and i have to stay overnight here and im board!

GravityGirl:

… Kirishima… Are you high right now?

CrimsonRiotJr:

WHat?! NO That's not manly!

Im feeling great!

And if I was hi then I'd be feeling all woozy and fuzzy

And I don't, I feel great!

GravityGirl:

Uhmm, ok…

Still, I'm glad to hear that you're doing better. What happened was… It was really scary.

We were all worried.

CrimsonRiotJr:

:)

GravityGirl:

But that doesn't really explain why I'm the only person you invited. Unless you forgot to invite everybody else?

CrimsonRiotJr:

Nope! I meant for that!

At least for now

We can add people later!

GravityGirl:

?

CrimsonRiotJr changed the channel name: Manly Champions

GravityGirl:

Umm, Kirishima, I don't know how to break it to you, but I am a girl.

CrimsonRiotJr:

You don't need to be a guy to be manly!

And during combat training you lifted the WHOLE BUILDING!

If that's not manly then im not manly.

And Im manly

SO YOU ARE MANLY

GravityGirl:

I'm not sure how I feel about you on drugs… Are your parents alright with you being on your phone when you're like this?

And ok, so you wanted to make a chat with the people you admired/liked?

I mean, I'm flattered,

But,

Aren't there more people that you admire? I mean, you were hanging out with Bakugou and seemed to get along with him, right?

CrimsonRiotJr:

Oh its not for that!

Vicezuku made you a champion! And he made me a champion yesterday! I felt like a chat to so wed talk about it

GravityGirl:

Oh

But why create a chat for that? We could just text.

Or talk in class. It's just, we haven't really talked before, so this is kinda odd...

Wait, will you be able to come to class?! Or will you still be injured?

CrimsonRiotJr:

OF COURSE IM GONNA BE IN CLASS! SKIPPING ISNT MANLY!

GravityGirl:

CrimsonRiotJr:

And its a chat because Vicezuku is gonna keep making champions right? And when he does than we can add them to the group!

GravityGirl:

… Don't think I'm going to forget about you coming to class. It's not manly to go if you're still injured. :P

But also, what about being a champion did you want to talk about?

CrimsonRiotJr:

Dude, when he made me a champion

Championize? Enhancified?

It was like way different than I thought it'd be!

More intense! I mean, I never really talked with Izuku before you know? But even now, I feel like he and i have been friends for years or something after that butterfly championized me.

But not, like, knowing him, cause I still don't know much about him, but closeness… you know?

GravityGirl:

We need to find a different word. I am cringing at 'Championize'. And 'Vicezuku'?

CrimsonRiotJr:

But you know what I mean right?

GravityGirl:

Yeah… I - well, we met before, right? But after he made me Gravity Brawler, it just… our friendship felt… deeper? I guess?

I mean, he was in my head during that entire thing! He felt what I was feeling and I felt his, and during the entire time he was giving suggestions on how to use my new powers!

It sounds like it would be weird, but it felt… comfortable? And even looking back on it, i don't mind it, you know?

CrimsonRiotJr:

EXACTLY! YES! I mean, some stuff I knew how to do right away,

BAM! Here's how you fly! Knew it right away!

But then he'd give suggestions during the fight, and his thoughts and emotions were like,

Woah

Izuku is crazy smart

So have you tried doing it again?

GravityGirl:

Huh?

CrimsonRiotJr:

Lifting that much! Or pushing down, or whatever else you did

I mean, he 'enhances', right? That means if we get stronger, we can do it again, right? I dont know how I'd become a dragon again

Maybe if I harden my skin, and harden the hardening, and harden that hardening, and harden that hardening…

GravityGirl:

Uh, sounds like it would turn you into a boulder…

And… I might have tried…

But it didn't really work.

It just felt so odd using my powers as Gravity Brawler! Not that it was odd at the time, but looking back at it! It's like… I don't know, I was using different muscles? Argh! I don't' know!

CrimsonRiotJr:

Then we'll just have to keep trying! :) Even if I cant turn into a dragon again, the way I hardened as Crimson Scales was WAY tougher than i usually am!

I just need to keep working on it! And I'm sure you will as well!

GravityGirl:

Thanks :)

Now go to sleep! I'm a little worried about what else you'll do while you're drugged up…

CrimsonRiotJr:

:P Fine

GravityGirl:

Before I leave though…

GravityGirl changed the channel name: Flock of Champions

CrimsonRiotJr:

Its not as manly, but it IS manly to listen to others ideas. Once we get another person though we're gonna put it to a vote!

GravityGIrl:

Fine by me!

;)


Author's Notes

Hey there! So, not much happening in this chapter beyond going over reactions. I was debating on adding more, but I think that this chapter accomplishes what I was going for. Also, I think we'll have two more chapters before the Sports Festival, and then we'll see another Champion created. I already have ideas chosen for both the first and second events. :)

I hope that everybody enjoyed this chapter, especially the ending, lol. I think I'll keep Kirishima's group chat going. As more Champions are created, the bigger the chat will become. Though I am very curious as to what he will do when Izuku makes an adult a champion.

I'd like to thank my sisters, CaptainDarkElf and CrazedWeirdo, as well as my brother Autumnstar, for reading through this chapter and reviewing it for me. I am truly grateful for their assistance. I'd also like to thank all of those who gave reviews - I find them very enjoyable to read, and I think it's safe to say that they help keep me going.

I worked hard to make sure that this was ready for Christmas Eve, this and a chapter for 'Effecting Fate'. I guess that these two chapters can be considered my Christmas present to all of you. Anyways, I hope that everybody enjoys the Holiday's, and I thank you for your patience. Until next time!

Update:
I'd like to announce that I have created a Pa tr eon page for those who are interested. The link to that page is P a treon . com (slash) shdowstep. (remove the spaces). I am extremely new to that site, and if anybody has any ideas on what sort of rewards I should have for those who are willing to become patrons, please let me know. I'm always interested in learning and growing.