Chapter 17: Circle of Trust

Yaoyorozu had no idea what to expect when Midoriya brought her to the teacher's lounge after class. Who all was in on this... conspiracy?

She walked in and was greeted warmly by Inko. Okay, so Midoriya's mother knew what was going on. That was good. She would've been concerned otherwise. Principal Nezu was sitting at the head of the table with a cup of tea. On his right was Recovery Girl and a elderly hero that she didn't recognize dressed in yellow.

Then she noticed who Inko had sat by.

"Izuku."

Midoriya looked at her, "Yeah?"

"Why is All Might's personal assistant here and wearing All Might's costume?"

All Might and Inko chuckled, "Err... Sorry about keeping the truth from you, Yaoyorozu." All Might said apologetically, "But I am actually All Might."

"Izuku, your mother is dating-"

"All Might, yes."

Inko held up her hand. "Not just dating..."

Midoriya's eyes widened when he saw the ring on her finger. "Wait..." He sank into his seat, and Yaoyorozu sat next to him. "All Might's gonna be my dad?"

"Shit, I'm not late am I?"

Yaoyorozu turned to see Mirko walk in. Okay, that was kind of... odd. She didn't work with other heroes, so why was she...

"So we're just waiting for-"

"Sorry, I'm late." Aizawa said. "Hound Dog was giving me an update on Bakugo and Mineta."

Yaoyorozu's train of thought screeched to a halt when she saw Aizawa sit next to Mirko. "No..."

"Yep." Midoriya said.

Mirko smirked and kissed Aizawa on the cheek.

Yaoyorozu buried her face in her hands. "Izuku, don't tell me that Todoroki's insane theory... is right?"

"To be fair, I guessed it first."

Nezu tapped the table for attention. "Be that as it may, now that everyone is here it is time to begin! Yaoyorozu, welcome to your first meeting of the secret cabal!"

All Might groaned, "Nezu, stop trying to call us a cabal!"

"NEVER."

"Can we please get down to business?" The hero in yellow asked.

By now, Yaoyorozu's patience was running thin. "Would you like to start with the part where Eclipse held a knife to my throat, or would you like to start with Eclipse throwing me off of a tenth floor balcony? Both of which were apparently meant to send a message to Izuku, because he's somehow made an enemy out of the world's most dangerous villain! Now, will someone please explain this in a way that makes a semblance of sense?"

"Go ahead, young Midoriya." All Might said.

"Okay..." Midoriya said. "So, do you remember how I told you that I'm a late bloomer?"

Yaoyorozu nodded. "Yes, I remember."

"That's... not exactly accurate. I am... was completely and totally Quirkless. Until I met All Might, and he revealed to me the true nature of his Quirk. He wasn't born with it. Instead, it was passed to him like a sacred torch. His... no. My Quirk isn't called Superpower, that's just what I told the Quirk Registry to keep this secret. The true name of my power is One For All."

Yaoyorozu's eyes narrowed as she began to puzzle it out. "So, how does it work? Some kind of stockpile?"

"That's the closest analogue, yeah." Midoriya said.

"But what is the stockpile?" Yaoyorozu questioned, "If it was just a stockpile type, you'd run out of power relatively quickly, like how I run out of lipids."

"That's because it would be considered a Class Six Quirk if it was properly classified." All Might cut in, "In effect, it operates on its own internal logic where the stockpile never... expends anything and is made up of the strength and courage amassed by not only young Midoriya, but all the previous wielders."

"I see." Yaoyorozu said. "I have to say, giving it to Izuku was the right choice."

"I beg your pardon?" The hero in yellow asked, "Care to explain?"

"You have me at a disadvantage." Yaoyorozu said.

"Gran Torino."

"To put it simply, Gran Torino, giving Izuku One For All was the right choice, because... oh, how do I explain this..."

"It's like Captain America, from pre-Quirk era comics." Midoriya said. "He was the perfect super-solider because he respected his new power and understood its worth."

"That's all well and good," Gran Torino grumbled, "But we're here today because of what happened last night. All For One sent a villain after you and Yaoyorozu- exactly what I warned you would happen!"

"But-" Midoriya started.

"BUT NOTHING!" Gran Torino shouted, "Do you think you're the first Wielder to have people you love? That you tried to protect from All For One? Nana Shimura -Toshinori's predecessor- cut all ties with her family, got them fake identities, and hid them as best she could. It meant nothing. All For One tracked them down and slaughtered them! All Nana had to bury was ASH!"

"Sensei, stop. You are out of line." All Might said, rising to Midoriya's defense. "You can't condemn them for being in a relationship when that would make everyone in this room with the exception of Nezu a hypocrite."

Gran Torino pointed at Yaoyorozu. "The only reason she's alive is because All For One accidentally sent a villain with some goddamned standards!"

"Who the blazes is this All For One?" Yaoyorozu snapped, "And why are you all treating him like he's the devil?"

"Because he may as well be." All Might said darkly. "His Quirk allows him to steal Quirks from others. He can then use them for himself or bestow them on who he chooses. He has amassed a veritable arsenal of different Quirks over his lifetime, a lifetime that has been unreasonably long due to all of the healing Quirks he's stolen through the years. It's come to the point where he believes himself to be some sort of demon lord."

Yaoyorozu deflated. "Oh."

"And All For One knows that you two are together... how?" Aizawa asked. "Before the red carpet last night, that wasn't public knowledge."

Mirko took a break from trying to glare a hole through Gran Torino's skull. "Speaking of which, how did he know where you'd be last night?"

"I only told Mom and All Might..." Midoriya said.

Yaoyorozu frowned, "I told Mina, and you know how she is about gossip. The whole class probably knows. I also told my parents."

Nezu took a sip of his tea. "It is also possible that electronic surveillance is to blame. Even with our stringent security policies, it is possible that a member or a small group of UA's support staff has been turned."

"We have a leak." Aizawa said. "That's the only possible explanation."

"While that might be true..." All Might ruminated, "This is what Sir Nighteye used to call a self-adjusting screwup. We know that we have a leak somewhere in UA or from Yaoyorozu's parents. But All For One doesn't know that we know."

"Um... we probably shouldn't discount the idea that he has more than one source of intel embedded here." Midoriya piped up, "That allows him to verify the intel he receives without sending a villain to check it out, reducing his risk."

Everyone stared at him.

Midoriya wilted in his seat. "It's what I'd do."

"So we could plant a false trail to lure out the League of Villains?" Inko asked.

All Might nodded, "Yes, but... unless our execution is absolutely perfect -and if the leak is from Yaoyorozu's family-, the end results could likely have lethal effects on the Sapato Corporation as a whole."

Yaoyorozu's eyes went wide. "If it was ever revealed that father was aiding a villain, especially one like All For One... Sapato Corp would be the laughingstock of the Support industry. Our stock price would plummet, allowing Detnerat to come in and buy us out,"

"Which would mean a drastic decrease in affordable and reliable support items for Heroes, since they would have to start relying on Detnerat for their gear." Midoriya said. He shook his head, "What do we do?"

"You and Yaoyorozu will do nothing." Aizawa said, "Focus on your studies. Do not let this distract you from your upcoming exams."

Nezu nodded. "Your teacher speaks sense. The rest of us will figure out a plan. If your involvement is necessary, you will be notified." He looked around and saw no dissent. "In that case, this meeting of the secret cabal is adjourned."

"Nezu." All Might admonished.

"You literally can't stop me."


It wasn't until they got home -and Izuku retreated to go to bed, he was understandably tired after recent events- that Inko broached the subject that had been wearing on her ever since the meeting.

"Toshi, when were you going to tell me that being with you meant I have a target on my back?"

All Might's blood ran cold. "Uh... I..."

Inko placed her hands on her hips. "Oh, very eloquent. Truly a wonderful apology that gets you out of the doghouse."

He sank into an armchair in the living room. "I meant to tell you since the Hosu mess, but-"

Inko shook her head emphatically. "No, that's not correct. You should've told me from the beginning!"

All Might stared into space. She was right. He had gambled with both Inko's and young Midor- Izuku's lives. All because he wanted to be selfish for once, to maybe find a little happiness. He hung his head and held his face in his hands. "I'm sorry, Inko. I've just- I've just spent my entire life fighting All For One, giving of myself again and again and again until there's basically nothing left! I've smiled in the face of villains that would destroy skyscrapers because they felt like it when on the inside-" He cut himself off with a sob he muffled with his hand, "When on the inside I was screaming out in despair, because it didn't matter how strong I was or how good I was! It didn't matter, because even with all of my power I couldn't save everyone! I could never save everyone!"

Inko knelt down by him and began trying to pry his hands away from his face. "Toshi, look at me." His head raised just enough to see her, "Stop this. The people and the press may have built you into some monolithic titan that can do no wrong, but I know the truth." She smiled, "You're only human. You make mistakes. That's okay, all that means is that you're the same as the rest of us."

All Might shook his head, "The Symbol of Peace cannot be daunted by evil." He recited lamely.

"Do you really think you're the only person who could only watch as someone lay dying and feel powerless to stop it?" Inko asked.

All Might's brow furrowed in confusion. "What? You? How?"

"ER Nurse, remember? With how prevalent villain attacks are, it happens at least once a month." She pressed her forehead against his. "I understand, Toshi. I understand your pain. And I am going to walk this path with you- without hesitation. Just promise me one thing?"

"Don't die?" All Might suggested.

A single snort of laughter escaped Inko. "Okay, two things. You can keep whatever secrets you need to from whoever else. But there will be no more secrets in this family. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." All Might said.

There was a beat of silence.

"Um..."

Inko rolled her eyes. "How much of that did you hear, Izuku?"

He didn't say anything, he just stood there as stiff as a board. Inko squinted at him, in the dim light of their apartment, she saw tears flowing freely down Midoriya's face. "Izuku? What happened?"

Midoriya's shoulders shook as silent sobs wracked his body. "Nightmare." He finally forced out. He walked over to his mother and All Might in a daze, and half fell half knelt next to them.

Inko immediately pulled her son into a hug, guiding his head into her shoulder. "It's okay, Izuku. It's okay." She began rubbing circles on his back, "It's over now."

They stayed like that for a few minutes, and All Might had exactly no idea what to do, so he just sat quietly until Midoriya calmed down. "Izuku, what happened that made you so upset?"

Midoriya looked over at All Might. "The nightmare... was at the gala. The balcony. Eclipse did all the same things... said all the stuff... everything was the same except she... she didn't catch Momo."

"Izuku, you don't have to keep going." Inko said quickly.

But it was far too late for that. "Momo tried to create a parachute, but Eclipse cut through it. So I dove after her. The fall... didn't make sense. It kept getting longer and longer and I could hear a man laughing at me. I guess that was All For One. It didn't matter how much of One For All I used. Momo... she..." He sobbed again, "She hit..."

"And the nightmare ended there?" All Might prompted.

Midoriya shook his head. "No. I landed safely... somehow. Ran over to her and..." He screwed his eyes shut, "She... her head... broken."

"Toshi," Inko said gently, "Could you please make Izuku some tea? There should be some green tea in the cupboard." She rocked Midoriya back and forth. "It's okay, it's okay. It was just a nightmare. It's over now..."

"I'm gonna protect her, mom." Midoriya declared, "I'm not gonna let this- anything like this-"

"I know, Izuku. I know."


The Yaoyorozu mansion was equipped with more training facilities than just Momo's workshop. Creation was an amazing Quirk when it came to utility. As long as Yaoyorozu knew how to make it, she could literally pull solutions of any problem out of thin air. However, this left her woefully vulnerable when it came to hand-to-hand combat. Having foreseen this issue years ago, she had started training in Bojitsu, Taijitsu, and Kenjitsu. As a result, a small dojo was located near her bedroom in the mansion. It was useful when she was too restless to study and needed to blow off steam in a way that still contributed to her development as a hero.

Like right now.

Yaoyorozu tightened the belt on her training gi, and selected a bo staff from the weapon rack. She approached the training dummy that was designed to look like the head and torso of a person and took her stance.

She lashed out like a coiled snake, smashing the tip of her staff into the dummy's head.

Damn it. She was mad. No wonder studying had been a fruitless endeavor.

She wasn't mad at Izuku. He had literally done nothing wrong.

She unleashed a series of three strikes to the dummy's midsection, which she punctuated with an overhead strike.

It was the possibility that someone she went to school with, someone she was trying to become a hero with, was working with All For One and the League of Villains.

Not to mention, that was the best case scenario!

She stabbed the tip of her staff into the dummy's solar plexus before spinning it and catching it on the jaw.

If it was her parents... Yaoyorozu shuddered. She didn't want to even think about it. It didn't even seem possible. The parents who had done so much for her, all so she could go to UA and train to become a hero...

She shook her head. There was no way.

She glanced back over at the table where she had put her phone. She really needed to talk to someone about... well, as long as she swore them to secrecy about Eclipse's deeds at the gala, she could at least confide in someone about that. Maybe one of the other girls?

But what if one of them was the traitor? What if-

With a scream, she rained down blow after blow on the dummy until she was gasping for air. She looked down at her hands to see them shaking,

She took a deep breath in through her nose and let it out through her mouth. "No." She said to the empty room. "My name is Momo Yaoyorozu. I am the Everything Hero: Creati. And I will not live in fear."

She ended up going for her phone. She created a new group chat and added Uraraka and Jiro.

"Are either of you free to talk right now? I need to vent about... some things."


Before his first therapy session with Hound Dog, Katsuki Bakugo had a love-hate relationship with vulnerability. He loved to see it in people he was fighting, and hated seeing it in himself.

Honestly, he had thought that Hound Dog was full of shit when he was talking about how making his eyes move like he was dreaming while trying to process traumatic memories would make it so he could actually work through all of the emotions that he hadn't processed right the first time around.

The real kick in the ass? It was working.

Hound Dog had him recall a specific memory of his hag of a mother... well, being a hag, then did the eye thing. By the time he was done, the memory didn't make him pissed at how weak he had felt!

There was just one downside. The goddamn hangover. Hound Dog had warned him that he could feel vulnerable or cry a lot for a couple of days after a successful session -something to do with how properly processing a traumatic event that had such a stranglehold on his mental health or whatever- but Bakugo had thought it would be nothing.

Then it hit. And Bakugo's relationship with vulnerability changed dramatically. For the first time in his life, he was happy about feeling vulnerable. Because it meant that he was getting better!

It also meant that he was crying at his desk for no damn reason.

So, yeah. Still a love-hate relationship, he was just less of an asshole about it.

"Bakugo, is something wrong?"

He looked up to see Iida. "Don't worry about it, Prez." He wiped his eyes hurriedly, "All good here."

Iida was unconvinced. "I know that quadratic equations are no fun for anyone of us," he said, referencing the torture that Ectoplasm had just put them through, "But Shoji said he could hear you crying all period."

Bakugo groaned. "All it means is that the crap Hound Dog is doing with me is working, That's it."

"That makes even less-"

"You're doing EMDR therapy too, Bakugo?"

They both turned to see Todoroki.

"You know what he's talking about?" Iida asked.

Todoroki nodded. "Yes. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy. My therapist is having me do it to work through some of the... sharper emotions I have about my father. I agreed to it because it requires only the bare minimum of psychoanalysis." They were silent for a moment before he explained. "I do not like being psychoanalyzed."

"Preaching to the choir here, Icy-Hot." Bakugo said.

Iida hummed. "Perhaps I'll recommend it to my brother. He's been struggling with nightmares and flashbacks ever since he was attacked by the Hero Killer."

As they left the classroom and headed to lunch, Bakugo split away from Iida and Todoroki. They were Midoriya's friends, not his. He grabbed his lunch -his dad had prepared an extra-spicy helping of mapu tofu for him- and retreated to a remote corner of the lunchroom. It wasn't that he didn't think he was welcome to eat with everyone else, he just knew that it would wear on him to hear twenty different versions of the conversation he had just had with Iida.

Besides, if he knew Kirishima and Kaminari, they'd be along any second now.

"Hey, Kaachan! Why you being such a loner!"

Bakugo almost did a spit take on hearing Kaminari use Midoriya's old nickname for him.

"Smooth, Sparkplug." Jiro deadpanned. "You almost made him choke on his lunch."

"But he didn't, so it's fine!" Kaminari argued.

Kirishima shook his head at his friends' antics. They'd barely been together a month and they were already arguing like a married couple. "Hey, Bakugo! Thought you could use some company."

"If you're gonna ask how I'm doing, don't bother." Bakugo said. "I may not look it, but I'm fine. I don't need everyone and their dog asking me every five minutes."

"We weren't gonna ask, man." Kirishima said, "You've always been touchy about this kind of thing. The way I figure, you just need us to be here for you without being weird about it."

Bakugo nodded with his mouth full of tofu. The others sat down and continued their conversation from before, which predictably involved roasting Kaminari. After a few minutes of back and forth, Bakugo finally decided to join. "Yo, Kaminari, what's up with that choker you're wearing? Didn't think that was your thing."

He knew immediately that he had stepped in something when Kirishima blushed, Kaminari got very quiet, and a shit eating grin blossomed on Jiro's face. "Go ahead, Sparkplug. Tell him what the choker's for." Jiro said teasingly.

"Well..." Kaminari said haltingly, "Jiro and I started dating during the Sports Festival and... uh during the second round she said that she was going to buy me something pretty and..."

"And he thinks it's hot when I'm possessive." Jiro finished, "Not in an abusive way, mind you. But in a fun, consensual way."

Bakugo connected the dots as he looked at the couple. "Y'all are nasty."

Jiro shrugged. "My parents are in a rock band, what did you expect? They made sure I know how things work, and that I know some ways to... blow off steam that are safe and satisfying for everyone involved. Isn't that right, Sparkplug?"

Kaminari made a noise that was somewhere between a squeak and a verbal keysmash.

"Can we not talk about this?" Bakugo asked sharply. This topic was giving him some very impure thoughts about Uraraka that he did not need at the moment.

"Fine." Jiro's grin remained, and Bakugo felt the approach of impending doom. "So, what's going on with you and Uraraka anyways?"

Damn it. "None of your business."

Jiro twirled one of her jacks around, "Chill, Mina ain't in earshot, so you don't have to worry about that damn shipping chart."

"I'm kinda curious myself." Kirishima said, "Is something-"

"I mean, Ojiro tried to ask her out yesterday, but according to Hagakure, he got turned down." Jiro said. "But you didn't hear that from me."

A flash of jealousy ran through Bakugo before it died out. "What did... she say to him?"

"That she promised someone else a shot, and that she's waiting for him to get his shit together." Jiro took a drink of her soda, "Doesn't take Midoriya to connect the dots there."

"Congrats, you cracked the code." Bakugo said, "Do you want a medal?"

"Nah, I'll settle for being right and having Denki wrapped around my finger."

Kirishima and Bakugo looked at each other, then pointed at Kaminari and handed down their judgement in unison. "Whipped."

Kaminari was unimpressed. "I literally wear a choker that is symbolic of my girlfriend saying mine. Do you really think that's going to have an effect on me anymore?"

"Okay, then." Bakugo grumbled, "Like I said earlier. Y'all are nasty."

"Nah, that's kinda manly when you think about it." Kirishima said.

Bakugo smiled, but it was all teeth. "Okay, I'll be sure to let Mina know that."

Kirishima shot him a look that suggested that Bakugo had just betrayed him to the League of Villains.


In the time that had passed since she had learned the truth about One For All, Yaoyorozu had learned to only worry about what she could control. Even then, it was difficult. There were days where Izuku would drag himself into class with bags under his eyes. Whether it was from not sleeping well or from him going overboard on training with Gran Torino and Mirko, she didn't quite know.

That wasn't mentioning the extra training she was doing. She had decided to undergo advanced firearms training with Snipe, along with investigation and stealth training from Aizawa. Between Izuku's raw power, natural intelligence, and penchant for Quirk analysis, and her own Quirk's utility and the new skills she was learning, the two of them would be a force to be reckoned with. In theory.

There were other downsides. Both of their extra training had to happen on Sunday, which meant they rarely had much time alone. And when one of them did have a Sunday off, the other would always be hard at work. Yaoyorozu suspected that Gran Torino had something to do with that.

To be honest, it was turning out to actually be good for their relationship. While they didn't have time to go on any dates, it helped them get back to something resembling normalcy after the burst of speed that Hosu and the Richards Awards Gala had put them on. Even though all they had time for was stolen moments and stolen kisses, knowing that the other was striving to become a better hero pushed them to do the same.

To Yaoyorozu, it seemed like she had blinked, but the conclusion of her first term at UA -and final exams- had arrived.

After hosting an emergency study session at her mansion for those woefully unprepared for the written portion, Yaoyorozu aced it. She expected nothing less, even with her insane workload. Midoriya had taken third in the class ranking while she had taken first. Oddly enough, Bakugo had taken second. Partially due to him hosting his own study session for those of the class who lived at UA. Namely himself, Maki, and Shoji. Kirishima and Uraraka had joined his group as well.

Aizawa trudged to the front of the class, as drowsy as ever. After training with him, Yaoyorozu knew that this was largely an act. "Well, the good news is that no one failed the written portion." He said. His trademark toothy grin that invariably heralded doom blossomed on his face. "But you still have the practical exam after lunch. There's been some... last minute changes due to the USJ attack and the events in Hosu, so do not believe anyone who claims to know what the content of the practicals are. You are dismissed."

"Damn it." Kaminari said, "There goes everything Monoma said about the practical."

"Cheer up, Sparkplug." Jiro said, nudging him with her elbow, "You'll still get a chance to show off your new support items."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, unless I end up in a deathmatch with Nezu."

"Chill out, Kaminari." Mina said, "That's not going to happen. Next you're gonna tell me... what, that All Might's Quirk is transferable and he gave it to Midoriya?"

Behind her, Midoriya and Yaoyorozu almost choked on air.

Time decided to do a funny thing again, and their lunch period seemed like it was on fast forward. Before they knew it, the class was changed into their Hero uniforms and was on the way to Ground Alpha, where the practical exam was going to be held.

"What are all of the teachers doing here?" Maki asked.

"Are we going to have to fight them?" Shoji asked, "That sounds... extreme."

As they approached, Nezu popped out of Aizawa's binding cloth. "Hello, students! Welcome to your practical exam! With the exception of Maki -who has a special exam arranged for him due to his circumstances- you will be split into teams of two and must face off against one of us."

"Don't get too excited." Aizawa said, "The teams and matchups have already been decided on. In addition, prior to your matches you may only consult with your partner on matters of strategy."

"Wait a sec." Mineta said, "Does that mean..."

Nezu nodded, "This rule was put in place to prevent Midoriya from handing all of you ready-made strategies with no chance of failure." He hopped out of Aizawa's binding cloth and landed on the ground, "That would defeat the purpose of this exam, which is to test both your judgement and ability to overcome your weaknesses."

Aizawa pulled out a pair of yellow handcuffs and what looked to be training weights of some sort, "Your objective is simple. Either get these cuffs on your opponent -even one hand will be considered a capture- or leave the area through the escape gate. You will have failed if you run out of time or are unable to continue. We will also be wearing special high-density weights that equal our body weight. To give you a fighting chance."

Cementoss stepped forward. "Kirishima. Sato." You will be facing me."

Ectoplasm was next. "I will be facing Asui and Tokoyami."

Nezu waved for attention. "The students who have the opportunity to match wits with me are Ashido and Kaminari!"

Present Mic adjusted his glasses. "The listeners that get to go live with me are Koda and Jiro!"

Aizawa spoke. "Todoroki and Yaoyorozu will be my opponents."

"Aoyama and Uraraka will have to deal with me." Thirteen said.

Midnight had a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "The two of you that will be surrendered to my tender mercies are Mineta and Sero."

"Shoji and Hakagure, I've got you in my sights." Snipe said.

"Iida and Ojiro, we'll see if you can beat me after I've had prep time." Power Loader said.

Hound Dog appeared. "Maki Yoshihiro. You will be my opponent."

Midoriya and Bakugo looked at each other. They were the only ones left, and there was no remaining teachers. "What about-"

Midoriya was cut off my a battle cry knew all too well. "MIDORIYA AND BAKUGO!" All Might thundered from a nearby rooftop. He leapt into the air and came down in front of the other teachers and pointed at the two. "I AM HERE! To test your mettle!"

Bakugo was the first to speak. "I think... that for the first time, I can speak for all of us when I say..." He took a breath, "BRING IT ON! WE'LL BEAT YOU ALL!"

"You heard him, 1-A!" Iida shouted, "It's time to go beyond!"

"PLUS ULTRA!" They all shouted in a rough chorus.


After a quick discussion of their Quirks and their limits, Kirishima and Sato settled on a strategy. Since Kirishima had a time limit of ten minutes, he would face Cementoss head on, while Sato would sneak around the back and proceed to power up and attack, splitting their teacher's focus.

Unbeknownst to them, they had perfectly struck at Cementoss's weakness. He was a poor multitasker.

They won by capture, but only barely, with Kirishima hitting his ten minute time limit at the end.


Tokoyami and Tsu chose a simple strategy. Tokoyami and Dark Shadow would tear through Ectoplasm's clones, Tsu would watch his blind spots and assist with mobility, all while they made for the exit gate.

Everything had been going smoothly until they ran into Ectoplasm's real body at the exit gate. He summoned a giant version of himself that captured them with his Giant Detention Bite.

However, thanks to Tsu's levelheadedness, she was prepared. In preparation for this scenario, she had swallowed the capture cuffs. Thanks to her Quirk, she vomited them up and passed them to Dark Shadow, who got them around Ectoplasm's leg in his next assault, securing a victory.


Kaminari and Mina passed. Barely.

While they were decidedly the bottom of the barrel of 1-A when it came to smarts, all that meant was they were the bottom of the top one percent of high school students in Japan.

Kaminari decided that their best option was escape, and also correctly predicted that their principal would use a wrecking ball to cause the buildings around them to collapse in a chain reaction.

According to him, he came about it by asking himself what Midoriya would do against Nezu.

As they made their escape, Mina used her acid to strategically weaken the buildings around them, fouling up Nezu's calculations.

Even then, she had to melt through three collapsed buildings to clear their path. The pair made it to the exit gate with only seconds to spare.


Yaoyorozu looked around at the area of Ground Alpha that her and Todoroki would be tested in. It was a residential district, which meant that Todoroki had to be careful with how he used his Quirk, and that there were plenty of perches for Aizawa to get good sight lines.

"I have a plan." Yaoyorozu said.

Todoroki raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

She hesitated for a brief moment. While she knew everything Aizawa was capable of at that point, the reverse was true. "When it comes to being in an actual fight, depending on the types of Quirks he's facing, Aizawa-sensei can become complacent when facing small groups that he can neutralize with his Quirk."

"And we both have Emitter-type Quirks." Todoroki said, "What's the play?"

They started to run towards the exit gate. "Keep using your Quirk, ice or fire. It doesn't matter which. Let me know the instant you can't use it."

"And then what?" His right hand began to ice over and melt off again.

"When he attacks, play the gallant hero and protect me from him." Yaoyorozu created one of her ICER pistols, "Then while he's restraining you, i'll shoot him."

"Paintballs or rubber bullets won't stop him, Yao-" Todoroki cut himself off, "He's here!"

"If I can see you, it's already too late for you." Both of them looked up to see Aizawa perched on a telephone pole. "But you know that already, Creati. Show me what you're scheming "

He leapt off the pole and whipped his capture scarf out at Yaoyorozu, who pretended to panic and run away. As planned, Todoroki intercepted the capture scarf and got himself caught.

Yaoyorozu ducked behind a brick wall and checked her Quirk. Now that she was outside of Aizawa's line of sight, she had her Quirk back. She quickly made a decoy speaker and tossed it in the direction she would've ran if she had kept going.

The speaker blasted out what sounded like her colliding with a garbage can, then continuing to run. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, then pulled an endoscopic camera out of one of her utility pouches. Upon seeing what was happening she grinned. Aizawa was actually lecturing Todoroki on how he should've communicated with her better.

She readied her pistol and turned the corner just as Aizawa was turning around. She saw his eyes widen in surprise right before she fired. He tried to twist out of the way of the shot, only to turn the hit into a graze. He lashed out with the scarf again and managed to capture her hand.

Those couple of seconds were all it took for the dendrotoxin to take effect and cause Aizawa to be waylaid by a splitting migraine headache. Yaoyorozu calmly walked over to her teacher and mentor, and slapped the capture cuffs on him.

"Ugh." Aizawa grumbled. "You pass."


The mountain zone. Why did it have to be the mountain zone? Mineta groaned. And why the hell did it have to be Midnight? Like, he got it. Targeting their weaknesses, which in his case meant his pervertedness. But why?

"Okay, so Midnight is definitely waiting for us at the exit gate." Sero said. "I figure that once we see her, I'll tape you up, then throw you at the gate and we hope that-"

"What about a plan where we don't throw me while you're in the middle of falling asleep?" Mineta said, "I have a-"

"No." Sero said bluntly. "Any plan of yours that involves Midnight-sensei is liable to end with you expelled."

Mineta winced. "Actually, in my plan you're the one that gets got."

While Sero had a poor opinion of Mineta, he also was a teenage boy, with all of the hormonal shenanigans that came along with that. "I'm listening."

Mineta explained the plan.

"You're insane." Sero said as he passed the item needed for the plan to his partner, "Let's do it."

The came to the clearing, and sure enough, Midnight was waiting by the exit gate. She cracked her whip and licked her lips. "You know, it's rude to keep a lady waiting! I'll just have to punish you naughty boys!" She ripped her costume on the arm, causing her Quirk to emit the sleeping gas.

Sero knew that his helmet had rudimentary toxin filters, but they probably wouldn't last long, He shot a strand of tape and used it to throw Mineta back the way they came. "Watch out!"

Oh. Sleepy.

Midnight knelt and caught Sero, placing his head on her lap. Normally she wouldn't go this far with a student, but she needed to attack Mineta's known weaknesses.

The boy in question was frozen in place. "Do you want to join him, you silly boy? All you have to do is come closer and breathe a little..."

Internally Mineta was jumping for joy. His plan was working! However, for this to work...

"It's not fair! This is impossible!" He screamed. He proceeded to run away, while shouting all kinds of drivel that he would have before Aizawa sat him down and before his Internship with Washi. "I just wanted to be a Hero to get girls! I don't deserve this crap!"

He stopped to catch his breath, only to hear the crack of Midnight's whip. "You know, I was going to just wait you out at the gate. But then you had to whine. You had to scream. Don't you know that when bad boys like you squirm you make my sadistic side run wild?"

Mineta darted behind a rock. "Hah, I know all about that Midnight-sensei. I used to be a fan of all kinds of pervy heroes like you."

Midnight stopped, it wasn't like Mineta could get past her. "Used to? You mean you're not a fan of mine anymore? I'm hurt, darling."

"At first I just wanted to be a Hero because I thought they were cool, because I wanted to finally score with the ladies." Mineta said, "But then the USJ happened. Everything changed then. Because I saw Midoriya... who was shaking in his boots, who couldn't use his Quirk without breaking bones move forward while dragging me along with him. And the plan would never have worked without me."

"You're stalling." Midnight said, "Do you actually have a plan, or are you just delaying the inevitable?"

Mineta continued on despite the taunts. "That's when I learned. The Pros and my classmates, they're not cool because they're heroes. They're heroes because they're cool, and I'm gonna go Plus Ultra every day of my life until I can earn the right to stand by them!"

"Come on then!" Midnight ripped more of her costume, sending out more gas, "Show me everything you can do!"

Mineta took a deep breath, then slapped Sero's tape over his face, covering his nose and mouth. He darted around the rock and threw balls as he ran for it.

"You can't fight for long like that!" Midnight said. She raised her whip, "It won't be long until you're begging me for release!"

That's what you think! With two perfect throws, one of Mineta's balls stuck to the tip of Midnight's whip and another stuck to her hand and the handle. Without further ado, he booked it back to the exit gate.

About halfway there, he ripped the tape off his face and took in a deep breath. He picked up Sero and carried his classmate through the exit gate, head held high. "The girls will swoon for me soon enough, but until then I'll be the best hero I can be!"


All the prep time in the world didn't prepare Power Loader for Iida and Ojiro. Thanks to Iida's Recipro Burst, they sailed past his initial traps with ease. When Power Loader opened up a pit in front of them, Iida took the opportunity to show off his newest move, the Recipro Gyro, which saw him spinning rapidly in mid air.

With Ojiro's tail wrapped around his leg.

Ojiro went flying through the exit gate, even though Iida was left looking rather uncool buried neck deep in one of Power Loader's pit traps.


It had taken some convincing, but eventually Jiro convinced Koda to attack Present Mic by controlling the bugs in the forest zone to attack him.

It was a last ditch effort, given how much of a beating they were taking from Present Mic's sound waves. But like Kirishima and Sato, they unknowingly had attacked their teacher's weakness.

They happily ran through the exit gate, leaving an unconscious Present Mic behind.


Aoyama shot lasers from his belly button. Uraraka could make gravity ignore objects she touched with all five fingers on one hand. Thirteen could turn her fingers into black holes. To anyone who wasn't a Thirteen fangirl, this would seem like an impossible situation.

Luckily, Ochako Uraraka was a Thirteen fangirl. She knew that she had become a rescue hero because she was afraid of accidentally injuring someone with her Quirk. By that logic -the chibi Midoriya in her head she used to puzzle through these things said- then the best way to unbalance Thirteen was to endanger herself.

So, she let go of the railing. As predicted, once Thirteen saw what had happened she cut off her Quirk.

A grin not unlike the grin that was often plastered on Bakugo's face while fighting appeared on her face. Uraraka grabbed the unbalanced Thirteen by the arm and activated her Quirk. With gravity taking a vacation, she spun Thirteen around and dunked her into the ground, deactivating Zero Gravity just before impact.

After that, it was a simple matter for her to put the capture cuffs on Thirteen and secure a victory.


While Snipe was an excellent shot with or without his Quirk, he had the bright idea to use a smoke grenade against someone who could turn invisible.

He lost.


It was a hard-fought battle, but eventually Maki figured out how to get over his guilt for not doing anything to stop the CRC while he was a child, and managed to use his Quirk to secure a victory against Hound Dog.

He would later explain that he achieved this by imagining his mother's face plastered over his opponent.

Baby steps.

in other news, everyone in class 1-A who could be considered a heteromorph thought this was objectively hilarious.


Midoriya got to the testing site with minutes to spare. Bakugo was waiting for him, with the mask of his costume off. "Hey." Midoriya ventured.

"Hey." Bakugo said back.

Well. At least the awkwardness was a nice change from the bullying, "Let me guess, you won't settle for anything but an undisputed victory?" Midoriya asked,

"I don't care if we win by capture or retreat." Bakugo said, "But we're gonna do one thing first. We're gonna kick All Might's ass."

Midoriya studied his face. He wasn't scowling or glaring at him, but there was a fierceness in Bakugo's eyes, a fire that dared Midoriya to disagree with him.

"That's... more or less what I had planned." Midoriya said, "All Might's way too fast to run from, so... even with how dangerous it will be, fighting is our only option." He sighed. "Momo is going to kill me."

Bakugo chuckled awkwardly, "Nah, she'll kill me first."

Midoriya laughed. "Well, that's... uh... that tracks."

The testing site doers opened, and a robotic voice announced the start of the test. They wordlessly entered the site, which was designed to look like a commercial district. As Midoriya glanced around, he noticed one of the buildings had a familiar hole in the side. "Hey, isn't that where we did the first battle trial?"

Bakugo snorted, "Sure looks like it. Guess they think that'll unbalance me or something."

Midoriya glanced at him. "Is it?"

"No." Bakugo admitted. "And you have no idea how goddamn relieved that makes me."

Ten seconds later, Midoriya's head throbbed. Danger Sense! It has to be! Which means... "He's coming!"

Izuku Midoriya thought he knew fear from the USJ and from facing down the Hero Killer. That was nothing compared to All Might starting an honest to goodness supervillain monologue. "It really is too easy! Call the heroes out, and they come! Like lambs to the slaughter!"

"What-" Midoriya started to say.

He was cut off by All Might clapping his hands together, causing a blast wave to tear down the main road and render it to rubble. Both Midoriya and Bakugo were sent tumbling, unable to keep their footing.

"Damn it." Bakugo growled as he got to his feet, "Can't see shit through all this dust."

All Might stepped, and the wind pressure dispersed the dust. "Take care, heroes. I'm a villain now. If you don't take this seriously, you're going to get hurt. Let's see... how can I make this sink in more?" He made a show of thinking for a few moments, "Ah yes. I live in a world made of cardboard. Ring any bells?"

Midoriya took an involuntary step back. He immediately recognized that reference. He glanced over at Bakugo to see him frozen in place. This pressure All Might was exuding, was this what it was like to face him?

Midoriya clenched his fists. It was now or never. One For All: Full Cowling, ten percent! "Let's go, Bakugo!" He darted towards All Might, waiting for Danger Sense to warn him. Sure enough, it did warn him. All Might sent a punch hurtling towards his head, but Midoriya evaded it by leaping over it and delivering a roundhouse kick to All Might's face.

"Move!" Bakugo snapped. With a flick of his fingers, Midoriya darted out of the line of fire. Bakugo raised his hand and grinned. "Stun Grenade!"

Midoriya shielded his eyes from the blast, when his bison cleared, Bakugo was unleashing a barrage of rapid-fire blasts at All Might. They heard a laugh coming from within the explosions. "Please, Ground Zero. I know this isn't your best. These are nothing more than little stings." All Might's hand lashed out and grabbed Bakugo by the face.

Midoriya seized the opportunity to act while All Might was stationary. He darted around to his backside and threw out a rolling sabat kick to the small of his back. All Might swung around to stop further attacks, but Midoriya ducked under his arm and popped up with an uppercut.

Bakugo kicked at All Might's elbow, causing him to drop him. "Damn it!" He said, "It's like we're fighting a tornado!" Any further actions from him were cut off by a spinning backfist from All Might.

"I'll deal with you in a second, Ground Zero." All Might said, "As for you, Mister Miracle, why don't you take a load off?" He grabbed Midoriya's arm mid punch and swung him around before chucking him down the street.

"Midoriya!" Bakugo called out.

All Might cocked his head at the young man. "You know, Ground Zero, it warms my heart to see you showing proper concern for him. It's proof of the progress you've made. But such progress won't be enough to beat me. You can't win."

Bakugo wiped his face. "As if! I ain't gonna lose here, cause if I do, I can't be the hero I want to be!" He used blasts to ascend, then triggered another blast that sent him spinning and used the momentum to kick All Might in the face. "If Midoriya is your protégé or whatever, fine. He can be the next Symbol of Peace.." He sent blasts at All Might's knees, forcing him to reassess. "I'm gonna be a new symbol! The Symbol of Victory! And not of victory over the villains I beat or any shit like that! The victory I'm gonna be a symbol of is my victory over my old self! So, come on. All Might! It doesn't matter how bad you beat me, cause you can never take my victory from me!"

All Might surged forward at such a speed that even Bakugo's incredible reaction time couldn't parse and buried his fist in Bakugo's gut. At the exact moment his fist connected, Bakugo unleashed a full power explosion.

After the smoke cleared, Bakugo was still on the ground, valiantly trying to keep his lunch in his stomach. All Might had been blown back by the blast, but was getting back to his feet. "Well done, Ground Zero! You actually hurt me! But it's too little too late. It's time to-"

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

All Might whirled around to see Midoriya bearing down on him. He threw a punch at him, but Midoriya ducked under it just in time. All Might hesitated for a moment. Midoriya's stance was... odd. Hunched over, fists held in front of his face... what was he planning?

Midoriya made a mental note to thank Mirko for not only broadening his horizons when it came to his fighting style, but also helping him to build on the foundation that All Might had left with his initial boxing lessons. Among other things she had taught him one of the most legendary boxing techniques of the pre-Quirk era.

The Dempsey Roll.

He began to sway back and forth, dodging All Might's punches as he went. Thanks to Danger Sense he was able to predict the blows that would have come to fast for him otherwise. Then he started to attack with each sway. Move right and then a left hook. Move left, and then a right hook. Over and over again as fast as he could go.

"Enough!" All Might shouted. Midoriya was getting dangerously close to hitting him in his weak point. It would be an utter disaster if he lost muscle form due to a misplaced punch. He grabbed Midoriya by the collar and threw him at Bakugo.

Having regained his senses, Bakugo narrowly dodged Midoriya. "Alright, this is getting dumb. Let's wrap this up!"

Midoriya rose to join Bakugo and moved to stand side-by-side with him. "Yeah, let's finish this."

All Might let loose with a belly laugh, "You still think you have a chance at beating me?"

Midoriya modulated One For All to fifteen percent. "All Might, you know full well that there is no force on Earth that can make me give up once my heart is set on something. And I refuse to give up now!"

"And that goes double for me." Bakugo said. "Let's end this!!"

(Music Start: My Hero Academia OST. You Say Run)

Bakugo flung his arms behind him and took off with an explosion, and Midoriya took off at a dead sprint towards the exit gate. All Might frowned. What were they playing at? They knew he could catch them easily, so why run? He raised his fist and adjusted his position so that his attack would make him collide with Midoriya. "NEW HAMPSHIRE SMASH!" He soared through the air, rear end first. Somewhere in back of his mind he could already hear Recovery Girl scolding him for taking things too far.

In the instant that he should've hit Midoriya, he simply didn't. All Might looked at him as he sailed past. That shouldn't have been possible! How could he have known when to dodge?

And why was Midoriya clutching his head?

All Might put his feet down and stopped about thirty feet from the exit gate. The time for talk was over. Now was the time for action. He kicked off of the ground and attempted to grab both of the boys by the head, intending to slam them into the ground.

They slipped under his arms. Midoriya jumped towards a wall and pinballed off of it towards All Might. "BULLET TRAIN SMASH!" As soon as All Might turned to counter, Bakugo was blasting away at him from behind. All Might shoved Midoriya away, and smacked Bakugo in the face, sending him flying.

All Might spun around to deal with Midoriya only to find a distinct lack of Midoriya to deal with.

"DO IT NOW!" Midoriya called out.

Bakugo crossed his arms over his chest, one palm facing out and one in. The explosions started, sending him hurtling towards All Might while in a spin. He stretched one of his arms out and let loose with his strongest blast. "HOWITZER IMPACT!"

All Might forged through the inferno and took Bakugo down with a double hammer blow, he planted his foot on the boy's chest and pressed down. There was no doubt that Midoriya would charge in to save Bakugo, rather than prioritizing escape.

Bakugo disagreed. He disengaged the safety on one of his gauntlets and pulled the pin. The equivalent of one of his full power blasts went off in All Might's face, and forced him off of Bakugo.

And then, Midoriya was there. Wild grin on his face, fist cocked for a blow... All Might couldn't help but smile right along with him.

"Get out of our way, All Might!" Midoriya punched him with all the power he could use without injuring himself. All Might stumbled back and coughed up blood. What? Did they actually push me to my limit?

Midoriya knew what the steam rising off of All Might's body meant. "That's it! We're leaving!"

Bakugo looked like he wanted to argue, but relented in the face of the injuries he had sustained.

As they ran through the exit gate, All Might couldn't help but feel proud, despite his defeat. That's right, you two. Alone you're powerful, yes. But together you're unstoppable! Your victory over me is proof of that!

A robotic voice called out their victory, and announced that all practical exams had concluded.

(Music end)


"Alright everyone." Aizawa said. "Quiet down. Please."

They were back in the classroom. Everyone was understandably excited, given that they had all passed their practical exams. Recovery Girl had given him medicine for his dendrotoxin-induced migraine, but it still hurt.

"Congratulations. You all passed, and as such will all be going to the summer training camp, which will be held the last week of summer vacation."

Predictably, Iida raised his hand. "Aizawa-sensei, since when do first years do the summer camp? Isn't that usually preparation for the provisional license exam?"

"You're correct, Iida." Aizawa confirmed, "However, due to your class's incredibly frustrating ability to attract trouble, above-average competency, and the chaotic nature of... some of its members, we have made the case to the HPSC that you be allowed to take the exam one year early. If only to give me less headaches."

"I'm sorry!" Yaoyorozu said from the back.

Aizawa ignored her. "In addition, Midoriya, Bakugo. Please see me in the teachers' room before you leave today. That's it. You're dismissed."

Yaoyorozu stood and walked over to Bakugo. "Bakugo."

He looked at her. "Yeah, what?"

"I recognize that you have improved dramatically since the Sports Festival. I'm sure you can understand why I will continue to be skeptical."

Bakugo glanced at Midoriya. "Yeah. I get it."

Midoriya and Bakugo left to go talk to Aizawa. "What do you think he wants?" Midoriya asked.

"Dunno. Maybe scold us for all the collateral damage?"

Midoriya blinked. "Collateral- All Might leveled the street!"

"Hey, wait!" They turned to see Uraraka.

"Hey, Uraraka!" Midoriya said cheerfully. "That was a great move you pulled on Thirteen!"

"Thanks, Midoriya!" She said. "Do you mind if I talk to Bakugo before you guys chat with Aizawa?

He shrugged. "Sure!"

He walked off, leaving Bakugo alone with Uraraka. She was beaming at him for some reason and had a mischievous sparkle in her eyes that- well, he wasn't worried, but it definitely set him on edge. "Hey."

"Hey." She said. "Soooo... since you didn't watch any of the other exams, you probably didn't know that there was audio."

Bakugo froze. "Wait, so you all heard..."

"Every little bit, Symbol of Victory." Uraraka tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and moved in until Bakugo's back was against the wall. He was suddenly very aware of how fast his heart was beating. How the hell did Midoriya not spontaneously combust when Yaoyorozu did this crap to him? "Including how you declared victory over your old self."

"Hold on!" Bakugo said, "I don't want to rush-"

She silenced him with a finger pressed to his lips. "Hush, darlin'. I get it, you don't want it to seem like I'm like... a reward for you learning how to act like a decent person. I get it. So, here's how this is gonna work. After the class goes through... oh, two more crises you can confess properly."

Bakugo shook his head, "Wait, what happened to only giving me a fair shot?"

"Your practical exam happened." Uraraka said, "You showed exactly how committed you are to getting better. You actually cooperated with Midoriya without biting his head off, and I gotta say, I like the new model."

Okay. Those were all... valid. "But what about-"

She reached up and ruffled his hair. "Don'tcha worry your pretty little head about it, sweet thang." She darted in and kissed him on the cheek, then left him standing there partially catatonic.

He blinked. Then he blinked again.

"Fuck."


Midoriya burst into the apartment. "Mom! I have to pack!"

Inko looked up from her book. All Might had told her about the training camp, but that wasn't until the end of summer vacation. "Where is Yaoyorozu taking you, and how many villains are you planning on running into?"

"Um, she isn't, and none since I'm going to I-Expo!" Midoriya said excitedly.

Inko blinked. Had All Might already told him? Rude. She had wanted to tell him. "What?"

"So, after final exams, Aizawa pulled me aside and explained that as a reward for helping to capture the Hero Killer, the HPSC is extending an invitation to go to the I-Expo preview to me!" Midoriya said as he headed to his room, "It took eight years, but I'm finally going!"

Inko smiled. It had been that long, hadn't it? "I'm going too, Izuku. Toshi's bringing me as his plus one. Apparently an old friend of his invites him every year."

"Really? Awesome!" Midoriya stilled as he realized what that meant. "I guess... this is gonna be the first thing we do as a family."

Inko felt as if her heart was expanding to fill her whole chest. The only reason that she had enough money to go to nursing school after Hisashi's death was due to him saving up to take Izuku to I-Expo. For this trip to be the first thing they did with All Might as a member of their family as opposed to just Izuku's mentor was... poetic, in a way. "You don't have to call him dad, you know."

Midoriya swallowed. "I know. But I want to."

"Go on, you dork. Start packing." Inko said. As Izuku flew into a frenzy of packing, she went to her room, and took a box out from under her bed. She undid the latch and pulled out a picture of Hisashi Midoriya. "I wish you could see our son, 'Sashi. He's grown so much, and he's getting to live his dream..." She sighed, "Even though he's getting closer to having to walk into a hornet's nest every day. Even then... I couldn't be prouder of our son."


A/N: Yaoyorozu knows everything now. Gran Torino finally gets told to shut up. The cabal (shut up, Nezu) knows that there is a traitor... somewhere. Now, dear reader, you know exactly who the traitor is. So feel free to yell at the characters. Maybe it'll help.

All Might is still adjusting to being able to let out all of the guilt, pressure, and trauma that he's had to hold in for so long, and Izuku just got his first taste of it. They'll be able to get through it, as they've got good friends and better women by their sides.

EMDR therapy is an actual real-world thing, and is used to help treat trauma of all kinds, ranging from child abuse to PTSD.

Yaoyorozu's getting closer to going full on super spy.

Yeah, everyone passed. I really dislike how everyone underestimates Kaminari and the rest of the "stupid" members of 1-A. Even if they're not as smart as Yaoyorozu or Midoriya, they're still in the top one percent of Japan's high school students.

Did Uraraka come on to Bakugo a little strong? Maybe. Also, you can probably guess when they're going to confess to each other based on the "two more crises" line.

Next chapter is 1-Island. Who's ready for the Father-Son Detroit Smash?