The finals begin! Izuku has a plan...and Nezu thinks he knows what it is.

Izuku woke up with a start. Shaking off the woozy feeling he got from Midnight's Quirk, he took a quick glance around to get his bearings. He was laid out comfortably on a small cot, his costume already equipped and his case sitting by the cot. He sat up quickly, reaching for the marked comm device and placing it carefully in his ear. He flicked it on, listening to the soft hum of it powering up.

"Tempest reporting. Who else is online?" he asked.

"Shoto, Dynamight, Uravity, and Ingenium are online. We're waiting on the rest still," Shoto replied quickly.

As Shoto replied, Izuku was finishing pulling his remaining support gear. He took a step forward towards the door in front of him, swiftly exiting the building and glancing about. He appeared to be in what looked like a generic apartment building, on the third floor above a dead street. With a thought, he lifted himself into the air with Float to get a better vantage point.

"Queen's up and at em! I think I'm at an intersection."

"Froppy here, ribbit. Down by a warehouse it seems. Gonna climb the building to get a better view."

"Can't Stop Twinkling has arrived!...in a park, it seems."

Izuku idly noted the positions being given as he scanned around him. The city was way bigger than he originally thought it would be, he could barely see the edges of the testing zone. Only two parks though, so he could narrow down where Aoyama was. Actually, that might be the best meetup place, with only two parks only so many options. He couldn't see any other major landmarks either.

"Can't Stop Twinkling, report. Is the park you're in adjacent to a shopping mall, or near a large oddly shaped arcade?" Izuku asked.

"Arcade, mon ami. Do you see it?"

"Red Riot awake and ready to go! We got the meet spot set yet?"

"Working on it, Red Riot. I see it, Can't Stop Twinkling. I'm coming to you. You wouldn't happen to have a way to get coordinates on your support gear, would you?"

"Sorry Tempest, didn't think to ask."

"That's fine. Tempest moving out. Dynamight, Uravity, if you head up you'll see the park and arcade to the south. We'll meet up there."

"Uravity moving out! Will pick up any stragglers I spot! Get to the rooftops if you can guys!"

"Dynamight en route. I see some birds acting weird, that you Anima?"

"A-Anima up. I-I sent some to scout," the quiet voice of Koda came across the line.

"Have them guide me to you, I'll bring you along."

"Alright."

"Tsukoyomi awake. Heading into the skies momentarily."

"Earphone Jack up. I hear Whisper and Prism nearby, we'll meet up and move to the spot once we get the coordinates."

"I saw the park already! We're close! Oh, shoot, I mean, Prism up and about!"

"Sugarman up. Already got a decent view, I see the arcade, heading that way now."

"Tentacole here. Moving to rooftop now."

"Creati here, I'll throw up a flare momentarily. I found Cellophane as well!"

Izuku idly noted everyone's comments, already hearing the audible sound of Katsuki's explosions from where he was. He rocketed towards the arcade, easily spotting Aoyama's bright and shining armor, landing softly next to him.

"Hello, Tempest, lovely day for a test is it not?" Aoyama said with a grin.

Izuku snorted. "So lovely, just gonna have to deal with a city-wide assault again."

"I see the park, incoming with Red Riot and Anima," Katsuki's voice came over the comms, landing next to them with Eijiro clinging to his back and Koda clinging tightly to his front.

"Changeling here, on rooftop waiting for pickup from a cute girl!" Himiko's cheerful voice sounded. Izuku rolled his eyes.

"No flirting on the comms," he reminded them.

"Chargebolt up, little bit woozy, but I'll be fine. Just need directions."

"Woozy?" Izuku asked, concerned.

"Yeah, happens every time I wake up, it's the whole electrical quirk thing. I'll be fine in a couple of minutes, the school knows about it. I'll be fine, Izu-uh, Tempest."

"Alright. I got the coordinates for anyone with a GPS in their costume…which none of you have one do you?" The chorus of negatives had him facepalming. "...making a mental note of that for the future. Okay. We still can figure this out. It's on the southernmost edge of the city, just about a half kilometer inwards. Large park, big arcade building to the west. Try to get eyes on it."

Katsuki lifted his hand in the air and fired a shot straight up, the boom making those around him flinch. "Follow the explosion."

"I could have simply used my flames, you know," Shoto said quietly.

"Not enough noise!" Katsuki replied.

"I don't believe noise is-"

"Guys, professional on the comms. Anyone else need directions to the meetup?"

A chorus of negatives came over the comms, leading Izuku to nod absently as he began to look around and decide if this would do for the triage center. It was a difficult decision. Being on the edge of the city made it easier to defend than a more centralized location, but longer distance from the far end. Then again, with who was in the rescue teams…it could be okay. He nodded.

"How much time we got left, Tempest?" Katsuki asked as more members of the class gathered.

"Five minutes till test start, give or take. We'll start moving to assigned groups now. We'll use the park as the triage center, so Ingenium, Tentacole, Froppy, Can't Stop Twinkling, be ready to get started. Ingenium, you'll want to run perimeter sweeps as often as possible, keep in communication with Tentacole. Froppy, stay on midrange defense. Can't Stop Twinkling, you're on point defense."

"Understood."

"Oui!"

"Got it, ribbit."

"Of course."

"Anima, Sugarman, short range rescue work. Changeling, Earphone Jack, range out further. Start the sweep from the west and move northeast, we'll want to hit the major gathering spots first. Got it?"

"Yep!"

"Y-yes."

"Got it!"

"On it."

"Creati, Cellophane, Chargebolt, you guys sure you understand your mission?"

"Intercept and deal with the villains who would attack from long range," Momo replied.

"Yeah! We take down Snipe and Present Mic asap!" Denki cheered.

"Yeah, I'll be running cover for these two mostly, we got it down pat Tempest, don't worry," Sero replied with a grin beneath his mask.

"Alright. Red Riot, Queen, Tsukoyomi, Uravity, you're on the other villains save All Might and Nezu. Understood?"

"Yeah! We'll bring them down no problem!"

"We shall bring the wrath of the dark down upon their villainous heads."

"Won't be a problem Tempest!"

"Time to kick some teacher ass!" The sound of Ochako's fist slamming into her palm made Izuku have to hold back a snort before he said something unprofessional.

"Shoto, Dynamight…you guys sure you got this?"

"Psh. Don't fucking doubt us, Tempest. Half and Half and me can deal with Number One no problem!"

"I do not share his arrogance, but I believe we will be well suited for the task of keeping him occupied."

"Have some confidence Icyhot! We fucking got this!"

Shoto blinked at the blonde boy next to him and sighed. "Whatever you say, Dynamight."

Izuku glanced around for the last two he needed, spotting Hitoshi adjusting his voice modulator. Flicking his Quirk vision on for a moment, the shining form of Toru appeared next to Hitoshi, gesturing wildly as she spoke even though the purple-haired boy couldn't see her. He stepped over to them, pulling a small device out of his costume case as he went.

"Whisper, Prism…you two have the most important mission. I'm not going to ask if you're sure. I'm going to tell you that you're going to pull this off. Got it?" Izuku said, handing the device over to Toru, watching as it disappeared into her hands.

"No problem Iz-uh, Tempest! We got this!"

Hitoshi nodded. "I still think this plan is insane, but we'll pull it off."

Izuku nodded. "Excellent. I'll be trying to track down Nezu as quickly as possible, but I'll be offering my assistance as we go. Keep in communication and remember we have to move fast." Izuku checked the time again, having had it built into the energy meter on his left wrist. He nodded and glanced up at his fellow classmates. "Alright, we got less than a minute. Chargebolt, you ready for this?"

Denki came bouncing over to Izuku's side, his grin wide. "Hell yeah Tempest! Ready when you are!"

Izuku took a deep breath, closing his eyes and focusing, allowing his energy to begin to shimmer through his veins as he watched the timer tick down on his wrist. He felt Denki reach out and grab onto his left wrist, the subtle tingles from Denki's Electrification Quirk dancing beneath his skin, ready to reach out. Five…four…three…two…one…

Ding ding ding! The bell went off, alerting them all to begin. Explosions rocked the training city, the sound of sirens activating and people screaming beginning to fill the air. They could see robots flooding out of various buildings, all shouting recorded messages of panic or pain.

At that second, Izuku's eyes snapped open with a green glow as Denki erupted into lightning, the energy racing down his arms and into Izuku. Green began to flood off the greenette in waves, a swiftly rising torrent that he called into his right hand as he lifted it high into the air. Gritting his teeth against the pain of the shock to his arm as well as the pressure rising in his chest from going too high, he finally opened his hand.

Green shot from his hand in visible bolts of energy, diving into the waiting forms of his friends and classmates, covering them in a green glow for a single moment, vanishing into the aether after a second just as Denki removed his hands from Izuku's arms and Izuku took a deep, bracing breath. He smiled beneath his filtration mask as the class began to clamor in excitement, the revitalizing and energizing effect of his ability to share his strength pumping them all up, bringing smiles and wide, feral grins to the faces of his classmates.

"Alright. We're all set. Let's do this…move out!" Izuku shouted, lifting off the ground and rocketing into the sky to begin his search for the mastermind himself, Nezu.

"Changeling, I count seven in this building. Three appear to be wounded, two on the upper floor," Kyoka said into her comm, her jack pressed into the wall nearest her.

"Got it! Going up and clearing from top down!" Himiko's cheerful voice replied, the sound of her claws digging into stone audible to the hearing hero.

"Do you require assistance in transport?" Tenya asked.

"Likely will, if it's three of them," Himiko replied quickly.

"Understood, Ingenium on the way."

"Sugarman coming with two wounded. No critical injuries yet."

"Triage center, incoming!" Shoji's voice echoed over the line. "At least a half dozen hostiles!"

"Ectoplasm clones. He's going to keep attacking in waves I bet," Izuku mused, still trying to locate Nezu. The intelligence hero had not shown his hand, which made Izuku all the more concerned.

"Froppy here, confirmed the clones. Can't Stop Twinkling and Froppy moving to intercept, ribbit."

"Dynamight, Shoto, any sign of All Might?" Izuku asked.

"No. We have not seen him yet. Dynamight is looking from the air but we have not located any hints of his location yet."

"You'd think the number one would be easier to fucking find," Katsuki growled.

Izuku was only paying partial attention to the rest of his classmates, scanning over the city for…there. Of fucking course the Headmaster was sitting on a roof, exposed, looking up at him with a cheerful smile.

"Tempest here…found the Mastermind. Going dark on comms to deal with him."

"You know your plan is nuts, right?" Himiko asked.

"Absolutely. But it's the best I got."

"Get it done, Tempest. We'll finish this up," Momo replied confidently. Izuku nodded, cutting the connection off as he landed on the rooftop, his energy vision scanning for nearby possible traps that weren't mechanical. Nezu's grin grew wider.

"Now now, Tempest, no need to be so suspicious. I promise you I simply wanted to have a little chat. Would you like some tea?"

Izuku nodded, striding over to the small table sitting on the roof. He took the seat across from Nezu, carefully situating himself so he could flee at a moment's notice.

Nezu arched an eyebrow at him. "Oh? Not checking the chair for a trap?"

"That'd ruin your fun. You want to toy with me. I know you're being upfront about all this," Izuku replied.

Nezu chuckled. "Am I that predictable? Perhaps you've taken my lessons too well."

"Predictable? No. I just remember what you've said about the games you like to play when you get to cut loose, so to speak."

"Speaking of games…might you be willing to participate in one with me?"

"Aren't we already?" Izuku asked, gesturing to the city around them.

Nezu smirked, a hand tapping the table before them. It lit up, forming into a holographic board floating in the center, pieces appearing and moving into position. Izuku sighed.

"Chess, really? Isn't this a cliche?"

"Of course it is, that's why I'm doing it. I am here to be the cliche 'mastermind' villain of the story, after all!"

Izuku rolled his eyes at the All Might impression. "You know I'm not actually good at chess, right?"

Nezu sipped his tea. "Oh, I'm aware. But we both know that's not the real game we're playing. How do you think your plan will go against mine? Also, it's your move first, Tempest."

Izuku smiled back at his teacher as he reached for a piece. "Oh, I'm not worried sir…because it's not my plan you're facing."

"Found anything yet?" Sero asked, currently hanging carefully from a building out of line of sight as best he could.

"Not yet. Still getting used to this," Denki replied as she ran about, one hand up to his visor to keep the scanning function active. He was jittery, a little bit nervous, trying out this new technique he'd worked on with Izuku.

"Listen Denki, it's simple really. It's similar to what I'm doing with Full Cowling. There's no reason you can't cover yourself in a shroud of electricity, you already do that when you go to use your indiscriminate shock!...you just then spread it out. Try holding it onto you. Better yet, try holding part of it in you!"

"What would that do?" He asked the greenette, confused.

Izuku grinned. "Well, theoretically, it would stimulate your musculature. Your body is designed to channel electricity, to send it through every nerve and fiber of yourself. I think it can be used to give you a boost in your physicality! You're focused on attacking from range, and with the new support equipment you got you can, but I also think you can become a truly deadly melee fighter. So let's try it out. If you overdo it, I'll bring you back. I got plenty of space in the tank as it were, I can bleed the excess off of you if it becomes too much."

Internally, Denki couldn't believe how well this worked. In fact, it was pretty damned cool, if he did say so himself. It didn't make him much stronger than he was, to channel the electricity through his body…but it made him much, much faster. Now Tenya and Izuku were the only ones faster than him, and he could give Izuku a run for his money if he were being honest.

Unfortunately, he wasn't used to moving at these speeds, so his spills had been…less than graceful so far. That's why he wasn't going his top speed as he ran about, he was going slow enough he could keep pace but fast enough it'd be harder to tag him. Also, he was marking every spot where an injured civilian was for Tenya, Himiko, or Sato to come pick up. He wasn't going to ignore anyone in danger, but for now, he had a different mission…and there.

"Creati, Cellophane, I think I see Mic! He's two blocks away from me, standing in front of what looks like a bank? Big open area, it's going to be hard to sneak up on him."

"Understood. Moving to get a better view. Creati, need a lift?"

"No thank you Cellophane. I'm already on the way. Still no sign of Snipe?"

"None yet. If he's nearby, he hasn't shot me yet, which I feel like since I'm a giant glowing target you'd think he'd go for-"

"I fucking found him! Fucking hell that hurt! One of my gauntlets is out of commission and we haven't even found All Might! Goddammit!" Katsuki cursed over the comms.

"Change of plans. Cellophane, Chargebolt, you deal with Mic. Dynamight, ping your location. I'll come for Snipe."

"You sure about this, Creati? Going one v one with Snipe is going to be hard," Sero asked, worried.

"Who says anything about one v one, Cellophane?" The smirk in her voice was audible to everyone else on the line, a few muffled snickers coming across the comm device.

Sero snorted. "Alright Creati, all yours. Chargebolt, let's take down this oversized radio tower."

"On your go, Cellophane!" Denki was hiding a block away from Mic, his glowing body hidden behind a dilapidated bus. It was hard to be sure Mic hadn't seen him, but he was fairly certain the Voice Hero hadn't noticed him yet…he just needed his opening. One which Cellophane was able to give him, as he noticed the giant web of tap falling from the sky towards their teacher.

"Nice try kids!" Present Mic shouted, his voice echoing as he triggered his Quirk, sending a wave of sound towards the net and shredding it through sheer force, but that was more than enough for Denki to move.

Yellow flickered around him as he bolted forward, sparks coming off his fingertips as he aimed to get just one hand on his teacher. That'd be all he needed to bring the fake villain down, with the amount of power flooding his body it'd knock anyone down! It was like moving in slow motion, seeing the chance to grab him…and getting one hand onto his sleeve with a wide grin. He winked at his teacher, the blonde meeting his eyes, before channeling as much as he safely could into him!

"Sorry kiddo, but I'm insulated!" Present Mic said proudly, Denki belatedly realizing that…yeah, the electrical charge was all moving down his costume and into the ground. Narrowed eyes, he could see the copper wiring wrapped around his teacher…what the hell? Present Mic's grin grew wider at his consternation. "You should know better than to bet against Nezu, kid!"

Denki swallowed thickly, with a nervous smile…which turned to a beautiful grin as Mic opened his mouth to trigger his Quirk. His left hand, the one not touching onto Mic's arm, pulled something out of his pocket…a small, blank faced capsule. Denki giggled as he held it up, Mic's eyes going wide…as Denki tossed it up into the air, leaving one of his new 'pointers' attached. He leapt backwards, pointing one finger at it and sending an electrical charge towards it…and then ran.

The burst of capture foam exploded outward, Mic's Quirk enhanced scream blowing some of it but not all away as it expanded over the teacher, falling down over him and locking fully half his body down. Present Mic growled and turned to fire his Quirk as Denki as the blonde bolted away…only for a strand of tape to slap across his jaw, closing his mouth.

"Shouldn't have forgotten about me, teach!" Sero said with a grin, landing next to the now stuck teacher. He pulled out the cuffs they were given and quickly secured him, the bell ringing across the city as the first 'villain' was captured. Mic gave Sero a deadpan look. Sero grinned sheepishly as Denki came running back up to them. "Um…uh, this might hurt a bit sir, sorry!" Sero apologized, reaching up and pulling the tape away as carefully as he could.

Mic winced, but nodded. "Good plan, kids…now how do I get out of this?"

The two boys shared a wide-eyed look of panic for a moment, before Denki let out an extremely fake cough. "Well sir, we have other villains to deal with! Have fun!" before bolting off without waiting for a reply. Mic went to say something to Sero, only to realize the tape-Quirk user had already fled as well. He sighed and let his shoulders slump (as much as they could), resigning himself to waiting for the robots to come get him out.

"An interesting gambit, but do you think your team can continue to pull that off?" Nezu asked, his gaze looking at a small tablet seated next to him.

Izuku moved another chess piece forward, grinning at his mentor. "As I said sir…it's not my plan. That was all them."

"I found Thirteen and Cementoss!" Tokoyami reported, his gaze scanning over the ground before them. "They appear to be holding a bank hostage? Multiple civilians within at a guess, but I cannot get a good visual."

"Both of them at once? This'll be a pain," Ochako murmured.

"Let's just go in guns blazing! The manly way! We can totally bust through Cementoss, and Thirteen has to be careful with her Quirk!" Eijiro exclaimed.

"Not when it comes to the robots, she doesn't. And we're treating this as a real attack, Red Riot…means we don't assume that," Ochako scolded.

"...yeah, okay, you got a point. But then how else do we deal with them? Hostages means-"

"Negotiations. It's hostage negotiation time," Mina replied, a somber note in her voice.

"Yeah. We have to negotiate. But we assume they won't. So we split up, infiltration team to get to the hostages, someone to negotiate, and hold back for an attack," Ochako said.

"So who does what?" Eijiro asked.

"You and me Red Riot, we negotiate. Queen, Tsukoyomi, you try to get the hostages out while we do the talking," Ochako ordered.

"Me? But I'm bad at that!" Eijiro protested.

"You're the most sunshiney person in the class, Red Riot. Need that cheer to make that initial connection. And if things go south…I'll need you to watch my back."

There was a pause over the comms for a moment. "...yeah. Alright! Let's do this, Uravity! Let's meet up across the street, wanna be obvious in our movements right?"

"Exactly. Queen, Tsukoyomi?"

"I see Queen. I shall rendezvous with her and we shall begin our planning."

"Alright. Let's go." Ochako strode forward with Eijiro at her side, keeping their movements slow and holding her hands up to try and show she wasn't a threat. Yes the teachers knew what she was doing, but she trusted them to play their roles just as she knew what hers was.

They were spotted immediately, Thirteen holding up one hand threateningly as Cementoss went to a crouch, putting his hand on the ground below. Ochako hurriedly went to defuse, as she'd been taught, with a bright grin and soft words. "Hey now, no need for that, we just want to talk."

"Talk? Talk about what, hero?" Thirteen replied, her voice an odd combination of snarl and Thirteen's inability to actually be mean coming through.

"Well, you have some people we'd like to keep safe, so we were wondering if we could work something out so we could help those people?" Ochako said with a soft smile, trying to keep her voice low and nonthreatening.

"Oh? You're going to give us what we want? Even if that's escaping with all this money?" Thirteen shot back, her arm waving back to point at Cementoss, who stood next to a series of sacks.

"If that's what it takes to keep the citizens safe, yes," Ochako replied calmly.

"Tsk tsk. Giving away the game too early, hero," Cementoss growled, his hands slamming into the ground and sending a wave of concrete roaring towards Eijiro and Ochako.

She was prepared for it, tapping Eijiro and tossing him into the air, following a second later behind. As the concrete roiled and began to reach up for the pair, she focused, biting her lip as she split her focus on force application…and launched Eijiro towards the pair, the red-haired student grinning a feral, shark-toothed grin as his entire body began to crack and creak, his form shifting into jagged, angular pieces. His jaw distending, eyes shattering like a mirror, a nightmare brought forth to save the day.

"Red Riot: Unbreakable!" he roared as he impacted the ground in front of the villain duo, sending clouds of dust and rock into the air…which Thirteen instantly began to suck in. Eijiro rammed his feet into the ground to hold against it, but the cracked street beneath him was already falling into its grasp, even as molten concrete began to make it's way around his legs to trap him further.

"Ragnarok!" came the cry from Tokoyami, Dark Shadow cackling as it swept in and grabbed Cementoss in one hand, lifting him off the ground and into the air. Thirteen had to turn her focus from Eijiro as acid rained down atop of her, not corrosive but sticky, slowing her movements…as Ochako flew past, one of her cables whipping down and tapping Thirteen's arm, sending her floating into the sky as well.

The quartet of students took a moment to catch their breath, well aware the two teachers had no recourse against being held midair…only to be interrupted by a polite cough from Thirteen. "Yes yes, you got us…now let us down?"

"Oh, uh, right," Ochako murmured, bringing her hands together to release her Quirk upon the affected.

Cementoss shook his head as he put his hands on his hips. "Your attempts at negotiation were too transparent. And by immediately jumping to the hostages, you made it clear what your priority was. That's dangerous if you don't know the villain you're taking in. The less stable or more violent ones are quite willing to start a fight over the slightest provocation."

Thirteen nodded. "You should have started with trying to build a rapport first. Villains won't make it easy, but simply asking for a name can help to personalize the interaction. That said, splitting up to attack from two angles was clever, but you put the hostages in danger."

"We didn't! We rescued them first before joining the fight!" Mina protested, making the two teachers turn about to see the empty lobby behind them.

Cementoss let out a contemplative hum. "Well…I believe we stand corrected. About that part, at least. It was still not your best hostage negotiation moment…but still, you all did well. Now, take us in."

The quartet shared a happy grin, as Ochako tapped her comm to open the line.

"Uravity reporting in…Cementoss and Thirteen detained."

"Hmm. I suppose a hostage situation isn't very fair when your hostage education are part of the second year curriculum…but then again, heroism isn't very fair, is it, Midoriya?"

"Now you sound like Sensei."

"You wound me! Aizawa is an excellent teacher and hero…but he has no appreciation for tea. I am insulted you would compare us."

"If the shoe fits…"

"I'm afraid very few shoes fit my paws. Non-human toes, you know."

"Now you're just being difficult, sir."

"Only now?"

"Of course…everything else has been easy!"

"Oh, you're trying to bait me with arrogance? Come now, I taught you better than that. I told you already, your plan won't work."

"And I told you, Sir…it's not my plan."

"Well, this is unfortunate," Momo mused over the comms.

"What's wrong, Creati?" Sato asked, his voice strained.

"I found Snipe…and I'm pinned down. I have his location locked, and I believe he is currently stuck, but I can't get to him."

"Tsukuyomi, coming for assistance."

"Changeling also en-route. We're near your location anyways, all nearby civilians evacuated as far as Earphone Jack can figure."

"I'll escort the remaining three back."

"Need a hand?"

"I think I'll be fine, Sugarman. If anything happens I'll call for it."

"Understood!"

Momo leaned back against the wall as the conversation played out, awaiting her backup. With Tokoyami's newer ability to fly, he would reach her quickly, even if he had to be cautious and fly low to the ground to avoid any shots from Snipe. As for Changeling…yeah, if Snipe could see her coming, he was better than the rest of the class by far.

Speaking of Changeling…Momo felt the knife pressing into her back and couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Really, Changeling?"

"Aww…not even a little jump?"

"You are literally the only person in this entire city who uses knives except Mr. Akaguro, and we haven't found him yet. Come now."

Himiko giggled as she stepped around the heiress, coming to a half before her and giving her a quick glance over to see if she'd been hurt. Momo looked uninjured as far as she could see, the dark-haired woman giving Himiko an odd look.

"Are you done ogling me?"

Himiko rolled her eyes. "I was checking for injuries! Snipe's shots pack a punch even if they aren't lethal rounds."

"I did not get hit, Changeling, I assure you. My riot shield held off just fine."

Tokoyami landed a moment later, interrupting any further conversation as he pulled his cloak around himself once more. "Do we have a plan?"

"I believe we stick to our original strategy, only this time with the two of you since Cellophane and Chargebolt are on the other side of the city still. I shall be the distraction, and you two must reach him as quickly as possible."

"That puts you in a lot of danger, Creati," Tokoyami replied.

She smiled back at the bird-headed classmate. "Oh…no, I'm quite certain I will be in no danger at all. I have a plan…for you see, our teacher's Quirk has some drawbacks Izuku was oh so kind to explain."

Himiko shared a look with Tokoyami, the two hero students shrugging. Himiko spoke up. "Well…if you're sure. I'll start heading towards him then. Tsukuyomi, you cover from above I assume?"

"If I fly too high, I shall be a target. That said, Dark Shadow can protect me. I shall utilize some techniques Hawks taught me to deal with ranged strikers before I can get in range."

"Excellent. Then we have our plan. Let us proceed to it…the faster we move, the better chance we take him off guard."

The trio shared one more moment, before splitting off…Himiko vanishing into the shadows as she darted across the street, Tokoyami launching himself into the air and immediately being met with the sound of gunfire, as Momo came barrelling around the corner with a large shield held up before her in her left hand. In her right, she held what she felt would I think be more useful at the moment, but she needed just the right moment to activate it.

"Well…he found me," Tokoyami's voice came across the comms, sounding slightly out of breath.

"Are you alright?" Momo asked, diving for cover behind a nearby building just in case he noticed her approach.

"I'm fine, so far. We'll need backup shortly."

"Changeling almost in position, if you're going for it Creati, now's the time."

Momo smiled to herself. Dropping the shield, she reached to her side and began to pull another object out…a large, tubelike device with a trigger…something that looked very similar to a rocket propelled grenade. Shoving the small object she'd held in her right down the barrel, she aimed up, in the gap between the buildings. She quickly hopped into her comm.

"Tsukoyomi, take cover now!"

"Into the shadows we delve!" came his reply, the whistling sound of wind coming across the comm for a moment before he cut out, as Momo fired the ammunition into the air…a loud whistle rocketing up into the air before exploding into a massive flare of light and sound, the largest flashbang Momo had ever created in her life.

She ducked down herself, eyes closed and hands covered her ears as the sound echoed through the streets. After a few moments, she noticed the sound of her comm pinging her. She winced, reaching up and tapping on it to re-enable it, realizing it had become disabled by the loud sound for a brief moment.

"Creati, come in?" Himiko's voice came across the line.

"I'm here. Tsukuyomi?"

"We are undamaged. Was that distraction helpful, Changeling?"

"Yep! Gottem! Apparently he was using his goggle zoom function when you set the flash off…um…I think he's a bit upset. And blind. Actually, might need some help getting him off this roof."

Momo snorted, a smile crossing her face as Tokoyami said he'd be on his way to help 'secure' the villain. She tapped the comm to hit the full team channel. "Snipe, secured."

"Queen here! We just got Midnight too!"

Momo blinked. "Really? That quickly?"

"Uravity threw a building at her. Kind of hard for her to do much against that."

"It wasn't a building, I'm not that reckless! It was just a piece of a building!"

"Professional on the comms, as Tempest would say," Shoto replied softly.

"Any sign of All Might?" Momo asked.

"Still no fucking clue. Do we have any word on the others?"

"Ectoplasm keeps attacking the triage center, but he's sticking to only clones and we can't find the main body yet. Haven't seen Sensei yet, but I believe he's nearby."

"And the stealth duo?"

"ETA seven minutes," Hitoshi's voice replied, nearly whispered.

"You heard the man, seven minutes out! We gotta find All Might by then!"

"Did we secure assistance?" Momo asked.

Kyoka snorted. "Oh…oh we sure as hell did. They were very happy for the chance."

Momo smiled. "Excellent. Tempest will be pleased the plan is proceeding apace."

Nezu tsked as he took Izuku's second bishop. "You were not kidding about your lack of proficiency in chess."

Izuku shrugged with a half-smile, taking a sip of his tea. "I set expectations."

Nezu toyed with the piece in his paw, slowly running one claw across it as he examined it closely. "So, you've managed to incapacitate half the teachers so far. Excellent. But do you think you will continue to be so lucky?"

"Luck has nothing to do with it sir. I trust my team. That's all," Izuku replied, the strange half-smile on his face never leaving it.

"Ah yes, your insistence it is 'not your plan.' Tell me, Midoriya, why do you lie to me?"

"I'm not lying. It isn't my plan. My plan's much more silly than anything they've come up with."

Nezu smirked as he took his own sip of tea, beady black eyes watching Izuku's emeralds as the green-haired boy contemplated his next move. "I look forward to how 'silly' it truly is."