Hello again, everyone. Well, this past week has been more than a little eventful. I recently ended up experiencing the kind of technical issues that forced me to get a whole new computer, so that really put a dent in my making progress on the chapter I'm currently working on. But it has all been resolved, so I can only hope I won't be experiencing any similarly large hiccups in my writing schedule.

Anyway, it really warms my heart that people have been gravitating towards the last chapter, finally seeing Kolya begin maturing in how he conducts himself in a dangerous situation. Now it's time to finally see how the rest of the USJ Arc will play out now that All Might and Tunguska have finally arrived.

I hope you all enjoy this new chapter, and if so, please be so kind as to leave a review expressing your thoughts. Feedback is absolutely desired and essential, everyone.

My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. I only own my original characters, and the original events and unique spins on established events that occur as a result of their existence in this universe.

A/N: [[]] denotes that characters are contextually speaking Russian.

Chapter 12

Heroes of the Day

(День Героев)

Tunguska and All Might stood readily side-by-side, their hearts burning with anger and dedication to the battle that was to come, as they stood at the entrance to USJ, observing the ongoing battle in the plaza below. Their timely arrival had brought tears of relief and hope to Ochako and Mina, while all the other students who could see the two Heroes, simply observed their presence with admiration. Even Nikolay Bezpalov could finally feel that stirring in his chest when he finally got up from the ground to see his father and the Symbol of Peace had arrived.

"We both had a bad feeling in the pits of our stomachs, so we decided to come here and check on you all. We ran into Iida-shonen on the way here, and thanks to him, we have the overall gist of just what has been going on here." All Might explained, while he and Tunguska never took their eyes off the three Villains nearest their respective charges, not even paying attention to any of the scattered Villains across the plaza.

"You lot have made a grave mistake today, coming here and frightening these poor, innocent children like this. And yet, at the same time, witnessing firsthand how our pupils have been giving it their all—"HAS FILLED OUR HEARTS WITH INDESCRIBABLE PRIDE!" Tunguska and All Might gave the same closing declaration, as the blonde Hero resolutely tore away his blazer, while Tunguskas' illuminated eyes and halo burned with the intensity of the sun itself, sending a tremor through all the observing Villains, while the students felt their hearts fill with pride through sheer proximity.

Observing the two titans of justice from a distance, Tomura Shigaraki still felt a bizarre mixture of excitement and disgust churning about. "We've been kept waiting for you, Hero…or should I say, you 'Hero trash'!" However, the rest of his impromptu Villain soldiers across the rest of the plaza didn't feel nearly as wholly confident as he did.

"Holy shit! All Might…he's actually here! I didn't think I'd ever see him in the flesh! I'm breaking out in cold sweats just looking at him! Don't get scared now, you dumbass! Killing him is the whole reason we came here! Who's the fat foreigner with him? I don't think that's fat, man! Who cares, we'll just kill him, too!" These were just some of the panicked or arrogant mutterings of the Villains watching from across the plaza, but their threats and taunts landed on deaf ears at best, as they were but mere insects next to the three directly threatening the students. Tunguska especially felt his blood boil as he took a deep, attempted-steadying breath in preparation for the battle that was about to commence.

"Everyone, head out through the entrance and stay there. Do not come back in under any circumstances, understand?" he instructed with absolute seriousness. Despite their collective admiration and inspiration from seeing these two giants, the students wasted no time arguing, realizing they had done their part by simply holding out here, and the time had finally come for them to escape. That was, all except for Mina and Ochako, who both approached their teachers with noticeable trepidation, but they approached all the same.

"Sensei, Deku-kun, Tsuyu-chan and all our friends are still out there!" "Yeah, please, let us help! I can't just run away knowing Kolya-kun and Kirishima are still in danger," both girls pleaded, having managed to swallow their respective fear and wiped their tears away. As clear as their resolve was, and as admirable as it was for how overwhelming the odds were, both veteran Heroes were resolute in their decision. "I'm sorry, but the answer is 'no'. You've both done enough here, and these odds are too highly stacked against you. You need to go with the others."

All Mights' answer sparked a flame of frustration in Mina especially, as she began to open her mouth to actually argue, before Tunguska swiftly knelt down, grabbed her shoulder and looked in her black-gold eyes with the utmost sincerity. "Malenkaya Ashido, I promise we're going to get all of them out of here and back to safety. However, we can't focus on doing that if we're worried about you and Malenkaya Uraraka putting yourselves in harms' way trying to help us. So please, both of you go join the others and don't come in here until we say it's safe. Do you understand?"

Mina felt a twisting sensation of frustration inside. First she could do virtually nothing for Thirteen, and now she wasn't even able to go help her friends after having managed to swallow her fear. She could even see the same kind of frustration on Ochakos' face, but the gravity girl eventually relented, realizing the painful truth behind their teachers' words. As much as she hated to do the same, Mina shut her eyes tight and forced herself to nod in acceptance, fighting every step of the way to join Ochako on the way out the entrance, all the while silently hoping everyone would be all right.

As soon as they were sure the last of the students here had been safely removed, Tunguska got back to his feet, observing the factors they were going to be dealing with. "The big monster among them looks pretty fierce. I can try and keep it distracted while you get Aizawa-san. He clearly looks to be in the most critical condition from here." Tunguska suggested, noticing the splayed out form of the homeroom teacher. All Might didn't even need to say anything to indicate he was of the same mindset.

Without another word, both Heroes simultaneously launched forward from the top of the stairs like bullets, catching the Villains watching off guard. The creature known as Nomu barely had time to process what was happening before Tunguska landed on his feet right in front of it, and immediately meeting it with a single devastating punch to its midsection, although it showed no signs of being physically hurt, nor was the force behind the blow enough to even move the creature a millimeter from where it stood. Nevertheless, Tunguska carried on, knowing that as long as he could keep this beast distracted, he could handle it as long as everyone needed him to.

At the same time, All Might was like a blur as he swiftly and precisely knocked every remaining bottom-tier Villain in the plaza unconscious with a single chop of his hand within the span of what looked like a single stride. As quickly as it had started, it was already over, as the Villains all collapsed where they stood, and All Might was already picking Aizawa off the ground, not sparing a moment to watch Tunguska barely managing to evade the Nomus' reactionary strikes before managing to meet it with a counter of his own.

"Forgive me, Aizawa-san," he apologized as he observed the rough conditions of the homeroom teachers' face and right arm, before slinging him over his shoulder. As soon as he saw his partner had gotten Aizawa, Tunguska barely managed to move his head out of the way of another of the Nomus' jabs, but was still close enough that one of the creatures' claws left a thin, shallow slice across his rugged cheek.

The Russian Hero swiftly countered with a left hook under the Nomus' arm, planting square into its chin. The creature seemed only slightly inconvenienced by the impact for a moment, but that was all he needed. As soon as he knew he had the chance, Tunguska turned on his heels and practically fired himself forward like a human cannonball, everything around him going much slower, as his focus was honed in on the children nearest the water.

Never breaking his stride, he managed to reach down to his right and hook his arm underneath the water around Tsuyus' waist, lifting her and Minoru both out, and then doing likewise to lean down to his left and hooking his free arm around Nikolay and Izuku both. At that same time, All Might likewise worked in tandem, moving with another powered kick off the ground to pluck Shoto, Momo, Kyouka and a currently dopey-looking and chuckling Denki from where they stood all across the plaza, before quickly kicking himself off in the opposite direction back towards the stairs; all in what seemed like the blink of an eye.

Within a single second, both Heroes had returned to the foot of the stairs to the entrance, dropping their respective loads of rescued students back on their feet, all visibly shocked at how expertly and swiftly they had been saved by the two godlike men.

"All of you, head towards the entrance. Your classmates that were there have already made it to safety, now you do the same. We'll take care of the rest from here." All Might ordered with a seriousness none of the students had witnessed from him before. The fact he for once wasn't wearing his signature smile was nothing if not unsettling. "Take Aizawa-san with you. He's unconscious, so please be careful." Tunguska added as All Might laid the unconscious teacher on the ground. Finally getting a closer look, many of the students couldn't help but feel a deeply frightened chill when they saw just how badly beaten and bruised his face was. However, that was nothing compared to his arm.

"Oh my God…it looks as though it decayed from the inside out. Not even like frostbite, but like it disintegrated altogether." Nikolay couldn't help but voice his observations, feeling more terrified than before. Had that man with the white hair done this? Was that what he was trying to do with Tsuyu earlier if Aizawa hadn't shut off his Quirk? Had one of them really come that close to literally dying, and avoided it through sheer luck?

"All Might, Tunguska-sensei, you don't know the kinds of Villains you're dealing with! With that monster, they're too strong even for both of you!" Minoru exclaimed in total panic, while Shoto was only one of two students visibly managing to keep a cool and level exterior. "Those Villains came because they specifically intend to kill you, All Might; and I can't imagine they're willing to let another Hero similar to you just walk away, either."

"He's right, Dad! Those three are monsters! That one covered in the black mist, he can summon portals and send you anywhere he wants! How can you fight someone with a Quirk like that, on top of the other two?!" Tunguska could practically feel the anxiety and fear in his sons' voice, but he remained steadfast, returning to All Mights' side as he looked upon their three considerable foes from afar.

"I tried punching that creature with enough force to break my arm, and it didn't do anything! All Might, how do you plan on—"Worry not, Midoriya-shonen. All of you put your concerns aside. You have all done your parts in this situation, and for that, you have our gratitude." Izukus' visible worry was momentarily halted, alongside everyone elses' as the two Heroes stood side-by-side, fists clenched, and eyes burning with determination. "That's right, children. You've all carried out your sworn duties admirably. Everything is going to be all right, now. It's time for you all to get to safety, and leave the rest of this to the Pros!" Tunguska announced with great fervor that matched All Mights' radiant confidence.

From afar, observing just how easily his conscripts had been defeated by All Might, let alone how the Nomu had actually managed to be held back, Shigaraki walked with a troubled swagger as he retrieved one of the disembodied hands that had fallen off him, before reattaching it to his face, all the while muttering in observation to himself.

"It's no good…I'm sorry…Father. All Might…he had Tunguska do all the hitting while he stepped in to do the saving. It's as though he's sharing in 'the states' legitimate monopoly of violence', as they call it. Both of them…they really are quite fast. I couldn't follow one of them, let alone both. And yet…neither is as fast as I would have expected with their reputations. The fat one is simply old, a dying relic of his time. But you, All Might…could it be that the intel we accrued was accurate, after all? About how you're growing weak?"

Wasting no time, All Might and Tunguska once more dashed like the wind and were on the three remaining Villains within seconds. All Might was already laying the assault upon the Nomu, laying down one devastating punch, chop and jab after another, while the creature simply kept taking it and countering, with the Symbol of Peace barely managing to dodge each strike. It was as though he and Tunguska had officially switched places from before.

As for Tunguska himself, he had greeted Shigaraki and Kurogiri with a descending glowing fist of added power, coming down on them like a human meteor, only for the white-haired man to swiftly jump out of the way, and the black haze Villain to quickly dissipate from the area of immediate impact. Tunguska drove his glowing fist deep into the floor, producing a devastating explosion of stone debris flying everywhere, forcing Shigaraki to go on the defensive against the numerous flying pieces. Tunguska wasted no time pressing on his assault, throwing one punch, elbow or knee in Shigarakis' direction after another, giving the smaller man no chance to counterattack or put space between them. He knew that if he could drive the man into a corner, this fight would be over.

Despite the sheer intimidation factor the massive Russian had working in his favor, Shigaraki was still able to keep his focus enough to where he could avoid any one of those clearly mind-blowing strikes, even if some of them got close enough to fray his clothing. And all the while, his mind was awhirl with observation and realizations he had not taken into account in his preparation.

"Incredible. I had been told so much about how you two were both sides of the same coin…but I never once thought you and All Might would be this much alike, at least as far as strength and speed is concerned. And for one so old as you are now…I dread to think how this fight would be if you were still in your prime." Tunguska was focusing all his willpower towards taking Shigaraki out of the fight, blocking out all his attempts at distracting him with taunts. The fact that he was putting so much force and energy into his blows, only for the man to somehow keep dodging, however closely, was beginning to chip away at his focus, unfortunately.

Even more so, that was exactly what Shigaraki was hoping for, as Tunguska reeled back for a swift jab at his stomach. The white-haired Villain swiftly jumped to Tunguskas' outside, and like a striking cobra, latched one of his hands onto Tunguskas' forearm. "No matter how strong or fast you may still be, you're just as mortal as All Might himself…and therefore, just as breakable."

The pain radiating through his arm from where that one hand was clutching him was unlike anything Tunguska could describe with words. It was taking all his strength to not scream as he felt the very lifeblood and warmth being sucked out from his arm, and he could feel the bones growing brittle, and the skin turning withered and fragile, as if it were disintegrating from the inside out, just as Nikolay had described Aizawas' arm seconds before.

Tunguska was blinded with pained tears, gritting his teeth near to the point of breaking them, as his brain was screaming for him to pry that accursed hand away. Forcing his whole body every step of the way, he reached out and grabbed the Villains' wrist with his one free hand, and with all the strength he could muster, he finally managed to pry Shigarakis' damned hand from his forearm, and tossed the visibly surprised Villain as far away from himself as he could, struggling to regain his breath as he nearly fell to his knees, clutching the rotted portion of his left arm.

With the aid of such a distraction, Kurogiri had managed to warp Shigaraki mid-fall a good distance away from Tunguska and All Might both, before returning to his leaders' side, observing the scene of battle. However, even despite the agonizing pain, Tunguska was not about to let himself be counted out of the fight just yet. Focusing his energy to his one good hand, the large Russian suddenly turned his whole body to the outside and met Shigaraki and Kurogiri with a swift beam of light energy straight from his right hand.

At the last moment, however, Kurogiri suddenly opened two portals at once, one right in front of Shigaraki, taking the beam of energy straight into it, and another right beside Tunguska himself. The older Russian Hero barely had time to realize what he was witnessing, before that same beam of energy shot out from the second portal, blasting straight into his left side, knocking him right off his feet and flat on his back; his entire midsection awash in an awful burning pain, as if he had just taken a Hero-level blowtorch straight into his ribs.

"DAD!" Nikolay cried out the instant he saw his father hit the ground, desperately directing his gaze to All Might, ready to scream for him to help. Unfortunately, to his, Izukus', and everyone elses' fear, the Symbol of Peace was having no further luck on his own end, planting one blow after another into the Nomu, but the damned creature was not going down. "How is this possible? That thing just keeps taking hits. Me, Tunguska-sensei, All Might, nothing is bringing it down." Izuku muttered in fear to himself, as though he was trying to find a solution that simply was not there. Nikolay was in the exact same boat. No matter how hard he tried, he could not think of anything that could have been more powerful than the two veteran Heroes, and yet that monstrosity was still standing. Was this really how things were going to end? That question could not help but repeat continuously in his head as he felt his heart sink into despair.

"I can't believe it! My blows aren't working at all!" All Might finally exclaimed to himself as he felt like this was his equivalent of futilely hitting a brick wall, while Shigaraki simply stood aside and watched the ultimately pathetic display with a bemused smile behind the hand on his face. "Look no further than the beasts' 'Shock Absorption' ability. If you want to deal any lasting damage to the Nomu, your best bet would be to slowly disembowel it with your own two hands. Although, that would all depend on him actually standing still long enough for you to do so."

At that, like the flip of a switch, All Might suddenly ceased with his endless barrage and instead swerved around another of the Nomus' retaliatory strikes, and instead wrapped his massive arms around its waist from behind. "Thank you for telling me that! If immobilizing it is all it takes, then don't worry! This fight is already over!"

With that mighty declaration, he swung his body back, lifting with all his strength, and ultimately driving the Nomu head first into the ground with a German suplex; the impact producing a devastating shockwave that could be felt all across USJ. Even from the foot of the stairs, Nikolay could feel the resultant vibrations rippling through every inch of his body.

"Kolya-san, Midoriya-san; come on! We need to hurry out of here!" Momos' voice suddenly called out to the two boys; drawing their attention to find her, Shoto, Kyouka, Tsuyu and Minoru in the middle of trying to drag both Aizawa and Denki towards the stairs to the entrance, where with a single glance, they could see the very distant forms of the rest of their classmates, calling down for them.

Nikolay was about ready to tell the vice-president 'no', that he wasn't about to leave his father behind like that, but he could see that even despite the look of similar apprehension on Izukus' face, he was also deep in thought, before finally turning to address the young Russian boy with a look of deep regret. "I'm sorry, Kolya-san…but they're right. There's nothing further we can do here. If All Might was able to stop that creature, then he should be able to take care of the other two and get Tunguska-sensei to safety. If we went back there, we'd risk being taken as hostages and putting him at a disadvantage."

For once, logic had no place in Nikolays' mind, as he couldn't hide the look of utter betrayal on his face, switching his focus from Izuku to the plaza and back. "I know; I don't want to leave, either! I came here because I want to learn how to be the Hero that can save people in situations like this, but if I went down there and tried to do something, I know I would just get in the way! Surely you must know your father wouldn't want you running down there and getting yourself hurt either, would he?"

Nikolay bit his lip hard, trying to justify arguing further, but alas, he knew Izuku was right. Had Tunguska been here right now, he would've said exactly that. He told the boy to stay here and leave it to him, and he would never have backed down from such a statement, no matter how hurt he was. Keeping his son safe was always his top priority, and even the situation as it stood would not change that, no matter how much Nikolay wanted to just say to hell with it and get over there to help him.

That realization was what finally convinced Nikolay to get back to his feet and start heading for the exit with the others, trying so hard to resist the stinging tears, just hoping to whatever god that would listen that Izuku was right, and All Might had this situation in his hands from now on.

He continued on, until he suddenly noticed that Izuku was no longer moving in tandem with him. In fact, the boy was frozen like a rock, looking back to the plaza. Nikolay didn't even have the chance to ask what the holdup was, before he saw just what had horrified his green-haired friend so thoroughly.

All Might was still locked in the ending position of that earlier suplex, but a black portal had opened in the ground where he had planned to drive the Nomus' head, and another had opened right under his back, allowing the upper half of the Nomu to emerge, and dig its claws right into All Mights' side, immobilizing him, and even hurting him to the point he was bleeding from the mouth.

"No…no, no, no, no way! NO FREAKING WAY! HOW IS THAT THING ABLE TO ACTUALLY HURT ALL MIGHT?!" Minorus' horrified shriek echoed from partway up the stairs, but nobody had an answer. Everyones' faces reflected the same kind of speechless horror. This was the Hero to top all Heroes, and here he now was, as helpless as any one of them at that creatures' mercy.

All Might was rendered virtually immobile as the Nomu dug its claws into his side, while Shigaraki loomed over the now-helpless Symbol of Peace with that same twisted sensation of glee burning in him, switching his gaze from All Might to Tunguska and back.

"I see what you were trying to do. You took what I said to heart and tried to drive the Nomu into the concrete in order to immobilize him. Well, even if your little plan had succeeded, you wouldn't have kept him stuck there for very long. Nomu is the same power level as you, after all. Isn't it great, Kurogiri-san? He handed us the chance we were looking for of his own volition. That was your first mistake. Now you'd best prepare to receive some true pain."

With that, the portal the Nomus' body had been submerged through began to expand, with Kurogiris' form beginning to take shape from it as he loomed over All Might. All the while, Shigaraki landed his red gaze upon Tunguskas' still motionless form. "As for you, Tunguska…keeping you alive would be just as troublesome as if it were All Might. There's no justifiable reason to let either one of you live."

As Shigaraki began to make a beeline for Tunguska, Kurogiri focused his glowing eyes upon the visibly pained All Might. "I certainly am of flesh, blood and organs deep inside, much like you, so there is a part of me that finds this part of business rather displeasurable, but I will gladly endure it if it is handed out by a man of your stature. You see; it was Nomus' assigned duty to restrain your rather dizzying speed so that I could open a gate while you were in that prone state, completely open and defenseless. As such, it is now my duty to eviscerate you, Mr. Symbol of Peace."

Watching the two Villains advance upon their two defenseless Heroes, Nikolay and Izuku alike felt themselves lose all control of their common sense, as their bodies began to move forward unto the battlefield of their own respective volition. Only one thought was in both their heads as they charged forward like two eternally bound brothers–in-arms into this overwhelming fray, deaf to all cries of confusion and protest from their observing peers: 'SAVE THEM! BE THE HEROES YOU WERE MEANT TO BE AND SAVE THEM!'

Their dreamlike walks quickly erupted into full-blown sprints as the two boys ran side-by-side towards the Villains, sheer bravado and desperation burning in their hearts and souls as they went in, completely blind to the growing portal Kurogiri was already building to intercept the two boys. "ALL MIGHT!" "DAD," they both cried out like a savage war cry, ready to give every last ounce of everything they had if it could have even a chance at making a difference.

"GET OUT OF THE GODDAMN WAY, YOU COUPLE'A WIMPS!" The arrogant fury that could only have been the voice of Katsuki Bakugo suddenly cried out with that now-wonderful rage, as the blonde boy suddenly rushed in, seemingly from out of thin air, and drove an exploding fist straight into the portal and Kurogiri himself, causing it to dissipate, and send the Villain back in surprise. Within seconds, Bakugo had forced his way through the black mist, and to everyones' surprise, had managed to grab hold of the white plates around Kurogiris' neck, and slammed him flat to the ground, completely at the explosive boys' mercy. "No more clever shit out of you, you cheap-tricking bastard!"

Another rushing pair of footsteps drew both boys' attention immediately after, and coming in like a blur of fiery red, Eijirou Kirishima came rushing in out of nowhere as well, throwing a crystallized fist right at Shigaraki, who only barely managed to sidestep out of the way, forcing the red-haired boy to come skidding to a halt. "SHIT! I almost had him!"

Before either Nikolay or Izuku could fully process what they were witnessing, a single large blast of pure ice suddenly shot right past them from behind, freezing the right half of the Nomus' body where it stood, completely immobilizing it through both portals. The two boys looked back in surprise to see, much to their now-overwhelming delight, that Shoto had decided to come and join in the fight as well, having left the others to finish getting themselves, Aizawa and Denki to safety. "I heard all about you bastards' plan; about each of your roles in helping kill All Might. But no matter how confident you may feel, neither of those Heroes are going to go down as easily as you lot."

What had started out as absolute fear-driven desperation, quickly elevated to an indescribable sensation of hope and comradery, as Nikolay and Izuku looked at each other with a renewed sense of hope. Alone against these kinds of forces, there was nothing they could do. But now, with this many of their peers working together, they now felt for the first time like they stood a real chance.

"A Freeze attack…" All Might realized with momentary surprise, before capitalizing on the moment, and breaking free of the Nomus' now slackened grip from its less mobile state, granting himself the freedom he needed to struggle back to his feet among his young protégés, while Shigaraki observed the numbers he now stood against, particularly Bakugo still pinning Kurogiri to the ground by his plates.

"You've actually managed to restrain our ticket out of here. Well now…this certainly complicates things…" he muttered to Bakugo, who at that moment wasn't even listening, instead keeping all his focus and anger centered on the misty Villain beneath him. "Just as I thought, this prick wasn't nearly as clever as he looked! That bit on your body you use to get all misty and warp-gate-y, just got sealed, asshole! You gonna sit there and tell me you don't use that warp-gate to hide your true body?! Huh?!

"If that shadow mist was your real form and you had no actual physical body, then why would you call any attack we'd throw at you 'dangerous'? Don't you dare move! The second you so much as twitch, I'll give you a nice load of explosion right in your face, right here, right now!" The look of sadistic glee on Bakugos' face at having the Villain at his mercy, far contradicted his position as a Hero-in-training, but in this moment, even despite the looks of momentary distaste from Eijirou and Izuku, Nikolay could not bring himself to disagree. After everything these Villains had put them through, he wasn't sure he wouldn't be feeling much the same way in his position, especially after seeing what they had done to Tunguska.

However, despite all this, Shigaraki simply folded his hands together, showing no sign of being intimidated whatsoever. "You've driven us into a corner, and you're all practically unscathed to boot. I really have to hand it to kids these days…you're going to make the League of Villains look like a total laughingstock before too long. Nomu, go ahead and take care of that explosive brat. We're rescuing our getaway."

At his command, the Nomu suddenly started to pull itself up from the portal its upper half stuck through, inadvertently shattering the frozen half of its body in the process, much to everyones' shocked observation. What was more, the creature didn't look to feel any of it, even forcing itself to stand on its one foot. "How?! How is that thing still moving?! Half of its body just shattered like glass!" Izuku asked, doing nothing to hide the shock everybody else was feeling, while All Might got in front of them as a shield. "Stand back, all of you!"

Suddenly, the empty void where half the Nomus' body once was, began to expand and grow, before taking the form of its missing mass within less than a minute, perfectly healing itself like nothing had happened. Such a sight sent a dagger of ice into all those that saw it, watching the one bit of real damage they had managed to inflict be completely shrugged off. "What the-? Wasn't his Quirk a shock absorber?!" All Might couldn't even keep his own surprise to himself.

"Yes, but I never said that was the full extent of his abilities. As you can see, he's also got 'Super Regeneration'. The Nomu is essentially a human sandbag artificially molded to the peak of physical perfection in order to fully withstand even your 100%!" Without another second wasted, the Nomu suddenly darted right to Bakugo like a black blur, with All Might barely managing to take off at the same time to intercept.

Those that blinked completely missed it, but at the last fraction of a second, the Nomu had been knocked off its course by a single white blur, with All Mights' visage quickly following suit, while Bakugo had suddenly been left sitting speechless right beside a momentarily confused and shocked Izuku and Nikolay. "Kacchan, you actually managed to dodge that?! How?!" "I didn't dodge it, you dumbass!" Bakugo shouted in anger as he was still visibly trying to process what had just happened.

"Don't count me out of the fight just yet! Even when the sun sets…it inevitably rises again!" The bombastic, thickly-accented voice that shouted from within the cloud of dust from the impact sent a tremor of hope in Nikolay especially, as when the haze finally cleared, he felt his whole body grow light as a feather to see All Might and Tunguska, back on his feet, both standing defiantly against the Nomu.

"Dad, that thing is able to heal its wounds! You can't possibly defeat it in your condition!" Nikolay immediately cried out when he could see how Tunguska was visibly trying to maintain his tall posture, clearly still suffering from the smoking wound adorning his side. "Don't worry about me! All you kids just stay back!"

"You Villains are truly unbelievable! Have you no mercy for children?!" All Might asked with a sense of righteous fury, while Shigaraki simply paced back to join the Nomus' side, surprisingly unmoved as he now stood before the two clearly winded supermen. At the same time, Kurogiri managed to manifest himself right back to Shigarakis' side, the three Villains unified once more. "We had no choice. We had to save our ally, did we not? And not long ago, a few of your kids over there…the plain-looking one and the one with the stupid-looking goggles, they tried to fight us both with all their strength. Such reckless acts of violence from such young children. And who exactly do you think it is that instilled in these youths such instinctive and noble acts of violence? Can either of you glorious 'Heroes' answer that?

"Both of you listen closely: I am very ticked off right now! We're all slapped with the label of either 'Heroes' or 'Villains', but at the end of the day, violence is still violence, no matter who's inflicting it. And just who is it that decides which violence is right, and which is wrong? Not you, and not me; society does! Those monikers you give yourselves: 'The Symbol of Peace', 'The Sun of Justice'. Don't make me laugh! You know, it's infuriating to know that such excessive levels of hypocrisy really extend to all corners of the world, just looking at you two. It doesn't matter how many honorable titles you give yourselves, you're both nothing more than mindless bludgeons of your own societies' oppressive natures!

"In fact, had things back home played out a little differently, how do you know you wouldn't have simply become your own societies' tool for erasing all other Quirk-users in your homeland eventually anyway, Tunguska? How do you know they wouldn't have simply labeled that genocide as being in the name of preserving your precious 'justice', instead of being in the name of security like they've been doing today? Don't you both see? In the end, violence only breeds more violence, and once we kill both of you, that fact will be made known to the entire world!"

Unlike before, Shigarakis' taunting was now burrowing deep under Tunguskas' skin, leaving the Russian Hero gritting his teeth with a slew of raging emotions, instinctively taking a step forward before All Might blocked him with a single arm. "Don't listen to his rubbish, Tunguska! He doesn't know the truth anymore than you or I would! He's trying to make you lose focus, make you act impulsively! He's simply delusional. Young man, I would suggest you leave those antisocial views of yours to yourself! Be honest, you went to all this trouble, not for some grander purpose, but because you simply wanted to try getting your kicks against Heroes, didn't you?"

Shigaraki had nothing to say, not even showing a reaction of indignation like his impassioned speech would've made them expect. "Wow…you managed to see right through me so quickly."

Watching this, Nikolay felt like his feet were weighed down with bricks of lead, wanting to get in and help his father whichever way he could. He'd never seen the man this badly hurt in recent memory, and that made all hopes that he could carry on through the rest of this battle go right out the window. Finally, with his emotions running at their highest, he turned to address the rest of his classmates.

"We need to help them! These guys are too strong for them to take on their own! We've got the advantage in Quirks and numbers, don't we?!" Everyone else was clearly thinking the same, as they never took their eyes off the Heroes or the Villains, each visibly becoming more resolute the more they thought about it. "You aren't wrong. It is currently seven-on-three." Shoto acquiesced.

"Yeah, and Kacchan did expose that shadow guys' weak point." Izuku agreed; while Bakugo and Eijirou were both already completely fired up. "Those three guys are outrageous in power, but if we give All Might and Tunguska-sensei our support, then we'll send them packing in no time!"

"NO! I TOLD YOU ALL TO ESCAPE! I WON'T SAY IT AGAIN!" Tunguska suddenly roared back with grave seriousness, never taking his eyes off his opponents. "But those Villains have managed to refract your own attacks back at you, and they've left both of you in visibly poor shape. If I hadn't come in to give support earlier, All Might would be dead right now." Shoto argued in very mild protest. "And besides, you've got blood on you, All Might! Shouldn't you already be out of ti-!" Izuku agreed, before just as suddenly stopping himself, although the rest of the boys were too focused on when the fighting was going to start to really notice, much to his and All Mights' relief.

"You are correct, Todoroki-shonen! You children have both of our undying gratitude for trying to help, but we'll be okay now! Just as Tunguska said before, now that we have a better idea what these fiends are capable of, all you boys need do now is stand back and watch how Pros get it done!" All Might and Tunguska finally proceeded onwards towards the Villains, who simply stood their ground while Shigaraki had his red eyes focused behind the advancing wall of sheer power.

"Kurogiri-san, Nomu, do what you must to get rid of those two nuisances. I'll take care of those children. Let's clear this game and return home victorious!" With his commands given, the white-haired Villain suddenly took off with surprising speed right past All Might and Tunguska, making a beeline straight for the visibly surprised students; none of them having expected for any of the Villains to go right for them, in a moment of cursed carelessness.

Eijirou was already beginning to crystallize his hand to intercept, while Nikolay found himself already beginning to charge up another blast, and stepping in front of the red-haired boy to try and knock Shigaraki off course before he could reach him with those terrible hands. But then, just as impact was about to finally be made, the blur of gold rushed right at Shigaraki, forcing him to once more leap back as the Nomu intercepted in return, and like the detonation of a lit fuse, the fight finally exploded, as the students all leapt back in surprise and watched with respective disbelief as All Might proceeded to waylay the Nomu with his own respective barrage of explosive and devastating punches.

At the same time, Tunguska had launched himself right at the mist Villain, who was managing to contort and shift his body around all of his punches, enhanced or not. And yet despite his constant swings being met with nothing but air, Tunguska never lost a step, refusing to acknowledge the still agonizing pain of his left arm as he kept throwing both fists with all the strength he could muster.

On both fronts, the two Heroes were both moving so fast, it was almost like they formed their own veritable blurry walls of power, as the Nomu was barely managing to keep up with All Might, either blocking his punches, intercepting with its own counters, or just straight up taking them head on, and not being effected by it. It was like something straight out of a shonen manga brought to devastatingly powerful life. None of the boys watching could tell if they were either awestruck or terrified watching such a display, knowing any misstep could have meant legitimate death for one or both of the Heroes protecting them.

As soon as the mist Villain managed to dissipate himself out of Tunguskas' attacking range altogether and began to reform right behind him, the Hero was once more quick on his feet, turning himself around with a charged energy blast at the ready. However, this time he had a new strategy in mind; the burning in his side a constant reminder of whom he was up against.

Instead of firing a precisely aimed linear blast, this time Tunguska met the Villain with an advancing cutting beam swiping up across the floor towards him in a devastatingly powerful arc, and with a speed that could not allow him the time to summon another portal.

The Villain barely managed to swerve out of the way, but the beam was still able to cut away a part of his smoky visage. Seeing this, Tunguska continued firing the beam for as long as he could maintain, swiping it along with every move the Villain made, gradually whittling away more of his mass before he could regenerate himself. "As long as I can keep you distracted and unable to counter, this fight is already won," he boasted as he kept the Villain on the ropes.

However, while Tunguska was focused on this current battle plan, he failed to notice another portal begin opening right behind him, just as he had the Villain reduced to a smaller cloud of smoke. A pair of luminescent eyes formed within the mass right behind the large Russian, and had begun to reach his hands out to pull the Hero in.

That was when the older Hero suddenly kicked himself up from the ground, just outside the Villains' grasp, and turned himself around with that same continuous beam of light now emanating from both his hands, bringing them together to converge on his opponent like a scissor-strike.

One beam managed to cut directly through the center of his smoky mass, but the other managed to get the lucky angle and make direct contact with the white plates barely protruding from his shadowy form. This sent his smoky figure into indistinguishable spasms as he groaned in shock and pain, nearly collapsing to the ground, as much as such a being could do such a thing.

Tunguska felt a surge of confidence well up in his chest to realize he had finally discovered a genuine weak spot. As he returned to the ground, he immediately launched himself forward with another kick, blue eyes focused on those now singed plates, as he charged up another energized punch to drive right into them and take the Villain down for the count.

"You…you really are proving to be a far greater pest than I gave you credit for. A mistake I shall quickly rectify!" Kurogiri muttered to himself in a clearly distressed yet calm tone, as he spotted the Hero coming at him like a blind bull. Focusing his way through the pain of his damaged plates, the Villain hurriedly opened a large enough portal in front of himself with just the speed needed to keep the Hero from reacting in time.

Tunguska felt himself getting swallowed up in the shadowy mass, losing all sense of place and weight, before just as quickly finding himself spat right back out, just on the edge of the ruins area of USJ. He hit the ground hard, but ignored the pain flaring through his body from his collective wounds as he hurriedly tried to regain his bearings, while mentally cursing himself for allowing himself to forget that damned Villains' ace in the hole.

What was more, he could feel a wave of exhaustion begin overtaking his body. Maintaining those light beams for that long had taken much more out of him than he had wanted to admit, and it would take far too long for him to accumulate enough energy from the sun to get back into top fighting shape. The clock and the batteries were running against him now, and he was going to have to come up with something desperate with what energy he had left if they were going to walk out of this battle victorious.

Back at the plaza, Kurogiri knew it was only a matter of time before Tunguska would be back in the fight, and he was finding it more difficult than normal to maintain his form with the damage that had been inflicted on him. Knowing this, he turned his attention back to All Might, who was still furiously fighting with the Nomu, with no visible progress to be made.

"If I can quicken the pace of this battle, and take All Might down from behind…perhaps today won't be a complete failure," he theorized to himself, just before he began sifting his way like a wisp to the Symbol of Peaces' exposed back. All the boys who had been left to simply watch these two battles all felt a surge of dread inside once they realized All Might was now at a great disadvantage.

Nikolay, Izuku, Eijirou and Bakugo were all about one hairs' breadth away from rushing in to try and intercept, before a distant boom echoed across USJ, almost immediately followed by that now-familiar beam of pure light descending down from above, slicing through the floor like a laser, effectively stopping the mist Villain in his tracks, separating him from All Might.

Tunguska came raining down like a human meteor as he quickly rejoined his fellow Heroes' side, meeting the Nomu with a devastating downward punch directly into its brain. Of course, the monstrosity quickly recovered, but now found itself on the defensive as both Heroes proceeded to work in perfect synchronization with each other, timing their flurried punches so as not to give their enemy a second of breathing room.

Both Heroes knew they were on the verge of their limits, and thus the furious desperation with which they fought drove every single ounce of power they could both summon into every blow, each one producing a deafening boom of impact that nearly shook the entire park to its core.

As Shigaraki observed this infuriating turn of events, he realized Kurogiri was reforming by his side with considerably more difficulty than he had before, before finally noticing the considerable burn damage to the plates around his neck. What the two Villains had failed to notice, however, was that even from the distance at which he stood from them while watching the ongoing battle, Nikolay had noticed the difference as well.

"Worry not, Shigaraki Tomura-san…it may prove a deal more challenging, but I can still extricate us from this situation once the Nomu has taken care of them." Kurogiri admitted with noticeable regret, clearly having to focus more on maintaining his form, hence why he wasn't currently trying to warp Tunguska out of the fight again. However, in his silent observation, Shigaraki could see both Heroes were visibly showing signs of tiring, even despite their shared relentless assault upon the Nomu.

"You bullheaded fools are wasting your time. I already told you he has shock absorption." Shigaraki vented while watching the two giants fight with real vigor, no matter how futile it ultimately was. However, neither All Might nor Tunguska let that deter them as they simply kept working in sync with one another, filling in one empty second with a punch after the other did the same, and so on.

"I'm aware!" All Might retorted, just as he and Tunguska both laid their respective hooks into both sides of the Nomus' face. "But shock absorption is not the same as 'total nullification'! Such a thing doesn't truly exist! Everything has its limit, it's just a matter of reaching it!" Tunguska added with a downright admirable bravado as he was managing to keep up in strength and flow with All Might, even despite the still-burning wound in his torso and his continuously draining energy.

"You say this monster was created to withstand my 100%? Well, how is it going to fare against more than that? How do you think it will withstand a total of 200% of our combined power?!" All Might declared, the gravity of it practically shaking the very air as none of the boys could even comprehend what a combined power of that scale from these two could possibly look like.

However, even as the two men continued their onslaught, slowly but surely inching the Nomu back away from the students, it was clear that there was no lasting effect on the creature itself, simply trying to fight back while they were still essentially punching their equivalent of a brick wall.

"This assault is getting us nowhere! If you try to charge beyond your 100%, that mist Villain will doubtless try to extract the beast before you have a chance!" Tunguska explained as quietly as he possibly could in these circumstances, lest the other Villains risked overhearing his train of thought. All Might was too focused on continuing his barrage to answer, but the momentary look in his glowing blue eyes reflected he was thinking the same thing. And that was when one last idea popped up in Tunguskas' frantic mind.

"I'm going to buy you your chance, All Might! KOLYA, SLEZAY SEYCHAS ZHE!" Tunguskas' sudden booming command in Russian hit Nikolay like a freight train to the senses, as like natural-born instinct, he realized what his father was about to do. The young boy practically sprung up off his feet where he stood, hooking his arms around Eijirou, Izuku and a very resistant Bakugo, bringing them all flat to the ground.

"GET DOWN AND CLOSE YOUR EYES," he shouted, to which fortunately Shoto immediately followed their example, while the others instinctively did as they were being ordered (at least, all except Bakugo, who had to have his eyes forcibly covered by Izuku at the last moment).

In that fraction of a second, Tunguska swerved his head out of the way of another punch from the Nomu, focusing every remaining inch of his collected power to his eyes, and as soon as his fist made reflexive contact with its chin, he opened his eyes, and produced an all-consuming, burning flash of light like the detonation of an atom bomb, burning into the eyes of the Nomu, Shigaraki and Kurogiri alike.

As soon as he realized his Russian comrades' plan had come through, All Might began charging every last bit of his remaining power into his fist, valor and determination burning like a wildfire in his heart. "A Hero is someone who smashes through every obstacle life puts in his way! Do you know of what I speak, Villain?! PLUS-!"

Finally, as his strength reached beyond its penultimate peak, All Might launched his fist straight into the Nomu with such godlike power, the sound of the impact was all but deafening, and the shockwave like that of a rail guns' cannon being fired right next to everyones' head, at minimum.

"—ULTRA!" All Might finally finished with his almighty battle cry, as his ultimate blow sent the Nomu flying right through the roof of USJ like a leaf in the face of a hurricane, effectively taking the monstrosity out of the fight at last.

None of the students dared to get up, having been kept down by the shockwave of the final liberating punch, but there was no doubt in any of their minds of what they had essentially bore witness to. They had just experienced the true, unchained strength of two of the mightiest Heroes alive, working in perfect sync with one another to defeat what had to be the greatest opponent imaginable. This was the world of Top Heroes that those two men lived in.

As the smoke began to clear, and All Might and Tunguska remained standing, awash in the relief that they had finally obtained victory, the Symbol of Peace could not help but make his own feelings known: "I really have gotten weaker…in my heyday, it would've taken five good punches at most. Now, I had to throw three-hundred of the suckers." Tunguska couldn't help but let out a deeply wry chuckle of his own amusement, listening to his counterpart say so. "And that flash of mine…in the old days, I would have been able to summon that up right out the gate, and they'd all be blinded for life…now it's like nothing more than a few hundred flash bangs going off at once."

Unable to help but smile, both veteran Heroes finally turned to find the solitary Shigaraki standing before them, looking at the two supermen with the beginnings of tears in his one exposed eye, though they wouldn't have been able to tell if that was from the flash, or simply because his ranks had now been shrunken by one.

"Now then, Villain. We all want to put a swift end to this little dance of ours…don't we?" "All you need do is surrender…and we promise to be merciful." All Might and Tunguskas' shared confidence produced a deeply upset trembling out of the now teary-eyed Shigaraki, as he barely managed to retain what little composure he had left, having now lost the Nomu, the one scenario he had personally labeled as an impossibility. "You two…you both cheated. Old and past your prime? Getting weaker? It was all lies…we're completely overpowered now! You bastards…how dare you lay your filthy hands on my Nomu? Y-you both CHEATED! There's no way…no way either one of you is any weaker! Not with that kind of display! Did he…did he lie to me?!"

By now, Shigarakis' whole body was trembling with what the two Heroes could only assume was fear. However, what neither of them wanted to admit, to themselves let alone their enemy, was that their awesome display of power had left them both absolutely drained of power. All Might knew he was officially at his limit of maintaining his form, and Tunguska knew that flash bang had drained what remaining accumulated light energy he had left. It would take at least an hour to regain enough to maintain much of a defensive front anymore. It was honestly taking all the two men had left to keep standing.

"What's the matter? Where'd all your bravado go?! What happened to you clearing the game?" All Might asked, almost on the verge of taunting, as he and Tunguska forced themselves back into their respective fighting postures. "If you think you still have a chance, then try it! Otherwise, surrender!"

By now, the boys had finally gotten back to their feet, and their respective stunned silence once they saw the hole in the roof, was now replaced by a respective astonishment to see the two older Heroes still standing, essentially having Shigaraki at their mercy. With the threat of the Nomu neutralized, many of their needs to stay and fight had now been replaced with the much more logical need to make their escape while they had the chance.

"Well, that really is the power of All Might for you. And Tunguska-sensei proved he clearly has the power to back up his typical swagger in the classroom." Shoto pointed out as he, Bakugo, Eijirou and Nikolay began to make their way for the stairs while they had the chance. "Midoriya-san, now's our chance to fall back." Eijirou tried to usher Izuku along, while Nikolay went in to try and pull him along by hand if he had to. "They're right, Midoriya-san. With that monster gone, the other two are no doubt desperate. There's no doubt they'll try to take us as hostages if they think it'll give them another shot."

However, Izukus' motionless state wasn't out of a stubborn need to try and do his part. No, what Nikolay saw when he looked in the green-haired boys' eyes was unadulterated fear and worry. Why he would have still looked this way after what they had just seen was beyond the young Russian, until he finally decided to follow his gaze, and saw the visible difficulty with which the two Heroes were managing to stay on their feet. 'Of course, why didn't I think of it?! Dad doesn't have unlimited power! He's always said that the flash bang was his most draining ability, not to mention those continuous beams earlier! He shouldn't even be able to stay standing right now, especially with that wound! And there's no way All Might can be any different after pushing himself that far! How much longer can they keep fighting like this?'

From where the two Heroes stood, Tunguska didn't dare take his eyes off the Villains lest they caught sight of it, but out the corner of his eye, he could tell the steam signifying the end of All Mights' maintaining his form was being deliberately mixed in with the dust from that godlike punch. Even despite his taunting of the Villains, it was clear what the Symbol of Peace was really trying to do: he was deliberately using himself as a scarecrow, using his recent example and posturing to try and intimidate the Villains into fleeing. The fact he hadn't already changed back was nothing short of miraculous. However, if those Villains didn't take the bait and run, then this fight was only going to continue, and only get uglier with the two of them in the state they were now in.

Shigaraki continued to tremble with growing intensity where he stood, almost looking akin to a terrified child standing before two domineering monsters. "If only Nomu were here! If it were him, he'd be able to face them both without one iota of pressure or hesitation!" He seemed to be nearing the verge of screaming in hysterics, before Kurogiri suddenly neared his side.

"Shigaraki Tomura-san, please compose yourself. If you look more closely, you can clearly see the damage the Nomu and we were able to inflict upon both of them. Make no mistake, they're both utterly spent, and it would appear those bothersome children are beginning to make their retreat as well. It is true that reinforcements are certain to make their appearance here in a matter of minutes. However, I tend the proposal, Shigaraki-san, that if you and I combine our efforts, there might still be a chance for us to murder both those overgrown nuisances."

With Kurogiris' great confidence out in the open, Shigarakis' trembling came to a sudden stop, and his once bulging red eye had narrowed to a much more focused, sinister stare. "Yeah…you're right, Kurogiri-san. You've got it totally…and utterly…on the nose! After all this trouble we've gone through…how could we fail to defeat two final bosses?!"

At that time, Shoto, Bakugo and Eijirou were finally making their way for the exit, ushering each other along, until they realized Izuku and Nikolay were still glued to where they were, unable to pry their eyes from the visible threat to their Heroes ahead. All either of them could think was that the two were at their respective limits, and if they didn't step in and do something, anything at all, there was no doubt in their minds what would happen next: Tunguska and All Might would both fall, and those Villains would emerge victorious after all.

"Above all other considerations…WE MUST AVENGE NOMU!" Shigaraki declared, just as he and Kurogiri dashed with lethal intent for All Might and Tunguska respectively. Both Heroes could only think in defeated resignation to themselves, that their shared defeats were now all but confirmed.

However, the instant the Villains began to make their move, Izuku launched himself forward off his feet with an unreal explosion of power similar to All Mights' punch, with Nikolay having grabbed a nearby chunk of debris from Tunguskas' earlier diving punch with one hand, and swiftly launching himself up and forward with the other, aiming himself with an almost inhuman precision to make sure he was going right for the mist Villain about to converge on the now helpless Tunguska.

As he began to descend with the concrete chunk clutched in a vice grip in his hand, Nikolay felt his heart sink when the mist Villains' glowing eyes centered on him, having him spotted from practically a mile away, with another portal swiftly opening right in the young Russians' trajectory. 'Remember the Entrance Exam. What did you do then?'

With that one thought, Nikolay aimed his free hand right underneath himself, and just before he was about to be swallowed up by the portal, he fired another blast, propelling himself further up and flipping right over the mouth of the portal, and over the shocked Villains' head.

As soon as his feet managed to hit the ground flat, Nikolay immediately envisioned himself back on that pitchers' diamond, and felt every single sensation and ounce of focus rippling through the muscles in his right arm, as he reeled back, and turned his entire body with it. 'Dad and Bakugo, they showed you firsthand! You know what to do, Nikolay Olegovich!' His mind was completely absorbed in the focused strings of his kinetic power rushing through all the appropriate muscle fibers to his fingers, as he swung his arm forward, mentally screaming for every last bit of power he had to go into his fingertips and fire at the point of release.

BWOOOM!

That once frightening yet now blissful sound of that bass-like shockwave firing from his fingertips shook the very ground where he stood, as Nikolay fired the concrete chunk out from his hand with sound barrier-breaking force and speed. He nearly felt his entire body flinch with the deafening sound of the projectile slamming directly into the back of the plates around the mist Villains' neck, eliciting a pained and distressed outcry from him. The boost in speed and force from the otherwise small object was enough to send his whole mass flying helplessly into the opposite wall.

Nikolay could feel like his body was reacting entirely on its own, as he was already turning on his heels, ready to fire another fully charged blast straight in the white-haired Villains' face, only to find the man was already in the process of extending one of his lethal hands to intercept the still-flying Izukus' face; the freckled boy only now realizing that his mad dash to save All Might had gotten him exactly where the Hero didn't want him.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Out of nowhere, the white-haired Villains' hands and knees burst in spatters of blood as he reeled back in pain and surprise, having unmistakably just gotten shot from afar. Nikolay and Izuku both looked to the source of the sound, and both felt their spirits skyrocket at what they saw. "So they've finally arrived." All Might stated in relief as the rest of his muscular body finally became engulfed in the mist, out of sight of everyone.

Atop the stairs at the entrance, all lined up side by side, were a plethora of Pro Heroes, a couple of whom Nikolay and Izuku recognized even from afar as some of their general education teachers like Present Mic and Midnight, while others were instantly recognizable to the curly-haired Hero enthusiast, but were as complete strangers to his Slavic comrade. The one who had just managed to incapacitate Shigaraki was one dressed in a manner resembling that of a stereotypical cowboy, with a smoking pistol in hand.

What finally tied this relieving sight all together, though, was that Tenya stood at the vanguard, a glimmer of duty in his eye as the fruit of his desperate labor stood at the ready, and he stood as tall and stalwart as the most inspiring of beacons. "I came back with all the people I could scrape together! Class 1-A President, Iida Tenya…REPORTING FOR DUTY!"

As he stood clutching his bleeding hand, Shigaraki looked upon the large number of reinforcements, and his previous trembling swiftly returned with a vengeance, even as the black mist of Kurogiris' form tried to reform itself at his side. "They…they came! They finally came! It's game over for real, this time! It's time for us to go back to the drawing board, Kurogiri-san."

Suddenly, a flurry of bullets began zipping through the air from the cowboy Hero, focusing on forcing Shigaraki and Kurogiri close together, before the two Villains found themselves suddenly being pulled against their will towards the stairs. "The Quirk that can capture these two banditos from a distance…" the cowboy Hero remarked as he observed his two targets getting pulled through the air by an increasingly powerful force of wind.

"That would be…MY DOING!" The announcement was finally finished, as Thirteen had managed to pull themselves to the edge of the stairs, and reopened the fingers of their Suit to start sucking both Villains up into their Black Hole. Even as Kurogiri tried reshaping his shadowy mass to try and protect Shigaraki, he could tell he was having exponentially more trouble maintaining his shape, and the increasing force of the Black Hole above was only exacerbating their situation. All the while, Shigaraki was still trembling with barely repressed despair and anger.

"For the time being, we've failed…but make no mistake, we'll kill you next time for certain! Both of you! Either one of you is too dangerous to be kept alive, Symbol of Peace, Sun of Justice! You'll both die when the time comes!" This was Shigarakis' final declaration of intent, as he and Kurogiri suddenly became engulfed in a large ball of black mist, before it just as swiftly dissipated, leaving nothing more in its wake, leaving the entirety of USJ in a merciful, merciful silence.

As Heroes and students alike took in the aftermath, they all came to the same conclusion with indescribable relief: the attack on USJ was finally over, and they had come out in the end as the victors!

As soon as the relief had worn off, Nikolay felt his deep sense of worry come back as he saw Tunguska had fallen to his knees, and Izuku was laid out flat on the ground. As the Russian boy hurried to his fathers' side, he saw his green-haired classmate had two severely broken legs, doubtless from that enhanced jump he had made to try and intercept in All Mights' defense.

"Kolya…" Tunguskas' exhausted muttering drew his sons' attention once more as he looked over his fathers' wounds with agonizing worry written all over his face, unmistakable once the boy finally removed his mariners' cap and goggles to see clearer; tears in his green eyes. [[Hang on, Dad, help's on the way! You're going to be okay. You're-!]]

Tunguska swiftly reached up and planted a firm hand on the boys' shoulder, rendering him silent as the older Hero tried to lift himself up a little further, gritting his teeth from exhaustion and pain. Finally, he met his sons' gaze; an immense level of emotion reflected in his blue eyes. [[I am so…so proud of you, Kolya. You stood up and fought to protect everyone, even in the face of terrible danger. Things would…things would have been so much worse…for me, for All Might, for everyone, if it hadn't been for you and malenkii Midoriya stepping up to save everyone. You've all done so well, son.]]

At that moment, father and son both turned at the sound of Izukus' pained tears as the damage to his legs was finally registering, but there was also a look of immense shame on his straining face. "I…I was…completely useless…"

There was no mistake he wasn't speaking in reaction to anything Tunguska had said, but to hear the boy say so, both Russians had half a mind to step in and assure him he had been far from such, when the voice of All Might suddenly spoke up from within the impenetrable cloud of dust that had still not managed to dissipate from before. "That's not true, Midoriya-shonen. Nobody was useless today, but least of all you. If you hadn't bought me that little extra time, then my head would be rolling right now. You've saved me once again, my boy."

From where he was, Nikolay couldn't help but find something unusual about All Mights' voice, but before he could think on it further, Tunguska had managed to turn himself around so he could look Izuku in the eyes. "He's right, malenkii Midoriya. In a situation like this, any action taken to save others, or to stop Villains, is far, far from useless. You, Kolya, all of your classmates, you have all fought admirably in the face of evil. You children…you're all the real Heroes of the day."

Nikolay and Izuku both couldn't help but shed mutual tears of an indescribable joy to hear such praise being given to them all by association from such paragons of Heroism, in the aftermath of an event that had seemed so terrifying and incapable of winning. They had been called real Heroes, and for the first time in each of their lives, they actually felt like they had earned such a title. It truly was the greatest feeling imaginable.

As the Pro Heroes had descended the stairs, looking upon all the destruction and finding no sign of either of the Villains they had come to fight, they were also quick to realize All Mights' current state, and especially the fact that several of the students were dangerously close to seeing him in it. In fact, among them, Eijirou was the only one intently making a beeline for his two classmates and the two veteran Heroes. "Hey, Midoriya-san, Kolya-san, are you guys okay?"

Nikolay didn't notice the visibly worried looks on Izuku and Tunguskas' faces, and instead was about to call out to the red-haired boy, before he suddenly felt himself being picked up by the back of his collar, and gently placed a good ways away, right before a large cement wall was swiftly erected from the ground itself, cutting off his line of sight from his father, Izuku and All Might altogether, while also stopping Eijirou in his tracks with surprise.

Nikolay was just about ready to protest, before finding himself staring up at a large squinty-eyed humanoid figure who looked to be made entirely out of concrete, himself. "I apologize, but we want to make sure none of the students have any injuries, so we'll have you all gather at the front gate. Leave the injured to the care of your senseis."

Despite his imposing appearance, there was no detectable malice or intimidation to his voice, which helped put Nikolay and Eijirou both at ease. "All right, sir. Please, take care of them as best you can." Nikolay requested as humbly as he could, before realizing there was nothing more he could do here, and instead returned to Eijirous' side; the two boys making their way for the stairs and the exit at last.

Behind the cement wall, Izuku let out a sight of great relief, before suddenly realizing Tunguska was still on their side of it, and the smoke was finally clearing. The boy was about ready to throw himself to block the Russian Heroes' view of All Might, before the man himself finally spoke up: "That was close. As much as I wish I could, I simply cannot afford to let those kids know the truth."

"You know it can't wait for too much longer, though, Toshinori-san. You pushed yourself to your absolute limit today. You can't keep pushing your luck like that." The utterly casual tone with which Tunguska spoke, forcing his way through the pain of his own injuries, took Izuku completely by surprise, as he saw the large man didn't look the least bit perturbed by All Mights' now scrawny appearance.

"Forgive me for not informing you before now, Midoriya-shonen, but much like the other Pro Heroes at this school, Tunguska is well aware of the truth of my condition, as well. I simply couldn't find a good time to tell you up until now. But you can rest easy now, my boy."

At that point, the large cement Hero finally came around to greet the three individuals splayed out on the ground in varying degrees of pain. "Thank you for the quick assist, Cementoss. You really saved my hide." Toshinori thanked the large Hero, who simply gave them each a courteous bow, a much more pleasant look in his tiny eyes. "I'm a fan of yours as well, All Might; and I've been hearing quite a bit about you through the Pro Hero community since your arrival here as well, Tunguska-san. You can all rest assured you're in good hands now. Now, let's keep your true form hidden for a little bit longer, All Might, and get the three of you back to the infirmary. But if I could give any of you a piece of advice, I would suggest none of you make such an effort to overdo it next time."

At this, the two veteran Heroes especially couldn't help but let the grim reality of their recent situation reflect on their faces, each deep in thought at what they had just gone up against. "Yes, but if I hadn't gone that far, I would be a dead man right now." All Might admitted, while Tunguska couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Those Villains were very much different from the kind I'd faced before in the old days. I'm not sure how well I would've fared against their like, even in my prime. That's how truly formidable they are."

It was truly a scary thing to finally hear such powerful Heroes admit how outmatched they had been against those Villains, especially for one that looked up to their kind like Izuku. However, noticing the green-haired boys' expression, Tunguska felt another swelling of pride in his chest, much like how he felt towards his own son. "Even despite the damage it wreaks on your body, you didn't hesitate to use your Quirk to try and save All Might, to save all of your classmates against overwhelming odds. That kind of selfless nature is one of the cornerstones of a real Hero. I wasn't entirely sure, having not seen you use it in a real life-or-death situation like this, but now I know. All Might truly did make the right choice, passing One For All down to you, malenkii Midoriya."

That had been the first time he had heard another Pro Hero besides All Might express such faith in the new responsibility that had been passed down to him from the Symbol of Peace himself, but that didn't make the confidence and joy he felt from it any less powerful, as Izuku could only give a tearful smile of acceptance and gratitude in response to the Russian Heroes' acknowledgment and approval.

Along the way to the front entrance of USJ, Nikolay and Eijirou had finally taken the liberty of catching each other up on their respective experiences up until the last battle. Apparently, Eijirou and Bakugo had gotten warped to the ruins section of the park, and while he had originally wanted to return to the plaza to try and help the others, Bakugo had simply been determined on taking revenge on the mist Villain. It was primarily his way of handling himself in combat against the bottom-tier Villains without any hint of fear, that had convinced Eijirou to follow his lead all the way back.

At the same time, the red-haired boy had been left visibly impressed as Nikolay recalled his entire experience alongside Shoto at the avalanche area. If anything, the Russian boy couldn't help but feel impressed himself, looking back on it. He had heard so much about how hindsight could change ones' perspective on past events so dramatically, but he hadn't counted on it happening so soon after the fact. He ultimately chalked it up to an aftereffect of the relief that the danger itself was finally over.

As soon as both boys had finally stepped out into the glorious haven of the outside, they felt awash with relief to see all of their classmates were gathered as well, none of them looking worse for wear as they were looked over by the police for any injuries.

"We really gave it our all…didn't we? All of us?" Eijirou finally asked, as though he were trying to prove it all to himself as he took it all in. Nikolay felt a warmth in his chest as he looked back on everything, and compared it to this blissful moment of safety they were now in. "Yeah…yeah, we really did," he ultimately agreed, still managing to feel blindsided by just how good it felt to actually say out loud.

The two boys only managed to take one step forward, before they were met with: "YOU'RE BOTH OKAY! OH, THANK GOD!" They barely had a chance to figure out where the overjoyed voice came from, before a teary-eyed, yet clearly ecstatic Mina Ashido, nearly came sprinting from out of the throng of their classmates and the police, towards them.

She was visibly overcome with pure joy and relief, as she barely brought herself to a stop before throwing her arms around Nikolays' and Eijirous' shoulders, hugging them both at once as tight as she could. She didn't even try to stop her body from trembling with raw emotion, as she let her tears of relief run down her face, refusing to let either of them go, as they exchanged slightly embarrassed yet grateful glances with each other.

It felt like several minutes had passed before Mina was finally able to get her tears under control again, and finally let them both free of her joyous embrace, before just as quickly placing her hands on their shoulders, looking the two of them over from top to bottom, as if trying to make sure not one hair was out of place on either of their heads. "After that Villain hit us all with that mist, we woke up near the entrance. God, I was so worried when I found you two weren't with us," she didn't even hesitate to admit.

"Hey, it's alright, Ashido; we're both okay. See? Maybe a few scuff marks here and there, but really, not a scratch." Eijirou tried to reassure her as he stepped back with his arms spread, turning all the way around to prove his point. "We're fine, Mina, I promise. And we…we had a lot of great help to keep us that way." Nikolay chimed in as well when he saw that despite the relieved smile on her face, Minas' black-gold eyes still looked worried.

The two boys proceeded to share with her both their accounts of everything they had gone through since being warped, and just whom among their classmates she was, even then, taking personal note of thanking when the chance would come. Once both their stories had been shared, down to the end of their ultimate battle with the Villains, the smile on Minas' tear-streaked pink face had changed. It was no longer that of relief, but that of a measureless pride in her two precious friends. To see that look on her face, after all the constant support and faith she had always been expressing to them in their capabilities, was a wonderful sensation neither of them could describe with paltry words.

"I knew you both had what it took; I just knew it! See? You guys really are Heroes," she proclaimed, her smile practically beaming, leaving Eijirou looking deeply moved and proud of himself, and leaving Nikolay on the verge of joyful tears of his own. To hear such praise from both his father and Mina on the same day, Nikolay felt like he was honestly on top of the world in that moment, surrounded by people he cared about more than he ever thought he could have before, knowing he had done something of his own power to help keep them all safe.

As he looked upon all their classmates, no doubt sharing among each other their own experiences, he felt a growing desire to let one of his more restrained thoughts out, unwilling to let everything that had happened today be kept a secret from his closest friend. "Mina; you should know that when I got warped and realized what had happened…I-I actually had half a mind to go and search every inch of the park for you. I didn't know who had gotten sent where, but I was about ready to do that, because I was scared you might have gotten hurt, wherever you were."

Nikolay was honestly surprised, himself, with the absolute weight of what he was confessing, and when he chanced an upward glance, he could tell Mina felt the same way, looking like she was actually struggling to comprehend the real meaning behind such sentiment. Without his goggles, the light couldn't play tricks on his eyes, as he could see her already radiant pink cheeks were beginning to turn a shade of red, before she awkwardly cleared her throat and regained her much more casual smile. "So…if you were really that worried about me…why didn't you?"

There was no trace of accusation; she legitimately wanted to know what could have been able to stop him, especially since she had come to recognize how driven by his own emotions the young Slavic boy was. Nikolay couldn't help but let out the beginning of a nervous chuckle, realizing the corner he'd blindly driven himself into. "Honestly? I had a feeling that if I had, and I found you…you probably would have called me a dummy for not trying to get myself to safety first."

All was silent between them for a few lingering moments, with Eijirou anxiously switching his gaze between them, not expecting their relieved conversation to take such a seriously personal turn. Finally, Mina let out an embarrassed giggle of her own, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly as she nervously avoided eye contact with Nikolay. "Yeah…knowing me, yeah, I probably would have. That's still really…*ahem* really brave and…s-sweet of you to say, though, Kolya-kun." By this point, both teens were visibly blushing, almost to the point of resembling Ochako.

And speaking of which, the sound of another approaching pair of footsteps drew the trios' attention, and they were met with the brightly smiling gravity girl, who had clearly overheard their little conversation. "There's no need to keep it secret anymore, Mina-chan! When we first realized what had happened after the mist cleared, we all had to talk her down from going back into the park to look for both of you herself."

This time it was Minas' turn to look completely flustered, her whole face turning a darker shade of pink while Ochako couldn't help but giggle in amusement. It was honestly surprising, to see the normally so timid brown-haired girl speaking with such humor, and leaving the normally energetic pink girl a blushing mess. Clearly the relief at having survived such a close call had gotten Ochakos' spirits up considerably.

Of course, once their mutual laughter at the humor of it all had died down, Ochakos' smile couldn't help but shrink some. "Deku-kun…he's going to the infirmary right now, isn't he?" Nikolay and Eijirou both could tell she was asking rhetorically, since she hadn't seen a trace of the curly-haired boy among the other students. After every other time she'd seen him use his Quirk, it was as though she'd already brought herself to expect it. Neither of the boys could justify trying to play it off as less than it was.

"Yeah, he is. But he saved Tunguska-sensei and All Might in the process. He pretty much saved all of us doing so. When he gets back out, we can all thank him for it." Nikolay said in an attempt to help reassure her, while Eijirou hurriedly stepped in with equal confidence. "Yeah, we all may have fought, but he was something else. That dudes' tough as nails, and he'll be back on his feet good as new like always."

By now, even Mina had managed to get past her fluster and was eagerly joining Ochakos' side with a supportive arm over her shoulders, that inspiring sunny smile visibly lifting Ochakos' spirits as she looked upon her three friends with hope in her eyes. "That's right! Midori-kun may get beaten down, but he always gets right back up! Don't worry, Urara-chan, you'll be able to thank him and give him the Heroes' welcome he deserves, just you wait! Heck, you deserve a ton of credit, too, after helping Iida-san escape to get help like that! I guess we're all just lucky nobody else got hurt in the—Kolya-kun, what is that?"

Minas' confident speech had gone to a tone of quiet yet unmistakable concern like the flipping of a switch. Ochako and Eijirou both looked confused; until they all followed Minas' gaze down and quickly donned expressions of surprised worry of their own. Nikolay finally looked down, and felt his whole body freeze in surprise when he noticed several razor thin lacerations along the sleeves of his costume and on the back of his right glove, almost as if invisible piano wires had made them. Some of them were even a darker shade of red than the turtleneck that formed the sleeve itself, crusted with since-dried blood.

The young Russian felt his skin rise with frightened goose bumps once he realized what he was looking at, only managing to avoid going into full blown panic when his brain actually managed to trace back his footsteps and allow him to maintain reason. "Damn…these must have been from the first Villain that attacked me right after I got warped! He had these claws made of ice, and I'd spent the whole fight trying to back away from him! I thought I'd been doing good avoiding his blows. God, I must've been so hopped up on adrenaline the whole time after, I didn't even feel it. Well, at least it's not really hurt-."

His self-reflecting was immediately silenced when Mina stepped forward with great urgency and immediately pulled Nikolay into a tight, protective embrace, making him feel every inch of her securely up against him. Her hands were clutching onto the back of his chokha like she was holding onto him for dear life. He couldn't even think of anything to say, even when he could hear she was sniffling as she hugged him, trying to not break down into tears again so soon.

"Kolya-kun, this is serious! Do you know how much worse those could have been? You…you can be as brave as the best Hero, but you still need to be careful when you're in a battle! Please, don't act like this is nothing, not now! I don't…I don't want anything bad to happen to you, just because you were being reckless, or careless or whatever you want to call it! Please, promise me you'll be more careful from now on."

Nikolay could feel every ounce of seriousness Mina was trying to convey through her words, while still trying to fight back the urge to cry at seeing him hurt. As he took every word to heart, he could feel her whole body just barely trembling against his as she still held him in her warm embrace. Mina truly was someone who wore her heart on her sleeve, for better and for worse, and she couldn't hide how much it hurt her to see something like this on someone she cared about if she tried.

And to know that he had indirectly been the cause of it, hurt Nikolay more than those scratches on his arms ever could. At a loss of what to do, he looked nervously to a likewise worried Ochako, and a surprisingly calm Eijirou for an idea. The red-haired boy had a knowing smile on his face. He could easily tell the wounds weren't nearly as serious as Mina was acting like they were, but his expression was more towards her reaction itself.

For Nikolay, that grin brought back to mind what his sharp-toothed compatriot had told him once before: how the only thing that ever got through Minas' cheerful attitude was when her friends were in trouble or hurt. Knowing that, of course her reaction would be like this, it was pretty much to be expected. But that didn't make it any less painful to witness.

Foregoing anything else he could say or do, Nikolay swallowed the smidgeon of guilt that had begun to take form, and instead decided to move forward from his blunder by bringing his arms around Mina in return, holding her firmly and bringing her sniffling and trembling to an immediate stop. "I promise, Mina: I will be more careful from now on. I don't want to make you worry, so you can take that as my word. Please, don't cry."

Minas' grip on his chokha thankfully loosened, and her embrace now felt less out of a desperate need to protect him, and more out of just plain gratitude that for all other intents and purposes, her Russian friend really was okay. Her burgeoning tears thankfully stopped threatening to come, and she could feel that wonderfully familiar and warm feeling of peace and contentment quickly return, brightening her spirits right back up.

Nikolay soon couldn't help but feel worried that more of their classmates were going to start noticing this, and nervously looked to his two watchful friends. Ochako thankfully looked relieved once she had seen the situation resolve itself, and Eijirou still had that knowing smile on his face. The message behind it was clear as day: he was silently reassuring the young Russian of just how lucky he really was to have best friends like them.

Soon enough, Nikolay and Mina finally released their respective holds around each other, before Ochako stepped in to get a better look at his wounds. "Should we go tell the police, have Kolya-san go to the infirmary?" she asked, at a genuine point of indecision to what they should have done. Surprisingly, Mina gave a firm shake of her head before she began reaching inside the vest of her costume. "No, no need. I think Recovery Girl might have her hands full enough with Aizawa-sensei, Thirteen-sensei, All Might, Tunguska-sensei and Midori-kun; a few little paper cuts like those aren't worth inconveniencing the cops with. Besides, I've got just what they need right here."

It was amazing just how quickly her attitude had gone from overreacting, to now treating his wounds much more casually. Clearly Mina had taken Nikolays' confidence and promise straight to heart, and was officially back to her normal, sunshine-y self.

That change was quickly compounded by the sheer confidence in Minas' smile and the brilliant glimmer in her eyes when she pulled out a handful of pastel-colored band-aids from a pocket inside her vest, many of them adorned with things like stars, hearts, flowers and cute little doodles of animals. "I know it's not much in the long run, but I always…well, I try to remember to keep some of these handy, just in case. They're just what those little scratches need!"

His natural-born sense of masculinity made it impossible for Nikolay to not feel a smidge of embarrassment at what Mina was suggesting (even Eijirou couldn't help but feel a touch embarrassed for him), but her expression was undeniably resolute, even behind her confident smile. Her eyes showed it all. "I wasn't able to do much for Thirteen-sensei when they got hurt, and I might not have been able to save you after everyone got warped, but I can at least do something about this. Please, Kolya-kun."

It was obvious that no matter what he'd do or say, his pink best friend wasn't going to let this incident go, at least not until she knew she was able to do something to make it even a little better, just like a real Hero. With that in mind, Nikolay finally relented with a sigh of acceptance, and proceeded to unbutton and remove his chokha and his right glove, and rolled up the sleeves of his turtleneck, revealing the thin lacerations fully.

Mina immediately got to work applying one band-aid to each cut, her eyes practically laser-focused, as if she might as well have been performing surgery. Thankfully the few cuts that had actually bled, had long since scabbed over, but that didn't stop her from applying those little strips of TLC as if they were the magic touch.

As he watched her work, Nikolay looked at the wounds themselves, and could feel that weight of worldly realization drop in his stomach. Mina was right; had he made one wrong step at any point in any of those fights, he probably wouldn't have even been standing here right now. This was what the life of a real Hero was filled with, the constant threat of death when facing against those that sought to do harm to them and the innocent. Today had been filled to the brim with genuine life-or-death situations, and he and the students and Pro Heroes around him were the only ones capable of making sure they had all gotten out of it alive. And even then, Heroes as powerful as Aizawa, Thirteen, All Might and Tunguska had nearly gotten killed in the chaos of it all.

As Mina finally applied the last band-aid to the scratch on the back of Nikolays' right hand, she realized they had both begun that compulsive shaking she had seen from him sporadically over the last two weeks. Looking up worriedly, she couldn't see the same fear on Nikolays' face, but that didn't mean it wasn't on his mind all the same. Of course, she still felt scared as well. They had all been put in serious danger, how could she not have still felt it even after all was said and done?

However, just because they were both clearly still frightened by this experience, didn't mean she was just going to let either one of them roll over and be consumed by it. That was why the very first thing Mina Ashido did as soon as she applied the last band-aid, was take both of Nikolays' hands in her own, holding them as gently yet supportively as she could, spurring her Russian friend to look in her eyes.

"You're okay, Kolya-kun. We're all okay. You see?" The warm smile on her pink face did just the trick, as she could feel the shaking in his hands quickly die down, and his green eyes regain that reassuring look of calm. "I promise: from now on, I'm going to be there to watch your back; no matter what. Okay?"

As much as he truly understood and appreciated the sincerity in her promise, Nikolay couldn't help but think about everything he now understood of what she and the others at the entrance had gone through. To know the people she cared about were in constant danger, and knowing that she couldn't do anything for them, or for their own injured, must have been a torment like he couldn't believe. As much as Mina truly meant these words of support for him, it was also clear that a lot of it had also been intended as a solemn oath to herself: an oath that next time, she wasn't going to allow herself to be stuck to the sidelines, unable to help anyone else.

He knew this was one of those rare moments that didn't need extra words; that would just ruin all the sentiment behind it. So Nikolay simply did the one thing he felt would communicate his appreciation for everything Mina was doing and saying: and simply met the holding of her hands with his own, both students meeting each others' grips in kind, which of course left them both blushing considerably when they realized it. Nevertheless, the appreciative smile on Nikolays' face earned a shimmering of encouraged happiness in Minas' eyes as she just knew what he was trying to say: 'Thank you…for everything.'

As soon as he had gotten the rest of his costume back on, save the goggles, Nikolay, Mina and the rest of their classmates had all been called together for a headcount by the police, led by a man who looked to be in his thirties, dressed in a stereotypical detectives' getup of a trench coat and fedora, who carefully counted each of them before making the declaration that, with the exception of Aizawa, Thirteen, All Might, Tunguska and Izuku, nobody had gotten hurt.

Figuring it was best to leave the resulting investigation of USJ to the police, and the following planning of improved security measures for the school to the Pro Heroes, Headmaster Nezu was quick to usher the students back to the bus to take them back to Class 1-A; a proposition many were more than happy to oblige, ready to put the scariness of today far behind them.

As they proceeded to ride the whole way back, Nikolay nearly felt like he was ready to pass out where he sat, the long-ignored exhaustion finally hit him so hard. All the same, as he looked upon the contemplative and, in some cases, still shaken faces of his classmates, he knew it wouldn't be right to not at least express his honest gratitude to those that had helped in seeing everyone through this ordeal.

"Thank you; Todoroki-san, Kirishima-san, Yaoyorozu-san, Iida-san, Jirou-san, Kaminari-san, Tsuyu-san…Bakugo-san. If it hadn't been for all of you, I'm not sure what would have…I mean, I don't—"Hey, don't go selling yourself short, you hear? You got us out of a tough spot yourself, give yourself a little credit." Kyouka suddenly interrupted the Russians' awkward attempt at group gratitude, effectively shutting him up with an embarrassed half-chuckle. Denki was still only able to giggle stupidly to himself with that vacant short-circuited look on his face, and Tsuyu seemed to be silently taking his gratitude to heart, with her finger once again up to her lip in thought. At the same time, Shoto simply kept his arms crossed and his eyes closed, keeping all his feelings and thoughts, if any, strictly to himself.

"Tch, go ahead and keep your sissy thanks to yourself. I can't believe I let that misty asshole get away. If it weren't for that meat-headed commie has-been and that blowhard All Might, I would've given him what he deserved, no question." Bakugo nearly spat, glaring angrily out the window. The fact he was still able to spit such vitriol in the direction of the two men responsible for saving their lives nearly made Nikolay want to get up from his seat and finally tell the hothead off, before he realized Bakugo was now actually glancing at him from the corner of his eye.

"As for you…just be grateful your weepy willow ass chose not to run away as soon as shit got serious. If you had, I would have to kick your ass up and down this bus on basic principle."

Nikolay couldn't hide the surprise on his face even if he wanted to, and neither could Mina or any of his other classmates when he looked to them to make sure he hadn't been hearing things. Had he just gotten something akin to an actual compliment, from Katsuki Bakugo of all people? At this point, he had been convinced the blonde boy had no clue how to express such things. Regardless, he was going to take those words for what they were worth and leave it at that. No point pushing his luck and health any further after everything else today.

Returning his attention to literally anyone else across from him, his focus fell upon Momo, and he soon found himself remembering something else that had been swimming around in his head for the last half hour. "Yaoyorozu-san, it might not have really worked against that creature, but that really was brilliant of you to think of that giant tuning fork as a weapon for me." Unlike many girls her age, Momo didn't blush or start acting flustered at receiving such a compliment, but the appreciative smile on her face was no less genuine. "I simply went with what made the most logical sense, given the foundations and current limits of your Quirk. It really wasn't anything that special, Kolya-san."

"I know, but still, that's why I've been thinking: simple grapple martial arts won't help me out much in fights against Villains, but finding some way to incorporate my Quirk into physical melee combat probably would. So, do you think you would be willing to try and maybe make me two handheld tuning forks like that, a little smaller and perhaps made of something a little sturdier, that I could be able to use?" As soon as the request had been made, Nikolay instinctively felt like taking it all back, dreading he had been coming across as too forward or too demanding of their vice-president.

However, Momos' cat-like eyes looked to be deep in thought, rather than looking put upon or insulted. "Hmm…I'll need to look into different kinds of alloys, specifically the kind that would be able to properly manipulate and channel sound in a manner that would effectively compliment the combat capabilities of your Quirk. However, once I find something that fits those qualifications, making two such things for you to add to your repertoire should be no trouble at all, Kolya-san."

Nikolay rested himself back against his seat, awash with relief and encouragement that she had been so accepting of the idea. Seeing the contented smile on his face, Mina couldn't help but feel the urge to prod him with a little more of her good-natured teasing. "Well, well, look at you, Mr. Popular, already talking so easily with everyone. You're already turning into quite the social butterfly, aren't you?" She immediately began laughing in great amusement when she saw Nikolay blushing with embarrassment, spurring similar reactions out of many of their classmates in an ultimately well-intentioned domino effect, before Nikolay himself couldn't help but to laugh in kind as well.

Inside the Yuuei infirmary, Toshinori, Izuku and Oleg all lay side by side in their respective hospital beds, all three of them done up in a veritable patchwork of band-aids, bandages, casts and slings. Recovery Girl, sitting loyally at her desk beside them after all had been said and done, had given her healing kisses where absolutely necessary, and now her three patients' recovery was for the time being, out of her hands.

"Given the current circumstances this time around, I'm not going to say anything. It wouldn't be anything you three haven't heard already, anyway. I've done what I can for you right now, so your injuries will heal. However, Tunguska-san and All Might, with the two of you being as along in your years as you are, and on top of All Mights' underlying condition as well, I'm afraid your respective vitalities simply aren't the same as with the average student, so your recoveries are going to take considerably longer. I realize I can't control either of your actions, but I must implore you both to please, try and exercise more caution and just be more careful, for goodness' sake!"

Neither of the older men dared utter a word in argument, for they knew she was right. Oleg instinctively turned about in his bed, grimacing with acute pain at the wound in his side. "You know, in its own sick kind of way, this is a little funny." Toshinori suddenly commented, now that hearing Oleg had spurred his train of thought in a different direction. "What is?" Oleg muttered through his clenched teeth, settling himself flat on his back once more, realizing he was going to be stuck like this.

"The wound that's left me in this condition is on my left side, as well; same general location, as well. Folks around the Pro Hero community have been throwing a lot of comparisons around between you and me lately. Now we have another item to add to their lists." The frail blonde man began to genuinely laugh, before quickly retching up another considerable amount of blood from his mouth, earning concerned looks from Izuku and Oleg alike. Of course, the larger Russian settled his tired gaze on the ceiling, having to actively will himself not to feel at the bandages over his scorched wound. Frankly, he didn't even want to dare looking at that awful decay wound on his left arm. He had never encountered a Quirk like that before, and it frankly scared him to think about.

"It really does force one to think back, though; doesn't it? It's not like this is the first time I ever had one of my own moves turned against me. I've faced one or two similar reflector-type Villains back in my heyday. Back then, though, I could just absorb that energy back and just numb myself to the pain. It didn't waylay me like this." There was a bitterness lacing the nostalgic tone Oleg spoke with. Izuku and Toshinori were hesitant to answer, neither of them sure if he was actually looking for them to do so. Finally, Toshinori simply couldn't keep his curiosity to himself. "What are you thinking, Oleg-san?"

"Well…two things stand out, I suppose. One: once I'm back on my feet again, I'm going to need to look into some material upgrades for my suit; something with more energy-absorbing properties that can help considerably mitigate the damage next time. And second…I hadn't been wanting to acknowledge it to this kind of degree, but after today, it'd be downright irresponsible of me not to: I'm really getting old."

Toshinori likewise let out a weary sigh of his own. "Today has given us both a lot to consider, Oleg-san. I don't doubt that I…I was being reckless with my time limit, probably…*sigh* if only I had just another hour in me, or so…well, what can you do? You've just got to accept that these things happen." With that, he visibly struggled to sit himself up in his hospital bed.

Between the two veteran Heroes at his sides, Izuku almost felt like he had no place to speak. These men had both experienced so much more than he could have imagined, how could he possibly have been able to say anything to reassure either of them of their clear-as-day limitations at a time like this? It really was a frustrating cycle: every time he pushed himself beyond what he thought was his limit, whether to prove himself or protect someone, and he earned the resultant praise worthy of a Hero, he still, at the end of the day, felt inadequate in comparison to figures like these.

Knock, knock

A sudden wrapping at the door snapped all three patients and Recovery Girl to attention, before opening up to reveal a young man possibly in his thirties in a trench coat and fedora, with black hair and an exceptionally sociable smile. "Coming through! All Might, long time no see!" Despite his inexpressive gaunt face, Toshinoris' sunken eyes noticeably lit up upon seeing their sudden visitor. "Tsukauchi-san, is that you?! So you showed up, too, after all!"

Izuku and Oleg both visibly flinched with surprise that this stranger knew their compatriot right out the gate. "All Might…! You…he…he knows your true form?!" "Exactly how many people have you let in on your secret by now?!" they both shouted with surprise, to which Toshinori gave a wry chuckle of embarrassment. "That's right, there's no problems here. Why, you may both be asking? Because this is Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa-san, a police officer with whom I am best friends!"

The detective in question removed his hat, a clearly amused smile on his youthful face. "Really, now, what kind of introduction is that? I've looked over the class paperwork, so I understand you, young man, must be Midoriya Izuku-kun. As for you, sir…I actually don't know you. There's no mention of anyone fitting your description among any Pro Hero Agencies." Even despite his very friendly tone and demeanor, Tsukauchis' policeman instincts came through clearly when he addressed the mysterious foreigner that Oleg was from where he stood.

"Oh, of course, allow me to correct that, Tsukauchi-san. This is Oleg Bezpalov-san, a.k.a. Tunguska, a Russian former Pro Hero, and an old acquaintance from many years back. He's here working as the first official Quirk History teacher in Yuuei, at my personal recommendation and invitation. You can double check with Headmaster Nezu, and you'll see his credentials check out. He lent me a very helpful hand in the battle today." Thankfully, Toshinoris' assurance seemed to be all it took to put the detectives' suspicious air away, as his demeanor immediately brightened up. "Well, if All Might is personally vouching for you, I see no reason to doubt him. His judge of character has proven rather impeccable over the years. Forgive me for my rudeness, sir."

Oleg couldn't help but feel a touch embarrassed, giving the detective a casual motion of his hand and an awkward grin, assuring him all was forgiven. With the air having been cleared, Tsukauchi returned his full attention to All Might. "I apologize for springing this on you so suddenly, but I need your testimony regarding the Villains especially—"Wait, hold on. Before we get into any of that, are all the students okay? And Aiza—I mean, Eraserhead and Thirteen?" "Yes, my son was among the students! He's not hurt, is he?" Both Heroes' urgency in this regard was understandable, but knowing what he did, Tsukauchi couldn't help but find their reactions only a touch humorous.

"You all don't need to worry. With the exception of that boy beside you, other than the odd scuffmark, the students are fine. The one I can only assume is your son, Tunguska-san, had what might as well have been a couple little paper cuts along his arms, but one of his classmates took care of that herself." The sheer casual-air in his speaking reassured Oleg that despite what he'd just been told, Nikolay was going to be just fine. And that last little detail, he could easily picture just who it was that could have jumped in to patch him up instead of having him sent here. He was going to have to make a point of expressing to her his personal thanks once he was back on his feet.

"As for Eraserhead and Thirteen? I won't lie; it didn't look good at first. Eraserhead suffered from a series of comminuted fractures in both his arms and his facial bones, especially around his orbital sockets. I worry that it could lead to drastically hampering his eyesight for the foreseeable future…or so I've been told. And Thirteen, their upper arms and back have suffered severe lacerations, but their vital signs are stable, based on the most recent medical updates. Thankfully, it looks as though they've both cleared the hump, and now it's just a matter of time before they both fully recover. Truth be told, the lot of you are very lucky things only turned out this bad in the end."

That truth was far from lost upon the three, but Oleg couldn't keep one of his other more lingering worries to himself; the concern in his eyes betraying his imposing frame. "Have you had any luck tracking down the Villains? There were three clearly leading the charge, but two of them escaped. All Might and I dispatched the third, but—"Yes, I was actually about to tell you, we've managed to apprehend the third Villain you're referring to. The mutant."

All thee of their heads shot up in surprise, all expecting to hear something awful, like the Nomu had escaped. Strangely, though, Tsukauchi never lost that pleasant expression. "We found him about four-hundred meters outside of USJ. It had no external injuries to speak of, but neither did he show any signs of resistance. In fact, you could have even described his demeanor as downright docile. He didn't resist at all when we restrained him and took him into custody."

This was a very unexpected turn from what they had been expecting. There was clearly a lot remaining that they needed to try and understand about the Nomu. However, the serious looks on their faces couldn't help but make the detective chuckle in amusement. "I can only imagine your trepidation upon hearing this, given what you've all just gone through, but in the end, I think you can all agree today ended much better than it could have. If it weren't for the two of you, Eraserhead and Thirteen, those kids might not have come out in the safe condition that they did. I'd say that constitutes today as a victory, wouldn't you?"

Izuku and Oleg were both in agreement with the detectives' opinion, but Toshinori lifted his head with a far different air about him from his counterpart and disciple. "You really think so, Tsukauchi-san? There's one detail you're incorrect about, though. You see; it wasn't just us. The students all fought bravely in their own special ways, and gave it their all, in every possible way that mattered! They have all now experienced true battle at such a young age, and they survived! Tell me, do you know any other first year high school students who have faced such terror? Who have truly faced the perils of the world of adults?!

"Those students, they all showed those Villains for the fools that they are! Class 1-A will all truly make for fine Heroes! I'm sure of it! You just mark my words!" The absolute confidence Toshinori spoke with as he made that declaration was downright staggering, leaving Izuku especially shaken to his core with a newly ignited feeling of confidence.

And at the same time, the Symbol of Peaces' heartfelt words rang true in Olegs' head as well. Even in the face of such incredibly dangerous power, Nikolay had thrown himself right into the fray to protect him, his classmates, everyone. Looking back on the days that now felt so long ago, of when his son was terrified of the very concept of having a Quirk, let alone using it to protect himself or anyone else; it felt like they had been two completely different people, rather than his own flesh and blood.

'You damned old fool, Oleg Borisovich. Do you see it now? Do you see now the fire that burns in Kolyas' heart today? There is no sense denying it to yourself any longer. You have been worrying yourself into an early grave for nothing. Kolya…he is ready for this life…and you know it now. Now, you must accept it.'

In the confines of a dimly lit underground bar within the depths of Musutafu City, a small black vortex began to open in the middle of the empty floor, steadily growing in size and power, before the lanky, writhing form of Tomura Shigaraki emerged from its void, splayed out on the floor in agonizing pain; while the vortex itself struggled to regain the humanoid shape of Kurogiri. His once corporal black shape was now in a constant state of dissolution and re-growth, unable to keep from groaning in either distress or pain as he felt at the considerable cracks damaging the plates around his neck.

"This damage…this is most troublesome. I will not be able to produce and maintain my portals, or my form, as efficiently until this has been resolved. That foreign Hero, Tunguska, and that boy of his…and that gravity-controlling girl, and the brat with the explosions, they are now all aware of this considerable handicap of mine. If they were to spread such sensitive information to their fellow Pro Heroes, it would severely cripple my ability to aid you in our mission, Shigaraki Tomura-san. Might I suggest that we work towards eliminating those four specifically, before devising a future plan to eliminate All Might?"

Shigaraki could hardly move as he was, and it was taking all his strength to even think and listen to his allies' words, and not simply let himself become lost in the pain. "Now is not…the time…Kurogiri-san. I need to inform…Sensei, of our situation. Afterwards, go and have the Doctor…see to making the repairs and improvements you need."

Shigaraki barely managed to crawl forward with his wounds, his one eye focused on a single computer monitor sitting on a table in the corner, its screen already illuminated. "Sensei…they shot both of my arms and legs…we were completely defeated. Even Nomu was done in! Our underlings were routed instantly…even the damn kids were strong…and the Symbol of Peace…not only was he none the worse for wear…but he wasn't alone!

"He had help…that washed up foreign Hero you…you warned me about, the one he had brought over here with his kid! We underestimated them both! He was stronger than we had thought, especially with what you had told me about him! I…I-I was a fool for not taking the news seriously! I thought it was just a baseless rumor! I didn't think he would be another considerable thorn in our side like All Might!

"Please, forgive me, but you were totally wrong, Sensei…" Shigaraki pleaded through his agony as he forced himself in a bowing position before the monitor, as though he were repenting. Then, the sound of a voice on the other end of the monitor made itself heard: "No, I wasn't. I was simply overly optimistic. Hmm…but you know, it seems they underestimated us. I'm actually rather glad the League of Villains' name is so cheap. Incidentally, what has become of that joint work of the Doctors' and mine? Has Nomus' body not been retrieved?"

"I'm afraid he was sent flying thanks to All Might and Tunguskas' interference. And if we don't know the precise coordinates of his position, I would not be able to search for him, no matter how many times I warped, even after I were to have this damage of mine seen to. I'm afraid we simply didn't have the time." Kurogiri informed the mysterious other with an air of regret. There was a couple foreboding moments of silence on the other end, but neither of the two Villains dared to speak out of turn before the one called 'Sensei'.

"Even though I went as far as loading him up with the power to rival All Mights'…Hmm, having Tunguska be involved with him has made achieving our goal considerably more difficult. I will need to make some broad adjustments to accommodate dealing with two individuals of such power. Oh well…at this point in time, it simply can't be helped. What a shame."

Hearing Sensei say those words sparked an ember of remembrance amid the haze of agony in Shigarakis' head as he barely managed to lift his face from the floor, his one red eye almost twitching with an animalistic sense of hate. "'Power like All Mights''…two individuals of similar power…that reminds me…there were two kids among the rest of that rabble…a kid whose speed was comparable to All Mights'…and Tunguskas' brat…even proved nearly as strong…"

Once more, the one called 'Sensei' remained deathly silent for several frightening seconds, and neither Villain could tell if they were simply taking what they had been told into consideration, or were simply fuming with a silent anger at this unfortunate turn of events. "…Oh?"

Feeling it was safe to finally continue, Shigaraki replayed everything he had seen in his head, feeling his pain intensify and his blood boil each time he saw every last second of it. "And if those damned kids hadn't interfered, we could have very well killed both those so-called Heroes. Those powers of theirs…those kids…those kids…!"

"There's no use crying over it! We simply made a miscalculation in the forces we were going to be encountering, and have subsequently paid the price for it. It happens. After all, now that we know what we do about them, it's not as though today was entirely in vain. Let's gather a new group, hand-picked by ourselves for efficiency! And let's take all the time we need!"

Even despite his senseis' clear confidence, Shigaraki could not help but feel that he was simply taking the reality of their situation too lightly, as he forced himself up onto his bleeding knees, gritting his teeth behind the hand upon his face. "Sensei, all our plans hinged around only having to snuff All Might out! Now we have two Heroes of nearly the same power level standing in our way! What's more, they now know of Kurogiri-sans' weak spot. If they were to share that information with the rest of the Pro Heroes, it'll make our future missions that much more difficult."

"Do not concern yourself with matters you have no direct hand in, Shigaraki! Even if I had underestimated Tunguskas' capabilities in his age, I did take care to secure some…outside means in having him, and his child, removed from our grand equation. Furthermore, I've done so in a way that cannot possibly risk being traced back to us. So calm yourselves; our little expatriated extras will be taken care of in due time. But take care to remember, we cannot afford to just move freely at this time! That is precisely why a symbol like you is necessary. Shigaraki Tomura! Next time, you must show the world the true horror of your existence!"

Moscow, Russia

Only the highest level of government officials knew about the extensive underground network built deep beneath the Kremlin, dating all the way back to the Cold War, and with some believing even beyond that, as there were said to be parts that extended into ancient underground tunnels and dwellings that dated back to the days of the royal family, if not even further.

However, those parts had long since fallen into nothing more than hushed whispers and writings in dusty old tomes. Nowadays, these more modern secret facilities were all the people running the current Russian government occupied, for it had everything left that they had to care about, primarily the research and developed means they needed to protect their nation from all threats, foreign, domestic, and Quirk-possessing.

Of course, the existence of such a place was strictly kept a secret from the general public and those not of a high enough security clearance. Of course, some desperate circumstances required the relegation of such rules, as was the case today.

One of the governments' said high level officials had been forced to breach that secrecy with the arrival of their one-man ace in the hole; having finally returned from his extensive mission in Belarus. Once they had informed him of their tracking down Tunguska and having acquired a trace of his blood, their man had wasted no time coming back to Moscow, not even sparing a moment for artificial niceties, instead simply greeting them with: [[Let me see it.]]

As they proceeded down the final hall to their intended room, the official kept nervously looking back to the silent man walking in tandem with him, moving with deadly purpose in each step. Even if he knew this man would never dare turn against them, simply being in his presence was still no less intimidating. Perhaps that was why he felt the inexplicable need to actually say something to try and at least break the awful silence.

[[We've been keeping the bullet that shot Tunguska down here in cold storage specifically for you. However, since you were gone for so much longer than we had hoped, I can't say for certain if it will still be good enough for you to do what you have to.]] The man beside him, now wearing sleek black shades over his eyes, never diverted his gaze from the door ahead, looking as though every word had simply been spoken to dead air. That had to be why he made the small government man beside him flinch when he suddenly spoke up in response: [[Don't worry yourselves on what conditions I need in order to do my job. You just give me what I need here, and I'll take the reins from there, and you can all go back to resting nice and easy with your nice, clean hands.]]

As they finally stepped through the solitary, heavy-duty and hermetically-sealed door, they were met with an almost frigid burst of air that left the official already shaking in his expensive shoes, while the other man simply took it in, remaining completely still like a rock.

He slowly extended his hand outward, motioning for the sniveling suit to give him what he wanted, which he did with due haste, eager to get out of this chill, and not have to spend another minute in this frankly terrifying individuals' company.

Opening a technologically sealed door, he quickly pulled out a tiny bag containing a solitary assault rifle bullet, coated over with the frozen traces of human blood. As soon as the bag was dropped in the bespectacled mans' hand, he carefully reached inside and pulled the bullet out, looking it over as he rolled it around between his fingertips. He took a single long, silent whiff of the small piece of brass, before suddenly popping it into his mouth like a child would have with a piece of candy, much to his colleagues' barely masked disgust.

As he swished the bullet around, taking in the taste of brass, gunpowder and blood, he felt his senses virtually expand to an almost cosmic level, as though he could suddenly just feel himself inside the very skin of the man whose blood had been shed by this little bullet. The sensation of it produced an utterly euphoric sound from deep within the mans' throat, before he finally seemed to recollect himself, and pried the now polished-off bullet from his mouth, dropping it carelessly to the floor. [[Oh…yes. I can smell him already. I can smell Tunguska…as if I had been right there when you shot him.]]

The display he had just witnessed, left the sniveling official sick to his stomach, and all the more eager to get the rest of this ordeal over with, as he hurriedly recounted everything his peers had instructed him to tell their special employee. [[Y-yes. You will be quite interested to know; yesterday we received an encrypted message of untraceable origin, claiming that Tunguska has most recently been sighted in the city of Musutafu, in Japan. Considering the testimonials of the soldiers at the scene described the World's Top Pro Hero All Might arriving there to help extricate Tunguska, we had no reason to call that information into question. They even went further to explain that he is currently under the supervision, employment, and let's not mince words here, protection of Yuuei Academy, the single most prestigious Hero school in the world.]]

The man in shades swiftly turned on his heels to start heading back out the hall, his mouth and nostrils awash in Tunguskas' purest essence, and not wanting to waste another second just standing around like these pigs in their fancy suits. [[You tell me these details as if they're supposed to mean something to me. I have Tunguskas' scent at last, and after wasting as many years as I have cleaning up after you all, I'm not going to let anything get between us, especially not All Might or some school full of a bunch of naïve Quirk-possessing brats. The job will get done, make no mistake about that.]]

He soon began taking off in what nearly resembled a jog, forcing the middle-aged politician to hurry after him. [[Are you sure you don't want us to book you on the first flight to Japan? If you have his scent and got there that way, you could have Tunguska in the span of barely more than a single day!]] At this, the man ahead came to a sudden, almost unnatural halt, taking another deep breath that sent a pleasurable tingling up and down his body. [[No. When the Vukodlak hunts…it hunts the right way, the natural way. I've been waiting twelve years for this chance to come my way again, and I'm not going to screw it up for the sake of your kinds of convenience. I have Tunguskas' scent now, so there's nowhere in the world he could go that I won't ultimately be able to track him down towards. I'll find him my own way, so please…go back to your precious little office, and let me do what I was born to do.]]

Yuuei Academy, Japan

The very next day after the incident at USJ, the school had actually been left closed for the first half of the day, doubtless so that the teachers and Pro Heroes could efficiently discuss means of ramping up the campus security in the event any further Villains decided to do anything as bold.

Of course, the fact that the students still had to report in at what normally would have been the halfway point of their regular school day, had left many feeling more than a little annoyed, thinking their close call had earned them a surprise day off.

Although, such sentiments were completely lost on the likes of Tenya Iida, who was once again running at full speed as soon as he had made the head count to see everyone in 1-A had taken their places throughout the classroom. "All right, listen! It's time for todays' belated homeroom period! Take your seats, everyone!" "We are in our seats! You're the one who's not, Emergency Exit!" Hanta Sero chimed in, earning some grateful laughs out of several of the class, especially once Tenya had realized the tape boy was actually right.

Nestled comfortably behind their double desk, Nikolay and Mina were both visibly still wiped out from yesterday, and not just from the stress of battle and nagging worry and fear, either. "I just can't believe it. I mean, you'd think after everything we both went through, they would've given us a break from detention, right?" Mina asked with a tired groan as she tried to stretch her back out, clearly having not gotten a good nights' sleep last night. Despite the beginnings of tired bags under his green eyes, though, Nikolay looked considerably more alert by comparison.

"Yeah, I would think any other teacher would've been at least that lenient after yesterday. I still don't get how Aizawa-sensei could have even still managed to enforce that in the condition the police said he was in." The two students both let out exhausted sighs at the seemingly inescapable state of punishment they just could not get out of.

Of course, once the rest of the class had at least started to simmer down, Nikolay couldn't help but look at the pink band-aid decorated with little smiling hearts that still sat on the back of his right hand, feeling a smile of general gratitude begin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "If it's all the same to you, though, I'd much rather deal with detention than have to go through another life-or-death battle already."

At this, Mina couldn't help but give a grateful smile of her own, nodding in total agreement, before her black-gold eyes chanced upon his technically wounded hand as well. "Yeah. At least in detention, you're not running a risk of getting yourself hurt again. I'd sit through a hundred of Aizawa-senseis' boring study sessions if it meant not having to see any of my friends get hurt."

Taking into consideration the fact that in this case, he had been the only one of her closest friends to technically be considered 'hurt' after yesterday, Nikolay was quick to realize she was of course intending to refer to him alone, despite her blanket term of 'friends'. Knowing that now, and she at the same time realizing the same thing about what she had ultimately said, both Nikolay and Mina couldn't help but feel their cheeks growing warmer with a mild blush.

The door to the classroom opened before another word could be said between them, bringing everyone back to full attention; an attention which quickly gave way to exclamations of surprise, when none other than Shota Aizawa came through that door, although his entire face, save for his hair, and his hands were completely mummified in bandages, and both his arms were hanging from slings.

"AIZAWA-SENSEI, YOU'RE ALREADY BACK?! YOU'RE ALL RIGHT!" many of the students proclaimed, looking upon their homeroom teacher as if he were a Pro among Pro Heroes. "Can you really call that 'all right', though?" Ochako muttered mostly to herself among their excitement, when she saw Aizawa was visibly struggling to keep himself upright with each step he took to his desk.

"All right, everyone quiet down. Don't go concerning yourselves over me. After all, the battle hasn't really ended for you lot, yet." Those cryptic words sent an air of apprehension and confusion among the class in moments, not helped by the fact that if they looked hard enough, they could see Aizawas' piercing eyes through the smallest gap in his bandages.

"What do you think he means by that?" Nikolay couldn't even hazard guessing as he asked Mina nervously. "I don't have a clue," she admitted, a twinge of that nervousness from yesterday momentarily showing in her eyes.

Finally, as soon as he could see his students were all as hopelessly in the dark as he had expected, Aizawa leaned forward, prepared to drop the next insurmountable challenge before them: "Yuuei's Sports Festival is fast approaching, boys and girls!"

And that was the new chapter for this week, everyone. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please be sure to take the time to leave a review sharing your thoughts and opinions on the story as it is so far. I love to hear from any and all of you if you have the time.

I will be back to you all with the next chapter on 03/20! Until then, stay safe, have a great day and take care!