Hello again, everyone. Here we are now, the climax of the I-Island Arc, my attempt at covering and even partially adapting the events of the first MHA movie. This was a very interesting project for me to take on, on top of focusing on the plotline of the original manga. I personally think it turned out pretty well, but I'd love to hear what those of you familiar with this specific material thought, and for those of you who are new, maybe this piqued your interests in checking out the original movie itself. Either way, I'd consider it a win. Anyway, from here it'll be back to the manga storyline, and I've got some good extra ideas to inject into the story arc you veteran fans know is coming. Until then, I hope you all enjoy my take on the finale of the Two Heroes storyline. If so, please be kind enough to leave an honest review.

I would like to once again give a shout-out to my two beta readers, Mizu Hikikomori and Jonny Sjölund, for their constant support and consultation in times when I found myself uncertain of specific ideas or approaches to more complex events in the MHA storyline. Their involvement and advice cannot be overstated in how helpful they've been.

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

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

Chapter 39

Three Heroes

(Три Героя)

Nikolay was heaving for breath once his feet finally touched solid ground inside the stairwell to the top floor. He and Mina were both physically shaken, knowing what a close call they had all just gone through in order to get here, but still not as much as Izuku and Melissa, who had landed on top of each other on the floor once Ochako had restored their gravity upon getting inside.

"Midoriya-san, Melissa-san, are you two okay?" he finally asked between gasps for air as they finally got back up, looking themselves over.

"Yes, other than a couple scratches here and there, I think we're alright." Melissa confirmed with a relieved smile as she and Izuku got back on their feet.

"I'm glad you were both able to make it this far, Bezpalov-san, Ashido-san. Those Villains aren't going to be putting up any less of a fight this high up." Izukus' relief at having two more of his friends at his side was quickly offset by that overhanging seriousness over all their heads, knowing what they still had to do.

"It's been super tough, but we've still managed to get through it all! Now let's get up there, beat those Villains and save everyone!" Mina declared with an especially fierce fire of determination in her eyes, with all three of her companions in full agreement, as they all turned to begin making their way up the stairs.

SSHHIING!

Only to be met with a blinding flash of light and the singing of steel being drawn, which forced all four teens to jump and roll out of the way of a downward slash and stab into the wall and floor they had just stood upon. As they tried to get a look at their newest assailant, they weren't even given a chance to breathe before they found a pair of large blades being swung right for them already, forcing the two duos to split apart from each other, with Nikolay practically diving on his stomach across the floor from underneath another stab, and Mina rolling under the other blade, causing them both to end up behind the Villain, while Izuku and Melissa were in front of him.

Their newest opponent, a young adult man with long orange-brown hair and purple tattoos under his eyes and two large blades protruding from his arms where his hands should have been, was gritting his teeth, a purely homicidal rage in his eyes as he looked cautiously between his two pairs of opponents.

Without wasting a moment, he suddenly spun himself back to lunge with one of his blades right for Nikolay, forcing the Russian boy to kick himself back out of range, but with a single step forward, the Villain proceeded to then spin himself right, adding momentum to the swing of his left blade where Mina stood, but she already had his movement spotted, as she immediately ducked below the arc of his swing.

With another miss, the Villain didn't let his momentum stop, as he simply followed through after his previous attack, swinging the heel of his right boot at Minas' face, but she was already rolling herself backwards out of the way. Nikolay by now had kicked himself forward from the wall at his back, prepping another dose of energy into his hand, ready to drive it into whatever part of the Villain was exposed.

At the same time, Izuku was finally charging in, aiming a punch for the Villains' face, but he quickly brought his left blade up to block the brunt of his punch. Once he began to thrust his right blade to drive into Izukus' gut, the freckled boy kicked himself up off the ground and over the Villains' head, barely managing to avoid getting hit. The Villain quickly followed through, kicking himself up and backwards into a back flip, swinging his blades the whole way, forcing Nikolay to fire through his free hand to avoid getting hit, and forcing Izuku to do the same.

Their enemy was relentless, as he immediately began charging in for the three Quirk-possessing teens, swinging and jabbing his blades continuously, one after the other. Nikolay, Izuku and Minas' reflexes were taking the reins, as they had to continuously duck, swerve, jump, and practically fire themselves off from one spot of the stairwell to the next, all simply to avoid getting hit, let alone try to find an opening to attack.

"You revolting kids…don't you go pretending to be Heroes!" The villain snarled in distaste once he saw Izuku and Mina both trying to move in for an attack at his lower right and the left of his face all at once. He immediately brought his right blade forward to once again block another of Izukus' punches, while he also began to swing his left blade for Minas' neck, as she had kicked herself off the wall to try and deliver a high kick to his face.

Just as his blade was about to meet her throat, though, Nikolay, who had been keeping himself low to the ground since the last attack he'd barely managed to dodge, hurriedly rolled in and grabbed Minas' hand (to which she immediately grasped on likewise) and proceeded to pull her straight down from out of the air, landing her firmly on her hands and knees, and most importantly, out of the Villains' attacking arc, as the blade now instead drove into the concrete of the wall, momentarily lodging it inside, and immobilizing his left arm.

With that opening, Nikolay finally threw his charged up right arm forward, firing with full force the instant he could feel that cold steel against his palm, sending out a deafening concussive blast that nearly shook the whole stairwell, while an especially high ringing from the vibration coursing through the steel of the Villains' blade filled the air, until it finally reached a crescendo and—

CRACK!

A piercing sound suddenly punctuated the ring, and as the Villain reeled from the ringing in his head, he looked, and grew wide-eyed with shock at the sight of his left arm blade having shattered, practically like glass, at the point the Russian boy had made impact with it, with the opposing end of it still sticking out of the wall.

At that very same moment, while Nikolay was still crouched down after successfully landing his attack, Mina proceeded to grasp onto both his shoulders, using the boy as a perch while she proceeded to start sending her whole body into a spin, to the point she soon found herself spinning on her upper back on top of Nikolays; all to drive herself into a full-strength spinning kick that drove the heel of her foot square into the Villains' jaw. The kick hit with such force that it actually sent him into a full spin of his own while Mina proceeded to roll off of Nikolays' back.

What she didn't notice, but Nikolay did in just the nick of time, was that while Mina was just exiting out of her spin in order to get herself back into her fighting stance, the Villain had already been in the process of countering out of his own involuntary spin, extending his one remaining blade in order to slice her up in the middle of another spin.

"Look out!" Nikolay exclaimed as he sprung up from the ground for Mina, never taking his eyes off that one approaching blade, while grabbing tight onto her shoulders, and proceeded to forcefully pull her back from where she stood, spinning himself involuntarily into her spot in the process, and right in the blades' path.

SLIICE!

A flare of immense pain shot straight up from Nikolays' left side straight into his brain, as his body lost all tension and collapsed to the floor from the shock. A warm wetness began to spread across his left side and down his leg as he lay on the cold floor, barely able to hear anything as he tried to lift his head enough to look and see how badly he got hit.

He could already see that from his waist down, the white of his outfit was already turning dark red and running down the entirety of his left pant leg. He couldn't tell from where he lay if he was completely bleeding out, but the fact it burned like hell to even move too much made it clear that he was definitely hurt at the very least.

"This is what brats like you get for going over your own heads!" The Villains' voice was filled with nothing but vitriol, as Nikolay looked up to see their opponent was already preparing to lay down a finishing blow on him now that he was down. Nikolay didn't even shut his eyes to try and brace himself for the killing blow, only able to watch as he began to swing once more, only for a blur of green to step in between them, and the echoing sound of steel meeting steel to echo through the stairwell.

The Villain grit his teeth with rage as he and Izuku locked eyes; staring daggers at the boy for getting between him and his target. A momentary glance to the broken steel of his left hand made him realize he still had a second blade on hand, for all intents and purposes. Unfortunately, Izuku realized this as well, as once he saw the Villain reel his left hand over for a downward slice, Izuku withdrew his Gauntlet-clad arm and jumped back out of the way.

Alas, this was what the Villain was counting on, as he immediately rushed Izuku with another series of slashes; the curly-haired boy swerving out of the way of a few, but when he brought his armored arm up to block another, it hit with such force that it actually broke his equilibrium, sending him reeling back out of the opening in the wall and over the edge, barely able to catch onto it in order to keep from plummeting his death.

With Izuku now in a position where he couldn't defend himself, the Villain was already coming in to swing his one full blade and take the boys' hand at the wrist and send him plummeting. "DON'T!" Melissa's outcry suddenly broke through his own sadistic battle cry, as she quickly threw herself onto him, clutching onto his arm to keep him from following through.

"Don't…GET IN MY WAY, LITTLE GIRL!" With that enraged declaration, he quickly threw the weight of his body and swung his arm in tandem, not only knocking Melissa off his back, but also slicing her arm in the process. Her pained scream pierced the air as she rolled helplessly across the floor, clutching her bleeding arm as he now towered over her. As his hateful eyes burned down upon her, a vile sneer crossed his face. "Screw orders, we didn't come this far just to—

"HOW DARE YOU?!" Minas' voice, now brimming with a mix between fear, determination and genuine anger, suddenly filled the stairwell. When the Villain instinctively turned to face her in response, he was caught off guard to find the pink young girl already charging him with complete fervor; black-gold eyes burning with incredible intensity, right before she suddenly sprung up off her feet and drove a reeled back and prepared fist straight up into his jaw, knocking him straight off his feet to where his head ricocheted off the ceiling itself. It was only by chance that he still managed to land on his feet.

His face was twisted with pain and fury as he focused on Mina like a hawk, already charging right back at her with his blades at the ready. However, Mina wasn't anywhere close to running out of steam after seeing two of her friends get genuinely hurt. Instead, it was as though she could read every move he was going to throw her way, as she proceed to duck, roll, spin, spring up, jump, dive every which way past his slashes, stabs and kicks. All the while, she was managing to throw in her own instinctively timed kicks, sweeps and jabs as well, forcing the Villain into just as much of an offensive/evasive plan of action at the same time.

"SMASH!" With the Villain caught up in both trying to avoid getting hit again by Mina, and also trying to take her out of the fight as well, he failed to hear the power of Izukus' voice announcing his own attack, right before he felt the immeasurable power of that glowing and sparking freckled boys' fist driving straight into the side of his face in full contact, sending him flying off his feet with the force of a cannonball, and driving straight through the stairwell. Once the dust settled, it was crystal clear that he was completely out of the fight once and for all.

However, Izuku and Mina weren't about to start celebrating another miraculous victory, as their eyes fell to both their wounded allies on the floor. "Kolya-kun, Melissa-chan! Are you guys okay?" Mina immediately asked with all the worry in the world when she saw they were both bleeding.

"Y-yes…I'm all right…it actually wasn't that deep. I'll be okay." Melissa reassured her when she saw the relatively light cut on her forearm, which Izuku was already in the middle of bandaging with a piece of his dress shirt, a deeply regretful look now on his face.

"I'm sorry, Melissa-san. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, even with my friends helping me." However, while he looked positively distraught, Melissa still had that same reassuring smile on her face.

"You should be saying 'thanks', right?" Izuku couldn't hide the momentary confusion on his face when he looked to meet her eyes. Just by meeting her gaze, however, he realized just what it was she really meant. She didn't resent him for being unable to keep her from getting hurt. She simply accepted it as a price to be paid for taking action in order to protect one of her friends…just like a Hero was supposed to.

Understanding that now, Izukus' regret turned to a look of admiration for her bravery, to step in the face of danger even without a Quirk on her side. It was a situation he was now all too familiar with. "Right."

"Guys, I-I don't know if Kolya-kun can keep going!" Minas' worried voice snapped both Izuku and Melissa to attention as they hurried to their pink friends' side to find her kneeling concernedly over a wincing Nikolay, still lying on his back on the floor, trying to hold a hand over the bleeding slash on his left side.

"I'm…I'm telling you, I can keep going. I just…I just need to catch my breath, that's all. It can't be bleeding that badly, right?" Despite the brave face he was trying to put on, it was all too clear to the others, especially once Mina tore away the portion of his suit that had been slashed, that while he wasn't bleeding out, he was still quite hurt, and definitely wouldn't be moving as long as that wound kept bleeding.

"Just hold still, Kolya-san. There should be a first-aid kit nearby, I can grab that and we can get that wound treated." Melissa was already about to get up and bolt for where she knew the nearest kit was, before Nikolay slammed his palm against the floor to get her attention and stop her.

"We don't have time for that. Those Villains could be accomplishing whatever they came here for as we speak…and we don't know what'll happen to the hostages. You all go on, and I'll catch up—"That is not happening, Kolya-kun! We aren't just gonna leave you here!"

Minas' objection rendered Nikolay silent as he saw the pain reflected in her eyes to see him hurt like this. Izuku and Melissa weren't looking any better, clearly regretting not having the means to treat a wound like his. At least, that was the overall atmosphere between them, before Minas' face steadied, growing more determined as an idea crossed her mind.

Without hesitation, she proceeded to tear away a strip of the skirt for her dress before bundling it up and tying it around Nikolays' mouth, right before she started forming a large, thick build-up of cloudy fluid in the palm of her right hand, never losing that look of concentration and hope. "This is probably going to sting at first, so just try to bear with it, okay?"

As soon as she was sure she'd created enough, before Nikolay could even give some form of an answer, Mina proceeded to press her slime-coated hand against Nikolays' wound, smearing the stuff all over his side while he squirmed and writhed underneath her at the initial touch, forcing Izuku and Melissa to try and hold him down.

"It's okay, Kolya-kun, it should stop hurting in just a little bit." Mina whispered reassuringly as she continued slathering the fluid over Nikolays' wound. By the time she finally withdrew her hand, she and the others watched as the stuff was already starting to harden against his side, until it stopped resembling her typical fluid, and now more resembled something like a cloudy dried sap-like substance covering his wound.

Just as Mina had hoped, it didn't take long after for Nikolays' pained reaction to cease, and his face to soften with relief as his breathing returned to normal. When she finally removed the strip of her dress skirt from his mouth, his face looked so much calmer, not even showing pain when she and Izuku carefully helped him back to his feet; all their impression only growing when they saw Nikolay could stand again without even wincing. Of course, none of their surprise could match his own.

"I…I don't feel pain anymore, at least nowhere near as bad. Mina, how…how did you do that? How did you know you could do that?" Nikolay couldn't hope to keep his curiosity to himself, as Izuku and Melissa likewise looked just as anxious to know how someone as usually airheaded as Mina was actually able to do something that ingenious on a hunch.

"Well, my one non-corrosive form of acid I don't use for sliding is pretty much no different than something like tree sap; I've heard that a lot from some of my other friends for a while now. I remembered during one of Yaomomos' lectures last week, hearing that sap is actually used to salve wounds in certain cases, so since they're almost identical, I thought maybe it could do the same thing, instead of just being used to stick things and people in place. I didn't have any practice using it that way before now, but I couldn't just leave Kolya-kun behind and in pain without at least trying. I at least knew it wouldn't burn him, otherwise I probably wouldn't have felt comfortable trying in the first place."

Minas' momentary pride in her on-the-fly thinking quickly fell into embarrassment that she had decided to test one of her only theories about her own Quirk so recklessly, simply knowing their more studious classmates would have no doubt reprimanded her for that very reason when a classmates' life was on the line.

Instead, however, she suddenly felt Izuku and Melissa both place a soft hand on her shoulders, and when she looked and saw the admiring and supportive looks in their eyes, she felt all that embarrassment go right out the window. "Even if it would be considered reckless otherwise; in these circumstances, that was some brilliant quick thinking, Ashido-san. You actually discovered a whole other use for your Quirk, essentially from out of nowhere."

Izukus' admitted impression was quickly complimented by Melissa: "I agree, Mina-san. I don't think anyone else would actually have thought to try and use a Quirk like Acid for such a situation as this. You have a real sense of ingenuity when put under enough pressure, as though you have this natural-born willingness to experiment with all the boundaries and capabilities of what you can do with your Quirk. That's something I know can help make for some of the best Heroes."

Mina looked like she was about to start shedding tears of joy enough as it was, but when she turned to see the deeply thankful smile on Nikolays' face, that was what finally made her let loose, overwhelmed after having gone so long thinking she'd already found her limit and threshold of usefulness with her Quirk, only to now know she could indeed do more to help the people she cared about.

"Alright, are you sure you're okay to keep going, Kolya-san?" Izuku finally asked once Mina had started to stifle any more tears for the sake of their mission. Twisting his waist left and ride just to test the durability of the coating on his side, Nikolay had an equally determined smile. "Yes, I can keep going, Midoriya-san. Let's go save everyone!"

With a resounding cheer of mutual determination, the united quartet of Heroes finally continued on their way up the stairs for the control room.

Several floors up, they were forced to double back behind the stairwell corner when confronted by two more armored men with assault rifles up above, opening fire with an automatic barrage. "Inform the control room; those brats are here!"

Forced to stay behind cover, neither Nikolay nor Mina could think of a way past this obstacle, knowing her acid wouldn't be able to keep every single of those bullets from hitting them, and that his kinetic blasts wouldn't be able to deflect all of them. However, out of all of them, Izuku was the one looking the most willing to step out. Once his body started to spark and glow with his power once again, his friends quickly stepped out of his way as he knelt down, preparing to move.

With blinding speed, Izuku proceeded to fire himself off the ground and ricochet off the walls of the stairwell faster than the Villains could aim. With surgical precision, Izuku proceeded to drive the empowered mass of his body straight into one Villains' body, driving him straight into the wall behind him, and spring-boarding off of him to deliver a devastating kick into the face of the second gunman, sending him flying down the stairs and into the wall below.

"Come on, guys, before reinforcements show up!" The trio proceeded to rush back up to their freckled comrade the moment he confirmed the coast was clear. They could only hope they wouldn't run into any more gunmen between here and the very top floor.

Thankfully, before too long, they finally found themselves rushing through a door that didn't lead to more stairs, but instead a dimly lit set of pristine corridors. This had to be the top floor.

"Melissa-san, where's the control room?" Izuku asked as they didn't stop for anything, with him, Nikolay and Mina swiftly checking every corner hallway they passed for any sign of reinforcements or an ambush. So far, all seemed to be clear.

"It's in front of the central elevator." Emboldened by her confirmation, the four teens proceeded to sprint even faster, eager to get the drop on whatever Villains still remained while they still had even a trace element of surprise on their side.

Soon, they finally reached the end of the hall, splitting into a T-shape. Izuku swiftly motioned for them all to stop as they began to slowly peer around the corners, watchful for any more enemy movement. As Nikolay and Mina checked and breathed a sigh of relief to find nothing on the left side, they suddenly heard Izuku warn in a hushed whisper: "Someone's here."

They hurriedly rejoined his and Melissa's side as they all began to peer around the right corner. Indeed, just around the corner was what looked like a wide open vault door, with the interior lined with a multitude of different computer screens. However, that wasn't the most surprising thing they found through that doorway. "Papa?"

Just as Melissa confusedly asked herself, inside was the unmistakable brown-haired and bespectacled David Shield alongside the portly balding man they vaguely remembered to be his lab assistant. The two men surprisingly looked to be hard at work on something, though the kids couldn't begin to guess what from where they were.

"What is Papa doing up on the top floor?" Melissa couldn't hope to hide her deep confusion, much like the rest of her friends, while Izuku could only guess at best. "Maybe the Villains brought him up here in order to force him to do something."

"Well, either way, we have to save him." Nikolay stated firmly while trying to keep his voice down. All three of his friends nodded in full agreement, and so they proceeded to start crawling as quietly yet quickly as they could into this vault-like room.

As they slowly but surely proceeded closer and closer to what was now starting to look more like a colossal storage room, with the walls lined with countless different squares and pulsating lights, David's tense body language suddenly went stiff, before loosening with what could only be described as pleasant relief. "I was able to unlock it! Sam, go to Block 1147."

The portly man at his side hurried up a nearby set of steps while David continued working at the monitors. "I'm opening it now."

After a few seconds of silence, his assistants' voice called out with equal excitement: "David, it worked! Everything is still here!"

From their distance, as David looked onto his unseen assistant, there was an unmistakable look of pure relief, even from the distance the teens still were from him. Their focus on reaching him and not getting the attention of any last minute Villain reinforcements or traps superseded their growing curiosity at just what the two scientists were talking about. "At last, I've finally gotten it back. This device and research data are the only things I would never give to anyone. I'll never give them up."

"Everything's going according to plan, isn't it? It looks like the Villains are doing well, too." Sam suddenly asked as he began returning to David. The mention of such a detail spoken so…casually brought the four teens to a sudden stop, all of them momentarily looking to each other as if to silently confirmed they had all heard Sam correctly.

"Thank you. It was all because you arranged everything for me, Sam." David's way of saying this as he likewise began to approach his assistant displayed no sound of urgency. No, if anything, it was that same sense of relief, of accomplishment. Once more, the students couldn't help but look to each other in confusion.

"Is…is Shield-sensei saying what I think he's saying?" Mina finally asked, while Nikolay looked like he was still trying to wrap his head around it. At the same time, Izuku looked as though he couldn't believe it. "It…it can't be, though. Shield-sensei's an old friend of All Might. He couldn't possibly be…working with these Villains. Right?"

However, while they were still processing the truth, Melissa was much more straightforward, as she finally stood up and made the rest of her way into the vault, spurring the remaining three teens to follow after her, while she stood steadfast, staring at her father from across the room. "Papa."

David and Sam immediately froze in shock; the former slowly looking in disbelief to find his daughter and the three same Yuuei students from earlier, all standing there in the flesh, and staring at him so seriously. "Mel…Melissa…?" "M-Miss, what are you doing here?"

Completely deaf to the two scientists' confusion, Melissa instead continued to approach, looking downright shell-shocked by this point. "What do you mean 'arranged'? Papa, please, don't tell me you're the one behind this whole incident? In order to get that device…? Is that true, Papa?"

The heartbroken pain in Melissa's voice only grew with every word, matched only by the equal pain in David's expression as he now found himself in a position he had hoped with everything he had, he would never have to find himself in. How could he ever be asked to lie to his own daughter? Especially about something that betrayed everything she had grown up to know about him as a man and a helper of Heroes?

Finally, he bowed his head in the most painful defeat he had ever experienced, as he finally lifted his head with shame to look his daughter in the eye. "It is."

The shockwave such a truth let out shook all the kids to their core, as they now found themselves beginning to step forward to stand protectively at Melissa's sides, while she looked silently devastated behind the tears in her blue eyes. "What…? Why?"

"Please try to understand, Miss; the professor is only trying to get back what was stolen from him. This groundbreaking invention that mechanically amplifies Quirks…" Sam suddenly tried to explain, while the teens found themselves once again stricken with surprise at what the man had just explained was inside the metallic suitcase he was still holding in his hands.

"It…amplifies Quirks?" Izuku asked in total disbelief that such a thing was even humanly possible.

"Yes, it's still in testing, but with this device, unlike with experimental drugs, Quirks can be amplified without adversely affecting the subjects' body. However, the sponsors for I-Island confiscated this invention and research data. The research itself was also frozen. If this invention was made known to the world at large, then the structure of superhuman society would change drastically. Fearing that, governments from different nations put pressure on him. That's why the professor and I formulated a plan to hire a bunch of people to pretend to be Villains, and stage a fake takeover of I-Island on the day of the I-Expo's preopening, when everyone involved would be together in one place, and we could pull the strings in the background, and extract the device and our research data in a way that wouldn't lead to anyone getting hurt. From there, we could then continue our research somewhere else in peace, where it wouldn't risk falling into the wrong hands."

As Sam explained all the details of just why everything that had happened tonight really happened, Melissa, Izuku, Nikolay and Mina simply couldn't believe the sheer level of deceit that had been playing out in the background of their attempt to try and save everyone they believed with all their hearts had been in grave danger.

Nikolay and Izuku, especially, felt the beginnings of a deeper anger begin to spark within their chests. Not only their teachers, but Nikolays' only remaining family, and all their friends had been put in serious danger tonight, and to know now that it was all for an elaborate ruse had their confusion turn into an anger they were both trying with all their strength to keep from coming out. Even Mina was trying to resist forming one of her hands into a fist at the thought of her friends having been put through hell for essentially nothing.

"No…" Melissa muttered in her own disbelief. "…this is a lie, right, Papa? Tell me this is all a lie!"

"It's not a lie." The blunt, straightforward way David said this stopped Melissa dead in her tracks, leaving her with a twisting sense of betrayal in the pit of her chest, the most painful tears beginning to well up in her eyes as she tried to fight through her emotions that were, frankly, in a state of flux at this moment.

"This doesn't make sense…the Papa I know would never do anything like that! So why…? Why?" Melissa's heartbroken words now brimmed with a fiery determination to know the truth, and it was clear that her father could sense it as well, as his face grimaced with yet further pain, unable to look her in the eye anymore as he gave his answer: "It's for All Might."

This statement diffused everyones' growing anger and replaced it with a deeper sense of confusion (and fear, in Izukus' specific case). "You four most likely don't know, but his Quirk is disappearing. However, if he uses my device, then it can go back to normal. It can even give him more abilities than he started with. The Number One Hero…the Symbol of Peace…can get his light back again…and save many people once more!"

While David's defeated tone quickly grew in conviction of why he was doing what he had done this night, Melissa and the rest of the young Heroes could only feel this wave of immense cold wash over them, a cold of realization. And that realization had Izuku feeling his heart drop into the pit of his stomach as his mind began to race once more.

'Because All Might passed One For All onto me, the professor was worried about All Might losing his power, and…it drove him into doing this out of pure desperation! And all because neither of us could tell the truth to everyone else…now Melissa-san…Tunguska-sensei…Bezpalov-san, Ashido-san…all of our friends have gotten involved in the situation around All Might and One For All now. How am I going to explain all of this to them? And would they even be able to forgive me for keeping it a secret for so long if I do?'

At the same time as this, Nikolay had some shaken thoughts racing through his head as well, trying to make sense of just what David had just told them. 'All Might is losing his Quirk? Is that even possible? Do Heroes actually start to lose the strength of their Quirks as they get older? I mean, yeah, Dad isn't as powerful as he says he was when he was younger, but he's still the one Hero I know of who's even close to All Mights' level of power. Heroes don't usually get to grow old enough for this kind of thing to become a concern, so who knows; maybe Shield-sensei is right. But still, to think he would actually go this far and get so many people involved, just because he thinks All Might is on his way out. Did he actually start thinking about this when All Might brought Dad and me out of hiding and to Japan? Did he take the arrival of a Hero close to All Mights' level as some kind of sign that he was growing weaker and looking for a replacement?'

Yet even further, Minas' mind was going at full speed in the wake of David's reveal as well: 'That doesn't make any sense, thinking somebody as strong as All Might could possibly lose his Quirk, that kind of thing just doesn't happen. Is Shield-sensei just making that guess because All Might's just getting older? That kind of thing happens to everyone, and I've never heard of a Heroes' Quirk actually growing weaker when they get older…then again, a lot of Pro Heroes right now are still pretty young, so what if I'm actually wrong and he's right? Is that kind of thing going to happen to us when we get older? No, that doesn't matter; none of that stuff makes what he's doing here right! Just because he thinks All Might isn't as strong as he used to be, and thinks that nobody else can take his place, doesn't change the fact he put us and our friends and countless other people in danger!'

"Please, please let me hand the device over to All Might. There's no time to remake it! After he gets it, I don't care what kind of punishment I receive! I've prepared myself-!" While the students had been processing their respective thoughts in the wake of his bombshell about All Might, David had already started to take action, motioning for his assistant to hand him the steel suitcase. However, just as the other scientist began to do so, Nikolay suddenly stepped forward; an emotional light evident in his green eyes:

"No matter what your intentions were for what you arranged tonight, that doesn't make it any better! You don't get to put other peoples' safety in danger just because you're trying to save All Might! Even if you say you don't care what kind of punishment you'll receive after all of this, do you really think All Might would be able to forgive you for doing something like this, even if it was for his sake?"

David completely froze; a genuinely hurt look on his face at the thought of it. There was genuineness to that question. Knowing All Might for as long and as well as he did, he had never even stopped to think about what would happen between them personally after all of this. All Might was the kind of Hero who placed the well-being of all others before himself, and even if his oldest friend had ultimately done all of this for the betterment of his condition, there was no question that it would tarnish the history they had forever. But surely the fact that he would be able to retain his Quirk at its fullest power and beyond, and therefore be able to keep saving countless people, would make even the loss of a true friend worth it in the end.

As this thought ran through David's contemplative head, Mina suddenly stepped forward as well, an imploring shimmer in her eyes. "That's right! And even if you're right, even if All Might somehow is losing his Quirk, that doesn't mean that Heroes in general will just…stop existing! We're all here, trying to learn how to become the same kind of Heroes that can protect people and inspire hope, just like he does! Heroes still existed long before All Might showed up, and they'll continue to stick around long after he's gone!"

Now, David had lifted his head in shock, looking at the four young Heroes in front of him, all looking him straight in the eye with so many different emotions evident on their faces. Finally, Izuku stepped forward as well, a fist clenched over his heart as he likewise seemed to be taking in everything his classmates were saying, before finally looking upon David with a deeply devoted look in his own eyes. "Shield-sensei…you can see it, too, can't you? Even if All Might were to fade away one day, Heroes would still be there to fight against evil and protect people and inspire hope and peace in the world. The fact that we're all standing here, right now, even in the face of the incredible odds mounted against us in order to get here, is picture perfect proof of that…and you know it, too, deep down inside…don't you?"

As he watched all their words sink in and force David to truly think about everything that had happened up to this moment, Izuku couldn't help but glance to his classmates, see the similar devotion and belief in their desires to become real Heroes reflected in their eyes, and smile in genuine respect for their mutually mature realizations of their own convictions.

Likewise inspired by the hearts and spirits of her friends, Melissa finally lifted her head out of her sadness, with a new sensation of devotion as she looked her father in the eye. "They all risked their lives tonight, Papa."

A resonating silence filled the storage room as Melissa said this. Before David could say anything, she suddenly pulled the makeshift bandage from her arm and stepped toward Nikolay, pulling away the torn flap of his suit to reveal the hardened coating that still didn't obscure the sizeable slash wound in his side. Melissa's once gentle blue eyes were now alight with conviction as she couldn't keep the full force of her hurt emotions inside any longer: "What do you think Deku-san and his classmates, our friends, went through in order to save the hostages?!"

However, after a moment of genuine shock at the reveal of their wounds, David's face actually fell into…of all things, confusion. "W-what is the meaning of this? The Villains were supposed to be fake. It should've all been an act…" As he said this, David instinctively looked to Sam, who could only bow his head in a confusion of his own.

"OF COURSE IT WAS AN ACT!"

The intrusion of a powerful booming voice shocked everyone in the room to turn to the source, only to now find themselves facing off against an incredibly imposing man, accompanied by one henchman in the same uniform as all the others they had faced tonight. The more intimidating of the two was dressed in a white coat over his body armor, had long red hair, and wore a mask that looked to be made of multiple metal pieces welded together. The devious smile evident on his face, as well as the menacing air he gave off, made it instantly clear that they had to be looking upon the actual leader of the Villains himself.

"W-Wolfram, what is the meaning of all this?!" David immediately asked, only for the now identified leader of the Villains to chuckle in amusement at the scientists' cluelessness.

"As I just said, an act of pretending to be fake Villains!" With that verbal confirmation of his role, Izuku immediately ignited into that green glow, while Nikolay was already on the verge of channeling all his energy for attacking into his hands, and Mina was already beginning to build up a large helping of acid between her hands.

Like a shot, Izuku and Nikolay immediately launched themselves side by side, with Mina just as quickly breaking into a speedy slide right alongside them, all aiming right for Wolfram, who suddenly proceeded to plant his hand against the heavy steel vault door at his side.

A blinding blue glow suddenly began to emanate from his hand, and before any of the three youngsters could figure out what he was doing, let alone react, the metal railings surrounding the storage room suddenly uprooted themselves from the floor and swung right for them, as though they had suddenly gained a mind of their own.

The metal railings broke themselves into their own separate pieces and flew straight into the three as though it were the easiest thing in the world. They were all sent flying right back helplessly, as though the metal pieces that were even now continuing to wrap around and restrain their bodies were magnetized to the wall behind them, and only more and more pieces were continuing to fly for them and pile on. In the split second it took for the three to get slammed right up against the wall at their backs, one carelessly aimed metal piece came flying in from the side and ended up smacking straight against Minas' head.

Nikolay and Izukus' heads were ringing agonizingly the moment the weight of all that metal slammed and pinned them both to the wall, with several more pieces stabbing into the wall around them to keep them further restrained. As they both tried to struggle against these sudden bonds, a wayward glance made Nikolay freeze, his eyes going wide and his blood going cold with horrified realization, when he realized Mina wasn't likewise struggling against her restraints. In fact, her head was bowed down with her bangs hanging over her eyes, and he could start to see the beginning of a single trail of blood begin running down the side of her face from under her hair.

Nikolays' horror turned into a rage that could almost rival Bakugos' in less than a moment, as he began fighting against his restraints even more, too filled with his own overwhelming anger to even think of using his Quirk to try and break through. "TY UBLYUDOK! YA ZASTAVLYU TEBYA ZAPLATIT ZA ATO, DAZHE ESLI ATO BUDET POSLEDNEE, CHTO YA SDELAYU! (YOU BASTARD! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!)

KERRANG!

With perfect precision, one last thin piece of warped metal came flying in, perfectly embedding itself into the wall around Nikolays' head, specifically jamming itself into his mouth while it was open, effectively gagging him silent. Melissa was already rushing to the trio with pained tears in her eyes for seeing what had happened to them, while Wolfram simply began casually walking over to David and Sam. "You three brats just stay put there and be quiet for a second. Sam, where's the device?"

Before David could even ask why his assistant was being addressed, out of all people, he suddenly felt the briefcase being snatched right out of his hands, and could only watch in growing disbelief as Sam began hurriedly delivering it to the Villain at the foot of the steps. "S-Sam…don't tell me…don't tell me you were actually planning on giving the device to these Villains the entire time!"

Sam suddenly came to a stop, just short of bringing the briefcase to the Villain that even now towered over him. "Y-you were the one who tricked me, Professor! I served you loyally for so long, but you let your own research get frozen so easily, and the honor and renown we were supposed to get for all our hard work just went away like that!"

Finally, the man was able to will himself to look his old partner in the eye; distinctively pained tears in his own. "If I…if I didn't receive at least some money, then it all was a waste of my time! It's easy for you to simply let yourself be guided by nothing but an ideal, but in the end…I'm sorry, but in the end, that's just not how the real world works for the rest of us!"

As these admittedly pained words echoed through the storage room, the look of betrayal on David's face slowly sank into one of an even more painful realization. As much as it genuinely hurt to be betrayed by a man he once considered another true friend, it was also true that he had let himself be driven solely by his ideals, and even without his own conscious knowledge of it, had selfishly used Sam's loyalty to ultimately drag him down with him, without any consideration as to what it would ultimately do to the people around him, and the lives they still had to live at the end of the day.

"That's right, and here's the reward I promised you." The sound of Wolframs' voice mentioning his reward spurred Sam to turn to finally address the man, only to now find himself looking down the barrel of a pistol aimed right at him, and the slightest smirk evident on the man in questions' masked face.

BANG!

A single gunshot rang out, and Sam crumpled with a pained howl to the floor as the bullet punched right through his arm, shocking everyone across the room watching this sudden turning of loyalties. Even Melissa couldn't help but scream out his name in horror, even as she finally managed to forcefully pry the metal bar out of the wall, and allowing Nikolay the ability to speak again.

"Wh-why…? This isn't what you promised…!" Sam barely managed to ask through his pain as he clutched his wounded arm, while Wolfram slowly approached him, now with a look of pure disdain in his eyes.

"Promised? I don't remember making any specific promise with the likes of you. Regardless, you did work so hard in order to get us this device, so here's your reward." With that smirk growing into another full blown smile, he proceeded to level his gun again, this time at the quivering Sam's head.

BANG!

Everyone in the room felt their hearts stop as the gunshot echoed deafeningly across the room. Before their eyes, just as Wolfram had pulled the trigger, David had rushed into the scene, practically like a shot, and took the bullet meant for Sam's life, straight into his back, immediately collapsing to the floor. No one could bring themselves to cry out, not even Melissa; as David lay between Wolfram and Sam, a pool of blood beginning to spread from the wound in his back and out his chest.

"P-Professor…why?" Sam asked through his tears of pain and shock, while David was likewise trying to fight through his own pain to try and speak. "R-run away…!"

"PAPA!" The expected scream of desperation finally came as Melissa began sprinting for David, which spurred him to forcefully turn to her, a desperation of his own written all over his face. "DON'T COME HERE, MELISSA!"

Alas, it was too late for his warning, as Wolfram swiftly and mercilessly slammed the butt of his pistol straight into Melissa's head, sending her toppling and practically sliding across the floor from the impact, while her father could only cry her name out in anguish at seeing his daughter hurt.

Such a sight once again began bringing Izuku and Nikolays' blood to a boil, as the green-haired boys' body began to spark with power as he kept trying to fight against his restraints, and Nikolay began trying to fire through his hands against his bonds repeatedly, trying to build up enough of a vibration frequency to be able to practically break all these steel bonds apart. If he'd been able to do it to that sword-handed Villain from before, then dammit, he knew he could be able to do it here, too! For Mina, for Melissa, for David, for all of their friends, teachers and loved ones, for all the people on this island that had gotten involved in this whole affair, they were going to make this Villain pay!

Unperturbed by just pistol-whipping what was still ultimately a child, Wolfram proceeded to drive his heavy boot straight into David's back, driving his heel directly into his bullet wound. "Feeling like playing a Hero after all this time, huh, Professor? It's no use. No matter what reason you had, you've dirtied your hands with evil deeds, and for what? Because you, just like so many others, go around treating those fools out there that you call 'Heroes' as though they're completely infallible, some grand level of humanity to aspire to, that justifies whatever you try to do for their benefit. In the end, though, those very same 'Heroes' are all just as fallible, just as mortal as every one of us."

With an unexpected suddenness, Wolfram suddenly turned his attention to Melissa and the three students still stuck to the wall. "You little brats are exactly the same, making stupid and reckless decisions because you choose to let yourselves be inspired by the ideals of so-called great Heroes; relics of a time that no longer exists, all of them. You all go about thinking that they'll always be there to aspire to, to gain insight from, as though they were practically gods. But they're not; they're all simply human beings with undeserved levels of power. However, let the example of All Might, the very reason for the good professor putting this scheme together in the first place, serve as an example to you kids: the natural order of the world recognizes that so-called 'great Heroes' like All Might, or even the likes of Tunguska, don't deserve the power they've gotten to hold onto, and those powers fading away from All Might are simply a sign of that natural order correcting itself, just as it eventually will for all the other Heroes undeserving of their power. And at the same time as it takes away that power from the undeserving, so too does it pave the way for that power to be inherited by those that do deserve it."

As he turned his attention to the kids still stuck to the wall, he could clearly see a look of surprise and confusion on both their faces, but on that of the Russian boy, especially. A knowing smirk crossed his face in response. "That's right, I figured you must have had some kind of connection to the so-called Sun of Justice down there. How many Russians with Quirks do you see roaming around in other countries these days? I've known of his existence for years, unlike so many others who've only really known about him since All Might dragged him out of international obscurity over the last few months.

"I almost didn't believe it when the good professor informed me of his presence with the Symbol of Peace at the party tonight. It was at a point I was beginning to think I'd never get the chance to see two such alleged powerhouses in the flesh. It's just a shame they both turned out to be such immense disappointments. Disappointments that people still refused to let go of in preparation for the future."

At this point, he suddenly turned back to address David, who now could only look up at the masked man with pained confusion. "You think your putting up this elaborate scheme for the sake of retaining All Mights' Quirk is the first time I've seen a supposed brilliant mind cling onto the past so fervently? No, your old teacher was very much the same, Professor Shield. Like mentor, like student."

David, Izuku and Nikolays' eyes likewise went wide with a slowly dawning realization, while Wolfram was once again smiling in satisfaction. "That's right; you're starting to get it. I once approached your old Professor Kravchenko many years ago as well. Hearing of a man responsible for crafting the suits and equipment of one of the world's most powerful Heroes, I simply had to see him with my own eyes, and requested him to make as much for me as well. But that stubborn old goat refused, no matter how many times I asked, and in the end, even threatened him to do so. I knew his kind of work would be able to grant me the power I would ultimately need to see my own goals through…and in the end, he never once budged. All he ever said was that his precious Tunguska would forever be his magnum opus, and that anything I could've forced him to make for me would've been nothing in comparison.

"I was still so emotional, so young back then, that's the only reason that old fool ended up living after all was said and done. I never forgot that name, Tunguska, that essentially robbed me of the chance to gain the full extent of power I knew I deserved. From that day, I kept seeking whatever opportunity I could get that would allow me to grow stronger. So when Professor Shield reached out to me with this plan, I couldn't possibly pass it up. The chance to finally assert my superior power over two supposedly great Heroes and a bunch of comparative nobodies all at once was just a bonus. In the end, however, he's proven to be just as fickle, just as pathetically clingy to the glory of the past as his mentor was, unwilling to give up the power of these has-beens to the deserving of the present and future. The fact he would go to such lengths as to formulate this whole elaborate hoax just for that is the perfect proof of just how undeserving these people are of their power. Well, that all ends tonight. Now I finally have the means in my possession to not only make sure the right people can finally unlock the full potential of their Quirks, but better yet, be able to retain that full potential for all time."

Wolfram finally proceeded back to the prone David on the floor, looking down upon the scientists' now-petrified face with a sadistic grin. "You understand now, professor? The selfishness of you and your predecessors has now driven your greatest invention into the hands of the Villains you so detest. That selfishness drove you into stepping into our domain, and no attempt at a good deed you try will ever change that. Whether we were real Villains or not, the crime you committed will not disappear. You're the same as us. You can no longer remain a scientist or continue your research. You can only fall into the darkness of Villains."

With that, he suddenly lunged and picked David off the floor by his collar; the man himself only able to hang limply in his grasp from his injury. "All you can do right now is mass produce that device for me."

WRAM!

Without giving David a chance to say anything, he proceeded to slam the butt of his pistol into the back of his neck, knocking him out cold, before turning to his subordinate still standing at the vault entrance. "You, take him away to the extraction point."

"Give him back!" Melissa's voice echoed resoundingly through the whole storage room as everyone's eyes fell upon her, trying to pick herself back up even after having taken such a hard hit to her face. Even through her pained tears, she still fought with everything she had to keep going. "G-give Papa back!"

However, even in the face of such courage, he could only grin in sadistic anticipation. "That's right, if I'm going to have the professor working for me, then I need to remove all of his personal attachments." With that, he proceeded to aim his pistol at Melissa's prone body, his eyes reflecting nothing but focus and deadly intent.

"STOP IT!" "DON'T YOU TOUCH THEM!" Izuku and Nikolay respectively cried out in an emotional maelstrom as they pushed their Quirks as far as they could go in their condition. With a resonating blast, the metal pieces around Izuku finally flew away as though by a contained explosion of pure power, while the metal bonds around Nikolay finally shattered into millions of pieces from the inside out, as the built-up frequency of his continuous kinetic blasts finally broke them down. Both boys were finally free and already throwing themselves into the fray with nothing but absolute drive burning in them.

Izuku was already beginning to charge up his glowing fist and cry out his attack of "SMASH" while Nikolay was already building up another hefty kinetic surge into his own fists, but Wolfram was already on the defensive, planting his blue-glowing hand to the floor the moment they had broken free.

In an instant, the floor itself suddenly erected a massive steel wall, with both boys' attacks slamming straight into its face; a deafening cacophony of ringing steel echoing from end to end. Izuku could only keep channeling the power of his Quirk into his fist in the hopes of finally breaking through, while Nikolay was almost manically slamming one palm after another into the wall, firing with all the energy he could build up with every single one, quickly starting to form a multitude of cracks in the metal façade.

Even with both their focus solely on beating their opponent, Izuku was able to break his focus from the wall to the visibly shocked Melissa barely a few feet away. Though nothing was said between them, nothing needed to be. The conviction and confidence in her that his intense green eyes conveyed said far more: 'Melissa-san…we're going to save your dad and Sam-san…but you're the only one who can save everyone!'

Melissa's face hardened with an understanding and determination to honor that trust her friends were silently placing in her, and with not a trace of fear left in her, she immediately broke into a sprint for the vault door, which the Villain leader and his one remaining subordinate immediately realized. "STOP HER! DON'T LET HER ESCAPE!"

The moment the white-haired goggles-wearing Villain began to chase after Melissa, Izuku suddenly launched himself right for him to intercept, only for another series of towering metal walls to spring up from the ground, cutting him off likewise. However, while Nikolay was still hammering away at the first wall with growing power, with the sole intent of fighting and defeating Wolfram as quickly as possible, Izuku proceeded to launch himself straight up to the ceiling, ricocheting of it with a well placed spring-board kick to an adjacent wall, and then kicking himself from there straight to the floor in front of the vault door, standing steadfast between the retreating Melissa and the pursuing Villain henchman. "I won't let you get through!"

"You little runt, don't get carried away!" Wolfram proclaimed as he focused his metal manipulation Quirk that much more, producing several snaking steel columns from the ceiling and walls, all driving straight for where Izuku stood, plowing straight into the ground like spears.

That moment of distraction on his part had its cost, though, as when he finally returned his attention to his other young opponent, Nikolays' constant hammering kinetic strikes had finally broken right through the wall, and he came flying right through the hole; both hands at the ready to grab whatever he could of the Villain and fire with everything he had; his eyes and face alight with focus and aggressive intent.

It was only through gut reactionary instinct that Wolfram leaned his head back just out of grasping range, before channeling his Quirk to send several metal slabs up from the ground all around where Nikolay currently hovered, enclosing all around his body, save for his head, like an artificial Venus flytrap. Nikolay was already trying to fire his hands against his restraints to try and break them apart again, but Wolfram stood with a triumphant grin as he reached and planted his hand against the wall behind him, with that same glow emitting. "Just like Tunguska himself…nothing but a brash, hotheaded disappointment."

Before Nikolay could even try to guess what the Villain was planning next, he saw a flat strip of metal suddenly shoot out from the wall directly in front of him, coming straight for the boys' neck like a Quirk-created guillotine. With his entire body restrained, he felt a knife of ice stab into his chest at the realization of how truly helpless he was now, with neither Izuku or Mina to save him from the position he'd gotten himself into.

PSSSST!

Right before metal met flesh, Nikolays' ears suddenly picked up the distinctive sound of intense sizzling, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that the metal strip that had been coming for his head was now in the process of melting away before it could even reach him. After that, he looked to see Wolfram likewise had a shocked look in his eyes.

"YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS!" The genuinely fiery shouting of Minas' voice, in that miraculous moment, might as well have been music to Nikolays' ears, as he tried to turn in time to see his pink companion in a now half-melted dress come flying in from a blindingly fast slide, practically launching herself through the hole he'd made in the makeshift wall, and immediately throwing two large handfuls of acid from her completely coated arms right in Wolframs' direction. His reflexes, however, were unaffected, as he immediately brought up a short wall to cover himself and take her projectiles head on.

However, Minas' already impressive reflexes were running on full speed as she immediately threw one of her arms in a full on punch, stopping herself right before her arm reached its full length, and subsequently sending the entirety of the acid coating her arm flying forward in a manner not unlike Bakugo did with his explosive sweat, and melting the entire wall within seconds. She instantly followed through by doing the exact same with her other arm, sending another full coating of acid flying right for Wolfram, who proceeded to take a hurried step back and raise another wall.

However, while it was able to block the majority of Minas' acid, a little bit was able to make it through just a second in time, hitting the side of his metal mask, sending him reeling back in a shocked and infuriated roar as he pried his now-dissolving mask off his face and tossed it aside.

Mina refused to give him a moment to recollect himself, though, as she was already beginning to build up two more hefty globs in the palms of her hands, preparing to rush his position while he had his back to her, trying to recover from the near-hit to his face. Hearing her sprinting footsteps, he suddenly crouched and planted his hand to the floor, producing another blue glow, and Nikolay suddenly felt the entirety of his metal restraint come gliding across the floor to his position, firmly planting him right in Minas' attack trajectory like a human shield.

Mina quickly came to a screeching halt, too caught off guard to keep the acid in her hands from flying forward and impacting against the metal cocoon keeping Nikolay trapped inside. While Wolfram was already starting to get back up, undoubtedly to finally shoot them both, Nikolay heard a momentary crack from the side of his metal prison.

Still hearing the sizzling of Minas' acid as it ate through, the young Russian suddenly realized what was happening, regardless whether it was a last minute plan on Minas' part, or a complete accident. Either way, prematurely throwing her acid had loosened enough of his bindings to do what he had intended from the start.

Just as Wolfram was beginning to turn to face his two young opponents, Nikolay hurriedly focused a full double-dose of his energy into his hands, and fired them both at once, sending the rest of the metal restraints at his front flying forward like a bomb had just gone off against a steel door, sending the whole mass flying in pieces right for the Villain at nearly the speed of sound. And it was with similar speed that he quickly ducked and erected another wall, absorbing all the projectiles with full force, embedding several pieces inside it.

At the same time while Nikolay and Mina were trying to work together to fight off Wolfram, Izuku was still trying to fight his way through the numerous metal spires that had been thrown his way in the vault doorway, desperately trying to get back in the fight and help his friends, and even more importantly, keep buying Melissa the time she needed to get to the control room and restart the security system.

And even then, at the same time, Melissa never slowed down for a moment, her heart burning and hammering inside her chest once she finally found her way into the thankfully empty control room, planting herself in front of the monitor and putting herself to the test; fingers flying across all the appropriate keys, with one single thought racing through her mind, just the same as it was for Izuku, Nikolay and Mina at that very moment: 'Papa/All Might/ Dad/ Everyone, I'm definitely going to save you!'

With one final compounding keystroke, all the red upon the security system monitors returned to green, and Melissa felt every last ounce of tension simultaneously leave her body and become awash with relief, knowing at long last, she had finally done it; she had well and truly saved everyone held prisoner on I-Island.

Reception Hall

After what had felt like hours upon hours of restraint, the moment all of the bindings entrapping all of the Heroes in the hall suddenly retracted and retreated back into the floor and ceiling holes they had come from, had stricken everyone with overwhelming surprise, but none more so than the hapless Villains that had been left to watch the hostages after their leader had left. They couldn't even stop to ask what was happening before they'd found themselves getting plowed into at superhuman speed by several of the Heroes at once, effectively taking them down for the count.

Up on the stage, All Might and Oleg were finally able to get back on their feet, with the older Russian finally prying the black blinding mask from his face and prying the small electrical node that had been shot in his chest free, immediately allowing his prosthetic fingers to come flying back to him and re-planting themselves in the mechanical base on his hand.

"All Might, it looks like the kids were able to make it to the control room at last!" Oleg exclaimed in immense relief, while All Might had barely the faintest glimmer of the same sentiment on his strained face, his entire body continuing to emit steam, which quickly brought Oleg back to their situation at hand.

"That's right, Tunguska-san…now let's get up there and help those children finish this once and for all." He and Oleg were completely of the same heart and mind, as they prepared to put every ounce of their combined power into making it to the top of the tower and bringing the last of these Villains to justice.

Storage Room

The sound of the security system suddenly being restarted echoed throughout the entire top floor the moment Wolfram had created his latest steel wall to keep the restraints he had put around the Russian boy from plowing right back into him. That unbreakable confidence he had first come here with was now replaced with an only-ever increasing simmering anger at the realization of how badly his plans had suddenly gone awry.

"Dammit! That brat actually got the system restarted?" Knowing that simply standing around and asking questions wouldn't help him any, and realizing the sound had also created the briefest distraction for the Russian boy and pink girl on the other side, he quickly rushed past them, using his remaining barricades as cover, dashing for the center of the storage room and scooping up the still-unconscious David and the steel briefcase from the floor, before just as quickly rushing for the exit to the storage room, past the metal spires he'd trapped the green-haired boy inside before, with his one remaining henchman quickly following in kind.

"What's the status on the helicopter?" he asked in deathly seriousness, ignoring the momentary silence from his henchman at the realization he'd lost his mask. "It's already landed, boss."

"Good. We're getting out of here."

Seconds after the Villains had made their escape, the collective of metal spires suddenly exploded from the inside out, forcing Nikolay and Mina to duck out of the way just as they were about to give chase. As the smoke cleared, they immediately spotted Izuku collapsed on the ground, heaving for breath out of sheer exhaustion from how much he'd had to push his Quirk in order to finally break through.

"Midoriya-san!" "Midori-kun; are you okay?!" they both cried out with worry as they rushed to his side, helping him back up onto his feet, to which he immediately clutched onto his left shoulder in pain, likely having dislocated or broken it in his efforts to break free.

"I…I'll be okay. What about Shield-sensei, where is he?" The moment Izuku saw the empty spot on the floor where there was now only a small pool of blood, and the regretful looks on Nikolay and Minas' faces; it all became clear to him what had happened.

"They only just started to escape right before you got free, Midori-kun! If we hurry we can still stop them!" Mina exclaimed with bolstering confidence, already about to give chase on her own if need be, before she suddenly stopped and let out a pained hiss, reaching for the side of her head that was still even slightly bleeding.

Nikolay and Izuku quickly caught her before she could fall over, hurriedly bringing her out of the vault and resting her against the hallway wall, while Nikolay was already tearing away a portion of his sleeve, tearing that into a strip and wrapping it around Minas' forehead as firmly as he could without making her pain any worse.

"Deku-san! Kolya-san! Mina-san!" Melissa's voice suddenly came calling from further up the hall, and they all turned to find her sprinting for them, nearly sliding on her knees when she finally caught up to them, the relief on her face quickly turning to worry the moment she saw Mina and Izuku were hurt.

"C'mon, guys, it's not that bad. I can still keep going." Mina tried to assure them, only for Nikolay and Melissa to hurriedly seat her back down the moment she tried to get up.

"Mina-san, please, don't exert yourself! I…I'm sorry, everyone. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to keep you all from getting hurt as it is…but I'm not going to let you make your wounds any worse if I can help it!" The determination in Melissa's eyes as she made her stance clear was of the same intensity as when she had gone to restart the security system. That was what finally convinced Mina to not keep trying to fight the fact that she wasn't at her best anymore.

"Melissa-san, we can still go and rescue your father, though! The Villains can't have gotten far!" Izuku declared, fighting through his own worry for his friend and his own pain in order to get to his feet, ready to follow through and do what they knew was the most important thing left to be done. Even as Nikolay was clearly reluctant to leave Mina in the state she was in, his eyes also reflected the same fire as Izukus', and both girls could see this without question.

"I caught sight of them through the camera feeds leading up to the roof. They must be taking Papa for some kind of airborne escape. If you go down this hall and take the second right and the first left, it'll take you straight to the roof. I can look after Mina-san from here."

Nikolay and Izuku looked each other in the eye and, in a moment of true solidarity, brought one of their hands together in a show of partnership for the battle that was surely to come. Looking back to their companions, Mina gave them both a reassuring smile, even as she gave a pained wince when Melissa tried to properly adjust the makeshift bandage on her head. "We'll be okay, you guys. I won't let anything happen to Melissa-chan, either. You both just go after them…whoop those Villains…and get Shield-sensei back safe and sound. I know you can both do it together."

With her vote of confidence, and Melissa's nod of approval and support, Izuku and Nikolay didn't squander another moment, and proceeded to rush down the hall, silently hoping they would be able to get to the roof and stop the Villains from escaping.

All Might and Oleg had been sprinting at superhuman speed from floor to floor in what barely amounted to a minute, but felt only like mere seconds; both of them filled with nothing but the focus on getting to the kids and making sure they didn't get hurt, and bringing this entire hideous sequence of events to a close. In the middle of their rush to the top, All Mights' cellphone suddenly began to go off, to which he hurriedly answered while never breaking his stride.

"What's wrong, Melissa? Are you all right?" Even from where he stood beside All Might, Oleg could hear Melissa's panicked voice on the other end loud and clear.

"Uncle Might! I'm with Mina-san on the top floor! Don't worry, I'm all right, but Papa's been taken away by the Villains to the roof, and Deku-san and Kolya-san have gone after them!"

The moment they heard their respective disciple and sons' name and what they were potentially walking into, a whole new fire erupted within both veteran Heroes' hearts, as their eyes practically burned through every floor above their heads, focusing solely on the roof. "Don't worry, Melissa! Tunguska-san and I are on our way…and we'll stop them!"

Central Tower Rooftop

David had only managed to regain consciousness just in time to feel the frigid air against his face that could only be felt at the highest point of all I-Island, the rooftop to the central tower. Immediately after he realized his hands and feet had been bound together, and he was being carried over Wolframs' shoulder like a hunting trophy. "But sir, are we really going to leave the others behind?"

"We're leaving before the security system gets reactivated." All at once did the realization come racing back to David, the realization that not only had his actions brought his greatest, and now worst, invention into the hands of Villains, but that he was now going to be taken to make even more to be sold into the hands of evil the world round. Such a painful realization of his reality was too much for him to bear, far worse than even the bullet wound in his back; knowing he had ultimately been responsible for all of it. "Kill…me…"

Immediately, he was met with a conniving chuckle from the man hauling him over his shoulder. "Don't worry, Professor. I'll just add a few more sins to your list…then rest assured, I'll grant you your wish." With that, the unmistakable revving to life of a helicopters' engines began to rise, and David found himself getting roughly dropped inside of the aircraft, with Wolfram already beginning to climb on board with him so they could finally escape.

"WAIT!" All of a sudden, the desperate shout of none other than the green-haired boy from before stopped the Villain dead in his tracks, and as he looked back in surprise, he found that very same child and the Russian boy filling the doorway they had just come from, staring across the roof at him with that same Heroic shimmer in their eyes. Even as Izuku was still clutching his left shoulder from the beating he'd just taken, there was still no shortage of fight in either of them. "Give the professor back!"

However, instead of the simmering anger he had felt before, Wolfram now could only feel a grin of amusement spread across his scarred face. "Oh, I see, now. Did you both come all this way to seize this man who has committed wrongdoing? That's the duty of so-called Heroes, isn't it?"

"NO!" As Izuku made this declaration, he finally got back into his fighting stance, with Nikolay immediately following suit. As Izukus' body began to glow and spark green again, and Nikolays' fists began to vibrate with growing amounts of concentrated energy, they both made their intent loud and clear; one heart, one mind, one soul: "WE'VE COME TO SAVE THE PROFESSOR!"

With that, both boys immediately came charging in, but Wolfram was already on the defensive, his grin turning into a monstrous sneer as he placed his hand to the ground. "You boys are going to risk your lives for a criminal?!"

The instant the first of several metal spires shot out from the ground around him, charging straight at Izuku and Nikolay, both boys immediately launched themselves into the air, apart from one another, in an attempt to approach from two different fronts. So far it hadn't seemed as though the Villains' Metal Manipulation Quirk could work on two different targets at once if they were coming from two different directions.

As more and more spires shot out into the air to stop them, they both employed their Quirks to either blast their way through or bounce from spire to spire, refusing to let anything Wolfram threw at them slow them down, even when he decided to employ both his hands in order to maintain an equally strong offense and defense. Nevertheless, neither of the two boys were willing to back down, focused solely on their enemy and David inside the helicopter.

Izukus' heart was aflame with a Heroes' conviction as he continued to fly like a human bullet through the barrage. "We're going to save everyone! We're going to save the professor, too! To save everyone…is a Heroes' sworn duty!"

As Wolfram continued trying to divide his focus between his two opponents, Nikolay was bouncing and ricocheting, slamming through multiple spires as he fired his fist-loads of energy point-blank into whatever one he couldn't directly bounce off of. His own eyes were blazing with a similar spirit as his partner, as he could just feel his entire body become imbued with a courage unlike anything he'd felt up to this point, knowing all the people that were counting on them pulling through, while also thinking back on everything the Villain had told them before: "That's right! As long as we never forget our sworn duty as future Heroes, and use our Quirks for the protection of everyone, then it doesn't matter if they're ultimately finite like the professor says! We'll continue to use them the best ways we can with the time we have! That's what decides who is truly deserving of such power, not who's the strongest and most desperate to hold onto it!"

Even as he struggled to maintain consciousness from within the helicopter, amidst the cacophony of the battle ensuing outside, David was still somehow able to make out the heartfelt philosophies and declarations of the two young boys who, even after everything his selfishness had ultimately put them through, were still risking their very lives for no one elses' sake but his own. To know this, even after everything that had happened, left a wrenching sensation of shame in the pit of his chest.

"What nonsense are you brats spouting?!" Wolfram boasted as he let loose another barrage of further spires to knock them both right out of the sky, even if they were coming at him from two directions. Regardless of how many obstacles he threw in their way, they both continued to power through, two simultaneous maelstroms of justice-driven forces of nature bearing down on his head.

He knew his tactic of pure defense and deflection wasn't going to work anymore, and so with a devious smirk: "How can you both possibly say you're going to save everyone?!" and with swiftness and precision, he quickly pulled his pistol from under his coat and aimed it right at David's head, and in an instant, Izuku and Nikolay both forced themselves to a complete stop, coming back down to the ground in realization of their enemies' one remaining ace in the hole.

"No…don't worry about me…you boys get away!" As David pleaded for Izuku and Nikolay to save themselves, Wolfram could clearly see the conflicted frustration evident on both their faces. Such a sight couldn't help but make him laugh at his own miraculous winning strategy.

"And this is why being a Hero is nothing more than an inconvenience! I didn't even have to do anything extreme, and you two are already completely helpless! No matter how you try to justify it, it's simply not a smart way to live!" With that, his hand still to the ground began to glow again, and before either of them knew it, another massive spire of steel erupted from the ground, with Nikolays' hair-trigger reactionary instincts being the only reason he managed to fire himself out of its path, but unable to grab onto Izuku in time to pull him out of the way as well, and before the green-haired boy could react, the spire plowed straight into him, sending him flying across the roof.

When he tried to get up and ricochet off several more attacking spires in an attempt to close distance, he was instead plowed into by several more, before ultimately getting knocked high into the air, and slammed into by two opposing columns closing in on him, as though they were two hands smacking an insect in their palms. As the rubble fell, Nikolay could make out Izukus' bloodied and battered body plummeting before slamming into the ground, nearly motionless.

The sight of his freckled friend being attacked and hurt in such a way once again left Nikolays' entire body feeling as though it would burst into flames of anger, as he immediately fired through his feet, dive-bombing straight for Wolfram with his fists at the ready.

Unfortunately, his enemy still had him well spotted, as he quickly produced several more snaking spires right in Nikolays' path, worming their way all around and slamming into him over and over as he flew, knocking him this way and that off his trajectory, before ultimately swatting him out of the air like a pesky insect, leaving him to bounce off the unforgiving ground several times before finally coming to a stop. All the while as he continued this effective counter-attack, the Villain proceeded to finally finish climbing his way onto the helicopter. "That takes care of that. Now get us out of here."

The helicopter finally began to ascend, and as Nikolay tried to pick himself up off the ground, despite several of his ribs screaming in pain from the bludgeoning he'd just taken, he ultimately found it too difficult to get back on his feet in time to try and pursue. Nevertheless, he kept trying, especially when he saw Izuku finally get back to his feet as well, and take off into a mad sprint up the remains of one of the metal spires, already able to tell what his freckled friend was planning.

Izuku was a young man of pure will, focus and conviction as his eyes focused on the helicopter, channeling as much of his power into his legs as he could for what he was about to do, all the while planning any number of counters he could use in case Wolfram actually tried to attack while they were in the air. 'That guy shouldn't be able to use his Quirk as long as he isn't directly touching me with his hand!'

It was with that one assumption on good faith, that Izuku finally launched himself through the air at the end of the spire, sending himself flying as he dispersed his power through his legs, slamming and clinging onto the rim of the open door of the helicopter for dear life.

Down on the roof, Nikolay was finally managing to get off his knees and onto his feet, fighting through all the pain in his body in preparation to try going up after Izuku.

As Izuku tried to fight against the friction of the wind while trying to climb the rest of the way into the helicopter, he was met with the look of complete disbelief on David's face, watching the young man struggle so hard for his sake. "Midoriya-kun…please, don't do this! Don't risk your life for me…"

"STOP TALKING NONSENSE, PROFESSOR! DON'T YOU KNOW SHE'S STILL WAITING FOR YOU?!" The moment those words left Izukus' mouth, David's former posture of defeat went rigid with deeply emotional shock. He had already convinced himself so thoroughly after the confrontation in the storage room that he had betrayed his daughters' faith in him beyond repair. So to hear this brave child actually assure him that Melissa still hadn't abandoned him after all was said and done, left his heart aching worse than ever before. How would he ever be able to look her in the eye and ask her to truly forgive him for what he'd done if he got out of this?

"Well, now…you truly are a real Hero in the making, aren't you?" The sound of Wolframs' voice speaking so bluntly, snapped Izuku and David alike to attention, just in time to find the scarred man already had his pistol leveled right at his curly-haired little head. "But you're still an idiot in the end, boy."

BANG!

The gunshot that should've all but guaranteed the snuffing out of Izuku Midoriyas' young life, instead resulted in that bullet ricocheting off of the boys' gauntlet-clad hand, forcing him to let go of the helicopter in gut reaction, as David had thrown himself right into the Villains' mass, throwing off his aim just enough.

Alas, it didn't change the fact that Izuku was now plummeting to the helipad below, only able to desperately think of some unfeasible way to somehow get back to the helicopter and stop them from getting away. This was all he could think, even as his plummeting body was suddenly plowed into in mid-air, as Nikolay had launched himself up the moment he saw Izuku falling; his own physical pain the very last thing on his mind as he caught his friend and tried to throw his own body in a way he could somehow meet the ground running and keep them both from getting hurt any further. Of course, such was much easier said than done, as his feet gave out from under their combined weight, and both boys went tumbling and rolling across the rooftop, only now able to watch as the helicopter continued to grow more and more distant.

Watching the Villains get away, Izukus' determination soon gave way to infuriated and grieving desperation as he tried to pick himself up off the ground, stinging tears in his eyes. "Crap…dammit…give him back…GIVE THE PROFESSOR BACK! DAMN IT!"

Nikolay could feel a similar wave of defeat begin to fester in his chest as he saw how far the helicopter already was, and hearing the wrenching pain in Izukus' voice only made it that much worse. However, fighting through his own tears, he hurried back to Izukus' side, clutching onto his shoulders in order to force him to look into his eyes and see his Russian friend wasn't willing to give up, either.

"Midoriya-san…it's not too late. We can still catch up to them and get Shield-sensei back…and I have an idea how we can do it." Without wasting another moment speaking, Nikolay simply turned his back to Izuku and knelt down, his back completely open and his hands aimed at the ground, ready to launch them both up with full force. Izuku understood this to be Nikolays' last-second plan, and was immediately on board, as he clutched onto the young Slav, both their eyes focused solely on the helicopter.

"Once we get close enough, spring yourself off my shoulders, and I'll come around from below and we can nail that Villain from behind and in front!" The instant Nikolay finished describing what he had in mind for them to do, he finally fired himself and Izuku up into the air like a rocket, flying straight for the helicopter. Just as they reached what they both knew to be the peak of Nikolays' strongest launching height, Izuku was already planting his feet on his partners' shoulders, ready to jump off and bring the fight right back.

However, both boys looked up in preparation, only to find Wolfram once more leaning out the side of the helicopter with his gun aimed at essentially both of them, smiling victoriously. "You little wretches just don't take a hint, do you?" For the first time, both Izuku and Nikolay found themselves completely exposed and without a backup plan to get out of what was truly certain death for one or both of them.

"Do not fret, Midoriya-shonen, Bezpalov-shonen! Do not forget that it is precisely in times like these, that true Heroes always smile!"

"And never forget that as long as even one Hero never gives up, then the sun of justice will never truly set on this world!"

The resonating voices of both All Might and Tunguska seemed to bring the entire world around Izuku and Nikolay to a complete halt, as the almost instantaneous boom of an object breaking the sound barrier as it ascended the height of the tower tore through the air around them, nearly knocking them both off their trajectory, and plummeting inadvertently, only for Nikolay to grab onto Izukus' hand and start firing from both his feet and one free hand to try and break their fall back down to the roof, thankfully managing a considerably softer landing.

At the same time, Wolfram and his subordinates both found themselves staring in disbelief out the helicopter at the object that had just hurtled all the way up the entire tower in a matter of seconds, and was now hanging weightlessly in the air above them, twinkling with pure power and confidence like a human star. "Everything is alright now! Why? Because I am here!"

Indeed, hovering in the air triumphantly over the Villains' escape helicopter was the forever smiling Symbol of Peace, All Might. And with that unbreakable smile, a piercing glint of blue began to emanate from his eyes as he stared upon the Villains below. "I'll have you give my friend back to me, you Villains!"

In less than the blink of an eye, All Might suddenly fired himself right down and through the helicopter like a veritable cannonball, in through the roof and out through the floor, with David secure in his arms the rest of the way down to the roof.

At the very last second before said impact, realizing what was about to happen, Wolfram desperately flung himself out the side of the helicopter in a desperate act of self-preservation. As All Might plowed through the helicopter, and he found himself descending back down to the roof, even despite the obvious circumstances, he pretty much considered his escape and survival all but fully assured.

"The Sun of Justice is descending upon you, Villain!" The sound of a powerful and thickly-accented voice suddenly piercing the air drew Wolframs' focus from his landing, just in time to find an especially intense bearded face, with eyes glowing with the radiance of the sun itself, suddenly come tearing through the air with the exact same kind of speed and power, before he felt a fist of pure iron clutch him by his collar, and proceeded to spin him through the air in its grip like a lasso, before Tunguska finally released his grip, and sent the villainous man hurtling through the air at mach speed, straight into the side of the helicopter, right before it finally exploded into a massive fireball after having been shot right through by All Might less than a second before.

As both All Might and Tunguska finally descended back down onto the roof, and the flaming wreckage of the helicopter came smashing down behind them in a furious inferno, both Nikolay and Izuku could only look upon the Heroes before them in speechless awe at their miraculous arrival and all-around saving of the night. Even David looked to be in a state of silent shock, secure in All Mights' arms, having literally been saved at the very last possible moment.

"PAPA!" The sound of Melissa's overjoyed voice cried out from the roof entrance, drawing everyones' attention to find her sprinting across the roof with overjoyed tears of relief in her eyes, with an equally overjoyed Mina running right along after her at the sight of all their friends still in one piece, and Melissa's father and both their teachers finally free; the perfect picture to say that at long last, everyone was well and truly saved.

Melissa practically collapsed to her knees once she finally reached All Might and David, while Tunguska hurried to attend to Nikolay and Izuku, noting immediately how roughed up both boys clearly were, just at the same time as Mina practically came sliding in on her knees, not even trying to hide her own tears of relief as she hugged both boys as though their lives depended on it.

"Oh, Papa…I'm so glad you're okay! I-I thought…I thought you would be…" Melissa tried to voice her relief, but simply found herself too completely overwhelmed by her emotions of relief to see her father safe and sound again. She was practically oblivious to the similar look of emotional shellshock her father was in, finding himself reunited with his daughter when he had all but resigned himself to never being able to see her again, and atone for how deeply he had betrayed her trust and faith in him. "Me—Melissa…it's all right now."

His eyes then shifted to Izuku, Nikolay, Mina and Tunguska. Even if the man himself didn't know the truth, those children did, and they all put themselves through hell regardless, just for the sake of saving him and bringing him back to Melissa. The guilt he felt for causing such potential true Heroes such pain because of his own selfishness was unbearable.

However, before he could even think of trying to speak to Melissa like the father he was supposed to be, David finally found his attention back on the Symbol of Peace above him, having pushed himself so far to save him, even when knowing just how little power he still had in him. If that kind of selflessness in the face of his own approaching end as All Might wasn't the perfect picture of a Hero using his time and power the way he knew was best, and making peace with his circumstances, then David couldn't guess what was.

He couldn't take it anymore, this guilt eating away at him for all the lies, and the damage and pain it had ultimately caused, for a man who never even asked him to do any of this. David had to find some way to at least begin to make things right. "All Might…Tunguska…Melissa…everyone…I…"

WRAAAM!

Like a shot of lightning, two snaking metal columns suddenly came shooting across the roof, plowing straight into All Might and Tunguska, plucking them and David right off the ground, while all the kids could only watch in shock.

Suddenly, a massive split formed across the roof, as a multitude of wires, cables and steel poles were torn straight out of it and coiled around David as he momentarily hung in the air from the blow, before pulling him away, completely ensnared in it. Everyones' eyes followed him to find a colossal mass of wires and metal parts erupting from out of the fire like some kind of unholy mountain.

However, before anyone could even think of what to do to get him back, they found the entirety of the ground beneath their feet starting to warp, crack and malform, all while David soon found himself completely trapped in yet another warped metal prison amid the mass.

"That Sam…he said that All Mights' Quirk was declining…and that he didn't have the power he once had." The sound of Wolframs' voice suddenly erupted from amid the chaos, and all four teens' eyes lifted to the top of the metal monstrosity, to find the man himself standing victorious over them, with a strange glowing metal headpiece now adorning his head, and what looked like steam beginning to emanate from his body. He was giving off an entirely new air of fear-inducing power, even from as far away as the kids were standing as they gazed upon him. Knowing what they did about what he'd been after, for him to now be able to exude such an aura, it didn't take much to figure out just what they were looking at.

"He…he's using the professors'…" As Izuku muttered this in genuine disbelief, across the roof, All Might and Tunguska were picking themselves back up from the considerable wallop they'd both just received. Tunguska felt his stomach twist with dreaded anticipation once he saw the battle that was clearly waiting for them. However, what made it worse was when he looked to his ally, and found All Might already coughing up blood. When he saw this, and the two Heroes exchanged glances, it was crystal clear between them that the Symbol of Peaces' time tonight was truly running out…and that they were going to have to make the time he had left here count for everything it was worth.

Launching themselves forward side-by-side, Tunguska proceeded to fire two continuous solar beams from his hands, aimed right for the Villain ahead, while All Might was already reeling his arm back, ready to deliver a punch to end all punches right here. "TEXAS…SMA-!"

In a heartbeat, two more immensely thick steel barricades lifted up, taking the entirety of both Heroes' powerful attacks without the Villain himself even breaking a sweat. "What do you call that? Is that supposed to be all you two have?! Pathetic!"

Instantly, multiple more steel columns shot out from the walls, smacking and plowing into All Might and Tunguska with inhuman precision, slamming into their charges with such power, it produced a shockwave that ultimately caused a good third of the Central Towers' top floor to break away and plummet to the ground below.

However, that was far from the end of it. Now, from all over the tower, the steel paneling, wires, gears and every other metallic piece around began to dislodge, tear and float away, all amassing at the tower rooftop, building and compiling onto the Villains' metallic mountain of pure power, growing more and more in scale and mass as he couldn't help but laugh triumphantly, and Izuku, Nikolay, Melissa and Mina couldn't even speak to express the sheer sense of overwhelm they were all experiencing, witnessing his Quirk at a level of power unimagined.

"As expected of something made by David Shield…I can tell that my Quirk is being revitalized! This…this device is INCREDIBLE!" From all across the roof, everyone could only watch in dumbfounded disbelief that something simply made by a man could unlock such indescribable power. The fact Wolfram now stood secure upon his metal monolith like some kind of twisted king only punctuated how dire everyone now knew the situation to be.

"And now…in order to drive up the price for such an amazing invention…why don't we have a little demonstration of how easily it can blow the likes of All Might and Tunguska away?!" Like a shot, multiple metal columns erupted from his metal mountain, forcing All Might and Tunguska to shoot from where they stood, two human blurs bouncing from surface to surface from two different fronts to try and fly right at him. However, his defenses were simply too thorough and too fast, as All Might found himself flying straight into an approaching column, and even as he drove his fist straight into it, driving himself a good way through it, it just kept growing and growing, ultimately forcing All Might back to the ground as he tried to push it back with all his remaining strength.

At the same time, Tunguska kept firing his beams from his hands as much as he could, slicing through the first few columns like a hot knife through butter, but when more and more just kept coming, he ultimately was forced to use his own enhanced punches to try and break through them and bounce off others in order to keep trying to close as much distance as he possibly could. But in the end, it too was all for naught, as more and more columns just kept shooting out from the mass, and ultimately caught him in midair from four different directions, forcing Tunguska to try and force them all back with one foot and hand each, using all his focus and strength just to avoid getting crushed like an insect in the fingertips of a sadistic child.

At the same time as all this, the ground beneath the four kids' feet was finally beginning to warp, give and erupt, forcing Izuku to launch himself out to grab Melissa once the ground practically threw her off, and Nikolay essentially threw Mina by her wrist onto his back before proceeding to launch himself likewise to avoid getting caught or crushed in the writhing steel, breaking into another mid-air sprint with her desperately hanging on, as he tried to catch up with Izuku as he continued to fly.

They could all only watch as their two veteran Hero allies were well and truly helpless, unable to even try to think of counter-attacking without the risk of getting crushed.

While Tunguska was still trying to keep himself from getting beaten, he couldn't help but look to All Might for some kind of silent sign of a plan, but all he was met with instead, just the same as the kids, was the sight of All Might straining himself to his very limit, openly hacking up blood the more he tried to push back. In the end, it all proved to be for nothing, as Wolfram simply proceeded to lay down yet more metal columns, sending them all simultaneously crashing right where All Might stood, all but guaranteeing having virtually crushed him.

Tunguska couldn't even cry out for his ally, before he realized a bundle of yet more columns were likewise starting to descend upon himself from above, and below, preparing to crush him likewise from every conceivable angle. Wolfram was now practically cackling with victorious joy at how unbeatably powerful he had truly become.

Just as Tunguska grit his teeth and closed his eyes in preparation for the crushing that was about to come, all the while silently beseeching Nikolay to forgive him for not being able to pull through, his ears suddenly caught the sound of instantaneous crystallization, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself momentarily shocked to find all the metal columns around him, and all those that had amassed upon All Might, had been completely encased in ice.

Nikolay, Izuku, Mina and Melissa momentarily couldn't believe what they just saw, right before a sudden rapid-fire series of explosions started raining hell down upon the metal mass, hammering through the wall that had suddenly been brought up to try and shield Wolfram from it, all while an unmistakable enraged voice screamed out: "GO TO HELL!"

Indeed, from practically out of nowhere, Katsuki Bakugo had come onto the scene, raining hell down upon Wolfram with his explosions for a good several seconds before a pain in his wrist finally forced him to begrudgingly stop and build up another explosive charge. "You're supposed to be the best, aren't you, All Might?! How can you get beaten up by such a damn lame last boss?!"

Their shocked eyes soon fell back to the roof entrance, and felt their hearts all simultaneously lift at the sight of Shoto Todoroki, his right arm extended, having just saved both their teachers in a flash, and he wasn't alone. Everyone was right there by his side, all looking fully prepared and willing to go charging right into the fray. Shoto could practically feel the four students above watching him with barely restrained joy as he spoke: "We'll take care of things down here. You all just focus on dealing with the Villain."

Following his lead, Eijirou was already hardening his fists in preparation ("We'll take care of the lumps of metal down here"), while Tenya was already getting himself ready to charge once more. "That's right! Yaoyorozu-san, take care of things here!"

At his cue, Tenya and Eijirou immediately took off into a full charge, immediately swinging their fists and feet alike to plow straight through the metal columns standing in their way, all while Nikolay, Izuku, Mina and Melissa couldn't even hide their overjoyed tears to see all their friends having come all this way to help them, even after everything else they'd already gone through.

At the same time, All Might and Tunguska couldn't help but witness and hear the sheer dedication and drive in their returning students…nor could they help but feel that invincible fire of inspiration reignite in their hearts as a result. "These children…they've been put through so much hell already…and still they continue to come and fight with everything they have…just to save the people they care about…to save everyone, and fight against evil and save the day…to become the true Heroes they are all meant to be!"

"If these children are so strongly motivated and willing to push themselves so far for everyones' sake…then there's no possible way…I can allow myself to be beaten by some stupid limit!" As All Might made this declaration, his whole body began to shake uncontrollably as he mentally and spiritually pushed himself farther than he thought he could, all while Tunguska likewise began to fight back against the columns still trying to crush him with more and more untapped reserves of strength, eager to meet the example of a real Hero these courageous students were aspiring to be.

"We all need to go past our limits, and go beyond! Thank you, children, for your exemplary spirits in the face of adversity!" All Might and Tunguska were of the exact same heart as they locked eyes with each other in a silent communication of pure understanding, and their strength finally reached past its respective crescendos, and they felt the very essence of their power erupt from out of them as they finally tore through and exploded from their restraints, sending the metal columns around them disintegrating as they flew like a pair of human bullets, their souls ignited with the cry of the very heart of what it meant to be a true Hero: "PLUS ULTRA!"

By this point, Nikolay and Izuku had finally managed to land, and they, Mina and Melissa could only watch in stricken awe, as All Might and Tunguska proceeded to fly, slide, slam and slice their way through the seemingly endless series of growing metal spires being thrown in their way to try and stop them from closing distance. The synchronicity the two Heroes displayed as they flew and practically ricocheted off each other in order to help each other along on their way was nothing short of amazing, as they tore through Wolframs' defenses like it was nothing. Their eyes were aglow with blue and gold as they finally began to make that final stretch, even as a practical fist of metal columns was about to close in on them from all around. Unperturbed, All Might began to ready both his fists to strike, while Tunguska was crossing both his arms over his chest, hands beginning to burn as bright as his eyes.

In an instant, both veteran Heroes threw both their attacks out in a godlike display of untapped strength and power unleashed simultaneously: "CAROLINA…SMASH!" "VOLGOGRADSKIY ZALL (VOLGOGRAD VOLLEY)!"

A devastating shockwave of a godlike two-way punch, and an absolute light show of nonstop solar bursts filled the air, as the columns were laid to waste, and the metal monolith itself was nearly blown away from the sheer force the two Heroes displayed with their tag team effort to bring the fight right back to the Villain standing alone at the top.

Wolfram actually had to cover his eyes from the blinding light of both these attacks put together, and when he finally looked back to see, he was met with the sight of both Heroes plowing through the smoke, already with their fists at the ready to give him a double helping of their strength, with Tunguska already charging up his glowing fist and firing a preemptive continuous beam right for the Villain in his sights. "PREPARE YOURSELF, VILLAIN!"

At the same time as All Might made that declaration, the blinding beam of light shot from Tunguskas' fist and drove straight into Wolframs' chest with unexpected physical force and heat, but other than being pushed back an inch from where he stood, at most; the Villain grit his teeth and actually proceeded to take the continuous brunt of the Russian Heroes' attack with a sadistic, over-confident grin on his face.

The moment Tunguska and All Might realized his attack was in fact landing, but the Villain was instead simply choosing to take it, a multitude of wires suddenly shot out from amid the metal masses, mercilessly ensnaring both Heroes right out of the air like a couple of flies in a spiders' web, even making sure to completely cast Tunguskas' fists in them so he couldn't focus enough to try any more of his fancy sunbeam tricks. Tunguska could now only curse the fact he'd already used up the amount of energy he needed to use his flash bang attack earlier.

Not wasting a moment, Wolfram lunged forward and clasped a powerful hand right around the Symbol of Peaces' neck, and driving his other hand straight into his left side, causing All Mights' whole body to jolt and writhe with intense pain. "Is that really all the two of you put together have?! 'Prepare myself?!' Maybe you and your night light of a friend there should take your own advice…All Might!" In an instant, the sleeves of Wolframs' coat exploded from the inside out, just as his entire body began to glow red, with multiple blue sparks of energy beginning to spread all across his body. In that moment, even though he was already gripping his throat with all his physical strength, All Might could actually feel his grip quickly beginning to grow even stronger, already reaching to a point that matched his and Tunguskas' physical strength. 'W-what is this power?!'

Down below, seeing their two teachers and father respectively in danger, spurred Izuku and Nikolay to break into a desperate sprint, ready to fire themselves straight into the heart of battle to save them, with Mina and Melissa likewise charging right alongside them, ready to brave any danger that could possibly stand in their way in order to save everyone here. The fight was clearly not going any better for the rest of their classmates, as the Villains' endlessly growing supply of metal spires simply did not stop charging at all of them, no matter how hard they fought.

To simply add onto their overwhelming odds, as they ran, Izukus' body suddenly jolted before he collapsed with pain, clutching his injured shoulder, and bringing his three friends to a grinding halt as they looked upon him with immense concern all around. If he was officially down for the count, then their fight had only grown that much more desperate.

Looking back to their classmates and teachers in need of assistance, Nikolay clenched his fists with frustrated desperation, before he felt a firm hand upon his shoulder, turning to find Mina looking him in the eyes with a look of unspoken faith. "Don't worry, Kolya-kun, I'll help everyone with those metal things. You and Melissa-chan help Midori-kun whichever way you can. We aren't beaten yet, right?"

Even despite the frightened crack in Minas' voice, the fact she was still able to communicate such confidence in all of them was purely inspiring. Nikolay and Melissa both smiled with gratitude, and gave her an agreeing nod that practically lit her eyes up. Mina finally broke into a motivated slide, ready to lay down an acidic protection for all their classmates that needed it, effectively leaving an equally motivated Nikolay and Melissa with Izuku, as their eyes all fell upon the desperate sight of their two Heroes at the Villains' mercy.

The wires holding Tunguska and All Might had absolutely no give to them, no matter how hard the older Russian tried to fight through it. Seeing his friend getting the life slowly choked out of him as he kept coughing up blood was only firing him up that much more, silently begging for all the lights from across the roof to build up enough energy for him to unleash another flash bang attack in time so he could brute force his way out and save All Might.

All the while, as he tried to fight the crushing of his windpipe, All Might couldn't help but mutter in contemplation: "A Quirk that…enhances muscle strength…but…his Quirk manipulated metal before…"

In an instant, a thought snapped across his brain, just at the very moment that, upon hearing his observation, Tunguska likewise froze in thought, immediately thinking back to USJ, the creature known as the Nomu…and what the police had told them about it possessing multiple Quirks at once…and the only feasible way it could've been done. Tunguska didn't even need to meet All Mights' eyes in order to know they had both just reached the same grim conclusion. "No…don't tell me…"

Hearing the horrified realization in All Mights' voice brought out a victorious laugh from Wolfram, who still had the Symbol of Peace himself entirely at his mercy. "That's right. When we were planning this little extortion, I received a call from that man. He said that he wanted to work with me. When I asked him why, he told me this: 'If All Mights' friend has said he wants to have a hand in something evil, then I definitely want to help. It is unfortunate that I will not be able to see All Mights' face twist with pain when he finds out, though.'"

The sheer weight of this realization hit All Might harder than any physical or Quirk-aided blow ever could have. From where he hung at his side, Tunguska could, for the first time ever, actually see that indestructible smile that was practically the definition of what it was to be 'All Might', begin to sink, as the Symbol of Peace couldn't restrain himself from roaring out those awful revealing words in a simmering anger: "ALL FOR ONE…!"

The sight of this complete change in All Mights' demeanor brought a wicked smile to Wolframs' face. "So, you've finally stopped smiling, huh?" The sound of Tunguskas' growing desperate struggle against his restraints momentarily snapped his attention to the other Hero in his grasp, to which he let out an especially dry chuckle. "That same man said you were worth keeping an eye on as well, Tunguska. Although I honestly can't imagine why he would've thought so, nor did I even care to ask. I was just glad for the chance to finally see just what that old fool, Kravchenko, saw in you that made you such a figurehead in his eyes. Who knows, maybe that man thought if All Might had dragged you out here himself, that somehow made you a considerable threat, same as those kids you two have been dragging along with you. He'll certainly be relieved to know what an overblown joke you both were once I finish you all!"

"NOOOO!" All Might suddenly roared with anger as he began to actually pull his arm further from his restraints. Before Wolfram could even react, he caught out the corner of his eye that Tunguskas' eyes were likewise starting to burn progressively brighter, as the coils around his hands were actually starting to glow white hot and melt from the accumulated power in his hands.

WRAAAM!

With just a thought, two more gigantic steel columns erupted from his fortress, driving straight into All Might and Tunguskas' center masses, before curving and driving the two Heroes helplessly into each other in a colossal crash, right before sending two massive cubes of collected steel through the air and slamming from both directions directly on the two in the moment they had been left suspended in the air from the previous blow. They were practically like toys for the laughing Villain to abuse at his leisure.

The sight of two such powerful figures of Heroism being manhandled so mercilessly, as more and more steel cubes piled onto the two at once, before numerous steel rods finally drove straight into the midair mass, ignited an uncontainable fury in Izuku and Nikolay alike, as the latter began to spark and glow with skyrocketing levels of power, nearly making his hair start to stand on end. At the same time, starting from the tips of his fingers and the soles of his feet, until it consumed his entire body, Nikolay felt a level of pure vibration start emanating from the entirety of his body, to a degree of power he had never reached before. However, even as every fiber of his being resonated with this only-growing frequency, all he could focus on was Tunguska and All Might ahead, and the fact that right now, they were the ones in need of the two boys' help more than anyone.

As Melissa and the rest of the students across the roof could only watch in speechless horror at how swiftly two such powerful icons were being beaten down, two more deafening booms suddenly rippled across the entire roof, as Nikolay and Izuku launched themselves at breakneck speed, side-by-side like a true dynamic duo, their faces the very picture of righteous fury as Izuku took the lead, reeling a glowing fist and flying straight for the center of the steel mass.

"DETROIT…SMASH!" with that one glorious punch straight to the steel monstrosity in the air, the entire thing exploded outward into thousands of pieces, with Nikolay flying right past his ally as he threw one fist and leg out after another with instinctive precision, and with the immense vibration frequency still emanating from his body subsequently rippling through every piece of debris he flew into, and practically disintegrating them all to dust at a single touch, no matter how big or thick it was. For all intents and purposes, he and Izuku were literally unstoppable in this brief moment.

"You damn brats!" Wolfram roared as his moment of victory had been cut short, being forced to create another defensive wall to protect himself from all the flying steel debris before sending yet more spires out, slamming straight into the two boys and two Heroes alike, sending them flying back through all the raining wreckage, even as Izuku and Nikolay tried to power their way through even after impact, before ultimately slamming back down to the floor, with All Might and Tunguska barely able to get back on their feet in spite of the punishment they'd both gone through, and using their combined strength to catch and stop several more massive pieces of metal from crushing their two boys.

Even sprawled out on the floor, Nikolay could only look at the sight of Tunguska and All Might still standing, and smile in satisfaction, even as the incredibly powerful vibration that had overtaken his body finally dissipated, and he collapsed flat, feeling his muscles and joints howling in aching pain like he'd never felt before. Whatever that power was that had awakened in him, even for that brief amount of time, it had taken a considerable physical toll on him already.

Once they were both sure they had stopped the flying debris' momentum, Tunguska and All Might pushed the steel pileups aside and quickly turned their attention to the two boys behind them, who were already struggling through their respective pain to try and get up. The sight of such resilience, even in the wake of having pushed themselves so far already, replaced their Heroic hearts with those of mentors and fathers alike as they quickly returned to their young charges' sides.

"Midoriya-shonen/Kolya! What were you boys thinking, doing something so reckless?/With your bodies in the conditions they're in, to push your Quirks so far so quickly is putting yourselves through too much!"

Even as the two Heroes hovering over them let their fatherly worry dictate their reactions to what the two boys had done to save their lives, it didn't discourage either one of them. In fact, when Izuku was able to lift his gaze to meet All Mights', even with the blood running down his face, he was still remembering to smile. "But a Hero has to save all those in trouble."

Clutching onto Tunguskas' sleeve to try and get back onto his feet, despite the wobbliness of his knees, Nikolay likewise couldn't help but meet his allies' smile with similar confidence, even as blood was likewise starting to trail down his forehead and get in his right eye, turning his white sclera similarly red. "That's right; no matter how much any plans may fall apart, Heroes always need to act, no matter how bad things get. Any kind of punishment we could take in order to save everyone…is worth it."

Even as much as their concern for the two boys made them want to continue scolding them for putting themselves at such incredible risk; to hear them both not just echo their common Heroic phrases, but instead speak their own personal convictions towards saving everyone, left them both momentarily shaken. It was as though they were looking upon the more idealistic versions of themselves in their younger days, officially manifested in the hearts and spirits of Izuku and Nikolay.

Finally, with hope and inspiration once more ignited in their hearts, All Mights' smile finally returned to his face as he and Tunguska exchanged a united nod between each other, and looking upon the two boys with the utmost respect for both. "You're both right…we are in some trouble right now…and even then, we, as Heroes, must always act. So…"

With this, they both extended their open hands in offering. "…will you both help us to end this fight, Midoriya-shonen, Bezpalov-shonen?"

To be beseeched upon to help two such great Heroes together left Izuku and Nikolay feeling like their hearts had jumped up into their throats, as they both gladly took both Heroes' hands, finally returning to standing tall and at the ready on their feet. "Are you sure you're alright to go just this little bit longer, Kolya?"

At the sound of his fathers' understandable concern, seeing the state he was currently in, Nikolay only replied by kneeling down and picking up two longer pieces of metal debris from the floor, wielding them like he often did his two large tuning forks, even slipping his fingers through the holds lining them, making a natural grip for him. Meeting eyes with All Might and Izuku as well, both of them reflecting their own mutual faith in him and his father, just as he and Tunguska had all the faith in the world in them as well, Nikolay felt more prepared than he could imagine, meeting his fathers' blue eyes with nothing but courage. "I'm more than alright, Dad…I'm ready."

With all four of them now standing in perfect and prepared formation, Izuku proceeded to start channeling his power into the Full Gauntlet, eyes laser-focused on the goal line, ready to finally deliver justice alongside Hero, mentor and friend alike, for the sake of everyone.

"Let's do it, everyone!" All Might announced, and like the firing of the starting gun, he, Izuku, Nikolay and Tunguska all at once fired themselves forward like a quartet of superhuman bullets, flying across the ground with power only ever growing and burning through their veins, as though their strength and conviction was actively empowering each other continuously.

"You worthless fools…you can't possibly win against me…AND YET YOU JUST REFUSE TO GIVE UP!" Wolfram bellowed with disbelief and rage as he began to rain a near infinite number of snaking metal spires from all over his metal mount in his four opponents' direct path.

"DON'T YOU GET TIRED OF THE SAME TRICK, YOU BASTARD?!" Bakugo suddenly roared from the air, firing another rapid explosive barrage at the first wave of columns, disintegrating them to dust.

"We won't let you get in their way!" Shoto likewise declared as he sent a blindingly fast wave of ice to intercept the second wave, buying the four charging Heroes the breathing room to finally launch themselves into the air in four separate directions, all perfectly managing to coordinate their landings, dashes, jumps and ricochets across every single spire sent flying their way. They were essentially no more than four indistinguishable blurs of speed and power as they let absolutely nothing break their respective momentum, only evading, and on several instances, even straight up slamming their way straight through the columns with displays of untapped strength unseen in Izuku and Nikolay, especially, before.

"YOU MISERABLE WRETCHES! I'LL CRUSH EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU LIKE BUGS!" Wolframs' anger was now indescribable as he began to pull every single scrap of metal from the entirety of the roof up to him, to the point it finally started tearing the very ground out from underneath the rest of the onlooking students' feet, forcing Tenya, Shoto and Mina to rush and catch onto those of their friends that had been thrown up into the air as the ground was literally pulled out from under their feet.

All Might and Tunguska were punching and blasting their way through the entirety of entire columns as they flew and sprinted; the very essence of their respective powers now not only starting to glow, but actually leave entire trails behind them as they ran, leaving the two Heroes resembling a pair of shooting stars.

Soon, even Izuku was able to resemble a shooting beam of green energy as he ran in tandem with All Might, and Nikolay could feel his own energy beginning to physically manifest behind him as he ricocheted, sprinted, practically sliced through every obstacle in his path, and flew in what felt like an only ever-increasing power and speed, not sprinting alongside his father, but actually managing to maintain an indecipherable series of rapid-fire blasts from his feet that more or less resembled genuine flying.

With the sound barrier breaking around him as he flew overhead from Tunguska, and with the Sun of Justices' glowing light behind his head now practically encapsulating his entire body, the two Russians now resembled blinding streaks of white and gold racing alongside All Might and Izukus' trails of white and green. As the students below finally recovered from within the debris of the demolished roof and looked upon the scene, they all momentarily felt as though they were watching four simultaneous comets of pure Heroic power soaring through the devastation to deliver the might of justice in one collective strike.

Among the students, as Mina helped Melissa back onto her feet, when they both looked upon the two Heroes and their two friends flying side by side by side so courageously, mirroring each others' energy and conviction like one collective manifestation of pure Heroism, both girls couldn't help but start to shed tears of pure emotion at such an awe-inspiring sight, as though the four were actively strengthening, driving and inspiring each other to keep going that much more through nothing but sheer symbiotic Heroic spirit.

"My God…what is that?!" Kyoukas' exclamation of shock was the only thing to break the rest of the students stricken awe at their allies' display of speed and power, only to look up and now find themselves staring up at the sight of a colossal cube of pure steel, the collective effort of every last piece the Villain had called up. It even exceeded the span of the tower roof itself.

Wolfram himself was practically burning with his own drive and rage as he focused upon all the insignificant opponents below him. "I don't care what I have to do…I'LL CRUSH YOU ALL AND THIS TOWER IF I HAVE TO!"

However, even with this monolithic threat literally hovering over both their heads, neither Izuku and Nikolay, nor All Might and Tunguska, let themselves be intimidated. The desperation of their enemy only ignited their wills even further; their speed only picking up that much more as All Might and Tunguska smashed and sliced their way through every last spire still coming up in the feeble attempt to stop them, and Izuku and Nikolay now flew and ricocheted in tandem alongside each other, until their trails essentially formed a spiraling corkscrew of white and green; their bodies literally illuminated with their respective powers overflowing from the sheer motivation in their hearts; motivation that manifested in a singular declaration they all four couldn't help but announce, not for each other, or even for their students and classmates below, but for all the world to hear in their hearts and minds:

"Never forget, to overcome the crisis in front of you…"

"No matter how great it may seem…"

"To charge into every obstacle before you with everything you've got…"

"And to save people with everything you've got…"

With their passions culminating in one spark of unifying hearts, Izuku, Nikolay, All Might and Tunguska all simultaneously declared with awe-inspiring fervor that echoed across for all those watching below to hear, see and, most importantly, feel deep inside their very cores: "THAT IS WHAT MAKES A TRUE HERO!"

"GO, MIDORIYA! KOLYA-KUN! TUNGUSKA-SENSEI! ALL MIGHT! BEAT HIM! WIN!" This cacophony of uncontained inspired outcries of support and faith from every single student below resonated through the air in a nearly physically hitting wave that only strengthened the four Heroes charging faster and faster into the heart of oblivion ahead.

Working in perfect synchronicity as they neared the cube now being thrown their way in Wolframs' last ditch act of murderous desperation; Tunguska, in his blinding flying momentum, reached and threw the blazing disc from behind his head forward in a preemptive strike, the glowing projectile slamming into the side of the cube with a deafening resonating ring, leaving a rapidly growing series of glowing hot cracks across its entire area, as the disc itself ricocheted right back in All Mights' direction.

However, the Symbol of Peace was more than ready, as he flawlessly grabbed the disc in his likewise charging up hand, threw himself into a spin that didn't even remotely break his sprinting momentum, and threw the disc right back at the cube with flawless execution, and this time upon impact, the entire cube broke apart at the seams, every individual piece disintegrating into the very same metal debris they had been built from, and exploding subsequently altogether.

The moment that opening provided itself, and with their minds and hearts working as one, Izuku proceeded to grab onto Nikolays' forearms and pull him into a literal cork-screw spin as they flew through the center of the destroyed cube in a blinding blaze of Heroic glory, before finally letting go at the very same moment Nikolay chose to push his speed past the conceivable limit, sending the young Russian practically zipping through time and space alike in order to give his partner the chance he needed to finish this.

Before Wolfram could even begin to defend himself once he realized his last desperate measure had been so thoroughly destroyed, his eyes barely made out the image of a practically possessed Nikolay suddenly phasing into his sight from out of thin air, he had come in so fast, with both his makeshift melee weapons already reeled back for a double swinging strike aimed right for his head.

And that nanosecond of realization was the only thing Wolfram could process, as with nothing short of godlike speed and momentum adding to his charged up power, Nikolay finally swung both arms in a devastating single kinetically-charged arc, connecting full on with the Villains' head with a shattering ring echoing through the air. Both his makeshift weapons, and the Quirk Amplification Device upon Wolframs' head, all but disintegrated upon impact, while the Villain himself nearly folded in half at the lower back from the sheer physical force that had just slammed straight into him, even with the assistance of his Muscle Augmentation Quirk adding to his strength and durability.

As Nikolay flew and spun through the air upon making impact, Izuku and All Might finally came the rest of the way, flying in together, as their mutual powers went through the roof; both their bodies igniting and illuminating with unadulterated power in its purest form. Wolframs' dominating advantage had been taken, and now it was finally time to end this once and for all.

"Go…" "…beyond!"

With both their blazing bodies culminating in one shooting star of power, Wolfram realized what was coming, and in his final act of self-preservation, hurriedly encased himself in all the cables and steel he could still muster up with what was left of his Quirk. However, nothing in this plain of existence would be enough to stop the indescribable power barreling down on him, as Izuku and All Might together unleashed the culmination of all their strength and Quirks combined into one glorious hope-inspiring cry of "DOUBLE DETROIT SMASH! PLUS ULTRA!"

Their shooting star of justice struck with a power beyond human comprehension that manifested in a blinding beam of pure light that tore through the metal mass like it was nothing, destroying Wolframs' last-second shield, and ultimately engulfing him in its power with one echoing outcry of defeat, punctuated as all the collected metal that formed this twisted hellscape atop the Central Tower finally disintegrated en masse, with the form of David Shield finally emerging from within its confines as his own entrapment fell apart from around him.

His wounds had still made it difficult to maintain consciousness, but as he flew through the air in the immediate aftermath of this victory of Heroes over Villains, he could just make out through the wreckage flying and raining down around him, the sight of the Symbol of Peace, an image that had been burned into his mind for years, dating back to his old days as All Mights' first sidekick.

However, this time, something was noticeably different. The pose and the sheer radiance of justice and hope was the same…but it wasn't All Might he was looking upon. No, it was Midoriya; that once unassuming-looking child was, in this moment, in the air in front of him, fist extended courageously to the sky, and every single thing about him was the perfect representation of everything David knew All Might represented.

For every possible intent and purpose…the boy he was looking upon was the very image of the Symbol of Peace himself.

Across the ruins of the roof, once the blinding light of the finishing blow had finally died down, the rest of the students could finally look upon the raining wreckage, with no further sign of the Villain nor their teachers and two valorous classmates to be seen.

"Did…did they actually do it?" Tenya asked in complete disbelief, looking upon the sheer scale of just what they had truly been up against, having been now completely vanquished. As though the universe were answering his question for him, the first rays of the morning sun finally broke over the horizon of the sea, washing I-Island in the light of a glorious new day that seemed to just resonate in the hearts of every single one of the young Heroes on that roof.

"They…they all did it! They actually vanquished that Villain! They won!" Minorus' joyous cries were as loud as could possibly be from a human being, as the rest of the Yuuei students all immediately began to cheer in unbounded relief and happiness at what they had all helped their friends and teachers overcome.

Even Bakugo, if only just for a moment, was actually smiling in something resembling satisfaction, at least until he caught sight of Shoto giving him a knowing smirk, sending him reeling right back into that constantly angry scowl.

Elsewhere amid the wreckage, Izuku was finally managing to dig himself out from under the rubble that had piled upon him once he had finally landed. Within moments, as he tried to get his bearings and process what they had just done, he heard the sound of even more metal scraping and falling nearby, and upon looking, he felt a great deal of relief to find Nikolay likewise crawling out from his own pile of debris, his once pristine uniform now nothing but tatters hanging off his shoulders, much like how Izukus' was now entirely gone from his chest. The two boys practically looked like a pair of action movie heroes after the climax, so to speak. If it hadn't been for the fact every inch of their bodies were considerably hurting from the compounded punishment they had put themselves through, they doubtless would've laughed at the resemblance.

"DEKU-SAN!" "KOLYA-KUN!"

The echoing sounds of Melissa and Minas' voices reached their ears, and both boys barely turned in time to catch sight of both girls, accompanied by Tunguska rushing right alongside them, as they raced across all the debris between them, and in Minas' case, nearly bowled them both over with overjoyed tears and hugs alike; both of them overwhelmed at the sight of the two young boys still in one piece after everything they had just bore witness to.

"Oh my God, you did it, you actually did it! You both won! You were…you were amazing! I've never seen anything like it! How did you even do that?! No, wait, that's not important right now! Are you okay? You two look like you just went through hell and back! Are either of you hurt at all? Just say the word and I'll try to make it all better, okay?"

Minas' excitement and worry pretty much coalesced into one another as she was nearly in both Nikolay and Izukus' faces with admiration and disbelief, only to see how battered and bruised they both were, already in the process of getting the salve-like fluid of hers over both her hands; before Tunguska ultimately cut in and scooped both boys into a massive bear hug, laughing as heartily as he possibly could, while letting his own indescribably proud tears flow down his weathered face.

"Oh, Kolya, malenkii Midoriya, you were both the very pictures of true Heroes! I couldn't be more proud of you two!" he declared with all the sincerity his heart could carry. He was already about ready to start swinging the two boys in his grip back and forth to further communicate his pride in their accomplishment, before his body suddenly stiffened and he just as quickly let them both go as he let out a pained gasp of his own. Mina and Melissa both barely managed to keep the two boys from falling right back on their rear ends the moment their aching feet met the ground again. "Okay, maybe I could use a quick trip to a doctor after all."

Even despite his own physical pain, however, the only thing Tunguska could feel as he gazed upon Nikolay in particular was a pride beyond that of a father. It wasn't even as though he was looking upon him, awash in the morning light, and seeing his younger self. No, Tunguska, the Sun of Justice, was gazing upon something even better…he was gazing upon the image of the very Hero he knew his son could become; the kind of Hero the entire world could look to in hope, just like Izuku, and just like All Might.

The sudden thought of All Might made Tunguska realize he had yet to find his compatriot among the wreckage, and thus he hurriedly made his exit from his onlooking son and students, trying to run as normally as he could despite his accumulated injuries as he tried to wave back to them reassuringly. "You children all stay together. The danger is past, so you needn't worry about me. We'll be out of here and getting you all the medical treatment you need in no time."

As Nikolay and his friends all watched his father depart with considerable haste, he suddenly felt Minas' hands feeling at his waist, and looked to find she was looking over the slash wound on his left side, now accompanied by a multitude of bruises all over his torso and arms. The focus in her black-gold eyes was exceptionally intense as she kept feeling at the dried salve she had applied to it, as though to make sure it hadn't broken away and caused his old wound to start bleeding again.

"Kolya-kun, are you sure you don't need to lie down? You and Midori-kun both went through the damn wringer in order to beat that Villain. Just tell me where it hurts and I'll see if I can do anything to help." She was trying so hard to keep herself serious and calm, despite seeing both her dear friends in such roughed up condition, but Nikolay was still trying to maintain his own sense of reassuring calm as well.

"If we said we weren't hurting at all, we all know that would be a lie, but I don't think it's anything a visit to a medical station won't be able to quickly fix, especially in a place as advanced as this. But what about you? Look, you're bleeding again!" His own attempt at calm had quickly fallen away when he realized a red splotch had formed on the makeshift bandage still lining Minas' forehead, with a tiny red trickle already starting to run down from the edge. The look on Minas' face made it clear she had been too focused on everything else beforehand to even notice.

"Honestly, I feel better than it probably looks. I'm sure that was just from moving around and fighting so hard to try and buy you guys some time. But I feel a-okay, really." Minas' reassuring smile and tone thankfully kept Nikolay from reacting any more extremely at the sight of her in the state she was in; instead letting out a deeply grateful sigh that she hadn't been put in a much worse condition instead.

As he bowed his head in acceptance of this, and acceptance that this whole insane incident had finally come to a close, he suddenly felt the all-encompassing warmth of Mina bringing her arms around him and silently pulling him into a very emotional embrace, just tight enough to communicate how serious she was right now, and just gentle enough to avoid exacerbating the pain still radiating all over his body.

Before he could even try to react, she had suddenly pulled one of her arms away and even reached to grab Izuku by his left hand and pull him in as well, and then just as quickly pulling a surprised Melissa in likewise, and then trying to bring her arm as much around them as well, pulling them all into an inadvertent group hug rife with relief and overflowing emotions of gratitude that they were all ultimately okay.

"You guys…you guys were all so incredible!" Mina once again found herself stating with pure admiration through her long withheld tears, with Melissa soon beginning to follow suit, while Nikolay and Izuku found themselves starting to become choked up with a maelstrom of their own emotions as well.

"It wasn't just us, though. We all did it together, remember? We never would've been able to pull this off without all of you there to fight alongside us." Izuku proclaimed with the utmost respect as he looked Melissa, Mina and Nikolay in the eyes to help them see how much he truly meant that.

"He's right. No matter what any one of us might think…the fact is that today we all did everything in our power with the sole purpose of saving everyone on I-Island. Not one of us didn't push ourselves to the limit in order to do what we all knew was the right thing, and not one of us ever backed down when the dangers became too much. Today, we all are real Heroes." Nikolay nearly felt like crying with joy to be able to say those words out loud with such confidence and admiration for the friends all around him, including those who just didn't happen to be in this spot at this very moment; even punctuating his honesty as he tried to tighten his own embrace around his friends, as much as his pained state could allow.

Elsewhere among the wreckage, Wolfram hung by the remains of his coat from a protruding piece of wreckage, his once overwhelming muscles having long since faded and leaving him an emaciated shell of his former self, while the rest of his henchmen lay about in the rubble, in a state of shock from having been caught in the explosion of their helicopter only minutes before. The important thing now was that all the fight had been taken out of all of them.

Mere feet away, inadvertently resting against a piece of stone rubble, David Shield lay near motionless, half his suit now red with his own blood, as he kept trying to retain consciousness for as long as he could still manage. His whole body was simply racked with an immense exhaustion from everything that had happened because of his own actions and goals.

"Dave? Dave, can you hear me?" The distant yet unmistakable voice of All Might called out to him through the thick miasma of his barely conscious mind, and when he opened his eyes in response, he found himself greeted by the sight of All Mights' triumphant form kneeling before him, but the right half of his face facing the sun reflected the sunken face of Toshinori Yagi; perfectly transitioning into his still smiling face as All Might on his left side. "T-Toshi…?"

"Are you alright to move, Mr. Shield?" The accented voice of Tunguska likewise spoke up from All Mights' side, and the American scientist slowly turned to find the Russian Hero kneeling with an equally relieved smile upon his bearded face. Side by side, the same smiles upon their faces, and awash in the light of victory; even more so than when they had first met, David for once could finally see with his own eyes just how much the two Heroes before him were truly two sides of the same Heroic coin, two men who didn't let their current states stop them from doing what they had always done and sworn to do: save everyone and continue to fight for justice, peace and hope.

"We've all come to save you, Dave." The moment All Might made such a straightforward and heartfelt statement, after everything that had happened, a flash of genuine unseen pain became evident on David's face.

More than he already had before, David Shield felt like a truly foolish man, as it all came down upon his head just how selfish and ill-advised his plans had been, no matter how well-intentioned they were. He had caused so much pain and destruction because of his unwillingness to let go of the past, and even despite all that, he was still here, and he had his oldest friend and his compatriot to thank for making it happen, even if he didn't deserve it.

"Thank you…All Might…Tunguska. I'm sorry I ever had my doubts about you. If All Might saw the strength and heart in you that I always saw in him…that should've been enough to put my mind at ease from the start."

However, even as he shook his head in flat denial, Tunguska and All Might both never lost their relieved smiles, looking back to the mountain of rubble behind them, just in time to find and hear an overjoyed Melissa calling down to them as she, Izuku, Nikolay, and Mina stood atop the wreckage.

"If there's anyone you should be thanking, Dave, it's Melissa, Midoriya-shonen and Bezpalov-shonen. Hell, it's every last one of those youngsters that came all this way we should all be thanking right now. They're all the real Heroes who ultimately helped save everyone today." The pride that emanated from All Might and Tunguska as they looked upon those youthful spirits up above began to radiate within David's chest as well as he looked upon those children, and from the bottom of his heart, felt the same kind of inspiration and hope from them that he always saw in All Might all those years ago. If he truly believed the world was in the best possible hands with those young Heroes…then there was no justifiable reason for him to disagree. He'd seen it all with his own eyes this day, after all.

As they gazed upon Tunguska, All Might and David down below, overwhelmed with relief that they were all okay, Melissa couldn't hold back her continuing tears of relief. "I'm…I'm so glad everyone's okay…" she admitted, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes as she finally turned to extend her gratitude to those she felt most deserved it in the end. "Deku-san, Kolya-san, Mina-san, thank you. You, and all of your classmates, too; thanks to you all, we were able to save everyone."

"It's thanks to you, too, Melissa-san. I was saved multiple times thanks to your Full Gauntlet." Izuku immediately answered as he clenched his now uncovered right fist to emphasize his point in how essential her invention had proven, with some very enthusiastic smiles of agreement from Nikolay and Mina to follow, leaving the blonde girl visibly shocked and subsequently touched at their support.

"Yeah, we never would've been able to figure out how to get the security system restarted without you. You're the reason All Might and Dad were able to help us all beat those Villains to begin with." As Nikolay made this point especially clear as well, Mina quickly rushed in and held onto Melissa's hands in a show of friendly excitement.

"Don't you see, Melissa-chan? You said in the beginning how you always wanted to be someone who could help Heroes, but you're, like, the biggest Hero here right now!" With Minas' words of support serving as the final punctuation of how this had all truly come to be, Melissa's face was aglow with her own realization, and very soon after, the indescribable gratitude for the kind words and actions of her three dear friends. "Thank you…thank you all so much…for everything."

Suddenly, Izukus' body completely flinched, and his once serious face sank with shocked realization when it finally occurred to him that the Full Gauntlet had long since disintegrated when he and All Might had finally ended the battle. Now his expression was the picture of ashamed embarrassment. "Oh, but—I-I'm sorry, I accidentally went and broke it!"

To see Izukus' demeanor change so drastically and so quickly couldn't help but make Melissa, Nikolay and Mina chuckle in mutual amusement. "Don't worry about that, Deku-san. What you accomplished tonight proved to me you're the kind of Hero who doesn't need something like the Full Gauntlet…not anymore."

"Deku-kun!" "Melissa-san!" "Oi, Kolya-san!" "Mina-chan, are you guys okay?!" The numerous voices of the other Yuuei students down the other side of the heap drew all four teens' attention, overcome with joy to see all their friends and classmates waving and calling up to them, none of them any worse for wear. Such a wonderful sight felt like the perfect picture proof that they had succeeded beyond the shadow of a doubt, as they all happily waved back and called back down the confirmation that they were all fine, as were Tunguska and All Might, and their own relief that none of the others were hurt as well. For those precious moments, things in their eyes couldn't have possibly been any better.

Since seeing Melissa, Izuku, Nikolay and Mina safe and sound atop the rubble hill, All Might (by this point having finished finally returning in his entirety to his form as Toshinori Yagi) had already started to take the necessary steps to start treating David's bullet wound as best he could, while Tunguska had taken the liberty of calling up the emergency services on his cellphone so they could all be evacuated from atop the tower. Once he had done so and returned to his fellow adults' side, Toshinori finally stated the one thing he knew had to still be weighing the heaviest on his old friends' mind. "Melissa told me most of it while we were on our way up here, Dave. I told Tunguska-san as well."

When the scientists' pained eyes shifted towards the Russian Hero in question, knowing exactly what his compatriot was referring to, he simply sighed and bowed his head. "It's true. Both our children, our students, got caught up in by far the most dangerous situation they've faced yet. As a father, I'm sure you would agree that we all deserved to know the entirety of the truth behind all this."

For once, there was no hesitation on David's part: "You're absolutely right, Tunguska. As a parent, a teacher, and a fellow Hero like All Might, you did deserve to know; you both did. I'm just sorry that my actions put all those children into this position in the first place."

As he looked to meet the deeply regretful glimmer in Toshinoris' eyes, David once more found himself wracked with guilt, to the point he couldn't even look his oldest friend in the eye anymore, unable to keep that which tormented him most to himself any longer. "I was so scared to lose your light, Toshi. I was scared that the peace you built would crumble without you, even after everything you and Tunguska tried to say to make me see I had no reason to truly worry. I thought it was because of my assuredness that you were the one keeping the peace that I didn't listen…but that Villain…what he said to Midoriya and Nikolay made me realize the truth.

"My ideas and that device I made, were nothing more than ways to keep the status quo. Just like Professor Kravchenko…the truth is that I was also just trying to hold onto the glory of the past, what it felt like to help you become and remain the Symbol of Peace. Even though the future and hope were standing right in front of me, I simply chose not to see it with my own eyes." As he admitted this most painful of self-realizations, David's gaze momentarily lifted back to the top of the hill, watching his daughter and the two Heroes' disciples, bathed in the light of a truly peaceful morning sun, the very light of hope reflected in their joyous smiling faces.

"Now, however…now I know, just as you both do…with Heroes out there to protect the future with Melissa's mind, Midoriyas' heart, and Nikolays' spirit, on top of the courage and comradery shown by the rest of those students today…they really will be able to ensure a continuing age of peace for everyone after all. Just as Melissa is working hard to become my successor, so too are those boys working hard to become both your successors…and just as the rest of their classmates are simply trying to be the successors of the very mantle of what it is to be a true Hero."

As Tunguska and Toshinori both likewise looked up to their respective successors in the light, awash with pride and admiration for the sheer potential and progress they had both already managed to make in such a relatively short time, there was no getting around the reality of where they all stood in the grand scheme of things.

"It's true; those boys are both our disciples. However, for as many steps forward as they've both managed to take…they still aren't truly ready to be called 'real Heroes'…not yet." It pained Tunguska to have to admit this, but knowing the sheer scale of the threats that still remained out there, and how readily they were able to strike, as today's events had proven, he knew in his gut, out of both his instincts as a parent and a veteran Hero, that neither Nikolay nor Izuku were ready to stand on their own in the face of such powerful evil.

At the same time, though, Toshinoris' face reflected a deep sense of hope when gazing upon the sheer joy of life reflected in all those kids' eyes in that moment. "Yes, despite their progress, neither of them may be truly ready…but, in their own individual ways, deep inside, they all have the potential, the possibility, to be able to shine as their own kind of Heroes brighter than anyone that came before them."

With his own once-troubled heart feeling lighter than it had in years as he listened to the two Heroes at his side, and gazed upon the youthful faces of the future of Heroics, David's smile was as truly happy as could be. "I see it, too; that same kind of light I always saw in you, All Might; the kind of light I could only now see in you as well, Tunguska. I see that very same light deep within all those children right now with my own eyes, just waiting to come out."

Meeting both their slightly inquisitive gazes, David Shield returned his admiring gaze to the kids up above, and felt a swelling of true hope for what felt like the first time in decades. "The light of true Heroes."

From the moment they had been rescued from atop the Central Tower and brought to and from the nearest hospital for their wounds, the whole day to follow was virtually non-stop. Even after the monumental danger of an island-wide hostage situation, nobody was willing to let the long-awaited I-Expo simply fall by the wayside.

If anything, the fact that All Might, Tunguska, and a handful of future Heroes from Yuuei, and the daughter of I-Island's very own David Shield had ultimately all helped beat the Villains and save the day, had made the desire and anticipation for an expo honoring the world of Heroes and the technology that would ultimately help make it, that much greater, and the festivity in the air all across the island was almost at a constant fever pitch.

And the students themselves couldn't have been more grateful for it. After everything they had gone through over the previous night, a day of nonstop fun was exactly what they needed, and that was exactly what they all proceeded to have, in every way shape and form.

Whether it was the most basic of pleasures, like an absolute feast of fresh grilled meat under a bright summer sky, personally prepared by All Might himself, while regaling their entire experience to the rest of their 1-A classmates that had ultimately sat the entire ordeal out from across the island; or the extensive and incredible sights, attractions and all encompassing sensation of purely festive fun of the I-Expo itself held proper, made infinitely better getting to experience it with absolutely everyone this time; nobody could argue one thing:

In a nearly infinite number of ways, in the aftermath of an insane battle, today was one of the single greatest days the students of Class 1-A had ever experienced.

And with that unspoken but universal realization came the heavy-hearted acceptance that, by tonight, the students would ultimately have to go back home to Japan in preparation for the ever-lingering call that would signify the beginning of their long-awaited forest training camp trip. It was quite incredible how thoroughly their experiences here on I-Island had nearly made them forget something that had once occupied their minds so thoroughly. Hell, in a way it had even made them forget, even if just for a moment, that at the end of the day, they were still no more than Hero students, rather than the official thing.

The atmosphere in the airport was emotional all around. All their experiences since coming here had made their time on I-Island feel so much longer than it really had been, and there was no telling when or if they would ever find themselves here again anytime soon. If what they had heard about how often I-Island came near to Japan was to be believed, the idea of a whole two years passing before they'd ever get to see Melissa or David again just felt so cruel.

Speaking of whom, after a good handful of their classmates had already left to board their respective planes back home, Nikolay and Izuku could hear the sound of Melissa's voice calling out to them from across the lobby, and they all turned to find her bright smiling face as she rushed over to give them a proper goodbye.

Of course, having gone through so much together made said goodbyes especially emotional between them all, with Mina pretty much pulling out all the stops to make sure they would all be able to stay in contact with one another until the day they would be able to actually see each other again. This was something she made absolutely sure of, as she all but physically pulled Nikolay, Izuku, Ochako and every last one of their classmates who had helped save the day (save for Bakugo, who of course threatened to kill them all if they even thought of touching him) into a pinkie promise ring, effectively unifying them all in the promise to one day all see Melissa again as soon as they got the chance.

With that all around promise solidified between them all, they each gave their most heartfelt farewell to their host and new good friend, until it finally came down to Melissa having only Izuku, Nikolay and Mina to say goodbye to. "I've never really had friends quite like all of you before, and I honestly couldn't ask for better ones after everything we've all gone through. I'll always remember everything you all did for us, and just how much you've all inspired me to keep reaching higher to becoming the kind of Hero I hope to be, the kind that can help all of you when you're out there fighting as the next Top Heroes. I've said it before, and I'll say it again as many times as I must to truly convey it from the bottom of my heart: thank you all, for everything."

Mina had to fight the urge to cry out of pure happiness, as Izuku bowed his head in immense gratitude for her words. "And thank you for everything as well, Melissa-san. I know you'll become a great helper of Heroes, just like the professor. I'm just sorry he couldn't be here to say goodbye as well."

Indeed, when they had all been sent to the hospital, David's condition had proven enough that he had to remain in bed under police guard. There was no telling the kind of legal ramifications likely to await him once he was back on his feet. Much like Wolfram had said before: no matter his intentions, he had still ultimately helped to conceive of a crime. They could only hope that the testimonies of Melissa and All Might would be able to help alleviate his ultimate sentence when the time would come.

However, the reassuring smile on Melissa's face helped dispel any remaining worries. "The good news is that Papa is recovering, and that's all that matters right now. I know Uncle Might will be able to help clear everything up. He's still a brilliant man in the end, with plenty of potential ideas to help aid Heroes for a long time to come…and from now on, I'm going to be there by his side to help make his inventions the best they can possibly be. The two of us, a real Hero-supporting team at long last."

The glow of her deeply emotional smile was pure brilliance, as her friends could only feel truly happy for her, and the way her future was already shaping up to be. "I have no doubt you'll both make brilliant tools for Heroes the world over, Melissa-san. Who knows, we may just be some of the lucky ones that get to use some of your very own tools out in the field one day."

Nikolays' words of encouragement and hope for the future made Melissa, Izuku and Minas' smiles that much brighter, as the pink girl was now especially excited. "Yeah! Maybe we can even make a request when we're graduated to have your inventions specifically added to our roster! Just think, we'd be like some expansive Hero/Support team, just like your dad and All Might were!"

The glimmer in Melissa's eyes at the thought was distant, but overflowing with a joyous sense of hope. "Yes…I'd like that. I really would."

Unfortunately, before anything else could be said between them, the intercom for the airport suddenly announced the departure of Izukus' flight, making the green haired boy flinch with a regretful look on his face that they couldn't have this moment last a little bit longer. However, a final goodbye embrace from Melissa said everything that needed to be said between the two. "Until we meet again, Deku-san. I know you'll become a Hero just as great as Uncle Might. I can just feel it."

Izukus' smile was so childlike in its happiness to hear such faith in him, but it also radiated that much more mature sense of purpose and dedication as well. With a final goodbye, he momentarily locked eyes with Mina, the two of them bidding each other goodbye until the day of their awaited forest trip, and gratitude for each others' help in everything. Then, he locked eyes with Nikolay. The two boys were especially silent for a good moment, until their mutual feelings of a stronger connection with each other, having at last truly battled evil together, overcame their silence, and they met each other with a strong, affirming handshake (at least as much as the two slings and casts on Nikolays' arms after his own insane final attack, would allow) that said more than words ever could.

"Thank you, Kolya-san."

"Thank you, Midoriya-san."

Their words were so simple, but the weightiness in their voices as they said so to one another, and the understanding and supportive smiles on both their faces as they gave each other a single accepting nod of great respect, said so much more. In the events of the previous night and up to this very moment, an unbreakable bond had been added to the friendship that had already been built between them in the time before. They had already called each other friends before, but their experiences here had made them veritable brothers in Heroism, just as Izuku was with Shoto and Tenya back when they had all fought against the Hero Killer.

With that, Izuku finally took his leave, and after each receiving a likewise emotional and grateful farewell hug from Melissa, as well as the promise to stay in touch with them and all of the Yuuei students, Nikolay and Mina had to finally bid her goodbye as well, left alone to await the boarding call for their plane as well.

Their mutual happiness at how everything had ultimately turned out was still at its peak, even as they stood in silence, waiting for Oleg to return. "Damn, I'm missing Melissa-chan already."

Nikolay didn't even look surprised when Mina said so not even a minute after their American friend had left their sight. "Me too. But I know we'll all get to see her again. I can just feel it. Good thing you were so insistent on making sure she had all our contact info, though. Way to plan ahead."

Mina giggled proudly to herself on her natural thoroughness in maintaining every bond of friendship she made. Soon, though, they found themselves once more in the kind of cacophonous silence that only a bustling airport lobby could provide. Then, a thought that had been resting deep in the back of her mind finally came back, giving her a minutely surprised jolt of realization.

"Aw, man, you know what?! We had all day today to ask Yaomomo to help teach us how to slow dance, and we never did! She, Kyouka-chan and Urara-chan already left, too! Aww, and I was really looking forward to finally getting to give that a shot!" Despite her exclamation, Minas' face was back to that adorable puffy-cheeked pout as she childishly kicked at the floor in disappointment.

Nikolay couldn't hide his own look of disappointment either. Granted, it wasn't exactly like he was in the physical condition to be consistently holding anybody right now. Although, a slightly uplifting thought did come to mind. "Well, I guess when you think about it, the way you move in a fight is practically identical to the dancing you already do for fun, Mina. Wouldn't that kind of make up for it?"

The smile on Minas' face as she leaned her head back showed she was definitely appreciative of what he was trying to say. However, there was a deep, wistful look in her eyes as she gave him her answer: "In a way, but only so much. Just because I use my dance moves to try and either attack or avoid getting hit, doesn't give it the same kind of rush I would get from actually doing it for fun with all my friends."

Nikolay couldn't rightly disagree with her sentiment, and thus didn't try to awkwardly fill the silence with more idle words. However, that was when the spark of an idea suddenly lit up Minas' golden irises as she suddenly stepped into the Russian boys' field of view, an especially eager smile on her pink face. "Hey, even if we didn't really get any pointers from Yaomomo or get to actually do it at the party, why don't we make up for it here while waiting for our plane?"

Nikolay looked momentarily confused, but that look in her eyes accompanied with that expectant smile made it all clear as day. "Y-you mean…the two of us…actually ballroom dance…in here?"

"Sure, why not? Everybody else is in too much of a hurry to pay attention to us; we're just two more faces in the crowd. C'mon, it'll be fun, like something from the end of a romantic comedy, you know? Besides, I've seen people slow dance on TV tons of times, how hard could it be? You don't even need to worry about holding on with those slings of yours, just let me worry about that and just follow my lead; it'll be its own kind of fun, just between us."

Mina was clearly already more than determined to follow through with this, as even despite Nikolays' clearly flustered stuttering; she simply situated his arms carefully around her sides, and placed her hands firmly on his right side and left arm. Even as the Russian boys' fair face turned progressively red, Mina kept moving in to make sure he was looking only at her, and not the numerous bystanders passing by around them. "Just keep looking at me, and just follow my movements, okay, Kolya-kun? It'll be fine, I promise."

In the end, however, it ultimately ended up not being so fine, as Minas' natural form of dancing had her moving so much faster and in a more versatile manner, so to confine herself to something so much slower and uniform left her leading skills with a lot to be desired, not to mention the fact that Nikolay either kept over-stepping or under-stepping in following her, thus constantly breaking their shared momentum and flow, or kept accidentally getting one of his feet tread on by Mina every time they tried to make a turn.

At the end of it all, their first experience slow-dancing with each other had turned out just plain poorly. The fact that none of the civilians around them had stopped to watch and ultimately laugh was the only saving grace of it all.

Well, that, and the deeply satisfied smile on Minas' face when they had ultimately decided to stop embarrassing themselves further. Nikolay looked downright apologetic for having been so crap at it after seeing how eager his best friend had been to try, but she frankly couldn't have looked any happier in that moment. "Oh, don't look so sad, Kolya-kun. Next time, we'll just make sure we actually ask Yaomomo for help first. But hey, that was still a lot of fun, just getting to experience that together, and that's all that matters, you know? For all the scary parts, the fights and all the danger, I don't regret a moment of this weekend, since we got to go through it all together; all of us. As long as you get to do things with your friends, whether they turn out good or bad, it's never a moment wasted. That's the way I've always looked at it, at least. All things considered, and I mean all things, this weekend couldn't have turned out better."

Hearing her say so in the aftermath of what they'd just tried, and still keeping her spirits and head up so high, left Nikolay on the verge of once more expressing how much he respected and admired her entire attitude and outlook on everything, but the echoing of the intercom finally announcing their specific flight number spurred both teens back up from their seats, just in time to find Oleg standing at the terminal at last, beckoning them both over so they could at last return home.

With his heart feeling lighter than a feather in his chest with the realization that their unforgettable experiences on I-Island were finally coming to an end, and they only had the excitement of their futures to now look toward, Nikolay looked back momentarily through the airport entrance to the glistening beacon that was the Central Tower in the far off distance. Somehow, as they both now looked back, Nikolay and Mina both could just feel in their hearts that even now, the irreplaceable new friend they had all made in Melissa Shield was already thinking of them all in kind. To feel so made the anticipation and excitement of getting to see each other again one day all the sweeter.

At last, the two teens met each others' eyes once more, and Nikolay slightly opened his slung left arm in invitation. "Home?"

Catching on immediately to what he was aiming for, Mina smiled knowingly as she hooked her right arm around his left, holding on just gently enough to not agitate his injuries. Looking from Oleg in the distance to the green of her Russian friends' eyes, Minas' pink cheeks turned only the slightest shade darker as she answered with that unbreakable smile of her own: "Home."

And so in tandem, Nikolay Bezpalov and Mina Ashido at last began to walk forward, not just to their plane, and not just back to Japan, but forward into the bright future that welcomed all future great Heroes when they walked the paths of destiny their choices and hearts set out for them. It was time to close the book on I-Island for now, and continue on to help each other and all their friends to become the kind of true Heroes that would make them and every single one of their friends and loved ones proud.

And there is this weeks' chapter, and the finale of the I-Island Arc. I hope you all enjoyed it, for what minor changes were ultimately made. I realize that's not everyones' cup of tea when it comes to reading fanfiction, but I'm a completionist when it comes to working with a stories' timeline, and part of that is understanding that there will be instances when you simply can't completely uproot the sequence of a certain event, especially if you want to avoid potentially breaking the continuity and rules of the world you're working with. It's all about striking and maintaining a balance between the established and the new.

Anyway, starting next week it's back to working within the storyline of the manga, and I hope you're all as excited to see what changes come with what comes next, as I was writing it.

I hope you all liked what you read here today, and if so, please be kind and leave a review. Stay safe, have a nice rest of your week, hopefully free of hurricanes and wildfires, and I will see you all with the next chapter on 09/11!