Hello again, everyone. I don't have very much to say this week. I know the previous chapter didn't exactly have a lot happening, but I'm personally of the belief that the chapters for characters to grow and become more attached ultimately make the action chapters that much more meaningful in the end.

I know I've mentioned before that I'm going to start uploading chapter cover artworks of this story on my page. I can only hope some of you are remotely curious about that. So once the cover I've had commissioned for Chapter 10 (excluding the prologue) is finished, that's when I'll start, and will thus direct you all to my page if you want to finally see what my OC's really look like as I envisioned. Hopefully it may then inspire some of you to make fan works of your own. I'd love to see if I remotely inspired anyone to make something based on this story.

I'd also like to give yet another grateful shout-out to my two beta readers Mizu and Jonny. You two have been indescribably amazing while I've been working my way through this and my occasional slumps in output and emotional state. I can't thank you both enough.

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 direct result of their existence in this universe.

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

Chapter 48

The Mission

(Миссия)

After it had officially been decided and settled that the remaining Class 1-A students remaining in front of the hospital (Nikolay, Izuku, Eijirou, Shoto, Tenya, Momo and Mina) would all work together as a group to find the location of and rescue Bakugo from the Villains, the young Russian among them had been quick to ask for a couple minutes alone, knowing there was one course of action he needed to take in order to make sure their journey would go off without any hitches.

Retreating back to the entryway, Nikolay hurriedly pulled out his phone, and proceeded to type out what was ultimately one of the most difficult text messages he'd had to write yet; directly to his father, wherever he and All Might could have been right now, knowing they were both working with the police for the same purpose at this very moment.

What was especially hard, was the fact that he couldn't even send this message to his father in real time if they were going to be able to pull this off. By the time Tunguska would receive this message, he would already be too late to stop it.

[['Hello, Dad. They've cleared me to leave the hospital, but even though I know you're probably not going to be home for a while, you wouldn't be seeing me even if you were, because I'm not going home. Me and several of my classmates have been talking, and we're going to try and rescue Bakugo, just like I know you, All Might and the police are.

[['By the time you get this message, we'll have already long since left the hospital, following a tracking device Yaoyorozu-san made, much like I heard she gave you as well. I know you have been worrying like crazy over me for the last couple days after the attack at camp, and that's why I'm apologizing to you now for doing this to you. But please try not to be afraid for me. I'm going with more than a handful of my classmates, and I trust them all with my life, and I know that we can pull this off as long as we stick and work together. It's like you said before: Heroes are always at their best when they're not alone.

[['I know it's not fair of me to ask you not to worry, and even less so to ask you to try and be proud of me for doing this, but I'm simply trying to follow the instinct I feel in my heart to act, knowing we have a chance at rescuing someone who needs help. That's what a Hero must do in the end, and if nothing else, hopefully you can take pride in knowing I simply followed my heart, in case this ends up going south after all.

[['If I have to leave this on some kind of note, regardless whether we make it through this or not…it would be to let you know that, even though I said it would be hard to, I feel no room for doubt in myself anymore, when I say that I feel I can finally fully forgive you for everything from before. I hope you can take some degree of comfort in knowing that. Hopefully this mission of ours will go well, and I can be able to tell you all this face-to-face, like I should have to begin with. I just didn't want to leave anything to chance. I love you, Dad. Kolya.']]

Outside the entrance to the hospital, Mina was pacing back and forth while periodically looking through the entryway to Nikolay standing alone as he kept busily typing away at his phone. Nobody in their group wanted to dare go in and ask him to hurry up. Summoning up the courage and conviction in their own hearts to actually go against society's rules and go out on their own was hard enough. For Nikolay to be potentially writing out his last words to his father was a monumental challenge of will in itself. Honestly, it had left her and Eijirou silently debating if they should have been taking the chance to do the same, just in case.

Speaking of whom, Mina had gotten so absorbed in waiting for Nikolays' return so they could finally get started, that she didn't even realize her red-haired friend had come up to join her side, before she turned around to find him just about to reach out, making them both nearly jump with surprise.

"Sorry, sorry! Didn't mean to scare you like that!" Eijirou immediately brought his hands together and bowed his head in apology. As soon as Mina's heart had stopped hammering at her chest, she was at least able to form an embarrassed smile of her own. "It's okay, Kiri. That's what I get for being so distracted, right?"

"Yeah, I guess that's one way of saying it." As soon as their mutual embarrassed chuckles had faded, however, the lighthearted air just as quickly returned to that foreboding cold they had all been feeling, regardless of their unifying convictions as a team. Eijirou had become familiar enough with Mina's natural body language to know she was not a-okay, despite what the smile she was still trying to wear would convey. "You're looking real tense, though, Ashido. Are you absolutely sure you wanna go through with this with us? I promise none of us would blame you if you wanted to change your mind and go back home with the others. Hell, we'd all completely understand, in fact."

Mina's faux cheerful smile grew softer and warmer at once, silently conveying her gratitude for her old friends' empathy. "Thanks for saying so, Kiri…but I'm not changing my mind. I had to fight through a lot of ugly feelings in order to make my decision on this, and I'm not about to go back on that. After what happened to Kolya-kun, Yaomomo, Kyouka-chan, Tooru-chan and Midori-kun, there's no way I'm about to let anyone do something this crazy without me to watch their backs; and yes, that includes you, too. As much as I know we'd both like to think so, the fact is your Hardening isn't invincible."

As much as he admittedly didn't like being reminded of the finite capability of his Quirk, that didn't stop Eijirou from smiling in confidence and approval. "I felt like I had to just get that option out there…but, honestly, I knew you wouldn't go back on your word, Ashido. When it comes to your friends, you could never do something like that. That's just the kind of person…the kind of Hero you've always been, and are just flat-out destined to become for as long as I've known you. You know, if I'm being honest right now, that's why you're probably one of the biggest examples of how I want to be as a Hero, right up there with Tunguska-sensei and Crimson Riot, really."

While Eijirou was initially nervous that saying so was going to leave Mina blushing, he was instead met with the much more uplifting sight of a deeply touched and motivated smile on her pink face, to hear him admit the extent of her influence among such shining examples of Pro Heroism.

Seeing this rise in her visible mood inspired Eijirou to voice the next thing that had been on his mind for a considerable while. "And you know what else; I don't think I'm the only one who thinks that way, either. Watching you and Kolya-san talk and just work off of each other for this long, I'm willing to bet the fact you're so unbendingly loyal to all the people you care about, no matter how dangerous things get or how scared you feel, is probably an even bigger inspiration for him than his own goal of trying to make himself and his parents proud, like he always says."

This definitely blindsided Mina, as she now looked from Eijirou to Nikolay and back with a look of complete confusion; the sight of which couldn't help but make him chuckle. "Oh, come on; don't act like you've never noticed up until now. With you being the one person in class who's always been by his side, how could he not be inspired by you? No matter what's happened so far, you've never abandoned him, and that's gotta do wonders for someone like him. I'll bet if you asked, he'd probably say that one of his biggest goals out of all this is to make you proud of him."

Now it was Mina's turn to laugh, and Eijirou's turn to meet her reaction with total confusion. "That's going way over the top in trying to read his mind, Kiri. Kolya-kun shouldn't be pushing himself for my sake, but his own. Considering that, ever since the day he came back, he's pushed through all the challenges we've dealt with so far in order to try and become a Hero and honor his mom's memory and hope for him, and hasn't backed down once since then; I honestly couldn't be prouder of him and the Hero he's already become up till now. Heck, I could say that about every single person in our class, including you. We've all gone through a lot this year so far, and I've seen just how much stronger and more capable we've all gotten, and I'm so proud of our whole class for it."

Eijirou now couldn't help but smile with his own sense of pride now that Mina had spelled out what he'd silently observed from their whole class as well, and realized just how much stronger they had all indeed become by helping each other every step of the way this year alone.

As he thought about this, Mina was now looking back at Nikolay with that same soft smile of incredible warmth on her face again. "And as long as we're getting all deep and stuff…knowing just what a hard life he's had for so long, and all the people and things he's lost in order to get to this point, only to still find that spark of a dream inside, and pick himself back up in order to reach for it, and be able to regain that kindness I could just feel in him from the beginning along the way? Honestly, Kolya-kun's proven to be a huge inspiration for me, too; to try and become the best kind of Hero I can be, just like he is; just like we all are. Really, what could make for a more perfect Hero team, than being able to constantly inspire each other?"

Having gotten so absorbed in her train of thought as she spoke, Mina never realized the soft air her voice had taken on by the end, but it was loud and clear to Eijirou, as was the smile on his face as he listened. "Well, like Todoroki-san and I said, we're going to do everything we can to make sure we all get out of this okay without even having to fight. When we get back to Yuuei, you should tell Kolya-san everything you just told me. I think, with everything else that's been going on, it'll really do him a world of good to know your guys' whole dynamic of influence goes both ways."

Mina was stirred from watching their foreign friend, once again visibly confused by Eijirou's implication. "What do you mean, Kiri? I've already told Kolya-kun I'm just as inspired by him as he is by me; he even told me that on his end to begin with. That was all the way back when we first returned from internships and everything."

At this, with that knowing smile still on his face, Eijirou gave the slightest shake of his head. "I don't just mean in terms of how hard you guys both go towards training to become Heroes. I mean, you should tell him the truth about your guys' mutual thing with each other…like, the full extent of the truth and all that."

To his surprise, Mina didn't look any more understanding of just what he was actually trying to say. However, before he could even think of how to make it any simpler, without embarrassing the living hell out of both of them, the sliding of the hospital doors broke the silence, and they both looked with relief to see Nikolay finally returning; a resolute light in his green eyes and a purpose in his step that was quickly reflected in their entire team, as Eijirou finally made the declaration: "Alright, everybody ready? Then…let's move out."

The once slightly tense air that had hung over all their heads grew heavier with every step they all took from the hospital, knowing they were officially acting on their own, and if any Pro Heroes found them doing this, the consequences would be dire. However, none of them dared to say it out loud; this was the time they needed to focus their hearts and minds towards their goal of getting Bakugo back. Nothing else mattered but that at this moment, and they had to continuously remind themselves of this in order to keep their morale and resolve as strong as could be as they carried on down the streets beneath the glittering night sky.

With nothing but the sounds of their footsteps to break the silence, Mina and Eijirou both found themselves looking back to make sure Nikolay was still in good enough shape to actually go along with the plan. To their mutual yet silent relief, the Russian boy didn't look to have a trace of discomfort or pain on his face. In fact, it looked as though he were in better shape than ever, judging by the focus in his eyes. Of course, for all either of them knew, he was simply trying to block out the residing pain in his body so they wouldn't get worried.

At the same time as this, Momo, while never missing a step of her own pace, found herself likewise glancing back to Mina and Nikolay in particular, having been unable but to hear hers and Eijirou's conversation regarding their foreign friend but minutes ago. To have essentially heard her three classmates and friends admit not only pride in each other, but to even be actively inspired by each other even in hard times like this was something she couldn't help but find encouraging. Indeed, Mina had a good point before: the best kind of Hero partnerships were the kind that actively inspired and drove each other to be their very best. She liked to personally think every single member of their class, let alone this team, was able to do that for one another. For what was potentially awaiting them at the end of this journey, she knew they would need it.

"I apologize for getting violent with you before, Midoriya-san. I'm sorry." Tenya suddenly spoke up from right the hell out of nowhere, catching Izuku and the others completely off guard after nearly five minutes of walking in silence; the green-haired boys' surprise only compounded when the class president was already proceeding to nearly fold himself over with an intense bow of apology.

The sight of it, of course, after he had been so adamant against them going, couldn't help but leave Momo a bit incredulous. "Really, Iida-san, your argument for coming along isn't really all that persuasive."

Of course, at the same time, Izuku was broken from his determined shell and was once again the almost always flustered kid he ultimately was…that all of his fellows here ultimately still were: "It's okay, Iida-san! I've forgotten about it already."

Despite this, once Tenya was standing up straight again, he was immediately back to wielding that piercing glare as he straightened his glasses and got back to marching along. "It's precisely because I can't accept all your behaviors that I'm coming along with all of you. If I get so much as a whiff of the possibility of combat, I will bring you all back immediately."

Jumping on the opportunity Tenya was inadvertently giving her, Mina almost immediately jumped right in, exhibiting that same typical peppy energy that made her downright irreplaceable in their class in stressful times: "That's right, we're both here to keep watch over and protect you guys…just like the people in that super old comic book…uh…'Watchmen', that's it! We'll be like your guys' personal Watchmen! First sign of trouble, and we'll be outta there in a hot minute! Nobody's getting hurt under Watchman Mina's watch!"

While Tenya and Momo couldn't help but essentially agree with Mina's sentiment, they were still able to keep as serious a demeanor as ever, even if Eijirou, Shoto and Nikolay couldn't help but simply mutter the idea with incredulousness and amusement alike. Soon enough, Momo proceeded to chime in: "Me too. This is a job for the Pros. From the outset, there has been absolutely no need for any of us to get involved."

With that, she proceeded to finally pull out the small handheld tracking device from the pocket of her skirt, just to emphasize her ultimate point: "However, because I understand how all you guys feel, you can call this a compromise plan. Don't any of you forget it."

As she could see most of her teammates here were visibly emboldened and grateful for her added support, it did nothing to quiet the worrisome doubt in Momo's head, however: 'A rescue without combat; it's just not realistic. I know everyones' emotions have been running high with the close calls we suffered, but I didn't realize that they would be incapable of keeping level-headed. Honestly, if they just looked at the present situation, the sheer difficulty and unrealistic nature of their plan, they themselves should be able to realize it, too.'

It didn't take long after that the for the whole team to find their way to the local train station by following Momo's device. By the time they had gotten in and looked at the projected schedule for all departing trains, and comparing that with what her tracker was showing, they were quick to pinpoint their destination and the train by which to get there.

Within minutes, the team was soon on the first train leaving from this local station in Nagano Prefecture, and heading for the only geographical clue they had as to where Bakugo and the League of Villains' hideout was: somewhere in the Kamino Ward of Yokohama City, in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Of course, the idea that once they got there, there would be no turning back, did strike Mina and Nikolay with some considerable nervousness, but it was likewise that realization that they had already come this far that kept them from voicing any kind of doubt to their friends. And Nikolay once again couldn't help but feel naturally intimidated by the idea he was going to a completely different city he had yet to set foot in, where who-knew what kind of obstacles they would be facing there.

At least the knowledge they had a two hour train ride to go through before reaching their destination helped him and Mina to relax some and recollect their focus. At least, as much as Nikolay could before instinctively letting out a groan of discomfort upon first taking his seat, which Mina immediately honed in on as she took the seat next to his, with Momo sitting across from them and offering the whole team an onigiri each.

"Are you okay, Kolya-kun?" Mina immediately asked as Nikolay was rubbing at the sizable sore spot on his chest.

"Yeah…yeah, I'm all right, don't worry. After he took off our major bandages, the doctor told me I'd be dealing with some notable soreness for the next couple of days, but other than that, I'd pull through." Despite the reassurance evident in Nikolay's tone, Mina looked no less worried, and once again found her mind starting to revert to that same stubborn doubt about their whole plan.

Unfortunately, she wasn't anywhere near as subtle as she thought she was being, as Nikolay, and the whole team for that matter, saw the concern evident in Mina's eyes, with the young Slav being the first to speak up: "Okay, what are you thinking of right now, Mina? I think we can all agree this is the last time and place we should be keeping anything to ourselves."

Mina didn't want to inadvertently cause a scene between them, but she likewise knew that he was right, and thus hurriedly cleared her throat and took the moment to breathe. "Well, obviously I'm worried, Kolya-kun; not just about you, but all of us. This whole plan…c'mon, this plan is obviously insane, and there's no telling what might happen when we get there."

The whole team visibly perked up, with all but Tenya and Momo beginning to visibly worry that Mina was about to suggest they should go back, even after everything she had said back at the hospital entrance. However, Mina could likewise see those looks on their faces, and sat herself up straight to prove how serious she was being. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not about to say we should go back. It's way too late for that, I know. Besides, it's just like Iida-san said: it's precisely because I'm worried about you guys that I chose to come along. The way I've always thought of it: as long as Heroes have someone or something to protect and fight for, they can handle anything, no matter how big and scary it is, and I'm not about to stop thinking like that as long as we're all out here doing this."

To hear Mina simply express this sentimental outlook had Nikolay and Eijirou visibly pumped, as the red-haired boy couldn't help but express: "That's the spirit, Ashido! That kind of way of thinking is so like you! You're starting to sound like a total Hero."

Likewise, even Shoto was just barely nodding his head in either agreement or approval. "You're still plenty childish when it comes to being in class and doing regular schoolwork, but clearly, when things get serious, your mentality towards what being a Hero means to you has matured some since the start of the year. The biggest benefit reaped from your internship and all our previous shared experiences, no doubt."

As much as Mina was clearly delighted to be complimented on some kind of growth from one of their smarter and tougher classmates, the slightly condescending note he ended on had her childishly pouting again, at least until Momo finally handed her own onigiri to her, while likewise expressing her much less judgmental-sounding approval and pride in Mina's mental maturing: "I'm glad you really seem to be finding the place you wish to be in terms of why you want to be a Hero, Mina-san. If you can carry that over to your regular studies, you could become an exceptional student as well."

However, even though her friend and vice president was expressing this, Mina found her mind once again delving deeper than anyone else knew, reflecting on exactly what she was saying. It was one of the few things related to Heroes that she'd believed in from the bottom of her heart since the very beginning, that as long as Heroes had people and an ideal to fight for, they could handle anything.

'Yeah, it's true that I totally get scared when faced with somebody threatening to hurt me or my friends, but I don't ever want to back down and let people hurt each other; especially not my friends. I love every single one of you guys here as much as a friend possibly could. And as far as Kolya-kun goes, I want to protect him for the exact same reason…but also because bringing him back will help make Kyouka-chan's happiness even greater, especially if it means giving her a chance to one day tell him how she feels. She's my friend just as much as everyone else is, and it's only right I help make that possible for her.'

Of course, even as Mina was silently reaffirming this vow to herself, there was still that inkling in the back of her mind that kept echoing back those taunting words from that crazy Toga girl back in the woods: "You are in love with someone, aren't you? You are totally in love with a specific other person. You can just feel it, can't you: that warm lovey-dovey fuzzy feeling in your stomach? The person you love, you wanna be just like them, right?"

Mina's hands and face momentarily tensed as she kept her eyes glued to the floor, desperately hoping the others weren't about to ask, assuming they all noticed. 'Dammit, why is that coming back to me now? And why is it still getting such a reaction out of me? Oh, come on; please don't start torturing me with this now! C'mon, Mina, get your own head on straight! You gotta be on it when we get to wherever Bakugo is! They're all counting on you to be able to back them up!'

A sudden warmth on her hand suddenly silenced Minas' tumultuous brain near instantaneously, and she instinctively turned to find Nikolay looked right at her with an especially soft and warm smile of his own. "I understand you being unable to help being worried even now, Mina. But all the same, I'm really glad that you're here with us. I know we can manage this, but especially if you're there to watch our backs to make sure we don't get in too deep. We all believe in you…I believe in you."

Mina could swear her face suddenly felt like it was going to burst into flames, it felt so hot as she looked Nikolay in the eyes and felt the sincerity in every word he said. In a way, she couldn't help but feel there was something about him using such words that felt downright unfair, like he was taking a page right out of her own motivational handbook and using it right back on her. It left her downright speechless and just barely shaking where she sat as she tried to cope with how she was suddenly feeling; all the while begging her head to not dare start bringing up those taunting words now of all times.

While this little exchange was now playing out its effect, in the seats next to theirs, Izuku couldn't keep one of his most nagging thoughts to himself any longer, as he finally addressed Shoto and Eijirou across from him: "Kirishima-san, Todoroki-san, it's not that I'm ungrateful for us having as many of our friends allying with us for this as we have, far from it. But I just can't stop thinking: did you tell any of the others the specifics around our plan?"

At this mention, the silent yet confident air on Eijirou's face visibly dimmed, while Shoto's normally stoic face somehow managed to take on an even more serious air, albeit with no visible change. "Yeah, but after we did, they all just tried to stop us from going."

"Uraraka-san had some pretty harsh words for us in particular." Eijirou chimed in, to which Izuku couldn't even hope to hide the surprise on his face. He could've sworn that, more than anyone else in their class, she would've been the most willing to go along, regardless of personal feelings. "She did? What…exactly did she say?"

"She said that she felt Bakugo would be completely disgraced if he got rescued by all of us." Eijirou stated with exceptional bluntness. At the same time, Izuku found himself thinking back suddenly to those final parting words Bakugo himself had even given him at the very end of the attack at the camp: "Stay back, Deku."

Was that really the reason he'd picked those words, out of anything else, in the middle of being kidnapped? Was he seriously just trying to preserve his air of superiority over the rest of the class, confident he'd be able to get himself out? Or was he actually trying to keep Izuku away, in the fears he'd end up getting hurt or worse if he tried?

Honestly, in his personal experience, Izuku was inclined to think the former option was more likely, thus adding credence to Ochako's reason for not going and trying to talk them out of it. But he knew he could speculate all day and night, and never come across the real answer. No, he would only know the truth when he had Bakugo back in Yuuei, safe and sound, where they all belonged. And what was even more important than learning his old best friend's personal truth, was the fact that he and his friends here were still following their gut instinct as aspiring Heroes, and right now, that was the only thing that mattered.

"In any case, all of you listen." Shoto suddenly stated, specifically so the whole team and no one else could hear him, and feel the serious intent radiating off him. "No matter how you look at it, what we're trying to do is driven by our egos. If any of you want to turn back, it's not too late."

"If I wasn't sure about this, I wouldn't have suggested it in the first place. Bakugo's not the kind of guy who will want to just let the Villains have their way." Eijirou immediately answered with an exceptional seriousness of his own, as though he were affirming it for himself even more than the others.

As for the rest of the team, they could all feel the shockwave of Shoto's warning resonate inside, much like how their own respective doubts in the plan had done for them already this far into their journey. However, this time, that realization wasn't followed by fear, but rather an even stronger dedication to what they were doing, thanks in no small part to Eijirou's own confirmation.

As such, Nikolay was quick to follow up, meeting everyones' gazes with no hesitation or uncertainty: "That's right, and neither am I. I meant it when I said I wanted to make this right between us. If I am going to be on my way out from Yuuei in the end, I at least want to know I helped get Bakugo back safe, if nothing else. I'm not about to go back on that when we've already come this far."

Likewise, with two of her closest friends having now expressed their unwillingness to give up, Mina clenched her hands into equally determined fists. She knew she'd only be repeating herself from in front of the hospital if she started going into a verbal tangent, but she knew that inside, her spirit and dedication was only growing that much stronger with each second she was with her friends here. If she had looked, she would have even seen that the same confirmation was going on with Momo and Tenya as well.

As for Izuku, however, after having actually been offered the chance to turn back even now, he couldn't stop thinking about what Ochako had apparently said, and those final words from Bakugo himself. And with all of those things running in tandem in his head, he kept coming back to one of the most resolute things All Might had taught him to date, one of the single things that had been pushing him on his path the hardest: "One of the marks of a Hero is getting involved in stuff they don't need to be."

However, even for as powerful a statement in what his goal was to ultimately entail as that was, it wasn't the thing that fanned the inextinguishable fire in his chest the most in that moment.

No, for that, he found himself thinking back to just barely a couple hours ago, back at the hospital. After he had gotten his casts removed, and been told of the potential devastating damages of his Quirks' constant use, on top of having been approached for this mission to begin with, one of the first things Izuku had done to try and get his head on fully straight was to call his mother.

He had no doubt in his mind she had been crawling up and down the walls with worry over him after the attack, and the fact he hadn't spoken to her from the start as soon as he was back up and running was something he felt absolutely guilty over. If he was going to do anything, he knew reassuring her and putting her mind at ease had to come first. But how was he supposed to do that, when given the chance to actually go out and rescue someone that needed his help?

The entire conversation between them had, in fact, been continuously replaying in his head ever since then, as though it were forcing him to truly try and come to a final decision if he was ultimately doing the smart thing. He had tried to lead in as softly as he could, from letting her know his treatment had gone well and that he was to go back to Yuuei after having taken care of things, but out of all of it, it was his mothers' first words since then that kept echoing the loudest: "Izuku…can't you…not go back to Yuuei anymore?"

There was no way in hell he ever could have been angry at his mother for suggesting such a thing. After everything he'd put his body through in just three months, what kind of parent wouldn't have wanted their kid to just stop what they were doing for their own sake? Perhaps that was one of the things a parent could be most grateful for in the instance they gave birth to a Quirkless child; they wouldn't have to worry themselves sick over them potentially getting killed every single day.

But, fortunately and unfortunately alike, he didn't fall into that category anymore, no matter how much his mother wanted him to; and as much as part of him wanted to simply heed her wishes and simply go back so she wouldn't have to worry anymore, he knew he could never forgive himself in countless ways if he just turned his back on his dream now. It still pained him to have to tell his mother as much, but he knew they both needed to hear it if there would ever be any understanding between them again, and if he was ever going to become the Hero he had always wanted to be: "Mom…I…I received all of this from All Might. From the very moment I met him…"

As his closing words from back then came to mind, Izuku found himself repeating them out loud to echo his answer to Shoto's words at the same time, an all-around affirmation and promise of his dedication, not just to this rescue, but to everything he was aiming for as a Yuuei student and as a future great Hero: "There's no way I can turn back now."

Izuku could see the same kind of silent resolution on all his friends' faces, but despite that, he found himself unable to help but worry about them, just as much as they had to have been for him, albeit for a very different reason. Yes, the idea of this mission wasn't his to begin with, but the fact that he had stood out among their class time and again and therefore inadvertently made something of an icon of himself in many of their eyes, at least as far as he was willing to tell, couldn't help but make him concerned that his willingness to go on this mission may have been spurring some of the others on, despite their apprehensions at the start.

Of course they were trying to go into this as carefully as they could, but they all knew how unpredictable work as a Hero could be, and with enemies as dangerous as the League of Villains waiting for them at the finish line of this mission, Izuku couldn't stop thinking about the potential risk they were all taking by going with him on this, while he was still technically going along with Eijirou, Shoto and Momo.

'I wonder if this is how All Might feels all the time; or how Tunguska-sensei felt back in the day. Is this what it feels like to start embodying the Symbol of Peace; that you start inspiring others to follow alongside you into serious danger? Inspiring people is supposed to be important…but how do you deal with that, when the inspiration you give people doesn't always turn out as well as you hoped it would? It's almost like the influence he ended up having on someone like the Hero Killer. How am I supposed to be able to just put that potential part of my inheritance of the responsibility aside?'

This was one of the biggest questions continuously going through Izuku's head in painful silence for the duration of their train ride into the night.

Kamino Ward, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture

After the two hour train ride and subsequent departure from the train station, it didn't take long for the team to keep following Momo's tracking device, before ultimately finding themselves standing at the entrance arch to the Kamino Ward.

For Nikolay, their timing of getting here so late into the night couldn't have been more appropriate, as even from here, this place seemed to just fit the bill as a nightlife city, full of bars, karaoke joints and host/hostess clubs. A lot of the people roaming around out here, while mostly quite fashionable, also seemed to carry the distinct air of definitely being the more mature nightlife kind of crowd to boot. Honestly, even with so many of his friends standing at his sides, he still managed to feel completely out of place.

Not that he was about to let that change his mind about their mission, and he could definitely say the same for the others, as he could still feel that determined air shared among all seven of them, even if there was the momentary glimmer of nervousness in Mina and Momo's gazes.

"So, we're finally here. Kamino Ward." Izuku muttered, as though he were actually trying to psyche them up further now that they had made it this far.

"To think, the Villains are out here, hiding somewhere in this city." Shoto likewise noted, making it clear that even if the longest leg of their journey in itself was now behind them, now was to be the hardest part.

"I didn't think there would be this many people, though, even for a city as big as this one. If a fight were to break out, how would we be able to keep civilians from getting caught in it?" Nikolay finally asked as he kept looking at the numerous passing pedestrians and lingering crowds up and down the main street. Unfortunately, everyone else's silence was enough of an answer.

"All right, just tell me where to go, Yaoyorozu-san!" Eijirou suddenly exclaimed, already proceeding to march up the street before Momo swiftly stopped him like a runaway dog with a stern call-out: "Please hold on a second and don't go running off like that, Kirishima-san! If we don't proceed with every precaution from here on out, then it's just like Bezpalov-san said; not only could we end up getting caught in a huge battle we're not prepared for, but all these civilians will be put in danger as a result, too! Don't forget that the Villains know all our faces, as well!"

This grim reminder had Izuku instinctively bringing his arms over his face, inadvertently looking as though he were already trying to block an attack, while Mina was starting to try and hide as much of her hair and horns by pulling the collar of her already low-neck t-shirt over her head.

All the while, Nikolay, Shoto and Tenya were all practically frozen stiff with caution, while the class president spoke up in honest curiosity: "But if that's the case, we can't even go and scout any further from here. As much as I apologize for bringing it up, the fact that Bezpalov-san is a foreigner, on top of Ashido-san's very distinct appearance, will make us stick out completely, no matter where we go. There's no telling how many eyes and ears the Villains may have set up around here."

However, Momo looked completely unshaken, as she immediately pointed to a nearby department store: "That's right, and it's precisely on that note, that I have a proposition for you all."

This little discovery on her part was like a godsend in the minds of the whole team, thankfully all able to realize where she was going with this. However, they could see that, despite the relieved smile on her own face, Mina was still slightly trembling down at her feet. Of course, knowing they were on the League of Villains' home turf, none of them could blame her for still feeling nervous.

That's precisely why Nikolay and Eijirou both stepped in: "Hey, don't feel bad for being nervous, Ashido. Truth be told, I've been pretty nervous too. If it weren't for all the noise, you'd probably have heard my teeth chattering by now."

"Yeah, and I can't remember the last time I actually got my hands out of these clenched fists I've got right now. But at least with disguises we can be sure we won't get spotted right off the bat, you know?" Thankfully, both boys' attempts to try and reassure her were proven completely unnecessary, as they had both been able to see Mina was likewise psyching herself up and taking deep breaths even before they'd instinctively started with the talking.

With a steady exhale, Mina's trembling had finally ceased, and that inextinguishable fire of motivation was right back in her eyes, with a reassuring smile and determined fist over her heart to prove it. "I'm good, everyone, really. It's just kinda intense feeling, seeing us come all the way out here for this, you know? But this is a good idea, Yaomomo. Can't say I saw my next shopping spree for clothes going like this, but hey, disguises just means we get to go all out to not be recognizable, right?"

Under any other circumstances, Tenya and Momo would've been quick to give Mina the light reprimanding necessary for seemingly making light of such a serious mission. However, it was precisely because they all knew how nervous they and she together still were about this whole thing, that they realized she was simply trying to ease all their mutual tension the way she knew best. And so, with that silent understanding between them all, the group quickly made their way for the department store so they could have that little added sense of security once they stepped back out.

"I still say I look completely ridiculous like this." These were the first words to leave Nikolay's mouth the moment he and his friends had finally stepped out from the department store in their various disguises; himself wearing a pair of motorcycle boots, blue jeans, a tan rawhide jacket with tassels along the sleeves, sunglasses, a tan cowboy hat, and even the added measure of a detachable mutton chop-mustache combo applied to his face.

"Oh, c'mon, Kolya-kun, the 'Easy Rider'* look actually really suits you. If I didn't know better, I probably wouldn't even recognize you. Besides, ridiculous is way better than boring like this getup. I look like a total creeper, or a burglar." Mina tried to cheer him up, only for her voice to get low with disappointment as she emphasized her own ensemble of sneakers, matching grey sweatpants and a hoodie pulled up over her head, complete with baseball gloves, sunglasses, and a face mask, as though she had a cold.

"We didn't go for this method for the sake of being particularly eye-catching, Mina-san. The whole point is for us not to draw unwanted attention and blend in. Right now that means hiding your horns, hair, eyes and skin for now." Momo reminded her with a hushed whisper, only for Mina to look at the black-haired girl with mixed feelings of admiration and jealousy.

"I know all that, I know! But still, that's easy for you to say, Yaomomo; your getup is totally gorgeous by comparison! And Iida-san's disguise is super snazzy, too!" Indeed, the two representatives of Class 1-A somehow managed to both look completely inconspicuous and eye-catching all at once, with Momo now wearing her ponytail in a much messier and wavier fashion, thanks to a can of hairspray in her hand, while also wearing particularly gaudy jewelry alongside a shimmering sequin gown and sunglasses, looking almost literally like a fashion model. Alongside her, Tenya had removed his glasses and was now wearing a very stylish set of pressed pants, dress shirt and suspenders, with his hair completely slicked back, and all capped off with a tiny little pencil mustache to seal the deal; looking, as Nikolay had described it upon first sight, like a Japanese Clark Gable*.

And completing the newly disguised team-up, Shoto was wearing a messy black wig with the bangs swept down to cover the burn scar on the left side of his face, while wearing what could only be described as a café waiter getup; and at the end, Eijirou had removed the gel from his red hair, getting rid of the spikes and letting it hang low, while also wearing a pair of white cosplay antler-ornaments on his head, with a pair of black jeans, a studded belt, white t-shirt and black leather jacket, and Izuku was now wearing a fake goatee on the end of his chin, with sunglasses, and a tracksuit over a t-shirt, looking almost like a crossover between a beatnik and a wannabe yakuza street tough. Eijirou was even currently in the middle of trying to help him get the facial expression down so he could get the specific way of talking right.

"Look, we could stand here and compare and complain about disguises all night, but I think we can all agree the sooner we get moving, the sooner we find Bakugo and get him back, the better, da?" Nikolay finally interjected, not wanting them to even entertain the idea of getting distracted after having come this far. Mina, Tenya and Shoto clearly couldn't have agreed more by the looks on their faces, and with that, Momo was already pulling her tracking device back out so they could get back to business.

"Hey, isn't that Yuuei?" The very mention of their school from an unfamiliar adult voice struck the entirety of students with frozen terror like a lightning bolt, every last one of them, even if just for a moment, simultaneously thinking: 'Oh crap, did we get spotted already?!'

Nikolay was already instinctively reaching for Mina's hand, since she was the only person immediately to his left, while everyone else was to his right. If he could do this fast enough, he could launch himself to his right with Mina in tow, and knock the rest of them out of the way of whatever attack was potentially coming at them from behind. He was already starting to channel the energy for a good enough dash to his feet.

However, when a handful of seconds had passed with no attack to speak of, the students all finally turned to see what was going on, only to find themselves looking not only at a considerably big crowd of civilians gathered in front of the building at the end of the main street, but more importantly a gigantic television screen on the face of said building, playing a news broadcast that was currently displaying a massive press conference, with none other than Headmaster Nezu, and a formally dressed Vlad King and Aizawa, this time without the orange eye mask, and with his hair tied back and his face clean shaven respectively.

The sight of both teachers standing before the press like this, both men looking as forlorn as they were, made all the watching students' blood go cold upon the realization of just what this had to be about, instantly answered when the presiding news anchor spoke up through the intercoms around the screen: "And now, a scene from the events that have just recently transpired. Here's a clip of the public apology issued by the official at Yuuei Academy."

Headmaster Nezu kept his head bowed down, while Aizawa was the one to step to the microphone alongside Vlad King. Despite them both being dressed like a pair of pallbearers or men on their way to the gallows, neither of them showed any sense of fear to be the centers of attention in this situation, especially as Aizawa finally spoke up: "On this occasion, our incompetence resulted in the injuries of twenty-nine of our first-year student Heroes. Despite being an institution for the development of Heroes, we were negligent in our defense against evil interests and have caused great anxiety within society. With the utmost sincerity, we respectfully and humbly apologize for our shortcomings."

To hear their own homeroom teacher pretty much place himself and his fellow teacher on the sacrificial pedestal, especially knowing how much he hated dealing with the media, left all the students visibly shaken with realization of the weight of the consequences of the Villain attack. For Nikolay, this painful truth was especially hard-hitting, having not had the chance to be told of the protesters at Yuuei for the last two days.

At that moment, on-screen, one of the myriad reporters suddenly rose up. "Reporting with NHA. This is the sixth time this year for Yuuei Academy, where students have come into contact with Villains. This time, students were injured, with one very nearly dying. How exactly did you explain this to their families, one of whom is reportedly one of your fellow faculty members? Please tell us specifically at measures have been taken to address this matter."

"They're being treated like criminals…" Nikolay could hear Izuku mutter this under his breath, and upon looking, he could already see the boys' fists clenching with frustration. How could any of them feel any differently, though? It was true; even when their teachers were taking full responsibility, they were effectively being raked across the coals, making themselves into complete social pariahs in front of the entire country. The thought of it stirred some very old embers of anger inside Nikolay's chest, in particular.

Finally, it was Headmaster Nezu who lifted his head and pulled the microphone forward to answer for Aizawa. "We have strengthened the security around the school, and we have re-examined the campus' crime prevention system. We are taking strong measures to guarantee the safety of our students…that was the explanation we gave."

"What kind of crap answer is that? They aren't protecting those kids at all. They're just making shit up to try and make themselves look good. What a joke."

Nikolay and his friends could all hear such mutterings begin sounding out from the crowd around them; every single word dripping with disdain and vitriol for the figureheads of Yuuei taking the responsibility like they were supposed to. Seeing the judgmental looks on all their faces, the young Heroes could all feel it, even if none of them wanted to admit it out loud: the results were all speaking for themselves, and the mood was only getting heavier with each second.

It was only because the crowd was beginning to chatter amongst themselves louder and louder, that Mina finally worked up the courage to speak up in a loud enough whisper for only her friends to hear; the sunglasses and mask on her face keeping them from seeing the deeply hurt frustration she was expressing at that very moment. "That's so unfair! It's like these people don't even want to admit that, if those two hadn't stepped in, there's no telling how many of us would be dead right now! I mean, it's because Aizawa-sensei gave us combat permission that we didn't all get killed right from the start, you know? And, come on, at least they're actually stepping up and trying to take responsibility, that's what he always said people should do when they screw up! I thought that was supposed to make things better in the end!"

Mina was encouraged by the fact she could clearly see the same kind of frustration on their faces as well. However, despite that, Shoto's reply came with the same cold bluntness it usually did: "I don't disagree that it's frustratingly unfair for people to still be talking about them and Yuuei like this after everything, Ashido. However, we all need to try and see this from the publics' perspective as well. We're not only talking about the permanently fragile trust civilians usually have in Heroes and their capabilities in protecting them, but also the fact that, at the end of the day, it's a situation involving peoples' children, and their school being unable to keep them out of harms' way."

Momo was likewise quick to chime in: "Yes, when you take both those things into account, and present the public with a scenario in which both those things are broken, it becomes exceedingly hard to be able to re-establish that kind of trust again. It would be that way in any scenario involving children. They're the most precious thing a person can have, and when their safety is put in question, while under the watch of the entities you trust to keep them safe no less, it's a betrayal of faith that can't be compared to any other."

"Come on, we should be on our way before the air here gets much more tense." Tenya suggested, with everyone in visible agreement, beginning to follow him. However, even as they were departing from the scene, Nikolay was gradually falling behind, as though his mind were completely elsewhere, and when the group ultimately came to a stop upon realizing this, they all just as quickly realized their Russian friend had his head hanging low, and his hands clenched into white-knuckled and trembling fists at his side.

"Kolya…san?" Izuku asked worriedly when he could even start to make out the visibly tense and angry expression forming on Nikolay's face. The moment he spoke up, though, he lifted his head to meet the concerned gazes of his friends, before sucking in a deep breath, exhaling and opening his hands again.

"I'm sorry, you guys. That, back there…that just forced me to remember a lot. Well, more specifically, some things my dad had told me a long time ago." With the reaction Nikolay had just shown, and that vague little explanation, it didn't take long for them all to realize just what exactly this had to have reminded him of, with Eijirou being the one to ultimately try and reach out: "Kolya-san, you don't have to say anymore if it's too much right now. Trust me; we understand what that must've felt like for you, especially."

This admission of empathy alongside the mutually sympathetic and understanding looks on everyone else's faces, thankfully did a great deal to quiet down the painful old memories floating about in Nikolay's head, as he seemed to visibly calm himself again. It was true; he really didn't want to slow them down with a time-consuming explanation, and he didn't want to distract himself from their real purpose by dwelling on such memories he had been hoping to forever keep behind him.

It was just so hard for him to do that, when the sight and sounds of crowds of regular civilians openly dismissing the earnest words and efforts of Heroes in exchange for building up their anger, reminded him so much of Oleg describing the very same kind of scenario. According to him, in the earliest days after the dust from the Siberian Flash had finally settled, this very same kind of public discontent began cropping up all over the Soviet Union, and such seemingly insignificant gatherings and expressions ultimately lead to the establishment of the very same government that had essentially driven all remaining Quirk-users out of the bloc territory, and potentially killed the rest.

To see it playing out virtually the same way before his own eyes now, had Nikolay experiencing the worst case of what he could only assume was déjà vu he ever could have imagined. 'Dammit, Nikolay Olegovich, you need to focus! They're all counting on you just as much as you're counting on them, remember? If we're going to get Bakugo back and potentially help ease these tensions with the public, then get your head in the game!'

With that psychological slap to his own face to try and quiet down the discontent in his head, Nikolay hurried to get back in tandem with the rest of his still visibly concerned-looking friends, ready to finally bring this whole ordeal to a proper end.

Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location…

"It's quite mysterious, isn't it? Why are the Heroes getting criticized? That's probably what you're asking yourself right now, eh, Bakugo?" Tomura Shigaraki's taunting couldn't have made Bakugo's skin crawl any more than it already was.

For the last several minutes after he had initially spat the white-haired Villains' offer of partnership back in his face, Bakugo had been subjected to watching a press conference on the TV, wherein Aizawa and Vlad King were actually prostrating themselves to the press for the publics' perception of their complete failure as Heroes. The fiery-tempered young boy had no idea just what the hell this ragtag collective of psychopaths and scumbags was trying to prove to him by making him watch this, and he still frankly couldn't have given less of a shit. They were simply lucky that his restraints were so strong; otherwise he would've blown this whole shitty-looking bar hangout of theirs to smithereens, and them along with it.

At least, this was the assurance he kept mentally screaming to himself as he kept trying to fight against his restraints every now and then, but still being met with the same results. And all the while, even more aggravating than all the Villains' eyes silently watching his every move, was Shigaraki's continuous prodding words. "Their response was just a little too slow. Is it because it's their job to protect the kids? Everybody makes a mistake or two! Are they saying that they can't make a single mistake? Heroes these days are under some pretty strict standards, huh, Bakugo?"

To further compound onto his simmering anger and impatience, one of the other Villains, a reptilian-looking one dressed in a ninja-like manner similar, at least as far as Bakugo himself was aware, to that of the Hero Killer, Stain, decided to speak up in turn: "The moment that protecting people began to merit some form of compensation, Heroes were not Heroes anymore. That's Stains' teaching." 'Oh, for God's sake, spare me that load of self-righteous horseshit!'

While Bakugo was mentally arguing right back, Shigaraki was once again proceeding to ramble on. Even though Bakugo couldn't make out any of the details of his face with that one disembodied hand clutching it, he could just feel the man's eyes were focusing solely on him through it, but he wasn't about to let that get under his skin, let alone allow any of these freaks to know that.

"The inexplicability of converting human life into money and selfish pursuits, and a society that codifies that suspect thinking into its own rules. Citizens that criticize the losers who should instead be cheered on. Our battle is one of questions. What is a Hero? What is justice? Is this society really just? We want each and every individual o think about these things. We intend to win this battle! Bakugo…you also…like winning, don't you?"

Bakugo still refused to lift his head to grant Shigaraki the courtesy of eye contact, but the Villain wasn't remotely bothered by such rudeness on the boys' part. What mattered was that his words were sinking into his head, no matter how much he tried to hide it. As such, an idea suddenly popped into his head. "Dabi, remove his bindings."

The black-haired, burn scar-covered young man just barely flinched at the very idea, but still couldn't help but voice his incredulousness: "What? This guy's going to go ballistic the moment I do, you know."

Alas, whether Dabi was right or not, Shigaraki showed no doubt, almost literally gesturing to welcome Bakugo with open arms. "It's okay. We have to treat him as an equal. We're scouting him out, after all. Besides, even he should be able to tell from the current situation that he has no possibility of winning if he goes off here. Right, Yuuei student?"

Again, no verbal answer from Bakugo, but this time, no physical show of trying to force his way out of his restraints, either. It was a most unexpected sight, but Dabi was still not about to take any chances…at least, not personally. "Twice, free him."

"WHAT? ME?! NO THANK YOU!" The bodysuit-clad Villain immediately protested, but upon seeing the piercing glares of deathly seriousness from both Dabi and Shigaraki alike, he very quickly changed his tune, taking the keys being offered by the former, and quickly getting to work undoing each of Bakugo's restraints.

All the while, the magician-looking Villain still in another corner, Mr. Compress, decided to try and ease the tense silence now hanging over the entire bar: "I apologize for taking such a forceful approach with you…however, please understand that we're not just a group of hoodlums endeavoring to perpetrate evil acts. We didn't just casually decide to abduct you. Everyone here has different circumstances, but people, rules, Heroes, we're all shackled by them. You too should underst—

BKOOOM!

Just as Dabi had feared, the instant Shigaraki had gotten remotely close enough, and he felt the last of his restraints come loose, Bakugo immediately swung the right arm he'd been tensing up in preparation right for his face, and unleashed a catastrophic explosion right into it. The other Villains all instinctively jumped back from the sheer force of it, while Bakugo finally got back to his feet, tensing his whole body up in preparation for the brawl that was undoubtedly to come the moment they all tried to rush him.

"I stayed quiet and listened to you blabbering on and on! Idiots don't know how to summarize things, so they just go on forever! Basically, "we want to make people hate us, so join us please!" Right?! It's pointless. I'VE BEEN WON OVER BY THE WAY ALL MIGHT LOOKS WHEN HE WINS! EVER SINCE THE BEGINNING, ALL I'VE EVER WANTED IS TO BECOME THE KIND OF HERO THAT COULD EVEN SURPASS THE LIKES OF HIM, AND THAT'LL BE MY GOAL TILL THE DAY I CROAK! SO YOU ALL CAN SAY WHAT YOU WANT, BUT NOTHING CAN CHANGE MY MIND ABOUT THAT!"

As Bakugo bellowed this declaration of unbending will, the smoke finally began to clear, revealing Shigaraki was still on his own two feet, but the hand that had been on his face had been removed, even though his dangling white bangs still obscured his face from the brash little boy before him. By this point, Bakugos' own rambling wasn't even registering to him anymore. Rather, his focus had now drifted to that very same hand lying listlessly on the floor.

"Father…"

Yuuei Conference Hall

For Shota Aizawa, the most frustrating thing about this current situation he, Nezu and Vlad King found themselves in wasn't the fact of simply having to stand before the press (something he made a point of stating his distaste for all the way back at the start of the year). No, it was the fact that, despite he and his fellow teacher and supervisor both accepting responsibility for their failings and trying to reassure the public of their taking serious future precautions, none of it seemed to be getting through to this crowd of tabloid seekers and journalistic bloodsuckers.

As clearly evidenced, when yet another of the journalists in the back suddenly stood up for his own question, directed at Aizawa himself: "You speak of your students' safety, but Mr. Eraserhead, they say that during the incident, you urged the students to fight, right? Please explain what your intentions were."

Aizawa could see this question, for as obvious as the answer was, visibly irked Vlad King. Thankfully he wasn't the one the question was intended for. "Because we weren't able to fully grasp the scope of the situation, I made the judgment, in order to avoid the worst possible outcome."

Much to his embittered expectation, this explanation didn't seem to remotely register with a single one of these people, let alone the one who'd even asked. "The worst possible outcome, you say? Twenty-nine students injured, among which one very nearly died, according to doctor testimonials, plus one student kidnapped; would you really not call that the worst possible outcome?"

Aizawa's ability to hide his own emotions in the face of such apathy was truly a gift as he answered as straightforwardly as possible: "In that situation, the worst possible outcome I was envisioning was one in which the students became helpless murder victims."

This explanation thankfully seemed to shut the most recent of these obnoxious reporters up, as Nezu proceeded to take the reins once more: "The majority of injuries were caused by the gas attack. We have ascertained that the gas had hypnotic properties and was the product of one of the Villains' Quirks. Thanks to Kendo-san, Tetsutetsu-san and Bezpalov-san's swift response, none of the other students suffered any more serious injuries.

"Yes, the fact that Bezpalov-san was the one to come closest to dying as a result of this attack is a mark of shame we of Yuuei cannot possibly ask forgiveness for, but we can't allow ourselves to forget that not only has he been confirmed to be recovering alongside the rest of the students involved, but also that if it weren't for his taking action the way he did that led to him ending up in that position, either Kendo-san, Tetsutetsu-san, or both of them could have ended up being killed instead, and that could have led to many other students suffering the same fate with that gas Villain being left unopposed. As terrible as the immediate results were, in the long run, it ended up saving countless of our students' lives.

"While our injured students are being given the best medical care we can provide, while also under the combined watch of Yuuei and the police, we are also seeing to their mental care as well, but at the present moment we have no indications of severe emotional trauma or anything of the sort."

"A 'silver lining', so to speak?" The reporters' response was unnaturally swift, leaving the three Yuuei representatives silently apprehensive of just what he had brewing in his head this time. However, Nezu was ever the calm and approachable interviewee. "We believe that for the future, the 'worst possible outcome' is if we were to be attacked again."

For as confident and peaceable as the headmaster was continuing to be, the reporters' condescending sneer didn't fade worth a damn. If anything, one would've sworn the beginnings of a satisfied smirk was threatening to tug at the corner of his mouth. "Could you also say the same for the kidnapped student, Bakugo Katsuki?"

At the mention of their missing student, Nezu, Aizawa and Vlad King all fell silent, as did the rest of the entire conference hall, thus allowing the reporter to continue even further, practically piercing right through the trio with his gaze. "Winner of the Sports Festival. His acts of resistance against the powerful Villain from the Hedoro Incident nearly ten months ago. Because of his personal history, one might think that he's got a tough Heroes' personality, but on the other hand, we saw the wild and violent nature he displayed in the finals, alongside his attitude leading up to the award ceremony and whatnot. He has exhibited signs of mental instability.

"What if his abduction was intended to exploit that behavior? What if deceptive words taint him, leading him astray to his kidnappers' path of evil? Please tell us on what basis you can say that he has a future." The air in the conference hall felt so heavy, it could've crushed everyone if it were an actual physical force. And among the entire delegation, none of them could see it more clearly than Nezu and Vlad King, who could just feel the intensity starting to increasingly radiate from Aizawa. To both of them, it was all too clear what was really happening here:

These reporters knew by now just how much Aizawa specifically hated the media, and they were specifically wording such questions in attempt to provoke him into saying something regretful they could mercilessly exploit and embellish for their own ends. A picture perfect example of just how wretched the media could truly be, but Nezu and Vlad both knew this was the worst possible time for them to get on the medias' bad side any more than they already were.

The moment Aizawa suddenly shot up from his seat, Nezu instinctively flinched, even if only the tiniest unnoticeable amount, worried just what the 1-A homeroom teacher was about to say, before Aizawa suddenly bowed himself at a 90 degree angle, not looking any of the reporters in the eye as he began to speak: "What transpired was the result of my own shortcomings. However, what happened at the Sports Festival, that points to the strength of his ideals more than anything."

By now, Aizawa finally began to lift himself back up, looking intently into the eyes of every single reporter before him, knowing this was the one most effective way he could convey to them all the sincerity he spoke with: "There is no one else more in pursuit of becoming the next Top Hero. If the Villains perceived that as a weakness to exploit…THEN I WOULD SAY THEY ARE BEING FOOLISH."

This declaration, finally, seemed to stir up the majority of the crowd, as the hall soon became a buzz with contemplative mutterings between themselves. However, the one persistent reporter was still refusing to back down. "Do you have a firm basis for your position? This is not a question about how you feel. I'm asking if you have a concrete plan for this matter."

By now, even Nezu's normally pleasant brow was just beginning to furrow, as he took the microphone again: "By no means are we standing by and doing nothing. We are all currently carrying out an investigation in collaboration with the police. We will absolutely get our student back."

The League of Villains' hideout

"We will absolutely get our student back."

In the immediate wake of Bakugo having attempted to attack Tomura Shigaraki, none of the other Villains had thought to turn off the television at the opposite end of the bar, and thus Headmaster Nezu's final declaration, rang loud and clear for everyone in the room to hear. The very conviction in his words was the thing to finally pry the first genuine laugh out of Bakugo specifically, finally breaking the unbearable tense silence.

"Yuuei and the teachers, you all heard what they said. THAT'S HOW IT REALLY IS, YOU LEAGUE OF SHITHEADS!" None of the Villains were daring to move, which for the hotheaded blonde was a blessing, as it allowed him to really collect his thoughts about the exact position he was in. For them to have conducted such a wide-scale attack, only to come out with him alone in their position was something they might have felt cleverly deceptive about, but for him it was far more obvious. Hell, Shigarakis' opening words had pretty much killed all the mystery for him: they really were invested in him as a potential ally. And no, the thought of that was never any less funny, no matter how many times Bakugo thought of it.

Of course, now that he had made it clear that he was never going to join their ranks, the idea of just cutting their losses and trying to kill him was no longer out of the question; he was smart enough to realize that. However, he'd already been preparing himself for that, as he'd silently been observing the layout of the bar, and the fact that he was currently on his own against a total of seven potentially tough opponents.

That wasn't about to make him back down from the inevitable fight, though. If anything, Bakugo could already feel his adrenaline and anticipation reaching an absolute fever pitch; his hands twitching into clutching shapes, just itching to bring this whole damn place down with a barrage of explosions like these suckers wouldn't believe. 'Before these assholes even get the chance to change their minds, I'll kill two or three of them, then bust my way outta here!'

"I'M JUST TELLING YOU ALL NOW, MY COMBAT AUTHORIZATION HASN'T BEEN REVOKED YET, GOT IT?!" While he was snarling this as intensely as he possibly could, it was hard to tell if any of the Villains around him were nearly as intimidated as he was hoping they were.

"He understands exactly what position he's in right now…what a clever boy!" Magne was the first one to speak up; their tone making it hard to tell if they were genuinely threatened, or simply patronizing Bakugo. Himiko, who had been resting on her elbows on the bar the entire time was still just staring at him with a devious grin on her face. "Let's just stab him!"

At the same time, Mr. Compress and Dabi were both simply staring back at the explosive young boy with confusion and annoyance respectively, with the burned stitch-faced young man muttering with just as much quiet disdain: "No…he's probably just an idiot."

At the same time, Mr. Compress was simply at a loss of what to make of Bakugo; with such expression of course unseen behind his mask: "If that were really the case, he could have at least pretended to be won over to our side. He messed up by playing his hand too early."

However, even for as disappointed as he was that none of these Villains were on their knees and begging for mercy, Bakugo was refusing to back down or even loosen the visible tension in his body, not wanting them to see him lose an ounce of aggression: "I'm not the type to lie about things I don't want to do. I also have no desire to stick around this shithole for a second longer."

Despite the boys' constant stubborn expression, Shigaraki was still not paying his words any mind, never taking his eyes off the hand still lying less than a handful of feet away from him. He wasn't the only one to notice this, either, as Kurogiri had by now also realized where their leaders' attention really was, rather than where it should have been. As such, his natural sense of protectiveness for the man drove him to suddenly exclaim: "Shigaraki Tomura, no! Please, calm down…!"

The entire bar suddenly became several degrees more frigid with the chilling intensity behind Shigaraki's glare as he looked to the already intervening Kurogiri; freezing the misty-bodied Villain in place, and even hitting Bakugo with a sensation that froze his blood in his veins with anxiety, the first time he'd actually felt a crack in his confidence against this man form.

Satisfied that he'd silently made his point, Shigaraki nonchalantly proceeded to take the hand up from the floor, and re-secure it to his face. "All of you guys…stay out of this, okay? This one is…AN IMPORTANT PIECE."

Knowing that now, Bakugo's spark for a fight had been significantly lessened by his sheer presence alone, Shigaraki calmly retreated to his seat at the bat, where a single computer sat nearby. "If possible, I would have liked for you to hear me out, Bakugo. I thought that maybe you could understand."

Hearing the white-haired Villain spew such ridiculously unfounded confidence couldn't help but make Bakugo momentarily think back to one of the few things his internship mentor, Best Jeanist, had told him that actually remotely stuck with him: "Heroes and Villains are two sides of the same coin."

That notion, no matter how differently it was worded, sounded just as ridiculous to Bakugo now as it did then, hence his instinctive reaction was to let out a wry chuckle, the one way he knew he could still display his confidence while rebuilding his readiness for a fight. "No chance."

With that, Shigaraki let out a deathly silent sigh as he turned his attention to the nearby computer monitor, as though he were talking to a whole other person. "Then I've got no choice. The Heroes say they're carrying out an investigation, which means we no longer have the leisure of taking our time to leisurely persuade you. SENSEI…lend me your strength."

At that very same moment, watching the entirety of the proceedings in the bar in real time through his own computer, the single sharp-dressed man in the throne room of nearly complete darkness couldn't help but smile with pure satisfaction as Shigaraki spoke those words, the words he had long waited to one day hear his apprentice speak of his own volition. "Good. Good decision, Shigaraki Tomura."

On the streets of Kamino Ward

It had taken a good thirty to forty-five minutes of navigating the winding streets of the Kamino Ward while following Momo's tracking device, but at long last, the signal they had been following had started beeping as fast it ever had, with the single dot representing it now visible in the dead center of the devices' screen. There was no denying it now; the self-appointed Bakugo Rescue Team had at long last reached the hideout of the League of Villains, and the place where Bakugo was apparently being held their prisoner: a fenced off but completely unassuming-looking warehouse with all the interior lights shut off.

Knowing they were already at the overall finish line of their mission, all of the teens could feel an instinctive nervous trembling beginning to take hold over them. Among them, the most visibly shaken were Mina, Nikolay and Tenya, not even for the fact they were finally here, but strictly for Nikolay and Izuku themselves, still being the two most injured of their ranks, and now being in such proximity to potentially catastrophic danger. Mina and Tenya both felt the growing need to start instructing the two to get some more distance put between themselves and the apparent hideout before them, as if expecting an all out war to break out the moment they took their next step forward.

Fortunately, however, Momo was able to see both their apprehension, and thus quickly stepped in with considerable calm of her own. "This is the location the tracking device is pointing us to, but let's not start wavering now. Up to this point, the Villains haven't made any move to speak of, which means our disguises must be working for us thus far."

While her friends could all appreciate her attempt to instill confidence and calm in the group, it still didn't take away from the fact they were essentially on the League of Villains' doorstep, with now even the steadfast Eijirou showing a twinge of nervousness in his face. "So this is their hideout…sure looks like it, huh?"

Of course, as much as Momo wanted to say with 100% certainty it was, there was simply no way of knowing for sure, and they all knew it as much as she did. "I don't know…but, as far as we have confirmed, the Villains haven't moved from here the whole day."

"Which would naturally mean that Bakugo hasn't left, either. There's no way they would leave him unguarded, even for a second." Nikolay concluded, which actually managed to instill a bit more confidence in his friends. As long as Bakugo was here, that was all that mattered.

Of course, Momo still couldn't get rid of that inkling of doubt, herself. "Unfortunately, just because there are Villains here doesn't necessarily mean that Bakugo is here as well. Right now, we have to calmly take into account all the information we have as we stand here today."

The distinct possibility of Bakugo not actually being here hit hard, as did the remembrance such a possibility forced them to consider, as muttered by Shoto: "It's possible the Villain who's able to make those warp gates could have sent Bakugo to a different location, on the off chance their hideout were to get raided by the Pro Heroes."

Building off from that, Nikolay likewise couldn't help but voice another awful possibility: "Yaoyorozu-san, since you said you had that tracker planted on one of their Nomus; it could be possible they might have noticed it, found a way to detach it, and simply left it here for us to follow, while they warped to another location. Even if Awase-san's Quirk fused it at a molecular level, those things have shown to have insane healing properties. For all we know, we could be walking into a trap, and they could just be waiting for us to show ourselves."

As much as he hated dashing everyone's confidence like this, Nikolay, and the whole group themselves, knew they couldn't afford to discount any possibilities. All of these overwhelming threats were very possible, but it didn't change the fact that this was still the only lead they had, and they needed to follow it, somehow.

Tenya finally stepped forward, taking up his role as their president once more as he earnestly looked his friends and allies eye-to-eye. "Even with a Quirk like Ashido-san's that can make actually infiltrating the building much easier and quieter, we still don't have anyone here who excels at sneaking like Jirou-san or Hagakure-san. Just so you all know, if I judge that things are even the slightest bit dangerous, I will stop you! I will stop you, precisely because you're all my friends. I won't hesitate to tell the police, got it?!"

All of a sudden, Mina likewise stepped forward, with not a trace of the usual bouncy cheer in her body language, as though she were trying to embody how serious Tenya and Momo were in her own special way. "Don't just write me off in that regard either, Iida-san. That's the same reason I'm here, remember? The first sign of trouble, I'm sliding you all out of here faster than any of you can blink, and that's a promise. I don't care how much any of you scream, kick or complain, I'm not letting anyone here get hurt tonight, and that's that."

Neither Nikolay, Shoto nor Eijirou dared to call out how unnatural Mina looked and sounded when trying to be so serious, precisely because they all could feel in their gut that there was no room for interpretation here; she would drag them all out of this place and out of harms' way by the hair if she had to, literally.

"Thank you both, Iida-san, Ashido-san. Now, let's think about all our options." The moment Izuku bowed in gratitude to his two friends, he immediately went right into that by-now nostalgic mode of barely audible rapid-fire mumbling of his, clearly looking over the entire outside layout of the Villains' hideout before them, as though he could somehow make out the interior layout as well, and was planning for every possible means of getting in, remaining undetected, and most importantly, getting out before things got serious.

Such a sight from the green-haired boy was downright commonplace to the rest of his friends here. What wasn't, however, was that almost as quickly, Izuku had soon found himself being joined in the brainstorming session by Nikolay as well, and soon enough, both boys looked as though they were having a fast-forwarded whispered strategy-related debate with each other, ironing out any potential cracks in every strategy either one of them came up with, and consolidating both their approaches together until it looked like they were both actually managing to form together a cohesive all-around plan. The sight, frankly, was both astonishing and inspiring to the rest of their classmates and friends as they all silently watched on.

"Wow, it's almost like Midoriya-san and Kolya-san are sharing one massive brain between them right now, isn't it?" Eijirou muttered to Tenya and Momo with a clearly impressed ring to his voice. At the same time, Mina and Shoto looked downright elated and quietly approving respectively at the sight. Knowing just how long Nikolay especially had struggled with his ability to thoroughly make multiple potential plans for any given situation; to see him actually keeping up with and working off of Izuku seemed like the perfect visual representation of his finally overcoming that one colossal hurdle, even if it needed the involvement of another to be done.

Before too long, the two boys had finally seemed to formulate a plan the entire group could easily work with, and at long last, the Bakugo Rescue Team was once more on the move, ready to cross that last hop, skip and a jump towards getting Bakugo back, and putting this whole nightmarish situation to rest.

Meanwhile, elsewhere…

Now that the overall briefing portion of the joint police/Pro Hero mission had passed, Tunguska was able to actually let the intensity of his focus wane a touch, enough to the point that he could actually acknowledge and take in the fact that, with the exception of familiar faces like All Might, Endeavor, and one of the other muscular powerhouses among them he now recognized as the sole male member of the Wild, Wild Pussycats, Tiger (thanks to having been filled in on the details of the training camp and its supervisors in the immediate aftermath of the Villain attack), he was now in this huge lobby with an assortment of other, younger and, most importantly, unfamiliar working Pro Heroes. Knowing they all had the credentials to actually work while he didn't couldn't help but make him feel like he stuck out like an especially sore thumb, no matter what Detective Naomasa said otherwise.

The fact that many of them were silently staring at him as he stood quietly and intensely at All Might's side certainly didn't help. Luckily for him, he was too wrapped up in his own head and lingering sense of awkwardness to hear some of the hushed chatter among them, specifically from three Pro Heroes:

The sole female Hero among their group; a young woman with long ash-blonde hair, dark pink eyes, and a pair of dark purple curved horns that possibly could've been an ornament to go along with her purple, orange and tan skintight costume and matching dark purple eye mask, Mt. Lady.

A shorter young man in a similar skintight dark blue bodysuit with dark brown boots, gloves and belt, all topped with a helmet-face guard combo that completely encapsulated his head, made entirely out of wood, Kamui Woods.

And finally, another young man with semi-long but straight-edged and spiky silver hair, with a flowing red and white scarf, and a dark red and dark blue outfit that resembled a combination of traditional ninja and samurai garb, with a black face mask enshrouding his face below his red eyes, Edgeshot.

"Hey, do either of you guys recognize that foreign-looking guy with the glowing head that's been standing next to All Might this whole time?" Mt. Lady whispered suspiciously right from the outset, while Kamui Woods and Edgeshot simply looked more innocently curious.

"No, but the fact he's been so close to him since the meeting started, and All Might hasn't looked weirded out by it, must mean they're friends if nothing else." Kamui Woods theorized.

"Actually, now that I look closer, I remember seeing his picture in the papers a little while ago, when that one foreign Villain attacked those Heroes and Yuuei interns back at Erubi City. Apparently he's a new teacher for that school that All Might invited personally." The moment Edgeshot gave his own guess; Mt. Lady puffed her cheeks out; her eyes reflecting clear disapproval.

"I don't remember hearing about any foreign Heroes recently getting onto the Japanese Pro Hero rankings, let alone getting licensed. Everybody that's here is ranked somewhere on that list, so why's this total stranger here?"

The moment Mt. Lady voiced this, frankly, callous-sounding confusion, the trio suddenly found themselves in the shadow of Tiger, who had clearly overheard the three of them, and even with his eye mask on, they could all see he had quite the disapproving glare of his own, aimed towards Mt. Lady specifically. "You say that you read the papers, Edgeshot? Maybe you two should follow his example more often, Kamui Woods, Mt. Lady. Then you'd probably know that not only is that man's name Tunguska, but also that his only son was the one Yuuei student under mine and the Pussycats' supervision, that very nearly died in the Villain attack this whole mission is supposed to be responding to. Perhaps you should try considering those possibilities before you start casting such an accusing eye on someone you don't recognize."

As incensed and naturally intimidating as Tiger's simmering disapproving tone was; Mt. Lady, Kamui Woods and Edgeshot didn't feel fear as a result. In fact, for the former two, they suddenly found themselves instantly putting it all together in their heads: the inclusion of a specifically foreign boy among the first-year Hero students all the way back at the Sports Festival. Hell, Mt. Lady could immediately recall specifically nominating him for one of her potential interns after the fact.

And with that remembrance, the sudden realization that that very same boy was the one who had come closest to losing his life, and the fact that this Tunguska person with All Might was that very same boys' father, made the entire purpose of his being here make so much more sense, regardless whether he had a license or not. Honestly, Mt. Lady already couldn't help but feel the burgeoning sensation of guilt start forming in her stomach for looking at the serious older man with such suspicion just a minute ago.

At the same time as this was going on, Endeavor was once again keeping primarily to himself, but not suffering the indignity of sequestering himself to a corner and being disregarded by any of the lesser Heroes he found himself surrounded by. He simply remained stationary and imposing as always, continuously casting a cold glare towards All Might and Tunguska; a distasteful sneer crossing his flaming face every time he looked at the bearded Russian at the Symbol of Peaces' side, specifically.

"As if it's not bad enough I have to be here to clean up Yuuei's mess when there's so much more I could be doing right now, but why the hell did All Might have to bring his cheap knock-off along with him? Is that fool joined at his hip at this point? Honestly, the man isn't even an officially licensed Hero in this country, so why is he even here? What are the police thinking?"

Endeavor wasn't even specifically asking any of these questions of anyone in particular, but rather taking the opportunity to vent his disapproval and frustration out loud, at having to share even this kind of minor job with the likes of All Might. However, even for as obvious as it was that he was simply fuming to himself, that didn't stop Detective Naomasa from stepping in to answer the Flame Hero personally:

"On the contrary, Endeavor. Shortly before this meeting had been called, I went through the proper procedures, and was able to grant Tunguska a 24-hour active field duty Heroes' license, just for the sake of this one mission. Since he does have a personal connection to the root cause for this mission, much like you do, alongside the fact that All Might and Headmaster Nezu-san trust him a great deal…well, I suppose you could say I'm going soft and sentimental, but I thought it was only right he be able to do something about it alongside the others. The man was a veteran Hero in his home country, after all, and a fellow Top Hero like All Might on top of that. Honestly, we need all the boots on the ground we can get for this mission."

Endeavor didn't even try to mask the disapproving sneer on his face, still, even in the face of Naomasa's explanation. The detective could clearly see this, as well, even though his observant expression betrayed no distinct emotion in response. "This isn't me showing some kind of favoritism, Endeavor. If the roles had been reversed, and your son was the one who'd been shot and put in a coma, I would've offered you the same kind of chance as well, regardless whether you were officially licensed already or not. And I think it goes without saying you would've jumped at the opportunity, just like Tunguska did."

Endeavor didn't make a sound in answer. After all, the aggravated flare in his eyes pretty much said it all. As much as he hated the idea that the detective beside him thought he could essentially speak for him and his thoughts; he also couldn't deny that, yes, in that kind of scenario, if Shoto had been the one to be put on death's door, and he were given the opportunity to find and punish the Villains responsible, he indeed would've taken the chance without hesitation or question, license be damned.

And this, too, Naomasa could see written on the Flame Hero's face, clear as day. "I'm not asking you to make friends with Tunguska, but do try to focus on the bigger picture here, Endeavor. Yuuei can't call on the Heroes themselves right now, hence why we are the ones that had to call you all this way to put this plan together. We can't overstate the seriousness of what's ultimately lying on this missions' success: this incident could spell the end of this Hero society as a whole if we don't use every effort and resource available to resolve it."

Elsewhere among the throng, another man (one much taller and lankier, with perfectly bowl cut blonde hair, one exposed blue eye above a mask obscuring the bottom half of his exceptionally long face that resembled jeans, and a sleek suit that likewise entirely resembled blue jeans; the Number Four Hero of the nation, The Fiber Hero, Best Jeanist) was in the middle of mulling over something that had been restlessly churning in his head since the news of the Villain attack and its aftermath had reached the public. "In the past, I was actually called to the office in order to correct Bakugo-kun's behavior. It's rare to find anybody as stubborn as that boy. Right about now; he could be stirring up quite the mess over there."

"What's this, Jeanist? You weren't able to change the boy, eh?" This, admittedly, slightly amused question came from another of the nearby Heroes listening in on Best Jeanist's reminiscence; a tall and well-built man with a humanoid body in a pristine white tuxedo-like suit, but with the head and cloak-like attachment draped over his back like that of a killer whale, with red eyes circled by several rings around his irises. This was the Number Ten Pro Hero of the nation, the Killer Whale Hero, Gang Orca.

However, while Gang Orca was clearly attempting to even slightly lighten the heavy mood for his comrade, Best Jeanist simply kept his head bowed with regretful reminiscence. "Unfortunately, no. That boy was positively brimming with stubborn pride. I can't help thinking that, maybe if I had tried even harder to get through to him, and changed his attitude for the better, perhaps those Villains might not have been so driven to take him away."

Likewise, after having given his mild scolding to Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods, Tiger had similarly found himself listening in on Best Jeanist as well, and thusly likewise spoke up so they could all be on the same page as to what they were looking to find: "Ragdoll, one of our own, was snatched away too. Personally, I can't overlook this matter."

Before any of the other Heroes could say much more, Naomasa had once again taken his place at the head of the whole gathering, drawing the attention of all Heroes and presiding police officers alike. "Based on the tracking device created by one of the students, we believe there are multiple hideouts in existence. From our investigations, we currently know the whereabouts of the kidnapping victim. We'll invest our primary fighting power to prioritize the recovery of the victim. At the same time, we'll take control of the other locations thought to be hideouts. In doing so, we'll cut off their path of retreat and be able to catch the whole lot at once."

Clearly able to sense that Naomasa was getting everyone into full gear to begin their mission, All Might finally turned to address the as-always pensive Tunguska at his side; the older Russian man's blue eyes looking exceptionally distant. "Tunguska-san, contrary to what you may be thinking, I can understand if you're feeling nervous. Anyone who hasn't been working alongside large groups of Pro Heroes like this for so long would doubtless be feeling the same, even me.

"Of course, even if that weren't the case, there's also the fact that, the way things are shaping up, this is looking to be a battle unlike any of the ones you and I have faced together thus far, even back in the old days. I had honestly been hoping you wouldn't have ended up needing to be involved in a matter specifically like this."

"I thought you would've known me better by this point, All Might." Tunguska's sudden chiming in actually caught the Symbol of Peace by surprise, as he saw a light of what actually looked like pure motivation in Tunguska's eyes. "You and I both know that we, as Heroes, don't get the luxury of retiring peacefully. When we take on the role of Heroes, we need to always be at the ready to answer the call to action, no matter what. Besides, even if retirement were an option, I'd still be here right now after what those Villains tried to do to those kids…to my son.

"Rest assured I'm good to go, All Might. Not only do I actually have some idea of what to expect, having fought two of these Villains right there with you already, but also because being around so many new faces in the Hero spectrum isn't making me nervous…at least, not anymore, not like it did back at the Sports Festival. Right now, I'm feeling nostalgic more than anything else. To actually be part of a team-up of Heroes all fighting towards the same goal after such a long time makes me feel like I'm barely thirty again."

"Oh, for goodness' sake, all that chatter in the newspapers really wasn't wrong, Toshinori. With the size and attitude to go with it, you two really are like two peas in a pod." The sudden intrusion of an exceptionally elderly-sounding voice got a visible knee-jerk reaction out of All Might, as he and Tunguska both looked down to find they had suddenly been joined by a downright diminutive Hero; an old man with a head of short grey hair and a matching scraggly beard, dressed in a white bodysuit with yellow cape, and over-sized yellow boots and gloves, black eye mask, and all while keeping himself supported on a weathered-looking walking stick.

The sight of such a person shouldn't have elicited any other reaction than a Boy Scouts' desire to try and help this old man cross the street, but instead his presence had All Might at full attention, like a frightened little boy in the wake of an especially domineering authority figure; and if this man was getting that kind of reaction out of someone like All Might, then Tunguska knew this had to be someone treated with the utmost respect.

"Thank you for coming all this way at my behest, Gran Torino-sensei! Please, allow me to introduce you finally. This is—"Oh, honestly, Toshinori, I'm not completely behind the times, you know. I keep up with the papers just as much as you; I know this is Tunguska, the former Sun of Justice. I have to admit, though, having heard the name before over so many years; I was starting to wonder if I'd ever get the chance for a face-to-face."

Recognizing the name, Gran Torino, as having been the one Hero to nominate Izuku for the previous internships, Tunguska immediately proceeded to bow down as low as he could in respect for his and All Might's shared teacher (while somehow managing to hide his own anxiety, knowing the kind of fear this man elicited out of All Might at the very mention of his name). "It's an honor to finally meet you as well, Gran Torino-san. Thank you for taking the time to mentor our student, malenkii Midoriya Izuku."

The fact that this burly grizzly bear of a man was acting so formal despite their shared profession got a wry chuckle out of Gran Torino, absentmindedly elbowing All Might in the knee. "You see that, Toshinori? Even knowing however much he does about me through you, he doesn't flinch like you do. All these years and you still have some of that jumpy little boy inside you. Looks like you could actually learn something from this old bear."

Thankfully, Gran Torino's nonchalant attitude seemed to be able to diffuse some of All Might's instinctive stress, as his already tense body language visibly loosened up. "Perhaps you're right, Gran Torino-sensei. But let's not forget why we're here right now. The reason I called you out here like this…"

Following All Might's gravely serious train of thought, Gran Torino's aged brow likewise furrowed. "That's right. If the situation has already escalated like this…then it has to mean that he is making a move at last."

"This 'All For One' character seems to be growing bolder with actions like this attack, it seems." Tunguska suddenly chimed in, just as deep in thought as Gran Torino and All Might were. Except his involvement got a sudden glance of total confusion out of Gran Torino, who immediately turned to address All Might all the same. "Toshinori, how on earth does he know about All For One? For years, it's just been you, me and Tsukauchi-kun."

Mentally kicking himself for not having filled his old mentor on this much earlier, All Might scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as he explained: "Well, Gran Torino-sensei, taking into account that Tunguska-san and his son, Bezpalov-shonen, were brought all the way to this country at my personal invitation, thus making them my personal guests; as well as the fact that in the time since this current school year started, both Midoriya-shonen and Bezpalov-shonen have gotten more than a little involved in all the incidents involving the League of Villains, it seemed only fair that Tunguska-san be filled in on the whole situation revolving around One For All and All For One. After all, he's been helping me with Midoriya-shonen's specific training as well, I decided he deserved to know just as much as us."

At the very moment the last syllable left All Might's mouth, Gran Torino suddenly jabbed the end of his walking stick into the Symbol of Peace's toes, getting a pained grunt out of the towering blonde behemoth. The disapproving grimace on Gran Torino's face perfectly fit the bill of the 'crotchety old master' from where Tunguska was currently standing. "Honestly, Toshinori, for as good as your intentions were, you still need to learn when it's best to keep your mouth shut. You know that, now that Tunguska is just as involved in this as we both are, he and his kid will never truly be safe as long as All For One is still active, just like Midoriya-kun."

"Gran Torino-san, I can understand your apprehension to someone like me suddenly getting involved in something with clearly as much history as this, but I can assure you, I have every intention of helping All Might prepare malenkii—

JAB!

Despite kneeling down to try and reassure the elderly Hero, Tunguska was swiftly silenced when Gran Torino just as quickly began poking his walking stick directly into his grizzled cheek over and over again. "And as for you, young'un, as much as I'm sure it must feel invigorating to be back in the field, as temporary as it might be, with Heroes again, the truth is that you can't comprehend the real threat we're all directly facing off against right now. The sooner you take that into consideration and start exercising all the caution you can, the better off you'll be. All For One is much worse than you could imagine, no matter what Toshinori may have already told you by this point. Keep that in mind once we go out there. If he is making his move, he's not going to let himself be relegated to the sidelines if he feels things aren't going his way."

Before either Tunguska or All Might could even answer, Gran Torino had suddenly turned around on his heels, as though he were able to just feel the tension in the air that signified Naomasa was about to make the final declaration that would send them all out into the field, the veritable call to battle.

"Listen closely, everyone! This time is a battle of speed! Don't give the Villains time to do anything! Now is the time to inform you all that the public apology press conference from Yuuei was actually a joint operation conceived by the police and the headmaster, in order to deceive the Villains! There's no doubt they've been watching the broadcast, and therefore must believe we're having a hard time pinning down their location! After hearing that statement, they won't expect us to strike today! Let's return their spite! Now is the time for our counterattack! LET'S GET OUT THERE AND OFFICIALLY TURN THE TABLES ON THEM, HEROES!"

As much as Tunguska wanted to personally commend Naomasa for being such an effective orator in preparation for such a large-scale mission, he likewise couldn't help but once again feel a stirring of nostalgia, knowing now just how much preparation had gone into this mission. More than a few times had the same kind of deceptive tactic over the airwaves been used to lull Villains into a false sense of security back in the Soviet Union, and just as many times had he likewise been leading every single one of those charges, much like his father and grandfather before him did in their own heydays.

But he couldn't allow himself to get sucked into a state of reminiscence, not this time. The Heroes were now all officially on the move. It was do or die time, as far as they and the police were all concerned, as they filed out of the building, and swiftly made their way through the streets and alleys, before ultimately forming up outside the door of a completely unassuming small time-looking office building with all the lights off.

Even as he stood among the vanguard of Heroes and police officers, while All Might of course stood at the very forefront, Tunguska was all the same preparing himself for the battle to come, already focusing as much of his collected energy into his hands, and clenching them into glowing fists, simply waiting for the word 'go' to charge right in and bring some much-deserved justice to the Villains lying in wait inside.

Streets of Kamino Ward

With the confirmation that they had at last found the building the League of Villains were using as their hideout, and the potential holding place of Bakugo; the makeshift rescue team had been eager, yet cautious, in their approach. Yes, it was nothing more than any other nondescript office/warehouse, but with just how much the seven students ultimately didn't know, they weren't about to take anything at face value.

With the front shutter gate firmly closed and locked up, Eijirou instinctively looked up to the numerous blacked out windows. "No lights on, huh? It doesn't look like anybody's inside."

However, while anyone else would've simply taken that as nothing more than a sign that there really was no one here, Tenya was far from placated. "Don't forget, the best place to hide a tree is in a forest. In a part of the city like this, a warehouse would make ideal cover."

While many of the other students were still making sure to keep an eye on their surroundings, on the off-chance they were actually being watched, Izuku had decided to peek through the gate itself, a thoughtful furrow in his brow. "There are weeds everywhere around the front door. It looks like this place hasn't actually been used for quite a while."

As she likewise began to look over the all-around unkempt state of the building, Mina suddenly had an idea: "You guys don't think their hideout might actually be under this building, do you? I mean, a lot of buildings in cities have basements that have access doors to places like the sewers. Having a hideout under a place that looks like this wouldn't be a bad idea. Nobody would ever think to look."

While Nikolay was similarly glad to see their experiences in the practical test had indeed carried over to Mina's ability to theorize, he still had a very grim thought in mind as well. "There's still the possibility the Villains either found Yaoyorozu-san's tracker and removed it before getting to their actual hideout… or it could be just as likely they instructed the Nomu it was planted on to come here so it could ambush us when we showed up."

That latter theory, especially, left the likes of Momo, Izuku, Mina and Tenya very concerned, while Nikolay himself was trying to fight the frightened trembling trying to break out all over his body at the thought. No matter how many of them there were, even one of those monstrosities would be more than a challenge.

Shoto had a very contemplative look in his one exposed eye. "Any one of those theories is definitely valid, but that doesn't change the fact we won't know what's in there for certain until we actually get in and see for ourselves. First things first, we need to find another way inside." As much as many of the students were hesitant to do so, they all knew their classmate to be absolutely right. They'd come this far already; to hesitate now would've rendered this whole mission utterly pointless.

"HOSTESS!" The sudden intrusion of a loud, slurring adult voice nearly made all the students jump in surprise, only to find themselves being approached by two clearly drunk salary men, one of whom was clearly eyeing Momo specifically. "WHAT ARE YOU UP TO, HOSTESS?! COME GET A DRINK WITH US!"

While Momo was reflexively reeling back, Tenya and Izuku were efficient in getting in between her and the two drunk adults, putting on their disguise acts of both shouting about large breasts like a club promoter, and once more attempting that yakuza street tough accent, respectively.

Nikolay and Mina were both instinctively starting to edge in towards Momo to get her out of the two's line of sight, until the same one that had been accosting their vice president suddenly glanced elsewhere. "HEY, IF THE HOSTESS IS TOO UPTIGHT, THIS ONE IN THE HOODIE'S GOT A REAL NICE ASS! C'MON, WHY DON'T YOU COME HANG WITH US INSTEAD?!"

Drunk or not, the fact a total stranger was leering at her backside like this had Mina's already frizzy hair standing on end with embarrassment and disgust. Likewise, Nikolay and Eijirou both felt a jolt of pure aggression suddenly ball their hands into fists at the thought of either of these guys getting anywhere near her or Momo.

Thankfully, all it took was Shoto simply walking across the street and around a corner, and ushering his fellows to come with him and out of these drunks' line of sight, to diffuse what could've potentially turned into a very ugly confrontation of emotional recklessness. With slurred exclamations of "prude" and "uptight", among other things, the two adults drunkenly stumbled along their merry way, finally leaving the seven students alone, and Mina instinctively shuddering the rest of her disgust away.

However, the sudden intrusion of those two businessmen did ultimately force the group to realize that a good number of people, whether local hoodlums or simply working men on their way to and from the bars, were starting to walk this once empty back street.

"It's not a lot, but there are still a fair number of people walking around out here." Shoto ultimately noted, earning some frustrated grimaces out of his teammates.

"If we're on the Villains' turf, and still somewhere public, then we can't just go off and do something that'll draw attention to us. What should we do?" Mina asked at a genuine loss for ideas. Nikolay was likewise feeling increasingly annoyed that they had such a leash on all their necks to keep them from simply acting like Pros no doubt would have.

Looking back around the corner to the warehouse, he fortunately noticed a small gap between its concrete border wall and the next building over. "We could maybe find another way inside, or at least find a way to get a peek, through that alley. It looks pretty tight, but it's about the only option we have right now."

Indeed, tight it was, as the whole team had to pretty much inch themselves along side-by-side the entire way. If the walls around them were to come any closer than they already were, then they would officially either be stuck, or be faced with a total dead-end. Nikolay was honestly starting to feel an onset of mild claustrophobia with the walls in front and behind him being so tight. Even the mutual utterances from Momo and Mina about how they could likely end up getting stuck even with the walls as they were, and exactly what that was implying from the two girls regarding their… physical assets, wasn't able to get him or the other boys as flustered as it normally could have; they were all so completely focused.

The important thing was that at least nobody could see them this way… or at least, that's what they could still only assume. If the Villains were to attack them here, there would be jack-shit they would actually be able to do about it. That only made this claustrophobic feeling among them even worse.

Until Izuku suddenly came to a stop halfway down the alley, looking upwards and pointing before anyone could ask what the holdup was. "There's a window! From that height, we should be able to see what's inside."

Following his line of sight, indeed, there was fortunately a pretty sizable window just overhead, just wide enough for more than one person to get a peek if need be, too. "It's pretty high up. I could support you on my shoulders if need be, but there's still no light, Midoriya. Are you sure you'll even be able to see anything through there?" Shoto asked, to which Momo was already visibly on the move in her spot of the line.

"If need be, I could just make some night vision gog—"

"Won't be necessary, Yaoyorozu-san. I actually brought something like that already." Eijirou swiftly overstepped their vice president, rummaging through his pocket before pulling out a single pair of night vision binoculars.

"Whoa, that's awesome, Kiri! When did you even get something like that?" Mina immediately exclaimed with delight at the red-haired boy's preparedness.

"Birthday money from my uncle last year. He said I should hang onto it, so I did, but when the camping trip was announced, I thought I might need it for any nighttime training in the woods. Obviously didn't end up being the case, but I still had it on me anyway. I only just remembered it when I was thinking of how I could possibly help get Bakugo back. This kind of operation is perfect for it."

Izuku and Tenya likewise looked fairly impressed at his foresight, while Nikolay let out a relieved sigh of his own. "You just gave us a seriously lucky break, Kirishima-san. Now all we need is maybe some infrared goggles, and we'll be able to see everything in there." At this very idea, Momo was once again immediately on it, soon creating a pair of infrared goggles and handing them to her Russian classmate, while Mina's similar relief shifted to show clear concern.

"Kolya-kun, you're not suggesting actually getting up that high to see with those, are you? With the pain in your chest, how do you know you'll be able to support your whole weight like that? I mean, I'd suggest checking myself and standing on your shoulders, but no way am I doing that the way you are right now."

However, Nikolay was unperturbed, as he fit the goggles over his head. "Yeah, I won't disagree, it's not my best idea, and you're definitely right about that second one, and no way am I having you carry me on your shoulders. Maybe see about just springing me up so I can get on top of the wall, and take it from there?"

Ultimately, it was decided, and soon Izuku and Eijirou were being hoisted up just halfway over the top of the wall by Shoto and Tenya respectively, while Mina had her hands together to serve as a springboard to get Nikolay just as up high. The soreness in his chest was definitely still apparent, but he knew he could handle it for the sake of their mission.

"Tell us what you see! What's going on inside, Kirishima-san?" Tenya asked under the strain of his weight on his shoulders, while Eijirou was already busily panning his view through the window with his binoculars, leaving Izuku and Nikolay waiting.

"Hmm… it's pretty dirty inside, but… I don't see anything especially—WHOA! SHIT!" Eijirou's sudden transition from quiet calm to near gut-wrenching panic nearly made Izuku and Nikolay fall from their own perches on the wall.

"What is it?! What did you see, Kirishima-san?!" Izuku and Shoto asked in nearly identical panic while Nikolay was already fumbling with his infrared goggles to see if he could make out if anyone was inside; naturally assuming someone had already spotted Eijirou from inside.

"Inside, to the left, you guys! LOOK!" Eijirou sounded like he was nearly on the verge of a heart attack from sheer terror as he hurriedly handed his binoculars to Izuku. While at the same time, Nikolay had finally gotten his infrared goggles working, only to find a huge surge of high temperature in one gigantic splotch immediately on the other side of the window.

As Izuku looked through the binoculars, his whole body went just as rigid with fear; his face already awash with frozen sweat at the sight of what was inside. "No way… just like… that? Are those… all… Nomus?!"

The entire group now felt their blood go frigid at the very name, and Nikolay nearly threw his own goggles off as he tried to grab the binoculars Izuku was now handing to him in barely trembling hands. The moment Nikolay looked through himself, he nearly felt his entire body go slack with an instant loss of energy, replaced now only with his own fear like everyone else's. "Dorogoi Bog na Nebesakh (Dear God in Heaven)."

Inside an otherwise large and empty warehouse space, there stood three large tanks hooked up to a massive generator, with numerous other tubes of God-knew-what running into the liquid inside the tanks, and just barely protruding from the surface were a number of exposed brains, just like the very same Nomus from USJ and the training camp, and the ones from Hosu City from Izuku, Shoto and Tenya's experiences.

"Oh my God… this wasn't the League of Villain's hideout at all. This must be where they actually create and store those monstrosities!" Tenya realized with an unmistakable edge of unsettled tension in his normally confident and authoritative tone.

The knowledge that there were over a handful of those monsters just on the other side of this comparatively dinky little concrete wall, and especially knowing what she now did about Nomus from listening to Nikolay, Izuku, Shoto, Tenya and Momo, had Mina genuinely shaking from head to toe with pure terror, having half a mind to tell the three boys to get out of sight of the window, lest the Nomus got sent right after them by whoever could've actually been waiting for them here if they weren't extremely careful.

Meanwhile, in the League of Villains hideout…

For but a moment after Tomura Shigaraki had called out to an unspecified "Sensei" in light of his continuous stubborn resistance, Bakugo had felt a twinge of genuine unsettlement in the pit of his gut. If someone who commanded so many Villains like this man wasn't actually their leader, then who the hell was, and how powerful could he have possibly been to be able to command even that kind of authority?

Of course, even Katsuki Bakugo's more practical way of thinking couldn't last long against his outward sense of bravado, as he just as quickly hid that sense of momentary fear behind yet another threateningly cocky grin. "'Sensei'? You mean you're not the boss after all? What a joke!"

However, the lack of any visible reaction from Tomura or his colleagues, not helped by the hand obscuring his face as always, didn't do anything to bolster Bakugo's confidence. Hell, he didn't even bother turning to even address his two comrades behind him. "Mr. Compress, put him back to sleep. Kurogiri, send him elsewhere for now. We're not going to get through to him right now, that much is clear. I've never met anyone as bullheaded as you before, Bakugo… I'm actually impressed."

The moment the two Villains behind Tomura took their first step towards him, Bakugo immediately got right into his defensive posture, while never losing that grin at the same time. "If you want me to listen to you, then you can just go eat shit and die!"

Truthfully, however, his mind was in nowhere near as arrogant a place as his words made him out to be. 'I want to blow my way out of here with some heavy firepower, but no doubt that warping asshole will just get in the way! Come on, think! I need to find some way to distract these assholes, then make a break for the door behind me!'

Knock, knock "Hello! Pizza delivery!"

The sudden knock at the door behind Bakugo rendered the entire bar deathly silent for but a moment, as all eyes fell upon it, with every single occupant feeling one thing only: confusion. They had made a point of not even having a phone in here.

SMAAASH!

With the force of a point blank artillery strike, the wall opposite the bar suddenly exploded in the Villains' faces, sending them all reeling in shock, as the red, white and blue-clad form of All Might came bursting through with a single punch.

The arrival of the Symbol of Peace had come so thoroughly out of nowhere, the Villains couldn't even begin to think of attacking in response, not even Shigaraki, as he immediately turned to Kurogiri the moment he saw All Might's smiling face. "KUROGIRI! GATE-!"

"LACQUERED CHAIN PRISON!" The sudden outcry of another new voice broke through the haze of debris, as Kamui Woods quickly came leaping into the scene right alongside All Might, with both his wood-gloved arms expanding into a vast network of wooden vines, spreading all across the ruins of the bar and ensnaring every one of the Villains in sight to the point they couldn't hope to move their arms.

However, among the Villains, Dabi was the only one quick-witted enough to realize he still had the advantage, already beginning to ignite his hands in blue fire. "Wood?! You really think wood will-?!"

WHAM!

Flying in like a yellow blur through the opening right after the previous Heroes, Gran Torino came ricocheting in faster than anyone could blink, and drove his kicking foot straight across Dabi's face, rendering the stitch-faced young man out cold. "Don't get ahead of yourself. Behave yourself and comply. It's for your own good."

However, despite the Villains all now being ensnared and trapped; among them, Magne was finally able to actually take in the situation and mentally smile to themselves, especially regarding the positioning of all the Heroes. 'Idiots… I don't even need my hands to use my Magnetism Polarity Quirk. The way you're all positioned here, and especially with you all being male Heroes, I can send you all flying away from us and buy us a chance to escape! Not even All Might could be strong enough to resist it!'

Just as they began to activate their Quirk, starting to produce a blue glow of effect on all the gathered Heroes, a sudden glimpse of movement from outside the radius of the hole in the wall caught Magne's attention. They only had a split second to process they were looking upon the partially covered sight of an unfamiliar foreign Hero aiming one extended hand right for them.

And after that split second, Magne found themselves being fired upon by two blindingly fast projectile fingers from that hand, nailing them in the face with such unexpected force that it caused the magnetic Villain to likewise get knocked out cold, just as those same projectile fingers came rushing right back into the aiming hand of a visibly focused Tunguska, who quickly rejoined the rest of his allies within the ruins of the bar. "You're a good decade or two behind if you want to catch Heroes like us by surprise, Villain!"

Gazing upon how swiftly and thoroughly they had gotten the drop on these numerous Villains, All Might instinctively proclaimed: "As expected from the young and talented Kamui Woods! The unassuming veteran, Gran Torino! And the inextinguishable Tunguska! You can't run away now, League of Villains! Why, you ask?! BECAUSE WE ARE HERE!"

Even when bound on the floor, completely helpless, Mr. Compress couldn't help but look upon the Heroic gathering towering over them. "All Might… and so many more?! So, that press conference… the timing of it all… it was all pre-planned!"

At that time, though, even as the Villains were all chattering away in protest to their being bound (at least, one could only assume that, despite Twice asking for it to be tighter), Tunguska was blocking out all their words as he looked each and every one of them over, as if to try and silently strike into them the realization that they had lost. Frankly, he was actually grateful none of the Villains here had been the one who'd shot Nikolay. That one was lucky he had already been arrested when he had. As much as Tunguska had sworn to himself and his son that he would handle this as professionally as possible, he still had an inkling of doubt he would've been completely capable of restraining himself if that one had been here; a thought that genuinely frightened him.

However, now was not the time to be dwelling on that, hence why he was so laser focused on simply fulfilling this operation as quickly as possible. Good thing, too, as the actual door to the bar had finally opened, revealing the angular ninja-clad form of Edgeshot finally stepping in with numerous heavily armored police officers filing in right behind him. "This time around, we won't be nearly as careless. That little diversion was me, and it's not even just the lot of us here, either. We've got yet more skilled Heroes like Endeavor surrounding the outside with the police."

Indeed, just as Edgeshot had said, waiting somewhat patiently on the street outside the building, and looking up into the gaping hole that had been left in its façade the next floor up, Detective Naomasa stood at the ready with numerous other police officers and Endeavor at his side.

However, while the detective and his officers were waiting with all the calm a situation and operation like this could muster, Endeavor was visibly fuming, constantly glaring up at the hole in the wall. Finally, the Flame Hero simply couldn't stay silent after having had to stay put down here from the start. "Tsukauchi! Why is it that blowhard, All Might, gets to lead the charge while I'm stuck out here?! And I still think you even granting a temporary license to that tag-along of his is a bad idea, regardless of any personal connection! At the very least, it risks setting off a troublesome precedent! How can any of us be so certain it may not inspire any number of unqualified wannabe Heroes from thinking they can just go do whatever they want as long as they think it's in the name of justice?! His being granted special treatment by the police could spark a whole new wave of Vigilantes if we don't take this seriously!"

However, while anyone else who didn't know the Flame Hero relatively well would've taken his vocalized objections at face value, Naomasa was able to easily tell that Endeavor's primary grievance was simply not being granted the lead, and he was simply going off on a tangent; since he'd filled the Number Two Hero in on exactly why Tunguska was being allowed a role in this mission before they'd even gone into the field.

"Again, I'm not just going around granting temporary licenses and permissions to any old person on the street with a Quirk and an aspiration towards delivering justice. More than the fact that his son was a direct victim of the attack on the training camp, it's primarily because All Might and Headmaster Nezu-san both trust him with considerable depth that I decided to reach out to him. But once this operation is over, he'll need to go through the licensing process to become an officially working Pro Hero just like you and everybody else did.

"And as for why you're out here, Endeavor, let's not forget that if, somehow, any of those Villains do actually manage to escape, you've ultimately got the greater field of view with your Quirk pretty much making you able to fly."

Fortunately, Naomasa's overall explanation, especially regarding Endeavor himself, seemed to quell the towering flaming behemoth of a Hero's aggravations almost instantly, as he proudly proclaimed "Of course, field of view!"

The detective generally figured stoking his ego just a tiny bit would be enough to placate him for a little while; especially since they needed everyone to continue being their sharpest until they knew for certain all Villains involved had been apprehended and taken away.

Back inside the bar, upon making sure none of the Villains that were still conscious could move, All Might and Tunguska's lines of sight had simultaneously fallen upon the solitary standing form of Bakugo, looking upon the immediate aftermath of the Heroes' rescue with a barely twitching eye and lip. However, none of that mattered, as the two Heroes immediately began to approach him. "It must have been quite scary for you, Bakugo-shonen! You did very well to endure!"

However, once the adrenaline of the actual rescue had worn off, All Might finally noticed the numerous bruises adorning Bakugo's still-shocked face and arms. His normally obscured eyes began to simmer with that familiar blue light. "Bakugo-shonen, what have these fiends done to you?!"

However, before the hulking Hero could start to turn his clear-as-day fury upon the Villains, Tunguska quickly stepped in, kneeling down to the boy's eye level. "This wasn't the Villains, All Might! The bruises are nowhere near fresh enough, even if they'd been working on him since yesterday. Aizawa-san had actually told me the day we went to the hospital, that malenkii Bakugo and Kolya got into a fight. These must be the remnants of that.

"Well, with that all being said, I'm glad you weren't hurt further by these criminals, my boy. I can only imagine you must've been a good measure afraid of the possibility, though." The moment Tunguska had clearly started doting on him, that was what finally broke Bakugo's silence, as his face tensed with that same typical anger directed towards both the older Russian and All Might together:

"I-I WAS NOT BEATEN UP, NOT BY THAT MILKSOP OR THESE ASSHOLES HERE! I DIDN'T NEED YOUR HELP, AND I WASN'T SCARED! I'M PERFECTLY FRIGGIN' CALM, DAMMIT!"

Of course, even when being screamed at straight in the face by their blonde and hotheaded student, neither All Might nor Tunguska were put off by it. After having found himself taken so easily, and being held prisoner by so many Villains, and with his natural attitude thrown into the mix, it was easy for both Heroes to silently tell that, to the contrary, Bakugo had indeed felt a considerable measure of fear, and him so adamantly declaring otherwise, proved it more than if he were to have started crying with relief.

"Damn… we went to such lengths… why the hell did so many of the bosses come hunting us down? Usually it's the other way around, right? What is this boss gauntlet shit?" The sudden intrusion of Shigaraki's resentment-lined voice drew All Might and Tunguska's mutual attention. Even down on his knees and helpless to move or even grab the wood ensnaring him, the white-haired Villain's one exposed red eye was burning right into both of the men before him. "It looks like I've got no other choice, with so many of you damn Heroes here at once. You say 'It's not just us'… but the same goes for us, too, you know. Kurogiri… BRING AS MANY OF THEM HERE AS YOU CAN! BRING THE NOMU HERE!"

And yet, for the first few seconds, nothing happened. What was more, it wasn't just the Heroes that were confused by this, as even Shigaraki's once driven body language now reflected just as much, looking back to his misty ally still ensnared behind the bar. Kurogiri's still-calm voice was riddled with confusion and regret alike: "I'm sorry, Shigaraki Tomura-san… but the Nomus that should be at the designated location… AREN'T THERE?!"

Shigaraki's whole body flinched with completely blindsided surprise, while All Might and Tunguska both stood shoulder-to-shoulder, nearly identical pillars of Heroic confidence, as the Symbol of Peace simply pulled the still fuming Bakugo to his side. "Looks like you're still a greenhorn after all, Shigaraki."

The look in Shigaraki's one red eye was equal parts confusion and simmering hatred, as Tunguska decided to provide the proverbial final nail in the coffin: "You and your League of Villains operated on far too many assumptions, both in terms of malenkii Bakugo's spirit, and the thoroughness of the police's investigation!"

Back at the Nomu Warehouse, Yokohama City, just a minute earlier…

After having realized exactly what this building they had been led to was, the Bakugo Rescue Team had now been relegated to having Nikolay try and scout the interior out as best he could with his infrared goggles, after Izuku and Eijirou had all descended.

"Can you tell if anybody's actually in there with those, Kolya-san?" Eijirou asked as the Russian boy kept panning back and forth and up and down.

"In this main room, it's hard to tell. Those generators and tanks are producing a lot of heat. It wouldn't be out of the question for someone to be hiding behind one of them if that were the case." As he continued to search across the ground floor, reaching the far end of the building from the front entrance, he suddenly stopped. "Wait, I do see something. It looks like the regular heat signature of a person, just one from what I can tell, just lying somewhere inside. I can't tell who it is this way, though, and it's definitely at an angle we can't see through the window."

The news of one potential person being inside filled the group with equal shares apprehension and hope. If it were a Villain and they were simply sleeping, then they could still have a chance at doing whatever they decided to do next, as long as they were quiet.

And then, on the chance it was either Bakugo, or perhaps even the one other person they knew to be missing, Ragdoll, then they could have a chance to get inside and get them out after all. Of course, the situation being what it was, there was no possible way it could ever be that easy.

"Something about this just isn't sitting right. If this is the place where the League is making its Nomus, it doesn't make sense for them to have nobody standing guard against potential trespassers." Shoto thought out loud, with Tenya and Momo reflecting very similar concern.

"Yeah, how do we know they don't just have those things waiting on standby to attack anybody who tries to get inside, like guard dogs? Sure, it might not be a trap like what we thought, but we could still end up getting attacked anyway." Mina stated in fearful agreement, looking back the way they came up the alley more and more, growing increasingly fearful that they were about to get trapped in here at a moments' notice.

"That doesn't seem as likely though, Ashido-san. For all intents and purposes from our experiences, it seems like the Nomus only act when given direct orders from someone. Of course, they could've likely been given a similar order to attack trespassers before whoever's controlling them left." Izuku replied, at first sounding a measure sure they wouldn't be in immediate danger, before slowly realizing how little even he still knew about the Nomus and how they ultimately worked. The idea of them being given a long-term order to act like guard dogs wasn't impossible, which was all the dissuasion they needed from just going in blind.

For him, Nikolay, and Eijirou, of course they could understand their teammates' apprehension at going a step further from here. A situation like dealing with potentially numerous Nomus was exactly the kind of danger Tenya and Mina had been talking about when it came to pulling the plug on this mission. But to know they had gotten so close to a possible information and/or rescue goldmine was too good a chance for them to pass up.

Momentarily looking up to the two rooftops of the buildings they were caught between, Nikolay suddenly got an idea. "Okay, maybe we can just confirm one more thing before we ultimately decide what to do. Even if Bakugo or Ragdoll don't end up being here, there could still be a clue inside as to where the Leagues' actual hideout could be, or at least where they might be holding them. So before we even think about trying to get inside, I'm going to confirm there's nobody else here from the one angle we need."

Izuku was quick to realize what Nikolay was thinking, when seeing the young Russian was looking upwards. "Good idea. We could scale to the roof of the building, then with those infrareds, you can look straight down and see if anyone really is hiding behind the generators or the tanks in wait."

Nikolay's confirming nod was especially enthusiastic, and even Eijirou looked to be in total agreement, as admittedly even were Shoto and Momo. "I could create a grappling hook for any of you to climb your way up."

With the prospective plan making no mention of potentially fighting, soon enough even Tenya and Mina seemed to have no objection. As such, Nikolay finally descended to rejoin his classmates while Momo was already at work creating a rope from her shoulder.

Within seconds, they had a grappling rope easily long enough to scale the building to their backs, but just as Eijirou was getting ready to toss it upwards, Tenya's body suddenly went rigid, as though he'd just noticed something before the rest of his teammates did. "Wait! Do any of you feel that, too?"

As everyone stopped what they were doing, they likewise began to feel a faint yet growing rumbling in the ground beneath their feet, as if something massive were headed their way. They all were immediately quick to get into their fighting postures, looking down both sides of the alley for any sign of an approaching attack, yet found nothing.

Before any of them could think to ask what they should do, a momentary glance back the way they came left Mina wide-eyed and stunned behind her sunglasses, and very quick to catch the attention of the rest of her present friends: "HOLY SHIT; MT. LADY!"

Everyone immediately turned in her direction, and likewise found themselves stricken speechless at the sight of a gigantic blonde-haired woman in a tan, purple and orange bodysuit with purple horns and matching eye mask, towering over the very same building they were nestled next to, and driving a truck clasped in one hand straight down through the front of it from roof to ground, producing a deafening blast and gust of wind and debris as the students ducked for cover in the alley.

Within seconds, with the students all now watching again through the blown out window, the gigantic female Hero whom Mina had exclaimed to be Mt. Lady had practically crawled her way into the opening she had just made, and was quickly joined by, of all people, Tiger; a Hero resembling a cross between a human and a killer whale, whom Izuku was dutifully quick to identify as the Number Ten Hero Gang Orca, and a tall and especially lanky blonde-haired Hero dressed entirely in blue denim up to half his face, whom even Nikolay by now had come to recognize from advertisements as the Number Four Hero Best Jeanist.

And what was more, with essentially not breaking a sweat, the quartet of Pro Heroes had efficiently captured the nightmarish number of Nomus that had simply been lying motionlessly all across the inside of the warehouse, and Tiger had eventually emerged from the back corner of the room with none other than the limp form of Ragdoll in his arms, confirming one of the onlooking students' theories just like that. What had once been an overwhelming air of hesitation and fear that had completely enclosed upon the seven youngsters' hearts, had now become an incredible ignition of hope and relief. Without even having to risk a hair on their heads, this nightmare factory of Nomus had been taken by the Heroes, and Ragdoll had even been saved. Now they only had the means of figuring out where Bakugo was left to worry about.

With a multitude of threads extending from his fingers to ensnare a good majority of the Nomus around him, Best Jeanist silently observed the quick and efficient work he and his assigned team had made of the place (while ignoring the childish sound of disgust Mt. Lady made when looking upon one of the Nomus trapped in her hand) and quickly dialed into the communicator in his ear he'd been given by the police at their operation's start. "Nomu storehouse suppression complete."

The moment the news had reached Naomasa down on the ground, he had been just as quick to signal the detachment team's success up to All Might still up in the remains of the Leagues' hideout, and he was equally as quick and eager to confirm to his own allies that the other half of their mission had officially been accomplished, earning a sigh of relief from Kamui Woods and Tunguska specifically. With the Villains apprehended and their supply of Nomus disrupted, and Bakugo and Ragdoll rescued, their mission was a complete success, and they could finally get the wheels moving to return home at last and put this ugliness that was the League of Villains behind them, and the large Russian Hero could finally see his son well and on his feet again.

Looking into the one burning eye of the still trapped Shigaraki, All Might felt the desire to follow up from where Tunguska had left off mere moments ago, if for no other purpose than to solidify the thoroughness of the Heroes' victory this night. "It's just as Tunguska-san said, Shigaraki! You and your League made a grave error underestimating the spirit of Heroes, and the thoroughness with which we pursue the deliverance of justice! In that way, you likewise underestimated the fury within us you awakened when you attacked those students and took one for your own!"

All Might was now officially overshadowing Shigaraki, staring down upon him with a blazing blue light in his eyes, even as the Villain's one still burned blood red with silent fury. "NO MORE GAMES! IT ENDS HERE, SHIGARAKI TOMURA!"

The sheer power that emanated from All Might's very being as he made this declaration felt like it shook the very world to its foundations, as many of the Villains looked upon him with trembling and barely restrained fear. In fact, simply from proximity, his influence seemed to be spreading to all the other Heroes around him as well, like a true generator of Heroic might that strengthened all those that fought alongside him.

However, even if his comrades were stricken dumb with fear, Shigaraki was not. In fact, behind the hand on his face, his teeth were grinding with building rage. "'It ends here,' you say? Don't screw with me… we've only just gotten started."

The man's body began to tremble with that very same anger; his hands clenching into fists as All Might and Tunguska kept a close eye, just waiting for him to try and make a move. "Justice… peace… this rubbish society capped by such vague concepts… I will destroy it… and I'll start by removing the cap that is All Might. When the people you think are so damned infallible lose their precious symbol, they'll turn to darkness faster than any of you bastards can imagine, and you'll be the first ones to fall when they do. You certainly know what that looks like, don't you, Tunguska?"

The moment Shigaraki turned the subject towards the sole foreign Hero, and he saw that one red eye stare right into him, Tunguska felt his heart momentarily stop and his blood go cold. This wasn't just malice the man was communicating. It was an impenetrable and boundless hatred, and he was using it to stab right into the Sun of Justice's weakest spot.

Returning his gaze to all the Heroes before him, Shigaraki's cold voice grew in anger and motivation at once: "I've only just begun to gather comrades… nonsense… this is just the beginning. KUROG-!"

The moment Shigaraki began to once more command Kurogiri behind the bar, the black mist Villain suddenly went into a series of intense spasms; his glowing eyes suddenly jolting across his mass like electrical bolts, before his head ultimately fell limp in a matter of seconds, rendering the bar silent as all the still-conscious Villains looked to their comrade in shock.

"WHAT THE HELL?! NOOOO! WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! DIDN'T SEE A THING! IS HE DEAD?!"

This cacophony of panic and confusion emanated from nearly all the other Villains, before a single tiny red spool of what looked like tightly folded paper suddenly flew out from Kurogiri's mist. "I played around inside a little bit. He's only stunned. He won't die."

Before everyone's eyes, the spool suddenly began to rapidly unfold, quickly revealing Edgeshot, reforming himself whole from top to bottom like a human-sized three-dimensional origami, until he was back on his feet again. "Ninja Art: AWL! This guy's the most troublesome of the bunch, so I just wanted to put him to sleep for a little while." Noticing the dumbfounded look on both Bakugo and Tunguska's faces, the red ninja-esque Hero was quick to answer them respectively: "I took note of the weak points you, you and your son all exposed in the past. Really helped a lot in the long run, I'd say."

With the confirmation that the League's most trusted means of escape had been sufficiently taken away, Gran Torino suddenly took the lead, looking every one of the Villains in the face. "I already told you, didn't I? Behave yourselves and comply. It's for your own good. Hikiishi Kenji (Magne), Sakoatsu Hiro (Mr. Compress), Iguchi Shuuichi (Spinner), Toga Himiko, Bubaigawara Jin (Twice). With a little bit of information and time, the police were able to ascertain all your identities and backgrounds in their night work. You all get it now, don't you? That there's nowhere for you to run."

With the mention of each of their real names, the Villains all went slack with the sensation of defeat, while Shigaraki still had his head bowed, his shoulders still trembling as he remained completely silent. Seeing this, Gran Torino and All Might both stepped forward: "Hey, Shigaraki… I wanted to ask… where exactly is that boss of yours?"

Tunguska silently wanted to kick himself for having let himself be so focused on the immediate situation at hand, he had actually neglected the fact they were still aiming for someone far worse and more powerful than the League itself. If they could somehow get the information that would let them get the drop on their true leader, then this whole situation could finally be resolved.

However, Shigaraki remained silent. From his body language, it didn't even look as if he was actively choosing to do so. If anything, there was a listlessness to it that suggested he was completely within his own head at the very mention of his proposed leader.

"Nobody… came to save you… huh? It must have hurt… Shimura Tenko."

All at once, Shigaraki was reminiscing; finding himself somewhere he hadn't consciously thought of, but had never truly left in years. Somewhere in a dark and cold alley in an uncaring world, with only one single other person, the one and only sympathetic voice he had ever been spoken to within his life, offering him the first kindness he had ever been given; a single offering hand from within the shadows of society; a show of companionship he had never received from the so-called prim and proper society as he'd been raised to believe it to be.

"'The Heroes will'… 'Before long, the Heroes will'… everyone said things like that, but they all ignored you, didn't they? How exactly did the world end up like this? Who made it that way? You didn't do anything wrong."

As the memory kept playing back in his head in the wake of such crushing defeat, the words finally began to force their way up Shigaraki's throat, as he finally lifted his head back up, glaring with a burning hatred unable to be described by words in his one red eye. "Non… nonsense…! This… this… not… like this…! Nonsense… get… out of my sight… vanish…! You… Heroes… justice… peace… everything you stand for!"

"WHERE IS HE RIGHT NOW, SHIGARAKI?!" All Might suddenly boomed with impatience and strength, but this did nothing to extinguish the infuriated flame everyone else was already beginning to see grow within Shigaraki's heart.

If anything, it only fanned it into an internal inferno, as the Villain's body tensed up with absolute bloodlust; his one eye nearly bugging out from behind his hand-mask, and his long white hair nearly standing on end as he let out the single most bloodcurdling howl of spite and hate a human being could possibly convey on their own, with only the comforting words of the one that saved his life echoing within his head: "It's okay now. I'm here."

"I… HATE… YOU!"

For but a single moment, listening to the pain, hatred and god-only-knew how many other fluctuating emotions echoing in Shigaraki's declaration couldn't help but spark that same painful memory within Tunguska's mind: the day he had lost his sidekick to the shadow that was the Vukodlak, declaring his likewise hatred for Heroes and what they claimed to stand for, and what he believed they truly stood for. The resemblance here was downright uncanny.

However, the very next moment, Tunguska, All Might and the rest of the Heroes suddenly found themselves being faced by numerous sudden massive globs of black liquid manifesting out of the air itself simultaneously, with just as many of the hulking brain-exposed beasts their second team had been sent to dispose of, climbing right out just as quickly, catching every single one of the Heroes and Villains alike completely off-guard.

"NOMUS?! They're coming from out of nowhere! What the hell is that black liquid?!" Kamui Woods immediately exclaimed, finding himself unable to do anything to fight against the encroaching monstrosities while keeping the Villains themselves restrained.

Likewise on full alert, Gran Torino turned to the similarly shocked Edgeshot: "Edgeshot, I thought you said Kurogiri was—"HE IS STUNNED! HE'S NOT THE ONE DOING THIS!"

The very first of the Nomus to even come within grabbing distance was immediately met by Tunguska grabbing it by the throat and spinning and throwing it straight into the bar with as much strength as he could muster on such instantaneous notice. "MORE AND MORE OF THEM KEEP COMING OUT!" Looking back upon Kamui Wood's exclamation, Tunguska and All Might found that, indeed, more Nomus were emerging from these liquid portals, seemingly without stopping. If they didn't do something to fight or escape, they were going to be overwhelmed in seconds.

"KAMUI WOODS, WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T LET GO OF THOSE VILLAINS! BAKUGO-SHONEN, STAY CLOSE TO US!" All Might ordered as he swiftly grabbed onto Bakugo's arm, pulling him in close while Tunguska landed a devastating punch to the face of another Nomu that was quickly nailed by a ricocheting kick from Gran Torino, on his way to rejoin and stand guard at Bakugo's flank.

Suddenly, as both Heroes' backs were turned, Bakugo's already intense eyes widened with shock, before the same viscous black liquid began gushing from out of his own mouth, before coalescing into an absorbing vortex that was already starting to swallow the struggling boy whole, even as All Might and Tunguska both looked back in shock to find what was happening. "BAKUGO-SHONEN!/MALENKII BAKUGO!"

"The hell is this?! It smells—!" were the only words Bakugo could manage to spit out as the liquid engulfed his face. Both towering Heroes quickly tried to dig through the liquid to grab a hold of the boy, but it was like he wasn't even there anymore, as the blob quickly collapsed to the floor at their feet, with not a trace of Katsuki Bakugo to be seen. He had quite literally been snatched out from right under their noses.

"NOOO!" All Might bellowed in rage, with Tunguska pretty much roaring the very same sentiment once another Nomu jumped onto his back, only to be grabbed by the arm with a glowing hand, and sent crashing straight up into the ceiling, before receiving an equally powerful kick to the midsection the moment it began to fall, hammering it through the ceiling and another floor up.

Seeing that the onslaught of Nomus wasn't letting up despite his four allies efforts, Kamui Woods was frantic as he called back down to the street: "ENDEAVOR! WE NEED BACKUP-!"

Unfortunately, the moment he looked down to address the Flame Hero, his words died in his throat at the sight below him: The police and Endeavor were likewise getting rushed by an absolute surge of Nomus from a multitude of black liquid portals opening all across the street. Backup was not going to come.

However, to their credit, despite being vastly outnumbered, none of them were backing down, as Endeavor was obliterating any that came close with his flaming fists, while Naomasa and the police were doing their best to neutralize the creatures with their assortments of riot gear. Nevertheless, the battle was showing no signs of slowing down, and Naomasa knew they could only hold out here for so long, just as Endeavor did. "TSUKAUCHI! EXPAND THE EVACUATION ZONE!"

As his officers stood together to provide him some breathing room amid the fray, Naomasa hurriedly pulled up his communicator to the second team: "The findings from our investigations were that there were two hideouts! Jeanist, weren't you able to take control over there?!"

To his confusion and rapidly growing unease, Naomasa was instead met with cold radio silence. "Jeanist?! Are you there?!"

Back up in the bar, All Might, Gran Torino, Tunguska and Edgeshot were fighting with every breath against the Nomus continuing to pour in or get right back up from every blow stricken to them. Somehow, amid the chaos and confusion, Gran Torino and All Might were still able to communicate through the fighting: "Toshinori… these guys, they're—"

"I know! A warping ability… they shouldn't have that option! Their reaction time was way too fast!"

Amid all of the chaos unfolding around him, though, out of everyone, it was Shigaraki who wasn't the least bit confused. No, after realizing what was happening, he was perhaps the one with the single clearest mind here. "Could it be… that the tide is finally turning… Sensei?"

Even while continuing to fight for their lives, All Might, Gran Torino and Tunguska were able to catch the Villain's pondering loud and clear, and the idea struck them all with a bolt of immense unsettling and realization. This sudden multi-tier ambush… was this actually All For One finally making a move directly? And if so, then where was he controlling the battlefield from?

The Nomu Warehouse, two minutes earlier…

"Oh, wowwww! These things are actually alive? Does having a job this easy really sit well with you, Jeanist? Shouldn't we have gone with All Might instead?" For all the Pro Heroes that were still working to gather up and restrain the virtually comatose Nomus from all across the warehouse, it was no surprise that Mt. Lady's initial disgust at the sight of the creatures would give way to her unfortunate habit for grandstanding, or rather, wishing to be at the forefront of the action where she'd be likely to get the most media attention. For as popular a Hero as she was, her ego and desire for fame was a less-than admirable quality that many of them had long since chosen to swallow and let pass in stride.

Best Jeanist was a perfect example of this mental attitude, as he continued releasing numerous strands of fiber from his costume with every new Nomu that was brought to him, making sure none of them would be able to escape or fight back if they suddenly decided to, before ultimately turning his attention to their own riot police detachment they'd been sent with: "Let's not conflate the degree of difficulty of what we're doing with its importance, rookie. Riot squad, come and hold position. There might still be more of them around here. We're counting on you."

While the police began filing in and sweeping the immediate area, Tiger still had the listless Ragdoll lying naked in his arms; but as relieved as he was that his once-missing teammate had been found virtually unharmed, there was an emptiness in her once vibrant yellow eyes that had him deeply concerned. "Ragdoll! Please, say something!"

Noticing his comrade's distress, Gang Orca could only look upon the unfamiliar green-haired woman they had recovered from one of the numerous tanks. "I take it that's your missing partner? Thank goodness she appears to still be breathing."

"Yes, but there's something off about her! What the hell did they do to you, Ragdoll?!" No matter how much Tiger tried to shake some form of consciousness back into her, the green-haired Pussycat was still as unresponsive as though she weren't even alive to begin with. It was as if she were rendered completely comatose.

Outside in the alley, after having ridden out the initial shock of the Pro Heroes' sudden arrival, the entirety of the Bakugo Rescue Team had found themselves awash with relief upon realizing just what was actually happening now that they could hear them chatter to each other through the now broken window.

"I can't believe it; the Pros were actually making their move long before we even got here!" Eijirou exclaimed in admiration, while Tenya likewise looked to be in total awe of their professional air of teamwork in tackling what, for the teens themselves, had seemed such an insurmountable obstacle.

"Yeah, and did you hear what Mt. Lady said? All Might is somewhere here too! He must be wherever the Villains' real hideout is, and that might just be where Bakugo was! That must mean they were able to get him back too! We actually didn't even have to do anything after all!" Mina wanted to cheer at the top of her lungs, but thankfully still had enough awareness to keep her voice down so the Pros wouldn't hear them. After having had such a potentially close shave of a confrontation if they had gone inside, the last thing they needed was to get caught and get in even further trouble for going out on this insane mission by themselves.

"Thank God… you think my Dad might be with All Might? I mean, you said he was apparently going to be part of the police investigation when I woke up, and if he isn't here…" Nikolay began to theorize, only for Eijirou to quickly throw a reassuring arm over his shoulders.

"There's no doubt in my mind that's where Tunguska-sensei's gotta be, Kolya-san! Hell, All Might's an unstoppable force by himself; but together?! I'll bet they were able to wipe the floor with the League before they could even get their foot out the door!"

With all of them pretty much being completely convinced that the entire situation had ultimately resolved itself, Tenya's persistent tension had given way to a truly lax state of mind, with a relieved smile on his face. "Well, if the Pros have come all this way and managed to wrap everything up, then there's nothing we can really do here. I'd say that's a good sign for us to head home."

To this, Momo let out a long withheld sigh of relief, with a deeply grateful nod of agreement that Shoto likewise shared. "Agreed. If All Might and Tunguska-sensei are working together with this many Pros and the police, then that's all the more reason we can rest easy. Come on, let's go."

As the group began to make their way further down the alley to exit out the other side from where they'd come in, Nikolay chanced a momentary glance back to see the still-worried look on Izuku's face, already having a pretty good idea what had to be on his mind. "Try not to worry, Midoriya-san. If All Might and my Dad are there, I'm confident they were able to get Bakugo back without any trouble. We'll probably be seeing him in class again none the worse for wear when school opens back up… or, at least, the rest of you guys probably will."

Indeed, after having blocked the overlying issue for this long by focusing on this mission, and now knowing it was pretty much over, all Nikolay could think about now was the punishment awaiting him at Yuuei the moment he showed his face there again, not even for this mission, but for the real elephant in the classroom. He had been hoping that being able to personally help rescue Bakugo would've been able to help him carry his head high on his way out from Yuuei's gates, but knowing that none of them had really even gotten to lift a finger to contribute had left him with a strange sense of emptiness that now made his impending expulsion feel that much worse.

However, able to magically sense this downturn in the young Russian student's emotional spirit, Mina was quick to wriggle her way up as close as she could to plant a reassuring hand on his shoulder and make him look her in the eye. "Hey, come on; don't start getting down already, Kolya-kun! The Villains got beat and Bakugo is coming back safe and sound, so even if we really didn't do anything ourselves, the whole point of this mission is still pretty much a success! We should be celebrating that for what it's worth! And hey, if you do end up getting called up because of that fight, I'm more than happy to stand with you and testify if possible. You still didn't start the whole thing, so it's only fair somebody remind them of that, you know?"

Just as Nikolay was about to try and tell Mina not to put herself out there like that for him for his own actions, he quickly realized that Eijirou, Shoto, Momo, Tenya and even Izuku were all starting to reflect the same kind of support in their own eyes as they looked into his. To think that, after the overall stressful journey they had just gone on, they would all still be this supportive of him right out the gate, had Nikolay smiling with a deep sense of emotional gratitude. "Well… even if it doesn't end up changing Aizawa-sensei or Nezu-sensei's minds about what to do with me… it really means a lot, knowing you guys all really care that much, even in the midst of all this. Spasibo. Bol'shoe vam vsem spasibo (Thank you all so much)."

Nobody needed to even ask the extent of what he was saying. It was simply one of those sentiments that could be understood universally, no matter the language. That's what made the air among them as they continued inching along the alley that much warmer.

Wanting to avoid breaking into grateful tears here of all places, Nikolay turned his attention to his nifty infrared goggles, absently putting them back on to admire how well they worked. "Hey, Yaoyorozu-san, do you know if the objects you create have some kind of lifespan before they disintegrate or anything?"

The ponytail-wearing girl had to think back but for a moment. "Not to my knowledge so far, no. I mean, ice, of course, but that's just basic science. As far as something like those goggles is concerned, they should be pretty much permanent."

Nikolay couldn't help but smile like a child on Christmas morning as he slipped the visors over his eyes and flipped the switch to turn it back on. "Well, if nothing else, these will be nice to have around on the off-chance they decide to keep me on and we have to train at night aga—!"

All of a sudden, not only did Nikolay go silent, but he also stopped dead in his tracks, causing Mina to suddenly bump into his back, and bring the rest of the group to a stop when they realized the two were no longer following them. Looking back, they saw their Russian friend looking in the direction of the warehouse with his goggles, slowly turning towards the direction from where the Heroes had barged in, and one of his hands was just barely trembling. "What is it, Bezpalov?" Shoto asked the moment he saw a single bead of sweat start running down Nikolay's forehead.

"Guys… there's someone else in the building, and I know I didn't see anyone there just a minute ago with these… and it… it looks like they're approaching the Pros in the main room," he muttered just under his breath, putting every last one of his friends on alert as they all started looking to the building as well.

[Christopher Young – Second Sight Séance]

As Tiger had continued trying to rouse Ragdoll back to consciousness, he and the rest of his fellow Heroes soon began to make out the distinct sound of a single pair of footsteps echoing out from the shadows further inside the warehouse, and undoubtedly getting closer. He and his allies were instinctively on the defensive, as it now sounded like whoever was coming was less than a handful of feet from emerging from the darkness.

"I'm sorry, Tiger. I thought Ragdoll had a very useful Quirk for quite some time now… so since the opportunity fell into my lap, I decided to take it."

"Stop right there! Don't move; whoever you are!" Gang Orca immediately commanded, stepping forward before the rest of his teammates. The echo of his voice could reach the seven students still hidden in the alley through the broken window, officially confirming Nikolay's suspicion that a sudden intruder was stepping into the scene. The urgent nature of his tone filled them all with a whole new air of anxiety.

Unfortunately, despite his attempt to be as brave and steadfast in these circumstances, the Heroes' approaching interloper didn't even hesitate to keep approaching, putting Gang Orca and Tiger even further on edge. "Another member of the League, huh? Tiger; shine a light in there!"

"Ever since my body became like this, my stock has fallen quite a bit." The approaching stranger's voice echoed ominously against the rubble around, making them sound even bigger than a normal human. All the Heroes could feel their hearts beginning to race with serious anticipation.

The moment the toes of a pair of leather shoes suddenly began to emerge from the shadows, Best Jeanist was instantly on the move, sending a multitude of threads flying from his clothes and between his fingers, instantly ensnaring the stranger in the dark to the point they wouldn't even be able to walk, let alone lift their hands. He could tell just as much from the sound of his fibers tightening, and his unknown target's instinctive grunt of straining against them.

Just as quickly as Best Jeanist had acted, Mt. Lady had similarly reacted: "Whoa, hold on, Jeanist! If that's a civilian, we could all be—"

"Think about the situation! A moment of hesitation could decide everything! Don't let the Villain do anything—!"

BWOOOOOOOM!

With deafening and earth-shaking power, and even more terrifying swiftness of speed, the entire front half of the warehouse instantaneously exploded, as did the next near dozen city blocks in front of it, with countless buildings leveled and half a dozen half sunken, or barely still standing. The air was now filled with the echo of the blast, and numerous distant screams and car alarms as a result of the instantaneous wave of pure destruction that had just rung out. All of the students in the alley had instinctively ducked down at the sheer power of the blast itself, leaving their heads ringing to a degree none of them had ever experienced before.

And within the now gaping maw of the half-destroyed warehouse, the stranger remained with nary a speck of dust on their person, gazing upon the sheer devastation they had just laid out before themselves, while levitating in the air as though they were being held up by invisible strings.

Looking upon the now partially buried forms of the four Heroes and one prisoner that had once stood before them, and now lay motionless amid the debris, the stranger spoke up as casually as could be: "Just when Tomura was finally starting to think for himself… and beginning to lead others by himself. If possible, I'd like for you all to stop interfering with that."

Inside the alley, in the wake of what they had just barely avoided getting caught in the middle of, none of the students could even think of breathing, let alone fleeing the scene. The devastating power that had just been unleashed less than a couple yards away, and the incredible destruction it had left in its wake had all transpired in less than a moment. Psychologically, they were still trying to catch up and comprehend what the hell had just happened.

Despite that, however, their bodies were instinctively reacting and displaying the unimaginable amount of fear they were all suddenly drowning in, all their faces soaked with the coldest sweat imaginable. They were all too terrified to even turn their heads the amount it would take to even look each other in the eye, because they all knew it would only confirm that which they feared most: they weren't imagining this. This was real, and they were on the verge of becoming a part of it.

Nikolay could feel the echo of his racing heart pounding at his eardrums, his whole face growing hot with a suffocating terror like he hadn't felt in years, if ever. He couldn't even react when he felt Mina instinctively clutch onto his arm as tight as she possibly could, near to the point of potentially breaking it. It wasn't the pain of her grip he could feel, though. No, it was the fact that the girl was shaking uncontrollably against him, with horrified tears streaming down her face from behind her sunglasses, and the faintest whimper escaping her throat as she bit down hard on her lip to try and keep from making a sound, lest the monster inside the warehouse were to hear her and come for them.

Nikolay himself was balling his hands into such tight fists, he damn near felt like the bones would break under the pressure of his grip alone. In fact, such similar reactions were even beginning to show on the rest of his friends' faces as well, with Momo and Izuku both looking like they were about to throw up from the insurmountable stress of everyones' fear; Tenya looking like he was about to have a heart attack, and Shoto and Eijirou both awash with that same cold sweat and frightened, contracted pupils.

There was no use trying to deny it to themselves or each other. Whoever the hell that was, inside the warehouse, was leaps and bounds beyond any other kind of Villain threat any of them had faced before. This was nothing like the League, Stain, Vukodlak or even the Villain from I-Island. No, this was someone far, far worse; someone that somehow filled the very air around them with an aura of pure darkness… darkness, and death.

But among the group, the one to experience the single greatest, yet silent, pang of terror was Izuku, as at that moment, he couldn't help but think back to one of All Might's greatest warnings amid his personal lectures, and the similar feeling of horror it had filled him with then, that was now multiplied a hundredfold here: "One day, you may have to face him, Midoriya-shonen… a showdown with the greatest evil!"

All at once, the single worst realization finally crossed Izuku's addled mind as he kept holding his breath and trying to resist the urge to get sick from the asphyxiating miasma of fear clouding all his other senses: 'Wait… that person… he just mentioned 'Tomura'… that's Shigaraki he's talking about! What could… no… no way! All Might… could that mean… that person in there right now… that's… THAT'S… ALL FOR ONE?!'

It took everything in Izuku to not ask that most awful question out loud, and it was for that reason alone that he and his friends here were still alive, as inside the remains, the floating figure of the dreaded and insurmountable supreme evil, All For One, continued to simply look upon the destruction he had wrought, looking beyond the horizon to the next unseen little obstacle he needed to deal with: "Well then… shall we get started?"

The League of Villain's Hideout…

Even from the moment Bakugo had been snatched right out from their grasp, neither All Might nor Tunguska had the luxury of bemoaning their loss, because with just as much swiftness, the multitude of their captured Villains were likewise starting to spew out the very same black liquid from their mouths to their own surprise, conscious and unconscious alike.

Seeing this, Gran Torino and Edgeshot were quick to try and jump into action, with All Might and Tunguska likewise following suit once they could hear the elderly Hero exclaim: "THEY'RE ALL BEING TAKEN AWAY!"

"YOU BASTARD… TAKE ME, TOO!" All Might bellowed as he rushed for the enveloping and vanishing form of Shigaraki, with Tunguska drop-kicking another Nomu on his own dash towards Mr. Compress and Spinner.

But alas, all the Heroes were simply too late, and the ones that even managed to reach their targets instead found themselves flying through the thick black blobs like nothing was even there, vanishing before the Heroes could even try again. Just like that, the Villains they had planned so thoroughly to capture had all effortlessly vanished, and they now found themselves with nothing but an empty destroyed bar, empty branches from Kamui Wood's arm, and over a dozen Nomus still in the fight.

"I'M SORRY, EVERYONE!" Kamui Woods exclaimed with despair and shock alike, even though none of his comrades could afford to let themselves feel the same, still too concerned with the still-attacking Nomus all around them.

"It's not your fault! We weren't able to do anything, either. That wasn't Kurogiri's space-connecting warping. This kind, it seems to only transfer the intended target." Edgeshot explained upon neutralizing another Nomu that had tried to jump him.

At that same moment, the majority of the monstrosities simultaneously rushed All Might and Tunguska, having been the most separated from the rest of their team, and proceeded to pile onto their shoulders.

"OKLAHOMA… SMASH!/OSLEPITELNIY BLITS (BLAZING BLITZ)!"

With blinding synchronicity and speed, All Might proceeded to grab onto the Nomus trying to pin him down, and fling his whole body into an insane spin, ultimately throwing the several Nomus into the floor, wall and ceiling at once, ricocheting and smashing over and over like a set of monstrous pinballs. At the same time, Tunguska proceeded to light up his fists and start firing a multitude of lightning fast bursts of energy through the air and curving around into the backs of each Nomu's head before the creatures could even react or try to defend themselves. The lights kept flying from his blazing fists and curving around him in such close proximity, the sight almost had Tunguska resembling the symbol of a blindingly bright atom. Within less than a handful of seconds, both Heroes had managed to neutralize every Nomu that had tried to attack them, leaving only three to be dealt with in the bar.

The power of their respective attacks had sent several of the Nomus out the hole in the wall and back out onto the street below. Realizing they had managed to buy their own team some breathing room to keep fighting, All Might and Tunguska rushed to the wall, looking upon the insanity of the battlefield below between the even greater number of Nomus and Endeavor and the police.

Despite the insanely one-sided odds, the police were still somehow managing to hold their own against the Nomus, no doubt thanks to the assurance of Endeavor's support on their level, along with Naomasa clearly trying to coordinate and organize the battle effort in the middle of it all. However, there was no denying the detective had some clear pressure on his shoulders as he instinctively turned to Endeavor, who was still in the middle of trying to drive away several Nomus with the pillar of fire he was firing from his hand.

"I CAN'T GET IN CONTACT WITH JEANIST! THEIR OPERATION MUST HAVE FAILED!" The detective's words rang loud and clear even from up where the two observing and now equally distressed Heroes were listening in. Exchanging worried glances with each other, they both already knew they were once again on the same page on what they needed to do.

As such, while Tunguska hurriedly fired a multitude of shots of light into an encroaching Nomu with wings, All Might finally called down: "ENDEAVOR! Are you all right to handle this?!" Of course, even when it was clear he was simply asking out of professional and personal concern for a fellow Hero, the Flame Hero below reflected no such appreciation once he had finished dealing with his own immediate threat.

"WHAT EVEN GIVES YOU THE SLIGHTEST IDEA THAT I'M NOT?! HAS OUR BELOVED NUMBER ONE HERO ALREADY STARTED GOING SENILE?! IF YOU AND YOUR KNOCK-OFF ARE GOING, THEN DON'T LINGER! GO!"

Under any other circumstances, such an abrasive answer would've gotten under Tunguska's skin easily. But now was hardly the time to let anything like words get to him. This was a situation only growing that much more serious, and if they were being given a chance to try and intercept the escape of the Villains and their reclaiming of Bakugo, then they needed to follow through.

"All right… I'll leave the rest here to you, then." With All Might softly expressing this passing of immediate responsibility, and another unspoken but understanding nod between him and Tunguska, the two Heroes quickly launched themselves out through the hole in the building, and proceeded to send themselves leaping from rooftop to rooftop; already with a crystal clear idea of where to go when remembering the overall layout of the area of action this operation was going to have.

"If Tsukauchi-san can't contact the warehouse team, and that was the only other hideout we knew of, then that must be where malenkii Bakugo and the Villains were taken!" Tunguska theorized, while All Might was at least silently in full agreement. It made perfect sense. But he couldn't dwell on that for more than a second. No, all he could focus on now was the doubtless devastating conflict that had to be awaiting him once they got there. If at all possible, he needed to make sure neither Tunguska nor anyone else got directly involved in fighting who he knew in his gut was finally stepping out onto the field.

None of them would survive if they did, and All Might knew this with a chilling certainty in his heart. As such, he knew he couldn't tell the older Russian man to simply fall back and leave this to him alone. He knew Tunguska had simply gotten too involved in this overall matter to do that. Instead, he went with something else as they continued to dash on their way: "Tunguska-san, I need you to hear me out on this. We need to come up with a plan for once we get to the scene, if this unfolds like I'm expecting it to."

The remains of the Nomu Warehouse…

Even with the distant echoing cacophony of car alarms and emergency sirens already starting to sound from around the immediate area of the sudden devastation, all the seven students still hiding frozen with terror in the alley could hear from inside the warehouse ruins, was a single pair of hands clapping, as though in a mocking show of applause.

Indeed, gazing upon the immediate area of his destruction, All For One was quick to realize that all of his targets were, in fact, still alive. Gravely injured and barely able to move, but alive nonetheless. And at the forefront of them all was Best Jeanist, barely able to move as he lay prone on his back; his costume torn and frayed from the immense power he had just taken head on, and his one exposed eye wide with what anyone could see was disbelief and horror.

Nevertheless, the fact that they were all still alive even after taking such an attack, couldn't help but make the Villain of all Villains applaud. "As expected of the Number Four Hero: Best Jeanist! I was honestly trying to blast everybody away into oblivion! But in an instant, you controlled everyone's clothes and pulled them out of the way! Your judgment… technique… you've truly got nerves of steel!"

Unable to help but overhear All For One's mocking praise even from this far, the eavesdropping students couldn't help but actually feel a twinge of relief light up in their hearts. If the Heroes had actually managed to survive that insane explosion, then maybe there was a chance they could actually fight back against this person, whoever he was.

At the same time, Best Jeanist could only feel agonizing pain over every single inch of his body, having taken the brunt of an explosion like an artillery cannon point blank in order to save his allies. Right now, he could only look upon the levitating shadowy figure before him with complete disbelief that someone could possess such speed and power all in one. "This… guy…"

However, that was when one of the details from the mission briefing finally decided to come back to him, something he realized he had foolishly neglected in the wake of their immediate mission when coming here: "The League probably… no, without a doubt, has someone pulling the strings even above the level of Shigaraki Tomura. It may be no exaggeration that his strength even rivals that of All Might. Nonetheless, he is not only cunning, but also wary. If there's even the slightest threat to his safety, there's no chance that he'd reveal himself. This time, I'd like to carry out the capture and apprehension of Shigaraki and his subordinates as swiftly as possible."

Now it all was finally making sense. Of course, that had to be who this person was that had nearly annihilated him and his team in less than a heartbeat. How could it possibly have been anyone else, when remembering such details as that?

However, that knowledge did nothing to deter Best Jeanist's sense of duty. No, in fact, it only stoked that fire even more, as he kept fighting through the pain to start regaining control over the fibers of his clothes. Surely this Villain wouldn't be expecting him to still be able to perform such a feat after having been so thoroughly injured. But the element of surprise was always a dependable card up the sleeve of Pro Heroes world round.

"Don't… get it twisted…so what?! Top Heroes… won't be defeated… by the likes of y—

SHUKK!

Without Best Jeanist even being able to see it coming, a streak of black and red suddenly shot out from the shadowy figure above, faster than the human eye could perceive, and just as quickly retreated back, instantly followed by a devastating pain that now emanated from Best Jeanist's entire torso. He couldn't even find the strength to even lower his gaze to where he'd clearly just been severely wounded, before ultimately collapsing motionless to the floor again, having been instantly impaled through his chest as effortlessly as one swatted an insect out of the air.

Having overheard this very brief exchange from within the alley, all the students' asphyxiating sense of fear had somehow skyrocketed even further, many of them clutching their chests as if their hearts had stopped, or clamping their hands over their mouths to keep the Villain from hearing their barely restrained whimpers and cries of what they realized they had just heard, and essentially bore witness to.

They had just heard the sound of one of the Top Five Heroes in all of Japan being killed right before their ears with nary a bit of effort from the Villain himself. Among them, the already insanely strong grip Mina had on Nikolay's arm was now like a vice, as she was trying so hard to not start audibly bawling with fright, with her shoulders heaving like she was struggling to breathe, just like the rest of them.

All the while, looking into the fading eyes of Best Jeanist, All For One finally carried himself that one last step further from the shadows and into the light, granting the dying Number Four Hero the last sight of exactly who it was that had snuffed him out: a single older but towering man in a well pressed pin-stripe suit, with an imposing black mask that completely enshrouded his head, giving it a very skull-like appearance through the fabric, with a cacophony of metal tubes running from the back of it, and a large respirator attached to the mouth, giving the Villain an almost cyborg feel as far as the face went.

The semantics of it mattered none, as he knew his victim couldn't say anything, or do anything at all. All For One knew the Hero before him was a goner, and thus decided to grace him with at least one last passing sentiment before death: "The strength that you possess is the result of considerable training and practical experience… yours… I don't need yours. Your Quirk… doesn't suit Tomura's personality."

It was unbelievable; it was awful, none of the students listening in could bring themselves to fully process it in their heads, even if they already knew the full scale of just what they were dealing with in their hearts. In a matter of seconds, everything within nearly a dozen blocks had been wiped out, the Heroes had been annihilated, and one of the Top Five had gotten straight-up killed before even being able to put up a fight.

With all of these things rolled together in their heads, the seven youngsters could hardly breathe, let alone resist the compulsion to shed tears of fear or get sick with anxiety and stress… but above all else, no matter how much they were all trying to will themselves to do so, not a single one of them could move. Their bodies simply wouldn't do as they were being told. The fear, the overwhelming aura of pure evil and death was simply too strong. It was like All For One, without even knowing it, was striking them all dumb with the most animalistic sensation of fear possible.

Their heads were all a cacophony of mental panic and anguish, to the point they didn't even initially pick up on the sound of a sudden bubbling liquid emanating from within the warehouse, soon joined by the same sound coming from all over the place.

"UGGHH! SMELLS LIKE SHIT! THE HELL IS THIS?!"

The sudden furious exclamation of a voice that could only have come from Bakugo was what finally registered to the seven, shutting all of their panic and fear dead silent in an instant. If their ears weren't playing tricks on them, then Bakugo was literally only a few yards away from out of nowhere.

They were all very careful to try and not reveal too much of themselves as they began to peek from over the wall and look through the busted window, wherein they were met with the unmistakable and welcomed sight of their missing classmate standing alone, in the flesh, before the towering Villain in black; his face a mask of pure anger and confusion hand-in-hand.

But of course, that relief the rescue team of students initially felt was just as quickly dashed away the moment they realized it was far from just those two they were now looking upon, as slowly rising from all around were a multitude of the League of Villains members, all of whom at least certain members among the group could individually recognize; with Nikolay, Izuku and Shoto both feeling an instinctive chill at the sight of the white hair and hand-mask of Tomura Shigaraki, and the oddly prone black haze in a suit that was Kurogiri; Tenya instantly recognizing the reptilian Spinner and the reawakening long-haired and muscular Magne; Eijirou instantly spotting the likewise unconscious form of the stitch-faced Villain known to others as Dabi, and Mina feeling an immense chill run up her spine at the sight of the blonde-haired and crazy-eyed Himiko Toga. Izuku and Shoto could both quickly recognize the top hat-adorned Mr. Compress and skin suit-clad Twice among the crowd as well.

The entire League of Villains was now gathered all in one place before them, with Bakugo standing right in the middle of it all, still staring as defiantly as he could up at the imposing All For One, clearly at a complete loss as to exactly who he was looking at right now.

"I'm sorry, Bakugo-kun." These were the first and only words to come out of his mouth in the face of such a defiant glare, and it clearly caught Bakugo by surprise just as much as it did the onlooking and still-terrified students. For someone who could display such ruthlessness and power, to hear him speak with such calm was unsettling in its own right.

The rest of the Villains were still audibly and visibly reeling from having just been warped here, clearly without having expected to be. Despite that, though, All For One simply approached the prostrated form of Shigaraki amidst the throng, towering over him like a veritable king before a bowing serf.

"You've failed again, huh, Tomura? But you absolutely cannot get discouraged. All you need to do is try again. After all, I brought your comrades back with you, and this Bakugo boy, as well… because you deemed him to be an 'important piece.'"

As Shigaraki seemed to finally register this new Villain's presence before him, All For One simply extended a single supportive hand to his young apprentice, with not a trace of anger nor malice in his tone or body language to be gleaned. "Try as many times as you'd like. That's why I'm here. Everything… is for your sake."

The fact the Villains weren't already bum-rushing them where they stood told the seven young Heroes that the League was currently unaware of their presence, but that still did nothing to ease their nerves. Hell, if anything, the fact that Bakugo was now so close within their grasp, and yet surrounded by so many powerful Villains now had their anxiety hitting them that much worse.

Nikolay was grinding his teeth in frustration as his mind was in a complete state of war with itself. Should they have actually tried to make a move for him, try and do something to stun the Villains long enough for them to snatch up Bakugo and then run like hell? Would any of them even be remotely fast enough to get away before the Villains would counter-attack? And if they turned out not to be, and found themselves in the middle of a full-on battle, there was no way they would be able to handle themselves when so vastly outnumbered and, with the inclusion of this sudden supreme leader of their ranks, hopelessly outgunned.

Nikolay was sliding down to his knees in a pit of hopelessness at just how unprepared they really were, and even though Mina and Eijirou were both coming back down with him to somehow try and get him back to something resembling normal, they had no idea how to. His frustration, anxiety and terror was virtually the mirror image of theirs. They had no idea what the hell to do; they weren't nearly foolhardy enough to think they could stand a chance against a collected force like that.

As the trio instinctively looked to their friends in the hopes of some kind of sign one of them had an idea, they were only met with the same kind of intensity in all their eyes… but none more so than Izuku, for reasons they could all easily understand.

To know that the old friend he had been reeling over failing to save before was right there, and he had the potential ability to grab him, but knowing the devastation it would bring down on the rest of their heads if he did, had to be a weight the likes of which not even the greatest of Heroes should've had to bear, and here he was, trying so hard not to make a sound, while dealing with that feeling all at once.

By the end, Izuku's fists were so tight and his face was so strained, one would've been forgiven for thinking his blood vessels were all about to burst from the tension in his body at wanting to act, yet not being able to will himself to. At least, until his green eyes practically ignited, and he began to turn to head the rest of the way down the alley to finally do something.

He wasn't even able to get a foot ahead, though, before Tenya practically lunged and grabbed tight onto the chest of his shirt, restraining the green-haired boy, and most importantly, forcing him to look back into the deeply terrified and uncertain eyes of his friends, the most poignant reminder of just what Izuku would be putting at risk if he just went out there without some inkling of an idea. Not only were the looks of absolute fear on everyone's faces more than a strong enough visual aid to make Izuku realize just how foolish he was about to be, but so was the deep-rooted sincerity hidden within the tension in Tenya's gaze, especially.

All at once did Izuku remember the class president's solemn vow to do anything and everything in his power to protect his classmates from harm if things got dangerous, and right now, things couldn't have possibly been any more dangerous, and this was the time for him to keep them all safe, and that meant forcing Izuku to stay hunkered down, even if Bakugo was right there. None of them liked the idea of staying here and not doing something. Point in fact, every last one of them was kicking themselves for it amid the trembling and frightened tears. But there was a time to act, and a time be practical, and they all knew deep down this was the time for the latter.

"It looks like he's coming after all." The sound of All For One's voice echoed out from within the ruins of the warehouse, and before any of the Heroes or other Villains could even think what he meant, there was the sudden boom of something breaking through the sound barrier from far up above, and with a blinding light streaking through the night sky, a single bullet of a man came descending, with two yellow-gloved fists driving right for the supreme Villain's head…

…only to be effortlessly caught within his hands, stopping the now familiar form of an enraged All Might mid-strike and still in mid-air; the two all powerful figureheads gazing intently eye-to-eye, while the Villains and students alike were utterly gob smacked at the instantaneous arrival of the Symbol of Peace amid the most terrifying moment in all their lives.

Despite having his attack stopped so easily, All Might lost none of his own power behind his movements as he made his ultimate declaration: "I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU GIVE IT ALL BACK… ALL FOR ONE!"

However, even when being the direct recipient of such a claim by such an all powerful Hero, the Villain didn't give even the slightest flinch of apprehension or concern. Instead, he only met All Might with a simple taunting of: "You're going to try and kill me again, All Might?!"

The entirety of the rescue team of students could feel themselves practically drown in an immense relief at the sudden arrival of All Might to finally bring the fight to the Villains… but at the same time, Nikolay could feel a new stirring of worry in his gut. "I don't understand… I thought my Dad was working with All Might and the police on this mission. If he wasn't with the Heroes that originally came here, then he had to have been with him… so then why isn't he here too? Did something happen to him before?"

Truth be told, even his friends couldn't help but worriedly ponder the same question, knowing what little they ultimately had about the police's actions here. Unfortunately, they also knew they couldn't afford to just sit here and wonder on that, because with the intervention of All Might, they had just been granted a very slim but still existent opportunity to finally get Bakugo out of harm's way themselves. The only problem was the fact that even if this All For One was now being engaged with All Might, they still had the rest of the League of Villains to worry about as well.

If they were going to pull this off, they knew they would all have to rack their brains for something resembling a fool proof plan, and fast, for all their sakes, because once this battle really kicked off, there would be no more time for hesitation if they were going to have any hope of surviving.

And there you have it, everyone, your new chapter for the week. Truth be told, I actually combined two chapters into one for this, because I'm especially proud of what I was able to do for the next chapter, and I didn't want to keep you all waiting an extra week with material I honestly wasn't able to change around that much. so, you're essentially getting two chapters for the price of one.

I hope you all liked what you saw here today, and if you did, please be so kind as to just leave an honest review. That's really all I'm asking for, it's not much.

I hope you all have a great rest of your week, stay safe, have a Happy Halloween, and I will see you all with one of the biggest chapters yet next week on 11/06, making it the last chapter released before my birthday!

* Easy Rider, a 1969 American road trip drama by Dennis Hopper, whose costume in the movie is a direct inspiration for Nikolay's disguise in this chapter. An absolute classic I can't recommend highly enough; a fantastic window into life on the road in late 60's America.

* Clark Gable, a legendary American actor dating back to the Golden Age of Hollywood, primarily remembered to this day as the male lead in the classic 'Gone With the Wind'.