My Hero Academia: Son of Justice

by Jayme F. Midorikawa

The son of the disgraced former greatest Hero of The Soviet Union is extended a chance at a new life by the Symbol of Peace, All Might. After having lived so long resenting Heroes and Villains, and being scared to death of his own Quirk, will he be able to step forward and become the Hero he once dreamed of, and will he be able to find new purpose through friendship, or even love?

62. Time Skip Part 4 - The Big Three

Hello again, everyone. Well, after the emotional powerhouse of last week's chapter, it's time to well and truly get the wheels of the original Hero Internship Arc I've been cooking up for a while now into motion, as well as introducing a very familiar trio of fan-favorite characters, although my desire to try and stay within manga canon as much as possible where the established characters are concerned and confirmed will dictate just how much of them we'll see as this arc goes on.

I'd like to give another grateful shout-out to my two beta readers, consultants and friends, Mizu and Jonny, for always taking the time to communicate with me, even when their own lives get so overwhelmingly busy. You two are irreplaceable.

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 to established events that occur because of their existence in this universe.

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

Chapter 63

The Big Three

(Большая Тройка)

September 4th

"In other recent news, the Fatgum Hero Agency in Esuha City, Kansai Prefecture, revealed their hiring of a new Pro Hero in a rather surprising fashion the previous night, when the BMI Hero was found patrolling with the recently arrived, and even more recently re-licensed foreign Pro Hero, Tunguska. Citizens may remember a torrent of information from foreign sources regarding the disbanded Soviet Union's former Number One Hero exploded online after he was seen fighting alongside Heroes like our Symbol of Peace, All Might and the Flame Hero, Endeavor, on the night of All Might's untimely forced retirement. Needless to say, to see a Hero who managed to be as capable, despite suffering severe injuries, back on his feet and working alongside other well-regarded Heroes is an encouraging sight indeed.

"This kind of sentiment can only be emphasized, as that very same night, Fatgum and Tunguska, through concise and careful planning and cooperation with local authorities, managed to apprehend a gang of high-speed criminals who had been terrorizing the roadways across Japan and performing a series of heists in every major city along the way. This morning, despite the newly branded Sun Hero's absence, Fatgum himself recently submitted a statement confirming the people's suspicions that he is now an officially recognized employee of the Fatgum Hero Agency. In this time when our society is still slowly trying to recover from the loss of All Might as our Symbol of Peace, it is a most wonderful sight to see more and more Heroes stepping out into the open and working together to try and help fill the void that has been left, and restore in us the very same hope that All Might inspired. All this humble reporter can say is that the people of Japan thank every last one of you brave and valiant Heroes for your efforts."

What the person in the delivery truck with the open window who was listening to this news report never realized, was that up on the third floor of a temporarily empty and recently constructed building, the lone disguised figure of Vukodlak was sitting idly underneath the row of windows, listening to that very same report while busily dialing the contact number on his untraceable burner phone that had been supplied to himself and the rest of the League of Villains members by Giran the last time they had seen him.

When he finally heard the sound of Kurogiri's voice answering on the other end, the Russian Villain was already straight to business: "It's been three days, Kurogiri-san. Has the Doctor made any progress studying those three's blood yet?"

"I'm afraid not, Vukodlak-san, but I must ask you to be patient. What the good Doctor is trying to accomplish goes beyond conducting a simple blood test. In order to discover if there is indeed a uniting factor between Midoriya Izuku, Nikolay Bezpalov and Tunguska requires digging into the very genetic code that lies within their DNA. It is a very precise, sensitive and, above all else, time-consuming process, and since none of us are nearly as experienced in such involved science as he is, I'm afraid we are in no position to tell him to hasten his work, lest something vital ends up being overlooked. Rest assured, you are far from the only one feeling the pressure mounting as time passes, but we must all learn to be patient."

However, while patience was far from any kind of issue where Vukodlak was standing, what currently was there was self-uncertainty. "Then let me ask you this, Kurogiri-san. He secured my escape so that I could help you all dig up all the information there was to know about Tunguska, in the hopes we could figure out what makes him so special for All Might to bring him out of retirement, and therefore be able to kill him with all the others. However, if the Doctor is conducting research to find the very same thing, then have you ultimately made my overall role within this team completely meaningless?"

"Make no mistake, Vukodlak-san; your role within the foreseeable future of the League of Villains hasn't changed. The Doctor's goal is ultimately little more than a backup plan. The fact is that you still know Tunguska better than any of us, and when the time is right, we will still have need to send you back out into the field in order to find us the information, or anything else of particular effect that we can use against him."

Vukodlak's resultant sigh went unheard by Kurogiri, but his silence still seemed to communicate his satisfaction with that answer for the black haze Villain. Finally, he proceeded to ask: "Then in that case, I just need to make sure: do you remember the specific coordinates I gave you for exactly when you decide it's time to send me on my original mission, Kurogiri-san?"

"Well, for obvious reasons, I'm sure you can understand why I won't necessarily repeat them back to you over a phone line, even an untraceable one like this, just in case. But rest assured that I have them clear and stored in the back of my mind. We shouldn't keep this call going for too much longer, so is there anything else of pressing urgency you want to know?"

Thinking back to when he and the rest of the League had actually been called together for the first time in quite a while, right after his and Himiko's coordinated infiltration of the different Hero License exams; Vukodlak felt a determined tension start building in his open hand. "Yes, actually: have you confirmed with the others if they're all prepared for the meeting tomorrow? I know Twice-san sounds very promising about this potential newcomer of his, especially since they're the ones that reached out to Tomura-san, but I don't want to take any unnecessary risks if I can help it."

"Shigaraki Tomura-san is of the very same mind, which is why he's instructed Dabi-san and Spinner-san to not attend; just on the off-chance things take a turn for the… unfortunate. Other than that, yes, everyone has confirmed they're ready for when the meeting time comes around. You all know your positions to be when that happens so I can warp you all there."

"Of course. Do skorogo (I'll see you), Kurogiri-san." With that, Vukodlak disconnected the call and snapped the burner phone in half in his hands, still riding out the building anticipation and instinctive anxiousness that had been welling up in his gut ever since Tomura had informed them of this fated future meeting with possibly one of the most promising recruits the League had come across yet. As much as he wanted to share in the enthusiasm of the likes of Twice, Himiko and Spinner; his gut instinct instead made him share in the distrust and defensive nature of Tomura, Mr. Compress and Dabi.

Only time would eventually tell who was right in the end. Until then, he would do exactly as he was instructed; silently ever eager to really see his colleagues in action; see just how devoted they truly were to the unifying goal they all envisioned at the end of this long and tumultuous road.

---

Class 1-A, September 5th

"WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE WE'VE CAUSED YOU ALL!"

The day had at last arrived that marked the ending of house arrest for Izuku, Nikolay and Mina alike, and the moment they had all finally set foot into the classroom, this unanimous declaration of regret was the very first thing they had opened with when seeing all of their classmates already at their desks.

Thankfully, everyone seemed to be fully accepting of their apologies, with Ochako and Eijirou even going so far as to thank the three for their hard work. It was now as though none of their misdeeds had ever even happened. For the first time in days, the air among Class 1-A actually felt normal again. Of course, that didn't ultimately stop Nikolay and Izuku from approaching Tenya, both with regret still hanging heavy on their hearts, although Izuku was far more physically intense by comparison. "IIDA-SAN, I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY FOR DISAPPOINTING YOU!"

"I'm sorry, too! We know our actions ultimately reflect on you as our class president, and none of us ever meant to shame you like this!"

At the very same time, Mina was likewise bowing repeatedly in apology to Momo, too wrapped up in her own emotions and teary eyed to realize how embarrassed the vice president now looked. "Please forgive me, Yaomomo! I swear, I never meant to embarrass you like that! None of us did!"

All three of the former problem students were completely heartfelt in their apologies, and while Momo's response to Mina was as approachable and polite as to be expected ("You don't need to be so over-the-top, Mina-san. I know none of you intended for this to happen. I only ask that you, Bezpalov-san and Midoriya-san learn from these punishments and show better judgment in your decision-making from now on"), Tenya's response was especially jarring, as out of all the times he could possibly choose to be his least intense, it had to be now:

"Well, as long as you've all reflected on your wrongdoings; then that's really all that matters. Er… Midoriya-san, is something the matter?"

Indeed, Izuku's last three days of intensity was making him practically steam out his nose and turn his face red. His eyes looked downright frantic as he had his fists clenched with pure determination: "I swear I'm going to bridge the gap that's built up between us for these last three days!"

It was impossible for anyone in the classroom to have not heard their green-haired classmate's echoing declaration, and while many were equally enthusiastic and approving of his attitude, especially Nikolay, Mina, Eijirou and Ochako; Tenya was instead finally starting to regain that stern furrowed brow, not only looking Izuku over, but Nikolay and Mina as well, as he stood from his desk. "I have no doubts about the sincerity and determination in any of you three to bridge the gaps! As your president, however, it's my inherent responsibility to say that after Bakugo-san's return, I can only hope this will be the last instance where anyone from Class 1-A will need to bridge any kind of gap in skill and knowledge from one another! If our class is to be able to truly reach its fullest potential, then we must all individually be on the same exact page!"

Although Tenya's statement was specifically meant for the three in question, it was answered with mutual declarations and enthusiastically raised fists of understanding from the entire class, them included, which was more than good enough for their president and vice president alike.

With that, everyone finally took their official places in preparation for Aizawa's arrival. After having three of their own finally return from metaphorical lock-up, and with one still enduring his last day of it, nobody was about to start taking chances with their teacher's patience.

That all aside, however; just as Nikolay and Mina had both come to silently fear, sharing their double desk was now feeling especially awkward after having given and received each other's very first mouth-to-mouth kiss just yesterday. Truth be told, neither of them regretted a single instant of it, no matter if they hadn't been able to stop thinking about it since the fact, but no matter how much they tried to mentally hype themselves up into just telling each other the full extent of the truth between them, they simply couldn't do it at all yesterday or this morning, and the fact that they couldn't possibly talk about it here only made their once normal seating arrangement all the more uncomfortable.

It wasn't long after, that Aizawa finally made his entrance for the day, and looking over the only still-empty desk in his class, he wasted no time getting things started; thankfully sending no discerning glares to Nikolay, Mina or Izuku in the process. "All right, everyone; with Midoriya, Bezpalov and Ashido's return, let's finally formally talk about your upcoming Hero Internships."

The air among the class was already starting to grow with mutual excitement, but while everyone was already sharing excited glances and smiles with one another, their teacher suddenly turned to the classroom entrance: "Come inside."

His sudden announcement to the door brought all of the anticipation among the students to a stop, as now everyone was looking to the doorway with confusion and curiosity altogether. As the door began to slide open in response to his call, Aizawa could see the confused looks on his students' faces. "Let's hear firsthand from those with personal experience, how these Internships are different from the Field Training you all did last semester. They have all three made time in their busy schedules to come and talk to you all, so please listen to what they have to say. These three third-years rank among the top of all Yuuei students. They are known as… THE BIG THREE."

Aizawa's considerable build-up of these mystery students had many of his own hitching their breath in their throats in anticipation, as before their eyes, this very same Big Three group finally stepped out into the open with an eager stride, wistfulness, and reluctance respectively from front to back.

Like all of his own classmates, Nikolay found himself taking in the appearances of these three students that ranked top among the entire school with an especially dedicated eye. Starting from the back was a young man with skin almost as pale as his own. He had messy indigo hair that looked to reach out from the back of his head, thin eyes, and pointed elf-like ears. Contrary to his two fellow third-years and the rest of the students, his own uniform looked considerably unkempt.

Standing cheerfully in the middle at a shorter stature than the other two was a brightly smiling young woman with similarly fair skin and an unmistakably curvaceous and supple body befitting that of a model. She had wide eyes with royal blue irises and even lighter colored pupils. Her hair was a gorgeous shade of light blue that extended straight all the way down to her knees, where from the students' view, it looked to actually curve into itself like a naturally occurring first braid. She even had two bangs that framed her frankly beautiful face at the sides just like Mina had. Nikolay couldn't speak for the rest of his classmates, especially the other boys, but his natural words to describe how she looked were: gorgeous in the adorable way; as opposed to a girl like Camie Utsushimi who he easily could label as gorgeous in the seductive way.

And finally, all but towering over the previous two was another young man with an especially muscular build, a short head of blonde hair that ended in a single tuft pointing skyward above his forehead, and a brilliantly present and inspiring smile that all but perfectly mirrored that of All Might himself, and with a pair of dark blue eyes that had no kind of sclera framing them like literally everyone else Nikolay knew. His eyes almost more resembled the dot-eyes on old cartoons from centuries past he could recall hearing about.

When observing the last of the Big Three specifically, Nikolay could swear he barely caught the sight of a surprised flinch from Izuku just out the very corner of his vision.

However, the rest of the class was a far cry, as all Nikolay could hear, especially from Mina, was immense childlike curiosity and the excitement that naturally came with it. "Wow, 'The Big Three'! That's such an old school name, but still so cool! Doesn't that just make them sound like totally super Heroes, Kolya-kun?"

Nikolay tried to find the words, as his ears were still mainly focused on listening to the rest of his classmates express the same kind of curiosity as to just what kind of Heroes this mysterious trio of third-years were supposed to be, since their appearances gave no indications as to just what their Quirks were.

Although there was one wayward comment out of Tenya he definitely couldn't help but hone in on: "For these to be the top ranked students in all of Yuuei, I can only imagine what prowess they must have shown in the third-years' portion of the Sports Festival! Surely must have been a wonder to behold!"

Everyone else besides Nikolay and Izuku were still far too absorbed in their own heads or side chatter to hear their president say this, but while Izuku was simply observing the Big Three with a curious eye, Nikolay was now the one flinching with confused surprise: "Wait, the other two years had Sports Festivals of their own going on with ours? How is this the first time I'm hearing about that? Aw, man, now I'm just feeling like I was lazy, just focusing on what was going on with us!"

"All right, everybody settle down!" Aizawa ordered, thankfully silencing his whole class. With that, he turned his attention to the trio of third-years, specifically the pointy-eared boy at the far end. "Now then, why don't the three of you introduce yourselves to the students properly… starting with you, Amajiki."

The instant his name was called, the boy known as Amajiki's narrow eyes visibly widened, and from one end of the classroom to the next, every single 1-A student could feel a physical gust of pure intensity fill the air and nearly blow them back like a genuine gust of wind… a wind that left them all with a chill going up their spines that left them feeling as cold as the grave. For a single person, third-year student or not, to be able to leave such an impactful presence so instinctively was incredible. Nikolay and his classmates could scarcely imagine the kind of effect Amajiki had on Villains and common criminals alike when out in the field.

However, what none of the first-year students knew, was that for as intimidating as Amajiki's presence left them feeling, he was by far the most terrified person in the whole room. From where he was currently standing, he was like a deer in front of twenty-one pairs of headlights, being projected by human bodies with potatoes for heads (and one beet next to the potato with a pink-skinned human body).

Amajiki's body was so rigid in its standing, the students could barely catch just how much he was starting to tremble; with his voice barely coming out as more than an equally intense mumble: "It's no good… Mirio… Hadou…"

With his fellow third-years both glancing his way curiously, Amajiki's trembling was only starting to grow worse, with several beads of nervous sweat running down his once intimidating face. "No matter how hard I try to think of them all as potatoes… and a beet, for some reason… everything except their heads just keeps its human form… and besides their heads, I can only see them as humans! What should I do… the words, they won't come out! My mind's completely blank… it's so painful!"

With the suddenness of a shot, Amajiki suddenly turned on his heels, keeping his back to the entirety of 1-A, and nearly planting his head through the blackboard, with a single resonating declaration of "I WANNA GO HOME" as his parting words for the introductions. Needless to say, this display was the last thing any of them had expected from anyone who once projected such an intense aura, let alone a student who was supposed to be one of the top in the entire school.

However, while the 1-A students themselves were speechless with confused surprise at Amajiki's display, the blue-haired girl didn't miss a beat speaking up to fill the silence as she turned to the brooding boy beside her: "Hey, Amajiki-kun! Listen to this! Apparently, what you're doing is called 'being chicken-hearted,' even though you're a human! Weird, huh?!"

Amajiki didn't answer, but that didn't seem to slow her down any, as she now instead turned her sparkling eyes to all of Class 1-A with the same dazzling smile that matched the shimmer of her hair as the sunlight caught it. "Hey, 1-A! This downcast-looking guy is Amajiki Tamaki-kun, the chicken! I'm Hadou Nejire! We've come here today because we were asked to talk to you all about the Hero Internships!"

Now it finally sounded like they were about to get the ball rolling, and many of the students were clearly ready for it. What they weren't ready for, however, was when the girl called Nejire suddenly turned her attention to Mezo in the front row. "But, but… hey, hey, by the way! Shouji-kun, why're you wearing a mask?! Did you catch a cold? Or is it the latest fashion?!"

For the first time that anyone in Class 1-A could recall, the normally stoic Mezo went completely wide-eyed with surprise, barely even able to stutter out an answer before Nejire's sparkling gaze of curiosity just as quickly shifted to Shoto further back. "Oh, and you! You're Todoroki-kun, right?! Right?! Why do you have a burn on your face like that?!"

Nikolay and many others nearly felt like their jaws were going to hit the floor with disbelief that she could ask something so deeply personal so upfront like that. Much like Mezo before him, before Shoto actually started to give her the honest answer (or at least tell her it wasn't her business to know), Nejire's boundless curiosity had now drawn her pretty eyes to Nikolay and Mina at their double desk, causing them both to flinch with the realization that they were now the center of her attention.

"And you, Ashido-chan… your eyes are so unique! Do you have night vision, thermal vision or some other unique way of seeing? If your horns break, do they grow back? Can you move them? Do you hear out of them or squirt your Acid out of them? And Bezpalov-kun, the holes on your hands look like the ones on old-timey phones! If you speak into one, can you hear your words come out the other end? If water goes into them, do they come out the holes on your feet? If you listen to music, does it come amplified out of any of them?"

Not only was Nejire's nonstop flow of questions now completely falling on deaf ears (as like everybody else but Mina, she naturally assumed Nikolay spoke English upon first meeting) but the rapid pace at which she kept throwing one question after another to numerous other students after them, left Nikolay and Mina completely overtaken with surprise.

"Wow, our senpai is a natural airhead!" Denki noted with a surprisingly relieved grin on his face, while Mina had a heartfelt smile of amusement on her face now that she was no longer being waylaid with questions. "Yeah, she's like a kindergartener. So cute!"

However, while the whole class was equally blindsided and amused by Nejire's childlike curiosity, Aizawa did not reflect the same kind of sentiment, only now turning his attention to the powerfully-built blonde boy still standing at the head of the class. "I see you're all lacking for any sort of rationality. Not exactly encouraging coming from students with your reputation."

Despite such disapproving words from such a naturally intimidating man, the blonde boy with the All Might-esque smile only seemed to be emboldened more than he clearly already was by such a response… or perhaps his smile just masked his own nervousness especially well. "PLEASE DO NOT WORRY, ERASERHEAD-SENSEI! I'M THE KEY PERFORMER HERE TODAY, AFTER ALL! THE ROAD AHEAD-?!"

Without any buildup or warning, he suddenly shouted this nonsensical phrase to the whole class, reducing even Nejire's questions to silence, and now having all eyes upon him, as he even leaned himself forward with a hand cupped behind his ear as if listening for something from any one of them, despite the clearly confused looks on their faces.

Aside from a few scattered mutterings echoing his words back at him, he was ultimately met with silence for a few seconds, upon which he nearly threw his whole body back, that picture perfect smile never once even flinching. "That's the part where you all say: 'Will be full of difficulties!' Alright! You all utterly fail at getting the point of the conversation!"

Despite the upbeat and boisterous tone with which he spoke, the contrast between that and his words left many of the 1-A students exchanging very unsettled and confused glances with one another, with Nikolay unable to keep from muttering to Mina: "These are supposed to be the top students of the whole school?"

"I know, right? They look cool, and I don't think Aizawa-sensei was making it all up, but they're still so weird, y'know?" Mina whispered in full agreement, still feeling a touch embarrassed from all of Nejire's questions regarding her eyes and horns.

"They do seem pretty odd, but it's not like all Pro Heroes have a uniform personality in order to get where they are. There must be a real reason why they're ranked so highly-kero." Tsuyu suddenly pointed out from the desk behind them, leaving the two silently reconsidering their judgments.

Completely ignorant to this tiny conversation within the sphere of the whole class, the boisterous blonde member of The Big Three now had a considerably more serious air about him, despite his persistent smile. "Well, I can see from all your faces that you've got no clue what's going on. The explanation of the Internships, which are not even a requirement, has been left to these third-year students who just appeared all of a sudden. I get it; it doesn't make much sense, right?"

At this point, to those who would have paid close enough attention, they would have been able to notice his face start to take on a deceptively darker edge. "You acquired your Provisional Licenses as first-years… is that right? Hmm… this year's first-years are… quite energetic, aren't they?"

The further he went, the more Nejire and Amajiki were both slowly starting to look to their enigmatic fellow, with the latter even starting to tremble in expectation again. "Mirio…?"

Unperturbed by this gradual change in atmosphere, the blonde young man's smile was only growing that much more excited. "I see… well, it seems like my intro here fell flat, so… how would you all like to team up, AND FIGHT AGAINST ME?!"

The timing that passed between this out-of-nowhere proposal and the cacophony of confused exclamations from the entire class couldn't have been more perfect. This felt like something that couldn't have possibly been real, but no matter how much everyone tried to convince themselves they were simply hearing things, there was no denying it, especially as the proposing third-year confidently turned his attention back to the stalwart Aizawa.

"It would make the most sense for them all to witness and feel our own 'experience' with their own bodies, wouldn't you say? WOULDN'T YOU SAY, ERASERHEAD-SENSEI?!" With each passing second, the students were all finding themselves wishing more and more for their homeroom teacher to simply tell the third-year to stop screwing around and be serious.

Instead, with his expression not visibly changing in the slightest, he simply muttered: "Do as you like."

With Aizawa's confirmation, there was an unmistakable air of fear settling over much of the class at the fact that this was seriously about to happen. It was only a natural reaction when someone who was apparently ranked so astronomically high was actually openly inviting them all to fight him.

It seemed completely detached from reality that someone apparently so experienced would just openly suggest something so reckless, no matter how unusual any of these third-years were. That was why, the more Nikolay found himself thinking about it, the more and more certain he became of one possible reason: 'This has to be some kind of a trap.'

However, the more his watchful gaze looked over the faces of his classmates, the more he was starting to see that uniting fear start to shift into something else; something that became all too clear when he saw the looks on Izuku, Tenya, Eijirou and Mina's faces. Yes, they were all scared deep down… but if they were to back down from a challenge, it would be a mark of shame they would all have to suffer the indignity of carrying for the rest of their times here in Yuuei.

In fact, the more he started to think about that, the more Nikolay found himself actually directing that particular disdain towards himself. 'What am I doing? It's bad enough I've been such a damn coward when it comes to telling Mina the truth. It's not like fighting Villains or rescuing people; it's simply making the words come out. Being scared of that is bad enough, like Hell can I allow myself to be a coward in my Hero studies now, too! We already saw what happened when I lived like that; never again! If he really wants us to fight him…then how can I say no anymore?'

With that, Nikolay's fists clenched with a determination mirroring those of his classmates. All the while, he never even knew just how closely Mina's reasoning for going for it mirrored his own inside her head.

---

From the moment they had all changed into their gym uniforms until their filing into Gym Gamma had all felt like some kind of waking dream. No matter how determined they were all trying to psyche themselves up into being; it still felt so unreal that they were all about to engage in a genuine fight against not only an upperclassman, but one of the top ranked students in the whole school.

Of course, now that they were here, there was no point in trying to think this was anything less than real anymore. When Hanta instinctively asked the especially confident boy known as Mirio if he was truly serious about them all fighting him, only for him to specifically say he was "dead serious," that only served to cement Nikolay's unspoken worries that this all had to be some kind of elaborate ruse on his part.

And, of course, this suspicion of his was not alleviated at all when he and the other students could overhear Amajiki (still keeping his back to them and planting his head to the wall) muttering quietly: "Mirio… you shouldn't do this. It would be more than enough for you to just formally tell them that 'it'll be valuable for you to be in this sort of condition.' It's not as if they've all been completely full to capacity in trying to improve themselves, after all. No matter what, you must not make it so these kids aren't able to get back on their feet anymore."

On one hand, Nikolay felt genuinely belittled at Amajiki's suggestion that he hadn't personally been trying to push himself to his limit to improve himself already thus far. He wasn't naïve enough to think he didn't have anywhere left to improve, but he couldn't stand the idea of actually being accused of half-assing it.

On the other hand, he couldn't dwell on it for long, because he was currently in the embarrassing position of being right beside a heavily blushing, trembling and whimpering Mina, right as Nejire was in the middle of curiously and playfully poking and prodding at one of her horns, causing both appendages to move up and down with her finger in unison.

All the while, completely ignorant to Mina's embarrassed whimpers for her not to do that; the blue-haired young woman was going on just as absentmindedly as ever: "Hey, listen to this! Did you know? A while back there was a kid who got so frustrated, he completely gave up on becoming a Hero, and caused all sorts of problems! Did you know? That Togata-kun, he really had it rough! So you really gotta think things through properly, or it will only be hard on you! Reeeeeally hard, okay~?"

Surprisingly, Nejire's offhanded advice really seemed to get the gears turning in the rest of the classes' heads; but her constant horn prodding was keeping Mina from even remotely being able to focus on her words. Nikolay wasn't doing any better, either; solely for the fact that watching Mina's reaction to her horns being touched, especially the blushing and embarrassed look on her face as it was happening, was forcing him to think right back to that good old photo booth after the Sports Festival, when he had done the same out of plain curiosity… and the very first ever kiss he received from her mere minutes later… and from there, his mind was sent in a straight shot right back to yesterday in the dorm commons area, and he could instantly feel his face grow unbearably hot all over again.

Unfortunately for him, Nikolay had gotten so wrapped up in his own head and embarrassment that he hadn't even realized what a visible spectacle he had made of himself to Nejire specifically. She had been very quick to notice the young Russian's eyes were focused solely on Mina's embarrassed expression, to which he was unknowingly making his own in reaction, and finally just how similarly red his face was turning as hers.

The sight of this had thankfully been enough to finally make the blue-haired third-year stop prodding at Mina's horns, much to the pink girl's relief. However, what came next was something on a whole other level, as with the most curious yet joyous smile on her beautiful face, Nejire proceeded to start poking at Mina's left arm and Nikolay's right simultaneously, forcing the two classmates and best friends closer to each other bit by bit, before asking from completely out of nowhere: "Hey, Ashido-chan, Bezpalov-kun: are you two in love, or are you already a couple?"

By some God-given miracle, Nikolay and Mina's hands had proven a split second faster than their vocal chords, as they'd managed to bring their hands over their mouths just before they could both instinctively scream with shellshock at just how blunt and straightforward Nejire's most personal question to date was; all while her smile was as unassuming as could possibly be.

Without even missing a beat, Nejire suddenly proceeded to grab onto Nikolay's wrists, pulling his hands to her before she went on to hold his right hand to her ear, while she had his left before her mouth, actually following through on her first question from before and testing to see if the holes in his hands were like that of a telephone. However, he and Mina were still in too much of a state of shock to even pay attention to such a bizarre display of her curiosity… although her words were still getting through to them loud and clear.

"I mean, you two were constantly together throughout the Sports Festival this year, you know? And weren't you both also involved in that big incident at Erubi City, too? Did you all manage to beat the Villain responsible, or was it just you two, or was it just one of you? That aside, did you know you're the only students in any of the classes to have a single conference hall desk as a spot to share? Did you also realize you were even all up close together on the way here up to now? Do you both choose to stay together all the time, or is it just something you both do on instinct? It only makes total sense to assume you must be in love, right? Oh, or are you both actually long-lost half siblings with a telepathic link? Does that make it hurt real bad to be apart from each other? Hey, is that why? No, you two being in love makes way more sense, doesn't it? Hey, hey, are you two aiming to become like a Hero couple team? Did you know there've been lots and lots of those before? Do you know how many Hero Agencies end up having two members involved with each other like that on average?"

"What? Seriously?" The sudden interruption (or exclamation) from Eijirou nearby nearly had both Nejire's subjects for questioning jump up several feet in surprise; both of them instinctively stricken with horror that he had actually been listening in; or even worse, that his reaction was now going to draw the attention of the whole class onto them and just what they were being asked.

However, instead, Eijirou's expression was bristling with indignation as he was jerking a thumb back towards the proudly standing Mirio just ahead of him, looking back to draw Nikolay and Mina's attention to him. "Did you guys hear that?! After everything we've already learned and gone through, Togata-senpai says he sees us all as nothing but small fry!"

In the weirdest way, Eijirou pointing out such a disregard for all their experiences on Mirio's end was a veritable godsend, because it not only managed to get Nikolay and Mina's minds off of Nejire's questions, but it managed to be just the spark needed to override their lingering nervousness and ignite both their fighting spirits at last.

Sensing this overall change among the first-years, Mirio's already confident demeanor only seemed to grow even more so. "That's right! Feel free to come at me from wherever and whenever you want! So, who's up first?!"

Mirio's boasting really seemed to ignite a real fuse in the whole class, and for a split second, Nikolay could just hear more than half his classmates, including Mina, starting to volunteer—"I WOULD LIKE TO GO!"

A perfect unison declaration from Izuku and Eijirou rendered the rest of the class silent with surprise, even from the red-haired boy himself as he looked to Izuku with a look of resignation. "That's a real surprise, Midoriya! I can't step on that kind of determination, though. You go ahead, man."

As Eijirou took a step back and Izuku began to step forward, Nikolay was silently watching him and Mirio together, before feeling a light nudge at his arm, glancing to find Mina looking his way with curiosity of her own. "Why didn't you volunteer too, Kolya-kun? Even if he is one of the Big Three, wouldn't your Quirk give you a huge speed advantage?"

Nikolay knew she had a very good point, hence why he knew it was time to finally share just what he'd been thinking since this whole challenge had even been given: "It's precisely because Togata-senpai is one of the Big Three that I'm not volunteering. The way he just outright admitted to thinking of us as small time… it just feels way too reckless on his part. I think he's deliberately trying to provoke us, make us impatient and not think things through, like Hadou-senpai said. I'm not doing anything until I can see just what he's able to do."

Mina wasn't about to start calling him paranoid or anything of the sort. If anything, he was going about things the right way, just like she should've been. But it was too late to back down for that now; after all, she was far too focused now on getting her own initial attack ready just like everyone else, with Izuku taking the lead as he knelt down and began to glow and spark in preparation.

"WE HUMBLY ASK FOR YOUR GUIDANCE, SENPAI!" The entire class proceeded to erupt in unison, serving as the effective starting gun as Izuku finally launched himself into a flawless Full Cowl-driven charge for Mirio dead ahead… just at the same time as, with a completely casual and inattentive look on his plain face, the blonde third-year's uniform suddenly fell from off his shoulders and down around his ankles, almost as though he wasn't even physically there to keep his clothes supported.

All at once did everyone else's momentum come to a complete stop, punctuated by nearly everyone screaming out in shock and embarrassment ("HOLY CRAP! SENPAI, YOU'RE NAKED!"), which Mirio was thankfully very quick to pick up on as he hurriedly picked his pants up just in time before they could fall and reveal his unmentionables. "Ah, please excuse me! It's still difficult for me to fine tune the adjustments, you see!"

However, while this had managed to stop the rest of Class 1-A, there was no way for Izuku to stop himself now that he'd already thrown himself into a Shoot Style kick, driving his foot right for Mirio's head in this moment of his distraction… only for his foot to go flying right through it like thin air, sending the green-haired boy stumbling completely unperturbed with no impact to work off of, nearly sending him rolling past with a look of total shock now replacing his determined stare.

All within the span of a single moment, the rest of the class with distance-based attacks (except for an equally shocked and still-observing Nikolay) had finally unleashed their built up moves towards Mirio upon seeing Izuku's attack, only just now realizing how it had phased through him harmlessly far too late. In fact, Mirio wasn't even paying attention to the myriad of attacks that were now all similarly going right through him and leaving him completely unharmed, instead only focusing his attention on Izuku. "A direct attack straight to the face, huh?"

As everything from Mina's acid, Mezo's tentacles, Hanta's tape, Minoru's hairballs, Kyouka's earphone jacks, Tsuyu's tongue, stun grenades from Momo, an extended claw from Fumikage and Yuga's laser all collided behind Mirio, resulting in a massive explosion and a following dust cloud; the whole class was similarly dumbfounded by what they had just witnessed, with Hanta even being the one to finally say it: "ALL our attacks just went right through him like nothing! How the hell is anyone supposed to fight that?!"

Nikolay was already instinctively bracing himself for the inevitable retaliatory strike, but was hit with surprise like everyone else when, as the dust finally cleared, there was no sign of Mirio anywhere to be seen. "HE VANISHED?!" Tenya finally exclaimed to break the intimidating silence left in its wake.

"I SUPPOSE I SHOULD START WITH THE LONG RANGE ONES, EH?!" Mirio's voice suddenly proclaimed with a sharp spike in aggressive and confident intent, right from behind Kyouka's back; causing the whole class to turn on their heels in disbelief to find their topless upperclassman now completely on the other side of their whole group, with a defenseless and shocked Kyouka directly in his wake.

"WHAT?! HE CAN TELEPORT, TOO?!" Nikolay, Eijirou, and nearly everyone else exclaimed in some way, shape or form, as the grinning Mirio suddenly charged right through Kyouka, sending her toppling to the ground, before fixing his gaze and attack on the next student unfortunate enough to be anywhere near him, all without missing a single stride, and leaving all the 1-A students in his path wide-eyed with fear, unable to even start building up a defensive attack in time before he got to them.

When it became unavoidable that Mirio was finally gunning for him, Nikolay's fight-or-flight instincts went into overdrive, as he instantly launched himself into an overhead arc the moment his upperclassman charged directly for him. All he could hope for was that he would end up behind Mirio and—

WHAM!

Right at the height of his leap, Nikolay suddenly felt his legs getting knocked out from right below him from a sudden man-sized projectile shooting straight up from the ground, sending his whole body flipping and rolling through the air before slamming clumsily back down into the ground, just as Mirio landed right back on his feet unperturbed from his sudden interception, and went right back to wiping the floor with what little of Class 1-A had still been standing.

The entire time as this complete and utter class humiliation was going on; Amajiki was barely watching the entire thing from out the corner of his eye, still keeping his forehead firmly to the wall. While the first-years were all being repeatedly blindsided and whooped by Mirio at every turn; for him, this was as common a sight as could be. 'Mirio's Quirk is not something that should be envied…far from it. What you should really be jealous of is his incredible technique, you first-year brats. After all, after being scouted, he completely devoted himself to his Internship under a certain Hero, and he was carefully cultivated from there.'

In the span of just under six seconds, nearly all of Class 1-A now found themselves flat on the ground (with the exception of Kyouka and Denki, whom had been tied up together by her own earphone jacks) in varying states of pain, while Mirio stood at his original starting position completely victorious with a smile to match. As his victims all slowly tried to get back onto their feet, the ever-watchful Aizawa figured this was as good a time as any to finally let them in on a little secret:

"Alright, class! This is a great opportunity! So get yourselves roughed up a bit and learn from it! You see, that guy, Togata Mirio is, as far as I know, the very closest man to becoming Number One, and that includes the Pros!"

The entire gym instantaneously echoed with the unanimous exclamations of shock and disbelief from even his most injured students, as the deathly serious tone he always spoke with made it clear that this was far from an exaggeration. Looking now upon their upperclassman opponent in an entirely different light, they all felt that determination quickly extinguish and give way to pure intimidation. This was about as close as they could all possibly get to fighting someone even remotely on All Might's level, and with the sheer ease with which he wiped them all out, it was a very appropriate analogy to make.

And that realization left the students still standing before Mirio that much more visibly frightened; those unlucky few being Izuku, Eijirou, Tenya, Ochako, Kouji, Mashirao and Rikido. The only reason Shoto hadn't gotten caught in the fray was simply because he had chosen to opt out and observe alongside Aizawa, having not felt deserving of the chance after failing to get his own Provisional License.

With the pained moans of all the other students he'd taken care of sounding off from behind him, Mirio let out a loosening breath, letting his body limber right back up as he stared his next batch of targets down. "Now all that's left are the close-ranged ones."

"I have no idea how he's doing it!" Ochako immediately exclaimed once she could just feel his eyes settle on her and her allies, while even Eijirou's previous bravado was now nothing but pure fear. "Oh, man! He's already so strong by being able to phase right through us… but teleportation, too?! Doesn't that essentially make Togata-senpai… INVINCIBLE?!"

This exclamation similarly echoed through the whole gym, while among his still grounded classmates, Nikolay was trying to get the air back into his lungs as he slowly managed to get onto one foot. As he heard Eijirou speak the most dreadful word in these circumstances, he himself couldn't help but start thinking the same thing. Even when simply trying to avoid getting hit, Mirio's apparent teleportation made that completely useless. Right now, with his lingering pain not helping clear his addled mind, he couldn't think of what else to possibly do to get around it.

"There has to be some kind of trick to it!" Izuku suddenly stated, drawing the attention of those still standing, and even Nikolay and the other beaten students, right to him, as he tried staring Mirio down, swallowing the lump of his own fear building in his throat; instead trying to focus on the very first move the third-year would make next. "Whether he's using a Phasing Quirk to teleport, or using a Teleportation Quirk to phase; whatever it is, he'll be using a direct attack. If we aim for that moment to counterattack, we should be able to touch him! If we don't understand how he's doing it, then we've got to narrow the possibilities using what we do know! Either way, let's find a way to beat him!"

As to be expected from the class' biggest underdog, Izuku's show of forced confidence was all it took to get the rest of his standing classmates fired up, even restoring Eijirou's courage in the process. Even from where he was still wobbling back to his feet, Nikolay could feel his own confidence returning, regardless whether Mirio had nearly folded him in half the last time. 'Midoriya-san is right! Senpai hasn't been using any really fancy evasive or acrobatic attacks… it's all been straightforward charges! There's gotta be a way to work around that, even with a Quirk like his!'

"TRY AND FIND IT, THEN!" Mirio suddenly announced as he broke into a charging sprint, clearly approving of Izuku's confidence and his ability to inspire the same in his classmates. The rest of the standing students were already preparing themselves for whatever he was about to throw at them, just before the grinning blonde young man suddenly began to phase rapidly into the ground, soon disappearing from sight within seconds.

Just as Izuku and his team found themselves once more at a disadvantage upon seeing this, Nikolay had thankfully been able to see it too; his eyes wide with the realization. 'Oh, of course! That has to be how he's been able to get behind us so easily! I should've known he couldn't have had more than one Quirk at once! There's no logical reason for a Phasing Quirk to give him teleportation! Wait… this could be it; the hint I'm looking for! I know I can channel my kinetics into shockwaves across and into surfaces, including the ground! Togata-senpai surely must still be able to feel the ground if he's able to emerge from it at will in pre-determined spots! If I could somehow send shockwaves through the ground and disrupt his movements, it might force him to deactivate his Quirk and leave him trapped in there! Maybe my shockwaves rippling through the air might be able to do the same when he's out in the open, too! Surely he must still be able to feel the air in order to move through it so freely!'

Before Nikolay or anyone else could think on it any further, Mirio suddenly emerged from behind Izuku, clearly at the ready to drive the freckled boy into the ground. However, still sparking and glowing with the full power of Full Cowl, he immediately reacted with perfect form, ducking down and sending a blinding kick right for the grinning third-year.

However, with equally perfect form and fluid motion, Mirio threw his open left hand directly in the path of Izuku's foot, phasing right through it, up the length of his leg and through his torso. "Impressive; those kind of reflexes aren't the moves of someone merely reacting. It's almost like you predicted where I would emerge from next! But, regardless, here's the finishing blow! BLINDING TOUCH: EYE POKE!"

The moment it became clear to Izuku what was about to happen, as he could see two of Mirio's fingers zeroing in on his eyes, he instinctively shut them as tight as he could… only for his opponent's hand to once again phase right through his head, leaving his eyes and face completely unharmed. Instead, Mirio made up for it by launching a blinding and devastating jab straight into Izuku's stomach, sending his eyes rolling back and every ounce of air out of his lungs, ultimately ending with the green-haired boy flopping to the ground as unceremoniously as a sack of rocks. "Everyone tries to counter me like that, you know… so naturally, I trained to counter them, too!"

Just as quickly as Mirio made it clear just how far ahead he had always been even of 1-A's most studious student, did Tenya and the others realize what had just happened. Before anything more than their classmate's name could escape Tenya's mouth, Mirio had just as quickly popped right out of the ground behind him, sending another inescapable and lightning-fast punch straight into the class president's stomach, sending him into the fetal position on the ground just as easily.

Just as quickly, efficiently and mercilessly as he had the last group, Mirio Togata had left every one of Izuku's allies curled up on the ground, trying to nurse their aching stomachs from the precise and debilitating punches he had greeted them all with. By the time it was all over, he once more stood tall and victorious with a single self-congratulatory thumb up and that same brilliant All Might-style smile on his otherwise simple face.

However, the fact that Aizawa wasn't calling for the end of the demonstration made the untouchable third-year momentarily show pause with only the mildest confusion. Upon looking back, he immediately was back to smiling with preparation when he saw 1-A's sole foreign student was back on both feet again, looking him right in the eye, even if he was still struggling to maintain a steady posture while trying to regain his breath. "Well, that's a pleasant surprise. I guess my aim must've been a tiny bit off with you. I hope you don't blame me for being thorough. You have to be when out in the field."

Without any further warning, Mirio was once again charging Nikolay, who was just as quick to launch himself up and forward in another arc. Watching this, Mirio was already starting to phase right back down into the ground. "Another head-on attack? Come on!"

However, the young Russian was far from unprepared, as the moment he'd gone airborne, he was already throwing himself into a mid-air spin, sending as much of his built-up kinetics as he could straight into his feet, all the while hoping with all hope that his theory would actually pan out.

Having timed when to launch himself and where he would ultimately be landing relative to where Mirio had started to phase into the ground, Nikolay brought himself down to the ground hard with an especially charged Resonating Wheel stomp, sending all of that energy directly across and into the ground, just as immediately sending Mirio skyrocketing out of the ground directly in front of Nikolay and high up into the air.

The Slavic boy's heart was already in the process of leaping the moment he saw this break in Mirio's form thus far. 'Oh my God, it actually worked! Come on, don't lose focus now!'

With that, remembering Izuku's advice for timing, Nikolay launched himself straight up after Mirio, already reeling a charging up fist in preparation, just as he could see Mirio was already likewise recovering and having both his fists raised overhead for a downward hammer-like strike.

Nikolay could only assume in the energy of the moment that his launching when he did was what gave him the advantage, as he managed to throw his punch right into Mirio's midsection just before the third-year could bring his combined fists down onto his head, only for the Russian's blow to swing completely through him with no effect, leaving Nikolay flying that much more skyward while Mirio continued his descent to the ground.

However, this was actually something he had already told himself to count on happening, as Nikolay instantly extended his left arm and leg, firing out of both hand and foot to stop his momentum, only to instantly fire from them again, propelling him back downward, while Mirio was starting to turn himself around to face the boy now above him while still in mid-descent.

Nikolay was already getting both hands and both feet facing forward, aiming for Mirio altogether in that one precious second, channeling all the kinetic power he could through his limbs. 'If I saw what he did to Midoriya-san right, he must be able to actually activate and deactivate his Quirk through certain parts of his body on command, instead of his whole body all at once. If I can fire a concentrated blast from all my extremities at once, the radius should be wide and strong enough from this distance to affect whichever part of himself he solidifies, throwing off his form and giving me an opening!'

BWOOM!

At that moment, Nikolay did exactly as he planned, firing from both hands and feet at once, sending a concussive blast so powerful one could almost see it physically ripple through the air with the naked eye. Either way, it did exactly as he had hoped, as the moment the wave hit Mirio, he could actually see the third-year get knocked back, flipping backwards for the rest of his descent, just like he had done to Nikolay at the start.

This was the only chance he would get now, and he knew it. Instantly aiming his feet back, Nikolay fired for everything he was worth, propelling himself like a human comet straight at Mirio, reeling another rumbling fist in preparation to drive it right into his gut and send him to the ground. Just a split second more, and…

… nothing. Driving his fist down into Mirio's solar plexus with all the strength he could channel, the young Russian once again phased right through his opponent like nothing, slamming hard into the ground with a wide-eyed look of pure disbelief, just a moment before Mirio went falling flat right through the kneeling boy and into the ground below him.

Before Nikolay could even fully process what had just happened, he momentarily looked back to his landing spot, just to find Mirio's smiling face looking him right in the eye from within the ground.

WHAM!

With perfect timing, the moment they made eye contact, Mirio's clenched fist suddenly shot from out of the ground in front of Nikolay's gut, punching him there just hard enough to knock all the wind he had struggled to regain right back out, and sending him collapsing into a flat writhing pile on the ground, with the grinning blonde student popping from out of the ground just beside him a second later, cracking his knuckles and popping the joints in his neck just to punctuate his complete and total victory.

As Nejire and Amajiki both returned to his side with his long since lost P.E. uniform in hand, Mirio looked over the whole display of Class 1-A as they tried to pick themselves and each other back up, while getting himself re-dressed all the while. "Whew, just barely managed to keep the jewels under wraps in the end! Sorry about that, ladies! Anyway, that wasn't a bad display from you, Class 1-A! Some of you really seemed to show a knack for planning and thinking outside the box; that's very good! However, you'll come to learn through Hero Internships that in order to make it to the top, you need to train yourselves to be able to think even further outside, keeping yourselves several steps ahead of your opponents, and coming up with any number of contingencies for anything and everything they can throw at you, including feinting being hit in order to get them to lower their guard! That's exactly what we all did, and that's what's brought us to where we are now!

"You two especially, Midoriya and Bezpalov; you both seem to have really improved your speeds, boldness and abilities to predict and plan your opponent's moves in a fight compared to how you were at the Sports Festival last semester! However, you both still telegraph your moves way too much!" As the students were all finally getting back on their feet, they took every one of Mirio's words to heart, but especially Izuku and Nikolay, even if the young Russian couldn't help but feel a burning sensation of frustration with himself in the end.

He'd been so convinced for this long that his speed and spontaneity with his fighting had improved so much more than they clearly had. As frustrated as he was that Mirio had ultimately wiped him out without even breaking a sweat, the knowledge that he had a clear direction to improve on was simply that much more emboldening, just as it was for the whole class.

Letting his advice sink in, Mirio closely observed the remaining looks of pain and aggravation on all the first-years' faces, especially how many of them were still clutching their stomachs where he'd hit them. "And that's just about the gist of it. So, was my Quirk strong, you think?"

That one simple question instantly set off the collective 1-A powder keg, as Hanta, Tooru, Nikolay and Mina all pretty much exclaimed at once: "WAY TOO STRONG!"

"IT'S SO UNFAIR! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FEEL?!"

"NONE OF US COULD DO A DAMN THING ABOUT IT! IT'S A GAME-BREAKER, IS WHAT IT IS!"

"YEAH! I MEAN, NOT ONLY PHASING, BUT TELEPORTING, TOO?! ARE YOU ONE OF THOSE CRAZY STRONG HYBRIDS LIKE TODOROKI-KUN?!"

Despite this all-around show of clear-cut frustration, Nejire's instant reaction was like a little kid being called upon by the teacher, hand raised and everything: "Oh, oh! I know about his Quirk! Let me tell them, let me tell them! Perm—"

"Hadou, right now is Mirio's time."

With Amajiki's restrained shooting down, Nejire put her hand down and gave a pouting frown, all while Mirio himself had only just finished laughing at the sound of Mina's accusation of his Quirk. "Hahaha, I can see why you would all think so; but no, I'm not a hybrid, though that would be pretty cool if I was! Sorry, by the way, Nejire-san."

With a momentary sideways apology to his blue-haired fellow third-year, Mirio quickly got himself back into serious mode as he turned his attention back to his juniors. "Anyway, I've only got one Quirk, called 'Permeation!' Those movements of mine that you guys have been calling 'teleportation'… well, as you might have realized by now, it's just an application of my Quirk!"

Needless to say, this confirmation of Mirio's had many students already forgetting their anger and now feeling only curiosity, especially Nikolay, Tenya and Izuku, who specifically was mentally taking notes the whole way through while his hands were instinctively making invisible gestures of writing everything down, much to Ochako's amusement.

"You see, if I activate my Quirk throughout my whole body, it is capable of passing through anything! And when I say anything; that does include the ground!" All at once it was like a collective light bulb went off in everyone's heads, with Ochako instinctively speaking up: "So you phasing through the ground… that was just you falling?"

Mirio snapped his head towards the flinching brown-haired girl, shooting her an approving thumb up to compliment the twinkle in his blue dot-like eyes. "That's right! I fall into the ground! And if I release my Quirk while I'm falling, something mysterious happens. It's as if the mass can't overlap on top of each other, so I get catapulted out instead! In other words, I get shot out of the ground in an instant! That's the phenomenon behind my so-called 'teleportation!' By adjusting the direction and pose of my body, I can control the angle and target I'm shot out to!"

For a moment there was only a silence among the first-years of pure fascination… at least, for the most part. The more Mina thought about it, she ultimately just gave another puffy-cheeked pout at her own natural conclusion: "Your Quirk just sounds like a video game glitch, senpai."

Mirio's immediate laugh was booming enough to make more of the students instinctively flinch. "HAHAHAHAHA! THAT'S A PERFECT WAY TO DESCRIBE IT, ASHIDO! I LIKE IT!"

As Mirio finally finished letting his laughter run its course, Nikolay suddenly stepped forward beside his pink best friend; his previous frustration now replaced with his own genuine curiosity: "But senpai, when I used my Resonating Wheel move on you when you were in the ground, it made you shoot out of it in front of me, instead of behind me like you'd done to everyone else. Does that mean rumblings through the ground can forcibly disrupt and deactivate your Quirk before you intended?"

This question earned many agreeing mutterings and nods from the rest of the class, but to this, Mirio gave a sly chuckle as he started scratching the back of his head with a slightly guilty-looking edge to his grin. "Well, forgive me for having to stifle your flare, Bezpalov; but the truth is I remembered your Quirk involved kinetic absorption and releasing it in the form of shockwaves from back at the Sports Festival. I remembered that was how you beat Iida back then, after all… so I decided to mix things up a little bit and ultimately lure you into attacking and opening yourself up to me. The timing of it all was honestly just very convenient for selling you the illusion that your tactic worked."

Nikolay couldn't have looked more crestfallen if he'd tried as his head now hung low in shame. He'd unintentionally fallen right into the very same ruse he'd feared from the very beginning. The truth tasted so incredibly bitter: his once seemingly well-thought-out strategy was truly never going to work against someone like Mirio Togata.

"Not just being able to avoid any attack, but also to move wherever you want in an instant… that really is a frighteningly strong Quirk-kero." Tsuyu noted, this time bringing a surprisingly humble air to Mirio's smile.

"Not at all. It's only strong because I made it strong. When I activate my Quirk, no oxygen can come into my lungs. After all, even if I inhale, it all passes through me. My retinas catch no light, and my eardrums catch no vibrations; hence why I said Bezpalov's tactic and the timing of my ejection from the ground was unintentionally convenient to him, because the truth is that I never would have felt or even heard the shockwaves he was sending in to dry and draw me out."

This further explanation of how pointless his trick was should have gotten to Nikolay that much more… but truthfully, now his and all his classmates' attention was on this surprisingly frightening description Mirio was giving of the surprisingly serious drawbacks of using his Quirk that none of them had even once considered. Sensing they were all still wanting to hear more, the third-year boy continued: "Everything passes through me, I become unable to feel anything, but because I still have mass, the only thing I feel is the sensation of falling. Are you all starting to understand now? If not, here's a clear example: let's say that I want to phase through a wall. I activate my Quirk except for one foot. Then I release it in the other foot so it can contact the ground. Then I activate it in the first foot and pass through to the other side successfully. Even the simplest of movements requires a set of operations."

The whole of Class 1-A could feel their very understanding of just what had to be taken into consideration when using any Quirk at all be shaken to its foundations. There were so many ways even a simple use could go so horribly wrong, and the thought of that left those with the especially dangerous Quirks, like Shoto, Mina, Denki… and Nikolay, in a painful pang of remembrance, especially unsettled.

Mirio had no doubt that his point had gotten through to all the present first-years, just from the changes in their body language and the looks in their eyes. "That's right! You all understand now! In the beginning of our little fight, I accidentally fell behind! Before I knew it, every last thing had fallen away, even my clothes! And with this Quirk of mine, if you wanna keep moving on up, that's the very last thing you can afford to let happen! That's why you need prediction! It's the way to be faster than your surroundings! The way to trick time itself! Prediction is the most critical skill of all! And the thing that makes those predictions possible is… experience! Predictions are built on experience!"

All at once, the foreboding gravity with which Mirio spoke was now beginning to lift with the kind of energetic inspiration and optimism that only Heroes like All Might could embody, leaving all of Class 1-A visibly shocked with just how perfectly he seemed to mimic his very presence, with a pair of dedicated fists held before him, as though they represented the immense weight he was carrying upon his shoulders… that they all were ultimately helping to carry, themselves.

"It took a little bit of time, but that's why I wanted to play this little game with you all! Instead of with words, I wanted to show you with my 'experience!' In these Internships, we are no longer treated like 'guests,' but rather we act as sidekicks for the Pros! And that is admittedly a very terrifying thing! There have been instances where people have died! Nonetheless, no matter how scary or difficult the thought may be, all of it is an invaluable experience that you cannot get in school! WITH THE EXPERIENCE I GAINED FROM MY INTERNSHIP, I WAS ABLE TO TRANSFORM MY QUIRK AND REACH THE TOP! AND FOR THAT REASON, SCARY OR NOT, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY YOU CANNOT MISS OUT ON, FIRST-YEARS!"

The ending pinnacle of Mirio's speech couldn't have made him sound more naturally like a Pro Hero of Number One status if he'd tried, and all of Class 1-A could feel it, too, as they all found themselves instinctively applauding him for the sheer wave of inspiration he was now making them feel in themselves.

Among their classmates, Nikolay and Mina couldn't help but start reflecting with each other as she leaned in: "The way senpai's describing these Internships, I think I'm finally getting the difference from what we did with Willow Light-sensei before. They didn't really give us any pointers on how to change how we use our Quirks."

"Yeah, and until the whole thing with Vukodlak happened, they were actively trying to keep us out of danger. That whole fiasco with those guys robbing the store was just unfortunate timing on our parts. I think that whole Field Work period was just for us to see exactly what Pro Hero work in itself could be like." Nikolay stated in reflective realization and agreement, to which Mina was eagerly nodding, completely on the same page.

By comparison, by both of their understanding, Hero Internships were truly less about learning the ropes of Pro Hero work, but more about cultivating themselves as individual Pro Heroes, from their Quirks, to their strength, to their ways of thinking in the heat of the moment, and applying all of that to how they would go on to carry themselves in Pro Hero work from that point forward. It all felt so much more empowering the more they thought about it: the chance to really learn about themselves and improve in the ways that would ultimately matter the most, officially being taken under the wings of, and essentially becoming the official sidekicks of genuine Pros.

Being the film enthusiast that he was, Nikolay couldn't help but start comparing everything he and his classmates were going through, and especially what they were about to experience for themselves, to the old narrative theory of 'The Hero's Journey,' a literal comparison that brought a smile to his face; one that Mina gladly returned as she herself was just thinking about the endless possibilities of what they could learn together alongside all of their class, and how they could ultimately employ it all so they could all become the next Top Heroes, and one day finally even be able to achieve that dream of making an all-encompassing Hero Agency of their very own. The very image of that future had her black-gold eyes sparkling with dreamlike anticipation and emotion.

However, what neither of them could bring themselves to admit to each other, was that the more they thought about the aspect of having to be specifically interning under individual Pro Heroes of their choices, the more it was forcing them to think about the one lingering question neither of them wanted to linger on: that future-defining choice between trying to intern under the same Agency together again… and interning under different Heroes entirely on their own, both for the sake of cultivating and strengthening themselves as best they could individually, and for the sake of not possibly holding each other back through their mutual attachments and concerns for one another. It was something that had been silently lingering in the backs of both their heads, but neither of them dared speak of it out loud.

All the while as this painful conundrum began running through both the first-years' heads, they were simply too wrapped up in this maelstrom of emotion and anticipation to even notice the inquisitive yet knowing look Nejire was sending their way, seeing the two once again loyally side-by-side with notably conflicted looks on their faces that clearly pertained to something far beneath the surface.

---

Despite the aches and pains that still lingered among the students of Class 1-A, the ending of their homeroom class couldn't have been better, because after extending their gratitude to the Big Three for their time and generous lessons, Aizawa officially declared the students to officially have the green light to start applying for whatever Hero Agencies they wanted, resulting in cacophonous cheers all around as he called class to be dismissed and took his leave.

Among all the cheers, Nikolay and Mina, after having let their own out by sheer impulse, now found themselves glancing uncertainly to each other, neither one willing nor able to just ignore this, before finally turning to address each other. "What are you thinking about, Kolya-kun/Mina?"

The fact they were asking the exact same thing in unison was already about to make this a whole lot more uncomfortable than it already was. Nikolay had to practically bite his tongue to get himself to speak up again: "I mean; where are you thinking to look to apply?"

Without even missing a step, Mina just as quickly asked back: "Where do you think we should look? There's gotta be another place willing to take in a team like last time, right?"

Nikolay of course wanted to just roll with that, just as much as Mina did. However, they could both see very similar looks of uncertainty in each other's eyes, as well as a noted difficulty in maintaining eye contact which they'd never had before. Neither one of them was willing to be the one to start bringing up the possibility of interning separately…but at the same time, now that the discussion of what Agencies to intern under had at long last been brought up, it wasn't like they could just ignore this possibility anymore, either.

No matter how practical an option it was, it didn't feel any less sad for them to be apart from each other and unwilling to have each other's backs while out on the field. Sure, the idea of a single Hero having more than one sidekick at once was far from the norm, but as far as Nikolay and Mina were concerned, working alongside each other through thick and thin was the norm… even if there was an unspoken acknowledgment that they were risking stunting a crucial part of each other's development by staying that way.

As Nikolay remorsefully turned his gaze to look her in the eye again, he couldn't help but spot that Eijirou was sitting back down while everyone else was still excitedly chatting with one another. He'd been just as enthusiastic as everyone else, and it wasn't exactly like he was looking depressed, but his red eyes were lacking that general fire he always had; a distinct change in his demeanor that Mina was just as quick to pick up on. "Whoa, hey, what's got you looking so down, Kiri?"

"Yeah, I thought you were looking forward to the Internships just as much as everyone else," Nikolay added in agreement, leaving Eijirou giving an assuring and apologetic smile of embarrassment at how unintentionally worried he'd just made his two best friends.

"Oh, it's nothing serious, I'm not bummed or anything like that… well, I mean, not exactly. I was just really hoping I'd have heard something about Tunguska-sensei getting hired by a Hero Agency before this point. I mean, with how hard he'd worked to get his Pro License, I thought he would've gone for it right out the gate. You guys know how much I was hoping to apply for wherever he'd gone when I'd get the chance."

Now that he had finally brought it up, Nikolay and Mina couldn't help but look similarly worried as well. They had likewise expected their teacher and Nikolay's father to have put his nose to the grindstone the first chance he got in order to get hired. The fact he hadn't mentioned anything of the sort when he'd approached them during their one day of house arrest was now a very disconcerting thing to consider. Was he really having more trouble being accepted into the Japanese Pro Hero world than any of them had expected? If so, then it was no wonder Eijirou was looking so considerably down compared to everyone else.

It wasn't long after everyone had finally thought to settle back down, that Tunguska himself stepped into the classroom, his book bag loyally slung to his shoulder as he took his place at Aizawa's spot, looking every one of the students over with a distinct light in his eyes far different than what any of them were used to seeing.

With a stalwart breath, he finally broke the palpable silence among them with exceptionally proud volume: "Good day, everyone! I would be remiss if I didn't start class today personally congratulating you all for being given the green light to finally start applying for your Hero Internships in just your first years as Yuuei students! This is a monumental step in your developments as the next generation of truly great Heroes you're all taking today, and as one of your teachers, I for one could not be prouder of you for it, and I know Aizawa-san feels the same, even if he will never admit it out loud."

A resounding response of "THANK YOU, SENSEI!" echoed back to him, and once all was quiet once more, he proceeded with an especially excited grin barely visible beneath his beard as he actually began rummaging through his book bag.

"Furthermore, since we are on the subject of Hero Agencies and Internships… I apologize for having not informed you all of this as soon as possible, but the timing of certain circumstances I now find myself in, have made this the first real chance I could get to inform you all of a major recent development… plus, I wanted to tell you all the same way you told me of your Provisional License wins beforehand. I would like to proudly inform you all that you are all now looking at the newest officially recognized Pro Hero working directly for the Fatgum Hero Agency in Kansai Prefecture!"

The instant Tunguska said this and pulled out his official form of identification and employment, the whole class nearly jumped with a scattered cheer among the most expectant and devoted of the students, with Eijirou already looking like he was nearly in tears that his own personal wish to come out of the Internships had just been dropped right into his lap, and Ochako, Mina and Nikolay all looking like they were already weeping with congratulatory joy for him, while the rest of the class simply went with enthusiastic applause.

Motioning all the students to sit back down, Tunguska set his form back into his bag before finally beginning to pace back and forth as he often did at the start of his class. "Thank you all for your support. If I'm being absolutely honest, I doubt I would have been able to get this far if not for the support, respect and dedication you've all shown me since I first came to Yuuei. As one of your teachers, it is my duty to do what I can to help you all grow into the best Heroes you can be…but in a way, you've all managed to help do the very same for me in a time when I needed it the most. The kind of symbiotic relationship and affect you all have on each other and those around you, is one of the key elements that can separate a decent Hero from a truly great one, and I'm happy to say I see that very element in every one of you here."

The further Tunguska went; the more and more emotional he was clearly starting to make himself as well as his most devoted students among the class. However, catching himself and clearing his throat, his especially sentimental demeanor quickly began to become more professional again. "However, with all of these things being said… I know there are some among you that have been especially eager to apply for interning under whatever Hero Agency I ultimately got hired by, strictly for the reason that I happen to be a part of it. As flattering as that sounds on the surface, it would be irresponsible of me to go without telling you all that this is not the mentality you should have when it comes to applying for a Hero Internship."

The excited air radiating around Eijirou quickly dimmed as his excited grin dropped into a look of total confusion, much like many of his other classmates. Unperturbed by this change in atmosphere, Tunguska went on: "You see, a Hero Internship is the establishment of a truly unshakeable bond between a Pro Hero and what is ultimately their sidekick. You are not only there to learn from them and cultivate your Quirks, skill and minds to the careers that await you; you are going out into the field with them, and ensuring their safety and that of the public is just as much your responsibility as it is theirs. It is the forging of a true partnership, and as such, the key to choosing the Agency and Hero you wish to intern for is a matter of making your decision based on who you truly believe, deep within your heart of hearts, you can learn the most from, instead of solely from a childlike sense of devotion or admiration to someone you merely think in your head can give you what you think you're looking for. Yes, it's true that if things ultimately don't work out, you're well within your rights to apply for a different Agency to intern for later on, but don't let that convince you to just make your decisions for Internships on a whim.

"No, as this is one of the most important decisions you will ever make in your time as Heroics students, you need to make your decision based on what your gut instinct tells you. If ever you find yourselves in doubt, gut instinct is the one thing, no matter how impulsive or suddenly it may kick in, that will ultimately never steer you wrong. It's the one component in our genetic makeup as human beings that has allowed us to survive for millions of years before the onset of Quirks, and even today, it is the one thing you know you can always rely on to steer you in the right direction, no matter how tough things may seem."

As Tunguska once more slipped into full-blown teacher mode and began to pull out the previously graded homework assignments; his latest words of deeply heartfelt and tested wisdom really resonated deep within his handful of most attached students; as Eijirou, Ochako, Izuku, Nikolay and Mina could all feel the inspiration growing within their hearts; conflicted or not.

---

That evening, the 1-A dorm was once again abuzz as everyone was chatting eagerly with one another over dinner, obviously about what they were going to do for their Hero Internships; a subject that had now only become that much more introspective and serious in the wake of what Tunguska had told them that afternoon during class. For nobody else was this more apparent than if one were to see Nikolay, Izuku and Eijirou talking with each other as they took their spots at the dining area.

"It really is great news that Tunguska-sensei got hired. I had no doubts he'd be able to do it once he got his license; there's so many other Pro Heroes out there to choose from, it was really only a matter of time. Just from seeing Fatgum in interviews and in action on TV, I'm sure they'll get along really well as far as personalities go. I can only imagine how excited you must be, Kolya-san, Kirishima-san." Izuku noted with enthusiasm, clearly very happy for their Quirk History teacher (and his secondary mentor)'s success at getting back into the Pro Hero saddle.

"Well of course I'm happy for him. Not only has he been working really hard while teaching all of us in order to do this, but… come on, what kind of son would I be if I couldn't even be happy for my own father getting back into the Pro Hero world? He's a far cry now from what he once was, that's why that old anxiety of mine hasn't been coming back over it." Nikolay admitted, trying to put on a talkative air while still going through more than his fair share of concerns about other things deep in his head.

As he and Izuku began to eat, they both quickly noticed the especially pensive look on Eijirou's face as he mainly just picked away at his food, clearly deep in thought, himself. "What about you, Kirishima-san? We know how much you'd been looking forward to interning under him. You two really seem to get each other on a student/teacher basis, it honestly sounds pretty obvious to me that you would make for an excellent intern for him."

Despite the confidence with which Izuku said this, with Nikolay nodding in clear agreement while his mouth was full, Eijirou was just scratching at his head in thought. "I know, right? I thought so, too. But ever since what he said at class this morning about making choices based on gut instinct… I'm actually finding myself kind of torn. I mean, I still want to intern for Tunguska-sensei more than anything… but at the same time, this could also be my chance to try interning under Crimson Riot, too.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, Tunguska-sensei's one of the manliest Heroes I've ever met, but Crimson Riot's been my absolute icon for how a manly Hero should be for as long as I can remember. One way or another, I just have to be able to see and speak to him in the flesh if nothing else. And then on top of all that, I'm trying to figure out if my wanting to intern for Tunguska-sensei is out of that childlike admiration he was talking about, or if it actually is that gut instinct thing talking to me. As soon as I'd figure that out, I'd go for it, but I don't want to just decide on impulse; I'd feel like I was ignoring the whole point he was trying to make if I did."

Nikolay and Izuku could both absolutely understand the personal struggle Eijirou was going through, trying to figure out which direction to go, and which one was truly right. However, Nikolay knew he was in no position to try and give advice on something so deeply rooted into Eijirou's own personal mentality and desire, and thus decided to give his red-haired friend some mental space and turn his attention back to Izuku. "What about you, Midoriya-san? Any idea what you're going to do?"

Izuku's eyes lacked any of the conflict that Eijirou's had. That, together with the driven smile on his freckled face, made it all too clear that his own mind had been made up for quite some time, gut instinct or not. "I know it's unusual, given we'd already worked together during the Field Training period… but I'm going to see if this time, I can intern under Gran Torino-sensei officially. He's the one who was able to help me finally discover and control my Full Cowl ability; I can't even begin to imagine what else he might be able to help me find out about my Quirk as his intern. In fact, once we're finished here, I'm going to call him and apply."

"What about you, Kolya-san? Do you have any idea of where you'd like to go?" Eijirou suddenly asked, having decided to give himself a break from his own indecisiveness… only for him and Izuku to now see their Russian friend looking just as conflicted; his eyes drifting across the commons area as his mind once more fell into a rut.

"Well, admittedly, Midoriya-san's idea does give me an option to consider… but to tell you the truth, that's a question we've both been really struggling with." Nikolay admitted; his eyes instinctively landing on Mina across the commons area with the rest of the girls the moment he mentioned more than one person being involved in his conundrum.

Following his line of sight, it all became far too clear to Eijirou and Izuku the dilemma their two friends were dealing with; with Eijirou thankfully having the wherewithal to keep his personal theory as to the source of their problem to himself: their still-unresolved relationship-building. If all the clues were hanging their between them and they both somehow knew it, but couldn't bring themselves to just say it, then it was no wonder that something once as straightforward and easy as picking an Agency to intern under together was now a thousand times more complicated and uncomfortable.

As for Izuku, however, his mind was completely elsewhere as to his personal theory: "I can understand, actually. You and Ashido-san have both proven to be a surprisingly effective team. It's not often that Hero students manage to find that kind of synergy so naturally, especially within just their first year. As nice as the idea of always interning together sounds, it's not realistic to think that's always going to be the case, and the idea of training apart can be really scary. But you two have both proven to be just as adaptable to situations as anyone else I know; no matter what you end up deciding to do, I know you'll both be able to get through it and come out as even stronger Heroes for it."

Nikolay and Eijirou could both definitely appreciate the heartfelt sentiment and faith in his friends that Izuku was speaking with, but it was just missing that one connection to the real issue hovering over Nikolay's head in order to really resonate.

---

At the same time, among the girls, Ochako was currently expressing a similar difficulty as Eijirou was, anxiously picking away at her food while Momo and Tsuyu were both patiently listening and letting her pour herself out to them: "It's all just a lot to really take in now that it's here, you know; knowing we're really supposed to just be observing and learning as first-years, and yet we're actually being given this chance to actually really work out in the field with the Pros. Then, on top of that, there's a part of me that really wants to stick to interning with Tunguska-sensei, especially now that he's all official again… but I know I should try looking for somewhere else just so I can get the most expansive training that I can. But I don't know if I could even pull that off if I didn't make any real connections from the Sports Festival like everyone else did. It really sucks how often this keeps happening."

As Ochako lamented this, Momo gave a soft nod of agreement and understanding. "It really can seem overwhelming; how often something seems so easy a choice to make when you're not directly in it, but once you are, one choice suddenly turns into all these really heavy questions. If it were allowed, I would try to contact my Field Training mentor Uwabami and see if she could provide any potential Agencies for you to consider, Ochako-san… but I fear that if I did, it would be taking your ability to choose the way Tunguska-sensei described today, away from you."

As the rosy cheeked girl and the class vice president continued this pensive discussion; at the same time, Kyouka and Tooru were chatting with Mina, mainly about everything they had taken from Mirio's ending speech about Hero Internships. "The whole thing about Togata-senpai having a Quirk so stacked against him, only for him to turn it around and rise up from the bottom through training and will, it can't help but sound kinda romantic, right? Like something straight out of one of those underdog-type movies, you know?"

Kyouka and Tooru were both in full agreement with Mina's sentiment, since they had felt especially emboldened by his words by the time it had all been over. "Absolutely, and if he could be able to pull it off, then I have no doubt we all can, too. I've already been thinking of some good options for me to apply for."

As Tooru explained her own self-preparedness, Kyouka was already looking quite thoughtful about it herself, but not having anything concrete decided, she instead addressed her pink classmate again: "Have you decided where you're gonna apply yet, Mina-chan?"

To hers and Tooru's surprise, and very soon after, the rest of the girls as well; Mina's casual air quickly dropped, and now her eyes were reflecting a deep indecisiveness, looking back across the commons area. "I… actually haven't figured out how I'm gonna decide yet."

It was this single admission of Mina's that managed to help Tooru put it all together in record time. "It's about you and Kolya-kun, isn't it?" To none of the girls' surprise, Mina instantly flinched with surprise that he was already being brought up, pretty much telling them everything without having to say a word, with Kyouka just as quickly following up: "I mean, it only makes sense, since you guys already got to do Field Training together, why wouldn't you think of having an actual Hero Internship together, too?"

Seeing the deeply emotional conflict reflected on her pink face, Momo and Tsuyu proceeded to take their spots at her sides on one of the couches, with the black-haired vice president reflecting genuine empathy for the uncertainty Mina had to be going through. "I can only imagine how torn the responsibility of all this must be making you feel right now, Mina-san. You and Bezpalov-san have proven to be a surprisingly effective team when things get tough, nobody can deny that at this point. It does make sense that teams would want to stick together and see if their ability to work together and off of each other can improve that much more."

"But at the same time, we need to really think about how we can cultivate ourselves as individuals and become as strong as we can by our own definitions under certain Heroes, just like Togata-senpai said-kero. As well as you and Kolya-san work together… I'm sorry, Mina, but you need to consider just what might be getting held back in both of you if you just keep trying to rely on the idea of you both being at each other's side all the time." As Tsuyu stated the fact that had been tormenting Mina and Nikolay alike for what felt like so much longer than it already was, Mina herself had her eyes once again set on Nikolay's back.

"I know you girls all are right. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it for days, even. It really sucks, we were all looking forward to Internships for so long, but now that they're here, everything just feels so much harder." As she expressed these frustrations, all while never taking her watchful gaze off the Russian boy sitting with Izuku and Eijirou mere feet away, she suddenly got up to her feet; her hands clenched into determined fists at her sides, while all the other girls were watching her expression change with surprise.

"I'm not keeping this in anymore. We're all supposed to be getting ready to become awesome Pro Heroes together… and I'm not gonna let this keep us from getting there with you guys anymore." With that declaration made resolutely under her breath, Mina finally began to take a purposeful stride towards Nikolay, whom along with Eijirou and Izuku, was quick to notice the unusual non-bubbly intensity in her body language, before she finally came to a stop at the three boys' table.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, you guys. Kolya-kun, would it be okay if we talked about something… in private?" In a complete role reversal from the last time, Nikolay now found himself the one put on the spot with the least expected proposition in these circumstances. Of course, given those very same circumstances, that left him with very few possibly options as to just what it was she could possibly feel the need for them to be so discreet about, neither of which were ones he felt truly ready for. But knowing how much courage it had to have taken for her to ask this; knowing what they were both mentally going through, he of course readily said "of course," and soon the two were making their way down the hall to the girls' wing, thankfully going unnoticed by a good majority of their classmates, as they were all still so engaged in their own conversations.

Out of any of them, Eijirou was simply watching them leave with an encouraging grin, silently cheering them on to get over their hurdles in his head. The only others who really took notice were Denki, who was grinning knowingly to himself as he saw the two leave together into the girl's wing… and Minoru, who simply looked like he was about to start gnawing on the couch with jealousy as he poked his head out from behind it to watch their silent and awkward exit.

---

Without the context of something like the room showcase competition, what had already been a very awkward circumstance was near suffocating, as Nikolay and Mina sat in deeply uncomfortable silence in the privacy of her room. All of the determination that had driven her to invite him in had vanished, and now she was keeping her eyes glued to the floor and clutching the hem of her uniform skirt tight to try and psyche herself up for going any further.

Nikolay was similarly suffering in his head, as his mind was awhirl with the only two possibilities as to why she wanted him to come into her private spot of the whole building so they could be alone. It was either going to be about the Internships… or she was going to hopefully finally say her share of what they both knew was hanging precariously over both their heads. Even if he still had no idea how she truly felt, regardless of whatever she did, there was something in his gut that was all but convincing him of how she felt.

Finally, the silence was broken as Mina forced herself to suck in a breath through her teeth, and finally look Nikolay in his visibly nervous eyes. All this secret keeping was nothing short of torturous, and even she could see how much it was affecting him as well as her, and if finally, finally speaking up would be able to alleviate that for even one of them, then it would be worth it for that alone. "Kolya-kun… I-I really wanna talk to you about… a-about these Internships we're all doing."

With her finally admitting just what the subject was, Nikolay could feel half the weight bearing down on his shoulders finally lift, as he could finally bring himself to speak again as well: "Actually… I-I'd been wanting to talk to about that, too, Mina." There was a visible look of genuine relief in her eyes as he said this, and that was what made it hurt so much more for him to have to be the one to finally speak the one thing neither of them had wanted to consider. "I… I've been thinking about… well, like before in class, for a long time I was thinking about if we'd be able to intern at another Agency that would be willing to take us on as a team again. That's easily the one thing I want most out of this, no matter what Agency we'd be interning for… but at the same time, I've also been thinking about… well… if that's really the best thing for either of us."

Catching the regret in his now-shaking voice made it thankfully clear to Mina just what it was that was weighing on his mind so much, and while a part of her was grateful it was the very same thing plaguing her, the rest of her felt similar regret that there was no longer any avoiding talking about this. "So have I, Kolya-kun. I want us to be able to keep training together so we can become an awesome Hero team, cause I really think we could pull it off. I mean, I love being around you all the time, whether it's for studying or during free time, and I like to think I have a good understanding of how you think, and the other way around, too. That sounds like all the stuff needed for a totally doable Hero team, right?"

Mina couldn't maintain the surface-level optimism, no matter how much she wanted to, as her shoulders dropped. "But ever since what Togata-senpai said… no, even before that… I've also been thinking about… well, you said that one of your biggest reasons for wanting to become a Hero was to honor your mom's memory, remember? I don't want to get in the way of you being the best Hero you can, and now I can't stop worrying that that's exactly what I'm doing by wanting to be with you through all of it. What if I'm holding you back from growing wherever you need to grow the most? I don't want to think about all that, but it's just been constantly coming back over and over again, and Tsu-chan bringing it up out loud has only made it worse."

Mina's attempt at a calm and professional composure was crumbling fast, as she was soon starting to sniffle as she tried to fight back these long withheld tears born of her frustration. Seeing this change in her, Nikolay found himself beginning to feel the same, since she had pretty much taken the words right out of his mouth, even if his concerns were for him putting her at a disadvantage, and not the other way around.

"I don't want us to be apart either, Mina. I really don't. I love being with you too, whether we're training, saving people, fighting Villains or even just hanging out, having fun or doing nothing. You've been such a massive inspiration for me through so many hard times, whether it's me wanting to be a Hero in the first place, or inspiring me in how to develop myself and my Quirk. I'm past the point of backing down when things get bad, but when I'm with you, I genuinely feel like I can overcome anything."

The first of Mina's tears began to roll down her face as she tried to wipe them away from her eyes. "That's exactly how I feel too, Kolya-kun. Seeing you pick yourself up from the lowest point you were in, and come this far ever since has made you one of the most inspiring people I know. You've got to have seen it too; we keep directly inspiring each other in how we use our Quirks, plan things, and even how we fight together. But at the same time… we're both still aiming for the same goal: becoming Pro Heroes… and that's why I can't stop worrying about the possibility of our sticking together keeping us from really growing and reaching our potential we need in order to even get to the point of being Pro Heroes. I… I…"

Mina tried to keep the tears from coming back, but the more the two looked to each other, the less their emotional restraints could endure for either of them, and soon enough Mina finally let her tears run freely while Nikolay couldn't keep his own choking sobs down, especially as she finally expressed what ailed them both in the simplest way she could: "Kolya-kun, I don't know what the right thing to do is anymore!"

She and Nikolay instinctively held onto each other as they let their tears run freely down their faces; Nikolay's muffled "I don't know either," being muffled into the shoulder of Mina's uniform.

After several minutes of this emotional outpour, they finally let each other go, but there was still so much conflict they could see so clearly on each other's faces, only now it wasn't simply about the internships, that much was easy for anyone to see.

No, now they had finally started to reflect on the true source of their mutual emotional anguish, and even as they reflected upon it within themselves, they could just as clearly see the same thing in each other's faces. The true source of all this frustration was their shared inability or fear to simply say the entirety of the truth between them. No matter how much they both wanted the other to just come out and say it and put an end to the façade, they just as well knew that they had a great deal of the responsibility for this weight to bear themselves.

However, out of this mutual pain also came an unexpected spark of realization from the single most unlikely memory: their mutual reaction to Nejire's big question. They had both reacted the very same way, when in any other circumstance, it could have been one of them showing the same kind of surprise while the other simply denied it, or it could have been both of them denying it outright. And yet, either of them did that even after the fact.

There had to be some greater meaning behind that, and now more than ever did Nikolay and Mina want to find out that meaning for themselves. For the first time in days, they wanted nothing more than to simply put everything Heroics Studies-related aside, and just finally get to the core of their issue. If they could do that, no matter what kind of reaction they would get (even if it was becoming clearer just what they could expect if they did), then there was a great chance it could make everything else troubling them become so much easier to tackle.

However, despite the willingness of their hearts, in their minds they knew that as long as this overlying issue of their internships and how to approach them remained, they wouldn't ever have the focus and confidence needed to finally put this final question between them into words, let alone action. As much as it silently killed them to have to accept this, the fact was that they needed to focus on the more immediate of their mutual concerns first… but the question now was how they could do that if neither of them felt any confidence in their ability to decide for themselves, let alone as a duo.

That was when a momentary thought back to mere minutes ago had Mina's whole body go rigid; her once emotional anguished eyes now lit up with what could have been the perfect realization. "You know… I recently heard Urara-chan talking about wanting to intern with Tunguska-sensei again, even though she'd kind of done it last semester already."

The moment she said this, Nikolay now likewise lifted his head, his eyes lighting up the very same way. "Midoriya-san was talking about the same thing with his mentor from back then, someone named Gran Torino. If they're both essentially thinking the same thing, you don't think we might be able to…?"

A brilliant smile of pure hope was already on Mina's face, as she hurriedly reached for a nearby laptop of turquoise and purple lying on her bed and set it up on the tiny little table in the middle of her room, leading Nikolay to instinctively sit down beside her as she started sorting through a list of contacts on her phone as she plugged it into the computer. "Kolya-kun, this could be just the answer we're looking for! I swear, if this works, I owe Urara-chan big time!"

"And I, Midoriya-san! Fingers crossed!" Nikolay eagerly agreed, even holding up his crossed index and middle finger on his right hand to prove how serious he was, prompting Mina to gladly do the same.

In record time they had a video call projected on the screen, and in even less time they soon found themselves being greeted by the eagerly smiling faces of not only Willow Light, but this time also Reflector, Big Trouble and Ninja of Valour (the first and latter of whom the two students could only assume were smiling as much as their mentor and the diminutive member of the Kamuron Hero Agency).

"HEY, THERE YOU TWO ARE! I just had a feeling in my gut I'd be hearing from both of you again before too long!" Púca greeted her two former students with cheer, soon echoed by Reflector and Ninja of Valour ("Good evening, Bezpalov-san, Ashido-san! God, is it good to see you kids again, it feels like it's been years!" "Hell yeah! Congratulations on getting your Provisional Licenses; I had no doubt you kids would be able to do it! In your first year as students, too; that's so damn impressive!"), while Big Trouble was elbowing the black-clad Hero beside him, barely muttering how the latter now owed him a thousand yen as to when they would get this call.

Nikolay and Mina were just as happy in their re-greeting all their old mentors, simply overcome with the joy of hearing their voices and seeing their faces again. Púca especially looked like she was ready to shed tears of nostalgic joy at the sight of the two together again, especially after what she finally knew for certain about the two teens on their monitor. "So, were you two just feeling nostalgic and wanted to check in on all of us? That's so sweet of you both, if that's the case, or even if it isn't! It's just real nice for you to think to reach out to us even after all this time! You kids must be so busy already now that you're able to participate in Hero work officially!"

"Actually, Púca-sensei, me and Kolya-kun were hoping you all might be able to help us out with something we've been trying to figure out together." Mina corrected, snapping all the Heroes before them to full attention, while Nikolay inched in beside her so they could see him just as clearly as her; completely oblivious to the way Púca's eyes lit up when seeing the two inch in together like that.

"Yeah, we all recently got the go-ahead from our teacher to start applying for official Hero Internships. We were hoping to find an Agency that would be willing to take us together as a team, but we didn't know if anyone would."

"But then we heard from some of our classmates that they were hoping to intern for the same Heroes they had Field Training with, and that gave us the idea of reaching out to you guys again. Would you all be willing to let us intern for you officially this time? Please?"

As Mina and Nikolay simultaneously ended their request with a single "please," they both felt all but certain that this would work out. However, when they saw the troubled looks on all their faces as they glanced to each other, they could once again feel their spirits drop. With a regretful sigh, Púca finally gave their answer:

"I'm sorry, you two. Erubi City may be small, but we've been dealing with a steady rise in Villain activity here, just like everywhere else after All Might's retirement. Plus, with Master Mesh being similarly forced to retire after the Vukodlak incident, we've found ourselves especially pressed for the time we would need to really be able to train any intern, let alone two at once."

Following her lead, Big Trouble continued further: "Besides, even with the four of us all together, there's really only so much experience and knowledge we'd be able to give you both that would really be able to help you grow. The fact is that, in order to become the best Heroes you can, you're going to need all the experience and teaching you can get from any number of sources. It's touching that you both really want to come to us for this, but that's just the way it is in this line of work."

The pained look on all the Heroes' faces was unmistakable, but especially on Púca when she saw how forlorn her two former students look, and even more so when Nikolay spoke up once more: "We understand all that. That's precisely what's been making this so hard. We both understand that we need to grow on our own merits… but it's precisely because of each other that we've both managed to grow as much as we have. We've inspired each other in how we use our Quirks, how we fight, how we carry ourselves in and out of a crisis. You can't honestly say that every duo of Heroes automatically has that kind of effect on each other, can you?"

By this point, even Mina now had the drive to inch in closer to the camera, as if that would help them all see just how serious she and Nikolay were right now. "That's right! The fact is that I don't want to train apart from Kolya-kun, no matter how much I know it would probably help. You can go ahead and call it careless if you want, but… but I don't care. Are you really saying there's no other Agency out there that would actually be willing to meet us halfway on this?"

At this one specific question, Reflector suddenly seemed to perk up; his eyes visibly widening from within the holes in his mirror-like mask. "Actually… there may be another! If your Hero education is anything like mine was when I was your age, then your Hero Internships are no doubt meant to be conducted by using the connections you made through the Sports Festival! If that's the case, then it's only fair that any one of us use the resources we can to help you two!

"The Hero Agency that I interned with back then, the Kapenta Hero Agency up in Hokkaido, may be able to provide the both of you with quite the learning experience; assuming, of course, that you both don't mind the lengthy train ride you'll have to take to get there! Their Top Hero was my mentor during my second and third years, and we still keep in touch even to this day! If I give him and the whole Agency my personal recommendation of you two, I have no doubts they would gladly take you both together. Let me just get in touch with them, and then I can give you all their contact info so you can apply for them personally. That show of initiative will help you both immensely."

Had it not been for the fact they were physically so far apart, Mina and Nikolay would have both been most inclined to embrace Reflector and the rest of the Kamuron Heroes for this miraculous stroke of hope that had just been given to them. "Thank you so much, Reflector-sensei! You really wouldn't mind doing this for us?" Nikolay asked, still trying to process it all as his joy was crossing into near disbelief just like his pink companion.

Reflector gave a most jovial laugh at their shared enthusiasm and gratitude. "Of course I would! After everything we all went through together the last time, how could I do any different? Besides, a Hero Internship all the way up in Hokkaido will provide a learning experience for the both of you that you won't find anywhere else in Japan, and that's a guarantee. You see, over the centuries and through every possible government shift on either side, Hokkaido has always had the single biggest concentrated Russian population in Japan, and the Kapenta Agency is conveniently located in the portion of that island where that concentration is the biggest.

"So for you, Bezpalov-san, it'll be a great means for you to really exercise what you've learned about being a Hero amidst your own countrymen. And for you, Ashido-san, it'll be a perfect opportunity for you to really get a taste of how to conduct yourself as a Pro Hero before an international public. After all, the very best Heroes are the ones that come to be recognized by the world over, just like All Might. Consider this the first major stepping stone for both of you towards that pinnacle!"

The uplifting sense of pure confidence and hope that Reflector's words left Nikolay and Mina feeling was nothing short of a miracle, Heaven-sent. Out of a pit of pure despair and hopelessness, they had been given the guiding light they both needed to finally get through their internship rut. If Reflector was right, and this Kapenta Hero Agency would take them both in as a package deal, then everything in this school-related regard was squared away. And if that were the case, and if everything were to actually work out, then maybe, just maybe, it would be just the thing that could finally ease their hearts and minds just enough to give them both the courage to finally confess everything there was to be confessed between them at long last.

On top of everything else this was promising for them; that one distinct possibility left Nikolay and Mina feeling more emboldened and ready to take on their official Hero Internship with everything they had, no matter what.

---

Elsewhere…

In the dark, dusty, cold yet all-too familiar confines of a single nondescript and long-abandoned warehouse, all but three of the members that made up the League of Villains were standing in a small gathered semicircle within the shadows, having all finally gathered here for the long-awaited and promised meeting that had been arranged between the cryptically silent Tomura and the mysterious potential new recruit that had been scouted for them by an especially eager Twice.

Vukodlak was keeping his arms crossed, carefully observing the number of his present allies and their positioning, resulting in a barely visible twitch upon his face, turning into a disapproving scowl. "I still don't like this. I understand why they aren't here, but I would feel a little better if we had Kurogiri-san, Dabi-san and Spinner-san, our full forces, here at the ready. No matter how much confidence Twice-san claims to have in this guy, that doesn't change the fact that the rest of us don't know him from a hole in the ground. From my experience working with the criminal underworld, Villains already in established groups don't tend to do well with new faces…and visa versa."

Mr. Compress and Magne had their eyes on their Russian ally, unsure if he was speaking out of genuine senses of concern, or if he was simply trying to sow fear of their visitor among them. At the same time, Himiko was rocking back and forth impatiently atop a nearby crate, leaning her head back on a swivel to look his way. "What are you talking about? Even if we had to fight you at first, you still fit into our group pretty good by now, just like me and Dabi did. It's not like we got any warmer a welcome than you did when we first showed up. Tomura can tell you that."

Despite such childish assurances, it did nothing to ease Vukodlak's tension. He still didn't even take his eyes from the shadows ahead. "You say that, but let's not forget that there's still an underlying purpose you all need me for. You wouldn't have worked so hard to aid in my escape if that weren't the case. Once that inevitably comes to pass, then you can talk to me about my fitting in with you all. Until then, all I know is that you're hanging onto me because you need something from me… that's the case with any Villain organization when you look hard enough."

"Everybody shut your mouths. We're not alone here anymore." Tomura suddenly announced with a hushed whisper, rendering Vukodlak and Himiko silent and fully alert, with all eyes now falling upon the shadows, where just at that moment, they could start to hear the sound of two slowly approaching pairs of footsteps, punctuated only by a single muffled cough.

Finally, from out of the darkness emerged the bodysuit-clad form of an especially enthusiastic Twice, accompanied by a single other figure; his clothes consisting of a pair of black pants and matching shoes and vest with a white necktie, underneath a thick dark olive-colored jacket with a feathery purple collar lining the neck. His sleeves only went to his elbows, and his hands were adorned with unassuming thin white gloves. He had a head of short, neatly trimmed dark brown hair and yellow eyes that gave off an especially intimidating intensity and sharpness, especially given the fact that with the exception of his eyes, the rest of his face was obscured by a hefty dark red and brown leather mask shaped like the beak of a raven lined with two holes along the sides, with the end capped in gold-colored metal, almost like the mask worn by plague doctors of Renaissance times.

Upon their arrival, under the unreadable gaze of Tomura, Twice immediately broke the silence: "Sorry for the wait, you guys! This is the guy I was telling you all about! I know appearances can only account for so much, but you can take my word for it: if you try talking to him, he's a surprisingly good guy; more than qualified for our group! HE GIVES ME THE CREEPS!"

Mentally blocking out Twice's rambling, Tomura's hidden eyes continued to measure this stranger from top to bottom, barely cracking the beginnings of a smirk beneath his hand mask. "Twice… you brought me a good one, didn't you? For all of your hyping up, and especially after he went so far as to call for this little gathering, in spite of our current circumstances… needless to say, he's got quite the expectation to live up to."

Twice decided to take a step aside, allowing his mysterious and especially silent guest speak for himself. However, instead, his piercing eyes seemed to not only be looking over the state of the warehouse itself, but especially every one of the individuals before him with particular focus. When his eyes met Vukodlak's, the Russian Villain could swear he saw only the faintest glimmer of recognition before the prospect's eyes returned to the whole group before him, only acknowledging Twice without even looking his way. "A rundown and rusted old wreck for an interview site; and a ragtag bunch of common street punks and directionless nobodies to fill the ranks? You call a group like this 'a good one?' So this is the oft-spoken of League of Villains, huh? What a joke."

Even the muffled filter over his voice did nothing to hide the pure disdain in his tone from Vukodlak's perfectly trained ears, his fingers momentarily twitching in preparation for a conflict if this whole meeting was going to devolve from here. All the while, nobody else made a move or even showed any sign of reaction to this less-than-promising start, other than Magne barely speaking out the corner of their mouth to Tomura: "What's with this guy's attitude? He's talking like he's some kind of big shot, but I've never seen him before. Just who the hell is he?"

To the surprise of his comrades in the wake of being openly ridiculed, Tomura answered with exceptional calmness: "Sensei actually showed me a picture of this man before. The so-called yakuza, the young leader of the Shie Hassaikai: the Eight Precepts of Death."

Despite such an admittedly impressive-sounding title, Vukodlak was still instinctively measuring up this young man before them, while Himiko simply brought her knees to her chest, watching him with childlike curiosity. "This guy seems so totally different from the rest of us, doesn't he?"

Ever the attentive listener, Mr. Compress immediately answered with thankfully restrained bravado: "Let this old man teach you something, my dear young Toga-san. Back in the days before the onset of Quirks, there were a number of frightening organizations across the globe that controlled the criminal underworld. However, with the prospering of Heroes came the systematic dismantling of those organizations. The times came to an end with the rise of All Might especially. Those who were not caught and locked away were basically treated like common criminals, under constant surveillance and living at the bottom of the barrel."

For once, even Vukodlak, unable to help but listen in on the sudden history lesson, found himself likewise driven to give Himiko the full education she deserved: "That's right. Over the years after the complete collapse of organized crime in the age of Heroes, there were numerous instances throughout the generations of the scattered remnants of those organizations; even the ones that got completely dismantled; trying to combine their dwindling forces with especially ambitious Villains in order to provide the proper balance of strength, numbers and financial resources needed to reclaim their perceived rightful place in the world. However, for one reason or another, every one of those attempts failed miserably, and simply resulted in yet more glorified common crooks getting permanently knocked down from their spots at the high table of the underworld.

"My guess is that the only reason this Shie Hassaikai group has managed to last for as long as it sounds like in this day and age is because A: all the members of it are no doubt all Quirked, thus giving them that common ground; and B: likely long-time interpersonal history that can provide for them all to form the one unifying Villain ideology needed for them to properly work together, or a common goal they all similarly believe in."

Himiko looked genuinely fascinated by everything her two comrades were telling her while everyone else simply waited begrudgingly. In the end, Mr. Compress finished it all with a simple yet tell-all proclamation: "Yes, but regardless of all that, it can be much more quickly summed up by saying that our guest and his organization here are simply an endangered species left over from old times."

All was deathly silent in the wake of such a statement, and Twice couldn't help but feel a particularly nervous sweat coming on. However, his guest never gave any indication of offense as he simply met Vukodlak and Mr. Compress' respective gazes. "Well, I can't say either of you are wrong on either of your assumptions. We've kept ourselves below the radar for a while. My ascent to the leadership, in the grand scheme of things, is only relatively recent."

"So then what business does Bottom-of-the-Barrel-Yakuza-san have with us? Are you just another one of those types who's riding on a high after All Might's retirement?" Magne suddenly asked with an unmistakable air of condescension. Once again, displaying a stoic calm that any Villain would have found admirable, the beak-masked stranger answered just as professionally and straightforward as could be:

"No…more so than All Might, the fall of the man known as All For One was significant." The mentioning of Tomura's teacher and the giver of Vukodlak's extra Quirks instantly put the whole of the League members visibly on edge, and earned the prospect a momentarily icy gold stare from Tomura, whose maintained physical stillness only added to the chill in the air.

"The Emperor of Darkness, he who controls the entirety of the Japanese underworld…my generation regarded him like an urban legend. Nonetheless, the elders believed in him, and feared him accordingly. But now, we've heard rumors of his demise. About how, this time, he revealed himself in his true form to the world at large, and how he was subsequently thrown into Tartarus. In other words…there is no longer anyone who absolutely rules over the day and night. And so the question now is: who will be the next one to rule in his place?"

And there was the question Vukodlak had instinctively been preparing himself for; the question that always came up when a power vacuum came into play. His fingers tipped with his steel claws were twitching once more, just waiting for the first sign from Tomura telling him to attack. He had no doubt this stranger had to have some kind of backup, but if the rest of the League were to act in proper synchronization after him, it could still be enough to wipe them all out.

"If you say that you know who our Sensei is, and yet you still ask that kind of question… are you deliberately trying to stir things up?" Tomura suddenly asked with that bone-chilling low voice; his one visible red eye burning straight into the masked man before him; his body language showing just how deathly serious his next words would be: "The next one to rule… will be me. As of now, we are gathering more and more strength, and continuing to expand. And with our combined power, we will bring down this Hero society without fail, not just here in Japan, but eventually the entire world over."

Despite this undeniable rooted conviction within Tomura's statement, the stranger showed no sign of even being remotely moved by it. "Yes, I should have figured your eyes would be set to such a lofty goal, given you have a clear-cut yet… familiar-looking foreigner among your ranks. Why would he care about simply establishing your position of power in Japan alone, and not try to expand your influence to his own stomping grounds at the very least? Regardless how far you're actually aiming to take yourselves, let me at least ask you this: do you have a plan?"

With himself having now been drawn specifically into the discussion, Vukodlak actually stepped forward, looking the stranger dead in the eye: "As a matter of fact, we actually do. Right now, we're taking multiple simultaneous approaches towards not only bolstering our ranks, but also securing the resources needed to consolidate our strength and gain the best kind of preemptive advantages over the Heroes the world over."

The stranger returned Vukodlak's eye with a look of mild curiosity, clearly able to sense the confidence lining the foreign Villain's words as he continued. "You obviously have your finger on the pulse of the underworld in this country, so I'm confident you already have considered this, but the further along the world sees the League of Villains step forward on the heads of all the Heroes that today's society is built around, more and more aspiring Villains will come to be a part of our organization as a result: strengthening through sheer influential presence. From there, it's a steady climb upward until, in the end, we find ourselves in a world with no more Heroes that the so-called leaders of civilization can use to oppress those of us that simply want to live freely."

It was so unusual to the League members to see their sole foreign member actually speak up with such clear-as-day conviction, especially to the face of someone new. The sight of it actually had Himiko grinning with pure giddiness; her perception of him being cool only growing that much stronger.

However, the beak-masked prospect's gaze never changed, only now letting out a muffled sigh in response. "I must say, this is a rather disappointing sight. You piqued my curiosity when I first heard about you through the news… Vukodlak-san. I didn't think I'd see a Villain who was able to launch a well-coordinated bombing attack on an entire city, and stage a one-man assault on a whole Hero Agency entirely on his own, start playing second fiddle to anyone, especially after whatever miracle apparently gave you back your leg and your eyes."

Vukodlak gave no visible sign of irritation and never took his eyes off this man's piercing gaze as he simply leaned from side to side, as though measuring the foreigner before him up. "Honestly, if you had any true backbone, you would be trying to follow my example back in old Mother Russia. The way I hear it, they don't even have any actual Heroes of their own for you to contend with, so whatever you're doing all the way out here is beyond me. Not taking the advantage when it's right in front of you, I've learned, is a sign of one thing and one thing only: weakness."

Vukodlak's face was as stone-still as could be, but inside, he was already preparing himself to slit this young upstart's throat from ear to ear and watching him choke on his own blood. Regardless whether Tomura would give him the go-ahead or not, the idea of it was starting to prove more and more enticing, even if the look in those yellow eyes looked as though he were expecting just that.

"What is this? 'A plan?' Didn't you come here to become allies with us?" Tomura asked with a growing disdain that the rest of his allies were already more than familiar with; all bracing themselves for what they could feel in their guts was about to happen.

However, the stranger continued calmly standing his ground. "Frankly, it doesn't matter how many people you have under your command or what their Quirks are. In the end, an objective without a plan is nothing but mere delusion. Being presented with delusion only troubles me. What will you do when you gather your strength? How will you pull the strings? What kind of organization do you actually plan to build? Think about it: Stain, the Hero-Killer; Muscular, the hedonistic murderer; Moonfish, the escaped death row convict; Vukodlak, the Hunter of Heroes. Each of them is a first-class pawn, and yet you've managed to already put three of them to waste, and have the last one wallowing about like a glorified guard dog. Do you really not know how to properly use the resources at your disposal?

"You know not how to make use of these enraged individuals by your side, and yet you talk about expanding your power? What do you plan on doing with this power you can't control? To accomplish an objective, a plan is absolutely necessary… AND I HAVE A PLAN. I didn't come here today to be asked to join your group."

And there was, at long last, the penultimate point; they could all feel it. Twice was especially shaken when he could feel Tomura's frightening glare fall upon him from behind his hand mask. "Twice… the next time you bring a prospect to me, make sure you have your head on straight first."

Ignoring this momentary aside, the masked stranger continued ever onward, far too emboldened by the faith in himself and his own self-professed plan to simply stop here. "To carry out my plan, a vast amount of financial capital is needed. A relic of the past yakuza like myself is going to have difficulty securing investors. We've managed to establish the beginnings of seller/buyer relations with a few especially desperate foreign governments, but that's ultimately no more than a drop in the bucket of what I need.

"However, if I have the lot of you overhyped Villains on my side, it's a bit of a different story." With that, reaching the crescendo of the offer for which he'd asked for this meeting to begin with, he finally extended his folded hands Tomura's way, as though extending an inviting hand or asking a pittance. "Come under my wing, all of you. Let me show you how you should be used, and then I will become the next ruler… perhaps not even of just the underworld of Japan, but perhaps even the whole global underworld, just as you suggested. It does sound more and more enticing the more I think about it, admittedly."

"Go back." This was all Tomura immediately had to say in response to this, and it was still spoken with the very chill of the grave. That was all any of the League needed to hear, in order to know that this was as much warning as their leader was going to give this man.

Where Vukodlak was standing, however, it might as well have been the signal he needed to do what he knew needed to be done. He'd seen his fair share of ambitious Villains like this one before, and they and common criminals of similar drive all had one thing in common: if they got turned down by those they wished to recruit, they did not simply let that be the end of it. If he didn't remove this threat right now, he could very well bring destruction on their heads with ease. With the distance between them at this moment, he could close it and open his throat wide in no more than two strides, easy.

"I'm so sorry, Yakuza-san, but we're not gathered here to be placed under anybody." Magne suddenly announced this as they stepped before Tomura, and pulled the cloth away from the large 2x4 they had always been carrying on them, revealing a massive column-shaped magnet in hand.

In an instant, the League's beak-masked enemy suddenly began to glow blue and get yanked right off his feet towards their red-headed ally. The entire time, Magne was now on a verbal roll: "Not too long ago, I met with one of my friends. As timid and shy a person as she is, she still accepts me for who I am as a friend, despite my background. She said to me: 'those who are chained by common knowledge will laugh at those who aren't.' And it's because I want to live a life without shackles that I am here!"

As Magne's tirade grew more and more in raw emotion, Vukodlak could barely spy amid the rush, that as he flew forward, the masked man was suddenly pulling off one of his gloves. The sight of this sent all of the Russian Villain's defensive instincts into full gear, as he began to reach for the space between Magne and their target, trying to summon up one of the few defensive Quirks that All For One had given him, something he called 'Air Shield.'

However, just as Vukodlak was about to put up the invisible wall between them, Magne decided to take the one step forward needed to drive one end of their magnetic weapon straight into the head of the beak-masked Villain, with a resonating battle cry to cap it all off: "WHERE WE BELONG IS FOR US TO DECIDE!"

At the very fraction of a moment that Magne's weapon collided with his head, the once-ensnared masked man utilized this quickly shortened distance to reach out and touch one of the fingers of his now ungloved hand directly to Magne's left arm.

BOOOM!

With an instantaneous and sickeningly wet explosive sound echoing across the warehouse, and before the wide and shell-shocked eyes of every single member of the League of Villains present, Magne's entire body from the waistline up exploded like a water balloon, leaving their magnet weapon clanging uselessly to the ground, and their lower half barely standing upon its heels, before ultimately collapsing over lifelessly like a chopped down tree.

The whole warehouse was now as silent as a tomb, as everyone, even Tomura and Vukodlak, struggled to find the wherewithal to actually speak, even so much as to let out a grunt of confusion as to the reality of what they'd just seen happen to one of their comrades so easily.

All the while, their new enemy stood triumphantly over the Villain's remains, spattered from head to toe in their blood… and looking upon the whole scene with a frigid cold glare of disgust.

"MAGNE?!"

Everyone finally cried out in horrified and enraged unison all in one as the reality finally hit them like a pickaxe to the senses. All at once, every single one of them was seeing nothing but red, and feeling nothing but pure hate-driven bloodlust on an apocalyptic level as their eyes landed upon the man before them. He could likewise see and feel all of their murderous hate fall upon him as he muttered coldly: "You guys threw the first punch." Then, just as quickly did his eyes fall upon all the blood he was now covered in. "Ugh, so filthy. That's why I hate stuff like this."

With the swiftness of a heartbeat, Mr. Compress and Vukodlak were already taking action, with the magician-like Villain launching himself forward from over the still-frozen Himiko's head, making a mid-air beeline for the man before him, while Vukodlak finally acted on his twitching fingers' muscle memory and reached behind his right side, looping his fingers through the handled of multiple small throwing darts and sending them all flying directly for their enemy with a single flick of his wrist; his aim determined and true.

However, this man's reflexes were just as sharp, as he swiftly managed to dodge half, and destroy the rest with a blindingly quick and precise series of counter-active jabs from his ungloved hand.

Fortunately, though, after what he had just witnessed that this person was capable of, the idea of him being quick enough to dodge and deflect was something Vukodlak had taken into consideration. If nothing else, it would be a good enough distraction to allow Mr. Compress to finally close the distance and use his own Quirk to trap this man once and for all.

With left hand outstretched and reaching for their enemy's arm, Mr. Compress was already beginning to activate his Quirk the instant he felt his fingers meet skin. But at the very last possible moment, he suddenly felt a sharp prick further up the arm in question, and just as quickly did he feel something else… something less, in fact.

'What the hell?! My Quirk…why can't I feel it anymore?!'

At the same moment Mr. Compress had realized this lack of feeling in his extended arm, his fingers had finally met the exposed arm of his enemy, and this, out of anything else in the world, was what finally broke his constant calm composure, as his eyes swiftly landed on the magician, reflecting nothing but disgust and hate all his own. "DON'T TOUCH ME."

BOOOM!

With another splattering explosion, the magician Villain's whole left arm up to his shoulder instantaneously exploded in another splash of pure red, all with a single swipe of the beak-faced Villain's arm.

"M-M-MY ARRRRRM!"

As Mr. Compress clutched the bleeding stump that was once his left arm, howling in pure animalistic agony, Vukodlak was once again instantly on the reactive, this time having reached back around his left side and drawing a simple .45 pistol, instantly aiming it at their opponent before him. By some kind of miracle, he had managed to catch the brief glimmer of light of some kind of dart-like projectile flying through the air into his injured comrade's arm, and somehow, that had caused his Compression Quirk to not instantly take effect.

This was still utterly an assumption on his part, but as far as Vukodlak was concerned, this strategy was crude but effective. After all, even if whoever had shot Mr. Compress were to shoot him with one of those things, he didn't need a Quirk to still blow this bastard's head off where he stood.

However, before he could pull the trigger, he glimpsed the sight of Tomura suddenly rushing in like a blur towards the man as well, having only just barely beaten Vukodlak to it as he already had one hand fully extended, ready to grab on with everything he had and disintegrate his newest enemy into dust and beyond. From the momentary shock reflected in his yellow eyes, it was clear that he had realized the threat bearing down upon him as well. "SHIELD!"

From out of absolutely nowhere, an unfamiliar second person in a similar beak-shaped mask came rushing in on command and all but threw himself between his own comrade and Tomura, causing the League's leader to plant his hand straight into his torso, and leave his unintended victim to let out a bone dry death rattle as his body instantly broke apart and disintegrated into crumbling pieces of dust.

BKOOM!

As if on cue, the wall behind the still-alive beaked Villain exploded inward, revealing the literally gigantic form of a muscle-bound beast of a man in another beak-shaped mask that completely encapsulated his own head, with a much tinier figure in a full bodysuit of black with a beak mask riding atop him. And following in their wake, two more figures suddenly dropped down from within the shadows of the ceiling; one dressed in a white hooded cloak with yet another beak mask and a gun in hand, and another in a black cloak and wide-rimmed black hat that, alongside his own beak mask, much more perfectly captured the plague doctor look Vukodlak had imagined to himself mere minutes ago.

"That was a close one, Overhaul," the white-hooded subordinate of their finally-identified adversary stated with an air of relief, while Overhaul himself barely gave any one of his subordinates a sideways glance. "Even so, you were slower than I expected."

"Yeah, I missed my original shot. Still, though, the fast-acting effect was good enough for you, wasn't it?" Despite the reassurance his hooded underling tried to answer him with, Overhaul wasn't taking his eyes off the League before him, all while Tomura, visibly trembling with rage, was simply taking stock of their odds. "I see now… things between us would have been a lot clearer if you'd just done this from the start."

While Twice was currently expressing his shock at his having been somehow followed; Vukodlak was personally taking in the varying sizes and overall looks of Overhaul and his people, as if trying to mentally calculate how effectively he could subdue (or preferably slaughter) every one of them from here. At the same time, Overhaul looked upon the now empty mask of his disintegrated subordinate and simply let out a frustrated sigh, staring the whole League of Villains down.

"I was hoping to take care of things here in a peaceful manner. Now that it's like this, you won't be able to make a level-headed judgment anymore. Hmm… it is quite unproductive for us to expend any more of each other's fighting power. We've got a casualty on each side… so let's stop here for now. We can talk again when you've all cooled your heads. You are down an arm, though. Sorry about that."

Somehow, the fact that Overhaul could still speak so casually after what he'd just done, only served to enrage Twice, Himiko and Vukodlak alike all that much more, as Twice was in the middle of trying to carry the already unconscious Mr. Compress out of the line of fire, all while screaming with rage how he would kill the man responsible; Vukodlak once again had his pistol perfectly leveled at the young yakuza leader's head, and Himiko already had her knife at the ready. "Tomura, I can stab him! I'll stab him!" "Not before I blow this smug son of a bitch's head off! Shooting me with your fancy darts won't stop that!"

And beside all of them, Tomura was still visibly shaking with a downright genocidal hatred as his eye was staring upon Overhaul and his whole group as though he were trying to disintegrate them all with his mind. All of this aside, however, he was still able to recognize their odds for what they were. And thus, all he could answer his comrade's calls for action with was a bitter "Don't."

While Tomura's allies could only look to their leader with disbelief, complete with Twice all but begging to take responsibility for his bringing Overhaul here to begin with, the yakuza leader himself was already casually taking his leave, halfway out the sliding door before coming to a stop, and barely looking back over his shoulder to the beleaguered League of Villains left in his wake.

"It doesn't have to be right away, but the sooner the better. Please take the time to think long and hard… about your organization and plan and whatnot." With that, Overhaul suddenly reached into his pocket, and with a perfectly aimed and timed flick of his wrist, sent a single plain business card flying through the air and landing perfectly at Tomura's feet. "Once you've calmed yourself, call me."

And just like that, Overhaul, and his band of loyal subordinates known as the Eight Precepts of Death, the Shie Hassaikai, finally took their leave, and all Tomura Shigaraki and his League of Villains could do as he knelt down to begrudgingly take that bastard's business card, was simply take in their current circumstances, face the facts and mourn their first truly personal loss in their campaign, as well as the overall soundness with which they'd been beaten by these all-around criminal relics that had once been too shit-scared to poke their heads from out of the shadows.

In the wake of this sharp downward turn in their plans, Tomura ultimately was left with no choice but to use his Decay on Magne's remains while Himiko could only watch while clutching her knife in a trembling white-knuckled grip. At the same time, Vukodlak finally tucked his gun away and was now in the middle of applying his Super Regeneration through his hand onto the out cold Mr. Compress' stump.

Once he knew Vukodlak had done about all he could for their wounded comrade, and that there was no longer any evidence to link this incident with the League in case any nosey police were to come this way, Tomura took out his phone and hit the first button on speed dial. "Kurogiri… the meeting was a failure. Take us all back to HQ and tell the Doctor to be ready."

The moment he hung up, a multitude of black warp gates opened before all the remaining League members, and they just as quickly stepped through, leaving the now partially destroyed warehouse empty.

---

The Doctor had been quick to take Mr. Compress off their hands upon their return. As grateful as he was for Vukodlak having stepped in to apply the touch that would ultimately regenerate his arm, he was still losing a great deal of blood, and that was where the Doctor would intercede for now. In the meantime, all everyone else could do was simply stand by and ponder exactly what their next course of action would be.

"I'm never trusting anybody I find out there at face value again after this. Maybe I should just kill anyone else I scout who actually offers a meeting themselves next time. Leave that kind of decision making to us alone from now on." Twice muttered bitterly, every now and then slamming his palm to his forehead as though trying to beat himself up for his role in this.

Neither Vukodlak nor Himiko could answer that right now, still too wrapped up in the gravity of their situation. It would have certainly helped if Dabi and Spinner were here right now so they could have that many more perspectives to work off of. But as of right now, it was only this handful of people, and right now they knew they needed some kind of alternative plan to act on.

The more Vukodlak kept thinking back on that whole confrontation, the visibly angrier it made him. Despite what he had said before about simply being with the League because they needed something from him, that didn't change the fact that, by definition, they were all technically comrades, and that included Magne. In his perspective, the loss of a comrade was simply unforgivable, and the fact he wasn't able to put a bullet in Overhaul's head was already eating away at him in a way he hadn't been expecting today.

And in the middle of all of this, Tomura was sitting in chilling silence, still looking at Overhaul's business card, twirling it around in his fingers. At the sight of this surprising pensive state of his, Himiko finally spoke up: "I'm surprised you haven't turned that stupid thing to dust already, Tomura. What're you thinking about? We're not actually gonna work with that guy, are we?"

The card twirling came to a sudden stop, and just as quickly did Tomura crumple it up in his hand, clenching his fists to the point a trickle of blood was starting to run between the fingers of his left hand. "Not a goddamn chance. I didn't think it was possible to feel a hatred like this for someone other than All Might and the rest of those stupid Heroes anymore…the hatred that makes me want nothing more than to look in their eyes and watch the light fade as they choke and crumble to dust in my hands, knowing I'm the one who's killed them as it happens. That… that's exactly how I feel toward this Overhaul bastard right now. All I want now is to see him dead so that I can rule my way, and prove that arrogant prick wrong."

"And how exactly do you plan on accomplishing that, Tomura-san?" Vukodlak suddenly asked, drawing all eyes on him as he kept his arms crossed, clutching his sleeves with simmering anger of his own. "Believe me, I also want nothing more than to see that asshole dead right now for what he did… but he did make a good point: for as clear as our ultimate goal is, we haven't figured out any of the steps on how to reach that goal. The Doctor studying Tunguska, Kolya and Midoriya's blood is a more time-consuming alternative to what you all helped break me out for in the first place. Besides that, even for as powerful as our Quirks are, we still don't have the proper numbers in our ranks, or the resources to be able to make this complete Hero erasure and societal overthrow any more feasible."

Vukodlak continued to stand his ground, even as his discouraging words were leaving Tomura barely shaking with anger, his single red eye staring him down with murderous rage. "How can you, of all people, be the one saying that? You're the one who was able to take down an entire Hero Agency on your own… and you're telling me we're in a position where we can't make any effective strides forward?"

However, thankfully able to sense their leader's simmering frustration, Himiko suddenly interjected: "So if you're saying all that about where we are right now, does that mean you have any better suggestions on how we fix that?"

To this, Vukodlak suddenly began to form the slightest smile of genuine confidence, which his three comrades were quick to pick up on. He began instinctively stretching out his fingers and cracking his knuckles in preparation now that the one member of this group who seemed to actually admire him had given him the opening he needed. "As a matter of fact, I do… and you all here can help me to pull it off as thoroughly as ever, too. Tomura-san, you sent me out there with Toga-san to get Tunguska's blood for you, because you wanted to test my willingness to helping the League see its goals through, remember? Well, now this can be the chance for you all to show me the same kind of conviction on your ends."

Tomura's physical tension thankfully seemed to give way to that unsettling stillness as his one visible eye kept staring Vukodlak down, as if trying to pick up on the very first sign that he was just being fed a line. "You sound especially confident about all that. Is this something that's going to help bolster our ranks?"

"Depending how things play out, it might. Primarily it's a way that we can at least bolster and improve our base strength until the opportunity to truly expand comes along. It may take us a few days to do what we have to, and unfortunately, we still can't take our more attention-grabbing members like Dabi-san or Spinner-san with us." The moment Vukodlak clarified this last little detail, an inkling of understanding started to form in Tomura's mind. He was starting to develop a rather good guess just what their foreign ally had in mind.

"It's a long shot, but given the circumstances and Vukodlak-san's confidence in its success, it's one worth taking, Shigaraki Tomura." The sudden intrusion of All For One's voice echoing in the heads of every League member present made Himiko, Twice and even Vukodlak jump with surprise, while Tomura was as stone-still and calm as ever. "I was beginning to wonder when you would impart your feelings on this whole matter to us, Sensei."

Unbeknownst to all but Tomura and Kurogiri, from the moment he had informed his master of the time for this meeting with Overhaul, All For One had taken it upon himself to apply his Remote Hearing Quirk on his disciple so that he would be able to listen in on everything that happened himself. If he was choosing now as his chance to give his own advice, then that already gave Tomura plenty of assurance that this plan of Vukodlak's could be one of merit.

"It is quite unfortunate what became of Magne-san as a result of this meeting. It does seem to appear that, with my arrest and All Might's downfall, the Shie Hassaikai has become especially bold these days, and they do sadly have the coordination and base strength to contest your League of Villains… which is why I think you all joining Vukodlak-san on this little side quest of his could be for the best. After all, often times one must step outside of their comfort zone in order to find that which will help make them the strongest they've ever been.

Tomura could feel a great surge of boldness take hold over his heart at the sound of his master's vote of confidence. With this, and further taking in all the mutually angry looks towards their new common enemy reflected in Vukodlak, Himiko and Twice's eyes alongside the anger burning within himself, he once more looked his Russian subordinate in the eye for one final question: "This plan of yours, Vukodlak… you're certain it will actually help us?"

Vukodlak himself could clearly see what their leader was intending by asking him this. He was giving him one final gauging to see if he was genuinely with them on this, or if he was simply looking to pull a fast one, in which case he would undoubtedly kill him where he was standing. There were so many factors that could tip him off to the latter: an ill-timed bead of nervous sweat, a single muscular twitch, or even simply answering his question too quickly and with too much enthusiasm.

However, those were all the telltale signs of someone with something to hide, or who was simply trying to make off on their own… and for as much as he questioned his real place amid this group, the last thing Vukodlak was, as a person, was disloyal to those that had been shooting straight with him thus far like the League of Villains had.

As such, in an insane show of trust, Vukodlak took a step forward and extended a single open hand to Tomura, never once breaking eye contact as he did so, while Himiko and Twice were both watching with shock that he was essentially leaving his own fate to Tomura's decision. "They often say that words are cheap. So I'm leaving it to you to decide if you trust me enough to go for this."

Tomura said nothing at first, barely even moving his one visible eye enough to show he was looking from the man's face to his open offered hand and back. For a split moment, Himiko could swear she was about to see the Villain she had been admiring for this long crumble to dust before her very eyes. When Tomura finally extended his own hand in return, she almost opened her mouth, ready to tell Vukodlak to avoid his grasp.

And yet, when the two Villains' hands met, nothing happened, leaving Himiko and Twice with their breath hitched in their throats; all while the silent yet observant Kurogiri gave an unnoticeable nod of approval in Tomura's judgment. The moment their hands finally released from each other, Vukodlak turned to address the black haze standing watch. "Kurogiri-san, you still remember those coordinates I gave you for this?"

Another indiscernible nod was his initial response. "Indeed I do, Vukodlak-san. However, I'm specifically instructed to act directly under Shigaraki Tomura's orders, so the ultimate decision is his to make."

Without hesitation, and still refusing to break eye contact with the Russian before him, Tomura answered: "I'm giving the go-ahead, Kurogiri. Do it."

With no further hesitation, Kurogiri began to apply all the focus into the specific coordinates and his Quirk all at once that he could physically manage. Within seconds, a much large black gate opened up in the middle of the floor, swallowing Tomura and Vukodlak up together.

"I promise I'll contact you when we have everything we need so you can warp us back here, Kurogiri-san." Vukodlak announced to the sharp-dressed Villain just before he and Tomura disappeared within the black haze; thus prompting Himiko and Twice to quickly give chase and dive down after them, sending the four into a gravity-free void of infinite nothingness for what felt like hours on end in this place where time no longer had any definition.

There was no truly telling just when it was that the haze around them had finally given way and ejected the four Villains into their intended destination. All Tomura, Himiko and Twice knew was that it was definitely far longer than any of them were used to; their heads still feeling a bit hazy for having been within Kurogiri's warp gate for that long.

"Oooh… wow, how long were we in there? It was nighttime when we left, but now it's suddenly daylight?" Himiko immediately noticed once she spotted a nearby window in this strange new and noticeably empty location they had just been warped to, with the comparatively less winded Vukodlak answering: "Considering the distance I needed Kurogiri-san to warp us to, it's no surprise we've jumped quite a few time zones. We should be just entering the late afternoon if my calculation is correct."

In fact, the more Tomura and Twice were looking at the distinctly non-Japanese architecture and aged stone masonry of their surroundings, the more their genuine surprise turned to total confusion, with Twice finally asking: "Just where the hell did you have Kurogiri send us to?!"

However, completely unperturbed, Vukodlak instead made his way across this room that was empty save for an old dust mattress in a far corner, and knelt down to the face of the adjacent wall, pointing a finger to it and moving it about methodically, as if silently counting the number and positions of the bricks directly before him, all before suddenly clutching onto one and pulling it out with ease. From there, he reached into the hole left behind and pulled out what looked like a medium-sized duffle bag, which upon unzipping looked to have what looked like a bundle of old maps inside. With that, he finally turned to address his comrades properly:

"This is just one of a few old safe houses I used back in my days of Hero hunting over the years. I'll admit it's a bit out of the way from the real core location of this mission of ours, but that's only because there's some things I know we can really benefit from possessing in this area that will make things from here a lot easier."

Pouring the maps out, Vukodlak set the duffle bag at the silently watching Tomura's feet. "In order for everything we do while we're out here to go as smoothly as possible, we're all going to have to work together; and that means not drawing attention to ourselves. Tomura-san, I would suggest you store all those clasping hands of yours in that bag. Toga-san, maybe just keep the majority of the tanks for that blood-sucking device of yours in here and just keep one and the syringe hidden on you while we're out in the open. Twice-san, if you just keep that mask of yours out of view of the public; you shouldn't have any problem blending in."

Albeit very begrudgingly, his three comrades ultimately did as Vukodlak suggested, and as he took in the bone dry wrinkles and scars all over Tomura's face, as well as the finally uncovered face of Twice (that of a young adult man with short blonde hair, a long and pointed nose, the scruffy beginnings of a mustache and goatee, contracted blue eyes and a single straight stitched up scar running directly down the middle of his forehead), he could feel another confident smile coming on.

"Alright, out of all of us; especially once I give myself a new face; Toga-san and I are easily the most normal-looking people here, so anyone, most importantly the authorities that see us will just assume we're tourists. Tomura-san and Twice-san, with your scars, they'll likely just assume you both to be military veteran tourists…one with what they'll likely just assume to be Methuselah Syndrome."

While Himiko couldn't help but giggle at that last second crack while Tomura gave only the slightest grimace in response, Vukodlak actually began to approach the window their female comrade had instantly noticed, and upon opening it, the three Japanese Villains cautiously looked out to find an expansive city none of them recognized surrounded by rolling desert-looking plains and even further distant mountains, with one large river cutting right through the middle of the city, an expansive ancient looking stone building, like a fortress, sitting atop one of the mountains, and in the distance across the river from them, a single towering pillar of white topped by a gleaming golden statue of what looked to be a man wielding a staff riding a horse.

While these sights were all brand spanking new to his comrades, they instead brought a grin of nostalgia to Vukodlak's face in particular. "That's right: the Monument of St. George, the Narikala Fortress, and the Kura River. I've got maps to help you all get around while we're out there; don't worry. Other than that, just let me do the talking if necessary. Tomura-san, Twice-san, Toga-san… welcome to Tbilisi, Georgia."

While Twice was taking in these new surroundings with a discerning eye, Himiko was grinning excitedly from ear to ear. "Oh, so cool! I didn't know Kurogiri could warp us this far! A whole other country, so many new people to meet, and I'll get to see Vukodlak do his stuff on his home turf?! It's like the most exciting business vacation ever! Why couldn't school language classes have been less boring, I'd feel so much more prepared!"

While Vukodlak was about to inform Himiko how astronomically rare it would have been for a Japanese school to teach anyone any Slavic language, Tomura's pensive face suddenly winced with an exceptionally acute pain in the depths of his head, forcing him to clutch his scalp and let out a brief agonized grunt that caught the attention of all his comrades, who all hurriedly rushed to his side.

"Tomura-san, are you alright? What's wrong?" Vukodlak immediately asked, just before Tomura's writhing came to a stop just as suddenly as it had started, and the white-haired dry-faced young man was struggling to catch his breath; eyes wide with surprise.

"I… I don't know… but whatever it was… it's gone…" he muttered, just as shocked by this change as the others were, as Twice just threw his hands up in disbelief. "What the hell was that all about?!"

"How can this place not have any kind of meds at all? I mean, what, was it like some kind of headache from the long trip? I mean, other than the dizziness, I feel great." Himiko asked once she returned from down the hall empty-handed, with Twice and Vukodlak nodding in agreement for their own parts. That just made Tomura's reaction that much more peculiar.

"No… no, that couldn't be it. Even when I went through his warp gates for the first time, it never gave me a sensation like that. It almost… it almost felt like that sensation in your skin when you can just tell you're being watched." The instant Tomura described this, Vukodlak instantly made his way over and slammed the window shutters tight.

"I don't mean in the immediate sense. It's that animalistic instinct deep inside all of us… only in this case, it was as though it were amplified by a hundred, at least. And there was this other sensation deep in the back of my mind. It was almost like something I couldn't describe was… acknowledging my presence somehow." The whole safe house hung with a deafening silence as Tomura finished explaining the sensation he'd just gone through. No matter how much Vukodlak, Himiko and Twice wanted to try and give a suggestion as to what it possibly could have been, this was simply too bizarre for them to truly wrap their heads around.

There was no way of knowing just what had afflicted their leader, and in these circumstances, even if Tomura seemed completely fine for all intents and purposes, that was one of the last things they needed to deal with right now.

---

The Kremlin, Moscow, the exact same time…

All had been quiet as usual around the office of President Dmitri Zaitsev, but just around the onset of the late afternoon/early evening, his immediate staff had either directly heard, or been alerted to what sounded like a full blown panic from within his office. In less than a minute, the double doors had been kicked down, and nearly every security officer and trusted military official in the Kremlin had come rushing in, only to find the man on the floor with a petrified look in his eyes, sitting against the wall opposite his personal bookcase, as though he'd forcibly backed himself into it in an attempt to get away from something.

Taking in the entirety of the scene, the only unusual thing in the whole office any of them could see was the very same intricate needle within the reinforced glass tube within the high-security safe that had been built into the wall. Nothing about it or anything else seemed to be out of place from the last time they had seen it, and thus Zaitsev's reaction was all the more jarring.

[[Mr. President, sir, please try to calm down. Everything is alright, you're not hurt.]] The nearest official ultimately came forward to try and help ease their president's nerves, but Zaitsev almost frantically shook himself free, now looking with eyes of pure terror towards his surrounding staff and guards.

[[No… no, no, no, it's not alright! None of you understand!]] As he kept repeating this, sounding like he was on borderline hysterics, his eyes and a pointing finger fell upon the needle again. [[That thing… that god-forsaken relic! I was only looking upon it, trying to figure out what I should do to try and restore the faith of the people in us, given everything that's been going on recently… and I swear before all of you and God Himself, that damned thing started to move! I saw it with my own eyes, goddamn you, that thing started to shake from within that tube, almost like it was reacting to something!]]

The near manic way with which he was speaking, as well as the fact that, upon closer inspection, the needle was as stationary as it had ever been, was not leaving a good impression on the officers, as the one who had tried to ease his mind was now helping Zaitsev back to his feet. [[Mr. President, it's only natural for the stress of everything that's happened to accumulate and take its toll, especially since you haven't been getting any sleep for the past week. Perhaps you should take some time, and—]]

SMACK!

A sudden backhand to the face nearly sent the man face first into the wall as Zaitsev desperately forced his way out of his grip, rushing now to the bookcase itself and nearly throwing every other book in his reach across the room until he grabbed one in particular that looked especially old, slamming it down onto his desk and nearly tearing several pages free in order to get where he wanted.

[[No, goddammit, listen to me! I am not crazy! The proof of it is right here! This is the latest version of a record of testimonials by every single ruler of our Motherland, dating across all our different iterations of government, dating as far back as the earliest days of Kievan Rus! I read through it when I was first elected president, just to look at the examples of past calamities our forefathers had faced, in the hope it would give me the inspiration on how to tackle the issues I was faced with as leader! When the relic was first brought back here, I even looked through it again! At several points throughout our nation's history does the coinciding ruler of that era mention this needle, most importantly do they also mention it shaking, just like what I saw!]]

Now the other men couldn't help but start looking through the pages Zaitsev had opened the book to. Just he had said as he pointed every example out, there in plain black and white were written testimonials describing the very same artifact now lying mere feet away from them, shaking entirely on its own.

[[Look at the recorded times, all of you! This thing has been kept in the possession of the leaders of Russian soil since the early 11th century for safe-keeping, and between then and now, there have only been a handful of times when it moved like this: the Mongol invasions, the Time of Trouble, the Bolshevik Revolution, the Great Patriotic War, and the last time: the onset of Quirks! Do you men all see the pattern yet?! Every time the needle has been noted to shake within its confines, it's always just before a great cataclysmic disaster or upset in power hits our nation! There was never a mention of it doing so before the Siberian Flash occurred, but it's suddenly moving now?! There's no telling just what kind of disaster it's foretelling that's coming our way!]]

With all the written evidence to support this otherwise insane-sounding theory, now many of the other men present could feel a very similar chill of uncertainty clutch onto the pits of their stomachs. It still sounded so farfetched, and yet the evidence was right there. Just the very minute possibility of this actually being true was too much to simply ignore, hence when another of the officials finally spoke up: [[So then what are you suggesting should be done, Mr. President? We can't act if we don't know specifically what threat we're facing.]]

By now Zaitsev was in the middle of trying to steady his breathing again, regaining a state of semi-calm within himself as he finally took his eyes off the needle in the safe and returned to his men. [[As far as what we should do, we should make sure we fortify ourselves. Send word to all our military stations along the coastlines and borders. I want full military setups and patrols running around the clock along every single one, keeping watch for any and all suspicious activity. Send suggestions to the leaders of all former Bloc nations and let them know. They should be suggested to follow similar precautions, just in case.

[[As for exactly what the threat could be, there's no point in making any concrete assumptions. Given what's happened recently, it could possibly be the terrorists we've been looking for… in which case we should all be wishing the best of luck to our comrade, Konstantin Khodamchuk and his spec ops team on eliminating the threat before it gets to that point. The last I heard from them just recently, his sniper, Angel's Eye's micro-trackers have managed to pinpoint their target's ultimate destination as northern Hokkaido, Japan.]]

Without missing a beat, the office nearly erupted into a cacophony of all the officials pretty much voicing the very same opinion: [[If we know where they are, how come we don't just reach out to the Japanese government so they can let us send in our forces to eliminate the threat? If anything, we could even have them lend their military forces to aid us! We don't need their Heroes to get involved in this!]]

As straightforward and obvious a solution as this seemed to all these men, it was Zaitsev himself who looked the most doubtful, instead choosing to pull up one of the satellite images on his computer that Khodamchuk had sent him during their last communication, drawing everyone's attention to it. On screen was a close-up of the northernmost point of the island of Hokkaido, which was circled in red.

[[It's precisely because of where they've apparently set themselves up that we can't do that. If any of you men bothered to keep up with our history with the Japanese government in that specific region up until now, you'd understand why it's not that simple. That portion of Hokkaido has been designated as a sanctuary area for any and all Soviet refugees. It's a place where they can go to and establish themselves in the event of fleeing government oppression or conflict, where they are technically under the supervision and protection of the Japanese government, even though they can establish their own local government within that area. It's essentially a diplomatic grey area from where we're standing. Sending an entire army into that area would be breaking the agreement our two governments made, and could result in an international incident.

[[As such, sending in a small team to eliminate these terrorists covertly is the only feasible way to go about things right now. All we can do right now is simply hope that Khodamchuk and his people will be able to pull it off.]] This thorough explanation, while far from the kind of news Zaitsev and his men were hoping for, was at least enough to ease some of their nerves.

What none of these other officials knew, however, was about the other lingering fear that was festering in the back of their president's mind. With their terrorists apparently having set themselves up in this specific area, and especially remembering all the news about the various migrations of Russian and other Slavic citizens over the years, all culminating in the major one from earlier this year, it actually felt like many once scattershot pieces were starting to finally fall into place with one another, forming one greater and clearer picture for him.

And the picture it presented was one that terrified Zaitsev to his bones, especially if his gut instincts were actually to be proven true. What were the chances that every single one of those drifting citizens that had flocked easterward back then had in fact all coalesced here, and just how many of them, if not all of them, were in league with these very same terrorists; organizing into a force capable of actually striking back at the Russian government for everything they had done in the years since the Siberian Flash and replacing the Soviet Union?

The potential answers to either of those questions left Dmitri Zaitsev silently hoping one thing to himself he didn't dare speak out loud while there were still so many unknowns up in the air: the hope that Khodamchuk and his people, upon finding this collection of once-hidden Quirk users, would simply cut the problem off by the root and annihilate the entire community. Of course his more rational side knew such a thing would be a diplomatic disaster, but his own sense of paranoia in the wake of these attacks, and especially of the needle shaking before his very eyes, was leaving him more and more willing to push that sense of reason aside and simply act out of the basic need to try and help their country survive.

Only one sentiment was continuously echoing on repeat in the Russian president's head more and more with each second he dwelled on this overarching issue: 'These people…these deserters, these monsters in the making… they're too much of a threat for us to simply leave alone anymore. Please don't let us down, Khodamchuk, for all our sakes.'

And there it is, the newest chapter for the week, everyone. Things are really starting to go in a much different direction for our Villains, and I can't wait to hear all your thoughts on what's ultimately to come for them and Nikolay and Mina in the future. If you liked what you read here today, please be so kind as to leave a review.

Have a great rest of your week, stay safe, and I will see you all with the next chapter on 02/12!