Hello again, everyone. I apologize for the momentary delay in getting this chapter uploaded. This week has been pretty busy, leaving me struggling to make time to get this whole chapter done in time. Hopefully the contents will prove worth the wait, both in this chapter, and those to come that will cover the rest of the Shie Hassaikai Arc.

I'd like to give an all-around line of sincere gratitude to all of you readers out there, old and new, for your continued patronage. and, naturally, I would like to extend that very same thanks to my beta readers and consultants and friends, Mizu and Jonny; as well as all DA fanart contributing artists: Syyndev, Akane Kahomi, AliceKuroCross, Suki-Chan2509, effasempai and Eliza-Frost. Be sure to visit their accounts on their and show them some love and support, as well as checking out my uploaded chapters and corresponding chapter cover art on my own DA account, 'ubasnaga.'

My Hero Academiais the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. I only own my original characters and the original events surrounding them.

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

Chapter 98

Double Cross

(Двойной Крест)

Class 1-A Dorms, Thursday, September 18th

*GASP*

The way Nikolay jolted awake in his bed would have hardly been surprising if anyone had been observing him all throughout the day leading up to tonight. Ever since the news earlier that morning from Headmaster Nezu about Vukodlak's escape from max security prison and joining the League of Villains; not only had he and the entire school been reeling with the crushing disappointment of no longer having their Hero Internships to go to, but he and all his classmates with personal experience against the Russian Villain had been silently trying and failing to choke down a building horror at the potential of running into him again.

And ever since Tunguska and Eijirou had described their battle against him during their mission fighting the Shie Hassaikai, and revealed that he now possessed a multitude of new powerful Quirks, that fear within himself had slowly but surely turned into an inescapable fog inside his head.

Even if his father had tried to encourage him and his classmates to try and go through the rest of the day with their heads held high, and even if they at least had the prospect of actual training lessons to look forward to tomorrow, it did nothing to get Nikolay's mind off of the now ever-present danger lurking somewhere outside of Yuuei's walls, and he could only assume the same was going on, even to far lesser extents, with the rest of his experienced friends, as they at least tried to maintain their more positive and energetic attitudes all the way through the rest of their classes and all the way through dinner until it was finally time to go to bed.

But with the persistent rain and thunderstorm that had been raging outside ever since lunch, to actually be able to go to sleep was far easier said than done. Trying to do so again after the nightmare Nikolay had just experienced was going to be nothing short of a miracle.

For right from the moment he'd finally managed to will himself to go to sleep after texting Mina a goodnight message; he'd immediately found himself battling against Vukodlak alongside his friends back in that same empty construction site in Erubi City…only for it all to transform into that flattened rubble-strewn wasteland in the Kamino Ward, with nobody but himself standing off battered and broken before that same horrifying multi-Quirk-using Villain that had taken Tunguska's arm and forced All Might to retire. And even with that all-black mask covering his head, Nikolay could just feel in the pit of his stomach, that he was looking right at the terrified young boy.

And from the moment he had attacked with countless different Quirks at once, was when Nikolay had shot up from his bed, soaked in a frozen sweat and gasping for air like he'd just ascended from the darkest depths of the sea. After a nightmare like that, he already knew he was never going to be able to calm himself down enough to sleep again. That experience, even just in his own head, was horrible enough. To now know for a fact that Vukodlak had a similar ability about him only made it all that much worse.

And as if that hadn't been enough to weigh heavily on his already addled mind, Nikolay was already tossing and turning in his bed with restless worry, because of the fact that Tunguska, Izuku, Eijirou, Ochako and Tsuyu were all going to be absent from school tomorrow for yet more undisclosed business relating to the aftermath of their mission. Already, the continuous relegation of the sharing of their experience solely to the lunch hour was torturous enough. But even with that, there only seemed to be this growing number of secrets his father and friends were vehemently keeping from him and everyone else, and that notion was far from sitting well with Nikolay. After everything they had all gone through together as a class and as friends, as father-and-son even, he had been silently hoping that they would have moved past the need for secrets anymore.

Knock-knock-knock

Even with the heavy winds wrapping at the window, Nikolay couldn't have possibly mistaken the soft sound of knocking at his door for anything else, but that didn't leave him any less confused and instinctively on guard as he approached, putting his ear to it.

"Kolya-kun? It's me. Are you awake?"

The sound of Mina's voice, thankfully still trying to keep quiet, let Nikolay breathe out a sigh of relief as he immediately opened up, wherein there stood his pink-skinned girlfriend in a pair of silk yellow pajamas with spaghetti straps over her shoulders.

Of course, immediately after his relief came natural confusion. "Mina, what're you doing still up, let alone all the way here?"

Looking back and forth down the hall to make sure they weren't being loud enough to wake up anyone (in this floor's case, specifically Bakugo right next door), Mina immediately answered: "I'm sorry, I hope I didn't wake you, Kolya-kun. I was just thinking about how tense you've been looking all day ever since Tunguska-sensei and Kiri's story at lunch, and I just couldn't help but think you might've been having trouble getting to sleep for it. I mean, it's just natural for me to wanna check on my boyfriend and make sure he's okay, right? Can I come in?"

Not only was Mina's hurried switch from her motives to wanting to step inside catching Nikolay completely by surprise, but the insistence with which she was asking had him doing a mental double take, before the natural nervousness kicked back in. "Mina, if someone were to find us like this after curfew, who knows what kind of trouble we might get into? I promise I'm okay, but I appreciate you wanting to check in on me, regardless."

However, as she observed the beads of sweat on Nikolay's brow, as well as how especially messy his bed was from all his tossing and turning, Mina could immediately tell there was a fair bit he wasn't telling her…and after everything they'd learned today, she didn't even need to ask why.

In fact, asking why never even occurred to her, because the moment she heard the door to Nikolay's room click shut, she immediately began rubbing her hands up and down her arms in a clearly nervous display as she finally looked back to her now-equally worried-looking Nikolay; her black-gold eyes almost piercing through the dark.

"I'm sorry, Kolya-kun…but I-I was kind of lying a little bit. I did wanna check and make sure you were okay…but really…well, the truth is I-I really don't wanna sleep by myself tonight. I mean, normally I like listening to rain and thunder at night; it actually helps me sleep even more than usual. But I can't stop thinking about that freaky Vukodlak guy being somewhere out there, and every time lightning flashes or thunder claps, I feel like I'm seeing or hearing things that aren't there. I'm literally jumping at shadows, even. Please, can I sleep in your bed tonight, Kolya-kun? You're, like, literally the only person I know who might be able to help."

Nikolay's gut reaction was to try and say no and help Mina see reason. But when he saw the genuine anxiety in her eyes when describing how scared she really was in the dark by herself tonight, any kind of protest he could've come up with was gone. With a relenting sigh, he extended an open arm for her towards his bed. "I couldn't force you to go back to that, Mina. Hell, I've been scared as can be tonight, too; you probably saw that immediately. If it'd been any worse, maybe I might've been doing the same thing you are."

To his relief, Mina's nervousness immediately changed into a deeply grateful smile as she quickly climbed into Nikolay's bed, burrowing herself deeply and comfortably under the covers, while he was just as quickly making for his closet. "Either I'll have to sneak you back to the girls' wing way early so that nobody sees us coming out together again…or we might need to just lay low in here for a while, and only just catch up with the others on the way to class. I have a few little things in the mini-fridge, so that can hopefully cover breakfast for us."

The sound of ruffling out of Nikolay's closet prompted Mina to look over, only to find him laying out a dark blue sleeping bag on the floor right beside the bed. Immediately, she sat right back up, looking at him confusedly. "Kolya-kun, what's all this?"

"I figured at least knowing you're not sleeping in the room alone would help you sleep better. Besides, I naturally toss and turn, and I don't want to put you through that." Nikolay explained as he already began to climb into his own makeshift bed, only to feel Mina's hands reaching out and gently grabbing onto the right sleeve of his shirt, forcing him to look and see the clear imploring written all over her pretty pink face.

"Kolya-kun, I'm not about to have you sleep on the floor of your own room for me. In fact, I was actually…well…"

At this, Mina's eyes began nervously looking away, her cheeks starting to blush just enough for Nikolay to notice, even in the dark. "…I-I was hoping…maybe we…we could…y'know…like…cuddle. Like, in the sleeping bag or in the bed, it makes no diff for me. That just sounds like the totally perfect thing to help us both sleep better, don't you think? That's, like, boyfriend/girlfriend quality time 101, right?"

It was amazing to Mina, how quickly she could feel Nikolay's body temperature rise when listening to this suggestion of hers, but he quickly began to shake his head in an attempt to try and recollect himself, putting on a display of false stoicism that, from where she was sitting, came across as nothing short of adorable. "You know, Mina; if I didn't know any better, I'd almost want to think this was something you'd been planning from the start, and that all the talk of being scared tonight was just a little act."

Mina immediately began puffing her cheeks in that adorable pout as she grabbed Nikolay's other sleeve with her free hand, childishly rocking back and forth on her knees atop his bed while shaking him along with her. "Aww, c'mon, Kolya-kun, you do know me better than that, I'm being serious. It's super scary being alone in my room right now. Cuddling with those cute stuffed animals you've given me has been enough to get me to sleep well before, but it just isn't working this time. Is it really so embarrassing for me to wanna fall asleep cuddling with my boyfriend when I'm scared, Kolya-kun?"

Unbeknownst to her, Nikolay was already preparing to just turn the tables on her by admitting he was the one joking around this time. However, a timely flash of lightning illuminating his room made it crystal clear that she was likewise getting ready to start putting on a kind of begging puppy or kitten-like look in her eyes to try and get him to come around. That was enough to convince the young Slav to drop all pretenses and climb right into bed with her, to Mina's immense delight, as she let out an adorably sweet giggle of joy before bundling herself deep in the covers right beside him in record time.

Nikolay himself couldn't even finish getting himself into just the right comfortable position on such a fluffy soft mattress, before Mina was already inching her way in as closely as she could, forcing him to feel every inch of warmth her body was giving off as she cuddled up to him; easily working her slender arms around his sides and holding onto him just firmly enough to know she was serious about cuddling like this all night, while not being tight enough to be called constricting.

"Thank you for letting me have this, Kolya-kun. Don't ever be afraid to come to me if you ever wanna just cuddle, too, okay? It's only right that a girlfriend be able to give the boyfriend she loves the same kind of comfort and support, after all." The sound of heartfelt sincerity in Mina's tired-sounding voice as she mentioned this, ultimately helped to settle down whatever anxiety was still present in Nikolay's body, as he too found himself giving in to the mood and gently bringing his arms around her, holding her just as close and lovingly, and letting her breathe out in satisfaction as she let herself get lost in his own warmth like he was in hers.

Nikolay didn't bother keeping track of time as he tried to keep his eyes closed and fall asleep, getting lost in that ever-present strawberry smell from Mina's hair, as it and her horns kept just barely tickling at his cheek, alongside the less frightening sound of the rain outside pitter-pattering against the window. Of course, the pleasant sound of Mina's completely peaceful breathing and comfortable little moans as she continued cuddling up against him more and more was far more present in his mind by comparison.

But even for as peaceful and calm as her breathing against his neck was, there was something about her body language that kept him from being fully convinced she had actually fallen asleep any sooner than he had. And those suspicions were soon justified, as out of nowhere, Mina suddenly spoke up in the softest whisper: "Are you still awake, Kolya-kun?"

Nikolay could only nod as they remained lying on their respective sides so they could keep holding each other close. "Yeah, but you're definitely right that this feels a lot better. I'm sure we could both be able to sleep before too long like this. Good thinking, Mina. With that said, though; were you actually able to fall asleep before you decided to come here? Maybe just talking about whatever could tire us out a little more."

Mina's eager smile of agreement told Nikolay all he needed to know what she thought, but it wasn't long before the happy glimmer in her eyes faded, and she looked just the slightest bit distant. "I mean, I tried. I dunno, maybe I managed. I just remember having this super freaky nightmare, and that's when all the thunder and lightning started scaring me."

Mina immediately felt Nikolay's gentle hold on her become noticeably tense, just as soon as she saw a look of grim recognition in his green eyes as well. "Hey, hey, what's the matter? You didn't have a nightmare too, did you?"

Unfortunately, Nikolay couldn't possibly lie to her about this, as he gave a resigned nod. "Yeah. I dreamt we were all back in that construction site at Erubi City, fighting Vukodlak all those months ago. But then, out of nowhere, I was at the ruins of that warehouse in Kamino Ward all by myself, and instead of Vukodlak, I was standing all injured and broken against that horrifying Villain that All Might and Dad fought. I woke up just as he attacked me."

Nikolay could see a very similar fearful remembrance show in Mina's gaze the moment he was finished, as her fingers began to clutch onto his shirt that much tighter. "That sounds just like the nightmare I had, only I was being chased by all the Villains we've all been up against this year so far. My Quirk wouldn't work, no matter what I tried, so all I could do was run, but they just kept gaining on me…and you…none of you were there. Nobody in class, or school, no Pros, not even you. You…*sniffle* you were all gone."

The sound of Mina trying to stifle her frightened tears immediately drove Nikolay to pull her in that much closer, ignoring the awkward feeling of their bodies completely pressed tight together, as he embraced her with all the protective instinct he could muster. And thankfully for them both, this managed to calm her fright just enough, as her tight grip on his shirt loosened, and she returned to gratefully embracing him and nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck.

"Thank you, Kolya-kun. Not just for hugging me…but for just always being here for me…and just always being so awesome. I know, as long as we're all together, we'll be able to manage…and I promise, no matter what happens, I'm always gonna be here for you and everyone else, too. And when it comes to you, I don't just mean I'll always be here as your girlfriend, either; just like I know you don't just mean to be here for me as my boyfriend. We'll always be there for each other, because we're the best of besties; totally unbreakable one-of-a-kind Hero partners for life. I can just feel it, y'know?"

Indeed he could, as Nikolay simply returned her earlier affectionate gesture as best he could with no romantic experience to speak of, trying to rest his face comfortably on her shoulder in return, all while whispering a soft but infinitely sincere: "I can. That ability of yours to bounce back from any low is just one of the things I admire most about you, Mina; and I'll try my best to do the same for you whenever you need it. That's a promise. The best Hero partners should naturally be able to understand and empathize with each other's feelings on and off the job at the very least after all, right?"

The cheeky smile on Mina's face as she listened to Nikolay relate these sentiments, was rimmed with so many heart-warming emotions; to the point that she could no longer control her romantic impulses; choosing instead to answer Nikolay with a single sweet kiss to his cheek, and never loosening her embrace on him as he leaned his head back in surprise so they could look in each other's eyes.

Even if they were officially a couple, it didn't make him blush any less, and it didn't make him look any less adorable in Mina's eyes, as he tried to keep from stuttering with his answer: "What's the occasion?"

Another bona fide Mina Ashido cheeky grin and matching teasing giggle was the first thing Nikolay was answered with, before she gave him the gentlest little "boop" on his nose with her finger, just as quickly bringing that arm right back around him. "Who says a girlfriend needs an occasion or an excuse to give her adorable boyfriend a kiss at night? But, if you really gotta know; that was for always being so sweet, honest and brave with me. It just reminds me of how far you've come, and it makes me feel so much prouder and prouder of you all the time, Kolya-kun.

"Plus, finally getting to just have a moment like this with you makes me so, so happy. I know I said I never stopped to think about being in a lovey-dovey relationship myself before, when compared to wanting it for all my friends…but that doesn't mean I didn't always wish I could be in love one day. And to know I finally am head over heels in love, and have been for so long, and it's all because of you, Kolya-kun; you can't seriously blame me for wanting to share all of it with you, right?"

Just as Nikolay began to let out an easing sigh of understanding for Mina's reasoning, he was completely blindsided when she proceeded to lean in and plant another sweet little kiss on his lips; shooting him a playful wink before reaching up to brush a few little hanging locks of his dark brown hair from his forehead. "And that one was for you going to all that trouble to try and return my phone to me the very first time we met."

Just as Nikolay was instinctively about to express his surprise at her doing this for something so ultimately inconsequential from so long ago, Mina just as quickly silenced him again, this time with two back-to-back kisses to his lips; the second one lingering for just a couple seconds as he could feel her gently running her fingers through his hair, almost like she was petting his head.

"Those were for both those times you saved my butt during the Entrance Exam. Now, let me think, what came next?"

It was quickly becoming apparent to Nikolay, even amid his blinding adolescent fluster, that this was equal parts Mina wanting to finally properly express her gratitude for every single thing Nikolay had done for her, and said from the bottom of his heart to her over all the months they'd known each other; intentionally and inadvertently alike; and just as much her finally taking advantage of the opportunity to really make this an irreplaceable couple moment for them to share, like she had no doubt long imagined in all the time she'd been a self-proclaimed hopeless romantic.

But this was as far from something he could complain about as was humanly possible, as before long, to both his and Mina's inexpressible delight; he soon began to return her constant peppering of kisses with his own, expressing his own appreciation for every act of kindness, friendship and love she had given to him from the start to this very moment. For someone just as sadly inexperienced in first-hand romantics as she was, he was proving remarkably quick to get caught up in the mood of it right alongside her, to her inexpressible joy and his own.

And in the end, it had ultimately done its job, for Nikolay and Mina had finally fallen asleep with not a trace of fear or anxiety to be found between them, simply sleeping in utter peace and bliss in each other's arms.

Gamma Training Ground, Friday, September 19th

Just as the students had all hoped, the torrential rainstorm had run its course and cleared up overnight, which meant they would indeed finally get to partake in genuine Hero training again for the first time since Nikolay's group had finally returned. Just that fact that so much time had passed before finally getting to do physical training was just plain sad.

But thankfully, just as he and Mina had silently hoped, waking up earlier than everyone else so she could sneak back to her room had worked like a charm, sparing them the humiliation of getting scolded by either Tenya or Momo, or getting grilled with endless curious questions by anyone else. Although the need to hurry back to her room still didn't stop Mina especially from sneaking in a good morning kiss the first chance she got…or several.

All in all, even with the absence of Izuku, Eijirou, Ochako, Tsuyu and Tunguska for the day (as well as Shoto and Bakugo finally returning to their daily Provisional License training lessons elsewhere), the two of them and the rest of the class were determined to try and carry themselves with their spirits high, especially when; once beginning homeroom class was finally over; they were instructed during their second class to change into their costumes and report to the Gamma Gym.

After everything the students of 1-A had experienced up to this point in the year, this was hardly an extravagant or new lesson they were to be subjected to, but in consideration of the increasing threats making themselves known out on the streets, it was ultimately a worthwhile one: the remaining 15 students were to be divided into groups of three in a large grid of secluded arenas, courtesy of Cementoss, and engage in 2-on-1 battles, as a means of testing either the attackers' abilities to pair their Quirks and strategizing minds together, or to see how the solo student was at adapting to their circumstances and utilizing their Quirks against stacked odds.

There was no way for any one group to know how any other was faring, but from where Aizawa was ultimately observing, every randomly organized trio seemed to be showing considerable improvements on both sides. The way things currently stood, the groups had been organized as such: with Fumikage facing against Yuga and Tooru; Mina having to go up against Momo and Denki; Kouji fighting Rikido and Mezo; Minoru having to fight Tenya and Kyouka; and Nikolay having to face against Mashirao and Hanta.

Naturally, just as Nikolay had been wanting to show just how much he had improved the versatility and handling of his Quirk; so too had his two opponents, and with Hanta Sero's natural aerial acrobatics through his Tape Quirk combining with Mashirao's already impressive martial arts skills with the aid of his Tail, they were both continuously keeping their single foreign opponent on the move, never giving him a chance to truly utilize his new Remote Kinetics move long enough to really throw off their rhythm.

Their fight had ultimately proven little more than a stalemate, as Nikolay and Hanta's similar aerial maneuverability made it impossible to truly get the drop on one another, so it had ultimately fallen to Mashirao to end their battle with a hastily thought out sneak attacking strategy to get Nikolay in his blind spot, once it had become apparent that Hanta had the majority of his attention.

With perfect timing and a well-aimed strike of his Tail, Mashirao had ultimately managed to knock the surprised Nikolay into a nearby waiting system of Hanta's waiting Tape lines he'd long since sent all over their arena as a means to trap him, thus leaving the two victorious while Nikolay had to struggle to try and get himself free once the word had come down from Aizawa that their sparring lessons were over, and all groups had reached their respective fights' conclusions.

The lunch period bell dutifully rang the moment the students had all changed back into their uniforms, all heading straight for the cafeteria from their respective locker rooms. However, even as he and all his classmates were either congratulating or filling each other in on how their respective spars had unfolded, Nikolay in particular had an especially focused look in his eye, every step until he was already leaving the line with a full tray in hand, with Mina, Momo, Kyouka and Tenya all soon coming to his sides within seconds; all of them with similarly contemplative looks in their eyes.

"Man, and I was starting to think learning what Midori-kun's group went through during lunch hour was bad. Having to go a full day without getting anything new, especially after all that freaky new Vukodlak stuff, is gonna be like torture." Mina ultimately lamented, only to see that Nikolay's gaze seemed to be looking far elsewhere from here, like someone with a clear idea in mind. All the while, Tenya was still acting the ever-ready moral guide for this small group of his friends and peers:

"We shouldn't take the information they've shared with us for granted, Ashido-san. Heavens forbid, but if there's ever a chance that any of us were to end up confronting Vukodlak when we're eventually able to work in the field again, it's best we already have a clear idea what he can do this time. And besides, Midoriya-san and the others never had any true obligation to tell us anything about what they went through, so let's just try to appreciate what we've learned thus far, and not try to rush them."

At this, Nikolay suddenly answered: "Iida-san is right; we shouldn't act like we deserve to know every single little thing about what happened to them while they were out there. They're the ones that decided for themselves that we deserved to know, so we should be grateful for that. However, that all being said, we may not actually have to wait as long as that to learn more, assuming all goes well."

As his friends all looked to their foreign classmate confusedly, Nikolay was already making way for the exit to the cafeteria, but instead of taking the usual route to the outdoor bench they'd been eating at every lunch period this week; a turn up the first staircase made it immediately clear to them just where he was aiming to go; thus prompting Momo to speak up sternly: "I can't honestly say I approve of this, Bezpalov-san. Tunguska-sensei may have decided we deserved to know about their mission, but I can hardly imagine Aizawa-sensei will be nearly as forthcoming."

To no one's surprise, Kyouka and Mina were both in strong agreement with their vice-president's warning; the purple-haired girl quickly chiming in: "Yeah, maybe we oughta just cut our losses and just wait for lunch period tomorrow. Trying to play catch-up doesn't exactly sound like it's worth a potential detention for prying where we don't belong, you know?"

"Yaomomo and Kyouka-chan have a good point, Kolya-kun. We've already been getting in hot water with Sensei a bunch this year. As much as I wanna know all about our friends and what they did without us, I don't know if getting one of his scary punishments is worth it."

Nikolay could hardly disagree with all of their sentiments. His gut was likewise screaming for him to just drop this subject and wait for tomorrow. By all grasp of common sense he had, he knew he should've been listening to it. But his growing frustration with this feeling of secrecy his father and other friends had been giving off was making his determination to try and get what he could nigh irresistible. "I know we never really talked about this, but you guys have no obligation to keep digging more into this with me. Aizawa-sensei was the only other teacher who was there, so as long as they're all away on whatever this business of theirs is, he's the only person I can realistically ask. You all have every right to just turn around and let me weather this myself."

He could barely get the last syllable out before he heard Mina's footsteps catching up to match his stride with purpose; a driven gleam in her eye. "Well…it's not like I'm just gonna let you hang out to dry alone, y'know? Not after everything we just went through. Besides, it's not like Aizawa-sensei can threaten to expel us for asking questions. I mean, the worst he can do is say 'no', right?"

"I should've figured this would eventually happen when they decided to start telling you all about it. I even warned that big oaf that it was a bad idea. *sigh* The answer is no. Besides, you all should be focusing on your own current growth, instead of what's already happened to your classmates elsewhere. While some of you have shown undeniable improvement through your fights today, there are a few key others among you that I know can do much better, but clearly suffer from a lack of real focus, for one reason or another. You need to work on squaring those distractions away and applying yourselves fully for when the real difficulties come; because if I could see you're unfocused at a glance in training, then you can guarantee that whatever Villains you end up facing out in the field will, as well. Then you'll all just be playing right into their hands and putting yourselves, each other and the public in danger."

It was hardly surprising (but no less disappointing) for Nikolay that Aizawa outright refused to fill him and his loyally staying friends in on any further information of the Shie Hassaikai mission the very moment he'd worked up the courage to ask upon entering the teacher's office. Just as it was hardly surprising that the 1-A homeroom teacher would take that opportunity to scold him and whoever else among his small group that had apparently given a lackluster performance during their recent sparring exercises, turning the whole conversation into one of his patented lectures.

Looking back, Nikolay could quickly tell that Tenya and Momo clearly didn't fall into this category of those that had apparently been seen slipping up in action. Even Kyouka, while clearly not liking being on the receiving end of any kind of scolding from Aizawa, still looked relatively at ease. Mina, on the other hand, was having difficulty maintaining eye contact with him, instead keeping her embarrassed gaze on her feet. And Nikolay himself didn't even have to guess if Aizawa was referring to him at all; he personally felt embarrassed by his lackluster performance against Mashirao and Hanta earlier, knowing full well he could've been able to pull through if he'd just focused all his attention on his surroundings and what the two had been doing.

But there was no point in thinking of what he should've done then, just as there was no point in trying to make excuses for himself. No, the only thing he could feel proud of himself for doing in this moment, even in the face of Aizawa's discerning glares and outright refusal, was to just be upfront and honest: "You're right, Aizawa-sensei; we shouldn't be having to bother you with this. I shouldn't be having to bother you with this. I know my head has been all over the place since yesterday, and it isn't just because of our internships getting cancelled, or Vukodlak being on the loose again. My Dad, Midoriya-san, Eijirou-san, Uraraka-san, Asui-san; even Hadou-senpai and Amajiki-senpai have been more than generous in telling us of what they've gone through over the course of this whole mission you were all on, especially when they had no reason to.

"But you can't really blame us for wanting to know what happens to our friends and family when we aren't there to help them, can you? You surely saw how worried they were about us when we were cut off, didn't you? If you had been up in Hokkaido with us then, and your own colleague and my own father were desperate to know what happened, would you still have just told him no then, as well?"

The fact that Nikolay was actually trying something as bold as trying to flip the scenario on their teacher had all of his classmates instinctively sucking in a nervous gasp through their teeth, with Mina and Tenya especially looking ready to try and tell him to dial it back and apologize to Aizawa for the whole intrusion. And the way the teacher's eyes slowly narrowed from behind the bangs of his black hair as he saw the determination in Nikolay's eyes would have been enough to send chills up his spine in any other scenario.

And yet, the normally much more timid Russian boy was actually standing firm this time, which finally drew out an especially annoyed grumbling from Aizawa. "If you really want to try and get the harder answers out of people, Bezpalov; you're really going to need to work on how you use your hypotheticals. That aside, the main reason I'm telling you all 'no', is because there's a good number of very sensitive details about that mission that we all have already promised the police not to share with the public; details that first-year students who weren't even involved have no business being burdened by knowing."

"But I'm not asking you to break that promise and give us those kinds of details, Sensei! We just want to know about what all happened to our friends, make sure they're all truly okay! It was bad enough seeing the scars my Dad now has, even before we found out about Vukodlak escaping; as well as those that Eijirou-san tried to keep hidden from us. But several times since we've been back, I know I'm not the only one that's noticed how Midoriya-san looks…well, really upset whenever nobody else is looking. You said before that the only way our class as a whole can succeed is if we have complete trust in each other, remember? So please, just so there aren't any secrets between us, so we can all be able to best understand and work with each other again, I'm only asking you to tell us what happened after my Dad and Eijirou-san had gotten separated from you, even if it's in the most basic way. That's all. And if you still say no…then we'll leave, and none of us will ask again…I promise."

Nikolay held the deep breath that followed, keeping his hands clenched and never breaking eye contact from Aizawa; not even to chance a hopeful glance back to his friends, where he then would've seen that Mina was preparing to try and appeal to their teacher right alongside him. All the while, as Aizawa was pensively picking away at his own lunch, his inescapable gaze was silently observing every inch of Nikolay's body, of his expression and tone, silently observing his conviction to follow through on achieving what he wanted most.

Such spirit was one of the most basic building blocks of a worthwhile Hero, after all; and so far every student of his class this year displayed that spirit in spades…and after starting this year with nothing but doubts in this lone foreign boy before him, he was seeing only that very same indomitable spirit here in this very office.

Nikolay's already intense and silent gaze only barely flinched when Aizawa finally broke the silence with a sigh of what sounded like resignation. "Whatever Midoriya or the rest of those involved tell you is ultimately their choice to make…but if I give you a simple explanation for as much time is left of the lunch period, and none of you interrupt me; then you not only promise to never come asking me for more after today, but I also want to see you give your all and more for whatever your future training will entail, and nothing less. Agreed?"

"YES, SENSEI, WE PROMISE! THANK YOU!" Nikolay and the rest of his group's answer was immediate and serious as they all bowed in gratitude before their teacher, leaving him to simply roll his eyes at their over-enthusiasm for the past, and continued to eat in reserved bits and pieces while thinking back on how best to give them what they wanted, while keeping to his own commitment.

The Shie Hassaikai Underground Compound, Saturday, September 13th, 8:30AM

Even in the deeper confines of the underground complex beneath the yakuza's headquarters, the thunderous rumblings of the beginnings of battle could be felt if not heard. Such was the primary cause for Kai Chisaki a.k.a. Overhaul's annoyance, as he and one of his closer lieutenants clad in a full-headed beak mask and white hoodie, simply known as Chronostasis, was dutifully following in his footsteps, with naught but a single small and visibly frightened little girl with long silver hair, large red eyes, and a single horn protruding from the right side of her forehead, in his grasp.

As another powerful rumbling reverberated all the way down to this level from the surface, Overhaul spared only a passing glance upwards; his piercing yellow eyes reflecting only the slightest of annoyances. "What a racket. They'd all better be doing their jobs up there."

"I hate to say this, but I feel the Hassaikai may be finished." Chronostasis knew that to express such defeatism, especially at a time like this, would've been enough to warrant at least a threatening glare from his commander if nothing much worse. However, with the child in his arms, he could only imagine that was one bit of protection if nothing else.

However, Overhaul gave no such indication of anger, instead continuing to move with purpose while looking upon a pair of small square cases; one white and the other black. "As long as the boss and I still live, the Hassaikai can't die. Most of the men up there are in the boss' camp, and not exactly down with my way of thinking, even though I respect the boss' will more than any of them. With just the finished product and the serum, I can bring about our revival. And this whole nasty business is just the thing our friends with vested interests enjoy. They'll love the idea of a drug that scares Heroes, and will gladly invest. And from there, the rest of the global criminal infrastructure will take notice, and the rewards we reap from there will be astronomical…as will our position among them."

While Overhaul himself sounded absolutely self-assured in this outcome, Chronostasis was far more skeptical underneath his mask. "Forgive me for saying so, but this endgame of yours feels like it's really expanded recently. Are you sure we aren't pushing our luck aiming for that global stage so soon? You don't think the boss would be just as disapproving of that plan as much as he was this one?"

Overhaul swiftly tucked the two cases back into the interior pockets of his dark green jacket, never breaking his stride. "Of course we need to cement our foothold on the Japanese stage first. But that Shigaraki, his own boldness in just what he said he's aiming to achieve with the League of Villains got me thinking. Everybody wants to be on the top of the mountain at the end of the day, and the yakuza will never have a hope of achieving that if they don't assert themselves on the biggest stage of them all. It's time to show not only this country, but the rest of the world that the domain of organized crime isn't completely wiped out, as they like to convince themselves it is. And what better way to prove that than by making the Hassaikai the number one most powerful and influential criminal enterprise on this planet; something that can make even those rowdy disorganized rabbles of Villains in every corner take notice?

"However, we can't focus on that until we ride out this current storm hammering at our doors. So, on that note, it's time to prove yourselves and earn your keep, Temp Squad. Vukodlak may be hanging back to take care of their heavier hitters, but we're counting on you two to take the rest off our tails." As Overhaul stated this absolute fact; he and Chronostasis passed by the patiently waiting Himiko Toga and Twice, maintaining their position close to his sides as he'd instructed them from the beginning, only now finally being let off their prospective leashes, which naturally brought a smile to their faces.

"Okaaay…"

"Leave it to us, Overhaul."

The lack of hesitation, and the presence of full commitment from his two transfers was enough to convince Overhaul to leave the two behind to get to work. However, the moment he and Chronostasis were no longer within earshot, Twice's body language quickly slumped. "Easy to say it to his face. How can we be sure these yakuza will be any good against that many Heroes?"

Of course, Himiko wasn't displaying anywhere near as much doubt as her partner, as she was already drawing her trusty knife, running her finger along the back of it while grinning with growing anticipation. "Aww, c'mon, try to think of how much fun this'll be, Jin. If Sensei believes we can all do our best and come out of this the winners, then we gotta have that same faith in ourselves, right? Besides, he's been tap-tap-tapping in my ear with those nifty little earpieces this whole time, and he's got what sounds like a really neat little plan in mind already; one that only you can do for us. Don't you wanna just go headlong into it?"

Thankfully, the idea of someone else putting that much faith in him to do something even now, was enough to help Twice set aside his anxiety and get himself back into a ready posture, not even bothering to comment on how freakishly fast Vukodlak had managed to teach Himiko how to understand Morse code over the course of their adventure abroad.

8:36AM

"Here it comes again! Does this guy ever let up?! The ceiling, the walls, even the floor! HE'S TRYING TO CRUSH US TO DEATH!"

As regretful as Izuku, Aizawa, Sir Nighteye and the police had been that they couldn't have prevented Tunguska and Eijirou from having gotten forcefully separated from them barely two minutes ago, just the same as when Fatgum and Tamaki had ultimately decided to stay behind, they had been left with no possible chance to try and go after them, not only for the urgency of their true mission, but also because the man who was the officiated manager of the Shie Hassaikai, Joi Irinaka, a.k.a. Mimic, had taken that opportunity to once more lay the full wrath of his Quirk on the entire environment around the small group, warping the entirety of the halls around them, forcing them on the move and giving them no chance to even try and fight back.

They only had one viable route to escape down at this moment, but Mimic's environmental manipulations were officially past the point of diverting or toying with them, as the walls, floor and ceiling before them was already beginning to enclose. If they weren't able to break through and proceed here and now, none of them had any doubt that he would take this opportunity to either divide their ranks even further, or just flat-out kill them.

"Rock Lock-san!" This call-out from Sir Nighteye was all the standoffish Pro Hero needed to hear, as he hurriedly rushed for the nearest bit of wall closest to the closing passage, slamming his palm to it; all the while muttering in urgent frustration: "Some leader you are, getting us into this mess! You really screwed up here, Nighteye! DEAD BOLT!"

With a clockwise 180-degree turn of his hand, the once-warping and amorphous walls came to a complete standstill, thus preventing the passage from closing up on them any further; and most importantly securing his group's means of escape. "THIS WAY! He can't manipulate it for now! And don't complain about the tight quarters, either! At maximum security level, my Lock Down Quirk can only cover so many spots at once! This is the limit of my range!"

Of course, nobody was about to start complaining, as the rest of the hallways behind them was continuing to enclose like the digestive system of some colossal monster they were caught in, forcing them to continue onward towards the only vestige of safety they could find.

But that safety was very quickly proving to be short-lived, as even before his partners could start to make their way through, Rock Lock spotted another spire of the wall before him jutting out, aiming to plow straight into him while he had himself open. "HE'S COMING FROM THE SPOTS I CAN'T PIN DOWN! WATCH OUT!"

SMASH!

But like a green bolt of lightning, Izuku came flying in, smashing that threatening spire to rubble with a well-placed Full Cowl Shoot Style kick, granting Rock Lock some breathing room, and providing safe passage for everyone to finally get through. But even a minor respite like that did nothing to ease their alertness at the all-surrounding threat they were still facing, as Rock Lock pointed out in frustration: "This would all be going a lot smoother if Fatgum or even that loud-mouthed Russkie's teams were here, Eraser!"

"I know!" This was all Aizawa could bother to say, as his eyes were still searching like those of a hawk for the first sign of manipulation in the environment. 'So long as I can't see his body, I can't do anything to shut off his Quirk. No matter where we go, he's sure to be watching us from somewhere within these walls. That's got to be why he attacked me specifically earlier. Dammit, looks like Tunguska's plan is turning out more sound than I thought at first. We need to try and whittle away the environment around the first place Irinaka shows himself, force him out into the open if at all possible.'

However, even despite the overwhelming threat they were continuously being hounded by, Aizawa was far from ready to just give in and label their situation hopeless. 'We aren't making any headway down here! He's just going to keep cornering us…but the truth is that Irinaka is getting cornered just as much! The reason he didn't try this stifling strategy on us from the very start, is because manipulating a huge mass like this basement at a high speed must require an overwhelming amount of stamina! In order to win this battle, he'd have to best an entire team of highly skilled Heroes in a contest of speed!

'The longer we draw this out, the greater disadvantage we're putting him in! To be able to do this, he surely must have taken one of the Quirk-boosting drugs they're developing here, which is only going to end up taking an even greater toll on his body! Given the ticking clock he's now racing against until that drug loses its effect, on top of the fact we're still managing to press forward little by little, he's growing more and more desperate with each second, trying this flat-out crushing strategy because he knows he's nearing the end of that boost. That desperation is bound to make him sloppy, which gives us the advantage…but it's also going to make him that much more dangerous at the very end! He's not going to feel the need to hold back once he's pushed far enough!'

While Aizawa was running this multitude of observations in his head as they continued to rush; the fact that their already limited maneuverability was being mercilessly reduced with each passing moment had Izuku's heart racing with his own sense of desperation…but it wasn't for himself, or even the fellow Heroes and police officers around him.

No, right now, all he could think about, while begrudgingly acknowledging "We aren't getting anywhere," was just how much was actually riding on their shoulders that demanded they succeed, and just how many of his friends and other Heroes were putting their own lives on the line at this very moment still, for the sake of helping them even get this far. Even if they had unwillingly gotten separated along the way, he had no doubt that they were all still fighting tooth and nail every step of the way to make sure this mission of theirs would succeed, no matter what kinds of traps or Quirks the rest of the Shie Hassaikai doubtless had waiting for them.

If they were to just let themselves get cornered and crushed here, then all of that effort and inevitable pain they were all putting themselves through would be for nothing…and that was the last thing Izuku was ever going to allow to happen, now of all times, as his laser-focused eyes honed in on another one of the morphing walls before them. "NO WAY YOU'RE STOPPING US!"

However, it was almost as though the very environment and Mimic themselves had physically felt the drive in Izuku's defiant declaration, as before he could drive another Full Cowl kick into the wall, the entire area spread out away from the small group, like they were stuck inside a frightened animal that could have otherwise been destroyed from the inside. While having this much more breathing room should have been seen as a momentary blessing, nobody was ready to let their guards down, and for very good reason the moment Izuku instinctively began to take a step forward.

"DEKU!" Aizawa's urgent shout shattered the brief silence as he hurriedly wrangled his freckled student with the wrappings around his neck, forcefully pulling him back in, just as the walls, floor and ceiling all erupted into a multitude of further barriers that came crashing mercilessly all across the room, forcing everyone into the first direction they could possibly go to avoid getting annihilated in this sudden blitzkrieg of an environmental attack.

Even as Izuku's ears were still ringing from those deafening crashes, and his heart was still racing from the close call his teacher had just saved him from, he was still alert enough to immediately get back on his feet, only to find that it was now only he and Aizawa in this one now-much smaller chamber, completely cut off from Sir Nighteye, Rock Lock and the police. "Not again."

However, the frustrated dread in Izuku's tone was quickly answered by the thankfully clear sound of Rock Lock's voice, coming from the other side of one of the nearby walls: "HEY! ARE ANY OF YOU GUYS STILL ALIVE OUT THERE?!"

Just as quickly, and with no less urgency but much more composure, Sir Nighteye's voice answered from behind another wall: "Everyone stay on your toes! Something else is coming! This is their next move!"

"Well, at least the walls aren't too thick if we can hear them so clearly. One well-placed kick, and we can regroup with the others." Izuku noted, letting out a sigh of relief while already getting himself into position to deliver that very kick to the wall Sir Nighteye was behind.

"GAAAH!"

"Rock?! What's going on?!" The sound of Rock Lock suddenly letting out what was an unmistakable cry of pain and shock had Aizawa immediately turning on a dime to the wall he was behind, with Izuku already on the move to break through. "ERASER, STAND ASIDE!"

SMASH!

In an explosion of concrete and dust, the two Heroes immediately came racing through, but were met with the outlandish sight of two identical Rock Locks before them, with one splayed out flat on the floor with a visibly bleeding wound to the back and hand, while the other was kneeling at his side, looking back to Aizawa and Izuku with great urgency. "This impostor just showed up and tried to attack me from out of nowhere! Watch yourselves! There could be more reinforcements out there!"

Everything was simply moving too fast for either Aizawa or Izuku to focus on any one thing at a time, so instead the visor-wearing Pro hurried over to the injured potential impostor on the ground, completely ignorant to how the kneeling Rock Lock was focusing strictly on Izuku, who was simply in too alert of a state to notice anything peculiar about this, even when he was being approached directly. "You okay, Midoriya?"

"Yeah! Let's hurry up and get-!"

SHIING!

Izuku had become so blinded in his rush to regroup with the others and carry on their mission, his brain had to take a split-second to catch up with the fact that, the moment Rock Lock got within grabbing distance of him; his expression had changed from stoic seriousness to a frightening manic glee, just at the same time he suddenly pulled out a knife from behind his back, ready to drive it down to the hilt in the shocked young Hero's neck.

And it was at that very same moment, even before the weapon had been pulled, that Aizawa was already beginning to turn back towards Izuku and his attacker; his Capturing Tool at the ready.

"It had become obvious to me who the impostor was the moment I saw he'd specifically suffered blade wounds…but even if that hadn't been the case, I would've figured it out the moment he'd referred to Midoriya by his actual name. As Heroes, we make it a concrete point never to refer to each other by anything but our Hero names when out in the field. The last thing you'd want is for a Villain lucky enough to escape to know exactly who to go after, directly or otherwise. It was close…but not close enough for her to get a hit in."

With a single moment's glance from Aizawa's eyes, and before Izuku's; the person they both once believed to be the Locking Hero Rock Lock, instead began to melt away like wax; before the rugged masculine face stretched in a savage grin, gave way to the same smile adorned with vampiric fangs, upon a much more youthful female face with blonde hair in messy buns, and terrifyingly joyful yellow eyes.

Even if they had only ever seen each other face-to-face for the briefest of moments all the way back in the Forest Training Camp; after all the news and briefings he'd been filled in on, there was no way that Izuku could have ever mistaken his attacker's true identity for anyone else: "TOGA HIMIKO?!"

Even as she was continuing to bring her knife down with not a trace of hesitation, the already bloodthirsty smile on the young teenage Villain's face only seemed to intensify with that much more childlike glee as he disguise continued to melt away. "Toga! Yes, it's me, Toga! You remembered! All my precious friends are remembering me! Oh, I wish we could all be together again, but I'm still so very glad to see you again! I could not be happier, Izuku! So, so thrilled!"

THWIPP!

"THAT'S FAR ENOUGH, TOGA HIMIKO!" With Aizawa's stern declaration, Himiko suddenly found her attacking motion being pulled back, as a lightning-fast strip of clothes tightly wrangled around her whole midsection as the last of her disguise fell away.

Unfortunately, though, with her excitement and bloodlust at its peak, nothing was going to bring her to a stop now, and the Pro could feel that murderous intent as she looked back his way over her shoulder in mid-air; all the upbeat energy in her gaze now replaced with a chilling malice, just as she suddenly grabbed onto his wrapping with her free hand, and flipped herself up and over him with that newly gained leverage, not only allowing herself to get behind him, but also to yank him forward just that little bit enough that, with her descent, she could easily sink her knife into the back of his right shoulder.

SHUK! RRIP!

The moment Himiko had felt her knife sink into Aizawa's shoulder with ease, she just as quickly managed to tear away the strip of his Capture Tool that was keeping her tethered to him, thus allowing herself to spring back out of his grasp and toss the confining wrappings aside, effectively rendering herself free just as he pulled her knife from out of his back, tossing it aside.

BKOOM!

Without even a building rumble to serve as a warning, a section of the floor near Izuku and Rock Lock's position suddenly exploded upward, bringing everyone in the room to a frozen state of surprise as they all looked that way, prepared to fight off whichever other enemy was taking this chance to try and get the jump on them…only for that apprehension to immediately change into overwhelming relief on Izuku's part, when the dust settled to reveal the heavily breathing and visibly ready form of Tunguska standing tall and powerful before his fellow Heroes; his fierce eyes focused immediately upon Himiko, who was already taking that split-second opportunity to try and put more distance between herself and her now overwhelming number of opponents as he called out furiously to her: "YOU GET BACK HERE!"

This sudden evasive maneuver of hers didn't go unnoticed by Izuku, either, as he was already in the process of darting after her as Tunguska bellowed; calling out to his two reunited teachers: "Tunguska, please make sure Eraserhead and Rock Lock are okay! I won't let her get away this time!"

THWIPP!

"HOLD IT, DEKU!" Aizawa's warning and subsequent wrangling of Izuku came at just the perfect moment, as was quickly apparent when another wall came slamming down between Izuku and the retreating Himiko, once more leaving the Heroes alone together. "Right now, Irinaka's manipulating this whole space to allow the League of Villains to come at us whichever way they want. There's no telling where the rest of them could be hiding, or however many of their ranks have teamed up with the Hassaikai to begin with. We couldn't afford to just rush headlong into things before, but now the game as a whole has changed."

Izuku could still feel his blood boiling at the thought of Himiko getting away with hurting his teacher and another Pro, but that blindness was thankfully quick to fade when listening to Tunguska's assuring tone: "He's right, Deku. Right now, we need to stick together for when they make their next move."

And with the relief that having another Pro on their side of the wall could only provide right now, Izuku's moment of clarity gave way to an instinctive realization of worry: "Wait, Tunguska, is Red Riot with you?! Is he alright?!"

Looking back to the hole from which he had emerged, Tunguska let out a sigh that Izuku could swear carried regret; a thought that left a chill running up his spine, unwilling yet unable to help but assume the worst. "We got jumped by some especially tough thugs down there. Fortunately, we managed to clear them out, but not without him taking some pretty nasty hits. I found a first-aid office a little ways back; he's resting up there with the others. He's all right."

On one hand, the thought of Eijirou actually getting hurt had left Izuku (and to a more subtle extent, Aizawa) horrified. However, for such a veteran Hero to likewise assure them that he was in good hands alongside (undoubtedly) Fatgum and Tamaki, had his once overwrought heart managing to beat easy again. "Thank goodness…"

Of course, a momentary pained grunt from Aizawa set Izuku's senses right back into full alert, already preparing to rush his way and check the stab wound in his shoulder; only for the man to hold up a commanding hand to stop. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Right now, we need to stop Rock Lock's bleeding. And make sure to pick up Toga's knife, too. Her Quirk makes use of blood, apparently."

As Izuku dutifully did as he was told while Tunguska knelt at Rock Lock's side; while Aizawa was keeping a hand firmly clasped to his wound, his mind was hardly as stoic as his tone. 'I can't believe I actually let us get complacent enough to think there wouldn't potentially be casualties on this mission. I got careless. And this new development…I didn't think it was possible that Shigaraki would genuinely team up with someone like the Hassaikai. This complicates things immensely.'

All the while, as Izuku was collecting Himiko's knife, his mind was likewise awhirl with thinking back to her surprise attack…but with observing what her Quirk had apparently allowed her to do, to don a melting disguise; a once distant memory came crashing back to the forefront of his mind with enough force to render him frozen stiff with horrific realization. 'Those quick moves of hers to go along with that disguising ability…I thought those looked familiar! They're just like the moves that Shiketsu High girl from the Provisional Exams used! Then…that must mean she…was never really there that day to begin with! Her classmates had even said she'd been acting different from normal! It was Toga Himiko the entire time! It had to be! The League of Villains…just what exactly are they thinking?!'

Present Day

CLANG!

A sudden deafening crash of Nikolay's bowl falling to the floor broke all of the building enraptured air between himself and his friends, as they had all taken the first empty seats they could find while listening to Aizawa begrudgingly indulge their curiosity. This jolted everyone else back to reality all the same, while Aizawa could only momentarily look in annoyance at the now-broken promise of no interruption. However, once he saw the distinctly petrified look on his foreign student's face; just the same as all his friends around him immediately did, to all their own skyrocketing concern; his own annoyance quickly vanished.

"Kolya-kun, what's wrong?!" "Are you feeling all right?" "do you need to go to Recovery Girl-sensei's office?" Mina, Momo and Kyouka's concerns were all coming at once, but Tenya was thankfully quick to command silence from his classmates, as Nikolay was clutching tight onto his pant legs, barely trembling; and primarily muttering to himself:

"Oh my God…that girl, Utsushimi…back at the License Exams…that was never really her, was it? It was actually…it was…she was lurking there all around us the entire time, and we never even knew it!"

"Bezpalov-san, forgive us, but what exactly are you talking about?" As soon as Momo even asked, a glint from the afternoon sun through the windows catching off of Tenya's glasses caught hers and the rest of her classmates' attention, as he straightened them and stood steadfast to answer; his eyes even more intense than usual.

"I may have a good idea, actually. During the Provisional License Exams, Midoriya-san was talking to some of us about how that girl among the Shiketsu High students, Utsushimi Camie-san, was apparently able to disguise herself in order to get close. Then, after the Rescue/Villain Battle segments, I overheard Mineta-san and Hagakure-san talking about finding Bezpalov-san with who he and they thought was Ashido-san…even though later discussing it with Midoriya-san helped me to realize that you had actually been assisting with defending the rescue station pretty much that entire time, instead. My natural conclusion was that it had to be the same girl, doing the exact same trick to Bezpalov-san.

"However, listening to Sensei's explanation of this incident…I fear there's really only one logical conclusion that ties it all together." As Tenya bowed his head in grim realization, it all finally came together for the three present girls as well; Momo and Kyouka both looking deeply shaken, while Mina had to clasp her hands to her mouth and fight the fearful tears threatening to well in her eyes as she once more looked to see the horror in Nikolay's own.

"Oh God…Kolya-kun, you don't mean…that scary Toga girl…she'd actually gone after you and Midori-kun back then?! And she actually tried to go for you disguised as ME?!" It was taking every ounce of restraint Mina had to not immediately take her shaken boyfriend into her arms in a show of comfort, while the rest of their friends were likewise trying to keep themselves composed. After last night's news of Vukodlak's escape hadn't already frightened her and Nikolay enough to practically need each other's presence just to be able to sleep again, then the knowledge that such a dangerous psychopath had gotten so close to him without anyone ever even knowing it, would all but demand a repeat for both their sakes.

However, anxious to try and steer the minds of the office away from this unsettling breach in their once-perceived-unbreakable security; Kyouka took on a very analytical air. "So, between this, Tunguska-sensei and Kirishima-san's story yesterday, and what Ochako-chan and Tsuyu-chan had told us at the beginning, then this has to confirm that Vukodlak really has joined the League of Villains. For them to show up on this mission, and him to likewise be there as a solely independent entity is just way too much of a coincidence, especially with the fact he suddenly has several new Quirks to work with. So with that all being said…"

Bracing herself for an answer she knew none of them wanted, but just felt more and more certain; Kyouka and the others all turned their gaze back to th silently annoyed-looking Aizawa. "Sensei…the Tunguska that rejoined you and Midoriya-san back there…it couldn't possibly have been the real one, could it?"

The look in their homeroom teachers' eyes was unreadable behind the locks of his hair, as he once again began pensively picking away at his lunch, observing the silent air between his present students. "That's right, except at that moment, we were still in too much of an urgent situation for me to really figure that out just yet. Ours wasn't the only group getting attacked then. Try not to let anymore interruptions happen from now on, and listen closely. We're almost out of time, regardless."

"I was wondering what sort of Hero would show up! HE'S JUST SOME SALARY MAN! DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE YAKUZA, YOU JERK! TAKE 'EM DOWN, BIG BRO RAPPA!"

From nearly the moment their group had gotten cut off from Aizawa, Izuku and Rock Lock, Sir Nighteye and the small contingency of police officers with him found themselves now being jumped by, to their overall surprise, the League of Villains member they now recognized as Twice, and at his side was the muscular powerhouse their briefings had identified as Kendo Rappa. With their knowledge of his particular Quirk, the danger they were in was bad enough already, but with Nighteye's suspicions of the League of Villains potentially being involved now confirmed, the unknown factor of just who else they were all up against was impossible to ignore, even as Rappa was already sending a blinding series of punches straight for him as he stood at the forefront.

However, panic or fear was the last thing to occur to Sir Nighteye, as he simply observed his assailant's movements, and with the utmost ease, ducked down at the last moment before impact could be made, and subsequently kicking his leg out in a powerful sweeping kick, knocking the brutish thug's legs out from underneath him and bringing him down like a freshly cut down tree.

"Hmm, just grazed me…you are strong, aren't you?" He could only mutter this as an aside to himself when seeing the notable tear left in the side of his white suit where Rappa's fist had just flown right by where he once stood. But this barely even registered as an inconvenience, as a split second later, with but the slightest flick of his wrist, Sir Nighteye sent Rappa plowing straight back into the wall all the way across like a speeding truck, leaving a massive crater in his wake, and leaving Twice and the police alike wide-eyed and speechless ("What…just happened?"), while he nonchalantly got back to his feet.

"That was a special high-density personal seal—a Support item just for battle. It weighs about five kilograms. It fits my salary man image, making the whole thing quite humorous. 'Read their moves and strike first.' I've viewed so many people's futures in my time, that when it comes to close combat, I'm always a bit faster. But even I couldn't foresee this; to think that the almighty League of Villains would actually team up with a mere yakuza."

All the while, Twice couldn't even speak or move, standing in the open like a deer in the headlights, before cautiously looking back to where his partner had just been plowed into the wall, just in time for Rappa to start melting away into the same thick sludge his Copies were made from, thus revealing his deception, and leaving him with no support. "DAMMIT, WHY COULDN'T I HAVE KEPT ONE OF THOSE DAMN BRACELETS?! AT LEAST THOSE GUYS COULD TAKE A HIT! THESE YAKUZA ARE USELESS!"

FWISH!

The tiny black object that flew from another flick of Sir Nighteye's wrist barely grazed past Twice's head mid-rant, but it was still with enough power to tear away half of his mask, finally triggering his long-delayed flight-or-flight response, as he turned on his heels and ran like the wind in pure panic, just for another wall to come crashing down hard just behind his back mid-stride, effectively cutting him off from his pursuers.

Of course, the adrenaline racing through his veins alongside his panic could only spur him to keep shouting angrily: "SO QUICK WITH THAT DAMN WALL! ANY SLOWER, AND I'D HAVE BEEN CRUSHED, YOU STINKIN' YAKUZA BUM! WE'RE S'POSED TO BE WORKING TOGETHER, SO DO YOUR DAMN PART, TOO!"

Once he'd managed to round another corner towards escape, Twice nearly went tripping over his own feet, hyperventilating and clutching hard at his head, specifically at the missing half of his mask as he began rocking himself back and forth. "No good…this is all your fault! My mask! I'm the only one who can touch it, you hear me?! Look! No good, no good, no good! Gonna split apart! I'm splitting, splitting, splitting! Hooray! I'm gonna split apart! I'm not! Gonna split…if I don't cover up!"

Amid the deafening panic in his own head, Twice could barely even register the sound of a single light pair of footsteps approaching him, ultimately coming to a stop just before him. If he had, he would've immediately assumed it to be yet another enemy looking to hurt him, and he would've immediately acted upon it. But all of that vicious anger was immediately extinguished once he felt a single cloth being firmly tied around the now-missing half of his mask, effectively covering up his frightened blue eye and blonde hair again, and finally bringing his tremors back under control.

"Staying covered really does keep you whole after all, huh? I guess it really doesn't hurt when you're uncovering yourself of your own choice, does it? Otherwise you'd probably have been freaking out like this all those times while we were on our little foreign exchange trip, right?"

The oddly reassuring and calming sound of Himiko Toga's voice finally spurred Twice to lift his gaze, seeing the ever-familiar fanged smile on her face as she finished tightening the makeshift covering for his face. "You could manage control of you and your splitting so well back there; you're a lot stronger than you think, y'know? With all our Quirks working together, we still got the big advantage here, okay? So don't be so scared anymore. Tomura and Sensei are both counting on us to do our part here as we agreed, remember?"

Twice's eyes were virtually blinded with his commencing tears of gratitude, as she knelt before him so they could remain on the same level, both literally, and in terms of respect, even if in his case, it was quickly growing far stronger than it ever had before. "Toga…let's stick together, Toga. You're a real demon."

Of course, this surprise praise on his part wasn't even registering, as once she was convinced she'd gotten her nearest partner back under control, Himiko had turned her gaze to the walls, putting on a spiteful childish pout, especially since she could just feel it in her gut that Mimic was listening in on them from within those very walls, just as he was the Heroes and police. "Geez, we're only trying to help these guys like we were asked. These yakuza are real stinkers, aren't they? We shouldn't have to put up with something so unpleasant, should we?"

Like magic, Himiko and Twice could both just feel the atmosphere of this momentary safe haven of theirs intensify; the surefire sign that Mimic was nearby, and he was no doubt listening to them, and not liking what he was hearing. But right now, the sound of Twice's continued emotional tears was taking the priority of Himiko's attention, even as her narrowing eyes shifted up to the ceiling; her sharpened hearing making out the faint sound of a concentrated heartbeat, before she finally met Twice's gaze and cupped his covered face in her hands.

"You must be so sad. Feeling all responsible for getting Magne-neechan killed like that, and now we're here. We've all been working so hard for all this time together to try and get strong enough that we don't ever have to be made that sad and lose like that again. Sensei is even working right now to help make it so that we'll all be so much stronger when this is all over…but you've honestly been working so much harder than even that."

"My soul mate…" This was all Twice could mutter in the throes of his despair, and the resultant desperate struggle to try and pick himself back up, while Himiko never broke her gaze, nor the supportive calm of her tone. "If our circumstances were any different, if it were just the two of us, I would be just as sad, too. I'd be saying a bunch of boring grown-up stuff about how we gotta just suck it up and endure it, and keep trying to help these guys, even if just for now. I know such a thought really sucks, and is really sad, Jin. We would have to do that, because otherwise we'd never be able to get our revenge. After everything we did to get ready for this; that would be just, like, the worst thing ever, wouldn't it?"

Finally, Himiko's eyes nearly looked like they were about to roll into the back of her head, as she shifted her menacing stare back to the ceiling, listening to the intensifying heartbeat within. With her smile becoming that much more frightening, her entire demeanor began to darken, yet still radiate her signature kind of energetic glee. "And you know what? If Sensei has the strength and free will to work solo for our sakes, even when we've got nothing but enemies around us, then I know we both can too, just as well; especially you. You're strong enough to do whatever you want and win, Jin, so why don't you? Why don't we?"

This sudden shift in Himiko's mood, and the very encouragement and drive behind these diverting words of hers, speaking out against the original concept of their agreement, had all of Twice's worries immediately die out, and be replaced with a motivational warmth he could never remember feeling before. She was absolutely right. He was convinced to go along with this plan of cooperating with the Hassaikai, precisely because Tomura believed in him enough to ask. Even now, he and Himiko were continuing to act the part, yet also work together with this secret plan Vukodlak had asked her to communicate to him personally, precisely because even he believed in Twice's capabilities.

And now, even Himiko herself was expressing her faith in him to be strong enough to do whatever he truly wanted and win. Now that their enemies were mere steps away, and she had put him back together from within when he was in the greatest danger of coming apart, Twice no longer felt fear. No, now he felt damn well good and ready to finally do away with all the pretenses, just like she was.

It was the single greatest feeling he could've asked for, when he finally got back to his feet right alongside her, and cried out point-blank to the ceiling, knowing who was there, watching and listening to every word between them: "THIS IS WHY THE YAKUZA ARE GOING EXTINCT! YOU GUYS ARE WORSE THAN INCOMPETENT! YOU'RE COMPLETELY WORTHLESS!"

"Just think about it, even your old bedridden boss couldn't hope to turn things around here! How big and strong do you really think you are anymore?!" The moment Himiko chimed in with an especially biting taunt, courtesy of her sharp ears alongside Vukodlak's helping them both to paint a clear picture of just what else was being hidden away in this compound, the whole are around the entire immediate area of the basement went ice cold with murderous intent.

And just like that, with an animalistic roar of rage, every wall, ceiling and floor around began to warp, bend, tear away and explode out in a nonsensical, nightmarish organic writhing of rage, throwing the two Villains and all the nearby Heroes and police alike for a loop, just as Mimic's voice bellowed from all around: "I'M GONNA OBLITERATE EVERY LAST DAMN ONE OF YOU!"

But even being on the receiving end of such a genuine threat did nothing to dampen either Twice or Himiko's spirits, as even with the countless risks involved, they knew they were in this change of the grand plan till the end; their hearts and minds unified as one, shaped by one simple yet all-important decision: 'Anybody who pisses us off is in for a world of pain! We know you'd turn us down if we ever asked you face-to-face…so for now, we're gonna be pals and fight the same enemy together, whether you like it or not, Heroes! We're not exactly the brawling type, so we'll leave a specific pest like this to you!'

As the room continued to twist, turn and reshape itself like an architectural hurricane, Mimic only continued to roar out: "HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?! NEMOTO-SAN RAN HIS QUIRK ON YOU THREE! YOU SAID YOU HAD NO KNOWLEDGE NOR WILL TO BETRAY US!"

Carefully maneuvering himself alongside Himiko as every surface surged beneath their feet, Twice just as defiantly spat back: "That's what you arrogant bastards get for being so confident and not bothering a daily questioning, you hear?! Things change all the time, not at all!"

All the while, Himiko was simply relishing in listening to just how volatile Mimic's tone was as he continued to explode, verbally and physically around them in response to what were ultimately little more than schoolyard taunts. "Insecure guys tend to have short fuses. And when they get mad, they throw all caution to the wind."

All the while, on the other end of the basement maelstrom, it was taking every bit of agility Izuku, Aizawa and Tunguska had to try and keep a maintained idea of just where they were, let alone keep Rock Lock steady so as not to make his injuries even worse. But even with that, their ears were all sharp, as Aizawa listened in to the cacophonous angry shouting. "That voice! Do you both hear it, too?"

Izuku's eyes were darting everywhere he could think to look and listen, all the while trying desperately to avoid any portions of the room that were collapsing in on themselves, ultimately reducing the area he and his partners had to work with. "I do, Eraserhead! It always comes just before one of those big environmental attacks comes. It's gotta be Irinaka's voice! But it's hard to pin down where he is with all this echoing everywhere."

And yet, where the Heroes were finding themselves at the biggest disadvantage; Himiko herself was on a roll, still hopping, skipping and jumping with ease no matter how much the room was collapsing in on itself around her and Twice, and keeping her eyes focused on a swirling inlet in the ceiling, and the shadowy emptiness at the end of it, where she could just feel she was being watched from.

And that realization only made her feel that much bolder: "The more insecure the guy, the more he tries to hide himself and his weakness; the more he tries to look strong…all so he can look down on others. Yakuza, so uncool, seriously."

"GRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

Like the detonation of a powder keg, everything proceeded to unfold rapidly. These last verbal barbs of Himiko's had finally proven enough to make Mimic; the elusive eye that she had sensed from within that ceiling sinkhole; do away with the last shred of caution, roaring with homicidal rage in preparation to crush her and Twice where they stood…and in the process, bellow out just loud enough for Izuku, Aizawa, Tunguska and Sir Nighteye to all simultaneously hone in on where exactly he was within this maelstrom of crushing death.

SMAAAASH!

With his entire body erupting in green electrical bolts, Izuku had immediately taken off, ricocheting off surface after surface towards the source of the murderous howl, before finally flipping himself over and driving all of that momentum within his Shoot Style-strengthened foot straight into the ceiling, producing a devastating shockwave that reduced nearly the entire ceiling to rubble; thus causing a single middle-aged man in an otherwise unassuming brown dress shirt and suspenders with spiky dark blonde hair and stubble (as well as the most murderously hateful eyes) to come freefalling out.

And the very moment he saw an unfamiliar face come falling out into the open, Aizawa was like a man possessed, the way he moved in order to center his line of sight on the man he could just feel in his gut was their elusive aggressor, Joi Irinaka.

The very moment he did, all of the malformations and morphing of the entire basement came to an instantaneous stop, for with Irinaka's Quirk at long last deactivated; their greatest threat and disadvantage thus far had finally been removed. Even when caught in the throes of shock and confusion, his face was still twisted with pure bloodlust, especially as he could still hear the mocking voices of Twice and Himiko, as they took his clear-cut defeat as their cue to finally take their urgent leave: "Too bad, mob boy! We're just gonna do what we want, after all; starting with helping Sensei take your little treasure! Bye!"

With absolutely no mind given to his impending crippling injuries with the heights he still had left to fall, all Irinaka could feel as he watched the two traitorous Villains retreat out of sight of the Heroes, was to scream out with all the murderous hate his body could physically hold, staring at their backs as though he were trying to stop their hearts with his sheer will: "YOU TWOOOOOOO!"

WHAM!

But whatever other colorful words he could've torn out of the pitch black depths of his heart in that moment would now go unspoken, for the moment he'd ended up in Sir Nighteye's line of sight, Irinaka was swiftly knocked out cold by a precisely-aimed tiny black chess piece-shaped hyper density seal straight to the side of his face; removing all rigidity and resistance in his body just in time for Izuku to come darting in and catching him mid-fall, effectively saving the yakuza from any number of debilitating, if not fatal injuries.

With all the Heroes and the police finally reunited, Izuku came landing down in time for the present officers to quickly rush in and take the unconscious Irinaka off his hands, while others were taking Rock Lock, and Aizawa and Tunguska were dutifully returning to Sir Nighteye's side; who was currently watching where he had clearly heard Twice and Himiko's voices moments before.

Looking from there to Irinaka himself, the bespectacled Pro Hero finally uttered in realization: "It seems he was being used, just like we were, so they could escape. But now his labyrinth is finally finished."

While this last bit of news was unquestionably some of the most reassuring they'd gotten since this whole mission had started, Izuku was especially too focused on the rest of the mission at hand to breathe a sigh of relief. After all, Mirio was still technically all on his own further down the way, and there was still no telling what other kinds of tricks Overhaul and what was left of the Shie Hassaikai had in wait for anyone lucky enough to make it that far.

SHUKK!

"GAAAH! WHAT THE HELL?!"

The sudden sound of drawing steel and the shocked outcries of multiple police officers shattered what little peace hung in the air, as Izuku, Sir Nighteye and Aizawa all immediately turned back like the flip of a switch, only to be hit by a frigid cold confusion and horror at what was unfolding just behind their backs, for the police had all simultaneously leapt away and were in the middle of drawing their guns, while Tunguska was tearing an extended right hand free from out of Irinaka's chest, sending a huge spraying of blood flying through the air and across the walls as the yakuza collapsed listlessly to the floor at the Russian Hero's feet; his already red glove now tipped with razor sharp steel claws, all dripping with copious amounts of blood.

The sickening twisting sensation in Izuku's stomach didn't even register to him; he was simply too confused and horrified to even say words, let alone activate his Full Cowl in reaction once he saw those once calm blue eyes now hone in on him like a predator that had just locked onto its newest prey.

But just before the larger man could suddenly come charging for the green-haired boy, Aizawa came sliding in between them, focusing his gaze squarely on him with the full intent to render him completely powerless…only for Tunguska to continue charging his way, forcing Aizawa to hurriedly throw another wrapping around both his forearms, tightly binding them together, and then using the anchoring of his foot to provide enough leverage to send him crashing into the nearest wall.

"I deactivated his Quirk, but it's like he doesn't even feel it! This can't possibly be a real person! Possibly one of Bubaigawara's Copies?" Aizawa couldn't even theorize for a moment longer, as the clearly false Tunguska suddenly threw his body weight around enough to try and yank him off his feet, just in close enough range for a devastating kick if nothing else.

"FULL COWL!"

Izuku's battle cry, tinged with determination and anger at the thought of the League using their sly tricks to try and imitate another of his teachers, came ringing through loud and clear, as he came ricocheting off another wall, aiming to drive a single defining kick straight into the impostor's head…only for 'Tunguska' to throw his whole body into a backwards dive, swinging both his hands up, and suddenly erecting a single invisible force field that took the full brunt of Izuku's attack, forcing him to spring back in reaction, while a sudden impact crater was left where 'Tunguska' had just rolled away from, as though plowed into by that very same invisible wall.

However, the resulting shockwave and resultant crash had sent enough debris flying about, that some of it ended up nailing 'Tunguska' in the face, forcing him to reel back, while Aizawa was just as quickly forced to reel back his Capture Tool in order to avoid getting wrangled back. As he, Izuku and Sir Nighteye all hurriedly regrouped in preparation for the battle to continue; the impostor slowly stood up tall and finally turned back around to face his three Hero opponents…revealing half of the Tunguska visage had been torn away like a cheap latex mask, for underneath; grinning sadistically at them all the while, was a slightly younger foreign-looking man with stubble, short black-grey hair, sharp canines, and a single chillingly sharp silver eye.

And the moment they saw the true face of their assailant looking upon them from under the mask of their ally; both from memory and association respectively; Aizawa and Izuku both felt a distinct electrical jolt of disbelieving shock rush through their whole bodies, as the freckled boy muttered in wide-eyed realization, thinking back to the very same descriptions he had heard from Nikolay and all the rest of their classmates that had fought alongside him back in Erubi City: "Vukodlak?!"

But Sir Nighteye was not about to let this Villain gain another second's advantage, as he quickly flicked another hyper density seal Vukodlak's way with the speed and precision of an Old West-style gunslinger. However, the foreign Villain had likewise seen this nifty little trick coming, as with the flick of his own wrist, he created another Air Shield in kind to take that little heavyweight's force head-on.

WHAM! CRAASH!

However, with so little time to actually build up the proper amount of energy into strengthening it, Vukodlak instead found himself getting driven off his feet and straight into the wall at his back, leaving another massive crater among countless others in its wake, as the hyper density seal had effectively turned his Air Shield right around against him.

But before he could even call back to the police to try and tranquilize their latest opponent, Sir Nighteye was cut off by a chilling sound of gloating laughter, as while the dust cleared, Vukodlak was already beginning to melt away where he was laid out into the wall, just like the Kendo Rappa Copy that Twice had tried to fight alongside in the beginning. Another Copy.

By the time it became clear that this wasn't actually the real Vukodlak they'd been dealing with, Izuku's protective instincts kicked right back in, as he bolted from where he knelt, right back to Irinaka's blood-covered form, all too ready to start ordering for the police to call in for first-aid support, or to use what little medical supplies they could've possibly had on hand…only to be silenced by the sensation of Aizawa laying a single hand upon his shoulder. "It's already too late, Deku. He knew exactly where to strike while we weren't watching. He's gone."

Izuku's hands were clutching as tight as they ever had; his teeth grinding in frustration and devastation at those words; the last words any Hero wanted to hear, no matter who it was for. But even as he was trying to ride this surge of agonizing emotions through to the end, the young Hero couldn't possibly keep the thoughts racing through his mind at that moment: "I don't understand, Eraserhead! I recognized that face from the things Tunguska-sensei and Kolya-san said about Erubi City…but I thought that Villain was supposed to be blind! And how is he even here when you said he'd been arrested?!"

To Izuku's dread, however; even with his golden visor on, he could still see that Aizawa was just as deeply unsettled and confused by this sudden development. "He was blind when I saw him in Erubi City; there was no mistaking it. We know Bubaigawara Jin's Quirk allows him to actually Copy his subject's Quirk as well. Somehow, not only has Vukodlak managed to get in touch with the League of Villains; otherwise how would Bubaigawara be able to make a Copy of him; but he's also managed to get his eyesight back, and is using some kind of Disguising and Force Field Quirks I know Tunguska never mentioned him having before. If they did help him to somehow escape, then how is it possible it's gone unreported to us? And how is he suddenly using a number of new Quirks without having to be turned into a Nomu like so many others?"

With no less intensity than either of them, Sir Nighteye diligently stepped forward, straightening the remains of his white suit, having since been torn away in the middle after the first use of his hyper density seals against the Rappa Copy. "These are all very important questions we'll have to follow up on, but I'm afraid we can't afford to spend time theorizing. We need to catch up with and stop Chisaki Kai while we still have a chance…before Lemillion gets to him and tries something foolish on his own."

The reminder of the impending risk Mirio was taking by going off on his own, already had Aizawa and Izuku back in the game 100-percent, even though the boy was instinctively looking back the way they had originally come, specifically envisioning the hole the now-proven Vukodlak Copy had gotten to them from. "If he came to us wearing a Tunguska disguise…what do you think happened to the real one and Red Riot?"

To this, Aizawa pulled the wrappings around his neck up a little bit, hiding his mouth so Izuku couldn't see the momentary nervous twitching of the corner of his mouth, at the thought of one of his students in as bad a condition as Izuku was suggesting. "Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury of being able to go back and check, especially if we want to keep Chisaki from escaping. Right now, the best thing we can do is keep going forward…and hope for the best until we can confirm, Deku."

Ding-dong! Ding-dong!

With an almost cruel sense of cosmic timing, the bell signifying the end of yet another day's lunch period had chosen then to ring, and as though he'd practically been counting on it ringing at this very moment, Aizawa wasted no time getting back to his feet, ushering the utterly stunned, frightened and all-around anxious-looking Nikolay and his friends out of the teachers' office. "Alright, that wraps that up. I held up my end of this little agreement, so now I expect you all to do the same. Don't come to me asking for more, and whatever further details you get from Midoriya or Tunguska are of their own choice to give…even if I still think it's an all-around bad idea. I'll see you all in class very shortly."

However, even as they reluctantly did as they were told and kept any instinctive requests for more info to themselves all the way back to Class 1-A; the whole group of students' minds were rushing with the very same questions: how was it physically possible for Vukodlak to suddenly have more than one Quirk, and not get turned into one of those monstrous Nomus? How did he manage to escape from prison to begin with? Those were the two most prominent queries, among countless others. And just as Aizawa had said; anything they could potentially learn later on from either Izuku, Tunguska or anyone else upon their return, would be entirely of their own judgment on whether or not to give.

Sure, the idea of going back to Nejire or Tamaki was always an option. After all, some of the details they'd learned had come from their storyteller's recollection of all-around testimony of the whole mission after the fact; it was possible they would know exactly what had happened to Mirio, if the first-years themselves couldn't actually go to him; whichever hospital he was staying at; to find out firsthand.

But even then, with all of this motivation bristling just under the surface between them all, there was likewise the foreboding anxiety in the air, of just inevitably finding out just what on earth had actually happened to their seeming powerhouse of a third-year to land him in the hospital for this long in the first place…as well as the painful and horrific reminder of Himiko Toga having managed to infiltrate their Provisional License Exams so deeply, without a single one of them ever having thought of it.

And just that thought of that terrifying girl actually disguising herself as Mina in order to get close to the currently tense Nikolay; had the real pink-skinned student herself just shaking from head to toe with both relief for his being relatively unharmed; and an overwhelming sense of protectiveness alike, as she instinctively linked her arm around his the rest of the way to class, never loosening up until they were right at the classroom door.

Whatever would come for them tomorrow, in either training, or however the story from their now-absent friends would go from here; the only thing that was cemented as fact right now, was that neither Nikolay nor Mina were going to be able to get through tonight by themselves again.

And there it is, everyone, this week's chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it, because there are definitely some later plans I have in mind in this story as a result of these considerable changes, primarily in actually killing off member of the Eight Bullets here. I have the utmost faith that, when that time inevitably comes, it will be just as worth it for all of you as it will be for me.

Please let me know what you all think so far, and I will see you all with the next chapter (hopefully precisely on time) on 10/22!