Hello once again, everyone! I would normally take this chance to try and help get you all hyped up for the events to come, and the payoff of the plot thread I've been leading here since the end of the Villains Abroad Arc, but this week actually brings a very special change I wanted to run by you all.

With the way we know, as fans, the tone of this overall story is ultimately going to go; I've been strongly considering covering certain stories depicted in the My Hero Academia: School Briefs light novel series, in order to further flesh out the more peaceful times that Nikolay and Tunguska have gotten to be a part of over the course of events we've seen thus far, to better develop some of their lesser seen relationships with their friends and peers; either in the form of amending some certain scenes in chapters past, or by writing little one-shot stories covering the most appropriate ones. I may even end up doing this to cover events in the Team-Up Missions spinoff manga as well, depending where those ultimately take place in the timeline.

Anyway, the reason I bring this all up to you is because I wanted to posit this in the form of my very first poll on this platform. Would you all, as my long-time readers, like to see me tackle this side-hurdle to further flesh out this story in non-essential bits and pieces as time permits, or not? I feel you all deserve the chance to decide. You'll find the poll on my profile, and it will stay open through the end of April. i feel that should be plenty of time.

With that all being said, I would once again like to extend my sincerest thanks to you all for all your continuous support; just as I would like to thank all my beta readers, consultants and friends, Mizu, Jonny and Carlos; and all of the current roster of DA fan-artist supporters: Syyndev, Akane Kahomi, AliceKuroCross, Suki-Chan2509, effasempai, Eliza-Frost, Vanera-Taro and Yumake.

My Hero Academia is 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 118

The Ember

(Уголек)

BWOOMBWOOMBWOOMBWOOMBWOOM!

What had already started out as a shocking and altogether frightening sudden change in Nikolay's Quirk, had very quickly turned into an all-around nightmare for members of both teams. For as soon as Setsuna had finally decided to withdraw the near dozen pieces of herself she had left to spare; Nikolay's nonstop Refracting Blasts that were knocking his body all around through the air, had suddenly started redirecting themselves down towards Kyouka and Hanta rushing across the ground, blasting away the earth and trees right on both their tails. But they weren't the only targets his Quirk was aiming for, either, for Bakugo had by now taken off into the air to try and intercept or knock him down, only to be grudgingly forced to evade the spontaneous yet precisely aimed far-reaching shots of pure overwhelmingly strong vibration power forcing themselves out of every part of Nikolay's body again and again.

And as it all continued to unfold, and his body kept getting kicked, jerked and thrown with this painful continuous kickback of force; Nikolay's mind was nothing short of frantic. 'KYOUKA-SAN, SERO-SAN, BAKUGO, SETSUNA-SAN, MAJA-SAN, EVERYBODY GET AWAY FROM ME! I CAN'T CONTROL IT! WHY CAN'T I CONTROL IT ANYMORE!?'

And just as it had for the last minute; every desperate thought racing through Nikolay's head was handily answered by that same unfamiliar, disquietingly calm man's voice practically coming from thin air: "If you keep convincing yourself you've lost control, then you'll never be able to take the reins back like you used to. Right now, all your panic is blinding you, and your Quirk is doing all the decision-making on its own. You need to take that role in the relationship between you and your power back. You went through so much of your life fearing your power, wondering how you would ever be able to control it, but you managed to do so masterfully up until now. You can do it just as thoroughly again if you just listen to what I'm telling you.

"There's a distinct relationship between a Quirk and its User. It is literally an extension of yourself, and you need to treat it as such, even when its power starts to break through the threshold you previously had, like it is now. Don't try to force control, you need to try and reconnect with it like you did before, fully accepting and embracing it as a part of what makes you who you are. Once you can reestablish that peaceful connection with it, you can truly be able to wield it to your specifications again, if not even more so."

But no matter how confident and self-assured this voice sounded, it did nothing to ease Nikolay's pain-filled, panic-driven nerves. 'But I don't know if I can! It just won't stop to give me the chance to even try…and the pain is so intense! How do I know you're even real?! How do I know I'm not just cracking up now that my Quirk's gone crazy?! Somebody…please, make it stop!'

BKOOOOM! WHAAAM!

Within the deafening cacophony of resonating Kinetic blasts, his own panicked inner voice and the unknown voice trying to guide him to no avail; Nikolay was virtually deaf to the overwhelmingly powerful sounds of Bakugo's Explosions; the hotheaded young Hero having brute forced his way through every one of the Refracting Blasts being instinctively sent his way, before finally propelling himself over the one last stretch; slamming all of the momentum behind his body straight into Nikolay's; sending both of them plummeting and slamming hard to the ground of the hilltop thankfully not too far below.

The moment they were back on solid land, Bakugo didn't even waste a second before tackling and pinning Nikolay down to the ground hard, pinning his knee against his lower back while holding his head down with one hand, and holding his right arm up and fully extended with the other clasped around his own.

And all the while, Nikolay's continuous Refracting Blasts refused to stop, whittling away at the area all around them, as well as hammering into Bakugo's whole torso, his arms, legs and even once across his face, destroying half his black eye mask in the process. But despite all this, he still refused to let go or retreat; instead letting his already overflowing anger and the pain of these admittedly intense impacts from Nikolay's Quirk against him, drive his rage into his words:

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, LETTING YOUR QUIRK SUDDENLY GO ALL BATSHIT ON YOU LIKE THIS, HUH?! HOW ABOUT INSTEAD OF SCREAMING FOR HELP AND CRYING LIKE A BABY AGAIN, YOU TAKE A DAMN BREATH, LOOK AT WHERE YOU ARE, AND THINK ABOUT JUST WHO THE HELL IT IS YOU'RE FIGHTING HERE! YOU FOUGHT TOOTH AND NAIL THROUGH ALL YOUR DAMN CRYING AND COWARDICE, LIKE A GODDAMN MAN, TO GET HERE;AND NOW YOU'RE SUDDENLY JUST GONNA GIVE UP AND LET YOUR QUIRK, THE ONE THING IN THIS WHOLE DAMN WORLD YOU SHOULD HAVE THE MOST CONTROL OVER, TOSS YOU AROUND?! IF YOU CAN'T EVEN HANDLE YOUR OWN QUIRK, LET ALONE A SITUATION LIKE THIS WHOLE SHITTY BATTLE, THEN HOW THE HELL DO YOU PLAN ON MAKING YOUR DUMB ASS INTO A WORTHWHILE HERO, YOU RUSSKIE BASTARD?! ANSWER ME THAT!"

On the surface, it looked as though Bakugo was simply wasting his time shouting all of these genuine sentiments through his anger into Nikolay's ear. But the truth was that, even amid the cacophony of his Quirk, his thoughts and the voice still trying to talk him through his panic and pain; those same words of his leader's personal take on motivation, were coming through louder and clearer than anything else; stirring Nikolay to finally try with all his might to regain some semblance of personal control.

However, neither of the boys knew that, over these last several intense moments, this up close and personal confrontation was being watched warily by Yosetsu Awase; who after seeing the sheer destruction and chaos Nikolay's sudden Quirk frenzy had already caused; was far from his best state in terms of reasoning. Knowing by now that Kojiro and Togaru were both out for the count, and Setsuna had already lost a good chunk of her own arsenal like Maja had; his whole team's attack capabilities had been severely reduced.

And since he was here, and neither of his two opponents ahead seemed to have noticed his presence, then this was as good a chance as he was going to get to potentially take out both of their biggest threats all at once, as well as simply remove a major danger factor for the rest of the battle for everyone's sakes…if not his only chance.

"WELDCRAFT!" In a mad rush and a blind leap of faith, Yosetsu came rushing like a man possessed, springing himself up off the ground the moment he heard another reactive Kinetic Blast erupt from Nikolay's body in his direction. And as he momentarily flew through the air right past the two boys; he proceeded to slam both his hands onto the hands joining Nikolay and Bakugo together; applying his Quirk into them before immediately letting go and letting himself meet the ground with his stomach the moment Bakugo aimed his free hand at him and unleashed another devastating Explosion, just barely missing him.

But Bakugo's murderous eyes were honed in on Yosetsu, and he already had his free hand aiming to annihilate him where he lay, before—

BWBWBWBWOOOM!

Nikolay's frantic Refracting Blasts fired up at full speed and full force all over again, this time yanking Bakugo up right along with him as he jerked, tossed and turned through the air with every single blast, causing his next Explosion to completely miss, leaving Yosetsu momentarily unharmed as he looked up and saw that his trick had at least partially worked.

"GODDAMMIT, LET ME GO!" Bakugo demanded as his body was getting involuntarily thrown and swung about just as violently as Nikolay's. "I'M TRYING!"

The absolute desperation in Nikolay's voice forced Bakugo to look, and the moment he realized what had just happened, he could swear his blood was now burning with an anger as fierce as white phosphorous. With Yosetsu's damned sense of timing and aim, he had ended up Welding their clasped hands together. No matter how much either of them wanted to let go and separate, they literally couldn't. Bakugo's gloved hand was molecularly fused to Nikolay's bare one.

And now he was being forcefully taken for this incredibly painful ride, as the frantic and disjointed angles that Nikolay's full body Refracting Blasts were taking him in were nearly causing both their shoulders of their joined hands to nearly snap or dislocate. With only one veritable option in mind, Bakugo instinctively tried to aim his free hand and fire off multiple Explosions as fast as he could to match Nikolay's uncontrollable Blasts, in the hopes of somehow stabilizing this flight of theirs so they could at least try and focus and regain their bearings.

But unfortunately, the powerful vibrations emanating through the air as a result of his Explosions, were simply causing Nikolay's Blasts to start firing in that same direction as though they were a threat directed at him, thus throwing off any stable trajectory Bakugo was trying to get them to go in, and sending them into a shared out of control spin and repeated ascent/descent.

"Come on, boy; you need to breathe, calm yourself! If neither you or your partner can get you to regain control, you're going to nosedive into disaster! If I could figure it out, then I know you can, too! We're blood, after all, there's no excuse for it!"

'I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE, OR HOW I CAN DO IT! STOP WITH THE CRYPTIC CRAP AND ACTUALLY HELP ME OUT HERE!' Nikolay couldn't even tell if he was screaming this defiance and cry for aid in his head or out loud. The way he and Bakugo were both spinning out of control because of his Quirk was nearly causing him to black out.

So much so that his blurred field of vision kept him from seeing a small number of Setsuna's pieces suddenly come flying at their fastest from within the canopy of the trees below, utilizing timing and the space between their launching point and Nikolay's body positioning, to be able to outrace his frantic Kinetics and slam just hard enough into Nikolay's head to cause him to finally officially black out; instantly bringing the insanity of his Quirk's loss of control to a halt.

Of course, with that, came gravity, and Bakugo was already once more trying to redirect his free hand and fire off his Explosions in order to try and better control their descent. But Nikolay's added literal deadweight made it so that they were simply too low to the ground already for it to make any considerable difference, and within seconds, both boys came crashing through the branches and slamming down hard onto the ground below.

Within the void timelessness of this state of pure unconsciousness, Nikolay found himself floating listlessly; the unknown and unseen man's voice once more speaking to him loud and clear: "Alright, this isn't exactly what I had in mind, but this may be just the time you need to finally get a rein in again before things start acting up again. Make no mistake; that vibration-born Kinetic power is just going to keep building up within you with every second, and the moment you regain consciousness without having gotten control back, the damage to yourself and all those around you is going to be terrible."

Looking all around and still seeing neither hide nor hair of this stranger; Nikolay's fearful panic was now starting to grow with frustration as well: "Can't you tell me just what the hell is going on?! My Quirk has never done anything remotely like this before! And who are you? What do you mean when you say we're blood? None of this makes any sense! How can I regain control when it's already hurt me this much?"

"Of course it doesn't make any sense to you. Since when does somebody's first-ever experience of anything make perfect sense to them right off the bat? But again, that's why I'm finally able to be here to speak to you, to help ease you through it. You're going to come out that much stronger for this, I can promise you that. But you need to take advantage of this time and do exactly as I tell you to. Now just because you follow my instructions isn't going to be the trick. I could tell you how to do this in so many different ways, but you're the one that needs to put the belief and effort into it, starting with really considering where you are and who's around you. You know that this kid literally stuck to your side right now isn't a threat, nor is anyone else out here. The sooner you can remind yourself of that down to your core, you'll finally be able to really start getting control back; understand?"

Nikolay tried to focus, flashing the memories of his teammates' faces one after the other before him, all the while repeatedly screaming to himself that they didn't mean him harm, just like the voice had suggested. It was slow, nearly unnoticeable even, but slowly and surely, he could feel his frantically racing heart gradually start to slow down. And somehow, the voice could even sense this fortunate gradual change as well.

"Good, now just breathe deep, try to focus on whatever you know helps you to calm down, and listen to my words. You need to really focus and feel the power of your Quirk within your body, and I don't mean like you usually do when you need to use it for an immediate purpose. I mean really feel it as a whole other part of you as a person, not just an ability. This part of you builds in power through collected vibrations, kinetic energy. But it's much, much broader than you may have ever realized.

"The truth is: your Kinetics Quirk ultimately builds from that very thing: movement. What is vibration, than just another form of movement? Of course, that's just semantics. The point is that every single movement you've ever made has always built up the stores of your Quirk's power, and it has always been running and growing through you at every waking moment. But with your mind and heart already in such a panicked state at such an inopportune time as the other's awakening, it caused this power within you to suddenly surge and strengthen as well, hence this insane new vibration frequency that's been tearing through your body this past minute; and with the panic and desperation having already taken such a firm hold on you, it caused your power to go haywire in reaction.

"Essentially, it's trying to escape through you in this form of reflexive offensive defense, and you need to reel it back in and get it all back into place within your whole body, and harness that growing strength properly so it's all back in shape with you like it was before. I can help to show you how…so just try and remain calm through everything that happens next."

Suddenly, Nikolay could feel a trembling sensation rush through his whole body when he felt a pair of surprisingly warm and peaceful hands lay over his own, almost like someone about to force him into a stance or posture that he couldn't figure out on his own, like a dance instructor. But when looking back, despite how real this sensation felt as it managed to help his heart calm down that much further, Nikolay still saw nobody. "How is this all possible? Why can't I see you, even if it feels like you're actually real?"

When the voice spoke up, Nikolay could swear this person was right in front of him, despite seeing nothing more than the same black void. "Honestly, it's only through the recent stirring of the other's Quirk, that I've been able to actually reach out to communicate with you like this at all…although the fact we're blood may have a big part to do with it as well. Separation aside, though; the two of you do have a very special connection, and it is going to grow closer and stronger with time. Maybe when the connection is finally complete, you'll be able to see me as clearly as I can see you right now. But first things first: getting your control back."

WRAAM!

Out of literally nowhere, all sense of weightlessness and timelessness was instantaneously shattered by the devastating force of Bakugo driving his fist across Nikolay's face; snapping him back into reality, and immediately causing the overwhelming vibration frequency to return all over his body at once.

But he couldn't even focus and dread this fact, as he was immediately being nearly deafened by his attached teammate's bloodcurdling screams of fury: "GODDAMMIT, GET YOUR HEAD BACK ON STRAIGHT AND MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL, YOU JACKASS!"

Before Nikolay could even try to explain what he believed was still happening to the furious blonde Hero before him; his eyes noticed two distinct dots moving through the air behind Bakugo's back; quickly realizing them to be Yosetsu and Maja, both flying in fast on a few more of Setsuna's pieces beneath their feet; and both clearly looking ready to bring the hardest fight they possibly could.

And upon realizing the two threats moving in; Nikolay's relentless Refracting Blasts once more took the wheel; launching his and Bakugo's bodies up and away before the two 4-B teammates could finally launch their attack; much to Bakugo's continuous frustrated protests.

Maja and Yosetsu were quick to follow after the connected duo this time, however, since Setsuna was once more keeping an eye on unfolding events from a safe distance, and subsequently controlling her pieces in order to give her teammates their advantage back while she could focus on regenerating as much of her body as she could in order to more effectively get back into the fight, herself.

Maja was quick to try and aim her already melting arms for Nikolay's feet; instinctively figuring if she could clog that means of his being able to move, it would slow them down some. However, Bakugo's incessant attempts to aim his free hand at her and Yosetsu kept forcing Setsuna to redirect them so they wouldn't get blown out of the sky; thus preventing that and Yosetsu's attempts to try and apply his Welding to both boy's free left hand as he had done to their respective rights.

But even as Bakugo's attempted Explosions and Nikolay's insane Refracting Blasts were continuously disrupting Maja and Yosetsu's attacks; those same full-body blasts were likewise throwing off Bakugo's aim every time he managed to line up a shot; ultimately putting the four in an incomprehensible kind of stalemate. And this quickly proved infuriating enough to finally get Bakugo screaming again: "STOP SCREWING UP MY AIM, YOU SHITHEAD! DO YOU WANNA WIN THIS THING OR NOT?!"

And at the same time, as Nikolay was continuously trying to regain any semblance of his bearings and remember what the voice had been trying to tell him to do mere seconds ago; that same voice was once more breaking through the chaotic noises all around: "You need to try and focus your Quirk into a centralized part of your body, just like before. If you let it just run amok all over, you'll never be able to control it. Focus; coax it to one place you know you can control it through. No matter what happens, keep focusing on that one task. Don't let anything else break your concentration. You can do it."

All the while; Bakugo, completely unaware of what was going on in Nikolay's struggling head all this time, had his eyes set on Maja and Yosetsu both as they tried to fly in for another joint attack. His face was frozen with a sadistic grin as he had the perfect angle to level his free hand their way at record speed. "Nobody Welds or traps ME and gets away with it; especially not a damn criminal! DIIIIE!"

BKOOOM!

Another perfectly massive fireball of an Explosion erupted at command; nearly throwing both 4-B team members off their floating pieces of their leader, before Yosetsu quickly welded one of his metal bars onto his own, and Maja hurriedly stretched one of her half-melted arms up to grab hers; thus allowing the two to make a lightning fast escape before Bakugo could try to blow them both up again.

But rather than fume over their having just gotten lucky; the hotheaded young Hero was instead stricken with an entirely different realization: 'The hell? All that sporadic jerking around finally stopped? About goddamn time!'

But as he began to look back to Nikolay to say just as much, Bakugo's vicious anger momentarily softened into a very apprehensive worry when he saw a look of absolutely agonizing focus all over Nikolay's face; his green eyes staring ahead with an intensity that almost matched his own while his whole body was still vibrating at this out of control frequency.

And as gravity began to pull them down faster and faster, Nikolay struggled to speak through his grinding teeth and cold sweats: "BAKU…GO! I CAN'T BREAK…FOCUS! NEED TO GET…CONTROL…BACK! USE YOUR…EXPLOSIONS…TO KEEP US…MOVING!"

That was all Bakugo needed to hear, as his eyes immediately shifted back to the direction he'd seen Maja and Yosetsu retreat to; quick to notice the two still flying out in the open; albeit with Maja seeming to channel her Wax to build around her arms in the form of a pair of wrist-mounted shields, while Yosetsu looked to be using his Quirk to Weld his metal bars and multiple sizable flat rocks to his body; both as forms of armor.

A vicious smirk stretched across his face as he let loose another propelling Explosion through his left hand, taking control of their movements as he pulled Nikolay along towards the 4-B duo; all, of course, while screaming in response to his attached teammate's plea: "DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, DAMMIT!"

And so, with his Explosions propelling them at breakneck speed and beyond, Bakugo proceeded to lunge himself and Nikolay straight for Yosetsu and Maja; the two students hurriedly having to put up their defenses and try to attack, while Setsuna tried her best to keep an eye on both their positions when directing or redirecting her pieces beneath their feet. While Nikolay's misdirecting frantic Refracting Blasts didn't seem to be factoring in; Bakugo's masterful aim and timing of his Explosions was already making up for it; forcing her two teammates to constantly be on the move while he and Nikolay pursued.

And what made it worse, was that she knew the time limit for those specific pieces was very close by; an unfortunate caveat to her Quirk as a whole, that she couldn't just have pieces of herself flying remotely forever. They would either need to return and reconnect to her to rejuvenate, or she would have to focus on regenerating them altogether once they expired. Already, this whole battle was taking far too long in that regard. "Come on, Awase-kun, Maja-san, get a bead on their blind spots and hit them hard."

BKOOM!

Another well-timed Explosion from Bakugo mid-spin, managed to suddenly destroy the pieces keeping Maja in the air, with the Polish young Hero student hurriedly jumping in the nick of time to avoid her legs getting destroyed, before quickly extending one half-melted arm to grab onto one of Yosetsu's metal pipes in hand, pulling herself back in before looking back and realizing Bakugo was now making a beeline for them both with a fiery fury and murderous intent in his eyes.

With the built up Wax Shields still completely encapsulating the length of her arms, Maja knew she at least had a decent protection for them both, since they now covered both herself and Yosetsu, but at the same time, it also ended up obscuring his ability to see what was at their sides; thus robbing him of the timing he would need to properly react if any attacks were to come from there, regardless if Setsuna was ultimately the one doing the steering.

And so, as Yosetsu hurriedly began welding the metal bars he had left together, Maja quickly leapt off, turning herself in mid-air towards Bakugo, mounting her shields on top of each other and melding them together to increase their thickness and protective quality, and even channeling more of her Wax from her arms into them in order to produce multiple sizable spikes protruding from them, in the hopes of either laying Bakugo and Nikolay out, or forcing him to direct himself out of the way, where Yosetsu would be waiting to knock them both right out of the sky.

But seeing such boldness from her in such a desperate situation, only made the sadistic grin on Bakugo's face grow that much more in viciousness. "YOU SERIOUSLY THINK YOU SCARE ME WITH THAT BULLSHIT?! I DON'T BACK DOWN FROM ANYTHING! I JUST PUNCH RIGHT THROUGH IT!"

BKOOM!

When Maja heard another furious eruption of one of Bakugo's Explosions while keeping herself secure behind her shields, she'd been half expecting to feel the sheer physical impact of him stubbornly plowing his body straight into it in the hopes of breaking through. But in her moment of greater confidence, she instead felt nothing, but quickly noticed a shadow fly right over her, thus forcing her to look up, just to see Bakugo had instead flung himself and Nikolay that much higher into the air at the last moment before impact; rolling in mid-air over her head and behind her shields; his burning red eyes once more staring straight through her, with his free hand pointing one finger at her.

"AP SHOT!"

BKBKBKOOM!

Maja immediately tried to swing her whole body and the added weight of her shields around to take on whatever attack Bakugo was about to throw at her, but the string of rapid Explosions shooting in a straight line from his finger came just too fast for it to matter; punching straight through her shields as soon as they came up, and ultimately landing a powerful enough Explosion against Maja at point-blank range, to shatter the whole thing, and send her smoking form plummeting hard into the canopy below.

"TOO SLOW!" Yosetsu suddenly shouted from behind Bakugo's back; prompting him to turn halfway to find the metal and rock-armored student having likewise gotten up higher, now wielding the remainder of his metal bars as one giant staff with which to ram straight into him and knock him and Nikolay straight back down to the ground in kind; the pieces of Setsuna under his feet giving him enhanced speed and subsequent power.

THWIP!

Suddenly, Bakugo felt something land upon his chest, prompting another malicious grin on his face. "About damned time, you two. He's all yours!"

With that, he suddenly aimed his free hand away from Yosetsu and set off another Explosion, throwing himself out of the way of Yosetsu's attack, revealing the quickly approaching form of Hanta rapidly reeling himself up into the air after Bakugo with one strip of Tape extending from his right elbow that had anchored to his chest; before quickly throwing his left arm up, revealing Kyouka swinging up even faster with the strand connected to her from his that elbow, practically catapulting her up and instantly past Yosetsu's form before he could react.

And with her now in his mid-air blind spot, Kyouka hurriedly plugged her Earphone Jacks into the tiny amplifiers on the backs of her gloves…before they both suddenly came right off with a series of clean-sounding clicks; the little amps now hanging onto the ends of her Jacks, both now aiming at Yosetsu's undefended back. "We got this! HEARTBEAT SURROUND: LEGATO!"

POUNDPOUNDPOUNDPOUNDPOUND!

In an instant, Yosetsu was being propelled hard through the air by a deafening series of layered walls of pure noise emanating from the two connected amps; the sheer reverb hitting hard enough to shatter much of his armor. However, in an act of last second desperation; as he plummeted down towards the hilltop, he hurriedly jammed his enlarged metal staff into the ground and planted his feet upon it as a support to break his fall, before just as quickly and fiercely springing himself up off of it, aiming right for Nikolay and Bakugo's free left hands, which now were at the perfect position for him to efficiently Weld together and remove both their means of movement and attack all in one.

But within Nikolay throughout all of this, he had been doing exactly as the strange voice had repeatedly instructed him to do: focusing all of the building and overwhelming vibration power coursing through his body into the one place he knew he could always control his Quirk through; trying to focus on all of that power in his body as a whole extension of himself; instead of just as an ability or a simple stored amount of power; and mentally directing it there, instead of simply letting the pain cloud his senses and allow it to go wherever it wanted.

"Good. You're doing it well already. Feel that power coursing through every muscle fiber, every possible part of your body, and focus it all to the one place you know you can control where it comes from. But even with that, you likewise have to control the degree to which you release it. With this kind of frequency building up so much already and now collecting into one place; if you let it out all at once like a shotgun, you're just going to end up destroying part of yourself. And you can't just focus on firing it through one of the holes on your hand at a time like a pistol, because then you won't be able to release nearly enough of that built up power in time before it becomes too much for that one part of your body to contain.

"You need to be able to release it in increments in rapid succession, just like what it was trying to do from all over your body. Focus on the specific succession of those holes upon your hand that you want it to release in, and don't stop thinking about it. Focus is your biggest tool here. Aim like you always would, and just focus on that pattern, make it a part of you, repeat it until it's like a mantra in your head. And as you think it over, then, finally command your Quirk to release."

As the voice kept telling this to him ad nauseam, Nikolay had been doing exactly that, focusing on the building power of his Quirk he'd been desperately directing into his one free hand, focusing on the procession of the tiny holes lining it through which to fire out of and when, and subconsciously aiming that hand forward; just at the very same moment Yosetsu was within arm's reach of Welding his and Bakugo's remaining hand together.

"KINETICHESKIY GATLING (KINETIC GATLING)!"

BWBWBWBWBWBWBWBWBWBWBWOOOOM!

In the blink of an eye, Yosetsu was suddenly finding himself getting rapidly hammered in the chest and face by a blindingly fast multitude of precise Kinetic Blasts firing from the holes in Nikolay's free hand one after the other in a pattern unknown to anyone but himself; whittling down the rest of his armor, knocking the wind right out of him, and ultimately pummeling him into unconsciousness as he finally finished plummeting the rest of the way back onto the hilltop.

As he and Bakugo finally came landing back down onto the hilltop, with Hanta and Kyouka close behind; Nikolay could still feel his heart hammering away at his chest; the adrenaline thankfully managing to numb most of the pain of the past two minutes of his Quirk having gone out of control at such incredibly new strength…but with that came the overwhelmingly calming realization that his body no longer felt like it was shaking and tearing away from the inside out of control.

That was it: he actually could feel his body moving the way he wanted it to again, even in something as simple as being able to move his fingers or lift his arms and legs even slightly. No more agonizing vibration frequencies tearing through his muscles, or any such Kinetic power moving through any of him outside of his will. It finally felt as though Nikolay had managed to regain control over his Quirk again.

"And there you have it…but don't think it's all going to be easy from now on. You're just one step of the way there. Keep practicing that control, that technique, and make yourself stronger…because before this is all over, you're going to need it to wield your Quirk at its fullest."

The unseen man's voice carried away within Nikolay's head like the wind. Of course, while he was still trying to regain his breath and therefore couldn't say as much of his relief at his Quirk having finally gotten back under control; this return to normalcy certainly wasn't lost on Bakugo; who upon seeing Nikolay no longer looking like he was having a super-strengthened seizure, and then seeing Yosetsu completely unconscious, was already getting back to his feet and forcing his attached teammate up with him; all the while ignoring the aching of the bruises already starting to form around his torso from having taken as many of those Refracting Blasts up close as he had. "Would've been nice if we could've gotten this asshole to undo this Welding crap on us…but at least you're not spazzing out anymore…right?!"

"Yeah, speaking of which, do we wanna talk about what the hell that even was?!" Hanta quickly chimed in, now able to really let it be known just how freaked out he really had been by seeing what Nikolay had just gone through. "Your Quirk never did that before, Bezpalov-san; why would it start freaking out on you now?! How did you even manage to get it to stop? How are you even still standing after all that?"

But before Nikolay could even think of how to answer a single one of those questions; Kyouka quickly interjected: "Hey, as much as I'd like to know the answers to that myself; we've still got Maja-san and Tokage to deal with, and not a whole lot of time left in the match. With Sato-san out of commission, it all falls to us from here on out."

Thankfully, the seriousness of that fact quickly sank back in with the rest of her team, including Nikolay, now that everything seemed to feel back to normal for now. With that, Hanta noted with a surprising degree of confidence: "Considering the fact Tokage hasn't been hammering us away with her pieces over all this time, that must mean you guys whittled her down enough to force her into hiding so she can regenerate…which would mean it's up to Maja-san to keep us busy until she's ready to fight us directly…assuming they don't just try the same kind of biding time cheat move that Team 3-B did."

To that, however, Bakugo's answer was adamant: "They won't. Class B won't allow themselves something that cheap again, and especially not another loss. They're gonna want to bring as much of a fight at us as they can now that they've got three members out for the count, and I'm assuming two that you were able to get locked up before you came here. I said we're getting a perfect 4-0 victory, and I meant it! So now we gotta be ready for anything that lizard and criminal throw at us…even with shit conditions like this," he noted, lifting his and Nikolay's Welded hands to emphasize his point.

And it was precisely because of this point that Nikolay spoke up loud and clear: "If that's the case, then we need to come up with a strategy together; not just go off of what you tell us to do. All that being thrown around by my Quirk and your Explosions together must have your shoulder feeling just as jerked around as mine is, so we need to come up with something that works for both of us."

The annoyed sneer on Bakugo's face was unmistakable, but in the end, he actually didn't bother to argue; instead watching his unwitting teammate with a well-hidden sense of worry. 'If what Deku, All Might and Tunguska all were suggesting is actually for real…then if this guy's Quirk started flipping out like never before just now…then does that mean something like this was just happening to Deku, too…or still is?'

5th Match, a few minutes ago…

From the moment she had seen Izuku engulfed in the strange black energy shooting all over from out his right arm, Ochako knew she needed to do something, for his sake and that of everyone else on their battleground. But as she flew in with her Zero Gravity to intervene, and she saw the pure anguish on his face amid all the unfolding chaos, she could feel an even greater conviction take hold within her chest, reaching its utmost peak when she finally drove all her momentum into his body, clinging onto Izuku with both arms and legs and refusing to let go, even as the energy all around them continued to jolt, smash and tear through the air in its rampage, almost threatening to slam or ensnare around her as well.

But Ochako didn't let anything around them drive fear into her heart; instead clinging on for all she was worth as she hoped beyond all hope that this could somehow get through to Izuku and help him regain some control over his Quirk again. And with every passing moment, her heart raced with nothing but personal conviction; the kind that had been growing within her for nearly her entirely life, but had only recently finally begun to take a true form of its own that she could strive toward.

'For as long as I can remember, my parents always struggled through life. They always looked so exhausted, and even back then, all I could ever think about was how I could possibly do anything to try and make things even just a little easier for them; make it so they didn't look so sad all the time. After they always did their best to provide for me in spite of those difficulties, it was the very least they deserved. But what could a little child like me have been able to do?

'But when I saw my very first Hero in action, what I really noticed was how happy and hopeful everyone looked as a result. The one thing I love the most is seeing people happy. So it was only natural that I'd want to help people who looked like they were in trouble, or even simply looked like they needed help in some way. But it was precisely because it was only natural, that it ended up making all my efforts to try and be that kind of capable Hero that much more difficult.

'But despite those difficulties, I soldiered through it all because of my base goal, letting it keep hitting me hard whenever I even thought of quitting: that I wanted to be a Hero that could make people happy. Those kinds of Heroes get so much adoration, become so popular, and end up making so much money. If I could be like that, I could finally be able to give back to my parents, and be able to bring those same happy smiles to their faces at last. I thought that was all it would mean for me to become a Hero one day, that when I'd finally reach that goal, everything would fall into place.

'But then…when we went against the Shie Hassaikai, and I saw Ryukyu-sensei sacrifice herself for the sake of all of us and so many others; when I saw how much Togata-senpai and Sir Nighteye both suffered in performing their duties as Heroes and beyond; and when I saw just how much Deku-kun was struggling for so long on so many different occasions when the odds were all against him…it all finally made me realize what I'd been so naïve to not even really consider before: just how much Heroes struggle and risk every single day for people; just how truly difficult and dangerous our jobs already are, and will only continue to be. It all got me thinking…who protects the Heroes when they themselves need protecting?'

All of those experiences over such a long time, and the foundation-shaking question it had ultimately led her to; was what drove Ochako so fearlessly into clinging onto Izuku despite the enormous risks she was taking while his Quirk was running rampant. But swallowing any semblance of that fear, she looked imploringly into Izuku's pained eyes, looking at the sheer pain and struggle written all over his face as he clearly was trying so hard to keep this energy from going after her or anyone else.

And recognizing his pain far too well by now, Ochako called out from the bottom of her heart through all the noise and madness: "DEKU-KUN, YOU GOTTA CALM DOWN!"

"I CAN'T…STOP…IT! GET AWAY…PLEASE…URARAKA!" There was so much torment and desperation in every word Izuku forced through his teeth, it was nothing less than heartbreaking for Ochako to hear. But similarly, with that heartbreak, came an especially distressing realization: 'Deku-kun can't control it? Then…is this his Quirk actually acting outside his conscious will?!'

She couldn't even spare a moment to ponder how such a thing as someone's Quirk acting on its own was possible; least of all because of what Yuga had informed the whole class of, regarding Izuku's previous incident last night. Primarily, it was because all of this aggressive energy shooting from his arm was now starting to directly go after Ochako herself; as though Izuku addressing her presence had made his Quirk aware of it as well.

Most of it was ensnaring itself around her in an attempt to forcefully break her away from its wielder, while some bolts were directly smashing against her in an attacking manner, as though mistaking her for a threat.

The sheer power and pain of it all was quickly proving too much for Ochako to handle, but her resilience and sheer stubbornness was even more so, as she was refusing to concede an inch of her protective hold on Izuku for everything she was worth; that same driving question fueling every last bit of energy she had into staying here at his side. 'Deku-kun is in serious trouble…and there's nobody here to help! Nobody…but me! He's struggled so much on his own already…it's time he knew there was someone to help him when he needs it, too! If I can't be that Hero for a single other like him…then how can I hope to be that Hero for everyone else?'

But it was as though this aggressive new energy was feeding off of Ochako's spirit, as it just seemed to keep attacking or grabbing at her more and more aggressively, wrenching her further and further away off of Izuku, eventually pulling her legs off and leaving her only managing to still grip onto him by her hands, with her grip continuously slipping.

As she once more looked into Izuku's tear-filled and tortured eyes, she once more spoke out as loud and powerfully as she could, while still conveying the same sentimental emotions she was being driven by even now: "You don't have to go through this alone, Deku-kun! You don't have to face these challenges, these odds, by yourself! You never did! Heroes need help just as much as anyone else…and I'll be that help for you, for anyone out there in need, no matter what! You know I mean it, too! If my being here can give you the calm you need to beat this thing, then I'll be here with you through all of it!"

Finally, Izuku was able to look and meet Ochako's heartfelt and determined gaze; a glimmer of honest admiration and gratitude able to be spied through the painful tears. And even amid the painful chaos swirling in his head through all of this; her words had managed to break through loud and clear, allowing him the window of clarity with which to answer her in only a slightly less agonizing tone: "Uraraka…thank…you…"

WRAAM!

But as though in direct retaliation, the numerous black tendrils finally shot out and whipped with just the force needed to finally break Ochako's desperate hold on Izuku, sending her flying and twirling through the air away from him; both young Heroes crying out each other's name in similar shocked reaction, before the tendrils proceeded to start throwing and swinging Izuku uncontrollably through the air all over the course all over again, before ultimately turning towards her again.

But throughout all of this desperate interception; Hitoshi Shinso had watched the whole thing unfold; feeling especially shaken himself when seeing how out of control this sudden change in Izuku's Quirk had become. And when he watched how valiantly Ochako had thrown herself into the fray, and abstinently refused to let him go until she was literally forced to, he'd felt his blood go cold with a shaken realization.

If she couldn't somehow get through to Izuku enough to try and get him to reel his Quirk back in, and there was nobody else around who had nearly as good a chance to try for themselves…then perhaps this meant that this was something only he could do. If he didn't, there was no telling what this crazy energy could do to Ochako once it and Izuku caught up to her in the air.

But even for as much as he could feel in his very being that this was an obstacle only he could truly be able to solve through his Brainwashing Quirk…his feet still felt heavily weighed down to the floor…and unfortunately, he could tell it was out of both a very well-hidden fear, and pure uncertainty. 'I know I need to stop him…and Brainwashing is the only feasible way to do that right now! But how? What do I even ask him that could get his attention turned towards me?'

The more Hitoshi asked this of himself, the more clearly he could see the events of their previous major encounter playing out before him…and all of the feelings towards Izuku that had driven him back then, just as they drove him at this very moment, and every day in between. 'Midoriya…you, born with your awesome Quirk…I lost to you back at the Sports Festival…and when we met again earlier today, I was actually excited…because I wanted to fight you again, and get you to see just how much I'd grown since then…before I finally beat you with my improved skills. Perhaps…perhaps this is that moment I'd unknowingly been waiting for! The moment I can finally prove to everyone I can use my Quirk to help people, and become a great Hero one day!'

With that resolution brute-forcing its way through all of his uncertainties and fears; Hitoshi's whole body was trembling with anticipation and resolve, as he finally removed his Persona Chord mask from his face, and called out to Izuku at the top of his lungs: "MIDORIYA! LET'S FIGHT!"

And, miracle of miracles, his voice managed to break through the cacophony just as clearly as Ochako had; for at the last moment before Izuku and the black tendrils closed the last of the distance to her; Izuku's ears picked up his call for battle, and his desperate eyes shifted over to see the purple-haired student standing defiantly before him, with an expectant and ready smile upon his face.

It immediately became obvious just what he was trying to do…but where Izuku had once feared this very instance, now it was the single greatest godsend he could've asked for, as he physically fought to get the only word he needed, out his throat through all the other physical suffering he was still going through. 'Shinso-san…' "OKAAAAY!"

And just like that, every single one of the black tendrils expanding through the air at random, came to an immediate simultaneous stop, before they all just as quickly began to retract into Izuku's arm; the large black cracks or veins expanding across it disappearing just as quickly once the last of them had dissipated. At last, the air around the industrial battleground was cleared, and Izuku could finally feel control over his body again…all because of Hitoshi Shinso.

However, the relief and gratitude Izuku felt for this impromptu dual rescue attempt by Ochako and Hitoshi for his sake, didn't last. For the moment Izuku took his eyes off his seemingly back-to-normal right arm; he suddenly found himself completely engulfed in the same choking black miasma as from his dream last night. 'What?! Why?! Why am I here again?!'

"YOOOOOU!"

However, this time, instead of any playing out memories of days long, long since past…instead, what he found before him when turning to face this especially angry-sounding call, was a single gruff-looking, bald adult man dressed in a black leather jacket, goggles and a bullet belt slung over his chest; currently jabbing an accusatory finger his way.

"YOU GOT IT ALL WRONG! WEREN'T YOU LISTENING TO US EARLIER, OR YOUR LITTLE FRIEND BACK THERE?! WE ALL TOLD YOU THAT YOU'RE NOT ALONE! NOW JUST HAPPENS TO BE THE RIGHT TIME, AND IT MANIFESTED, RIGHT?! SO WHAT'S WITH ALL THIS SORRY CRAP?! THIS POWER IN YOU; IT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU USE CASUALLY, ALL DISTRACTED! NOT ANYMORE! PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!"

However, rather than being intimidated that he was being yelled at by a man he didn't know; Izuku instead was filled with an overwhelming sense of wondrous realization at just who he was actually being spoken to right now: 'One of…the previous Users! I can see him so clearly this time! He's definitely more than just some vestige! And I know this isn't a dream this time! I don't know how…but I think…I think the predecessors…are all still alive…INSIDE ONE FOR ALL!'

However, while Izuku's eyes reflected that awe, he couldn't actually express it, as he quickly looked and realized that from his eyes down, the rest of his body was still completely encapsulated in black smoke, just like it had been in his dream. But this didn't seem to bother the apparent previous User before him any, as he continued unperturbed: "Pull yourself together! Cause if you do, most things will work out! And stop looking so freaked out; I know you can't speak right now! Don't sweat it!"

However, as he began to reach to start jabbing at Izuku again to make his point; his eyes spied the black haze emanating from his arm; drawing only a slightly worried grimace on his rugged face. "Okay, looks like I'm short on time…but listen up, kiddo! As for that power that just exploded outta you just now…that's my Quirk: Blackwhip!"

To his barely restrained aggravation; he could tell by the amazed and confused look in Izuku's eyes, that he needed a more thorough explanation than that. "Listen: our Quirk Factors were mixed into the core of all this power called One For All. They've been inside it this whole time. That tiny core, the small center within the raging flames, or crashing waves, or whatever you want to see; that's the source wrapped up within all that accumulated power. And now, after all this time, it's starting to grow and kick. Every now and then, you've caught glimpses in between those flickering flames, right? You've seen with your own eyes that One For All is growing!"

Izuku's frustration only continued to grow with all the questions he wanted to ask but couldn't. Thankfully, though, the User could simply tell the most prominent question on his mind by looking in his desperate green eyes. It couldn't have been anything else: he wanted to know why this was suddenly happening, why he'd suddenly managed to unlock a previous User's Quirk.

"Just now, weren't you really focused on capturing someone? That was all you could think about, right? It just so happens that my Blackwhip is perfect for that kind of job. You're lucky you're getting me first, honestly, since my Quirk is top grade."

However, that was when Izuku could see the User's already intense expression darken with foreboding. "But understand this: Blackwhip has also been building up in power with One For All! It's bound to be way stronger than it was back in my day! Hell, that goes for the Quirks carried over and contained in even the tiniest scattered embers out there, too! After all, they're all connected, a part of the same singular whole that is One For All's mighty flame! Whatever changes occur in the core, extend to all pieces of it!"

Izuku could just feel his whole body rocking with the physical blow of the information the User had just given him: not the sole idea of One For All having split off embers that could rest within someone else that was similarly growing in power; but the fact that this resonated so much with what he, Toshinori and Oleg had been talking about and worrying over all day.

However, before he could even ruminate or marvel over what this potentially meant for another moment, the air around himself and the User began to intensify; the black haze emanating from the latter's body growing even thicker with each passing second. "Sheesh, I'm vanishing. I feel like I'm softly being blown away…though I guess that's mainly cause I'm just a spirit now.

"Listen, when you use Blackwhip's power in anger, that's when it'll really start working for you. What really matters is controlling your heart. It's okay to get mad. That rage can be the source. But in the meantime, you gotta control it better, alright? One For All's grown crazy strong thanks to the eight of us that came before you. So you, and anyone else out there who may be lucky enough to hold even the slightest ember of One For All in them right now…we wish you the best of luck in getting ready…but especially you, Core Wielder. After all, you're the one who's going to be getting all six of our Quirks. Until then, control your heart…and make good use of us. We'll all be right behind you! You're the one that's finally going to complete One For All!"

"Deku-kun! HEY, DEKU-KUN!"

From out of the choking black void, Izuku suddenly awakened to the blinding light of the afternoon sun shining right in his head, and Ochako's anxious voice calling into his ears from up close. As soon as he was able to regain his bearings, he quickly realized he was back in the industrial battleground, currently being gently lowered back down to the ground in her arms; her visibly bruised face showing nothing but worry in that moment he returned to reality. "Are you okay?! I hope I didn't slap you too hard! You were completely out of it, I thought you might've hurt yourself the worst you had so far!"

However, none of this was registering, for as soon as Izuku had realized he'd returned, his panic had kicked right back in, especially when seeing the signs of injury on her face. "Uraraka-san?! GET AWAY, IT'S DANGEROUS! I DON'T WANT TO RISK HURTING YOU AGAIN!"

But as Ochako's feet finally landed on solid ground again, her demeanor was now that of pure relief. "It's okay, Deku-kun! Heroes give help to others, no matter the risks…and I'm okay with whatever happens, so long as I can give that help. Besides, Shinso's Brainwashing helped calm you down. You…you are fine now, right?"

But before Izuku could answer, they both were hit by that instinctive sensation of danger coming in and fast; in the form of a deathly focused Neito flying in upon an enlarged metal nut, hopping off of it just before it could crash land where Izuku was currently positioned, and grabbing it in his hand to swing for him; only for Izuku and Ochako to barely dodge out of the way in time; Neito immediately reaching and barely grazing his face afterward. "WHAT'RE YOU GETTING ALL RELAXED FOR, CLASS A?! THIS BATTLE ISN'T OVER JUST YET!"

With Izuku and Ochako momentarily separated by mere feet, but unwilling to take chances after what he'd just seen the green-haired boy do; Neito was making an aggressive beeline for him. But Ochako's reflexes to action were no less sharp, as the moment she realized she wasn't his primary focus, she decided to go sprinting in for Neito's side; every step making her recall every one of Tunguska's instructions in martial combat; every memory of all her constant practice starting to course through her muscles like second nature. 'Don't focus solely on weight; use it with your momentum, your holds and your Quirk all in tandem, in order to get the opponent where you need them, and then bring gravity back to deliver the strongest blow!'

But just as she was about to follow through, a series of enlarged nuts and bolts and other pieces of metal debris suddenly enlarged from out of thin air, all flying right for where she was about to end up. Knowing retreat was her only chance to avoid getting seriously hurt or captured; Ochako was forced to retreat in a hurried dive back the way she'd come, just the same as Izuku was forced to, while Neito escaped, and all that debris came slamming in with excessive force than what was natural.

"Are you two okay? What was all that?" Reiko Yanagi had immediately asked upon spotting Neito and Hitoshi, both looking none the worse for wear, and ignoring the former's instinctive praise of her timely attack, all while Yui Kodai and Nirengeki Shouda were hurriedly catching up with her.

Indeed, they had been no less hasty in regrouping with their two teammates as soon as the immediate threat of Izuku's episode with his Quirk was no longer an issue, and upon seeing the potential fight he was about to get himself into, they'd wasted no time interceding. Now, all of Team 5-B was reunited and ready to bring an all-out annihilation of the two with them, while Izuku and Ochako were currently on their own.

"EAT THIS!"

Until the fierce battle cries from both a desperately anxious Minoru, and an equally driven and protective Mina, broke the air among the opponent team; the two newly returned 5-A teammates immediately letting loose with a combined assault of adhesive hair balls and flows of Acid; forcing Yui to quickly enlarge a large metal plate she'd kept shrunken down in one of her pockets, to act as a momentary shield.

"Midori-kun, Urara-chan, is everything okay?!" Mina immediately asked her teammates, while the three newly returned members of Team 5-B were wasting the precious second to defend themselves before trying to counterattack with all their Quirks at once; forcing her and Minoru to get back on the move and counter-offensive all at once; metal objects of varying sizes and speeds flying everywhere amid hairballs and Acid all in one colossal all-out brawl.

Ochako was already about to go charging in to help them however she could, but a momentary glance to see that Izuku was still deep in thought, kept her rooted to where she knelt, just waiting for either him to give the go-ahead, or for her to call out and get him back into the moment.

THWIP!

But in that one moment she had her eyes off the action, she failed to see a single strip of Hitoshi's Capture Cloth flying right for her…until Izuku came dashing in like the wind around her, grabbing it taut in his hand; forcing her to look back and see just how close she had come.

All the while, Izuku and the newly reinvigorated Hitoshi were now staring directly into each other's eyes; both of them knowing what had to happen between them now, finally.

It was time for these two star-crossed rivals to finally get their rematch, and Izuku knew exactly what he would need to do in order to come out on top this time: 'One For All…I can't afford to hurt anyone again! I gotta give it everything I've got!'

"Man, that was seriously scary. What the heck do you think those were, like some kind of new techniques? I don't know; it looked like neither of them could actually control them. What I wanna know is why it would happen to Midoriya-san and Bezpalov-san at the exact same time; that just seems so implausible."

Between both classes watching the two battles onscreen; this was the general direction all their conversations had taken; many of them visibly shaken by the two unprecedented outbursts of the two boys in question's Quirks side-by-side.

But even for as amazed and devoid of previous childlike excitement as the students were; all of the teachers and Principal Nezu, were watching the seemingly calmed boys on both battlefields with breathless anxiety; not even a trace of Vlad King's previous anticipation to be heard.

He and Aizawa were still keeping their hands hovering close over the buttons that would call for the immediate cancellations of both battles…and the fact they hadn't pushed them the moment both students' Quirks had seemed to calm back down, had definitely gotten the visibly frightened and worried Oleg and Toshinori's attention.

With a single bead of tense sweat rolling down the side of his face as he didn't dare to take his eyes off either screen, Vlad King finally muttered out the side of mouth: "What now, Eraser?"

Aizawa was no less concerned than his colleagues, but he was a damn sight better at hiding it; his waiting hand not even giving a single shake in light of what he'd just witnessed. With a contemplative intensity in his eyes, though; he finally answered: "All Might, Tunguska…let's see how these both play out."

As to be expected, not only Toshinori and Oleg, but even Midnight and Vlad likewise were looking at him as though he'd finally lost his mind; Toshinori looking downright mortified, while Oleg looked like he couldn't decide if he was feeling more fear for his son, or anger towards his fellow teacher for prolonging this situation any longer than it already had. "Aizawa-san, you can't be serious?!" "I just saw my son's Quirk put him through Hell like never before, and you're going to actually make him risk going through it again?!"

Even Vlad King couldn't keep his own shock to himself: "You're actually going to let it go on after that, Eraser? There was clearly something wrong with Midoriya and Bezpalov!"

But even when having so much different forms of ire aimed his way, Aizawa refused to falter from his decision. "If circumstances were any different, I'd have already pressed the button. But neither of you can deny being just as curious as I am, why their Quirks both decided to act up in this specific way at the exact same time, can you?"

The moment he wasn't being hammered down with denials from the two admittedly ashamed-looking fellow teachers at this point, was all Aizawa needed to continue: "Besides; at least for the moment, it looks as though Shinso's Brainwashing and Bakugo's direct intervention were able to help bring both their Quirks back under control. Either way, I'm heading out there for direct intervention…and Tunguska, you can head to the fourth match ground to do the same. Rest assured, the instant either of us sees any sign of things going awry with either one of their Quirks again, we move in to neutralize them before they can cause any potential harm to their schoolmates. And with All Might and Vlad watching closely for us from here, nothing will be able to escape our notice."

Both men looked incredibly skeptical as to just how good a call this truly was; Oleg looking especially anguished with the knowledge that it was his son's safety on the line, no matter how glad he was to see that he and Aizawa would be taking direct action from here on, ready to jump in and help the moment anything like this happened again. Of course, Midnight and Nezu still looked considerably doubtful in Aizawa's decision.

"You…indulge them. I have to say, I didn't expect that of you, Eraser." Vlad King suddenly admitted once Aizawa and Tunguska began to take their leave.

Aizawa never looked back, but he wasn't deaf to the surprise in his fellow teacher's voice, in light of everything they'd just witnessed from his two students. "I guess…but that's only because their hearts are still in it. Midoriya, Shinso, Bezpalov, Bakugo, all of them. Every single one of those students out there is still hungry to win."

Yes, after seeing the visible conviction in his students in both these battles in the wake of these freak occurrences; he knew he couldn't make all the suffrage they'd just gone through to get here be for nothing. They were all clearly dedicated to seeing their respective battles through to the very end…and he couldn't call himself a worthwhile Hero Course teacher if he deprived them of the chance to put their experiences and growth to this very kind of test in full.

The moment Hitoshi saw the full intent to fight reflected in Izuku's eyes; finally granting him the opportunity he'd wanted the most for so long; he immediately followed up by giving his Capturing Cloth a powerful yank, pulling Izuku right off his feet with a surprised yelp, like a cowboy with a piece of livestock, and sending him flying and ultimately slamming hard into the ground several yards away.

After seeing how strong Izuku typically was; to see him get wrangled like this with such ease had Ochako looking utterly dumbfounded. "Deku-kun wasn't strong enough to resist?!"

However, still managing to hear her; Izuku was already getting back up. "I still might be a danger to you guys…so there's no way I can risk using my Quirk right now."

But; having had enough of seeing her teammate put himself at risk for today already; Ochako argued: "Then let's retreat for now! We'll figure something out!"

"Retreat? That means losing." Izuku's counter-argument was loud and clear as he finally stood back up, turning not to his worried teammate, but instead back to Hitoshi; staring down at him from the hole in the wall of his old hiding place; their gazes meeting head-on. "Shinso-san's up there waiting for me. This is my chance for victory!"

As Ochako hurriedly floated down to rejoin his side, she still looked like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Deku-kun…you can't seriously mean…you're going to fight him QUIRKLESS?!"

But, still refusing to take his eyes off his opponent, Izuku answered straightforwardly: "No…but I'm gonna need your help, Uraraka-san."

Elsewhere on the same battlefield; Nirengeki, Reiko and Yui were still trying to hammer down on Mina and Minoru; forcing them to scatter as they tried to fight back. As the small boy's hairballs continued to plaster everywhere he could see in a blind desperate attempt to hit somebody at all, Mina was expertly swerving, diving, rolling and ultimately leaping past or through every projectile being thrown her way.

"ACID SHOT! THIS MIGHT STING A LITTLE!" As she practically flew through the air in a gymnastic leap, Mina proceeded to fire off a rapid succession of her Acid from each finger; forcing Yui to once again enlarge another piece of metal to serve as a shield for her teammates.

"I can't afford to take a critical hit at a time like this!" However, Nirengeki was no longer as overwhelmed as he had been initially; rushing out of Yui's cover; using his eye and wrist tracking devices in unison to know exactly where every one of the still-mobile projectiles he'd applied his Quirk to were, in relation to his teammates, and ultimately their most pressing opponent, still currently in midair, and with no means of knowing just what he had aiming for her at her blindside. "TWIN IMPACT: FIRE!"

At his command, a metal valve he tossed upward in his rush; suddenly went shooting at twice its previous speed, flying straight for Mina at her left side; with her only realizing the trap she'd fallen into too late to direct either of her hands to shoot it.

"GRAPE BUCKLER! LOOK OUT!" Minoru's desperate voice suddenly called out, as the small Hero came flying in with a manhole cover in hand, covered in kind with multiple of his hairballs, absorbing the full impact of Nirengeki's attack in his shocked, and quickly overjoyed teammate's place. "Mineta! Way to come in with the clutch!"

But even as Minoru was feeling the sheer physical impact of that attack rippling through his body, he still had an immensely proud smile on his face. 'My Pop-Off Balls aren't made to stick to me! I merely bounce off of them! So all those balls I tossed around earlier are just traps for them and trampolines for me!' "YOU HEAR THAT, SHOUDA NIRENGEKI?! JUST AS I PLANNED! JUST AS FREAKING PLANNED! SINCE I KNEW I COULDN'T ACTUALLY STAND UP TO YOUR TWIN IMPACT…THIS WAS ALL PART OF THE PLAN!"

And with that final proud declaration, all of that transferred force finally threw Minoru's tiny body…face first into Mina's boobs; their warm softness leaving him feeling like he'd instantaneously reached nirvana. 'Forgive me, Bezpalov! I admit, you're a pretty cool guy, and you've earned the right to enjoy everything Ashido has to offer! I know I've already lost that particular battle…but I still wanna have at least one good memory of her, and this easily fulfills that!'

"SERIOUSLY?! EVEN NOW?!" Any semblance of relief or gratitude that Mina had for Minoru saving her, had instantly turned into anger the moment she felt him slam into her chest. With her face flaring up with embarrassed heat and anger together, she immediately clutched tight onto his cape, before using the momentum of her Acid Slide upon the pipe she was landing and gliding along, to throw herself into an insanely fast and powerful spin. "THAT'S ENOUGH! HERE WE GO! ACID LAYBACK! GRAPE-PINKY COMBO! MINETA BOUNCE!"

But any resemblance of teamwork between the two with her spouting off such an elaborate chain of a combo move name, was sharply contrasted by just how aggressively Mina threw/punched Minoru out of her spin, sending the half-conscious small student ricocheting like a cannonball off of numerous of his plastered-on hairballs, turning him into a devastating human pinball that forced Reiko, Yui and Nirengeki alike to duck or run for cover to avoid getting slammed into.

But even if this impromptu attack was preventing the three from regrouping and putting together another plan; Mina wasn't allowing herself to stick around; instead continuing to slide as fast as she could in order to keep them from getting another bead on her. And all the while as she did so, her face was still glowing red with anger, humiliation…and even a considerable sense of disappointment. 'That damn Mineta! Can he seriously not help himself?! Dammit…I really, really wanted Kolya-kun to be the only one to feel me like that!'

Of course, the moment such a personal and lewd thought crossed her mind; Mina immediately began furiously shaking her head to try and clear away any such things; the red on her pink face now solely born of embarrassment. 'Oh, God! C'mon, Mina, keep it together! Now's so not the time to think about that! I seriously gotta stop reading Midnight-sensei's book!'

While nearly everyone still watching the two battles on the observation platform were still feeling the clutching sensation of worry for Izuku and Nikolay; watching Mina so effectively use Minoru as a means to suppress the majority of Team 5-B had many of the Class A students similarly cheering on; Denki noting with clear-as-day amazement: "Man, even despite the mental strategic advantages of Team 4-B, and the numbers advantage of Team 5-B, all on top of those two royal freak-outs from Kolya-san and Midoriya-san; our guys are reclaiming the edge on BOTH fronts."

Similarly, Eijirou was excitedly pumping his fists into the air upon watching both: "Maja-san's got a serious no-quit attitude, and her Quirk is just proving more and more varied and powerful…but Kolya-san and Bakugo are also really giving her and Tokage the works, even when handicapped! And that's not even mentioning Jirou-san and Sero-san's teamwork, and Sato-san's raw manly strength! And 5-B really gotta be careful to stay out of Ashido's range and Mineta's path! Man, those guys are all doing AWESOME!"

And upon observing everything they had from both battles, many of the Class B students couldn't help but feel a great apprehension seize many of them; Kosei Tsubaraba and Manga Fukidashi particularly muttering between themselves: "None of the girls on Team 5-B are particularly heavy hitters, so Shouda-san has to cover for them all by himself." "Yeah, and with so many parts of Tokage-san's body whittled down, I really can't figure out what she or Kieslowska-san are gonna do to come out on top of their match."

And this concern was no less prevalent among the Class A students, either; even despite their classmates' seeming advantages; as Momo handily pointed out upon realizing for herself: "I wonder why Aizawa-sensei and Tunguska-sensei haven't called the matches off after what happened with Midoriya-san and Bezpalov-san. There's no telling what might trigger another such episode with their Quirks if things carry on this way."

Echoing her concern, Tsuyu likewise noted: "Exactly. Monoma doesn't look to be letting up on Midoriya or Ochako…but on the other hand, it looks like Kyouka and Sero might just gain their team the win-kero. Look."

At her insistence, Momo and many more of her classmates, and ultimately much of Class B, all looked to the screens displaying the fourth match, and true to Tsuyu's word, it looked like Kyouka and Hanta were slowly closing in on the same forested position that a visibly winded Maja was moving through, with a half-regenerated Setsuna strapped to her back with some of her Wax.

4th Match

It had been nothing short of a miracle that Maja had managed to recover as much as she had after getting hit so effectively by Bakugo's AP Shot. Even more so that she had managed to regroup with Setsuna, and still have the strength to carry her along for even this brief period of time, without having gotten ganged up on by the whole of Team 4-A.

Of course, just because they weren't getting attacked now, didn't mean they were safe. She knew this, as she and Setsuna both agreed that if any one of them was to have to speak, they would keep it to the absolute lowest volume, while avoiding running or doing anything that would risk either of their heartbeats increasing, and thus bettering Kyouka's chances of finding them.

With Maja having to put in the effort of carrying her team leader along while she focused on finishing regenerating her body; Setsuna was the one who ultimately had to speak: "This definitely isn't how I envisioned things playing out. Bezpalov-kun's Quirk going nuts like that has thrown everything entirely out of whack. By now, I think we can both agree that Bondo-kun, Kamakiri-kun and Awase-kun have been thrown into jail by now, and since I'm still in the middle of regenerating my eye for scouting, I have no idea of knowing where Sato is after using up his Sugar Rush. So if we're going to have any hope of winning this thing anymore, we gotta go about taking out Team 4-A with perfect precision together. Of course, considering they now have the jailing advantage to pretty much net them a win already, it'd be easy to think they'd just pull a page out of Pony-chan's book and just wait the rest of the match out. But Bakugo definitely isn't that type of guy; the type that does things by half-measures. No, he's going to want to net himself a perfect victory, with or without his teammates."

However, a good two dozen feet away, well hidden within the brush of this otherwise untouched part of the battlefield; Kyouka and Hanta were keeping their heads low and their voices quiet, while she kept one of her Earphone Jacks plugged into the ground and another raised towards the sky; her teammate keeping an alert eye open for the first sign of trouble. "You getting anything?"

Holding up a finger to motion for him to not speak, Kyouka whispered as quietly as she could: "One pair of footsteps further in, with Tokage's voice coming from the same direction…but then I can hear a faint and distant heartbeat up in the air behind us. She probably has a piece holding only her heart up there to try and confuse me. Does she really think I'm only able to hear heartbeats and not everything else? Seems like too reckless a mistake for someone like her."

However, with no other viable options on how to approach, she proceeded to plug her jacks back into the amps on her hands before once more clicking them off, readying them for another use of her new Special Move, while she and Hanta proceeded to join hands, and he fired off his first line of Tape ahead for the charge.

Within seconds, the two partners came zipping out from the trees; swinging right around the last in preparation to meet Maja and Setsuna with a combined kick and Heartbeat Surround combo…neither of them seeing how Setsuna was smiling behind Maja's back, before her mouth separated from her head and shot straight up through the canopy and out the other side. "Too easy. NOW, CANDELABRA CHAN!"

And Maja, well hidden from their sight by waiting upon some of Setsuna's pieces above the canopy for their opponents to take the bait, followed through exactly as they'd agreed; focusing on her surplus Wax in use.

SHSHSHSHKK!

Right before Hanta and Kyouka could land their attacks, the 'Maja' that had been carrying Setsuna along, suddenly grew a multitude of vicious Wax spikes from her entire front; forcing Hanta to immediately start reeling back the Tape from his back-facing right arm, in order to keep himself and Kyouka from running right into them.

But even if they'd managed to avoid getting hit, the fact they were now out in the open was exactly what Setsuna had been waiting for, as the Wax straps holding her to the now-confirmed Maja Decoy's back, quickly melted so she could float herself away, just in time for the whole Decoy to suddenly start melting down at Maja's mental command, and for the multitude of Setsuna's newly regenerated and separated limbs (which she'd been using to give the Decoy the ability to move and look that much more convincing) and pieces to come bursting out of the molten mass in a high-flying barrage to hammer the 4-A teammates down.

ZZZZZZIP!

With hearts racing, Hanta suddenly reeled back the Tape reaching back the way he and Kyouka had come, anchored to multiple trees along the way; thus allowing them both to go reeling right back at breakneck speed; kicking off the sides of the trees to remove each anchoring point, and avoid ramming themselves into them. And with their desperate escape, Setsuna immediately began directing her attacking pieces to chase after them.

But while Maja was listening to the commotion within the woods, all while trying to reconstitute herself after using her excess Wax to make that elaborate Decoy of herself, and now having nothing but her original limit within her limbs to work with, she quickly noticed that the area around her was quickly growing darker; turning around to look to the sky in alertness, just in time for a deafening blast of bass to rip through the air, as Nikolay accelerated his and Bakugo's dive from high above, straight for her; Bakugo already having his free hand aimed, primed and ready.

"GOTCHA! EAT THIS!"

With no hesitation nor mercy, Bakugo proceeded to let loose a rapid fire assault of lightning fast Explosions from out the wrist of his grenade vambrace; hammering down multiple devastating Explosions onto Maja and Setsuna's position in a near literal example of death from above; the concussive force of his attack almost managing to keep himself and Nikolay airborne on their own.

And with the air reeking of choking smoke once he'd finally stopped, Nikolay immediately followed through by firing a concise Kinetic Blast from his own free hand aimed directly downward, forcing the smoke apart to reveal the smoldering clearing where there had once been forest, just to make sure Setsuna and Maja didn't both try to slip away within it.

However, before they could finally see clearly for themselves; the sound of more objects bursting from the canopy behind their backs drew their attention; but not catching them off-guard, as Nikolay immediately reacted by firing a single Kinetic Blast from his hand, turning the two boys around so that Bakugo was now facing behind them with his arm once again at the ready, unleashing a massive Explosion in the face of several of Setsuna's pieces trying to knock them down while their backs were turned.

However, even this quick counter didn't go unchecked, as the moment Bakugo was taking care of that sneak attack, Maja suddenly came flying up from what was left of the smoke in the forest, riding two more pieces, and immediately throwing what Wax was left of her arms (having used the majority to create a thick enough shield to protect herself and Setsuna from Bakugo's barrage) to clump over and block Nikolay's means of immediately attacking through his one hand; sending him and Bakugo both reeling on impact.

Bakugo, having heard this happen before they both got sent spinning after having taken care of Setsuna's attack, grew an anticipating grin on his face. "Guess it's time already! You better be prepared to build that power up fast, Russkie!"

Nikolay couldn't even take the moment to express gratitude that the hothead wasn't calling him 'Commie' anymore, as he knew this was one method they would have to go for if this kind of situation likely came to be. "I'm ready! Do it!"

With that, Bakugo suddenly began detonating multiple Explosions with his free hand, not even aimed at Maja, but simply firing over and over again while his palm was aiming in front of him, thus propelling his and Nikolay's mid-air spin even more; forcing Setsuna to stop her pieces' forward momentum of Maja, as both girls were now left extremely wary of where this was about to go; all while Nikolay was trying to keep his mind focused on his free Wax-coated hand now at his side, while feeling all this Kinetic vibration power skyrocketing in his body with the intense wind friction.

On the observation platform, many of the Class B students were watching with wide-eyed disbelief at how well Nikolay and Bakugo were suddenly working together, even with such a debilitating handicap as their fused hands; with Tetsutetsu muttering: "I didn't think it'd be possible. I mean, Bakugo seemed to hate Bezpalov-san more than anybody back at the Training Camp. Now they're using their Quirks together downright flawlessly. Hell, he actually seems to be ordering all his teammates that are still standing like a Pro."

However, his and his classmates' surprise was only equaled by the looks of genuine pride on Eijirou and Denki's faces; as the red-haired young man answered: "It's not actually just Bakugo's leadership that's pulling them this far so well. It's the fact he's got actual faith in them to get the job done that makes even more of a difference. Seeing this between him and Kolya-san after how rough they'd started this year; it's enough to even make a man shed a tear of pride."

"Yeah, back then, he totally would've just told any of us to just piss off and let him do everything and hog the glory, just because he thought he was all he needed to win anything. I guess all that time practicing with me, Jirou, Yaoyorozu and Tokoyami for the School Festival really turned him into a big ol' softie. Once a band, always a band," Denki chimed in, ultimately giving Eijirou a knowing fist bump that he gladly returned.

"Still, gotta give credit where it's due: Bakugo's insane fighting and strategy skills are one huge benefit for the team, but so is Kolya-san's friendly approach with his teammates; not barking orders at them down to the letter and expecting them to follow, but simply giving them suggestions, and expressing faith in them to be able to see it through in their own way; giving them faith in themselves and each other from there as a result. A perfect team needs brains as well as brawn, but it also just as much needs a heart…and I think they both fill all three of those needs awesomely."

"EXPLODE-A-PULT: RESONATING ROUND!" The moment Bakugo called out this battle cry of a combo move name; knowing that his and Nikolay's right hands were connected with their palms facing inward, but with himself still wearing his glove and vambrace while his teammate wasn't; proceeded to relax his right hand and pull, allowing his hand to finally slip free of the whole thing, and at the perfect moment to send Nikolay flying straight at Maja with all of that built-up spinning momentum with the glove and vambrace still attached.

The instant Maja realized what Bakugo had just done, catching her and Setsuna both completely by surprise, she immediately tried to telepathically recall the Wax she'd shot onto Nikolay's left hand, in the hopes of using it all to make a last-second shield for herself to absorb the impact. But as soon as she began, she spied Nikolay extending that arm, and connected to his Wax-coated hand was his one remaining large tuning fork.

And as soon as Nikolay saw the shock on her face, all he could think to himself was: 'Sorry about this Maja-san…but when your Wax still takes at least two seconds to fully dry, I'd be a fool not to capitalize like this!'

As the Wax immediately began to melt and flow back from his now clenched fist around his weapon, and come flying back to rebuild Maja's arms before just as quickly collecting together into one large half-formed shield, Nikolay finally closed the last of that distance while shooting all of that built up and enhanced vibration power through his hand and into the tuning fork; producing a piercing resonating ringing sound right before he finally drove it straight dead-center into her; shattering her shield into a million wide-flying droplets of half-melted Wax, before ultimately colliding with her sternum.

The shockwave of impact that went rumbling through the air was almost as powerful as that of Bakugo's biggest Explosions, as Maja felt herself immediately black out as the air flew from her lungs, and her whole body was sent flying like a cannon shot back for the ground.

The moment she realized what had happened to her teammate, Setsuna likewise came flying up; her detached arms immediately flying along with her and reattaching to her shoulders, in the hopes she would be able to catch Maja before it was too late.

But as soon as Maja came crashing against her floating upper body; Setsuna didn't even have a chance to retreat, before Bakugo came at her in an accelerated Explosive descent; staring daggers into her as he suddenly threw his right arm for her head; the lizard-like young Hero instinctively bracing herself for a monster of a punch or an Explosion; knowing she had no more spare pieces or any other means to defend herself.

"POINT BLANK STUN GRENADE!" With those four words, everything in front of Setsuna became drowned in a painfully strong flash of white light, completely overwhelming all of her senses and sending her plummeting listlessly to the smoldering ground with an undignified thud.

And in the last moments she could maintain consciousness, as Bakugo and Nikolay both finally came landing on solid earth again, she could only mutter: "Good…job…Bakugo. You've really…changed since then…actually working…with others."

With that, Setsuna Tokage finally fell fully unconscious, while Bakugo ultimately didn't care if she could hear him or not. His answer was just as much an affirmation for himself and his peers, as much as a reminder for her. "I haven't changed one bit. I'm the same as I ever was: I'm still gonna become the Hero that surpasses even All Might one day. Remember that."

5th Match, one minute ago…

While Mina and Minoru had quickly gotten busy dividing Team 5-B's attention; Neito was much more aggressively focused on Izuku and Ochako; hurriedly kicking a large metal plate at the latter, forcing her to dodge out of the way, and ultimately leaving Izuku wide open. After seeing how he'd strictly avoided activating his Quirk when going up against Hitoshi; his already overwhelming boldness was skyrocketing.

For him, time almost felt as though it was coming to a crawl once he had his clear shot at the enemy team's leader; instinctively thinking back to mere moments ago, when he'd tried to swipe at Izuku with the enlarged metal nut he'd come riding in on. In that moment, the curly-haired young Hero had been so focused on avoiding getting his block knocked off, he hadn't even realized what the crafty and now manic-eyed Neito had done with his other hand. 'I can't get stronger on my own. I don't possess the right stuff to be the main character. I can't walk down that straight, noble path like you people. Still, no matter what anyone else says to me, I don't resent what I've been given…because it's necessary to pull off these masterful performances! The ones where the supporting roles upstage the leads!'

In the final few strides before he would finally clash with Izuku, Neito suddenly raised an aggressive right hand; leaving his opponent looking with wide-eyed disbelief and horror, as his own hand suddenly began to glow and spark all too familiarly. "YOUR POWER…IS MINE!"

Izuku could immediately feel his whole body go frigid at what he was seeing, almost unwilling to believe it was possible. 'One For All?! HE SWIPED IT?!'

But that disbelief instantly turned to overwhelming worry, even as Neito continued to charge his way, with Ochako just as quickly trying to rush in and intercept. "WAIT, MONOMA! THAT POWER'S TOO RISKY TO—"TOO LATE!"

Neito was far beyond the point of listening to anything Izuku had to say…but before he could bring that glowing hand down to annihilate him where he still knelt; he suddenly felt a leg hook around one of his own, before his left arm got yanked back hard behind him.

"TUNGUSKA MARTIAL ARTS!"

Ochako had this time managed to follow through on her grappling counter this time, utilizing all of Tunguska's advice in a heartbeat: hooking herself around all of Neito's vital joints that she needed to, and using her fingertips and momentum together to take away both their gravity and send them both tumbling upwards into the air, before just as dexterously managing to bring her fingertips together without sacrificing her grapple; thus bringing it back and slamming Neito hard into the ground with her added weight on top to pin him down.

As soon as she saw the glow upon his hand disappear once he was down, Ochako hurriedly turned to the still-shocked Izuku. "That wasn't your power, Deku-kun! He was just bluffing! Now go!"

Despite his teammate's justifiable rush for him to get out of here, Izuku was still trying to process what he'd just seen. It looked so much like One For All, and yet it had disappeared so easily, almost like it refused to activate. The frustrated look on Neito's face from underneath Ochako even reflected a similar kind of bewilderment. "Sheesh…I guess I really drew a blank, after all."

"Monoma!" Hitoshi's voice suddenly came calling urgently from above, quickly followed by the now unmistakable sound of his Capture Cloth zipping through the air, aimed right for his pinned teammate. There was next to no time, for as he leapt back up to his feet in preparation, he hurriedly reached out to Ochako. "Make me weightless, Uraraka-san! Then I can get right into Shinso-san's face!"

The moment Hitoshi felt the cloth go taut from down below outside his field of vision, he instinctively yanked up, ready to regroup and reform a new plan with his team's leader…only to now be met by the especially fierce-eyed Izuku instead. The moment he felt Ochako had restored his gravity, he immediately yanked hard on the cloth himself, throwing his body hard into Hitoshi's; sending both boys tumbling and rolling hard across the ground; their eyes burning into one another like a pair of inner infernos colliding.

"LAST TIME WE TANGLED LIKE THIS WAS BACK AT THE SPORTS FESTIVAL…BUT IT WON'T END LIKE LAST TIME!" The aggression and enthusiasm in Hitoshi's voice was unmistakable; and he could see just how much that truly intimidated Izuku, which only really served to fuel his inner fire to battle that much more.

But intimidation or not, Izuku clearly wasn't showing any desire to back down, either. 'Losing track of you would be enough to shift the tide back in your team's favor! You're too big of a threat, Shinso-san!'

As the two boys came charging one another once more; even for as absolutely focused on his opponent as he was; Hitoshi's hands couldn't help but instinctively reach for his Capture Cloths, with a single voice of doubt echoing in the back of his head: 'It took Eraser-sensei five whole years to learn how to use this thing. How can I even expect to get a handle on it?'

Back at the observation platform, Vlad King had been intently watching both unfolding battles alongside Toshinori like a man possessed, all while keeping in constant earpiece contact with both Aizawa and Tunguska as necessary, knowing that both teachers had made it to the respective battlegrounds by now.

Tunguska had been keeping himself hidden amid whatever foliage or rubble was even big enough to keep him out of sight; never taking his watchful eyes off of Nikolay and Bakugo for a moment. Where he had once only been able to feel incredible pride when seeing his son in action; and despite how proud he knew he should have been feeling when seeing him actually working together with Bakugo so effectively; his sense of paternal worry simply couldn't let it be so.

As for Vlad King; when he had been watching how fervently and defiantly Maja had been continuing to fight and utilize every possible aspect of her Quirk that even he could think of in her attempts to attack Nikolay and Bakugo, as well as to defend herself and Setsuna; it kept bringing back to memory just how powerful the fires of pride and conviction were in her eyes that he could see on the day he and Nezu had invited her to come to Yuuei. Not even simply as her potential teacher, but simply as a Hero, he couldn't help but feel an instinctive pride in her for that kind of inner strength.

But when it came to watching Izuku and Hitoshi finally throwing down; knowing that Aizawa was the single best bet if the former's Quirk acted up again, he was quick to report in: "Eraser, Midoriya and Shinso are on the move again."

"I know, I'm watching too. I'm stepping in the moment anything unusual happens. Until then, keep in contact with Tunguska; we don't let any potential developments on either battleground go unreported."

Aizawa was keeping himself expertly hidden somewhere within the industrial battleground that provided a perfect view of Izuku and Hitoshi's ensuing fight. And the purple-haired student's instinctive reach for his Capture Cloth had likewise gotten the homeroom teacher thinking back quite a ways, all the way back to one of their own private training sessions earlier in the year.

"Don't beat yourself up for not getting it right off the bat. For those five long years, I had to teach myself how to use the Capture Cloth from scratch. Having that much experience makes a huge difference. You're still just starting out. But regardless of experience…people like you and me, with our kinds of Quirks; when things go south, we're dead if we can't rely on ourselves. So, like I said: keep practicing. And…I hope you understand that I'm not the type to waste my time on hopeless causes."

This very same memory had been playing back just as clearly for Hitoshi as well; as with Aizawa's vague form of reassurance and self-affirmation ringing true in his heart and mind, he grabbed his Capture Cloth tight in both hands…and proceeded to throw both handfuls not at Izuku, but instead straight up into the air; wrapping tight around the numerous large pipes running overhead. "I'M NOT THE SAME AS BEFORE, MIDORIYA!"

And with one determined downward pull, Hitoshi brought all that overwhelming rubble raining down on their position; leaving Izuku momentarily frozen in shock. 'WHEN DID HE PULL THAT OFF?! THERE'S NO TIME FOR ME TO DODGE!'

But then, immediately upon realizing that, an epiphany came to him most unexpectedly: there was indeed anxiety and tension…but the one feeling that had been dogging him this entire day had suddenly vanished without him even noticing until now: 'All the fear and doubt from this morning is gone.'

Just then, he found himself recalling the parting words from the bald-headed previous User mere minutes ago, only now the intent and meaning to it all resonated within him so much more: "What really matters is controlling your heart."

Thinking back on it in this one contained moment; Izuku could remember just how strongly everything about that man shook his whole body to its core…in a manner quite painfully familiar. 'That guy's attitude, his voice, his whole vibe…felt a lot like All Might's.'

And with his heart and mind reaching an unprecedented kind of synchronicity; the User's final words came loud and clear; with their very power suddenly coursing through the fiber of Izuku's being: "MAKE GOOD USE OF US!"

And with neither warning nor the previous unbearable pain; a multitude of the glowing black tendrils Izuku now knew as Blackwhip, came erupting from out both his crossed fists, and expertly latching onto the pipes that were about to crush him flat, stopping them dead in their freefall.

4th Match

*cough* *hack* *wheeze* *cough*

Almost immediately from the moment Setsuna had finally lost consciousness; Nikolay and Bakugo heard the sound of Maja's voice, struggling to catch her breath from within the lingering smoke of all the previous Explosions. As both boys came rushing over; Nikolay to make sure she wasn't too badly hurt, and Bakugo to lay an even further incendiary smack-down if she tried anything else; they quickly found her sprawled out flat on the ground; visibly bruised and singed in multiple places, with her pink-blue eyes quickly spotting them.

"Man…I know I said to…to gimme your all…but…jasna cholera (holy shit), that was something else."

As she struggled to chuckle, even sarcastically, Nikolay began to approach further. "Maja-san, if you keep trying to push it, I can't stop what happens next. You gave a really good fight, seriously. So just—

All of a sudden, Nikolay felt his feet come to a stop, as though they were now stuck in something too thick to get pulled out of. And the way he was already trying to lift his legs and fail had immediately gotten Bakugo's attention as well…only for him to realize that he couldn't lift his own feet up off the ground, either.

Finally, Nikolay looked and saw an especially devious smirk on Maja's marked-up face. "Were you about to say 'give up'? Considering what waits for me if I do…sorry, Bezpalov; not happening."

In an instant, just as Bakugo was about to aim his hands down in an attempt to blast away the ground so he could break free; he suddenly felt his legs get pulled forward by whatever was holding him down, with Nikolay quickly getting pulled along right back towards him; all while Maja started laughing. "I got a confession to make, Bezpalov: after my first match, when I asked you to get me some fatty meat to eat…it wasn't because I was all out of energy to use my Quirk.

"The truth is that, no matter what either of you might think: in some degree or another, my body is always producing Wax for me to use through my limbs. Any food I eat with some quality natural fat in it just makes for a much greater and thicker surplus supply for me to use as a standby before my natural supply…the kind that makes for a great trap underneath loosened-up dirt like this. Dziękuję za to (Thank you for that), by the way, Bakugo. But hey, if it's any comfort: I was saving this last bit of my surplus supply if things got this desperate, and you two really pushed me that far. From here, I'm down to what's left of my natural supply right now, and that's already been run through considerably through this fight as it is. I'd practically be running on fumes without this stuff. Good on you guys."

Looking down to their feet; both boys immediately realized what Maja had meant: there was a huge thick virtual lake of an especially thick Wax just underneath the dirt around their feet, and they were currently up to their shins in the stuff. Looking back her way, they could then just barely see that there were multiple running rivulets of melting Wax running from her fingertips and all along her arms and legs, just underneath the loosened soil.

"STUBBORN LOSERS LIKE YOU SERIOUSLY PISS ME OFF!" Bakugo spat as he immediately let loose with both his hands; blasting away numerous smaller Explosions against the Wax-covered ground, clearing away enough of it for himself and Nikolay to be able to lift their feet back up.

SPLSPSPLAK!

But Maja by now was expecting as much, as with her telepathic connection with her Wax, multiple arms of the stuff suddenly came shooting from the mass all over the ground, tightly clamping onto Nikolay and Bakugo's legs and hands, before roughly yanking them both down with a powerful pull so their hands could become even more thoroughly engulfed in it.

THHHHHHWIP!

Suddenly, the sound of Hanta's Tape zipping through the air drew Maja's attention, but there was no sign of him anywhere in the sky…only the quickly forming sight of Kyouka up in the air with the bright afternoon sun providing her momentary cover.

Just as had ultimately been planned between all of them; once Kyouka and Hanta had drawn Setsuna's attention and gotten Maja to reveal herself so their teammates could attack; they had stayed on the outskirts of the battlefield to provide backup if any last minute problems arose.

And as soon as they'd seen how Maja had still managed to trap the boys; the duo were quick to act, with Hanta anchoring one strip of Tape to Kyouka and subsequently spinning and swinging her along in order to give her a fast enough momentum, before ultimately sending the line loose to give her an airborne advantage.

With the sun preventing Maja from getting a bead on her quick enough, Kyouka had her eyes firmly set on Nikolay directly below her. And the moment she knew she was perfectly aligned with him, she proceeded to send her Earphone Jacks extending as far as they could go straight down, plugging into Nikolay's back, and sending a multitude of powerful pulses channeling into him for his body to absorb; his mind immediately focusing all of it straight into his hands.

BWWWWWOOOOOOOM!

"HEARTBEAT DISTORTION SLAM!" Both Nikolay and Kyouka simultaneously called out as soon as he let loose a colossal shockwave through his hands into the ground; practically causing all of this spread out thick Wax trap to explode outward in a forward wave from where Nikolay was facing; freeing himself and Bakugo, as well as sending Maja utterly flying.

"NO MORE OF YOUR DAMN TRICKS!" Bakugo roared as he, Nikolay, Kyouka and Hanta all together finally came charging after Maja as soon as she landed on her hands and knees. As soon as she saw the overwhelming odds she was up against, she let out a shaky sigh. "All right…running on fumes or not…here it goes! BAGNO WOSKOWE (WAX SWAMP)!"

Before all their eyes, Maja's arms and legs immediately liquidated, and all of the scattered Wax of her previous trap all came coalescing across the ground at a shocking speed; bursting up in thick and heavy waves and reaching arms that quickly swallowed up whatever Tape Hanta tried to shoot out in order to help himself and his teammates escape; or hurriedly reconstituted and lunged out after however many Earphone Jack pulses, Kinetic Blasts or Explosions Kyouka, Nikolay and Bakugo tried to counter with in order to keep from getting trapped.

Ultimately, they were quickly becoming encumbered by this last-ditch attempt by Maja to keep them from taking her or Setsuna to their jail; much to all their mounting frustration and Bakugo's rage, seeing his Explosions progressively being weakened by the Wax's absorption of his nitroglycerin-like sweat before he could even ignite it.

But as Nikolay likewise continued to struggle against the increasing pressure all around his body; he could swear he could start faintly hearing the unseen voice just within the back of his mind: "Don't panic. This is exactly what this new extent and control of your Quirk is made for. Remember, all movement builds your power, not just vibrations alone. Everything around and within you is moving; your adrenaline is making your heartbeat go that much faster, which means power building within you that much faster. Against a Quirk like this; a Quirk like yours is best when it's controlled and fired so rapidly and precisely, that you don't give your opponent time to regroup or reconstitute themselves. Focus and speed are your key weapons here. And with your hands both free, what do you think that means you can do now?"

Just like that, with the remembrance that he was no longer joined to Bakugo's hand, Nikolay felt a spark of brilliance strike across his head. 'Of course! Double the arsenal, double the payout! I just need to focus on both this time! I can feel the power in me…God, this regular frequency is so much stronger than what I'm used to…it hurts so bad!'

5th Match

With his new Blackwhip having managed to catch onto the pipes above, Izuku had not only rendered Hitoshi's attempt at a trap completely ineffective…but his whole body, mind and spirit was suddenly burning with a confidence like he'd never felt before, even with how strong he'd grown already. 'All that fear and anxiety over my power…it's finally gone! This new power of mine…yes, it's actually an ALLY!'

And just thinking about this new threshold he apparently had newly gained control over, couldn't help but make Izuku instantaneously reflect on every day's worth of training to get this far; all those days of physical agony, emotional despair, mental drain…every memory of him and All Might together; all his encouraging and inspiring words, every day's worth of pride he felt in himself and all of his friends when seeing how far they were all coming together…and now, even just the sheer power and wisdom in the previous User's parting words.

It was all coming together at once, leaving Izuku's heart aflame with an inner strength he just instinctively knew had to be the kind of power that even drove someone like All Might so powerfully and for so long. 'All that effort…all that pain…everything I've fought through…and even learning to control my heart! Yes! This feeling…it feels like…like I can truly do ANYTHING!'

From his same vantage point in the confines of the industrial ground; Aizawa was watching this sudden re-emergence of Izuku's strange new power; all while hearing Vlad and Oleg's voices coming in through his earpiece all at once.

"Eraser; there's that black energy again!" "Oh, God, I can see it! Kolya's arms are shaking with pulses of that insane frequency again! Yet, it seems more controlled; more contained this time, like each pulse is working its way down his arms, one after the other!"

Indeed, Aizawa had even made the same observation on this front as well. "So Midoriya and Bezpalov's Quirks simultaneously go out of control…but then these same strange new extensions come back, and they both manage to exude more control over them? Why?"

Likewise, Toshinori watched both boys; both their looks of similar yet truly individual burning determinations on their faces, almost overwhelmingly appropriate alongside these strange new extensions of their powers together emerging. 'The timing of them both…there's no way it can be a coincidence…but is it actually true? I didn't think it could be possible…but seeing this in both of them side-by-side?'

Any semblance he might've still had of doubt, regarding the strange potential connection between both of them, was finally gone…now replaced with a sense of overwhelming curiosity as to how something like this was possible. "Just…what on earth have you boys been through these last few minutes?"

The moment Hitoshi saw Izuku catch his falling debris, he immediately doubled back while grabbing his Persona Chord mask; his voice and body showing no fear, but his voice echoing a surprising degree of anger: "WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOU?! Was all that rampaging stuff earlier just a bluff?! Are you trying to play with my emotions or something?!"

But just before Izuku could move or even answer; his entire body suddenly lurched and shook with an unbelievable pain, much like the last time; immediately causing his Blackwhip to vanish, bringing all the heavy pipes clamoring down around him as he doubled over; much to all watching teachers and students' surprise. 'What?! It only lasted a second…and now I've got this tingly pain all over again!'

However, looking upon his hands in confusion, he could already recall another of the previous User's words of advice: "It's bound to be stronger than back in my day!"

All at once did it just as quickly make sense to Izuku again, much to his growing detriment, as he struggled back to his feet, staring Hitoshi down. 'This must be my body's way of saying it's too strong for me as it is right now. Even my short bursts at 20% aren't enough to handle it! This particular power…it's waiting for me further down the road. Once I've gotten full control over the entirety of One For All's power…only then can I really start using it.'

Hitoshi, after having witnessed this new ability of Izuku's with his own eyes twice, suddenly turned his back to his opponent, using his Capture Cloth to catch onto another ridge and swiftly swing away in an attempt to escape. Only Izuku wasn't going to let the pain in his body stop him from pursuing. 'Shinso-san is getting away…but my Air Force attack is still too rough around the edges. If I'm not careful, it could trigger another outburst. I better play it safe and stick with 8% for now.'

Likewise, even as he donned his mask and swung for the closest thing to safety, and knowing full well that Izuku would be the kind of guy to chase after him, Hitoshi's own mind was racing: 'Dammit, there's no chance of me Brainwashing him now. I need to put some distance between us. Sorry about this, Monoma-san. You created the perfect opening for me…but I still can't let it end like this! I can't beat him one-on-one, so I'll just need to make him play by my rules.'

WOOSH! WHACK!

Ever since Izuku had separated to deal with Hitoshi, it had fallen to Ochako to carry the tied up Neito all the way back to the Team 5-B jail cell. Of course, just because he couldn't currently run didn't mean he was out of the fight, as he'd quickly proven to have Copied Reiko's Poltergeist Quirk, and had been sneaky enough to try and hit her upside the head with a telekinetically thrown pipe.

But after the close calls they'd already had, she wasn't about to let her guard down, as she expertly swatted his cheap shot aside, and continued to carry his weightless body along; leaving him with a begrudging smirk on his face. 'I can't hit her with Poltergeist at all. She's certainly tougher than she looks.'

Without taking her eyes off the path ahead, she suddenly spoke back to her quarry: "It's been about five minutes since our battle really started, right? And thanks to everything we were told about what you all did in Hokkaido; I know that Quirks you Copy only last for that long."

The smirk on Neito's face turned back into his devious grin; the consequence of Ochako making the mistake of speaking to him. "I simply pretended my limit was five minutes then, but I've improved. Now it's ten. If I were to unleash a brutal sneak attack right now, could you really hope to defeat me all on your own?"

The only answer he got was a piercing glare, and Ochako raising a tight fist in his direction; a silent gesture that spoke a thousand words loud and clear. Seeing this, Neito lightly chuckled to himself. 'Figures, she's wary of Shinso-san's Brainwashing Quirk.' "You're a shrewd one, aren't you? By the way, do you know how many Quirks I can Copy at once? Did your friends happen to mention that to you as well?"

Once again refusing to actually give a verbal answer, Ochako simply held up three fingers before pointing out the three stopwatches lining his belt; her mind racing all the while. 'His previous attack against us proves he has Yanagi's Poltergeist and Kodai's Size Quirks. As far as strategy goes, it would make sense for him to have Shinso's Brainwashing, too.'

But before she could think further, she suddenly heard the unsettling sound of Neito chuckling giddily to himself, just as they'd finally reached the 5-B cell. "You think three? Do you think three pocket watches means three Quirks? Oh, off course I'd tell that to your friends in our circumstances back then, but did you really think I'd be dumb enough to tell them the truth; knowing we'd be going head-to-head one day later on? My limit is actually four! What do you say to that?"

Ochako refused to say anything as she finally began to move Neito into his cell; not just because of her continued caution, but primarily because of one simple possibility: what if Neito was bluffing even now, trying to get in her head and make her paranoid?

But ignoring her silence, he stubbornly continued on: "Plus, I can achieve all manner of clever things with Copied Quirks. While it's true that I can't ACTIVATE more than one Quirk at a time, some have effects that last and linger. Especially ones that don't necessarily effect the User's body directly. Take Kodai-san's Size, for example. That nut I enlarged will retain its altered size, even if I activate another Quirk. Catch my drift now?! Hehehehehahaha! What if I were to suddenly say 'Fire'?! Sound familiar?! No matter how close you think you are to winning, you should never ignore the supporting role's dying breath! Hahahahaha!"

Ignoring his increasingly psychotic-sounding mocking laughter; Ochako finally slammed the cell door in Neito's face; immediately breaking into a desperate sprint back the way she had come. She hadn't let him see, but the fact was that he'd sewn just enough of a seed of doubt in her head, that she couldn't possibly just ignore it if it was real. 'Did he actually do something to Deku-kun without either of us noticing?!'

Observing the quickly shifting odds on both battlefields; nearly all of Class B couldn't help but feel themselves all getting especially pumped; with Rin and Jurota observing Hitoshi's actions especially closely. "Shinso-san's actually leading Midoriya all the way back to the rest of his group! Is he actually trying to get him caught in the middle of that whole brawl?" "In a madcap scramble like that, Shinso-san's Quirk has the potential to completely put everyone in deadlock and win this whole thing for our class."

Similarly, observing just how thoroughly Maja's desperate Wax Swamp trap was keeping the whole of Team 4-A immobilized, even despite the power of Bakugo and Nikolay's Quirks; Itsuka noted: "They're both really fierce competitors when pushed. Where Shinso-san's Quirk has debilitating power; Maja-san's Quirk has such an incredible variety in how it's able to be used, whether it's direct attack, defense, trapping or mobility. Either one of them would be an absolute boon for us to have."

Hitoshi had laid eyes upon his battling teammates from the moment he'd started to flee, and from that moment on, luring Izuku into it so he could get thrown off his trail, or better yet distracted, was the name of the game.

But just as he was finally in the home stretch to reunite with his partners; his ears suddenly picked up the sound of something dashing in from behind his back. Of course, there was no point in guessing what, or who it was; as Hitoshi refused to stop his swinging and zipping in escape; only chancing a momentary look back over his shoulder.

To his instant shock, Izuku had finally decided to forego not using his Quirk; as his legs were finally sparking with energy again as he flew with inhuman speed. Even now, Hitoshi knew there was nothing he could do about this. 'Crap, he's too fast! There's no way I can outrun him anymore! I'm done fo—

WHAAM!

Just before impact could be made between the two boys, however; Izuku's whole head suddenly snapped to his right; a painful ripple rushing across his face from his left cheek, as though he'd just been punched square in the face by an invisible prizefighter; his nose already starting to bleed as his body tumbled to the ground listlessly.

But Hitoshi's surprise didn't last long; his mind racing enough to where all the pieces quickly came together. 'That must be it! Back when he first attacked Midoriya; when he tried to Copy his Quirk, he made even a light impact with his face along the way! That must be what this was just now! Good work, Monoma-san!'

And he couldn't have been more on the money. Observing Izuku pursuing Hitoshi just well enough from within the 5-B cell; Neito picked the moment before his partner would've been caught, to activate his Copy of Nirengeki's Twin Impact through the place he'd previously managed to even lightly hit Izuku in the cheek. Seeing the freckled boy go down so hard as a result just made his cocky grin that much more self-satisfied. "Yes, Twin Impact truly can be a real life saver in situations like this. I apologize for having fallen so early, Shinso-san. Hopefully this bought you the opening you needed."

Thanks to the combination of Mina's mobility and precision with her Acid Shots, alongside Minoru still relentlessly ricocheting all over the place off of his hairballs; it was taking everything for the members of Team 5-B to mount up any kind of attack; having to dedicate most of their efforts to avoiding getting hit and covering for each other.

Where Minoru was concerned, the sheer speed with which he was still helplessly flying and bouncing through the air had left him listless and simply submitting to his current predicament; hoping that he would either crash into someone and finally bring it to an end, or that the others would manage to capture four of Team 5-B already so the match could be over.

WRAAM!

Suddenly, all of Minoru's momentum was brought to a swift and painful end, as Nirengeki suddenly came leaping in from out of nowhere; driving a precise elbow straight into his sternum, knocking all the wind out of him, just at the same moment Mina came leaping across the air nearby, and saw her team's primary means of suppression get taken away. "Mineta!"

But her exclamation of dreadful surprise meant nothing to Nirengeki, who was simply focused on getting Minoru off the field and into his team's intended cell. "You're not so hard to nab once I got used to your movement patterns, Mineta. You should know: my classmates call me the Mobile Adonis!"

Watching as her annoying teammate was being taken away; Mina's first instinct was to try and give chase…but the whole reason for Nirengeki paying her no mind was made immediately apparent, when she suddenly found herself getting swarmed by a multitude of small metal objects; thanks to the ever-watchful and ready Reiko. "With one down, the rest should fall much easier."

"GAAH! ACID SHOT! ACID VEIL!" All of Mina's sense of aim and precision was right out the window; opting instead to start firing off a multitude of her Acid Shots from her fingertips and between her palms to try and melt down any incoming projectiles, and throwing up a couple sheets of Acid around herself as a last-second defense. But even with her reflexes with both her body and her Quirk being as sharp as they were; Mina knew she couldn't hope to keep this up for long.

But before her feet could meet the ground again; Mina noticed there was suddenly a shadow over her that hadn't been there before, prompting her to look up in preparation to fire another Acid Shot…only to find herself suddenly getting engulfed in an incoming floating human-sized pipe.

Before she could properly react, what little sunlight was actually still getting in was just as quickly replaced with darkness; as Reiko swiftly moved in two manhole covers to slam over both open endings to the pipe. The moment this was done, Yui hurriedly jumped in and planted a hand to the pipe itself, immediately causing it to shrink down to the size of a common water bottle; the two enclosing manholes covers slamming down to the ground around it with a deafening clang while the pipe now lay harmlessly on the ground…with Mina soon emerging with a pained expression from the ringing in her ears from those massive metallic impacts; the pink young Hero currently no bigger than an actual praying mantis, which she immediately realized upon looking at her surroundings with a horrified shock on her face.

"A-ha! Kodai-san really learned a nifty new loophole for her Quirk from Hokkaido after all! Just like that, Team 5-A has lost one of its most agile heavy hitters! Way to go!" While around half of Class B was eagerly cheering on their quietest classmate for her quick thinking alongside Reiko's Quirk; all of Class A were looking on at all of the different downward turns both fights had taken, with shock and dread on all their faces.

"Oh, man! With Ashido shrunk; Midoriya down; Kolya-san, Bakugo, Jirou-san and Sero-san all trapped; both our teams are in serious trouble!" Eijirou exclaimed with building worry lining his every word, as even he was admittedly at a loss as to how this was all going to turn out.

Out of all of them, it was Tooru who sounded the most actively optimistic: "But it's not like they're both down and out, though, Kirishima-kun! Look! Kolya-kun looks like he's building up that crazy strong new vibration through his arms right now! And Midoriya-san is already on the move again!"

Despite how debilitating that sudden double impact to his face had been for a moment; the adrenaline rushing through Izuku's veins snapped him back to reality just as quick; his eyes once more burning holes of focus into Hitoshi; numbing him to the pain of his profusely bleeding nose, as he quickly launched up and ricocheted off a nearby beam; launching himself straight for his opponent.

As he flew through the air like the wind; his mind was all but screaming repeatedly: 'Never forget! That constant reminder in my heart! My origin!'

Seeing Izuku get back up and come flying amid his multiple green sparks of energy immediately had Hitoshi's defensive reactions kicking in, as he swiftly threw his Capturing Cloth his way in a heartbeat, ready to wrangle and swing him away all over again.

But Izuku was more than ready, as he instantly grabbed onto it before it could even loop around his body once, and without hesitation, he proceeded to twist his entire body in a corkscrew fashion with it in hand, causing the cloth to instead yank Hitoshi off his feet towards Izuku before he even realized what the boy had been doing. And the moment they were close enough, Izuku finally proceeded to throw his free arm around one of Hitoshi's, and used his insane momentum to throw him off balance and ultimately drive him face-down into the ground with a resounding impact.

At that same time, just as Reiko had begun to breathe remotely easy when knowing Nirengeki had neutralized Minoru and she and Yui had effectively shrunken Mina down to the point of being virtually harmless; Ochako had finally returned to the scene, having likewise seen what had become of her teammates.

And with her own heart pounding and her adrenaline burning, she had immediately moved in from above like a veritable valkyrie while Reiko's back was turned; Tunguska's ever-present advice once more echoing loud and clear in her head as she let her gliding downward momentum assist her, as she masterfully hooked one arm around the silver-haired Hero's neck in order to touch her and remove her gravity; looped one leg around hers in order to pull it out from under her, thus sending them both into a mid-air tumble; and then picked the perfect moment to bring her fingertips together without releasing her hold on Reiko, in order to restore her gravity and immediately send her slamming face-first into the unforgiving ground.

Just like that, Reiko Yanagi had been blindsided and summarily knocked out cold; and the fact all the once flying debris everywhere simultaneously came crashing down to the ground, made this fact abundantly clear to Yui, who was already looking back to her teammate's previous position with actual worry visible on her face. "Yanagi-chan?"

But the only thing she was answered with was the merciless charge of Ochako, moving from one opponent to the next like an absolute warrior in her element, driving her momentum straight into Yui; shoving her just hard enough that she ended up slamming her back into another nearby beam; one covered in several of Minoru's adhesive balls of hair.

"Whoooh! Way to go, Urara-chan! That was, like, a total beast mode moment! But you think maybe we could fix this sooner than later?" Not a moment after Ochako knew she'd effectively immobilized Yui for this match; she heard the high-pitched sound of the shrunken Mina's voice at her side. When she looked, she was both immensely surprised, and subsequently glad to find her now-tiny best friend had managed to get onto her left shoulder in the last few seconds after she'd taken care of Reiko.

Not needing to be asked twice, Ochako hurriedly lowered Mina back to the ground, where she immediately ran back inside the same shrunken pipe, which Ochako hurriedly placed the two manhole covers over the ends of, before giving Yui a stern and all-too clear stare of intent.

Thankfully, Yui was smart enough to know she had no real alternatives, thus upon motioning for Ochako to step back, she quickly focused her Quirk, and in a moment, the pipe was suddenly back to its original human size, with Mina dizzily stepping back out upon being returned to her own normal size; a sight that quickly had her and Ochako both absolutely ecstatic and relieved.

But that relief was very short-lived, as before Ochako even knew it, Mina's smile had quickly turned back into her most serious glare of utter focus, before she took off into a breakneck-fast Acid Slide; upon seeing Nirengeki on a nearby ledge, having likewise just seen what had become of his two teammates while he was still trying to get Minoru to their cell.

WHAAAMM!

And without having even a snowball's chance in Hell to react or counter, Nirengeki Shouda's bells were instantly ringing deafeningly in his head, as Mina lunged up from her Slide, aided with that much momentum behind her, and drove a single resonating uppercut straight into his round jaw; sending him collapsing out cold to the floor in her wake.

Just like that, the whole of Team 5-B had been summarily neutralized, with (almost) all of Team 5-A standing tall and victorious.

4th Match, that same moment…

"KINETICHESKIY GATLING (KINETIC GATLING)!" After only a handful of seconds spent trying to channel the intensified vibration frequency coursing through his whole body into his two hands, Nikolay finally let it all loose; unleashing a rapid-fire and coordinated pattern of concentrated Kinetic shots out of every hole in his hands.

In the blink of an eye, all of the Wax entrapping his hands and feet were being blown and blasted away, clearing the area around him, and once he extended his hands out to his sides, those same shots continued without slowing; similarly blasting away at the wax around his teammates, before Bakugo ultimately capitalized on his hands being free, by unleashing a multitude of Explosions from both, shattering, melting and ultimately burning away the entirety of Maja's Wax Swamp trap, doing away with her excess supply, and her natural supply, as she now only had her currently reconstructing limbs to keep her from simply being left helpless on the ground.

But with the sweltering heat and overwhelming shockwaves of both boys' Quirks tearing through the air around her, Maja had no chance to escape or put up a last desperate defense; for the moment Nikolay saw her get back up, he finally redirected his firing hands in her direction, now hammering away at her with a relentless barrage of small but powerful Kinetic blasts like a pair of gatling guns.

As the pressure and concussive reverberations tearing through his hands finally became too much for him to take, Nikolay forced his mind off of the act of firing his Quirk; this time finally resulting in his insane new attack coming to an end, leaving the whole battlefield in a still silence, while Maja stood wobbling on her feet, already visibly bruised, winded, and ultimately drained of any fighting spirit anymore.

Looking all four of her Class A opponents in the eyes, she only managed the faintest exhausted smirk, before unceremoniously collapsing onto her back with a hefty sigh, knowing she'd ultimately lost, while Nikolay, Bakugo, Kyouka and Hanta could all feel an immensely satisfying realization that they were all ultimately still standing; before Bakugo immediately barked: "Alright, let's go get Big Lips back from wherever you all left him; get this lot locked up and get this over with!"

5th Match

Even as Izuku had him fully pinned to the ground; subsequently tying him up completely with his own Capture Cloth; Hitoshi's mind was far from the ringing going on in his ears at this moment. The only thing he could even think, was just trying to put together the reality of what he was ultimately facing: complete and total defeat.

'Unbelievable. He spun himself around in order to draw me in by my own Capturing tool. Dammit…I said I'd show him how much I've changed since our last fight. I was so looking forward to it. And with everyone here today pushing themselves forward, never slowing down…'

With no further sign of potential disastrous incident to be seen in the fourth match; Vlad King could finally speak into the microphone; extending his commentary to the loudspeakers across both battlefields at last.

"It was truly a battle filled with incredible shows of strategy, power, and all-around Heroic resilience on all fronts…with more than a few hair-raising moments to behold. But in the end, with a perfect score of 4-0…Class A has emerged the victor in the fourth match!"

As Vlad King's voice echoed through the skies above; just as Hitoshi and Izuku had finally made it to the Team 5-A base camp, where all the rest of his teammates had already since been thrown into their cell as well, with him quickly following suit; Hitoshi's resulting chuckle was bone dry, a complete contrast to the excited chatter of the 5-A team members: 'Dammit! This Hero Course…is truly impressive!'

And the moment Ochako finally shut the cell door; but not before Mina tossed Minoru's still-unconscious body into Izuku's arms ("Keep him FAR away from me and the rest of the girls from now on, Midori-kun; okay?!"); the 1-B teacher's voice once again rang out loud and clear: "There were some real do-or-die moments across the fifth match…but with a score of 4-0…Class A is the winner!"

And upon immediately swiping the microphone from his hands; Midnight handily took over as the announcer; her voice naturally carrying much more optimism than his natural gruffness; effectively bringing an all-around air of relief to Aizawa and Oleg as they summarily moved out to meet their respective two teams and take them back to the observation platform.

"And that brings these five matches to a close! You all showed us some fantastic battles, proving how well you knew your enemies, and even more importantly, knew yourselves! Class A took the first match pretty summarily, but faced an incredible challenge from Class B's excellent teamwork and backup planning in the second; but primarily through Kieslowska-chan's natural Quirk variety, they managed to squeeze out a desperate miracle win! The third match was a draw, and through remarkable teamwork and newly strengthened mastery of their Quirks, Class A ultimately managed to achieve victory in both the fourth and fifth matches, ultimately coming out as the winners of the Joint Training exercise!"

As all of Class A on deck erupted into ecstatic cheers and restrained polite applause for their classmates all around; on the fifth match ground, the news that Nikolay and Bakugo's team had won their match, had magically done away with the tension and simmering bad mood Mina's body language had been giving off upon reuniting with her whole team and getting rid of Minoru. Now she looked as though nothing could have possibly been wrong in her world, as she started back-flipping and pumping her fists into the air in her excitement. "YES! I KNEW IT! I KNEW THEY COULD FINALLY WORK TOGETHER! WAY TO GO, KOLYA-KUN, BAKUGO! OH, WE GOTTA TOTALLY CELEBRATE!"

However, while Mina and Ochako were both clearly of the same mind that a party to celebrate their classes' and friends' victory was at hand; Izuku's face didn't reflect nearly that same kind of surface-level enthusiasm. Now that his own fight had finally come to an end; the fact that his Quirk had acted up and changed as it had, and especially thinking back on some more of the previous User's cryptic words regarding others in possession of embers of One For All, had him feeling a serious spike in worry for Nikolay. He could only silently hope he was somehow completely wrong in his own train of thought or theory going in.

At the same time; just after having unburied Rikido from all the leaves Kyouka and Hanta had left him under in order to keep him from getting found by any of their opponents in their absence, and after having finished locking up the whole of Team 4-B in their cell, and then hearing Vlad King announce them as the winners of their match; Nikolay's adrenaline finally fizzled out, and as all of the built-up pain all over his body finally came rushing back to his brain from all the time his Quirk had run amok trying to escape through him; he felt his legs give out, and gravity finally take him.

Only for the inevitable impact with the ground to never come; as he looked in his dizzying state, to see Bakugo had expertly reached out and grabbed him by what was left of the collar of his costume the moment he saw Nikolay start to go down; holding him up and looking directly into his eyes with a much more restrained, but still altogether serious intensity. "Hey, we had to bust our asses to get this battle to go the way it did, so don't go ruining this victory by blacking out here, got it?"

Bakugo let go as soon as he could feel the tension return to Nikolay's body, letting him know he wasn't just going to collapse as soon as he released his grip. As Nikolay got back to standing firmly on his feet and clearing his head; his eyes suddenly widened with remembrance, looking down to his finally free right hand, and then looking to Bakugo apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Bakugo! Using my Quirk with both my hands to break us all free from that last trap of Maja-san's, caused me to destroy your glove and that vambrace connected to it!" He was practically bracing himself for Bakugo to completely reverse what he'd originally said, and immediately lay him out flat for daring to damage any part of his costume.

But the answer that immediately came instead was the last thing Nikolay ever expected to hear from his hair trigger-tempered classmate: "Don't. Don't apologize right now like a dumbass; you hear me, Russkie? Equipment without somebody there to wield it is useless! Heroes fight to win, no matter what! That's exactly what we all had to do to come out on top, and if destroying a piece of my gear was what you had to do to fulfill your part and make sure we won, then don't ever apologize for it!"

The utter weight settling in Nikolay's chest that Bakugo wasn't chastising him; or perhaps even commending him for solidifying their victory in his own personal way; still didn't stop him from firmly nodding his head in understanding of what he was being told. But before he could even say anything; he and his teammates were quickly surprised by the unexpected arrival of Oleg on the scene; his aged blue eyes immediately set on his son among them, even as he clearly addressed the whole team:

"Excellently done, everyone! You managed to put your Quirks together, even in the wake of some…considerable surprises, and finally find your best means of working as a team to achieve victory. Considering the history between some of you, this is nothing short of a monumental occurrence. I'll be taking you all to rejoin your classmates, so I suggest you all brace yourselves for just as much similar enthusiasm."

Once he unlocked the cell and allowed the members of Team 4-B; by now having regained consciousness and accepting their defeat; to leave, Oleg motioned for all students to make their way back, with him following close behind.

But as they all began to do so; Nikolay was hardly surprised to find his father sticking close to his side; his normal jovial tone now much lower and clearly more concerned: [[You gave all of us quite the scare with your Quirk back there, Kolya. I'm sure you must've figured this, but we'll need to have a considerable talk about it once this is all over and done with and you're all patched up. Understand?]]

Nikolay was still trying to fight the bruising pain all over his body as he followed his friends and schoolmates, but still gave a solemn nod to what his father was recommending; his green eyes falling once more upon his discolored and hurting hands underneath his obliterated one remaining glove.

And up ahead; even as Bakugo was taking the lead of his team, he likewise was finding his mind drifting back to the issue around Nikolay, and ultimately Izuku and Toshinori as a whole. There was no way in Hell that nobody else was going to be reeling with questions as to just what the heck happened to Nikolay's Quirk in the middle of this whole match. And if his previous worries and assumptions of whatever may have potentially connected the two boys' Quirks together was in fact going to prove to be true upon their return, then he knew he was definitely going to have a lot to talk about with all of them before this day was out.

Alright, everybody, and that is this week's newest chapter! I hope you all enjoyed seeing the brand new take on the fourth round match with Nikolay and Bakugo against Maja and Class B; as well as a further look into this surprise link between Nikolay and One For All! One can only imagine what this could end up leading to in the future.

Please don't forget to check out and vote on the poll for potential amendments and one-shots on my profile.

I hope you all have a good rest of your week, and I will see you all with the next chapter on 03/25!