Hello again, everyone. There isn't a whole lot I can say that I haven't said already over these last few weeks during this arc. I'd love to know what you're all thinking about it right now, but I don't know how else to ask for you all to reach out to me to tell me as much; whether it be through reviews or PM's, I just don't know anymore. I've also been dealing with a serious period of depression these last couple of days that left me in a moment of writer's existential dread, ever since stumbling upon spoilers for the newest MHA manga chapter.

Which is why I now reluctantly ask you all, as people who have stuck with reading my story, out of all others, for all this time: which do you personally and honestly prefer: the romance I developed between Kolya and Mina; or the idea of her and Kirishima as vaguely hinted in the manga? Because the KolyaxMina ship is something you can clearly see I hold very near and dear to me, and as such have been trying to put as much effort into making the best it can be, without letting it get in the way of the main story proper. But I want to know what you've all come to feel and prefer over all the time I've been working on this while the manga has been ongoing.

Anyway, with all that rambling aside; I still want to thank you all for continuing to read my story to this day; I'd like to thank my beta readers, friends and overall emotional anchors for this past week: Mizu, Johnny and Carlos; and I would like to thank all the kind fan-art supporters and creators on DA who have been helping to slowly but surely bring this story to visual life: 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 119

Only Questions

(Только Вопросы)

Despite the full-body pain Nikolay was dealing with at every step of his team's journey back to the observation deck, his spirit was just as high as everyone else's; and even more so when they finally returned, and were met with the enthusiastic cheers of their classmates, and the much more subdued and respectful applause of Class B, who gladly took their forlorn looking peers of Team 4-B.

But even among all the cheers, the very first thing Nikolay heard was the ecstatic sound of Mina's voice, as she nearly came sprinting from out the throng with her arms spread wide. "YOU DID IT, KOLYA-KUN! YOU GUYS FINALLY DID IT! I'M SO PROU-!"

However, before she risked bowling him over in her attempt at a running embrace; Mina was swiftly stopped by Oleg handily stepping in. "Please try to calm yourself, malenkaya Ashido. Kolya isn't necessarily in the state to—"WHOA!"

The teacher's warning was quickly cut off when she actually took the chance to look at her boyfriend; only for her eyes to go wide and her body to go rigid with shock at how tattered and torn his costume was, and how badly battered and bruised nearly his whole body was, with several adorning Bakugo's face and right arm to boot. "What the heck happened?! Did you guys actually get in a fight again?!"

But rather than let Oleg or any of the other teachers or Principal Nezu explain, several of the other students eagerly rushed in and began speaking all over each other in an attempt to fill in the whole of Team 5-A on what they had missed: "Oh man, it was insane, you guys! I'd never seen anything like it! The same time Midoriya had that crazy freak-out with all that black energy stuff shooting out his arm; like the exact same time; Kolya-san started having, like, this whole body shaking speed like nothing any of us had ever seen! Then his Quirk suddenly started shooting out from all over his body all at once, like that Refracting technique of his going totally haywire! He was flying all over the place, blowing up, like, half the battleground! It took Bakugo having to pin him down to the ground for him to actually get control over it again, then from there he was suddenly able to start shooting those blasts from his hands all rapid-fire like two machine guns! It was freakin' insane!"

But in the middle of all of these scattershot attempts at catching their peers up on current events, Nikolay suddenly exclaimed just before Bakugo could: "What do you mean 'at the same time'? What happened to Midoriya at you guys' match?"

Aizawa, rather than allowing the students to start giving him an even worse headache with all their constant excited chatter, instead moved to the controls for the multitude of screens. "See for yourselves, all of you."

At his instruction, they all watched as the respective footage from both matches played simultaneously, perfectly matched for synchronized time. Hence, Nikolay, Bakugo, Izuku and all their respective teammates could watch with differing amounts of awe, disbelief and shock, as both aforementioned boys' recorded Quirk episodes played out in full.

Even the instinctive senses of pride at just watching how Team 4-A came together to ultimately win their match, couldn't measure up to just how shocked and worried Mina, Ochako and Izuku all looked when seeing the utterly chaotic state Nikolay was in for so long, and how it visibly hammered and smashed up his body along with Bakugo's until he'd somehow managed to regain control over it. Halfway through, Mina was carefully holding his arm after seeing how badly injured his hands were now.

And as for Team 4-A themselves; Hanta, Rikido and Kyouka couldn't pick their jaws up from watching the chaos ensue from Izuku's sudden change in his Quirk from practically out of nowhere, while Nikolay could feel his blood go cold, and Bakugo's whole body was barely trembling with too many thoughts and feelings rushing through him all at once.

From watching all of this unfold side-by-side, Bakugo could feel an overwhelming sense of vindication, knowing all but certainly by now that his initial suspicions from what Izuku, Oleg and Toshinori had told him earlier had proven to be true. And where Nikolay stood, he could only start thinking back to what the voice in his head had kept saying over all this time, with his vague talk of an 'other' and a 'bridge' between them. He couldn't begin to understand why this was making him recall that all of a sudden, but given just how freaked out he still was by that entire occurrence, even he couldn't blame himself for letting his mind race to the first thing that could make even a fragment of sense. After all, all his past desperate moments hadn't pushed his Quirk to go this far and ultimately reach a new overall level in power, so why did it choose to happen now?

It was a pity he didn't realize just how similarly Izuku was feeling when watching this; his freckled face reflecting a near deathly seriousness that didn't escape Toshinori, Oleg or Bakugo's gazes.

And among the rest of their classmates and their peers in Class B, there was all different levels of confusion to go around; with Tenya ultimately opening up: "While the strengthening of your Quirks, even to such an extreme degree, is only to be expected with time; I simply can't comprehend how it is that both of yours decided to go through these episodes at the exact same times. I've never heard of such a thing happening before."

And Denki, in an attempt to at least try and apply his own form of logic to such a confusing situation, chimed in: "I mean, Kolya-san and Midoriya-san have been training quite a bit together recently, even as far back as the Training Camp. Maybe when Heroes spend so much time training together, their Quirks strengthening up, end up synching together…y'know, like how they say girls' internal clocks do when they spend a lot of time together?"

PIIING!

Naturally, such a ridiculous theory couldn't possibly go without him getting a sudden ear-full of Earphone Jack from Kyouka. But before anyone else could possibly throw in any other such theories; Momo thankfully stepped in: "The truth is that we can theorize all day long as to why this happened, but without an official diagnosis from professionals, theories are all they'll ever be. For now, let's just be grateful that everyone came back from their matches without being excessively hurt."

This thankfully seemed to be enough to diffuse much of the worry among most of the students; as Itsuka and Tetsutetsu proceeded to step forward; kind handshakes and enthusiastic fist-bumps extended. "You certainly proved your reputation is well-earned today, Class A. Congratulations." "Damn straight! You really gave us a run for our money, and I can't even be mad at that! Good on you guys!"

But in return, Momo, Tenya and Eijirou were just as enthusiastic in their responses, among others: "We hardly deserve as much credit. You pushed us all the hardest we had been pushed yet to earn victory, Kendo-san." "Precisely! Your Quirks are all incredibly powerful! You even brought us to a stalemate, Tetsutetsu-san; that's more than commendable!" "Yeah, your brains and powers together even brought two of my pals together when they were always at each other's throats! That's manly as hell, no questions asked! I can't wait to see what we could be able to do, working together instead!"

This thankfully seemed to break most of what tension was left between classes, as much of the students on both sides finally came together to respectively congratulate each other on their impressive skills, if not victories.

Knowing Nikolay would still have to be taken into Recovery Girl's office for the worst of his injuries; Mina was already helping apply a few fingertips worth of her healing salve to the few open wounds on Nikolay's face and hands, before Kinoko Komori sneakily handed out as many small band-aids from her costume's pockets for her to use; hiding her heavily blushing face from Nikolay with her long bangs; all while Setsuna (keeping herself levitated while her body was once again in the middle of regenerating underneath a covering coat for privacy) was grinning approvingly their way. "You're certainly full of more surprises than I expected after all this time, Bezpalov-kun. Maybe once you really get the hang of whatever that new attack of yours is, we could go for a rematch; both of you, if you want. You had some really sick moves out there, too, Ashido-chan."

"Maybe give me some more time to really practice it; and I'll at least take you up on it." Nikolay answered with a genuine smile that had Setsuna already grinning in anticipation, with Mina looking much the same. "Me too! That Quirk of yours is still so impressive, Setsuna-chan! If it were us against you and Maja-chan; I wonder which of us might come out on top!"

While the two girls were already chatting away excitedly with each other, Nikolay's own wandering gaze quickly fell upon Minoru among the hustling and bustling of all the students; quickly noticing how the left side of his face was completely swollen. Of course, since he'd been so much more focused on watching what had happened with Izuku during the replay of the fifth match, he'd miraculously missed out on what the small boy Hero had done to his girlfriend, so he couldn't help but voice his confusion: "What happened to Mineta-san? Class B really got him that bad?"

The way Mina's whole body went rigid immediately caught his attention, but when he saw how red her face became when she looked him in the eye with an incredibly embarrassed expression, Nikolay could already feel his scalp starting to tingle with a terrible anticipation. "He's unbelievable, Kolya-kun! It's like he can't help himself; one second he actually does something awesome and totally saves me from where I wasn't looking, and then in the exact same action, he does it all so he can get his face thrown into…into my…oh, God…"

Unable to bring herself to finish out loud, Mina puffed her cheeks in embarrassment before giving a very subtle pointing motion with her index fingers towards her chest. The moment he saw this, Nikolay could swear his face had to be turning red with shared embarrassment for her, but even greater anger towards Minoru himself.

Seeing the redness on her boyfriend's face, Mina had to swallow the surprisingly strong impulse in her chest to actually go on and share her previous embarrassing thought from before; of her strong desire of wanting Nikolay to be the one to feel her there; in order to try and keep him from doing anything he would regret, least of all because of his already badly injured fingers: "Hold your horses, Kolya-kun, what're you thinking of right now?"

Frantically shifting his gaze from Mina to Minoru and back, Nikolay couldn't even form his hands into fists like he wanted to, with the pain in his hands being so intense. "Well, to tell you the truth, Mina; I'm torn. On one hand, I just want to hit him like I'm assuming you did…then on the other, I'm struggling to think of what else to do that would make it so he'd never try that with you or any of the other girls in either class again…and it's there that I'm coming up with nothing."

Suddenly, Setsuna spoke up with an especially devious edge to her voice: "I might have an idea, if you both wanna hear it, of course."

Looking back to their levitating half-bodied friend, the grinning lizard-like girl continued: "Now it's a bit elaborate, but I got the idea just now, listening to both of you, from this really old, really weird British movie one of my cousins got me to watch a while back when I was little. A bunch of scientists get this guy who was a total scumbag to do a weird experiment in exchange for getting out of prison, and they tie him up in a straitjacket, put these clamps on his eyelids so he can't close his eyes, and they basically force him to watch this nonstop marathon of movies depicting all the horrible stuff he likes to do, to the point he instinctively becomes physically ill at the thought of doing any of it again. Now, granted, the reason that even works is cause of this weird serum they inject him with for, like, brainwashing purposes, but you get the overall idea, right?"

To her satisfaction, Nikolay looked far more familiar with what Setsuna was talking about, while Mina simply liked the idea in general. "I'm surprised, Setsuna-san; I didn't take you to be someone who would give Kubrick films a chance." "Well, wherever it comes from, if it'll stop Mineta from being such a pervy creep, then I'm all up for it. Maybe we could see if Yaomomo would be okay with Creating a straitjacket small enough for him."

Without wasting time any further, the three proceeded to approach Momo with their unorthodox request, which she quickly proved more than willing to comply with after having seen what Minoru had done to Mina in their match. At the same time, however, Eijirou finally took the chance to approach the once again conscious Maja, who was currently sitting against a railing in an attempt to try and catch her breath and get some of her energy back after the walloping she'd taken; evidenced by the cracks in her costume and the bruises on her face.

Approaching her, he could see she was clearly very forlorn, even if she did try to put on the same confident smile when she saw the red-haired young Hero approach her with an encouraging grin. "Gratulacje (Congratulations) on your classes' big victory, Kolce (Spikes). You all seriously earned it."

But instead of sitting beside her, Eijirou instead offered an affirming hand to pull her onto her feet. "You should be joining the rest of us in the congratulating, Maja-san. Your whole team was super impressive, too. I can't believe you never showed off half those tricks with your Quirk back during the festival. You just keep proving to be manlier and manlier! You even pulled a miracle and pushed Kolya-san and Bakugo into legit working together like a real duo!"

Of course, Eijirou's excitement quickly caught Bakugo's ear, while Maja herself was bashfully shaking her head. "Coming from you, I know the whole manly thing for me should be a compliment, so thank you for that. But really, for as strong as my Quirk is, it was Tokage-san's planning that helped us last nearly as long as we did."

Upon noticing that Bakugo was directly approaching them with the same intense frown on his face; she personally addressed him: "I hope you got what you were looking for, Bakugo-san. You seriously backed up your words today; you're far stronger than any kind of slouch I ever knew. I mean, I'm sorry if I ever gave you the impression before that I didn't take you seriously. I'm not all that good at making friends with new people all the time, is all. Plus, your attitude didn't exactly make approaching you super easy."

Before Bakugo's initial angered eye twitch could spur him into another blue streak of curses; Eijirou once again handily interjected: "Ah, don't let that scare you off; he can be a super awesome guy once you get to know him well enough, trust me! Took me a while, but now we're like bros for life!"

As he began to bring an arm over Bakugo's shoulders to try and prove his point; the hotheaded blonde Hero immediately spat: "DON'T TALK FOR ME LIKE I'M NOT STANDING RIGHT HERE, HAIR-FOR-BRAINS!"

As Eijirou took a step back while chuckling awkwardly in the face of his temper; Bakugo visibly seemed to simmer down: "And as for what you were both saying: it's not like me and the Russkie working together is some kind of miracle. He just needs the right kind of pressure put on him to really get his act together. And as for you…"

Maja was already deeply breathing in preparation to get cursed out. But as Bakugo's red eyes burned into her own; he just let out another frustrated grumbling. "You can say I'm strong as much as you want…but the fact is that I won't be strong enough to become Number One until I can take on the whole lot of you or anyone else on my own."

"Kieslowska, Shinso; come over here, please!" Vlad King suddenly called out from across the platform; snapping Maja and Hitoshi both to attention; the Polish girl hurriedly thanking Eijirou for the encouraging compliments before hurrying over to the two homeroom teachers, Principal Nezu and Midnight, all standing readily at the console.

As soon as the two recruits were before them; Midnight opened up: "Now I already gave my personal summary of how both classes did in the matches, but now we wanna hear from the both of you, so be completely honest: how do you personally feel you did?"

With her nerves already being as tense as they were, Maja instinctively spoke up first: "To be perfectly honest…I thought both my matches were a really intense way of truly making me see just how far all of my practice so far has been able to get me in terms of using my Quirk as an actual Hero. I realize that who I was working with and fighting against makes all the difference; but the fact is that, for as strong as I thought I already was, I clearly still have a really long way to go before I can actually start being able to make up for the things I've done before coming here…not the least of which is the fact that I wasn't there to help my teammates in the second match when they needed it…and I'm grateful to know I need to improve on that now among other things, even if I may not make the final cut."

Even for as impressed as all four teachers looked in this very thoughtful answer of hers; Maja couldn't bring herself to lift her gaze to see it; her brave façade had cracked so much. So, their focus now shifted to Hitoshi, who was solemnly looking at the Capture Cloth around his neck, before he finally spoke up as well: "Sensei…I couldn't accomplish anything on my own. I'm still lacking…and I know that with the timing and the format being what it was; this whole exercise, and both battles I fought, was to be my test for getting into the Hero Course that guaranteed no extra cost for Yuuei as a whole. But even if we both scored one win and one loss, I can't say if my Quirk and capabilities as they currently are would be enough for me to make the mark, either."

But to that, Maja was the one to surprisingly answer: "But at least your Quirk grants you way more control over everything in the battlefield; heck, it could even be able to stop situations from escalating to begin with, with the right timing. My Quirk is only any good in direct conflict, and once my opponents find out about my Wax Decoys, I'm practically never going to be able to pull it on them again."

"Well then, let's discuss all of this for the end-of-round summaries. Teams 4-A and 4-B, step forward." Vlad King firmly ordered; drawing all students to quickly join Maja; Aizawa and Oleg both carefully eyeing Nikolay's badly beaten state to make sure he wasn't about to collapse in the middle of receiving their professional assessment.

Upon being assured that his student was still good; Aizawa finally began: "First of all, as your teacher: Bezpalov, Bakugo, I have to commend you both for finally having found the apparent middle ground needed for you to be able to put your differences aside and use your Quirks effectively together, and actually put your respective strategizing methods together as a team, on top of your individual approaches to leadership of your respective teammates when situations called for them.

"This is an especially big point in your favor, Bakugo. From the start you came across as standoffish and uncaring of your classmates, in favor of pursuing your own success; but today you showed a masterful understanding of how to utilize each of your teammates' strengths from the start, and an ability to adapt when things went against expectations. Keep that up, and you might just prove to have a real talent for leadership in the future.

"Jirou, Sero; you likewise displayed an impressive adaptability to using your Quirks together in order to get the drop on your opponents, and provide your teammates with backup when things got especially desperate; and Sato, your Sugar Rush Quirk gives you an immense advantage in strength and speed in confined fighting conditions, but you still need to find some means of extending its effects so you don't fizzle out and become a burden to the rest of your partners in the middle of an ongoing battle."

As all of his teammates were clearly taking their teachers' advice and approving words to heart, Nikolay now found himself alone being gazed upon by Aizawa's piercing eyes. "Now we come to you, Bezpalov. You may have shown some resilience in regaining control of your Quirk with Bakugo's help, but that doesn't change the fact that your Quirk acted up, all the same. You mind explaining to us what that was all about?"

With all eyes from both classes now being upon him, and several nervous whispers barely able to be heard from among them; Nikolay took a deep and shaky breath, trying to ignore the pain all over his body while thinking back to that initial moment. "I'm still trying to make sense of it myself, Aizawa-sensei. The moment the Class B team had us trapped, I was just trying to focus my Quirk in an attempt to break free like normal, but then the next thing I knew, this sharp pain shot through my head, and my Kinetics Quirk just felt like it was growing stronger in frequency, more than I've been able to control, and it was trying to shoot out from all over my body like the Refracting Blasts I've been practicing! I tried to focus it like usual, but it's like it was actively refusing to do what I wanted it to…and then I heard this voice talking to me, telling me all about how to calm down and focus it to one place in order to get control of it back, even despite how strong and overwhelming it was!"

With Nikolay's attention squarely on Aizawa; he didn't see the look of shaken recognition on Izuku's face at this description, with Bakugo, Toshinori and Oleg all exchanging very similar concerned gazes with each other.

But as for the rest of the students, they simply had no idea what to make of this bizarre description of the frightening display they'd all witnessed. Ultimately, Momo posited: "Is it perhaps possible that the stress from your Quirk's episode may have forced you to recall any recordings from any past Heroes who suffered similar experiences you might have studied, Bezpalov-san?"

Unfortunately, Nikolay's answer was immediate; the look on his face still reflecting the same concern as everyone else, even despite his apparent regained control. "Considering I did try studying past instances of Heroes with difficult-to-control Quirks near the beginning; that was honestly my first thought when it was going on; but I know for a fact I'd never heard this particular voice before, and I've never even heard of anyone having their Quirks act out of their control anything quite like this…at least not until the video of Midoriya-san earlier! The fact we both went through it at the same time, no matter the reason, still freaks me out!"

In this moment, Izuku had looked back to make sure that Bakugo and their two teachers were hearing the same thing he was; and from the tense looks in their eyes, it was clear they were all of the same grim understanding of just what this meant for Nikolay in the end.

Aizawa, unfortunately having no other extensive alternatives on how to approach this issue with his foreign student, summarily stated: "Bezpalov, once we're all finished here, I want you to go to Recovery Girl's office for treatment. Afterward, go and speak to Hound Dog-san. He will at least be able to provide some first-step knowledge for how you can best process this change in your abilities for now."

Nikolay only managed a terse nod, knowing that he wouldn't have had any better ideas than that, himself. But behind him; his two classmates, teacher and father all knew this wouldn't be any real kind of solution. Oleg especially knew that he needed to attend to his son's current issue personally, one way or another.

With Team 4-A having received their performance summary from their teacher; Vlad King then took over for his own students, this time miraculously managing to keep his cool despite his class having no actual win through the entire exercise under its belt: "Tokage, your Quirk allowed you an excellent overall control of the battlefield, even regardless of the power of your opponents' team, and you also displayed splendid communication and strategic capabilities with respects to your own teams' strengths and weaknesses as always; but especially when directly dealing with a teammate whom you've had no experience working alongside before. Once more, you prove to be one of the most capable in Class B when it comes to leadership. You just need to work on speeding up the rate of your regeneration so that you can get back into the fight faster, without having your teammates put themselves at considerable risk to cover for you."

From Setsuna, he suddenly shifted his intimidating gaze towards Maja, who rigidly stood at attention at her side. "Kieslowska, your Quirk has a remarkable range of purposes it can be used for, and you clearly possess a rock-solid fighting spirit befitting a Hero, in your unwillingness to just give up until you've given all you truly have. While you may have displayed a rather single-minded focus on fighting your opponents, as opposed to helping your teammates when they were in trouble; the fact that you clearly recognized that fault in your performance, shows you have a remarkable willingness to learn from your mistakes; one of the best signs for a potential student."

Maja managed a feeble nod, but simply couldn't reflect any real enthusiasm. "Thank you for saying so, Sensei…but the fact is that we're supposed to treat these kind of exercises like they're the real deal, right? If that's the case, then if this had been a real battle against Villains, then I would've let my teammates and all kinds of potential civilians down by focusing on fighting rather than protecting anyone. If I was in your shoes, I honestly wouldn't recommend me for this Course, either."

Eijirou, Nikolay, Mina, Tooru and Momo were all clearly about to open their mouths to try and say something, anything, to try and lift Maja's spirits, until-

"So is that it, then? You give only one test that Yuuei has to offer a shot, and then decide to just call it quits? What the hell kind of Hero are you trying to be with a shitty mentality like that?!" Bakugo suddenly spat with pure disdain; drawing many surprised and expectant looks from the other students, while Maja looked momentarily speechless.

"I got fed this big obnoxious story from several of these people about how tough you are, and then when we see you at the Festival, you parade around like some cocky punk who doesn't have the rap she really has, and you go around flaunting your Quirk like you can do anything! But then, once it gets serious and you do everything you're currently able to try and win and end up losing, that's all it takes for you to give up? How the hell are you supposed to make anything you did right if that's all you're willing to do?!"

Thankfully, Aizawa stepped in to keep Bakugo from railing against her any further; but everyone else could clearly see that his abrasive attempt at a motivational or condescending speech had really stricken a chord with Maja deep down inside; a look of utter shame visible in her eyes as her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Seeing this visible change in her demeanor, Principal Nezu handily chimed in: "While his way of saying so may lack tact, I must say that Bakugo-kun's sentiments are quite right, Kieslowska-san. Whatever you may think of how you performed, you did still show tremendous promise today, on top of the impressions we were given from your fellow Hokkaido locals. Let's not jump to any conclusions until the round summaries are finished."

Considering she hadn't gotten any concrete answer as to just what awaited her yet, Maja didn't dare to show an excessive reaction in one way or the other; only brave enough to give an understanding nod, while Vlad King turned his attention to Kojiro, Togaru and Yosetsu. "With that being said; Awase, Kamakiri, Bondo; your willingness to follow your team leader's instructions, as well as your exercising coordination with one another, patience and thoroughness in your suppression and apprehension techniques, gives you all potential to be a genuinely great team. You simply need to learn how to best hone your Quirks to deal with those with especially hard-hitting abilities that could potentially overpower one of your own."

With both fourth round teams having gotten their summaries; they quickly stepped back to rejoin their peers, while Teams 5-A and 5-B hurriedly took their places. As soon as they had, Mina wasted absolutely no time; raising her hand straight up with a surprisingly stern look on her face. "Hey, Aizawa-sensei! Mineta was, like, the worst, so could you please really let 'im have it this time?"

Of course, many of the girls across both classes couldn't help but utter their agreement with Mina, simply from watching what had happened; completely ignoring Minoru's feeble attempts at arguing on his own behalf, while Aizawa simply bowed his head in a terse nod of his own agreement. Somehow, someway, he was going to see to it his troublesome little student would learn a lesson for his actions taken to his classmates' detriment or embarrassment.

Afterward, Izuku felt his body flinch when seeing the inquisitive intensity of Aizawa's eyes now fall upon him. "So, Midoriya…think you'll have any better luck explaining to us what happened with your Quirk?"

Similarly with Nikolay, Izuku could hear many tense whispers among his classmates; among a few of them being guesses of a new special move, and subsequent doubts, considering how different it was from his usual super strength. As much as he didn't like being the center of this kind of attention, he couldn't blame any of them for thinking as such. He easily would've been the same way if he had seen something as incredible as the awakening of his Blackwhip from someone with a solely strength-based Quirk.

Looking down to the destroyed right sleeve of his costume, and the bruises adorning his arm, Izuku's mind was awhirl with uncertainty. 'I want to tell them the truth…but I can't reveal the whole truth of One For All…so what do I even say without saying too much?' "I still…don't really know. The power just suddenly welled up, and I couldn't control it. It's like something I've believed in up until now suddenly turned on me. It was…truly terrifying."

Toshinori, Oleg and Bakugo all slightly bowed their heads while listening to Izuku describe this; the latter momentarily glancing to Nikolay to see what he was thinking about this particular episode. By then, Izuku suddenly lifted his head; a look of pure gratitude visible in his eyes. "But when Uraraka-san and Shinso-san both tried to stop me, they helped me to realize it wasn't all bad."

Ochako and Hitoshi both visibly flinched with surprise that they were being addressed all of a sudden, while Izuku continued: "If Uraraka-san hadn't adamantly held on like she had, even despite the risks my Quirk was posing to her; I fear I wouldn't have been grounded enough for Shinso-san's Brainwashing to knock me unconscious…and if it hadn't been for both of them in that regard, I don't know what would've happened."

Finally, Izuku turned to address Hitoshi personally: "Shinso-san, earlier you asked if I was bluffing before. I wasn't. I honestly had no clue what was going on with me; so, both of you…thank you!"

As Izuku proceeded to personally express his gratitude to Ochako in turn, Hitoshi simply observed his body language; silently confirming to himself: 'All I did was just try to provoke him for my Brainwashing to work, but my impression of him was what he was worried about? Clearly that episode of his wasn't just a performance.'

Suddenly, Midnight once more stepped in; an especially energetic pep to her step: "That's true, for both matches, in fact! Facing down Bezpalov and Midoriya's respective rampages; Bakugo, Uraraka and Shinso alike all displayed incredible quick thinking and fast responses! And the way Bakugo and Uraraka, in particular, put themselves on the line for the sake of their friends was incredible! I absolutely loved it!"

While Nikolay jolted in painful shock, and Bakugo instinctively shouted "WE AREN'T FRIENDS, DAMMIT"; Mina slyly leaned in at Ochako's side; a knowing and prying grin spread wide on her face; her golden irises practically looking right through her rosy-cheeked best friend. "Yeah, you just jumped right in without even thinking, Urara-chan! Quick as a whip! And then you wrapped your arms around him REEEEEEAL tight, didn't you?"

The sight of Izuku suddenly turning bright red in the face with remembrance was satisfying enough, but it was the expected sight of Ochako turning even redder, that Mina was really looking for.

Which was why it came as such a surprise when, instead of that, Ochako simply clenched one hand into a determined fist, with an inspiring glimmer in her brown eyes. "It's true that I acted without thinking, and that's really dangerous and all…but when it was all happening, and I saw how much Deku-kun was suffering, it got me thinking back about Heroes like Tunguska-sensei, Aizawa-sensei, Sir Nighteye, Togata-senpai, All Might, Endeavor and…and Ryukyu-sensei; about how much Heroes put on the line every single day in order to help people…and from there I just was thinking about whoever's there to help Heroes when they actually need it.

"I know it's not normal to think about, but I said I want to be able to save more people; and if being there for the Heroes that need help is a way I can do that, then that's what I'll do, no matter what the risks are. It'd be much better than doing nothing and going on to regret it, right?" Despite sounding not entirely sure of herself in terms of textbook confidence; there was absolutely no denying the utter sincerity in Ochako's words and her feelings, as it had left Mina and many of the other students visibly moved; with some now looking particularly shocked that they had never thought of such a thing like this before: who was there to offer aid or support to the Heroes when they were in trouble?

Mina, despite her previously teasing smile still on her face, couldn't hide the clear impression in her eyes at just how deep Ochako sounded right now; and Aizawa and Oleg were certainly no different, as when thinking back on her previous expression of this very sentiment right after the Hassaikai mission; both teachers could feel a deep sense of pride in her, as Oleg clearly stated from across the whole deck: "You've truly matured, malenkaya Uraraka!"

Ochako nearly looked like her hair was about to stand on end with the swelling of emotion in her chest to hear the Quirk History teacher say as much on her behalf; with Aizawa giving a heartfelt nod in full agreement. And Izuku, even despite his face still heavily blushing in her place, had a very proud and admiring look in his eyes for her courage and selflessness as well; all while Mina was once again teasingly poking at her back at just how much of a superstar she was making of herself right now.

And among the crowd, Nikolay could suddenly feel Denki similarly poking at his side; a knowing smirk on his own face once he knew he'd gotten his friend's attention. "Hey, if you think about it, your round shows you got a heck of a lot stronger too, Kolya-san. You went through something majorly scary, and you were able to reel yourself back and come out with your Quirk being way stronger, and all while you had Bakugo yelling at you, and no Ashido around to be, like, your emotional or mental anchor and stuff."

The light of realization that flickered in Nikolay's eyes upon this fact was nothing short of profound. If there had been any clearer of a sign that he was now one step closer to being ready for the times of their returning internships, and not having Mina at his side for once, he wouldn't have known now what it would be.

"I didn't just do it for Midoriya's sake, Sensei." Hitoshi suddenly chimed in bluntly, breaking the energy among the entire crowd as all eyes looked upon him confusedly; while his dark eyes simply stared straight ahead with pure focus.

"Everyone's talking as though Uraraka and I were working as a team, but that's honestly far from the case. I saw the risk Midoriya was putting himself and everyone else through, including my team, and I still wanted the chance to achieve not only our whole victory, but my own against him, as my rival. I only did what I did, because I wanted to beat Midoriya with my own Quirk and abilities. It only worked out that way by chance. But in the moment, I was only focused on myself and what I wanted."

TUG!

Without warning and with masterful precision, Aizawa stepped forward and swiftly tugged at both ends of Hitoshi's Capture Cloth, tightening it around his neck, to the shock of his round participants and everyone else; more than a few of the students immediately calling for the PTA in overreaction.

But Aizawa simply ignored all of them as he spoke firmly to Hitoshi: "Nobody was asking for any more than that from you, Shinso. Everyone here has already spent months training to become Heroes who save people. Embodying that ideal right after being thrown into the deep end is simply not possible. That would take talent on par with All Might. Acting for the sake of saving others; saving people actually takes a lot more than just that! You'll never protect anyone until you find whatever strength you need for yourself. If you think about it that way, your actions earned you more than just a passing grade."

As quickly as Hitoshi, Maja and all the other students went wide-eyed with the realization of what Aizawa had just said; Izuku eagerly joined in upon seeing how down on himself the boy was: "Shinso-san, at the end there, you tried luring me into the big brawl, where you could've really shined, right? And remember when you tried tripping me up with all those falling pipes? That was so fast! The way you whipped out the binding cloth while on the move really reminded me of Aizawa-sensei!

"In the first match, too…I was thinking of how the team all came together to make great use of your abilities! But that's not all it was! Your judgment, instant analysis and quick moves are just as impressive as anyone in the Hero Course! You honestly blew me away! If we're talking about using your strength for others, then I'm the one who's got a long way to go on that front."

As Izuku once more looked pensively to his own hands, and Hitoshi was left visibly perplexed by how his rival could be so affirming towards him; Principal Nezu suddenly cleared his throat, stepping forward in order to take the floor. "Well, with all of the official summations of all four teams' performances given and hopefully taken to heart; I believe it's time we finally get to the last deciding factor of the Joint Training exercise; regarding you two, our bright-eyed and aspiring Hero Course recruits."

As Hitoshi and Maja both stood as tall and prepared as they could be, the principal continued while gingerly pacing back and forth: "Now, it is indeed as both our noble homeroom teachers said: Shinso-san, your Quirk comes with a great potential for control over any battlefield, but it is simply your practical abilities in coordination with that Quirk that needs to be sharpened. Kieslowska-san, your Quirk has one of the biggest varieties of uses I feel we've seen in one student in quite some time, and your resilience in combat is certainly nothing to be scoffed at. It is simply that you need to be able to prioritize between fighting and rescuing when the situations change, that you need to work on…and luckily for the both of you, these are all aspects in cultivating future Heroes that Yuuei Academy was founded upon, among countless others."

Between seeing the looks of clear agreement on all his fellow teachers' faces at where he was going with this, and seeing just how truly prepared Maja and Hitoshi both were to just be told they hadn't made the final cut; Nezu's pacing suddenly stopped, and he looked them both in the eye with a piercing glimmer in his own. "So with the pressure mounted on your shoulders having pushed you this far to show how badly you wanted to join the Hero Course…it is my duty to inform you both that…neither of you had anything to worry about. Neither of you is being given the boot from here after today."

While the two recruit students exchanged a momentary glance of confusion with each other; among the Class A students, Tenya was leading several others in shouting: "UNBELIEVABLE! YOU TOO, NEZU-SENSEI!?"

Cackling wildly to himself, Nezu promptly answered: "Aizawa-kun's logical ruses are a tried and true tactic of his, simply for how effective they are, boys and girls! I feared that if we had simply given you both the impression that you were going to be accepted one way or another once this exercise was over, you wouldn't give your all for us to observe! Now, if you had a proverbial sword hanging over the heads of your potential careers as Heroes, then the pressure mounts, and the performances improve exponentially, as you both proved to us! So congratulations, Shinso, Kieslowska!"

Following Nezu's lead, Vlad King summarily proclaimed: "While there's still some minor deliberation to still go through, it is now more than likely that Shinso Hitoshi will be joining the Hero Course as of his second year at Yuuei Academy!"

Hitoshi looked well and truly god-stricken at this news; looking as though he was mentally trying to process that he was hearing this correctly. After so much hard work for so long, his dream was finally resting right in his grasp.

And while Maja couldn't help but smile in congratulations to her fellow recruit, with many of the other students either cheering him on or verbally expressing curiosities between each other as to which class he would join; Vlad King continued: "And as for Maja Kieslowska; considering she is an entirely new student to Yuuei from this day forward, and is also serving what is essentially a parole sentence by attending our school; it only stands to reason that her educational workload be twice as much as everyone else's, since she'll have a tremendous amount of catching up to do with all of you.

"As such, I feel that Eraserhead-san, Tunguska-san, All Might, Midnight-san, Nezu-san and I are all in agreement that, starting tomorrow, she will be serving as an official student of both Hero Course classes in alternation; bouncing between Classes A and B with each day. After all: what better way is there to learn all there is to becoming a Hero, than learning from both the ill-deserved star students and the plucky underdogs alike?!"

Aizawa's own answer to this claim ("I see no reason to argue. There's plenty of available rooms in my classes' dorms, anyway") was swiftly drowned out by the ecstatic cheers of many of the Class A and B students; all nearly crowding around Hitoshi and Maja together in a deafening number of different congratulations for their shared successful transfer and induction to their Course and school altogether.

"CONGRATULATIONS, SHINSO-SAN! YOU EARNED IT, MAN!" "I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU, MAJA-CHAN! YOU'RE GONNA HAVE SO MUCH FUN HERE!" "WE GOTTA TRAIN OUR QUIRKS WITH EACH OTHER SOMETIME! YOU TWO COULD BE ABSOLUTE POWERHOUSES WITH ALL OF US TOGETHER!"

Amid all of the celebrations between both classes' worth of students, Aizawa finally approached Nikolay, giving him the straightforward instruction to finally head for Recovery Girl's office, which he gladly took the chance to, with the pain in his hands and all over his body simply refusing to die down.

Almost immediately after Nikolay had bid all his friends a momentary farewell on his way to get patched up; Neito Monoma suddenly spoke up with a melodramatic weight to his words as he looked forlornly to the sky, like a player in a Shakespearean tragedy; his blue eyes and smile slowly turning more and more manic as he went along: "Hehehe…this may have been a dark day for Class B, yes…BUT WE'VE ONLY LOST THE BATTLE! NOT THE WAR! NOW THAT I KNOW MIDORIYA'S QUIRK GIVES ME A BLANK, I WILL FORMULATE A COUNTER-STRATEGY! MEANING THAT IF WE WERE TO GO ANOTHER FIVE ROUNDS, WHO KNOWS HOW IT'D TURN OUT?!"

Neito by now was far too deep within his own train of thought to even listen as Vlad King bluntly answered his energy: "Not a chance, Monoma. Classes are over for today", while Aizawa likewise addressed him upfront: "Oh, right. While I have you; Monoma, you're to see Eri-chan at the faculty dorms first thing after classes tomorrow."

At the same time, having overheard Neito's psychotic boasting, Izuku's own mind had started to race with remembrance. 'That's right…from the moment he hit me with Shouda's Quirk, that means Monoma really did graze me. I was worried that his limbs would pop off if he tried using One For All, but…what does he mean by it giving him a 'blank'?'

But before he could ponder on this for a second further, Izuku suddenly felt the unmistakable presence of Bakugo looming behind him; urgently looking back in surprise to find the blonde boy once more glaring daggers at him, even despite Izuku instinctively greeting him: "Congratulations on your team's win, Kacchan! You were seriously impressive out there!"

But Bakugo was clearly not in the mood for typical flattery, sneering in distaste: "No matter what you were able to pull off out there, I'm still getting stronger at a pace you can't hope to match, Deku. Now enough of all that. Us, All Might and Tunguska; we need to talk!"

As tense as Tunguska had been in convincing Aizawa to let him speak to Nikolay first once he was out of Recovery Girl's office; that still didn't keep him from fulfilling his personal duties alongside Toshinori when it came to Izuku, and now Bakugo. Hence why he didn't hesitate to follow the three until they finally had some real privacy in the faculty office's break room; the four of them at first sitting in a very tense silence, while Tunguska made sure he'd be able to hear his phone the moment Recovery Girl was finished treating his son's injuries.

"So, this is where the three of you keep disappearing to talk, huh?" Bakugo bluntly started this uncomfortable discussion; while Izuku, Toshinori and Oleg all clearly were at a loss as to where exactly he wanted to start; an issue he was already more than ready to deal with: "Let's just cut right to the chase. Deku, what all weren't you telling everyone when Sensei made you explain what was going on with your Quirk, huh?"

Izuku couldn't even be surprised that this was the first thing Bakugo would want to know; his brow furrowed as he once again thought back to the moment it all started. "I was telling the truth as much as I could without spilling the sensitive details, Kacchan. The only thing I didn't mention…well, it was a lot like what Kolya-san described about his own Quirk's freak-out, only that where he only heard a voice speaking to him to get it under control; I…I actually saw someone. He was this bald middle-aged man; really gruff looking, and just as much so in his attitude. He also was addressing me personally, talking about how that power you all saw come out of me was actually his Quirk from when he wielded One For All; he called it Blackwhip. He not only talked about me being the Wielder of the core of it, but that there were other people, or at least one other person who possessed even an ember of it, whose Quirk would be growing alongside the core inside me, since they're all connected. And…he even said, before I regained consciousness, that I would eventually unlock the Quirks of all the other previous Wielders as well."

Of course, just the idea that Izuku was apparently now in full-on communication with the vestiges of One For All's previous Users like this was insane…but put together with the details of Nikolay apparently being approached by what they could only assume was another as well, along with the User that approached Izuku even confirming their unifying theory of the Russian boy's surprise connection to his Quirk, was almost overwhelming for Oleg especially. Never once had he ever considered a situation like this being remotely possible, just as Izuku and Toshinori hadn't.

Taking in everything his inheritor had just described, Toshinori was all but literally floored: "Incredible…unlocking all the Predecessors' Quirks? One For All is actually evolving in that way? And to even think that Bezpalov-shonen could be in possession of just a fragment of it, and still end up going through the same empowering process alongside you…even hearing and seeing from you both what you went through, Midoriya-shonen; it still sounds so hard to believe. I never once thought it was possible for this Quirk to be able to be broken up like this; to potentially emerge in even its most minute form in another person without a full on transference to that person as another User."

But while Oleg was visibly trying to finish processing what this all meant for his son; Bakugo's intensely pensive look only darkened that much more with each second he thought about all these implications. "So, did you know about this whole black energy Quirk before all this went down, All Might?"

Toshinori couldn't even look surprised at suddenly being put on the spot like this. "I'm afraid not, Bakugo-shonen. Today was my first time ever seeing such a thing come from One For All. This bald predecessor is a mystery to me, as well. From what little I ever gleaned from my master; the person who wielded it before her was supposedly a dark-haired youth…but I doubt that even she knew that all of their Quirks were packed into it like this."

Folding his hands together as he continued to think; Toshinori couldn't hide how truly troubling he found all of this new information to be. "Previous Quirks all stockpiled within and able to be unlocked; split off embers in other people growing strong alongside the core within you, Midoriya-shonen; this is all just as new to me as it is to all of you; and I realize how overwhelming that may make you feel right now, and I apologize for that."

Now looking to see just how deep in thought Oleg similarly was, Toshinori had to confess: "Right now, I can't help but wonder: if the Quirks of all previous Wielders of One For All up until myself are simply lying in wait for Midoriya-shonen to unlock, then depending whichever Wielder was the one who had a family to pass their ember down to eventually take root within Bezpalov-shonen; is it at all possible he may have the potential to unlock the Quirks of whichever many Wielders came before that generation with enough training as well?"

However, there was one thing else that was persistently scratching away at the back of Toshinori and Oleg's heads alike; something that this revelation around both Izuku and Nikolay made impossible for them to not ponder…something they knew they couldn't dare admit to Izuku and Bakugo right now.

They couldn't help but think back on what All For One had said back in Kamino Ward, about Tomura Shigaraki's origins. Now, that already horrifically painful memory carried a much more painful potential with it: 'Did he really take Shigaraki simply because he's my master's grandson, all in order to spite her and I? Or…or is it possible he may also have come to this same theory about One For All being able to be split apart and potentially appear in the descendants of past Wielders, with all their respective predecessors' Quirks included? Could he have actually taken him under his wing, in an attempt to try and obtain even that little bit of One For All's power for himself?'

And within Oleg's mind, there was but one terrifying conclusion he couldn't help but come to, despite following the same train of thought as his fellow teacher: 'Oh, God…if Toshinori-san's right, then does that mean All For One, Shigaraki or any of the League of Villains may actually try to come after Kolya for his fragment of it one day?!'

"Hey, dweeb!" Bakugo suddenly exclaimed, catching all three of his fellows by complete surprise at his sudden outburst towards Izuku. "Today was the first time you saw this kind of thing, too, right? Any idea what might have set it off that caused this freakish chain reaction between you two? Maybe something from the outside is triggering it."

While Toshinori and Oleg couldn't help but look impressed at just how well their newest addition to this inner circle was taking all this insane new information and rolling with it; Izuku looked equal parts determined and apologetic for what little answer he had to give: "I don't know. He just told me that 'the time was right'. I mean, it could very well be some external factor."

"Yeah, something possibly to do with All For One…cause he's the one that essentially created One For All, right? Isn't it an offshoot of his power? He's also got multiple Quirks, so this pretty much makes you the same as him now, Deku." Bakugo suddenly interrupted with an immense heaviness to his tone, far unlike his usual angry intensity.

Izuku could feel that same kind of weight settling in the pit of his chest as well; clutching at his pant legs the further he thought, while Toshinori solemnly answered: "I didn't want to raise that point, myself…but this isn't a situation we can afford to just let sit by the wayside. In order to avoid another outburst like this, we need to learn more about how this new power of yours works, Midoriya-shonen…and when it comes to the issue of Bezpalov-shonen's possible involvement…"

When Izuku lifted his head to speak, the determination on his face was as clear as day to all three of them. "I know you're right, All Might. There's only so many ways for us to investigate all these changes in order to know for sure. And as far as this potential connection that me and Kolya-san have to One For All goes; there's no telling what the voice he heard might have told him in comparison to what the previous User said to me…and unfortunately, it's not exactly like we can just outright ask him when he doesn't know nearly as much about all this as we do."

"Then maybe it's time we stopped with all this secrecy crap and changed that!" Bakugo suddenly suggested with a surprising volume of conviction in his words; leaving Izuku, Toshinori and Oleg visibly surprised that he was the one suggesting this, of all people.

"I'm hearing you all talk more than once about how ill-prepared that Russkie is to learn about any of this shit, but with what you and him both talked about when your Quirks acted up and grew in strength; it's sounding more and more to me like this connection he has with One For All is the real deal! Hell, this previous User you saw suggested as much himself in all but name! I say it's time for him to get prepared, and for us to get him to that point! Sheltering him from this is just gonna get him in deep shit when he should be able to handle himself, and you'll all simply have yourselves to blame when that happens if you decide to not tell him! I won't be a part of that!"

Izuku's expression clearly showed that he understood where Bakugo was surprisingly coming from. Between the two teachers; Toshinori finally looked back to see the considerate look on Oleg's face, before finally speaking up himself: "Believe me when I say I wish there were any other way, Oleg-san…but I have to say I agree with Bakugo-shonen on this. Keeping your son in the dark from this dreadful truth is commendable as a father…but as a Hero, you know he needs to be just as prepared as us; knowing what we do now."

Oleg's face reflected absolute internal conflict; his mouth visibly taught with tension, as he was mentally looking for any and all reasons to say no, to simply keep his son safe from all of this as possible. But whenever he did, his mind and his heart both simply kept coming back to the irrefutable fact that his son was growing up and getting closer to becoming the Hero he wanted to be with every passing day, and if he was to have any hope of survival, then he needed to be as prepared for what was to come as humanly possible.

Finally, he rose up from his seat with an especially deep and frustrated grumbling from his throat. "I know…I know that. I do. Just…as his father, it should come from me at first. I know how to talk to Kolya, whether you all may believe it or not. You all saw how frightened he truly was by what happened with his Quirk today; no matter how calm or self-sure he may have looked or sounded. Regardless of how resilient he may have become in spirit; to suddenly learn about things like inheritable Quirks, on top of having a direct connection to such a long and devastating conflict as with All For One…going about filling him in on this recklessly could very well risk putting him into a sheer panic attack, if not a complete emotional or mental breakdown."

While Bakugo already looked like he was about to accuse the larger man of once more looking for a way to coddle his son at the worst possible time; Toshinori likewise rose up. "Of course, Oleg-san; it's only right that you be the one to ease your son into this. But…perhaps it would be best if we were to at least remain within earshot, just so we at least know how you choose to tell him. And don't worry; I know you both typically tend to speak Russian with each other when you're alone. That's why I've been taking the liberty of studying in my spare time over this year…surprise, by the way."

By this point, already feeling as stressed as he was for this dreadful future conversation; Oleg was simply too tired to argue, be surprised at Toshinori's apparent secret linguistics studies, or even to chuckle at his awkward attempt at lightening the mood; instead solemnly nodding in approval of the three at least being there, albeit out of sight, in order to listen to how Nikolay was finally going to be let in on this incredible shared secret of theirs.

"Well, luckily for you, fingers tend to heal markedly faster with my Quirk than most of the injuries I have to tend to; even when they're hurt as extensively as yours were. Don't push them too hard, give them a few hours, and they'll be back to normal. The rest of your body, on the other hand, will take a good half a day before the pain is fully gone. Just allow yourself to not exert yourself and you'll be right as rain."

Recovery Girl's typical treatment of Nikolay's injuries was as fast, straightforward and already effective as it ever had been. With her leave granted, he was already back into his normal student uniform, and out the door while giving the nurse his thanks; ready to just spend the rest of the day and night enjoying the party he had no doubt was already underway between Classes A and B. Maja and Hitoshi getting accepted together was certainly a worthy cause for it.

And, of course, still feeling as shaken up by what had happened with his Quirk as he was; the idea of simply trying not to think about it by celebrating alongside Mina and all his other friends sounded amazing right now.

[[Hey, Kolya, wait a second.]] Oleg's voice came calling from behind Nikolay's back no sooner than he had stepped out on his way back to the dorms. Upon looking back to greet his father, Nikolay could already see the tension all over his face and body as he looked at the immobilizing casts wrapped around his fingers, and the numerous different styles of medical patches and bandages on his face, as well as all over his body underneath his clothes.

[[Hey, Dad. What is it?]] Nikolay immediately asked, knowing his father would never look like this without having something to say. Oleg could recognize this in his son as well, as he wasted no time with false pleasantries. [[Can we speak in private outside?]]

With no reason to argue, the father and son soon made their way for the nearest courtyard; Nikolay taking a seat at Oleg's invitation while the larger man sat beside him; already looking like he was struggling to find the right words…and all while Izuku, Bakugo and Toshinori were managing to keep out of sight by hiding behind a large enough hedge wall so they could still hear.

[[How are you feeling right now, Kolya? I don't just mean physically, I mean…well, about everything that happened earlier?]] Oleg asked with no build-up or warning; pretty much putting Nikolay on the spot right from the start, as his look of complete surprise clearly proved.

But, of course, once that initial surprise wore off, Nikolay's eyes sank, and his brow furrowed. [[With just the fact that my Quirk isn't still going crazy on me right now, I know I should be relieved, and I am…but I'm also…I-I'm also really, really freaked out right now, Dad.]]

Oleg could already see how Nikolay's hands were shaking, steadily creeping up his arms until his entire body was doing it; his eyes wide and distant; beads of frigid sweat dotting his brow, and his green irises contracted with that very same terror. And this was a sight he could not simply let go without saying something: [[I understand, Kolya. Anyone would be scared if their Quirk acted out like yours and malenkii Midoriya's had. But the fact you've gotten through this first hurdle is huge, and you know that.]]

[[That's not what I'm talking about though, Dad!]] Nikolay suddenly interrupted with a tone that was impossible to discern between fear and anger. [[I haven't been able to stop thinking about that voice that got me through it! If it hadn't been for that, who knows what could've happened to me or anyone else out there?! It was the exact same voice that spoke to me in my dream last night; the dream that caused my Quirk to build up like crazy without any control or input from me! That's twice now that my Quirk has acted outside of my control, and each time that voice was there, and I never heard it any time before, even when I was still scared of my Quirk as a whole! Why has it suddenly started doing this now?! Who even is it?! I know I've never heard this voice once before in my life!

[[And the things it was saying were so damn cryptic too! It kept talking about me and some…some other, and all about some…I don't know, I guess this metaphorical bridge between us that's growing, but I don't know what to make of any of that! It all sounds so nuts, and I have no explanation for any of it! And…and the whole time as I was trying to get control back over my Quirk, even despite how much I could feel that insane vibration frequency tearing away at my muscles…the voice was constantly responding to my pain, my panic, whatever coherent thoughts I was able to make throughout it all. Instead of it being like I was simply imagining it, it was directly communicating with me, like…like some kind of schizophrenic alternate persona or something!]]

The air that now hung between Nikolay and Oleg; and Izuku, Toshinori and Bakugo by extension, was chilling and heavy as his terrified words echoed loud and clear. By now, Nikolay's eyes were brimming with deeply emotional tears as he clasped his shaking hands together in a futile attempt to try and calm himself. [[I'm so scared, Dad…*sniffle* so scared. What's happening to me? Am I…am I actually going crazy? A-am I…am I-I s-sick or something? I don't know what to do!]]

[[Never!]]

Oleg's answer was immediate, but rung immensely true within his heart, as he instantly pulled his shaking son into his arms in a deep and fatherly embrace; his aged face tight with his own tension as he tried to keep his composure at the sight of his son being so vulnerable and confused. [[You are not sick, Kolya; and you are certainly not going crazy…because I may actually know what this is.]]

As he continued to hold Nikolay in this attempt to bring him back to peace, Oleg glanced up, and could see Toshinori's head barely peeking out from behind the hedges. And when their eyes met; his look immediately told the former Symbol of Peace all that he needed to know about what was about to happen…much to both their shared regret, as Toshinori lowered back down in preparation to continue translating for Izuku and Bakugo's sakes; both boys looking respectively anxious and impatient for what was being said between the father and son.

With a deep breath and heavy sigh, Oleg finally went on: [[I never told you about this before, Kolya, simply because I myself had never experienced such a thing, so I didn't think it was real…but…I had read a couple of times over many years, of incredibly rare instances where when someone with a Quirk is pushed hard enough, perhaps to the physical, mental or emotional brink…their Quirks can trigger what's called a 'Quirk Evolution', or Awakening, depending on who you ask.

[[Testimonials from those that have experienced such a thing are very few and far between, so I never had any idea just what that experience would be like for the person going through it. Perhaps the voice that you've been hearing was actually that of your Quirk itself, trying to help prepare and subsequently guide you for when you would finally be able to wield it in this much more powerful form.]]

To Oleg's relief, this explanation seemed to really strike a chord with Nikolay, as his tears seemed to have finally stopped. Even the majority of his trembling had calmed down, even if his hands were still trembling. [[But…if that's the case, why would my Quirk be talking about me regaining control over it, as though it were another person speaking of having the same experience?]]

Thankfully, having started this roundabout story, Oleg's answer came especially quickly: [[Well, if you stop to remember that our Quirks are essentially an extension of ourselves, then it's quite possible that your Quirk speaking to you in that way, could be in reference to your initial difficulties with wielding your Quirk all the way back in the beginning, and not just at the start of the year. Doing so once seemed like an insurmountable task to you then, did it not? Yet look at how far along you've come. And this recent episode will ultimately prove no different, as your overall victory today has gone to prove.]]

Behind the hedges; as Toshinori continued to translate for his two fellow eavesdropping students; Bakugo was looking utterly livid at this elaborate cover-up of a story that Oleg was giving to Nikolay, even after everything they had talked about. But by comparison; Izuku and Toshinori both looked equally surprised and understanding of what the man was doing. After all, what had happened with Izuku and Nikolay's Quirks was technically a Quirk Evolution, and to introduce this concept as an explanation for Nikolay to understand what his power had now become, without inundating him with the tremendous pressure that would come with being even a partial bearer of One For All, was ultimately the best compromise.

And thankfully, Nikolay looked to be more and more accepting of this explanation as well, much to his father's immense relief; even if his eyes still showed a considerable uncertainty. [[Well, okay, that does explain a lot, I guess…but I still don't get what all that cryptic talk about another person and this bridge between us is supposed to be about.]]

Oleg's exterior was as calm and knowing as could be; but in his own head, he was scrambling for some kind of reasonable explanation that could fit with all he had already said. [[It is certainly curious…but if I had to hazard a guess, it could have been referring to malenkii Midoriya.]]

Behind the hedge, Izuku and Toshinori both instinctively flinched at the sound of the former's name being mentioned, while Oleg continued on: [[I mean, you're both naturally very sensitive boys, and you've both been going through a tremendous amount of effort, pain and time together to try and gain a mastery over your Quirks even to this level, and that's not even including all the personal training you've done together. It could be possible that, since your Quirks both acted up at the same time; that your Quirk simply picked up on that through how close you two have become, and simply relayed as such information to you…but I'm honestly just theorizing at this point.]]

Nikolay's focused eyes fell back to the ground; his hands having finally stopped shaking, thus allowing Oleg to give a breath of relief that his son seemed to be fully accepting of this half-truth explanation. [[Okay…okay, I-I guess that makes a bit of sense, too. I think I can live with that. Like you said; at least my Quirk isn't still acting up, so that has to mean something, after all. Now I guess it's just a matter of seeing just how much my Quirk has…well, evolved, I guess.]]

With a satisfied smile on his bearded face, Oleg laid a supportive large hand upon his son's shoulder. [[Indeed it is, Kolya. Just do us both a favor and don't start trying to push yourself more and more, just to see if that'll keep making your Quirk evolve. There's no guarantee it'll keep happening, you know?]]

While his father's concern was clearly dead serious; Nikolay still couldn't help but smile in amused acknowledgment all the same as he finally hugged Oleg in return. [[I won't, Dad; don't worry…and…thank you. I mean, for everything, of course, but…right now, I just want you to know I'm really grateful, for you being here for me.]]

Oleg's large arms quickly came around his son's sides in return as he felt every one of his words hit him right in his heart. [[Of course, Kolya. I know we haven't gotten too many opportunities recently to truly spend time together like we used to…like a family…but that doesn't mean I won't be there for you the moment you need me, son. Our past difficulties aside, I have always been there for you, and I always will be. You can always trust in that above all else. I love you, Kolya.]]

[[I love you too, Dad.]] Nikolay immediately reciprocated, easily able to feel the hitch that caught in his father's throat to hear him say so with such heavy sincerity.

[[Well, I know you've had an incredibly long day. What do you say we get you back home to the dorms so you can join the rest of your-]] "RUSSKIE!"

Oleg's attempt to properly wrap up this thankfully smooth diffusing conversation was swiftly cut off by the echoing volume of Bakugo's voice; catching him and Nikolay both by surprise. Oleg looked especially fearful when he saw Bakugo was making a beeline for them, with Izuku and Toshinori hurriedly following after him; both of them looking similarly worried as to just what he was about to say or do as he stared Nikolay down.

As Bakugo came to a sudden stop just before Nikolay; not allowing him to look anywhere but in his eyes; he wasted no time before making his intentions clear: "Don't go thinking that just because you got past this whole thing with your Quirks, that that suddenly means you and Deku are in the clear today! No way in hell am I just gonna sit by and do nothing when I see you two suddenly get that much stronger all at once!

"We don't have separate rounds and team affiliations to hold us back anymore! You two are coming back to the Gamma Gym with me, and we're sparring right then and there! I wanna see what you two can really do with me as the opponent, understand?! And don't even think about holding back, cause I'm not; and I'll know if you try it, too!" As Bakugo made this surprise call for a sparring match, to both Nikolay and Izuku's surprise; Oleg made momentary eye contact with him.

Even through the usual angry fire in his eyes; Oleg could clearly see just what was going through Bakugo's mind in this very moment: 'You might have found some stupid half-right loophole to keep him informed and in the dark all at once, and I'll play along for now. You better just hope you don't come to regret it, old man!'

All the while, Nikolay was holding up his bandaged hands in a show of denial. "I-I really don't think that's a good idea, Bakugo. Recovery Girl said I need to keep from overexerting myself after all that strain."

But the hotheaded young Hero wasn't hearing it, as he swiftly grabbed him and Izuku both by the collars of their uniforms; dragging them along behind him as he impatiently made his way back to Gamma Gym. "NO EXCUSES, DAMMIT! YOUR QUIRK GAVE ME SOME BRUISES WHILE I WAS TRYING TO GET YOU TO STOP SPAZZING OUT, SO YOU OWE ME THIS!"

Meanwhile, Oleg and Toshinori instinctively began following along after them; both teachers ultimately acquiescing: "Well, then I'm sure you won't argue against us overseeing this match, just to make sure none of you ends up seriously hurting yourselves, or each other."

Katsuki Bakugo was not the kind of student who did or said anything by half-measures; Nikolay and Izuku both knew this far too well by now. That was what made going up against him in any condition absolutely terrifying. But with Nikolay himself being in the condition he was in, it was even more so; as he was immediately being forced on the run when Bakugo started the sparring match with an instant barrage of his rapid-fire Explosions, keeping him and Izuku both on the move.

"DAMMIT, YOU NERDS, I SAID I WANNA SEE YOUR NEW STRENGTH IN ACTION! NOW STOP RUNNING AND SHOW IT TO ME! YOU AIN'T LEAVING UNTIL YOU DO!" With that morbid declaration, he immediately took off into the air, raining down hell on both of his opponents. Izuku at least finally found the opening to activate his Full Cowl and launch up into the air, while Nikolay quickly followed behind; focusing his Quirk through his feet in order to stay mobile and close distance between himself and Bakugo; all while trying to stay out of Izuku's way.

After trying to disperse several Explosions through the Kinetic Blasts from his feet; Nikolay now found himself the primary target of Bakugo's focus, as he started flying in right after him amid the fires of his Explosions; giving him absolutely no breathing room to try and Refract, escape or fight back. Any attempts with his regular Kinetic Blasts weren't even possible to follow through on, primarily because the vibration frequency he was so used to channeling through his body simply wasn't there anymore. It was instead that same vastly improved but still physically torturous internal speed that he could already feel starting to exacerbate his injuries.

If Nikolay was lucky enough to get out of this in one piece, he already knew he was going to have to go right back to Recovery Girl's office and be subject to a real scolding this time around.

However, Bakugo could likewise see this insane vibration speed visible across Nikolay's body as well; his vicious stare now worsened by the vicious grin on his face as he kept fighting Nikolay and Izuku off at once. "That's it! You both gotta be feeling your powers surging now, right?! Show it to me! Show me just how strong you damn wimps really are!"

The moment Bakugo began to aim one hand his way; Nikolay immediately began trying to focus his mind towards channeling this building vibration through his arms and down to both his hands; practically screaming numbers in his head to try and channel just how much of this pressure he needed to let out.

And as soon as Bakugo proceeded to unleash an all-around Howitzer Impact to try and clear both his opponents out—"KINETICHESKIY GATLING!"

In a flash, Nikolay had his arms aimed Bakugo's way, and a multitude of his repeat-pattern rapid-fire Kinetic Blasts began to fire from out all the holes in his hands in a flurry; whittling away at the insanely large Explosions erupting from out of Bakugo's hands; throwing off his own aim and knocking him off balance, but not enough so to keep him from landing clean on his feet.

And even Nikolay's good aim with his new attack wasn't enough to keep him from landing the exact opposite, thanks to the far-reaching devastating power of Bakugo's attack; instead sending him slamming violently onto the ground, with Oleg rushing over to his side. Regardless, as far as Nikolay was concerned; the fact he was seemingly able to channel this new technique and overall strength to his Quirk with increasing control was satisfying to Bakugo as much as to anyone else. Of course, the fact that he himself was still strong enough to stay on his feet even after getting disrupted by such a move was even more satisfying.

Which now left his lethal focus on Izuku this time, as Bakugo wasted no time before lunging up into the air with another furious Explosion firing from his hands; all while Izuku was left on his own in the air, with nothing but his typical green sparks emanating from his body; a sight that was the exact opposite of satisfying for the ill-tempered Hero lunging down at him. "WHY'RE YOU STILL HOLDING BACK, HUH?! SCARED?!"

Recognizing the murderous intent in Bakugo's eyes far too well, Izuku immediately held his hands forward in a panicked show of protest: "WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, KACCHAN! IT'S JUST NOT ACTIVATING, I SWEAR!"

Likewise realizing that Izuku still hadn't managed to activate his new Blackwhip this far into the match; Toshinori swiftly stepped forward, fighting through the instinctive coughing up of blood that usually came when he exerted his vocal chords this intensely: "ENOUGH! *hack* As far as Midoriya-shonen's Quirk goes, this simply isn't working, so cut it ou—BLAARGH!"

Thankfully heeding the teacher's words; Bakugo called off his Explosions, allowing him and Izuku both to finally land safely back on the ground while Oleg helped Nikolay back to his feet to rejoin his classmates.

"WHAT GIVES, DEKU?! DIDN'T YOU SAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO ACTIVATE WHEN YOU'RE FEELING CORNERED?!" Bakugo immediately spat; all the while pointing an unnecessarily accusing finger at Nikolay upon his return: "AT LEAST HIS NEW MOVE COMES WHEN HE MEANS IT TO, THIS TIME! WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE?!"

However, Oleg was quick to interject: "Please calm yourself, malenkii Bakugo. These are both still rather new developments we're talking about, for both these boys. What malenkii Midoriya said about what caused his Quirk's new power to activate is no more than a theory, until we can actually get it to activate again, under whatever circumstances they might be."

Nodding in agreement, Toshinori added: "Besides, this is still ultimately training that we're doing, so it could very well be likely that Midoriya-shonen's new move may not activate unless he's under genuine threat. What do you think, my boy? Any feedback?"

As Izuku got back to his feet and looked to his right arm, his face clearly reflected his own kind of disappointment. "No…nothing, just like I thought. The pr—the feeling of it I got during the match is just gone."

While Izuku carefully picked his words so as to not spur any scary questions from Nikolay; the Russian boy himself was feeling notably disappointed. "Well, on one hand, it's pretty encouraging, feeling like I'm getting a handle on this new move and power level bit by bit. On the other hand, though, I was really hoping I'd get to see your new move with my own eyes, Midoriya-san…and I need to find a way to strengthen my fingers up fast…ouch!" Of course, the newly resurged pain in his hands kept him from dwelling on any other thoughts for too long, as he looked upon the now-frayed bandages on his hands.

At the same time, Bakugo was still staring daggers at Izuku upon hearing what he'd just said. "So, you're not feeling enough danger, is that it?! Maybe it'll come bursting out if I give you a serious for-real beating! Then, if I crush you while that black energy stuff is running amok, I really WILL be the undisputed champion of this class for good!"

While Toshinori was left verbally wondering how such a statement was meant to be motivational for Izuku; the curly-haired boy himself was once again looking thoughtfully to his arm. "If it really does respond to my emotions, well, back there, I…"

All at once, he quickly remembered back to that one crucial moment in his match with Hitoshi; how his second time trying to wield Blackwhip had only lasted for a second, and had left him doubled over in pain. The conclusion he had come to then came rushing right back with force: 'This power is waiting for me down the road.'

"It's not something I can actually handle right now. I made the decision to put a lock on it, so to speak. If I envision locking and unlocking it, then maybe…"

But as Izuku once more fell into his habitual muttering; Bakugo spitefully turned on his heels, making for the exit with his hands angrily tucked into his pockets; leaving Toshinori, Oleg, Nikolay and Izuku alone. "BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BORING! WHAT'S THE DAMN POINT IF YOU CAN'T GET A HANDLE ON IT?! HOW THE HELL IS IT THE RUSSKIE MANAGES TO GET EVEN THAT MUCH OF A HANDLE ON HIS NEW POWER THIS SOON, AND YOU CAN'T?! I'M OUTTA HERE! YOUR DAMN MUTTERING GIVES ME THE CREEPS, ANYWAY!"

With Bakugo storming off to the dorms again, Toshinori let out a resigned sigh, ushering Izuku, Nikolay and Oleg back outside with him. "It's just as well we call it for tonight. With how worried these episodes between you two have made all your classmates; I feel seeing you both back home in one piece to celebrate with them, will do you all some serious good."

The hopeful smiles on Nikolay and Oleg's faces made it clear they couldn't have agreed more; as thankfully even the pain in his hands didn't feel as though his fingers had been re-broken. Whether that was because Recovery Girl's casts were that solid, or because her Quirk was still in effect, was anyone's guess.

However, Izuku gave no answer; prompting his teachers and friend to all look back and see how intensely the boy was staring at his right hand; a myriad of indiscernible thoughts doubtless running through his head as he did so. "Are you feeling okay?"

Alas, Izuku still gave Toshinori no answer, ultimately prompting him to have to leave him be, as they had already reached the front door to the 1-A dorms; but not before bidding him, Nikolay and Oleg all a good night, with Oleg quickly following suit after once more making sure his son was truly all right.

But as the two teachers rounded the first corner of the building on their way back to the faculty dorms; they almost missed Bakugo standing in wait just behind it. "You seriously think it's gonna just be all better from now on, Tunguska? You really think it's gonna be that easy?"

Toshinori and Oleg both came to a surprised stop, looking back as the very disapproving-looking student stepped out into the open; staring the large foreign teacher down. "You really think just giving your kid a half-truth, and keeping the most serious part of the whole damn story a secret, isn't gonna somehow find a way to bite you both in the ass at the worst possible moment? What's to stop me from just going up to him right now and telling him the truth that you were too scared to?"

To Bakugo's own surprise, though, Oleg didn't look threatened by such words. If anything; he actually looked fully confident in the face of his student's scolding. "Whether you do or not, let me just ask you one thing first, malenkii Bakugo: you clearly heard just how truly scared Kolya was by his experience alone, regardless whether you understood his words or not. Now tell me: if you were in my position, and it was your own child that was suffering from such fear down to their very core, and you knew the kind of stress and pressure that this kind of news would put on them…would you honestly be able to tell me you would've chosen any different?"

The fact that Bakugo didn't have an immediate answer; and his angered sneer visibly flinched with begrudging contemplation, ultimately told Oleg all he needed to know. But he didn't look remotely self-satisfied in his argument prevailing. Anyone who was a parent worth their salt would undoubtedly have chosen the same for the sake of their children…surely.

And Toshinori, unwilling to stay silent, solemnly chimed in: "Your reasons are understandable, Oleg-san, but you know Bakugo-shonen is right, in the end. You can't protect Bezpalov-shonen from what's waiting for him and Midoriya-shonen out there forever. With everything we can only reasonably guess and claim to know so far…you know that you'll need to tell him the full truth before this is all over."

Looking back to the student dorms while thinking back to the fear on Nikolay's face; Oleg's sigh was so tired and shaky. "Yes…yes, I know."

"Let's get inside out of the cold and join the party, Midoriya-san!" Nikolay eagerly urged Izuku along once his father and Toshinori took their leave. But even as his friend actually began to follow along; Izuku could still only barely continue to stare at his right hand; his inquisitive mind only barely managing to scrape at the surface of the ever-growing enigma that was One For All's power within him, and just what it was going to take for him to not only gain a handle on Blackwhip, but the unimaginable other Quirks of the remaining previous Users that he would need to be prepared to unlock as time went on…as well as Bakugo's suggestion as to how this all ultimately connected back to All For One in the end.

And this all was still without even considering the whole other mystery that was what this continuous growth and evolution would potentially mean for Nikolay, now that this theorized connection they both had with One For All was proving more and more to be genuine.

But with no further time or potential avenues to reflect on, Izuku eventually lifted his gaze from his hand, ready to face the present again, while Nikolay was already opening the door for them, where the numerous sounds of the two-class party proved it was already well underway.

"KOLYA-KUN/DEKU-KUN! WELCOME TO THE PARTY! WHAT KEPT YOU TWO?!" "Come on and get on the dance floor, Kolya-kun; this party's already totally bumpin'!" "Iida-san made us all this really yummy beef stew for dinner, Deku-kun! You look like you could really use some!"

Almost instantly were the two boys eagerly greeted and all but yanked into the party proper by Mina and Ochako respectively; their few questions doing nothing to diminish their all-around joyful moods, seeing both Hero Course classes come together like this; and upon watching for themselves, Nikolay and Izuku were certainly feeling the same way.

For the first time either of them could recall, there didn't feel to be any animosity between the respective students whatsoever; former opponents happily dancing, chatting, eating or playing together as though they were long-time friends. Of course, the fact that Neito and Bakugo were nowhere to be seen probably had a great deal to do with that.

Just as Tenya came rushing over with two bowls for both boys at once, likewise eagerly welcoming them to join the festivities and enjoy all the same; Nikolay found himself being approached by Momo, with Itsuka Kendo close at her side; both brilliant girls clearly having swept aside any semblance of rivalry between them, much to his delight; before the black-haired girl suddenly presented a small box to him.

"I know it's unusual to do this right now, Bezpalov-san, but I Created something I thought you'd find useful for getting a better handle on that new move of yours; having seen what it's done to your fingers so far and all." As Momo summarily explained, Nikolay gladly accepted this impromptu gift; opening it to find what looked like a pair of devices with five rings attached to each; all connected to as many springs, that all ran to two single tiny monitors with only two buttons on them.

"Wow, thank you, Yaoyorozu-san…w-what are they?" Nikolay was embarrassed to have to ask; especially as Mina couldn't help but giggle at such a typical comedic scenario playing out so much like something straight out of the movies, while Momo looked similarly embarrassed with him. "Oh, they're actually just a pair of finger weights. You slip your fingers through those rings, and the buttons adjust the weight of the springs for you to try and squeeze together or pull apart; whichever exercise routine you wish to do. I felt strengthening your fingers would help to keep you from further hurting them if you have to do your…what were you calling it in the match: Kineticheskiy Gatling?"

Now thankfully understanding what they were for, Nikolay's confused embarrassment immediately lit up into a grateful smile. "That's right, 'Kinetic Gatling.' It just kinda came to me in the heat of the moment. Thank you, Yaoyorozu-san, these should come in real handy from now on."

While Momo was smiling in relief that she hadn't embarrassed herself and that her friend and classmate appreciated her spontaneous gift; and Itsuka was subsequently grinning in reassurance to her fellow class representative and friend that her efforts weren't wasted; Nikolay's ear quickly caught the straining voices of Eijirou, Tetsutetsu and Maja altogether.

Looking their way, Nikolay was met with the raucous sight of the three all gathered around a small table, with both of their hands firmly clasped onto each other's in what could only be described as a three-person arm wrestling match; with all of them looking to be giving their all not to give each other an inch. And upon looking further; he could quickly see a distinct redness to Maja's eyes; a sign that she had undoubtedly been crying with joy at her acceptance since he'd been gone.

Unable to help but grin in amusement at such a wholesome sight as their competing, Nikolay and Mina approached with anticipation. "Have they been like that all party-long?" "Hehe, yeah, Kiri and Tetsutetsu-kun were both real insistent on it, and they didn't even flinch when Maja-chan wanted in. Those three are, like, a total trio made in Heaven and all that."

Not wanting to get close enough to disrupt the game, Nikolay chimed in: "It's good to see you're all as pumped up as ever. I admit I'm surprised you have enough energy for this kind of thing again already, Maja-san."

While Eijirou was instinctively encouraged to keep pushing as hard as he could with even one of his other friends at his side; Maja's grin was anything but cocky, but no less determined. "Normally I wouldn't. Thank Iida-san and his awesome taste in meat for that. I feel as recharged and refilled as I did this morning…case in point…"

Suddenly, the hands clasped onto Eijirou and Tetsutetsu's began to melt and wrap around both boys' hands; completely engulfing and hardening around them within a matter of seconds. And without further ado, Maja proceeded to use her newfound leverage and a hard enough tug with her body, to yank their hands down hard onto the table, effectively beating both of them and laughing heartily all the while as she reformed the Wax locks back into her actual hands. "YEAH! Undisputed champ, right here!"

"What the heck was that?!" "Yeah, that was total cheating!" Eijirou and Tetsutetsu simultaneously argued once their initial shock at their dual loss had worn off; to which Maja gave a cheeky shrug of her shoulders. "Call it whatever you like; it worked, didn't it?"

And that kind of deflection was all that was needed to make both boys forget their indignation and quickly join in her highly amused laughter; further cementing Mina's previous point of just how well the three of them already went together.

"Things around here are gonna be even more awesome, now that you're gonna be in both our classes from now on, Maja-san! I can't wait to see what else your Quirk's gonna be able to do! It's already way stronger than mine." Eijirou suddenly stated as though it were just plain fact; which caused Tetsutetsu and Maja both to do a double take, as though they couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"YOU IDIOT, ARE YOU STILL GOING ON ABOUT THAT KINDA STUFF?! I DON'T WANNA HEAR THAT WEAK WHINING FROM YOU, KIRISHIMA! YEAH, MY BODY CAN TAKE THE HEAT BECAUSE I'M MADE OF METAL, BUT METAL CAN ONLY GET SO HARD! YOU, ON THE OTHER HAND; EVERY TIME YOU GET BEATEN, YOUR HARDENING JUST KEEPS GETTING TOUGHER!"

"Yeah, stop with the self-pity, Kolce! It doesn't fit you, y'know? Besides, my Quirk is only any good as far as my limbs go, and if I use up my supply or go up against extreme hot or cold, I'm completely helpless! If someone were to get through any of my defenses and go for my torso or my head, I'd be just as screwed as anybody else! At least your Quirk has you completely covered!"

With both his friendly rival and new foreign friend's commendations to let sink into his head, Eijirou looked utterly moved by their sincerity; especially when they both once again offered a unifying hand for him to grab onto; Tetsutetsu once more affirming: "There, now do you get it?! All our Quirks make us super strong in our own ways, so stop with all that putting yourself down crap from now on, okay?"

As Eijirou gladly accepted both his and Maja's hands; and the newly formed friendly trio gave a unifying cheer of mutual understanding; Nikolay and Mina had both kept watching the display with the happiest smiles on their faces; Kyouka likewise having watched from nearby, unable to help herself but to comment: "I don't normally believe in things like fate, but to see just how much those two have gotten along with Maja-san and visa versa, I'd almost think they were all, like, long-separated siblings finally reunited or something."

"Yeah, it's so awesome, isn't it? I'm so happy Maja-chan's gonna be going to school with us from now on. She totes deserves it." Mina agreed as Nikolay similarly nodded after taking another spoon-fed bite of his dinner from her. "She really does, after how much she's said she wanted to make up for everything in Hokkaido. And with her skills already being what they were, I can hardly even imagine what working together with all of us could teach her to do, or the other way around."

Once he had finished his meal; having to ignore the teasing looks from several of his classmates and class B peers who even cared enough to watch as Mina (in her love of public displays of affection for Nikolay) insisted on feeding him herself while his hands were supposed to be immobile; Nikolay's attention quickly fell upon Minoru, who even now was sneakily trying to get as many shots on his phone's camera as possible, of any of the girls of either class who had chosen to wear skirts to the party.

The fact that Mina beside him was wearing an oversized sweater that hanged over the shorts she was wearing, thus still ultimately leaving her remotely vulnerable to this latest of Minoru's perverted attempts, had Nikolay's teeth starting to clench; looking her way and seeing the same kind of intense focus on her face once she'd realized what he was trying to do as well. "So do we still want to try this? Did you talk any of it over with Yaoyorozu-san or Setsuna-san?"

"Oh yeah, Yaomomo definitely understood. Setsuna-chan even volunteered for it, too." Mina bluntly clarified; and with no further details needed, Nikolay breathed in deep to try and keep himself composed, and made a beeline for Minoru himself. "Hey, Mineta-san, can we talk in private for a minute?"

Naturally, the sound of Nikolay's voice approaching caused Minoru to flinch and go rigid, like an octopus trying desperately to camouflage itself from a predator. Ever since Nikolay had gotten to watch the replay of the fifth match; the small student had been terrified of the retribution that was to inevitably come once he'd doubtless seen the cheap shot made at his girlfriend's chest. What had been a split second of bliss now only seemed to be bringing Minoru endless punishment.

But instead of the hit or scolding that he was bracing himself for; Minoru was instead met with the sound of Nikolay speaking to him very approachably. "I just wanted to say thank you, for saving Mina in the middle of your guys' match. I realize we've never really had much of a chance to actually get to know each other and…y'know, become friends, like you and Kaminari-san are. So, I was hoping maybe we could change that, starting now. Would you maybe wanna finally show me your room?"

And just like that, any trace of fear on Minoru's face was gone; instead replaced with a disbelieving, then subsequently ecstatic look on his face, as though he were looking upon a long-lost compatriot, upon whom he was about to unveil his great collection of wonders. "It may not be the same as having a girl come in, but you know what? From one brave explorer and appreciator of the adolescent experience to another, it'd simply be cruel for me to say no. Come with me, Bezpalov! I have such incredible sights to show you!"

With a heavy lump in his throat, Nikolay followed; and as soon as Minoru's door was opened and he stepped inside, he was already regretting it. The place was so poorly lit, the air had a heavy mustiness to it; leaving one to wonder what number of unimaginable things his classmate had done in here alone, and there were shelves upon shelves full of what he could instantly recognize as adult magazines, DVD's and PC games; to say nothing of the multiple lewd statuettes sitting in the shelves of his nightstand, and the countless posters or cut out centerfolds plastered all over his walls. Literally the only thing in here that wasn't covered in scantily clad (at best) women, besides Minoru's bed, was the small TV set up across from it.

But Minoru was simply too deep within his own element to notice the distaste evident on Nikolay's face, as he was running his hands over his library of games and videos like they were some kind of long-coveted ancient treasure. "I always had a sense you were a kindred spirit like me and Kaminari, Bezpalov. Sure, he's more subdued, but I feel like you may be a true fellow brother in the appreciation of the physical beauty of the female form as it flowers into maturity. I have so many incredible memories and treasures here; so many months of allowances put toward cultivating this treasure trove. If you ever want to peruse or perhaps even borrow a single one of any, you need only come to me and ask, my broth—

YOINK!

Just before he could finish, Minoru found himself suddenly getting pulled off his feet; and in a matter of seconds, finding himself being thoroughly tied up and strapped to a sudden folding chair in what he quickly recognized as a straitjacket; right before he suddenly felt a bizarre and weighty harness running with wires getting thoroughly strapped to his head, a pair of tiny metal clamps holding his eyes wide open, and finally a tiny little IV of water being set up right next to his chair, with a little hose running from it that ended in two spouts right above his eyes; already very slowly dripping onto them so they wouldn't dry out.

No sooner than he was subdued, Minoru confusedly looked to find that he was being joined not only by Nikolay, but Mina and even Setsuna as well; the grinning lizard-like girl already at work fitting a handful of DVD's onto the multi-track DVD player set up under his TV.

"Hey, what is all this?! What are all these wires even hooked up to?!" Minoru immediately exclaimed while riding through his initial shock; completely blind to the looks of notable discomfort on Nikolay and Mina's faces at not only being in this incredibly uncomfortable room, but even more so their actually going through with this.

Nevertheless, Mina was the one to ultimately break the silence: "Sorry about this, Mineta. Believe it or not, Kolya-kun and I don't actually want to do this. I'd love nothing more than for our whole class to be besties for life; you included. I even thought giving you your own little harem for the Festival show would get you to cool your jets with me and the rest of the girls…but then you go and pull that stunt on me today?!"

As Setsuna was already turning on the TV and setting up the DVD player for what was to come; Nikolay likewise added in: "We've genuinely all fought together and gotten stronger together; to the point I actually was thinking we were already friends. But after all of that; and knowing how close Mina and I are; for you to do something like that to her is seriously NOT okay! None of us could think of any other way to try and curb this bad habit of yours, so Setsuna-san gave us this last-ditch suggestion."

At the mention of her name, and knowing she'd gotten all the preparations done, Setsuna rose up with a wide fanged grin shot Minoru's way. "If it's the down and dirty stuff you want out of life, Mineta, then you're gonna get all of those kinds of things and more. It's time for you to see just what it's like to have too much of what you consider a good thing. I got the best kind of titles set up to play on repeat all night long until you finally can't take it anymore: 'Caligula', 'Pink Flamingos', and 'In the Realm of the Senses'*, just to name a few."

While Nikolay could only look at Setsuna with a suspecting eye as to why she would have such notorious titles in her own personal possession; Minoru was futilely trying to fight against his bonds. "Hold on a minute, how exactly does this plan make any sense to you guys?! Look, I'm sorry, okay? I promise that from now on, Ashido and even Uraraka will be off-limits! Just let me out of this straitjacket!"

Kneeling down so they could look in Minoru's eyes; even despite how clearly apologetic Nikolay and Mina both looked for having to subject him to this; their tones were still just as firm: "This isn't just as payback for what you did to Mina, Mineta-san. This is for the sake of all the girls here."

"You're always talking about how you want the ladies to adore you, but that ain't happening if you keep ogling and trying to grope or talk dirty to them, Mineta. Try to think of this as something for your own good. Hopefully by morning, you'll be, like, a totally changed person." With Mina reiterating this especially important point; Setsuna took that as the cue to finally get the dirty movies playing on Minoru's TV; thus spurring the trio to take their leave.

As Nikolay and Mina made their way out; just before she shut the door on Minoru, Setsuna gave him another knowing smirk and encouraging wave goodbye. "Enjoy the show, Mineta; and try to behave yourself around the ladies from now on."

CLICK!

With that, Minoru was left bound in his own room, forced to watch some of the filthiest material he'd ever seen in his life; exclaiming even long after he'd been left alone: "HEY, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GO THE BATHROOM LIKE THIS?!"

Upon their return to the party proper; Nikolay's stomach began to noticeably grumble; leaving him, Mina and Setsuna all grinning knowingly. "I guess I could use some more of Iida-san's stew after all."

But just as soon as he'd managed to get his second helping and get a seat; he was immediately stopped by the sight of his first spoonful suddenly being overwhelmed with a small outgrowth of edible mushrooms growing out of it; a sight that, along with his surprised expression, couldn't help but get both girls giggling, especially when they all looked and saw how Kinoko Komori was intently watching Nikolay specifically while rubbing two of her fingertips together to send her Quirk's spores in his direction.

"I have to admit, Kolya-kun; even as your girlfriend, Kinoko-chan's way of showing that crush of hers is just too cute." Mina didn't hesitate to confess before she actually started urging for the Class B mushroom girl to come forward, much to Nikolay's further surprise.

Kinoko didn't even hesitate to come over the moment she realized she was actually being given permission; the wide smile on her face simply too much for Nikolay to look upon for more than a second, before she finally came to a stop right before him, wringing her hands together in an adorably shy display.

When neither of them was clearly willing to break the awkward silence; Setsuna decided to make the first push: "Is there maybe a little something you wanna tell Bezpalov-kun while we're here, Kinoko-chan?"

And while she stubbornly shook her head, in clear contradiction to the smile and blush on her face; Mina was leaning in to Nikolay's side, doing virtually the same: "Aww, c'mon, Kolya-kun; Kinoko-chan went out of her way to make sure you don't go hungry. Isn't there something you wanna say to her, too?"

Realizing that neither of their respective friends were going to let them out of this incredibly awkward meeting if they didn't do something; Nikolay and Kinoko simultaneously spouted of the first things that instinctively came to mind: "Thank you for these delicious mushrooms, Komori-san! I really appreciate it, including back at the camp." "I-I hope you like my cute little shrooms, Bezpalov-kun! They really remind me of you, y'know!"

They both looked like they wanted to shove their fists into their mouths upon realizing what they had each said; Mina and Setsuna both laughing in genuine adoration at such an adorable interaction, as the pink young Hero hugged her boyfriend while still giving the love-struck Kinoko a genuinely friendly smile. "I can't blame you for feeling like you do; Kinoko-chan. Kolya-kun is just so cute, isn't he? If things were just a little different, you two together would be just too much cuteness for me to take!"

Of course, the sight of the two Class A students cuddling up so close prompted Setsuna to chime in: "I don't think it takes a genius to know just what this is, eh, Kinoko-chan? I'm sure you probably figured how this would end a while ago, huh?"

Surprisingly, Kinoko didn't look remotely hurt, instead simply nodding in acceptance while still having the warm blushing smile on her face, while her one visible eye looked Nikolay and Mina over intently. "I did, Setsu-chan, don't worry. I know you're both super inseparably lovey-dovey for a while, Bezpalov-kun, Ashido-chan, and I'm okay with that, really. I'm sure that love will sprout and shroom-bloom beautifully. Honestly, if I can just see that cute mushroom-y face of yours every once in a while, that's enough for me-shroom."

Mina was practically trembling with adoration at just how cute Kinoko's way of speaking was, while Nikolay looked utterly dumbstruck at how smoothly a potentially volatile situation had been avoided, simply by the fact that the mushroom girl clearly wasn't the possessive or jealous type; Setsuna shooting him a knowing and reassuring fanged smirk when seeing the relief wash over him.

"C'mon, why don't we all go out and dance? It's still a party, and we still got all night to rip it up! Wanna join us, Kinoko-chan?" Mina spontaneously offered, eagerly pulling Nikolay back to his feet, while Setsuna and Kinoko were already starting to happily follow.

But before they could even get halfway there, Denki called out from another of the couches, joined by Hanta, Tsuyu and Kyouka; who were all sitting with their phones in hand: "Hey; you guys wanna maybe join us in a game of Mario Kart? I can't find Mineta anywhere, so why don't you all come in, take his spot?"

Figuring that, once again, they had plenty of time to do whatever they wanted while the party was still going; Nikolay, Mina, Setsuna and Kinoko all happily accepted Denki's invite for a shared game; even if he quickly remembered how he couldn't exactly move his fingers so dexterously as anyone else for now. But that still didn't stop Mina from eagerly pulling his phone from out his pocket. "Aww, don't worry, Kolya-kun; that's what those footsies of yours are for! Not even broken fingers can stop real gamers!"

Denki and Hanta both couldn't help but cheer at Mina's can-do spirit for Nikolay's sake; and as he was already laughing in good humor at the thought of what she was suggesting he do; Nikolay himself couldn't help but feel yet another swelling of gratitude for just being here with her through everything.

"Midoriya, Bezpalov; do you two have a second?" Before Nikolay could finish joining everyone in this impromptu gaming circle while Izuku was passing nearby; Shoto's voice suddenly called to them from right behind the former's back; prompting them both to turn around to find him currently looking over Nikolay's injuries studiously; not even the faintest sign of a congratulatory smirk on his always-stoic face. "Sorry for interrupting. I just wanted to congratulate you and your teams on your victories today. Watching yours unfold like it did, Bezpalov; I can say it's not what I was expecting. That new technique of yours is certainly something we'll all need to watch out for from now on. Had you really never practiced it before today?"

Chuckling as understandably as he could in such circumstances, Nikolay quickly answered while holding up his bandaged fingers for emphasis: "Never…though, hopefully once my fingers strengthen up with more practice, I'll be able to use it much more effectively. Honestly, seeing you now just got me thinking of what it could mean for any new team moves for us, going forward."

With only the slightest agreeing nod, Shoto's inquisitive eyes soon shifted to Izuku, while still addressing Nikolay solely. "Well, whenever you feel ready, I see no reason for us not to find out. Either way, you and Bakugo really earned your victory, in my opinion."

With nothing more on the subject of Nikolay needing to be said; Shoto finally spoke up to Izuku; catching the curly-haired boy by complete surprise with his typical blunt approach: "As for you, Midoriya; I didn't realize you had two Quirks as well."

Izuku and Nikolay's mutual double take was almost intense enough to induce whiplash; but that didn't stop Shoto from continuing on; his normal straightforward tone making it impossible to sense any form of accusation: "I was just a little shocked that the guy who came screaming at me to not hold back with my Quirk, was hiding this surprise ability all this time."

By now, Izuku's shock quickly turned to his normal sense of desperate panic: "It's not like that at all, Todoroki-san! It's probably just derived from the original, but it's still just the one Quirk! Believe me, I was shocked, too! This has never happened to me once before!"

Shoto's unreadable expression was utterly frustrating in a moment as sensitive as this, as even Izuku couldn't tell if he actually believed him or not, even when he finally answered, addressing him and Nikolay together again: "Right. Well, that sounds rough. Sorry for doubting you. But it was still really impressive, either way. You've both proven to be full of yet further surprises today. I can't say I've ever seen two different people's Quirks act up like that with such perfect simultaneous timing before."

However, with neither of the two boys wanting to dwell on that whole weirdness around their Quirks again; Izuku instead shifted the subject over with a deeply admiring smile: "You were really impressive out there today, too, Todoroki-san. Your Fire…you really seem to be getting the hang of it now." "No kidding; it was genuinely scary, how hot you were able to make it burn against Tetsutetsu-san. With enough practice, I'll bet my Kinetic Gatling together with your flames at that kind of temperature would make our team-up practically untouchable. Have you maybe tried to reach a similar extreme with your Ice in your spare time, too?"

But even in the face of his two friends' words of encouragement; Shoto simply looked upon his left hand with a look of deep disappointment in his eyes. "No, you two are the ones who've really changed. Your constant practicing has helped make your Quirks as strong as they are now. On the other hand, I've always possessed this side to my power, but wasted so much time stubbornly refusing to use it. I'm only now having managed to hone it this much, when it could've become something that much more if I'd just trained with it alongside my Ice from the beginning. Like both of you, I still have a long way to go, which is why…"

Without further ado, Shoto proceeded to draw out his phone, and held it up for both his friends to see something neither of them had expected to see: a texting history with his father; the majority simply being one-sided messages from Endeavor himself, and the final message being the only one from Shoto himself; specifically saying: 'Need you to teach me some things about Flashfire.'

"…I need to keep aiming higher."

It wasn't hard for Shoto to glean just how proud Izuku and Nikolay clearly were of his actually swallowing his past emotions enough to actually directly approach his father for ways in which to grow stronger. But before either of them could even begin to say so; Mina was now the one eagerly calling for the three to join in on the gaming circle; at least prompting Nikolay to finally return and bid his two friends a good rest of the night.

From there, the rest of the party went as best as it possibly could have gone throughout the evening; between plenty of games, story swapping, good food, friendly competition and just all around fun to be had by everyone. After having gone head-to-head so intensely; for Classes A and B to be able to come together like this was nothing short of something beautiful for them all to behold. By the time they had only gotten halfway through the party, it had already truly felt like a multitude of unbreakable friendships had truly been forged and solidified all in one; with Maja especially receiving more than plenty of further congratulations from everyone in both classes for having officially been accepted; a reminder that had her once more trying to keep from shedding the happiest tears in her life.

And by the time everyone had decided to go through with an impromptu idea from Fumikage, Shihai and even Ochako to have a scary movie viewing with all the lights turned off; it had at last given Nikolay and Mina the chance for the long-desired couples' intimacy they'd both been desperately wanting all day as always; using the cover of the shadows and the noises from the large TV to start affectionately cuddling near the back of the whole two-class crowd; peppering each other's lips and faces with countless heartfelt kisses; the greatest stress reliever either of them could ever ask for.

Of course, even for just how infinitely Mina cherished every moment of being able to shower Nikolay with her affections like this; she couldn't quiet the nagging little voice in the back of her head that kept reminding her of what Minoru had done to her today, and how much she felt like she wouldn't be able to truly get over it until she'd managed to make things right, and give her boyfriend the same kind of up close and personal privilege; fully earned and then some this time.

But alas, even Mina had enough self-awareness to know that she simply couldn't ask (and definitely not spring by surprise) Nikolay to either touch or put his face anywhere near her chest, without risking him turning into a gasping and hot-faced flustered mess that would draw all the attention in the commons room their way. So instead, she simply opted for the next best thing, and simply refused to stop laying her heartfelt embraces, cuddles and kisses (both normal and French) on her beloved Nikolay for every minute that the late night movie went on for; all the way until it was finally decided that the party was over, and both classes needed to finally turn in for the night; wishing each other heartfelt goodnights with each student that was out the door.

By then, Nikolay felt like he was floating on another love-fueled cloud all the way back to his room, and Mina finally felt like she'd fully cleansed herself of the embarrassment that Minoru had put her through; able to at last rest easy again with Nikolay having sent her heart aflutter all over again.

Next time they'd get a chance to be alone; she decided she'd try to get him to scratch that personal little intimacy item off the list, though.

Friday, December 5th

The next day's classes had thankfully come and gone with no further outstanding incident after the two incredible episodes that had occurred during the Joint Training exercise. With no clear signs of anything amiss for any of the teachers to be concerned over in regards to either Izuku or Nikolay throughout the day; they were all able to go in to the faculty conference room with much cooler heads, as Principal Nezu had asked them all to attend, in order to discuss with them the conditions of Hitoshi Shinso and Maja Kieslowska officially being transferred and accepted into Yuuei and the Hero Course respectively.

Naturally, as unusual as it was for a General Education Course student to suddenly transfer to the Hero Course between years; it was actually the idea of accepting someone with an established criminal record, regardless of the circumstances, that had more than a few of the other teachers especially skeptical; regardless of the endorsements of Aizawa, Vlad King, Midnight, Toshinori, Oleg and even Nezu himself.

It was only the solid reassurance that Maja would be inundated with the workload that was to be expected of a student of both Hero Course classes, all while under the constant surveillance of any and all teachers, as part of this thorough agreement with the police, that ultimately managed to bring them all onto the same understanding, and ultimate acceptance of her being in Yuuei from now on.

Even if today had already given them a chance to get used to her presence, as it had ultimately been her very first day as an official student with the rest of Class B; a fact that had Vlad King noticeably enthused by the time the meeting was finally ended; muttering to himself and Aizawa alike more than once: "Even if Shinso won't be joining until next year's start; with Kieslowska bouncing between our classes, our numbers are finally evened out. Your days at the top are numbered, Eraser."

As the teachers all finally began to take their leave to attend to the rest of their duties and face the evening with what they could only hope would be a semblance of peace and quiet, Oleg and Toshinori were walking in tandem with one another; both their gazes focused and intense, as they'd already long since discussed what they would be doing in their free time outside of their duties as teachers for the foreseeable future:

The impossible task, whether through the aid of Gran Torino, Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi or both, to try and somehow uncover the identity of whoever had passed One For All down to Nana Shimura, and painstakingly work their way backwards from there, to try and find whichever previous Wielder had possibly ended up anywhere near Russia at any point. From there, they would hopefully have their key to figuring out how Nikolay had ever managed to be born with even a single tiny ember of One For All.

But as they were making their way, Oleg couldn't help but notice, and subsequently overhear, how Aizawa and Present Mic were likewise walking together several paces ahead; the normally loud English teacher speaking quite casually with his fellow educator and longtime friend: "I'm surprised at you, Shota. I never thought you'd actually be vouching for that girl with Vlad, knowing what she'd been involved with. You've always been like the 'guilty no matter what' type. Maybe all these years with all these kids have finally gotten you to soften up after all."

"Don't be stupid. We just can't afford to not recognize practicality anymore, and the fact is that Kieslowska wants to do the right thing, and her Quirk and previously crafted skills make her a very useful future Hero, if she manages to stay the course." Aizawa's deflection and ultimate explanation was as straightforward and surface-level understandable as could be; but that still didn't erase the wry smirk on Present Mic's face; much to his chagrin.

"Whatever helps you sleep soundly at night, man; not that you ever needed help with that to begin with. But since we're talking new faces around the block; I gotta say, that Shinso kid really reminds me of you back in the good old days. Seems like you've certainly taken a shine to him, too; or else he'd probably have gone tripping up over those Capture Cloths right out the gate like a rookie."

As he looked to see if he was getting anywhere close to the truth with his old friend; Present Mic quickly saw a much more contemplative, and ultimately familiar, look of emotion in Aizawa's tired eyes. "You see yourself in him, don't you, Shota? Or…is this about Shirakumo? Are you really gonna do this to yourself again?"

Behind them, hearing such an unfamiliar name had Oleg's curiosity visibly piqued, while Toshinori looked to his colleague with a solemn shake of his head, as if to tell him not to come any closer and ask what could've been the only question on his mind.

"If you have a point to get to with this, then just get there. I have somewhere important to be." Aizawa's answer, this time, had a very distinctive edge to it; the kind that could only have come from someone who seriously did not want to talk about whatever Present Mic had just brought up.

And luckily for him, Present Mic recognized this tension in his friend far too well, as he simply let out a wistful sigh. "No, no point. I'm just reminiscing is all."

But Aizawa couldn't even bring himself to answer that any further, instead bowing his head and picking up his stride just enough to where he could get some headway and ultimately be on his own, while Present Mic, Oleg and Toshinori could only watch on with varying degrees of regret and confusion.

As Present Mic ultimately took his own leave, Oleg finally felt safe enough to ask Toshinori: "I know Aizawa-san's never been the most sunshine-and-rainbows kind of person, but I don't think I've ever seen him get that…on edge, before, even in action."

Sighing, Toshinori answered: "Well, there's sadly a very good reason for that. I'm honestly surprised Hizashi-san even had the guts to bring it up, reminiscing or not. You remember how those two were way back when you came here for the first time; that Hero school guest speaker circuit I invited you on?"

With a nostalgic smirk, Oleg chuckled. "Of course. I'd never seen a teenager as morose as Aizawa-san back then. The fact he was actually friends with someone like Hizashi-san, with his energy, still floors me."

Unfortunately, Toshinori didn't look nearly so nostalgic. "Do you perhaps recall there ever being a third student who was with them a lot of the time you were there? I don't mean Koyama-san, either. I'm talking about a young man by the name of Shirakumo Oboro. Does that sound at all familiar to you? Think really hard, Oleg-san."

Trying to picture the name and put it to a face, Oleg was visibly straining, trying to rewind his mind back that far, when he had already struggled to remember his two fellow teachers as students way back when at the beginning.

But after several seconds of trying to brute force those memories together; his blue eyes suddenly widened, and Toshinori could tell he'd finally put it together. "Yes, that's right; a young man with tall cloud-like hair, always had a band-aid on his nose, had a Quirk that could create clouds, if I remember correctly! Oh, I might not have seen him very much during my time, but I always thought he was funny…and…oh…"

Putting it all together in relation to what they had just seen unfold between Aizawa and Present Mic; Oleg's nostalgic smile quickly sank. "You don't mean…?"

With a solemn nod, Toshinori continued forward, prompting his Russian friend to follow suit. "I'm afraid so. I wasn't there, but I remembered hearing the news. It was a mission with two Hero teams attempting to stop a rampaging giant Villain with some kind of Stockpiling Quirk. Hizashi-san, Aizawa-san and Koyama-san were all there…and so was Shirakumo Oboro.

"It proved far more treacherous a battle than anyone had expected. Many Pros were overwhelmed, and in the end, it was Aizawa-san who came out the victor…but at too great a cost: Shirakumo himself. He died saving a bunch of schoolchildren from getting caught in the crossfire. Such is the inherent risk of being a Hero; we all know this…but even if you understand the reasons for these things happening; how can one ever truly get over the loss of a close friend like that?"

Oleg had to take a moment to breathe in deep; his breath audibly shaky as he was likewise thinking back on so many of his own oldest friends back home. "You can't. No matter how it happens, it's always too sudden…too cruel to just accept and move on. You always think you'll have all the time in the world with your friends and loved ones at your side…and then they're gone before you even realize it."

With another solemn nod, Toshinori answered: "Exactly…which is why Aizawa-san has had such disdain for Bezpalov-shonen and Ashido-shoujo being as close as they have been all throughout this year."

He could just feel the look of surprise that Oleg was sending his way, to which he continued: "I overheard him and Nezu-san talking about it a long while ago, around the start of the year. Perhaps if things around Shirakumo had unfolded much differently, his own feelings on the matter would be that much different. But after a personal loss like that, can you really blame him for disapproving of such an attachment between Hero students, knowing the risks, the dangers they'll inevitably have to face, that they've faced already?"

And it was with the heaviest sigh that Oleg had to regretfully respond: "No…I can't. I'm just surprised he never brought it up with me before; especially after Kolya had had such a close call from the attack on the training camp…and how much that tormented her while he was out."

Such an unusual choice on Aizawa's part had Oleg's mind racing. Did he actually not say anything of Nikolay and Mina's dynamic over all this time to them or himself, out of the desire to see if their strengthening bond would make them strong enough to overcome the inherent risks of their lives as Heroes? Or was his silently building disapproval simply a sign of his wanting to find a way to keep them from suffering the kind of anguish he was now far too familiar with? Or was he simply choosing to leave this painful conversation in Oleg's hands, as the boy's father?

Any one of those options could have been just as feasible as any other, but there was no way he could just bring it up with Aizawa and find out upfront. There was simply too much else unknown that needed to be looked into for the sake of everyone.

All day through classes, Izuku had been left silently curious, as from the start he had been instructed by Aizawa to come and meet him in front of the faculty dorms, with no explanation as to why. If it had been anything having to do with his Blackwhip emerging yesterday, he had nothing new to tell him that he hadn't carefully described already.

Of course, those suspicions were quickly forgotten when the time had come for him to finally go, and the first thing he saw upon getting there was a patiently waiting Mirio Togata and Eri; who were both obviously just as happy to see him. "Yo, Midoriya! It always feels like it's been way too long!" "H-Hello, Mr. Deku. I h-hope you're…doing good."

"It's always great to see you two again, Mirio-senpai, Eri-chan! How have you both been since the Festival?" Izuku could hardly contain his anticipation to hear what his senior had been up to; but even more so to know how Eri had been acclimating while staying here on the school grounds with Aizawa and the other teachers.

Eri was still far too shy to keep eye contact, even with Izuku, but the appreciative smile on her cherubic face reassured him more than anything that for her, all was as well as it possibly could be. "I like it here, Mr. Deku, a lot. Lemillion comes and visits almost every day, and all the other grown-ups a-are really nice. I'm hoping I-I can maybe visit you and the others again s-soon, if t-that's okay…"

The smiles on Izuku and Mirio's faces couldn't have been more heartfelt, to hear Eri say such hopeful things. "You're really settling in and getting better with new faces, Eri-chan. It might not be long until you're ready to maybe go to school with other kids your age."

For Mirio to suggest something that big so suddenly, Izuku wouldn't have been surprised if Eri had initially been intimidated by the thought. But to his increasingly pleasant surprise; she actually looked…eager for the idea. "Y-you really think so? It does sound like it could be n-nice."

"OH-HO! WHAT'S THIS?! ERASER-SENSEI NEVER SAID ANYTHING OF MY CLASS A RIVAL BEING HERE TO GREET ME WHEN HE ASKED ME HERE!" From practically out of nowhere, Neito Monoma's voice suddenly came calling out with that same boasting melodramatic air; catching all three of their attention as he stood proudly before them.

But while Izuku was simply surprised to see him here, and Mirio couldn't hide the amusement on his face at his theatrical energy; Eri actually looked very put off by his demeanor; nervously stating: "It's the dark side…of Yuuei…"

"HAHAHA! WHATEVER COULD THIS LITTLE GIRL MEAN BY THAT, I WONDER?! WHAT IS SHE SAYING?!" Neito asked rhetorically; the over-confident smile on his face betraying the accusing finger he was instinctively pointing her way, while she instinctively clutched onto Mirio's pant leg while he answered: "Oh, during the preparations for the Festival, I once told her that you represent Yuuei's dark side."

Again, Neito's melodramatic tone and expression completely betrayed his overly hurt body language. "NONSENSE! I WALK THE PATH OF TRUTH AND JUSTICE, AND NO OTHER!"

Izuku breathed a sigh of relief that Neito didn't seem to be much more offended by Eri's impression of him than this, and thus felt comfortable enough to clear the air: "Good afternoon, Monoma-san. How's your class doing? Has Kieslowska-san been settling in well so far?"

With a boastful upward sweep of his arms, Neito proudly exclaimed: "To know that we finally have truly evened the playing field in terms of manpower and ability with your lot gives me more delight than words can properly convey! She will be your undeserving classes' undoing, Midoriya; mark my words! Having her bounce back and forth will simply allow for us to know your weaknesses that much more! Then you truly won't stand a chance against us next time!"

With that, he broke into another near manic fit of laughter; only serving to unsettle Eri even further, and ultimately leave Mirio looking more and more like he was trying not laugh at his infectious energy. Izuku, with no further questions relating to Class B, finally asked: "So, does anybody know why we were all called here?"

And no sooner than he had asked, that he saw the black-clad Aizawa heading their way. "Midoriya, Togata, thanks for coming here on time. I know your sidekick work especially doesn't make it easy."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, Eraser-sensei! There was no way I was going to miss this if it works!" Mirio immediately proclaimed with remarkable optimism, simply leaving Izuku that much more obviously curious what was happening; as Aizawa could see. "I asked Monoma over here yesterday to lend us a hand, but I figured Eri-chan could use some emotional support from you two while he's here."

"IS THAT REALLY HOW LITTLE YOU ALL THINK OF ME?!" Neito asked while still managing to keep laughing insanely; while Aizawa simply ignored him and ushered the three students to join him and Eri back inside.

It thankfully didn't take much for Izuku and Mirio to help ease Eri's discomfort around Neito, thus allowing him to finally use his Quirk on her. For a good minute; the two boys were unknowingly holding in an especially anxious breath; especially when they saw a single tiny horn sprout from his forehead, identical to hers.

But after removing his hand from her shoulder…Neito's smile lost some of its confident luster as he looked to his fellow students and Aizawa. "Hm…yes, it's a blank. I'm so sorry to disappoint you, Eraser-sensei."

Eri's large red eyes sank, visibly downcast at the morose tone the once intimidating young man now spoke with; while Izuku and Mirio exchanged similarly concerned glances, and Aizawa gave a conceding faint nod of the head. "Right. Too bad."

"Why exactly did you want Monoma-kun to Copy Eri-chan's Quirk anyway, Eraser-sensei?" Mirio finally asked; doing a great job at hiding any disappointment; while Izuku impulsively asked: "And what exactly do you mean when you call a Quirk 'a blank', Monoma-san?"

Bowing his head, Neito couldn't even muster the energy to try and boast: "Her Quirk is the same as you and that Russian of yours, Midoriya: the kind of Quirk that has to store something up in order to work its best. My power only Copies the bare-bones essence of a Quirk. But if the Copied ability needs to convert some stockpiled resource into energy, then I won't be able to replicate whatever is accumulated. It's an issue I run into every now and again. It's the reason I couldn't manifest your super strength yesterday, even after Copying it."

Naturally, Neito being as downtrodden as he was right now, kept him from seeing the shaken look of anxiety on Izuku's face upon hearing this explanation. 'Thank goodness! Monoma-san would've been saying bye-bye to his limbs by now otherwise…'

"But why did you want him to Copy Eri-chan's power, Sensei?" Mirio once again asked; while Aizawa looked regretfully to the saddened Eri.

"Even if we could get Eri-chan to activate her Quirk again, we run the danger of another rampage, since she still isn't accustomed to it. I thought Monoma might be able to Copy it and teach her how to use it to give her some peace of mind. But it looks like it's not gonna be that easy."

Eri suddenly began clenching her tiny hands into fists; her voice shaking with quickly overwhelming emotion as she began reaching for her horn. "I'm sorry. I've caused so many problems. My power…j-just makes trouble for everyone. I…I wish I never had…h-had this power."

Izuku, after having seen the heartwarming power of Eri's truly happy smile, couldn't stand to just watch her become so sad again. And so it was with no hesitation that he urgently knelt down so she could look into his eyes, and see the genuine smile on his face. "It's not all trouble, Eri-chan. Did you forget already? You're the one that saved me! It's all about how you use your power! Like, a sharp knife is really dangerous, right? But if you use it right, you can make some truly tasty food, and that ultimately ends up doing good for others! So, in that way, I think your Quirk is something truly special!"

Izuku could practically feel his heart leap up into his throat as he saw the light of encouragement and inspiration light up Eri's eyes; her once sad expression turning back into that irreplaceable smile of gratitude.

With an optimistic hop from her seat and back onto her feet, Eri didn't hesitate to answer: "Okay, Mr. Deku. I…I-I'll keep trying. I promise I'll get better; then I can help Lemillion's teacher get all better again…and I'll try to do what I can to help you and all those other nice people, too."

Izuku's own optimistic pumping of his fists perfectly mirrored Eri's own; a truly precious sight in Mirio's eyes; while the curly-haired young Hero sincerely repeated to himself in his head: 'That's the spirit, Eri-chan! And I promise I'll master my power, too! Whatever One For All has waiting for me, I swear I'll do all I can to master all of it…and see if I can't at least help Kolya-san to do the same with the sliver of its power he's holding as well. Carrying it within naturally makes him just as much a target for the League of Villains as I am…but it could also make him a much greater ally than I could've expected…though, the same could just as easily be said for everyone else here.'

Tartarus Prison

Deep within the airtight secured confines of Japan's greatest prison for Villains; All For One had begun physically moving within his restraints for the first time ever in the months since he'd first been confined in here. And that was a sight that immediately had every single one of the guards watching him with every waking and sleeping moment, incredibly on edge.

Especially since they couldn't have had any possible idea as to just what it was that had the supreme Villain just this active when he had been nearly vegetative in his stillness for so long. 'Aah…it's been far, far too long. I can actually hear…my dear younger brother's voice calling from out there. And it doesn't sound like he's alone, either…how curious, how nostalgic…how enticing. Just what is going on with your precious Quirk right now, I wonder?'

And there you all have it; this week's new chapter, and the end of the Joint Training Arc. I hope I'll get to hear back from some of you, either about this arc, this story as a whole, or what I asked about at the beginning. These are all things I could really, really do with hearing honest answers about right now, especially.

I hope you all enjoy what you read here today; I hope you all have a good week, and I will see you all with the next chapter on 04/01; no jokes.