Akane shook with barely-contained fear from her hiding place behind a mound of rubble. She had doubled back when they'd reached the UA stop, using the fussing of the teachers over their students and the odd little girl to begin her run back towards town. Luckily, she found a bike that made it much faster! She'd even gotten there in time to see Metal Bat send two Yakuza flying! Oh, the footage and pictures she took would cement her career for life!

But then she saw how roughed up he was. The man who made himself a legend over the course of a week looked ready to drop dead at any given moment, and he definitely didn't look old enough to be a legend, hobbling down the road keeping his crumbling partner propped up.

She didn't know if she'd be able to sell those pictures, or if she even wanted to sell them.

When they fell, she almost ran towards them, only to quickly hide with the arrival of another Yakuza gyangu.

Not just a Yakuza gyangu, THE Yakuza: Kai Chisaki. Overhaul. She'd heard rumors on the web about him, so many things speculated and wondered about, grainy photos barely giving them a glimpse of the reclusive and powerful Major Domo.

And here he was, staring down a smoking Metal Bat.

Akane slowly brought her camera up, doing the best to keep the shake out of her hand as she began recording.

"You're a hard man to find, Metal Bat," Overhaul droned as he stopped a few yards away from the modern-day folk hero.

The boy in question placed a hand on his injured friend's shoulder before standing up. "Gotta say," he sneered, bat held lazily in his right hand, cigarette hanging off the corner of his lip, "you Yakuza have shit timing."

"You sure you don't have that backwards?" Overhaul questioned, "A whole week you've been interrupting my plans, my business, injuring and outright killing my men. All for what? To destroy everything, when we're on the cusp of greatness?" His eyes narrowed. "Or was all of this because of some girl?"

"Yeah, some girl," he said, blowing smoke out of his nostrils, "some poor little six-year-old girl who deserves a lot more than you probably gave her." He spat the cigarette butt into the snow, his bat coming up to lean against his shoulder. "Covered in needle marks and scars, scared to be alone for even a minute - "

" - If you only knew the true power she held - " Overhaul tried to reason.

" - she's a child!" Izuku spat, "a little girl who deserves to be having tea parties and running around at playgrounds, not be demoted to some Yakuza play thing!"

"Her purpose is so much more than you assume of me," Overhaul snapped, "I don't care for her. She's not my daughter or my sister, no kin of mine! And if you think I crave her body then you're dead wrong. It's her Quirk that is so vital!'

"No Quirk out there is important enough to torture a child," he retorted.

"You say that, but what if I say it's fundamental to creating a drug that erases Quirks?"

A stunned silence filled the air at that, Akane almost dropped her phone at the absurd exclamation, erase quirks? How crazy was this guy?

"So the rumors are true."

The statement was quiet, barely heard over the howling wind, but Akane heard, and she leaned in closer.

"Been seeing a lot of chatter online lately," Metal Bat muttered, "before this week, just whispers of rumors. Talks of heroes getting their Quirks taken away before being killed, most recent was a UA student who didn't die, but reportedly couldn't use his Quirk for over four hours. I thought it was speculation, maybe some Quirk they hadn't cataloged yet. Guess I'm not off the mark?"

"You're understanding now, this makes things easier," Overhaul said, taking another step forward. "Eri's Quirk is to rewind living beings. On a small scale, she could feasibly rewind injuries and wounds, but what was made apparent was that on a large scale she could rewind something so far as to make them cease existing, which she did to her father when her Quirk first activated."

Akane gasped, covering her mouth as even Metal Bat seemed to stagger a bit.

"The former boss wanted me to learn more about her Quirk, help her control it since it seemed so similar to mine. It was anything but, and once I found out what she could do I knew what I had to do." Another step, his arms spread wide as his voice took on a fanatical tone. "Quirks are a disease! A sickness that has borne this corrupt Hero society we live in! With Eri's Quirk I can erase that! Destroy the sickness and put humanity back on track in its evolutionary journey! Can't you see that, Metal Bat!? After all! Aren't you, yourself, Quirkless?!"

This time Akane did drop her phone, but was quick to pick it up, not wanting to miss a single thing.

"So you're not gonna accuse me of hiding a Quirk, are you?" Metal Bat scoffed, "wouldn't have been hard to find out who I was, you shit stains have a way of finding out information, right?" he sneered at Overhaul's surprised look, "what? You think I'm gonna turn on my beliefs just because I don't have what 80% of the world has? You think I'd want to shack up with you to destroy all Quirks because I don't have one? I take back what I thought about you. Before this, I thought you were just an asshole chomo who needed to be put in the grave. Now, I find out you're a psycho-freak who thinks Quirks are bad." He pointed his bat at Overhaul, the end nearly brushing the plague mask Overhaul wore. "You can take whatever your offer is and shove it up your ass. The world may be broken and corrupt, but Quirks didn't make it like that; it's been a shit show all of human history."

"You don't know the mistake you're making, boy," Overhaul hissed.

"Oh, no, I know the choice I made, bitch." Izuku growled low in his throat, "and I'm willing to die for it. You think you can do the same?"

Silence once more; the wind seemed to stop in anticipation as the clouds opened up for the first time in weeks, shining a full moon down on the scene. It was borderline serene, poetic in its stillness.

And then Overhaul struck.

He leapt back at insane speeds as he dragged his now gloveless hand across the asphalt, sending earthen spikes rocketing towards Metal Bat who destroyed them with a powerful swing before pivoting on the balls of his feet and running, scooping up Kirishima and diving behind the mound of rubble Akane was hiding behind a split second after a second attack grazed his back.

"FUCK!" He snarled out, turning to glance over his cover, only to find Akane beside him shaking like a leaf, her phone still up and recording him. "What the fuck are you doing here!?" Izuku demanded to know.

"Uh - F - future reporter - " she stammered out before he pushed her behind him, his bat swinging out to destroy another spike attack.

"Whatever! Grab Kirishima and run! I can't fight if I'm worried about the two of you," he snapped before shooting off towards Overhaul.

"But I can't just - " she started to say, before a gust of wind nearly bowled her over; the cause of the gust, of course, being Izuku slamming his bat into the road, mere inches from scoring a hit on a surprised Overhaul. The strength of the blow buffeted the snow drifts and shook the buildings beside them.

"GO!" He roared as he charged Overhaul once again.

"...okay yeah, good idea," Akane gulped, grunting as she hauled Kirishima up and began dragging him away.

"How much do you have left, Metal Bat?" Overhaul taunted, "a week of no sleep, no food, constant fighting, and now injuries, you could keel over any minute!"

"I got enough left to deal with you!" Izuku snarled, charging in to try and deal a blow, only to have to change his course as the very street around him seemed to warp under the dominance of Overhaul's Quirk, forcing him to evade spikes of rocks and rebar while dodging between rock pillars trying to crush him or send him flying into the sky. His vision was beginning to blur, his feet stumbling more than landing solidly under him, and his chest burned with every forced inhale. The lack of oxygen was ringing his vision with dark spots.

"You're outmatched, boy!" Overhaul shouted, "your strength will fail you sooner or later, all I'm losing is time!"

He's too fast, Izuku thought as another spike grazed his side. A pillar got a glancing blow on his back, sending him sprawling. He was barely able to roll back to his feet to evade another one that tore what was left of his jacket to shreds. And he's right. I'm running on empty, I can't…

He gasped as another pillar got a direct hit on his chest, driving the air out of him and stopping him dead cold as more spikes shot towards him.

Fuck…I'm sorry Eri… Izuku thought, closing his eyes.

"SMAAAAAAASH!"

*BOOOM!*

A blur of blue slammed into the ground, flattening the terrain in a hundred yard radius, leveling several already crumbled businesses and sending Kai flying back from the excess wind pressure.

Izuku's eyes shot open, staring in disbelief at the figure who somehow kept the damage to the front of her, blonde hair waving slightly behind her; neon blue arcs of electricity sparked off her muscular frame. The Kevlar mesh jumpsuit she wore was a deep blue with red and white accents. It was reminiscent of All-Might's costume, but much more padded.

"It's alright, you can step back, Metal Bat."

Izuku staggered back, falling flat on his butt as the girl looked back at him, flashing a reassuring smile.

"Because I am here!"

Izuku let out a soft chuckle. "Melissa - fucking - Shield." He wheezed as air returned to his lungs. "I really am dead."

"W-what? H-hey! Don't say that!" she exclaimed, flustered, "I'm top of my class!"

"Dont drop your guard!"

Melissa yelped as she was forced to pick Izuku up and jump away as more spikes came shooting up. Kai slowly walked back over, his forehead bleeding. "You're gonna regret that, brat."

"Who the hell is this guy?!" Melissa exclaimed as they retreated further down the street.

"Kai Chisaki, a.k.a., Overhaul," Izuku muttered, getting his feet under him as they came to a stop, "don't know the exact details of his Quirk but he's able to change the environment with five point contact."

"Got it, you sit tight - "

" - fuck that noise," Izuku scoffed, forcing himself to take a deep breath despite the stabbing pain in his chest. "He's strong. Doubt you can take him on your own."

"You're injured, severely," she stressed, "you probably have internal bleeding - "

" - I ain't done until that son of a bitch is six feet under," Izuku snapped, "besides, I just needed to catch my breath, I still got a few good swings in. I'll make them count."

Melissa sighed. "Why are all you muscle heads so damn stubborn?" She powered up her Quirk. "Alright, I'll try and keep his attention, if you think you can end this, then end it."

Izuku brought his bat up, staggering a bit as he did. "Don't have much choice, you can count on me." He shot off, leaving a small crater where he pushed off.

Overhaul snarled as he brought his hand down once more, sending a rippling wave of destruction at Izuku, who roared as he brought his bat forward. The impact carved a path straight through the wave as he continued running, sliding under spikes and pillars once more; only, this time a blur of lightning was streaking beside him, bringing her leg around in a biting roundhouse and flattening the way once more.

"Keep going! I got you covered!" she shouted, streaking off as more spikes and rebar chased after her.

Izuku didn't respond, just scowling as he forced the heat in his chest to burn as hot as he could manage, steam poured off his body as he got faster and faster, pouring every last bit of energy he had into one final hit.

Kai watched in shock as the last of his defenses shattered. It processed in slow motion, and only had time to feel his eyes widening as he watched Metal Bat charge at him, green eyes burning with righteous anger, wind buffeting around him as he swung his bat.

He's - he's a monster - Overhaul thought, a split second before the bat slammed into his side, sending him flying with a mighty CRACK! through the remainder of a crumbled building, sending smoke, rubble and debris flying into the sky from the impact.

Izuku took a few deep breaths, steadying himself as the roaring died in his ears. Melissa slid to a stop beside him, breathing a little unevenly. Scratches and scrapes littered her uniform.

"Glad we didn't have to draw that out." The Hero In Training huffed, dusting her hands off on herself.

"Heh, yeah…" Izuku muttered, staggering back a bit, before crumpling.

"Hey…hey, hey!" Melissa yelped, quickly rushing to his side, "Hey, stay with me!"

"Not going anywhere…" Izuku slurred, trying to keep his eyes open and in focus, his bat rolling out of his hand, "...fuck, I'm tired…"

"Stay awake, damn it," Melissa ordered as she began to truly check him over. He was practically bare chested from the amount of injuries he had sustained, so it took her no time to find to her horror that both of his arms were broken in several places. His chest was bumpy and uneven from multiple rib fractures, the skin on his abdomen discolored from internal bleeding, and his legs also had signs of breaks in them.

And yet he was still conscious, glaring defiantly at the sky since he couldn't seem to focus on her. His hand was limply feeling about for his bat, and he was already trying to stand back up.

"Okay, now you need to stay down!" Melissa commanded, exasperated at the boy in front of her."

"Eri-"

"She's safe! Don't worry about her right now! You're way too injured to be moving!"

"That ain't stopped me yet," he wheezed, but stopped moving around, "...need to get back to her."

"We'll get there, but right now, we need to treat your wounds as best we can," she said worriedly, pulling a med pack out and doing her best to set his broken arms and legs.

BOOM!

"OI BLONDIE! YOU DEAD!?"

Melissa sighed in exasperation as she glared at Bakugo Katsuki as he blasted onto the scene, already glancing about ready for a fight. "I'm fine, but Metal Bat needs a medic!"

Bakugo growled as he began going for his phone.

"I already contacted them!" Shoto called as he approached, "ETA ten minutes, they're busy with other fights downtown, Death Arms was attacked from behind by his own sidekicks."

"Scum," Bakugo scoffed as he looked down at Metal Bat, his eyes going distant, "Stupid, shitty Deku." He growled out, making Izuku pick his head up just a bit, dull green eyes gaining just a bit more life in them. "You know the old hag's been worried sick about you? I outta throttle you now!"

"Fuck off, Katsuki," Izuku scoffed tiredly, making Bakugo stiffen a bit, "I'm in no mood for your tantrums."

"What the fuck did you just say to me?!" He snarled, hands crackling.

"You fuckin heard me," Izuku spat, once again trying to push himself up, shrugging off Melissa as he got his feet under him, unsteady but up. "What, should I be kissing your ass because you sent help for the first time in your life?"

"You sent Jirou?" Todoroki asked in surprise, looking at Bakugo, who growled low in the back of his throat.

"I gave her a tip, just a damn hunch, didn't know if he'd actually be at Old Mick's."

"I wasn't," Izuku grumbled, dragging his bat behind him as he staggered past Bakugo without looking at the boy, leaving him standing there with an angry look. "Jirou was lucky she ran into me at the old projects. Old Mick's got burned to the ground a day after the police station went up."

"All the Yakuza," Melissa said bitterly, hovering over Izuku as the boy stopped by a sign, leaning heavily against it, "Todoroki, go secure Overhaul. He's… in, that building over there."

"Your work, I presume?" Todoroki muttered, turning to walk away.

"Actually, you can thank Metal Bat for that particular crater."

Melissa's comment had Todoroki pausing in his stride. "Excuse me?"

"No damn way!" Bakugo spat, "he's Quirkless!"

"Still am," Izuku bit out, "don't know what the hell's going on anymore."

"The fuck does that mean, Deku?" Bakugo snapped, his eyes widening a bit when the boy whirled around on him, tearing the sign he'd been gripping out of the ground.

"I mean, I don't fucking know!" Izuku shouted, a tad hysterical as he threw the pole down. "One second, I'm minding my fucking business trying to get my clothes washed, next thing I know, I'm being throttled by Yakuza hitmen! You think I fucking questioned my newfound strength after that? You think that first swing that put a man through two buildings didn't scare the ever-loving shit out of me? I didn't have that fucking luxury, Katsuki, I had a little girl to fucking protect! I cracked, she was done for! I relaxed for a second at that police precinct and the Yakuza BURNED IT TO THE GROUND! All to try and get at me and that little girl! All because I listened to the police that they would protect me, that Smile Man and Verdant showing up meant the Heroes would protect me. Instead, I watched as those two 'Heroes' killed their friends! Officers they'd known for fucking years! And for what? A Yakuza payout?"

"Midoriya - " Melissa tried to interrupt, reaching out to him, but Izuku lurched away from her.

"Don't!" He spat, swaying a bit, chest heaving. It hurt to stand, it hurt to scream, but he had let this sit for too long. "Don't fucking try. I don't need to hear how 'everything will be alright', cause it ain't. You know how many people died that night? Or every other night until now? You know how many people I had to kill?" He stumbled and fell back against a large slab of concrete. The three teens tried to rush to his aid, but jumped back when he swiped his bat at them, a small gust of wind kicking up from the warning. "Keep your hands off me," he hissed, his arm falling limply to his side; they could almost see the energy slowly bleeding out of him. "God damn it," he swore, raising a shaky hand to hold his head. He was dimly aware of an ambulance riding up. "Kirishima was carried further down the street by a civilian, somewhere that way." He vaguely gestured down the road, not looking at any of them, just glaring down at the asphalt. "He's pretty roughed up, he'll need a hospital too."

He didn't say anything after that. He just kept his gaze averted as the paramedics checked him over before loading him into the ambulance. Kirishima was brought in a few moments later. The amateur reporter who had dragged him two blocks away was watching them, her phone clutched tightly in her hands as she took more pictures of Todoroki and Bakugo restraining the nearby injured Yakuza, of Uravity and Froppy appearing with their own arrestees and bringing with them several police cruisers. Uniformed cops and detectives quickly took control of the scene and sent the teens to UA, where all nearby injured were being taken.

Still, Izuku didn't talk; not when they pulled into the high-school of his former dreams, not when he caught All-Might staring at him in shock from an office doorway, not even when Eri slammed into his injured chest, content to never move from his protective embrace.

He didn't talk. He didn't need to.