MY HERO ACADEMIA DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. BEN 10 DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. I SUCCEEDED IN MY NEFARIOUS PLAN, AND THE CHICKENS CAN'T DEFEAT ME THIS TIME!

Something comes to mind as I write this: how the heck could Japan afford a stadium-sized multi-terrain testing ground that they have to blow up every year? The building costs alone must total a small fortune, not to mention insurance premiums. Then again, I'm sure superhero insurance is a thing in any universe that has them.

My Alien Academia

Chapter 36

What Really Matters

For a brief instant, Midoriya wondered if the test had been interrupted by a Villain attack. After the USJ incident and the summer camp, he was understandably a little paranoid, and he wasn't the only one. The battle against All For One had put even the older students from other schools on edge.

"Just a reminder, this is part of the test," Mera said, "but don't get complacent. The scenario is as follows: Villains have set off explosives in several areas. The Heroes must coordinate search-and-rescue efforts, apply first aid where necessary, and bring all civilians to the evacuation center." A green square appeared on the screen showing the overhead view of the testing grounds. "Keep in mind, the people you're rescuing are real; not robots or dummies. They are specially trained to mimic injuries and trauma, but if you make a mistake, they'll break character to tell you what you're doing wrong. Each of you will start with one hundred points; for every mistake you make, you will be docked a percentage of your points. Fall below fifty, and you'll fail the exam. You have five minutes to coordinate with each other, starting… now!"

"We need to split up again," Midoriya said, his mind whirling as he recalled his classmates' Quirks and talents. "One person with sensory-based abilities per team, and one with strength to move debris. Everyone else will have to fill in as needed."

"He's right." Yaoyorozu frowned as other ideas came to mind. "Some of us will be more useful at the evacuation center, either to protect it, provide first aid, or coordinate with other teams."

Yaoyorozu ended up as one of those staying behind, along with students from other schools who either had healing Quirks, or were good strategists. She was also useful because she could make almost anything an injured person might need. However, she created several small communicators for each UA team leader, to make coordination easier. Aoyama and Mineta stayed behind as extra hands and guards, while Iida volunteered to be a messenger between the UA teams and those from other schools.

Midoriya had Uraraka on his team, along with Hagakure and Koda; the four of them headed towards the urban setting, which now looked more like a warzone. Bakugo headed to the mountain replica with Kirishima, and a reluctant Ashido and Sero.

"It's just like the Sports Festival," Ashido muttered.

Kirishima nodded. "Yeah, but Bakugo's chilled out since then."

"Hurry the fuck up!" Bakugo shouted. "I'm not losing because you slackers took your sweet-ass time!"

Sero raised an eyebrow at Kirishima. "You were saying?"

"Okay, he's chilled out a little."

Todoroki, along with Asui, Tokoyami and Shoji, headed for what used to be a calm river, but the bombs had ruined the dam, turning it into flooded rapids. Their hope was that any part Todoroki couldn't completely freeze could at least be calmed down enough for Asui to search the water safely.

The last team, made up of Kaminari, Jiro, Sato and Ojiro, headed to the industrial zone. Their plan was to use Kaminari as a shield against any damaged electrical equipment that had become dangerous, while Jiro directed the other two to rescue anyone trapped.

"Good luck, everyone," Deku said into his comms. "Don't forget, we're not competing against the other schools anymore. Call for help if you need it."

"Roger that," Triumph said curtly.

"I read you loud and clear, Vice Prez," Earphone Jack said.

"I don't need any fucking—" Ground Zero's voice abruptly cut out, and they could hear scuffling and distant swearing for a moment.

"We got it," Red Riot said after a few seconds, and then set his earpiece to receive before Ground Zero went into a colorful tirade.

The urban setting was even worse up close. Not a single window was intact, and every building either leaned precariously, or had collapsed into rubble. Deku hardly knew where to start; he had seen videos of All Might saving everyone on a street, or in a building, but this represented an entire city!

"We…" Deku took a deep, steadying breath. "We need a better idea of what we're looking at. Anima, can you call some birds for us? Uravity, you should also get in the air, just in case; you can rescue anyone trapped on a rooftop or high window."

With a nod, Uravity used her Quirk on herself, deployed her wings, and took off. Anima called out, and several dozen birds of various species flew in; he took a moment to explain to them what he wanted, and then they scattered.

"We'll stay on the ground," Deku said to Invisible Girl. "I'll turn into Wildmutt and try to pick up the scent of blood; if they really want to make this realistic, they'll have something like that."

Invisible Girl hadn't activated her costume yet, so Deku could see her collar move forward—an exaggerated nod. "Sure thing!"

It didn't take long for Deku's hunch to be proven correct; Wildmutt picked up something that smelled like blood, though its synthetic quality made it smell like liquid rubber had been mixed in. He located the source and tried to call out for the 'victim'; instead, he let out a series of growls and barks.

"W-what's that!?" a young-sounding voice cried out. "Is some animal coming to eat me!?"

"Maybe I should do this part," Invisible Girl offered, and carefully climbed through a broken window. "Hang on, we're coming to get you!"

Wildmutt waited impatiently outside, until he heard her call out again. "Deku, I could use some light in here!"

Wildmutt turned into Buzzshock and flew after her. "Do you need to get behind me? Your shadows might throw off any light I make."

"Nah, I don't cast a shadow," Invisible Girl said helpfully. "Light just passes through me."

With that settled, Buzzshock created a small orb of electricity over his head; the light was enough to let them see what looked like a small boy, his leg pinned under several chunks of concrete, and blood dripping down the side of his head.

"M-my head hurts," the 'boy' whimpered. "And I don't know where my daddy is!"

Okay, think; the kid is injured, but there could be someone else trapped as well. Do we split up after rescuing him, or—

"Hey!" The 'boy' now had the voice of a grown man. "Don't just stop and think! You need to prioritize, and act. If there's an injured child, and you can't see anyone else, you rescue the child! You can't be sure if there's a parent nearby, especially if the kid has a head injury! You don't have time to worry about anything except what's right in front of you! If you try to act on something while thinking about something else, there's a good chance you'll fail at both."

Buzzshock flinched from the tongue-lashing, but he knew it was deserved; he still hadn't shaken his habit of analyzing everything. What mattered, however, was right in front of him—a hurt child.

"Okay, here's what's going to happen," he said. "I'll turn into Four Arms and hold up the debris. Invisible Girl, you pull him free and get outside. I'll try to keep everything from collapsing, but if it does, I can turn into Ghostfreak, so I'll be fine."

"Got it, boss!" There was a rustle of clothing near the 'victim', and some of his hair brushed aside, seemingly on its own. "You're going to be okay."

Four Arms' bulk made it a tight fit, but he was able to get two hands under the debris. He slowly lifted the rubble, careful to not cause more to rain down; as soon as the 'boy' was no longer trapped, Invisible Girl lifted him into her arms. She kept him as steady as possible to not jostle either of his injuries.

"Okay, we're clear!" she called out.

Four Arms turned into Ghostfreak and flew out, immune to the fist-sized chunks of concrete that rained down and through him.

"One down," Deku said as he turned back to normal. "Let's get him to the evacuation site, and then we can look for more."

"You can drop him off faster with XLR8," Invisible Girl said. "I can work with Uravity and Anima while you're gone."

"Good point." Deku took out his communicator and handed it to her. "Take this, just in case."

"Ew, gross, this was in your ear!" Invisible Girl laughed, and then the earpiece vanished behind her invisible hair. "Just messing with you. Good luck, Deku!"

Mera nodded to himself; the students had reacted remarkably well to the second part of the exam. All Might's retirement may have shaken the current generation of Heroes, but the up-and-coming generation seemed to have taken it as a challenge. They were determined to make sure that everything All Might had built would not crumble on their watch.

Of course, determination only got you so far. The HPSC needed to know that the Heroes society would be putting its faith in wouldn't freeze in the face of a true threat. Short of actually unleashing Villains on them, this next step was the best they could do in controlled conditions.

"You're up," he said into his phone. "Make it look good."

It took XLR8 only a minute to return to the evacuation site, where he handed the 'victim' over to a student from another school.

"Injuries?" The girl, who was probably at least a year older than Deku, was all-business.

"Head trauma, and possible sprains in his legs." Normally, Midoriya would have had a problem speaking to a stranger, especially a girl, but he was treating this test like it was real. He couldn't afford to stutter here.

The other student examined the actor. Even if he didn't really have any injuries, she pretended that he did. "Okay, looks like a minor concussion and scalp laceration, but his legs seem to only have some bad bruises. I'll patch him up, don't worry."

"Thanks." Just before XLR8 was about to leave, he was nearly bowled over by another explosion, this one much closer than before. "Oh, what now!?"

His question was answered by Mera over the speakers. "The Villains have attacked again! They're heading for the evacuation site. However, there are still civilians trapped; can you save those who need to be saved, protect those who need to be protected, and stop the Villains at the same time? Real Heroes can."

Out of the smoke strode a massive figure; Mount Lady, at more than sixty feet tall, put her hands on her hips.

"Well, well, well," she boomed. "Looks like a bunch of easy prey, huh, Orca?"

A humanoid orca in a suit brushed some dust off his sleeve. "Indeed. Let's see how these Heroes can stand against us, if they can at all. Minions, attack!"

Dozens of people in skintight black outfits and arm-mounted cannons swarmed around the 'Villains'. These were Gang Orca's Sidekicks, all roped into playing the part of lesser criminals; what the students didn't know, what they would never know, was that the Sidekicks had spent a good twenty minutes giggling uncontrollably when they'd been presented with their temporary costumes. They had only gotten serious when Gang Orca threatened to cut their pay for a week.

Deku froze for less than a second—not out of fear, but because he was furiously thinking of what to do. We need combat specialists to hold them off, while everyone else focuses on rescue.

"Genesis!" he shouted, but his friend was already sprinting towards him.

"What do you need?" she asked.

"Spread the word that we need the heaviest hitters to hold the line, and we need them now. I'll buy as much time as I can until reinforcements arrive."

This was bringing up dark memories of his fight with Muscular and Chimera. The last time he had gone up against two close-combat specialists, it hadn't gone well for him; a small part of him wondered if they had based this part of the test off his encounter.

"Be careful," Genesis said. "I'll start working on defenses here, in case some slip past you."

She didn't think Deku was incapable, but he couldn't be everywhere at once, and it wasn't fair to assume that he could do everything. She wished that she could be out there on the front lines with him, but she knew that she was better suited to fighting defensively and coordinating efforts.

Deku nodded, then turned into Jetray and flew off, but Genesis had stopped paying attention to him. She was busy speaking into her communicator, while she also created a collection of mines that she handed out to students from other schools, who wordlessly began spreading them out around the evacuation site. A single stretch was left open, to allow other students to continue bringing in their 'victims'.

Once the minefield was complete, Genesis allowed herself a few moments to rest and ate a high-calorie protein bar. She had done all she could, and now could only hope that reinforcements reached Midoriya in time.

Mount Lady was relatively new on the Pro Hero scene, but she had spent years training to compensate for her Quirk's weaknesses. Intellectually, Jetray knew that, but it was another thing entirely to actually deal with it. With his incredible speed, and the general slowness that came with most Gigantification Quirks, he had thought he could easily outmaneuver Mount Lady, while staying safely out of reach of Gang Orca.

That opinion quickly changed when he just barely avoided Mount Lady's fist, and the air pressure from the blow sent him flying awkwardly back.

"Nice try," Mount Lady said with a sneer. "You think you're the first person to think that they could beat me by being faster? I've trained to deal with quick ones like you!"

Jetray idly wondered if Ben would have made some clever quip. He probably would; so would Hawks, or All Might. Maybe, one day, Midoriya would be confident enough to fight verbally as well as physically, but at that moment, he wasn't. He remained in character for the situation, which included injured civilians, and fellow Heroes trying to save them. If the small army of Villains got past him, people could be hurt, including his friends.

Fine, let's try something else!

In a flash of green light, Humungousaur appeared, and roared as he grew to his maximum size. He was still a little shorter than Mount Lady, but where she had height, he definitely had mass; his fist collided with her gut, sending her skidding back and creating deep furrows in the ground. When some of Gang Orca's men tried to get around him, his enormous tail swept out, taking down almost half in a single blow.

"The only way past is by beating me," he growled, his deep voice rattling the bones of those closest. "And more Heroes will be here any minute. Surrender while you can, or I'm afraid you're going to get hurt."

"Impressive resolve," Gang Orca said. His arms were crossed, and he seemed unimpressed; then again, his features were so far from human that it was impossible to tell for sure. "However, you will need more than that to defeat us."

"That's why I'm also going to punch you." Humungousaur tried just that, but Gang Orca nimbly leaped over his hand, and then ran up his arm.

Rather than punch or kick Humungousaur, Gang Orca took a deep breath. Deku's encyclopedic knowledge of Heroes kicked in, and he had half a second to realize what Gang Orca was going to do before it happened. Gang Orca unleashed a high-pitched blast of echolocation right into his ear, and for a moment, it actually felt like a bomb had gone off in his head. He roared in pain and fell to his knees; his vision went white from the agony, so he didn't see Mount Lady's fist until it slammed into his jaw, and he felt something crack.

Instinctively, Deku turned into Swampfire to heal his injuries before they became debilitating. It also came with the advantage of becoming a smaller target for Mount Lady, who had to catch Gang Orca before he hit the ground. They and the closest of Gang Orca's minions backed off when Swampfire hurled several fireballs at them; they weren't very strong, but few people could stand still and just let someone throw fire at them.

Swampfire used the brief pause to take stock of his surroundings; there were too many Villains for him to keep contained, and some were already getting around him. He needed backup, or the defenses around the evacuation site would be tested sooner than expected.

"Deku, move!"

Swampfire threw himself to the side, just in time to avoid a barrage of ice from behind. Mount Lady shattered it with a single punch, but it bought a few more precious seconds. Triumph melted the ice around his right side as he calmly walked forward.

"Ribbit, are you okay, Deku?" Froppy asked as she hopped up to him.

"I'm fine." Swampfire hesitated. "Um, no offense, but are you sure you can handle this fight?"

Froppy's face remained blank. "Actually, I came because I had to carry Triumph, but I'm not going to leave you guys behind. We should have more backup any second now."

"Thanks." Swampfire cracked his knuckles. "I'll take Mount Lady, and try to keep the minions back. Froppy, you take down anyone who gets past me. Triumph, you need to pin down Gang Orca. He doesn't do well against heat; oh, and don't let him get close."

Flames erupted from Triumph's left side. "Understood."

"Got it, ribbit."

"Go!" The Omnitrix dial twisted, and the four spikes emerged. "ULTIMATE SWAMPFIRE!"

Where Swampfire had stood tall and proud, his Ultimate form was hunched, and almost looked grumpy. Instead of green, his body was a grey wood-like substance, dotted with clusters of blue, with a much larger blue orb on his back, and another containing his face. Strangely, he didn't smell as bad as before, though no one was complaining.

Triumph and Ultimate Swampfire attacked at almost the same time, but while the former's flames remained the same, the latter's had shifted to a deep blue. The fire, condensed almost to a beam, slammed into Mount Lady's side, and she fell back; Ultimate Swampfire had held back, but Mount Lady was still left with an ugly burn from her hip to her sternum.

"Ouch!" Mount Lady hissed in pain as she glared at her attacker. "Took the kid gloves off, huh?"

Ultimate Swampfire gave her a cocky smile; not necessarily because he felt overconfident, but because Midoriya had done his research on such a popular up-and-coming Hero. Mount Lady didn't like being taunted in any way, and it caused her to lash out when she shouldn't.

The young woman growled and brought up her leg for an axe-kick. Ultimate Swampfire jumped back as the leg came down, but reached up and grabbed some blue goop from the shell on his back. He tossed the sludge at where he'd been seconds earlier, and just as Mount Lady's foot was about to impact, he threw some fire at the spot. The goop exploded with the force of a bomb, sending Mount Lady staggering back with another burn on her heel.

"Minions!" Gang Orca shouted as he put debris between him and Triumph's fire. "Focus your attacks on Deku!"

Ultimate Swampfire had about two seconds to be giddy that a Top Ten Hero knew his name, and was then distracted by a horde of very angry pretend-Villains. He used a very weak stream of fire to keep them from getting close, but he had to keep one eye on Mount Lady, and didn't aim as well as he normally would have.

Two men got around the fire and aimed their arm-guns at him, but one was smacked in the face by Froppy's tongue, and the other was taken down by a kick that had all the proportional strength of a frog behind it.

"Thanks," he said.

"No problem, ribbit, but there are a lot of them." Froppy backed off from the heat of the flames. "We might need backup."

As if the universe heard her, a massive gust of wind bowled over most of the minions with enough force to knock them out. Ultimate Swampfire and Froppy heard booming laughter, and looked up to see Yoarashi hovering above them, carried by his own wind. His costume was a bulky outfit of browns and black, with a long cape and an enormous glove over one hand, with his Shiketsu hat planted firmly on his head.

"You need help down there?" he called. "Don't worry, Gale Force is ready for action!"

It took all of Froppy's considerable self-control not to jump twenty feet into the air when Virtus skidded to a stop right next to her. "One of the Shiketsu students told me that Gale Force was one of the best for such a situation, and after I found him, I decided to follow and offer what assistance I could."

Ultimate Swampfire nodded, then looked up at Gale Force. "Can you help Triumph deal with Gang Orca? I can handle Mount Lady!"

Gale Force gave him a thumbs-up, but then frowned when some of the minions got to their feet. "What about them?"

Froppy waved to get his attention. "Virtus and I can clean up, you guys handle the big threats!"

Gale Force grinned and gave her a two-fingered salute. "You got it!"

Virtus' engines flared. "Let's go, Froppy!"

"Ribbit." Froppy's tongue waved like a cobra about to strike.

Ultimate Swampfire took a moment to appreciate his friends having his back, and then turned to focus on Mount Lady. "Time to give up, don't you think?"

Mount Lady laughed. "Ha! You think a few burns are enough to stop me? I got put through way worse when I was training at your age!" She scooped up several chunks of concrete, each the size of a person. "I hope you dodge these, kid, because it's gonna hurt otherwise!"

Just as the makeshift projectiles left her hands, they were shattered by bursts of blue fire, and she was peppered by superheated shrapnel.

"Funny," Ultimate Swampfire said, "I was going to say the same to you."

Triumph knew that if this had been a real fight, he would have lost. Gang Orca might have had a weakness to extreme heat, but he'd been a Pro Hero for years, and had probably dealt with Villains with Quirks that were a poor matchup for him more times than he could count. As it was, Gang Orca had to hold back enough to give him a chance, though it didn't feel like it; every time Triumph came close to actually hitting the Pro with his flames, he would have to create a small barrier of ice, or otherwise dive out of the way when Gang Orca hurled a chunk of debris at him with the force of a small meteor.

Orcas are pretty much all muscle, Triumph thought to himself. Of course this guy would have that same kind of strength.

He fired another jet of flame, but when it faded, he found that Gang Orca was nowhere to be seen. The only warning Triumph had that his opponent had used the fire to block his vision was when he saw Gang Orca's fist heading right at his face.

This is going to hurt.

Fortunately for him, he was saved at the last second; a small tornado literally snatched him out of harm's way and carried him into the air, where Gale Force was already hovering.

"Hey, Todoroki," the other student said. "You having a tough time with this guy?"

Triumph nodded his thanks. "Yeah, he's more nimble than he looks, and he's strong. If we let him get close, we're done." He suddenly had an idea. "Hey, how good is your control over your Quirk?"

Gale Force grinned. "If you need me to do something, I'd bet I could."

Triumph smirked. "We're going to catch a whale."

Down on the ground, Gang Orca watched the two students warily. Todoroki was already proving to be a challenge, and I read the file on Yoarashi. Both of those boys could easily make it into the Top 10 once they graduate. Honestly, I'd probably have a hard time fighting both of them, even if I wasn't told to hold back. Still, I'm curious to see how they'll deal with me.

He got his answer soon enough. Gale Force created a thin twister around him, while Triumph fed a stream of fire into a channel of wind that led into the twister. Rather than a focused blast of fire, it spread out among the tornado, turning the air hot and dry. In seconds, Gang Orca felt his skin lose all moisture, and it became harder to breathe. He took a water bottle from his belt and emptied the contents on his head, but it did little to stave off the inevitable.

Like him, the students were holding back. Had they put more power into this move, Gang Orca very well might have died. As it was, he knew he would be feeling miserable for days. Thankfully, his torment ended with the sound of a buzzer.

"Okay, kids, time's up! Pack it in and get changed, you'll be receiving your final scores shortly."

The heat-twister died out, and Gang Orca took several gulps of air. His eyes were closed, so he was surprised when he was struck by two large streams of water that soothed his dry skin.

"Sorry, sir!" Water Hazard shrugged apologetically. "I knew that heat was your weakness, so that was why I sent Triumph after you, but I also know that water helps you recover faster."

Gang Orca blinked; he hadn't expected such kindness from Midoriya, though his file had suggested a generosity of spirit. He was also pleasantly surprised to see Triumph and Gale Force giving rudimentary aid to Mount Lady; Triumph created a fine mist of ice, which Gale Force moved to cover her burns. Not too far away, Virtus and Froppy were helping some of Gang Orca's Sidekicks to their feet.

Gang Orca wasn't one for sentiment, but if these children were any indication, then the next generation of Heroes would be a good one.

Once Class 1-A got changed into their school uniforms, they joined the other students in front of the podium. There, Mera and a small group of men in suits were waiting.

"First of all, I want to say that all of you performed well, even if you didn't pass," Mera said. "You one hundred students have bright futures ahead of you, but for some, those futures will be here a little sooner." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the screen behind him. "If the screen shows your name, that means you passed. I'll give you a few minutes to check."

Midoriya's eyes were glued to the screen, and he barely even felt Uraraka's metal hand slip into his left and squeeze. All around him, students muttered prayers as they searched for their names.

And then he saw it. For one, glorious moment, it felt like the world was full of light as he saw his name on the screen.

"Deku-kun," Uraraka whispered. "I passed!"

Midoriya's vision was blurry from tears as he looked at her. "M-me too!"

Sero grabbed his shoulder. "We all passed!"

It wasn't just the Rising Stars who had passed; in fact, out of the hundred students, eighty-seven names were on the screen.

Asui hugged Sero's arm. "Ribbit, I think our whole class passed."

Kirishima coughed to get their attention. "Actually, one of us didn't."

Bakugo, the only Class 1-A student not on the screen, looked like he was about three seconds away from committing homicide. "What. The. Fuck!"

"Now, you'll be getting a review of your performance during the test," Mera continued. "If you failed, you'll see why."

Midoriya held out his hand for the paper an HPSC employee gave him. He and his friends went from being about to celebrate to completely focused on their scores. Midoriya felt a surge of pride when he saw that he had ninety points remaining; he had been docked ten points for his brief hesitation, but had been commended for his good planning and leadership skills. Midoriya had never seen himself as a leader before, but maybe he was better than he gave himself credit for.

His friends had also done well. The lowest score belonged to Ashido at seventy; she had lost a good chunk of points while melting away some debris, but had accidentally triggered a collapse that would have landed on one of the civilians, had Sero not caught it with his tape in time. Yaoyorozu managed to not only get the highest score of UA students, but also the highest score of the entire test with ninety-four points. She had shown exemplary leadership while organizing the evacuation zone, had remained calm under pressure, and had even helped prepare defenses, though they hadn't been needed.

Bakugo had failed with forty-nine points; he hadn't done much in the way of rescuing, mostly barking orders at his team, and when some civilians had asked for his help, he had just insulted them and told them to save themselves. Kirishima's insistence that Bakugo had changed for the better hadn't done anything to sway the judges.

"Now, for those of you who didn't pass…" Mera's eyes drooped, and he shook himself awake. "You have two choices. You can wallow in self-pity and try again next year… or you can take the make-up exam. If you take the second option, you'll have to take a special course, on top of your regular classes, and if your grades slip, you'll be pulled from that course and forced to wait for the next exam."

Bakugo crossed his arms. "You won't scare me off that easily! I'm taking that course, and I'm getting my damn license!"

The other students who'd failed echoed his sentiment; they hadn't come so far just to wait another year, especially the third-year students who wouldn't have another chance anyway. If Mera was expecting anything else, he didn't show it, and only nodded once.

"That's what I thought. Anyway, for those of you who passed, you'll receive your Provisional Licenses before you leave. Keep in mind that these are provisional; you will be allowed to respond to emergencies that happen in front of you, such as assisting in accidents or stopping petty crime. If an actual Villain attack happens, your job will be to help civilians to safety, and to only fight if you have no other options. If a fully-licensed Hero is on the scene, you will follow their instructions to the letter, as if you were a Sidekick." Mera sighed. "There are other rules and regulations that you'll have to follow, but your teachers will cover the details, if they haven't already. Also, if you think that these licenses will give you permission to go out on patrol or act like the real deal, you're sorely mistaken; we can take these licenses away faster than you can blink, so don't mess up."

Midoriya nodded to himself; he had studied Hero regulations for years, even before he got into UA. The authority granted by a Provisional License was extremely limited, but it was one step below Sidekick, and then full-fledged Hero. He glanced down at the Omnitrix and thought back to his first real friend.

I'm almost there, Ben, he thought. Just you wait. I will be a Hero!

A universe away, Ben Tennyson sat in his favorite chair and took a long drink from his smoothie. It had been a long day in the Watchtower, using Grey Matter to coordinate the entire Justice League, and even his super-intelligent brain had been close to fried by the time his shift had ended.

"How does Mister Terrific do this all the time?" he asked himself. "If we actually got paid for this, I'd ask for a raise."

"Honey, we're rich," Kara called out from upstairs. "We don't need to get paid."

Ben silently grumbled about aliens with super-hearing. "It's the principle of the thing!"

Kara laughed, and Ben grumbled some more. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when he felt his phone vibrate; he pulled it out of his pocket, and saw that Midoriya had sent him something.

"I didn't know he could text me using the Omnitrix," he muttered as he opened his phone. A moment later, he smiled. "Hey, Kara! Come see what Izuku sent me!"

Kara floated down the stairs and over to him. "Did he get kidnapped again?"

"No, but twice in less than two months would be impressive." Ben handed her the phone. "Check it out."

Kara saw that Midoriya had sent a text, followed by a picture, and she smiled.

I wouldn't be here without you. Thank you so much.

The picture looked like a driver's license; it had an ID code, and some of Midoriya's personal information. The image next to it was Midoriya's face, though the smile he tried to give the photographer was wobbly and nervous.

"Provisional License, huh?" Kara rolled her eyes, but her voice was fond. "Does he know that we don't really have context for that here?"

Ben pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "Barely sixteen and already has permission from the government to save the day. I don't think I ever got that back on my old Earth. I'm so proud."

"Seriously, though, he's been through a lot in just a few months." Kara sat on the arm of Ben's chair and put her hand on his shoulder. "Do you really think he's okay?"

Ben thought about it for a moment. "I think he's getting there. That's what matters—that he keeps moving forward."

"Bye, Eraser!" Ms. Joke waved as Aizawa got onto his bus. "I'll send you a time and place!"

Ashido, still riding the high of getting her license, grinned and waggled her eyebrows. "Ooh, what's that about, Aizawa-sensei?"

"Joke is giving me advice on how to deal with nosy students," Aizawa growled. "We're debating how long their detentions should last." He glanced over his shoulder. "You've got five minutes to be on this bus, or we're leaving without you."

Ashido shrugged and went over to her friends. "Midori, have you ever looked relaxed in front of a camera? Candid shots don't count."

Midoriya tried to keep his smile off his face, and failed. "W-well, it's just that this is such a big deal, and I get nervous when I do important things."

Ashido nodded sagely, then grabbed Uraraka and shoved her in his direction. "This is Important Things."

It took Midoriya and Uraraka about one second to realize what she meant; they went redder than anyone had ever seen, and turned into a sputtering mess. Ashido cackled at their embarrassment, and missed her boyfriend get pulled away from the group.

"Is there something you need?" Todoroki asked, once they were far enough away.

"I just…" Yoarashi scratched the back of his head. "I just wanted to apologize. I had a pretty bad view of you as a person, and I was wrong."

Todoroki raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Well, during the test for UA, for recommended students, we raced each other." Yoarashi refused to break eye contact. "Back then, when I saw that look in your eye, you reminded me of all the worst parts of Endeavor."

Todoroki went very still. "I'm nothing like him."

"I kinda figured when I saw you again today." Yoarashi gestured with his chin in the direction of the Rising Stars. "When you were hanging out with those guys, you're happy. I don't think Endeavor is happy around anyone."

"He really isn't." Still, Todoroki thought about how much he had changed since the Sports Festival. He'd gained more friends in one week than he'd had in his entire life; he also had a girlfriend that, even a few months ago, he would have considered completely unsuited for him. "Thanks—for reminding me that I'm better than I was."

Yoarashi smiled. "Anyway, I just wanted to get that off my chest. I hope you become a Hero that fights with as much passion as I do; that'll prove that you're better than Endeavor."

"Uh, sure." Todoroki was certainly better than he used to be, but being openly passionate about anything wasn't his thing, and never would be. "I should get back to my class."

"Yeah, same; I'm the only first-year from Shiketsu, so everyone's gonna lecture me if I step out of line." Yoarashi waved as he ran off. "See ya later, Todoroki!"

Todoroki shook his head as he walked back. "What a weird guy."

Yaoyorozu was the first to spot him coming back. "What was that about?"

"I'm not sure," Todoroki said. "That Yoarashi just needed to get some stuff off his chest, I guess." He glanced at Midoriya and Uraraka. "How much longer are they going to freak out for?"

"If Mina keeps teasing them, they'll never stop." Yaoyorozu sighed. "Please restrain her."

"On it." Todoroki tapped his girlfriend on the shoulder. "Mina."

"Yeah?" As soon as Ashido turned, Todoroki brought his face inches away from hers, waited three seconds, and then winked.

Ashido turned an interesting shade of purple and sputtered gibberish. Todoroki guided her into the bus, while Sero and Asui did the same for Midoriya and Uraraka.

Yaoyorozu sighed and looked at Iida. "Do you think they'll ever stop?"

"Perhaps." Iida smiled. "But it would be extremely strange if it ever did."

"You might be right." Yaoyorozu turned to address the rest of the class. "Everyone on the bus! We're going home."

"Well?" Shigaraki leaned back in his ratty old chair. "Did you get it?"

Toga grinned and held out two plastic vials, each containing a few droplets of blood. One vial was marked with a frog sticker, while the other just had a piece of tape stuck to it. "Yep! We still need blood from that pretty Yaoyorozu girl, right? Then you'll have everything you need?"

"Everything on our end, yeah." Shigaraki carefully took the vials from her. "I'll make sure you get to keep a drop or two. The Doctor only needs one for his project. Once he's done… nothing will be able to stop me."

Tartarus Prison was renowned for being inescapable. Each prisoner was equipped with Quirk-suppressing shackles that could be magnetized together to restrain them, automated turrets were aimed at every cell, and one hundred Heroes specifically trained to guard the prison were on hand to help the regular guards at any given time. If there was an emergency, the entire facility could be covered in retractable tungsten shielding to prevent an invasion or an escape, and any Hero who worked within a hundred miles of Tartarus was required by law to respond to any call for aid from the facility, with the priority superseding any other. There were backups for their backups, and the encryption around their computer systems was better than any other in the country, and possibly the world.

There had never been a successful escape attempt; in fact, no one had ever come close. However, no one was taking chances with the newest prisoner.

All For One sat in his chair, bound and unable to move, connected to dozens of tubes that fed chemicals into his body that kept him alive. If he even attempted to use a Quirk, the machines monitoring his brain would send out a kill-signal, shutting off his life support and clearing the six turrets to riddle him with armor-piercing rounds.

Normally, they would have also put Quirk-suppressing shackles on him, but since no one was quite sure which Quirks had been keeping him alive, they had to resort to a more extreme measure of containment.

"It's still not enough," All Might said from the observation room. He was in his skinny form, but Gran Torino and Sir Nighteye could tell that he was seconds away from transforming.

"If they add any more, it will violate at least three different laws regarding humane treatment of prisoners," Nighteye said.

"When it comes to All For One, there's no such thing as too many safeguards."

"Gotta agree with Toshinori on this one." Gran Torino crossed his arms. "The bastard is too crafty to take any chances."

Nighteye conceded the point with a nod. "Are you sure you want to go down there, All Might? There is every possibility that he is expecting you."

"I'd be surprised if he wasn't, but I have to try this." All Might sighed. "Even if I can't get any details from him, maybe he'll say something useful." He paused; what he was about to say might well break the fragile friendship he'd rebuilt with his former Sidekick. "If you want to be absolutely sure that this isn't a trap, you could use your Quirk on me."

Nighteye stared at him, composure forgotten. "Considering the last time I did that, are you sure?"

"If you see a danger, I promise that I won't even try going down there." All Might was certain that he would be fine, though. He's already foreseen my death, and if it was today, he'd never be so calm.

"Very well. It would put my mind at ease, if nothing else." Nighteye put his hand on All Might's shoulder and looked him in the eye to activate his Quirk. Three seconds later, it was over. "I did not see any risk to you or this facility during the ten minutes they will give you."

All Might smiled grimly. "Thank you, Mirai."

Nighteye blinked; the last time All Might had called him by his real name had been before they'd fallen out. He would deny it forever, but for a moment, it felt like old times.

Even if All Might is fated to die early, I know that we will have mended that fence. When that dark day comes, perhaps we will part without regrets.

"Good to see you again, All Might." All For One grinned behind his breath mask. "Have you come to gloat? We are both crippled, yes, but I am the one who cannot even scratch my nose without risk of being shot."

"And you're locked up forever," All Might pointed out; he had transformed just before entering the cell. He was ready for a fight, even with the safeguards and a foot-thick wall of bulletproof glass separating them.

"If it helps you sleep at night to think that, go right ahead. I speak from experience when I say that a peaceful night's rest does wonders for one's health." All For One shrugged, and the turrets whirred as they tracked his every motion. "Now, why have you come here? Surely it's not to inquire about my health."

All Might scowled. "Shigaraki. I want to know where he is, and what he's planning."

"Please, I spent years teaching that boy to be independent; in fact, I explicitly told him to never tell me about his future plans."

"Don't try to fool me. Shigaraki was your successor, and you'd want to make sure that he'd succeed in whatever sick plans you gave him."

"Quite the opposite, actually. I merely asked what Shigaraki wanted, and then I taught him what he needed in order to make his own dreams a reality."

All Might leaned forward. "Where. Is. He?"

"I don't know. He could be lying low on the other side of the planet, or he could be hiding in the sewers of Tokyo. Personally, I like the idea that he has an underwater base off the coast of China; I considered doing something similar after our fight six years ago, but it's so hard to get good ramen at the bottom of the sea."

All Might stood up. "You have three seconds to tell me something useful, or I'm leaving you to wallow in solitude for the rest of your unnatural life."

All For One sighed. "You really should lighten up, All Might. Shigaraki is no longer your concern, but that of your own successor—Togata Mirio, yes? They are destined to clash, just as you and I were." All Might took a step backward. "Oh, very well; you've humored me by providing me with human interaction, so I will tell you something."

All Might sat down. "Talk."

"I don't know Shigaraki's location, or his plans, but I can tell you what he wants. Even better, I'll warn you how easy it is for him to achieve his goal, because I know that you cannot do anything about it, and that is worse than letting you stew in ignorance.

"When I found Shigaraki, he had nothing—no family, no home, and no one who even bothered to help him. Everyone ignored him as they passed him on the street, because they were certain that a Hero would take care of it for them. Why bother standing up for yourself when you have guardians to keep you in complacency? Did you know that more people are apathetic towards civil issues than at any other point since the Black Plague? It's honestly quite fascinating. After all, why care about something when someone else not only can do it for you, they constantly spout drivel about not needing to worry, because they will handle things?"

"You're babbling," All Might growled. "Get to the point."

"My apologies, where was I? Ah, yes; Shigaraki needed someone to take care of him, so I did. Granted, knowing that he was Shimura Nana's grandson was a factor, but I didn't point him in the direction of crime. All I ever asked was what he wanted to do. His answer was that he wanted to make a world where there were no Heroes; if you cannot rely on others, you will be forced to stand up for yourself, and if you do not need outside help, then Heroes will not need to exist." All For One grinned. "And once there are no Heroes, Shigaraki will have no one to stand in his way as he becomes king from the darkness. Whether he will be content to rule only Japan from the shadows, or spread his reach to the entire world is entirely up to him."

What All For One could see in his enemy's face was more rewarding than if he'd killed All Might all those years ago. He had tried to remain composed during that speech, but All For One could see his fear. All Might dreaded the return to that age of chaos and anarchy, before the rise of Heroes. Back then, All For One's reach was almost without limit, and his successor wanted to become that same kind of monster.

"It won't happen," All Might said. "Even if I can't stop Shigaraki, young Togata has power beyond even what I was capable of in my prime. More than that, he won't be as foolish as I was when we fought; he will bring the light of every other Hero together, and they will burn away that darkness!"

All For One chuckled. "If you want to believe that, then by all means. Your arrogance will only make it easier for Shigaraki. You think that Togata can match you, the Symbol of Peace? You spent decades convincing everyone that you were all that Japan needed to be safe, and now you are gone, a shadow of your former self. You set the bar insurmountably high, and even if someone like Togata or Midoriya manages to surpass you in power, neither of them will bring hope like you did. Faith in Heroes is already degrading, and every move Shigaraki makes will only make it erode faster."

All Might paused. "Young Midoriya?"

For the first time, All For One's smile dropped, and he said nothing. He didn't need to; he had already slipped up.

"You took young Midoriya," All Might said, partly to himself. "You had Shigaraki do it, and he had his own reasons, but you were the one who wanted young Midoriya." He leaned in closer to the glass. "What is your connection to that boy?"

"I will tell you nothing." All For One's grin returned, but even All Might could tell it was forced. "If you truly wish to know, perhaps Midoriya will tell you. Just ask him about a man named Azmuth. Who knows? Perhaps you'll be the one to discover the answers I have been seeking all this time. It would be a fine torment, you know; if you were to find the truth, you could dangle it in front of me all you want, and I would be unable to do a thing about it."

All Might turned to leave. "That might be something you would do, but not me. Goodbye, All For One; the next time I see you will be when I watch you get put in a pine box and buried."

All For One was silent as All Might left, but when he was left alone, he smiled again; this time, it was genuine. You should know better, All Might; I never slip up. You may think that your successor is all that is needed for a bright future, but my only fear is that Togata and Midoriya fight together against Shigaraki. If you become suspicious of Midoriya, I imagine that your successor will be as well, and that is all I need to keep Tomura one step ahead of you.

Everything is proceeding as I'd planned.

All right, Deku, get that license! Could Ultimate Swampfire have beaten Mount Lady and Gang Orca at the same time? Probably, but after his fight against Chimera and Muscular, doing everything by himself is not a good idea. He would if he had to, but as the Cloaker says, 'Work smarter, not harder'. And I wanted Yoarashi and Todoroki to pass, because they're too good at this to fail.

Also, Bakugo still fails, because he still hasn't learned to be nice to old people yet.

And All For One can be a scary dude, even when he's tied up, on life support, and has guns pointed at his head 24/7.

As always, please consider buying my book, Alpha Sanction, by Josh Gottlieb. You can find it on my website (link in my profile) or on Amazon as an eBook or physical copy. I'm trying to write the next one, but my two jobs make that very hard. Usually I just fall asleep when I'm done.

If you want to support me on P-atreon (link in my profile), I'd really appreciate it. More donations means less time I have to spend working, and more time writing, which is what I'd like to do all day, every day.

Speaking of P-atreon, I'd like to thank the following people for just being awesome:

Serious Muffins: Nimrod009, Anders Lyngbye, Matthias Matanovic, John Collins, Red Bard, Aaron Meek, Shaolin Khalil, killroy225, Zann Nightroad, Lokthar

Incredible Muffins: RaptorusMaximus, michaelb958, Crazyman844, Ben Stueckle

Ultra Muffins: RangersRoll, Adam Costello

Next Chapter: The Rising Stars continue to train, and they are presented with an opportunity. Meanwhile, dark forces gather…

Plus Muffin!